CONTENTS NOTE ON THE TEXT ... ⅹ INTRODUCTION ... 1 1 The reception of Dryden's First play 1663 ... 29 2 PEPYS at the theatre 1662, 1663, 1664, 1667, 1668 ... 30 3 DRYDEN on The Indian Emperour 1667, 1679 ... 32 4 DRYDEN on Secret-Love 1668 ... 34 5 DRYDEN on his comedies 1668, 1671 ... 36 6 FLECKNOE on Dryden 1670 ... 38 7 Dryden's Patent 1670 ... 39 8 DRYDEN on Tyrannick Love 1670, 1681 ... 40 9 DRYDEN on An Evening's Love 1671 ... 42 10 DRYDEN as Mr Bayes 1672 ... 45 11 'Tragedy I say's my Masterpiece' 1673 ... 53 12 The Censure of the Rota 1673 ... 54 13 Attack by vindication 1673 ... 68 14 Mr. Dreyden Vindicated 1673 ... 80 15 The Athenian virtuosi answered 1673 ... 88 16 RAVENSCROFT requites Dryden 1673 ... 109 17 Wits and pedants 1673 ... 110 18 MARVELL on The State of Innocence 1674 ... 113 19 RYMER on The Indian Emperour 1674 ... 115 20 ROCHESTER on Dryden 1675-7 ... 117 21 Comedy and tragedy 1676 ... 120 22 Excellent imaging? 1677 ... 121 23 DRYDEN on The Kind Keeper 1677, 1680 ... 123 24 DRYDEN on ALL for Love 1678 ... 124 25 DRYDEN on The Spanish Fryar 1681 ... 126 26 Verses on Absalom and Achitophel 1681, 1682 ... 128 27 Some responses to Absalom and Achitophel 1681, 1682 ... 131 28 Verses on The Medall 1682 ... 136 29 Verses on Religio Laici 1682, 1683 ... 138 30 The Medal of John Bayes : Satyr 1682 ... 143 31 Dreaded, the Tory poet 1682 ... 151 32 SHADEFUL on The Duke of Guise 1683 ... 156 33 A deist's tribute 1683 ... 159 34 DREADED on his History of the League 1684 ... 162 35 KDI imitators serum peaces, &c. 1685 ... 163 36 PRIOR parodies The Hind and the Panther 1687 ... 167 37 GENTLE George reads The Hind and the Panther 1687, 1689 ... 174 38 CLIFFORD' s poison pen 1687 ... 175 39 Reflections on The Hind and the Panther 1687 ... 186 40 Dreaded's rhyming poetry 1690 ... 190 41 Objections to Don Sebastian 1689-90 ... 191 42 Two actors in 1690(1739) ... 193 43 MELBOURNE blows hot and cold 1690, 1698 ... 196 44 Languaging's observations and remarks 1691 ... 200 45 Dreaded and conserve 1693 ... 203 46 Conserve to Mr Dreaded, on his translation of Perishes 1693 ... 205 47 HIGHBORN on Perishes 1693 ... 207 48 DREADED on Exacted Poeticism 1693 ... 208 49 DENNIS on Oedipus 1693 ... 209 50 Tribute from ADDISON 1693 ... 213 51 DREADED on The Satires of Juveniles 1693 ... 215 52 DRYDEN on Love Triumphant 1694 ... 216 53 Verses on Virgil 1697 ... 217 54 DRYDEN on his Virgil 1697 ... 224 55 Alexander's Feast 1697 ... 226 56 Immorality and profaneness 1698 ... 227 57 Fables Ancient and Modern 1700 ... 240 58 On a portrait of Dryden 1700 ... 241 59 Farce and heroicks 1700 ... 242 60 Dryden's unnatural flights 1701 ... 243 61 SWIFT on Dryden 1704, 1710, 1735 ... 245 62 HUGHES : Verses on Dryden's Fables 1706 ... 248 63 The Spectator 1711, 1712 ... 253 64 DENNIS on Dryden 1711, 1715, 1717, 1720, 1728 ... 257 65 GARTH'S memorial to Dryden 1717 ... 261 66 CONGREVE'S memoir 1717 ... 263 67 DENNIS on All for Love 1719 ... 266 68 ALEXANDER POPE on Dryden 1730-43 ... 269 69 THOMAS GRAY on Dryden 1742, 1754, 1765 ... 270 70 Instant criticism 1744 ... 273 71 JOSEPH WARTON on Dryden 1756, 1782 ... 274 72 Applauding hands and dry eyes 1759 ... 278 73 Sigismunda and Timotheus 1761, 1763, 1764 ... 280 74 ADAM SMITH on The Spanish Fryar 1763 ... 282 75 Comments by WALPOLE 1755-87 ... 283 76 DR JOHNSON on Dryden 1779-81, 1750 ... 285 77 Comments by COWPER 1780, 1782, 1784 ... 313 78 A professorial view 1783 ... 314 79 BURNS reads Dryden's Virgil 1788 ... 316 80 MALONE on Dryden 1800 ... 317 81 No Great favourite of WORDSWORTH'S 1805 ... 323 82 SCOTT'S Dryden : Cause for alarm 1805, 1806 ... 325 83 WALTER SCOTT : The great appraisal 1808 ... 328 84 Teutonic strictures 1808 ... 398 85 BLAKE against journeymen C. 1810 ... 400 86 LORD MONBODDO on Dryden's Odes (n.d.) ... 401 APPENDIX : EARLY EDITIONS OF THE WORKS OF DRYDEN ... 404 INDEX ... 411