The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume III Part 10

3. Calisto, or the Chaste Nymph, a masque, 1675; written by command of the queen, and oftentimes performed at court by persons of quality. It is founded on a story in Ovid's Metamorphoses, lib. 2.

4. The Country Wit, a Comedy; acted at the duke's theatre 1675. This play contains a good deal of low humour; and was approved by king Charles the IId.

5. The Destruction of Jerusalem, by t.i.tus Vespasian, in two parts, acted 1677; addressed to the d.u.c.h.ess of Portsmouth. These Tragedies met with extravagant applause, which excited the envy of lord Rochester so much, that on this account he commenced an enemy to the bard he before had so much befriended.

6. The Ambitious Statesman, or the Royal Favourite, a Tragedy; acted at the theatre-royal 1679. This play had but indifferent success, though esteemed by the author one of the best he ever wrote.

7. Charles the VIIIth King of France, or the Invasion of Naples by the French; this play is written in heroic verse.

8. Henry the VIth, the first part, with the murther of Humphrey duke of Gloucester; acted 1681, dedicated to Sir Charles Sedley. This play was at first acted with applause; but at length, the Romish faction opposed it, and by their interest at court got it suppressed. Part of this play was borrowed from Shakespear's Henry the VIth.

9. Henry the VIth, the second part; or the Miseries of Civil War; a Tragedy, acted 1680.

10. Thyestes, a Tragedy; acted at the theatre-royal 1681. The plot from Seneca's Thyestes.

11. City Politics, a Comedy, 1683; of this already we have given some account.

12. Sir Courtly Nice, or It Cannot be; dedicated to the duke of Ormond, of which we have given an account in the author's life.

13. Darius King of Persia, a Tragedy; acted in 1688. For the plot, see Quint. Curt. lib. 3, 4, and 5.

14. The English Fryar, or the Town Sparks, a Comedy; printed in quarto 1690, dedicated to William earl of Devons.h.i.+re. This play had not the success of the other pieces of the same author.

15. Regulus, a Tragedy; acted at the theatre-royal 1694. The design of this play is n.o.ble; the example of Regulus being the most celebrated for honour, and constancy of any of the Romans. There is a play of this name, written by Mr. Havard, a comedian now belonging to the theatre-royal in Drury-lane.

16. The Married Beaux, or the Curious Impertinent, a Comedy; acted at the theatre-royal, 1694, dedicated to the marquis of Normanby. To this play the author has prefixed a preface in vindication of himself, from the aspersions cast on him by some persons, as to his morals. The story is taken from Don Quixot.

17. Caligula, Emperor of Rome, a Tragedy; acted at the theatre-royal, 1698.

Our author's other works are, Pandion and Amphigenia, or the coy Lady of Thessalia; adorned with sculptures, printed in octavo, 1665.

Daeneids, or the n.o.ble Labours of the great Dean of Notre-Dame in Paris, for the erecting in his choir, a Throne for his Glory; and the eclipsing the pride of an imperious usurping Chanter, an heroic poem, in four Canto's; printed in quarto 1692. It is a burlesque Poem, and is chiefly taken from Boileau's Lutrin.

We shall shew Mr. Crown's versification, by quoting a speech which he puts into the mouth of an Angel, in the Destruction of Jerusalem. The Angel is represented as descending over the altar prophesying the fall of that august city.

Stay, stay, your flight, fond men, Heaven does despise All your vain incense, prayers, and sacrifice.

Now is arriv'd Jerusalem's fatal hour, When she and sacrifice must be no more: Long against Heav'n had'st thou, rebellious town, Thy public trumpets of defiance blown; Didst open wars against thy Lord maintain, And all his messengers of peace have slain: And now the hour of his revenge is come, Thy weeks are finish'd, and thy slumb'ring doom, Which long has laid in the divine decree, Is now arous'd from his dull lethargy; His army's rais'd, and his commission seal'd, His order's given, and cannot be repeal'd: And now thy people, temple, altars all Must in one total dissolution fall.

Heav'n will in sad procession walk the round, And level all thy buildings with the ground.

And from the soil enrich'd with human blood, Shall gra.s.s spring up, where palaces have stood, Where beasts shall seed; and a revenge obtain For all the thousands at thy altars slain.

And this once blessed house, where Angels came To bathe their airy wings in holy flame, Like a swift vision or a flash of light, All wrapt in fire shall vanish in thy sight; And thrown aside amongst the common store, Sink down in time's abyss, and rise no more.

CHARLES SACKVILLE, Earl of DORSET,

Eldest son of Richard earl of Dorset, born the 24th of January 1637, was one of the most accomplished gentlemen of the age in which he lived, which was esteemed one of the most courtly ever known in our nation; when, as Pope expresses it,

The soldiers ap'd the gallantries of France, And ev'ry flow'ry courtier writ romance.

Immediately after the restoration, he was chosen member of parliament for East-Grimstead, and distinguished himself while he was in the House of Commons. The sprightliness of his wit, and a most exceeding good-nature, recommended him very early to the favour of Charles the IId, and those of the greatest distinction in the court; but his mind being more turned to books, and polite conversation, than public business, he totally declined the latter, tho' as bishop Burnet[1] says, the king courted him as a favorite. Prior in his dedication of his poems, observes, that when the honour and safety of his country demanded his a.s.sistance, he readily entered into the most active parts of life; and underwent the dangers with a constancy of mind, which shewed he had not only read the rules of philosophy, but understood the practice of them. He went a volunteer under his royal highness the duke of York in the first Dutch war, 1665, when the Dutch admiral Opdam was blown up, and about thirty capital s.h.i.+ps taken and destroyed; and his composing a song before the engagement, carried with it in the opinion of many people to sedate a presence of mind, and such unusual gallantry, that it has been much celebrated.

This Song, upon so memorable an occasion, is comprised in the following stanzas.

I.

To all you ladies, now at land, We men at sea indite, But first would have you understand, How hard it is to write; The Muses now, and Neptune too, We must implore to write to you, With a fa, la, la, la, la.

II.

For tho' the Muses should prove kind, And fill our empty brain; Yet if rough Neptune rouze the wind, To wave the azure main, Our paper, pen and ink, and we, Roll up and down our s.h.i.+ps at sea, With a la fa, &c.

III.

Then if we write not, by each post, Think not, we are unkind; Nor yet conclude our s.h.i.+ps are lost, By Dutchmen or by wind: Our tears, we'll send a speedier way, The tide shall waft them twice a day.

With a fa, &c.

IV.

The king with wonder, and surprize, Will swear the seas grow bold; Because the tides will higher rise, Then e'er they did of old: But let him knew it is our tears, Bring floods of grief to Whitehall-Stairs.

With a fa, &c.

V.

Should foggy Opdam chance to know; Our sad and dismal story; The Dutch would scorn so weak a foe, And quit their fort at Goree: For what resistance can they find, From men who've left their hearts behind.

With a fa, &c.

VI.

Let wind, and weather do its worst, Be you to us but kind; Let Dutchmen vapour, Spaniards curse, No sorrow we shall find; 'Tis then no matter, how things go, Or who's our friend, or who's our foe.

With a fa, &c.

VII.

To pa.s.s our tedious hours away, We throw a merry main; Or else at serious...o...b..e play; But why should we in vain Each other's ruin thus pursue?

We were undone, when we left you.

With a fa, &c.

VIII.

But now our fears tempestuous grow, And cast our hopes away; Whilst you, regardless of our woe, Sit carelessly at play; Perhaps permit some happier man, To kiss your hand, or flirt your fan.

With a fa, &c.

IX.

When any mournful tune, you hear, That dies in every note; And if it sigh'd with each man's care, For being so remote; Think then, how often love we've made To you, when all those tunes were play'd.

With a fa, &c.

X.