The Occasion of "An Essay of Dramatic Poesy"

Author(s): George Williamson

Source: Modern Philology, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Aug., 1946), pp. 1-9
Published by: University of Chicago Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/435107
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MODERN PHILOLOGY
VolumeXLIV AUGUST 1946
THE OCCASION OF AN ESSAY OF DRAMATIC POESY
GEORGE
DR. JOHNSON introducedthe invidi-
ous distinctionbetweenthe gen-
eral and the occasional in Dry-
den's criticism,declaringin the Livesthat
his occasionalpositionsare sometimesin-
terested,negligent,or capricious-incon-
stant to his general precepts. In a less
pejorative sense An essay of dramatic
poesyillustratesthe occasional as well as
the general,but it is unique in Dryden's
criticismbecause it was publishedwithout
any visible means of support,not as a
pendant to anotherwork. Some writers,
mistakingthe personal apology in the
Defenceof an Essay-which, as a matter
of fact,is incidentonly to the argument
about rhyme-have overplayed the oc-
casional bias of the Essay withrespectto
Sir RobertHoward. But one provocation
to the Essay, to whichan unidentified al-
lusiondirectsus, has been unaccountably
neglected.This motivationhelps to ex-
plain the Essay, and evenits concernwith
dramatic principles,withoutchallenging
its conformity to its own laws.
When Dryden wrote the Essay, the
French and English had already clashed
in a notable exchangeof opinion.The oc-
casion actually led to diplomaticaction
and the banishmentof the offender. The
occasion especially concernedthe Royal
Society1and so providedanotherreason
1 See Vincent Guilloton, Autour de la Relation du
voyage de Samuel SorbiBre en Angleterre, 1663-1664
MODERN PHILOLOGY, August, 1946
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Number1
WILLIAMSON
why Dryden mightnot be insensitiveto
the controversy. It is hardlynecessaryto
remarkthat complimentaryallusions to
science are a conspicuousfeatureof the
Essay,whichwas probablywrittenbefore
he was dropped by the Society.2But it
does seem necessaryto remarkthat dra-
matic poetryhad been an issue in this
clash. The famousexchange,in whichthe
Royal Societywas directlyinvolved,had
for its principals Samuel Sorbibre and
Thomas Sprat,and producedworkswhich
long kept a certainnotorietyin England.
all the morestrangethat
It is, therefore,
theyhave neverenteredthe discussionof
circumstancesincident to the Essay of
dramaticpoesy.
In the same year that Dryden pub-
lished The rival ladies, withits prefatory
defenseof rhymein seriousplays,Samuel
Sorbibrepublishedhis VoyagetoEngland3
and raised a stormof indignation,which
was embarrassingto the Royal Society
because he had been "admitted a mem-
ber." Thomas Sprat, the officialspokes-
man forthe Society,laid downhis History
("Smith College studies in modern languages," Vol.
XI, No. 4 [Northampton, 1930]).
2 These allusions seem less random-aside from
their place in the argument-when we recall his
"Apostrophe to the Royal Society" in the Annus
mirabilis (1667).
a Relation d'un voyage en Angleterre oi sont touchges
plusieurs choses qui regardent l'etat des sciences, et de la
religion, et autres matiires curieuses (Paris, 1664).
1
2 GEORGE WILLIAMSON
longenoughto writeObservations on Mon-
sieur Sorbier's Voyage into England,4
whichappearedin 1665. In the same year
Sir Robert Howard published his Four
new plays,with the prefacenow remem-
beredchieflyforhaving startedthe con-
troversywith Dryden. Meanwhile the
Great Plague had brokenout, to be fol-
lowedby the Great Fire in 1666; together
they closed the theaters and hindered
publicationforeighteenmonths.For these
two years Drydenhas nothingto show in
the way of publication except his col-
laboration with Howard on The Indian
queen,publishedin Four new plays. But
it was in thisinterval,by his own account,
that he wrote Annus mirabilisand the
Essay ofdramaticpoesy,the firstof which
certainlyappeared in 1667,5along with
Sprat's Historyof theRoyal Society.How
Sorbiere and Sprat are related to the
quarrel about dramaticpoetrymay now
be examined.
In criticizingEnglish drama Sorbiere
raised issues which remained central to
the controversy representedby the Essay
ofdramaticpoesy.His chiefremarksare as
follows:6
But the Players[Plays]herewou'd be of
littleEsteemin France,so farshorttheEng-
lishcomeoftheFrenchthisWay: The Poets
4 Its
apparently official character, though not
officialin fact, is stressed on the title-page: "Written
to Dr. Wren, Professor of Astronomy in Oxford. By
Thomas Sprat, Fellow of the Royal Society. London,
Printed for John Martyn and James Allestry,Printers
to the Royal Society." His third paragraph explains
his reply: "For having now under my Hands the His-
tory of the Royal Society,it will be in vain for me to
try to represent its Design to be Advantageous to
the Glory of England, if my Countrymen shall know
that one who calls himselfa Member of that Assembly
has escaped unanswered in the public Disgraces which
he has cast on our whole Nation" (cf. Evelyn's letter
to Sprat, October 31, 1664).
5 Malone believed that the Essay was published at
the end of 1667 (cf. Prose worksof Dryden, I, Part I,
58).
6 For convenience Sorbibre and Sprat are quoted
from A voyage to England ... by Mons. Sorbiere. As
also Observationson the same voyage, by Dr. Thomas
Sprat (London, 1709); cited hereafteras " Voyage."
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laughat theUniformity ofthePlace,andthe
Rules of Times:TheirPlays containtheAc-
tionsofFiveandTwenty Years,andafterthat
in the FirstAct theyrepresent themarriage
ofa Prince;theybringin hisSon Fighting in
theSecond,and havingTravelledovermany
Countries:But above all thingstheyset up
forthe Passions,Vertuesand Vicesof Man-
kindadmirably well; and indeeddo not fall
muchshortin theperformance. In represent-
inga Miser,theymakehimguiltyofall the
basestActionsthat have been practisedin
severalAges,upondiversOccasionsand in-
differentProfessions:Theydo notmatter tho'
it be a HodchPotch,fortheysay,theymind
onlythePartsas theycomeon oneafteran-
other,and haveno regardto thewholeCom-
position.I understand that all the English
Eloquenceconsists innothingbutmeerPedan-
and that their Sermons from thePulpit,
try,
and theirpleadingsat the Bar, are muchof
the sameStamp . . . . TheirComediesare a
kindof Blank Verse,and suit an Ordinary
Languagebetterthanour Meetre,and make
someMelody:Theycannotbutconceiveit to
be a troublesome thingto have theEar con-
tinuallytickledwiththe sameCadence;and
theysay,thatto hearHeroickVersesspoken
forTwoorThreeHourstogether, andtorecoyl
back fromone to the other,is a Methodof
Expression thatis notso naturaland divert-
ing:In short,it looksas iftheEnglishwould
by no meansfallin withthe Practicesand
mannerof Representation in other Lan-
guages;and the ItalianOpera'sappearmore
extravagant,andmuchmoredisliked bythem
thanours.Butwearenothereto enterupona
Disputeaboutthedifferent TastesofMen,it's
bestto leaveeveryone to aboundin hisown
Sence.7
7 Voyage, pp. 69-71. Compare Sorbibre's French
for the exact turn of his remarks, once seriously mis-
represented by the English:
"Mais les Comedies n'auroient pas en France
toute l'approbation qu'elles ont en Angleterre. Les
Poites se mocquent de l'uniformit6du lieu, & de la
regle des vingt-quatre heures. Ils font des comedies de
vingt-cinq ans, & apres avoir represent6 au premier
acte le mariage d'un Prince, ils representent toute
d'une suite les belles Actions de son fils,& luy fontvoir
bien du pays. Il se picquent sur tout de faire d'excel-
lens characters des passions, des vices, & des vertus;
Et en cela ils r~ussissent essez bien. Pour depeindre
 THE OCCASION OF "AN ESSAY OF DRAMATIC POESY"
The issues raised here concernthe rejec-
tionof the unitiesand decorumas well as
the use of rhyme.Rhyme is rejected by
the English because it is neithernatural
nor pleasing. The English (althoughthe
translatedremarkabout opera missesthe
point)are open to attack because theyare
nonconformiststo European dramatic
standards-a groundof attack calculated
to annoythe courtof Charles II.
As one who had made a reputationout
ofEnglishwriters,Sorbierewas especially
offensiveto Sprat, who would not have
erred as a modern writerhas erred,by
praisingSorbiereforideas whichhe prob-
ably derivedfromHobbes.s Hence Sprat
takes advantage of any disparagementof
Englishliteratureon the part of Sorbiere.
On theviolationof theunitiesby theEng-
lish, Sprat replies by contrasting,in too
round figures,the presentand the past
age:
un avare, ils en font faire & un h6me toutes les plus
basses actions qui se pratiquent en divers ages, en
diverses rencontres, & en diverses professions; Et il ne
leur importe que ce soit un pot pourry; parce qu'ils
n'en regardent, disent-ils, qu'une partie apres l'autre,
sans se soucier du total.
"I'entends que toute 1'Eloquence Angloise est
conduite de cette maniere; & que dans la Chaire, & au
Barreau, on ne parle pas d'autre fagon. ...
"Les Comedies sone en prose mesur~e, qui a plus
de rapport au langage ordinaire que nos vers, & qui
rend quelque melodie. Ils ne peuu~t s'imaginer que ce
ne soit une chose importune d'avoir continuellement
l'oreille frapp6e de la mesme cadence; ils disent, que
d'entendre parler deux ou trois heures en vers Ale-
xandrins, & voir sauter de cesure en cesure; est une
maniere de s'exprimer moins naturelle, & moins
divertissante. En effect il semble qu'elle s'esloigne
autant de ce qui se pratique dans le monde, & par
consequent de ce que l'on veut representer; que la
maniere Italienne de reciter les Comedies en musique,
s'esgare & extravague au delh de la nostre. Mais il ne
faut pas disputer des gousts, & il vaut mieux laisser
chacun abonder en son sens" (Relation [Cologne,
1669], pp. 129-32).
If Sorbibre means comedies rather than plays in
general, Sprat ignores the distinction.
8 See Alan M. Boase, The fortunes of Montaigne
(London, 1935), pp. 254-55; and compare Hobbes's
Answer to Davenant on poetry and his Human nature
or Leviathan on language. If this matter was not avail-
able to Sorbiere in Latin, still the parallel is unmistak-
able; the ideas were no accident in Hobbes.
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3
'Tis true,aboutan HundredYearsago the
EnglishPoets werenot veryexact in such
Decencies;butnomorethenweretheDrama-
tistsofanyotherCountries. TheEnglish them-
selvesdidlaughawaysuchAbsurdities as soon
as any;andfortheselastFiftyYearsourStage
has beenas regular in thoseCircumstances as
thebestin Europe.'
This contrast, properlydated, appears
again in Dryden's Essay, togetherwith
some concernfor European standards.10
But Sprat, as we shall see, also liberalizes
his termsof conformity.
The issue ofdecorumleads Sprat intoa
comparisonof French and English dra-
matic poetry, in which he discusses
rhymedverse:
He nextblamestheMeannessof[the]Hu-
mourswhichwe represent.And here, because
he has thrustthis Occasionuponme,I will
venture to makea shortComparison between
theFrenchDramaticalPoetryand ours.....
I willthereforemakeno Scrupleto maintain
thattheEnglishPlaysoughttobe preferr'dbe-
foretheFrench: AndtoprovethisI willnotin-
whichis plainto any
sist on an Argument
Observer, thatthe Partoftheirmost
greatest
ExcellentPieceshas [have]beentakenfrom
the Spaniard; whereas the English have for
themostparttrodden in NewWaysofInven-
tion.FromhenceI willnot drawmuchAd-
vantage,tho' it may serveto balancethat
whichhe afterwardssaysof our Books,that
stolnoutofotherAuthors;but
theyare generally
I will fetchthe Groundsof my Perswasion
fromthe veryNatureand Use of the Stage
itself.It is beyondall Dispute,thatthetrue
intention of suchRepresentations is to give
to mankinda Pictureof themselves, and
thereby to make Virtuebelov'd,Viceabhorr'd,
and thelittleIrregularitiesofMensTempers,
TheTwo
calledHumours, expos'dto laughter.
First of these are the properSubjects of
Tragedy,and Trage-Comedy. And in these
I willfirst tryto shewwhyourWayoughtto
9 Voyage,p. 166.
10In the Dedication of The rival ladies Dryden is
worried lest the English seem eccentric by refusing
rhyme in drama.
4 GEORGE WILLIAMSON

be preferr'd beforetheirs.The Frenchforthe And nowhavingobtainedthis,I suppose

mostparttakeonlyOneor Two GreatMen, theywilloftheirownAccordresigntheother
and chiefly insiston some one Remarkable Excellence, and confessthatwe have farex-
Accident oftheirStory;tothisEndtheyadmit ceededthemin theRepresentation ofthedif-
no morePersonsthanwill [barely]serveto ferentHumours.The Truthis, the French
adornthat:And theymanageall in Rhime, have alwaysseemedalmostasham'dof the
withlongSpeeches, almostin theWayofDia- trueComedy;makingit notmuchmorethan
logues,in makinghighIdea's ofHonour,and theSubjectoftheirFarces:WhereastheEng-
in speaking Noblethings.The Englishon the lishStagehas so muchaboundedwithit,that
othersidemaketheirchiefPlotto consistofa perhapsthereis scarceany Sortof Extrava-
greatervarietyof Actions;and besidesthe ganceofwhichtheMindsofMenarecapable
mainDesign,add manyotherlittleContriv- but theyhave in somemeasureexpress'd.It
ances.By thisMeanstheirScenesareshorter, is in Comedies,and notin SolemnHistories,
theirStagefuller, manymorePersonsof dif- thattheEnglishuse to relatetheSpeechesof
ferent Humoursareintroduc'd. Andin carry- Waggoners,of Fencers,and of Common
ing on of this theygenerally onlyconfine Soldiers.And thisI dareassureMonsieurde
do
themselves to BlankVerse.Thisis theDiffer- Sorbiere, thatifhe had understood our Lan-
ence,and hencethe Englishhave theseAd- guage,he mighthave seenhimself in all [his]
vantages.By theLibertyofProsetheyrender Shapes,as a vain Traveller, an emptyPoli-
theirSpeechandPronunciation moreNatural, tician,an insolentPedant,and an idle Pre-
and are neverputto makea Contention be- tenderto Learning.12
tweenthe Rhimeand the Sence. By their
The last shape, of course,was peculiarly
Underplots theyoftenchangethe Mindsof
to a defenderof the Royal
theirSpectators: Whichis a mighty Benefit, annoying
seeingone of the greatestArtsof Wit and Society, which felt that it had been de-
Perswasion is therightordering ofDigressions. ceived.
By theirfullStagetheypreventMensbeing For our purpose it may be well to
continually tir'dwith thesame Objects: And itemize the groundsof defenseemployed
so theymaketheDoctrineoftheSceneto be by Sprat. In thematterofunitieshe justi-
morelivelyand diverting thanthe Precepts fies English drama by European stand-
of Philosophers, or the grave Delight of ards; he arguesfromthe natureofdrama,
HeroickPoetry;whichthe FrenchTragedies definesplays with respectto their ends;
do resemble.Nor is it sufficient to object he
argues fromthe art by which a play
againstthis,thatit is undecentto thrustin attains its
Men ofmeanCondition theActions end; he findsthat nature is
amongst
ofPrinces. Forwhyshouldthatmisbecome the
satisfied by blank verse, that varietyof
and characterare persuasivemeans
Stage,whichis alwaysfoundto be actedon plot
the trueTheatreof theWorld?Therebeing (art) to the end of instruction, surpassing
no Courtwhichonlyconsistsof Kings,and "the grave Delight of Heroick Poetry,"
Queens,and Counsellors ofState.Uponthese which characterizesFrenchtragedy.De-
Accounts,Sir, my in weak Judgment, the corum in charactersis to be judged by
French DrammaoughttogiveplacetotheEng- nature,of whicha play is an image, and
lishin theTragicaland LoftyPartofit." particularlyby the kind of nature ap-
propriateto the play. In short,Sprat ac-
Sprat concludeshis comparisonwith an
ceptsthe unitieswithqualificationsin the
easy victoryin comedy,treatingSorbiere interestof
to a lessonin humorswhichhe mighthave delightbut rejects the French
doctrineof decorumand use of rhymein
learnedforhimself:
the interestof nature. English plays are
11 Voyage, pp. 167-69. The chief variants of the
superiorboth in nature and in art; the
1665 text are supplied in brackets, except for the
spelling of "rhime" as "rhythm." 12 Ibid., p. 169.

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 THE OCCASION OF "AN ESSAY OF DRAMATIC POESY" 5

English way to the end of drama is su- Yet I shallpresume tosaysomething inthe
periorbecause it is morelively,and there- justification of our nation'splays, (though
fore more persuasive in its instruction. notofmyown),sincein myjudgment-with-
Such an approach,it may be observed,is outbeingpartialto myCountry-Ido really
not uninstructive fortheEssay ofdramatic prefer ourplaysas muchbefore anyotherna-
tion'sas I do thebestofoursbefore myown.16
poesy.
While Sorbiereand Sprat may be said Findingthe Ancientsdeficient in plot and
to have launched the debate officially,"1wit,althoughtheircomedyhas some pre-
theyby no means definedall of theissues. tenses to both,he proceedsto definethe
If this admission seems to grant them Frenchway in termsof the Ancientpat-
more importancethan they deserve, it tern. Two aspects of this way, to which
will sufficeto indicate the background the Englishhave become susceptible,are
forthe argumentwhichengagesDryden's attacked: "presenting thebusinessin rela-
"wits."14 The Sorbiere incident was at tions" and writingin rhyme.The method
least an eventin a controversy widerbut of the Ancientswas forcedupon themby
now less substantial than Howard's theirsubjects,but the Frenchcommitthe
Prefaceto Four newplays. error without the necessity. "If these
In that preface Howard devotes his premisesbe granted,"he argues,"'tis no
timeto a defenseof English plays which partialityto conclude that our English
is no extenuationofhis own; rather,as he playsjustlychallengethe preeminence.""7
says with respectto rhyme,his own err Coming when it did, Howard's Preface
by followingin part the methodwhichhe must have been read largelyas another
condemns.Howard debates some issues replyto Sorbiere.
that wereneglectedby Sprat but are dis- But he is readyto admitthat the Eng-
cussed by Dryden,and in generalbroad- lish differfromothersless happilyin one
ens the argumentto includethe Ancients, respect:
whomthe Frenchimitate.He introduces Yet I shallas candidlyacknowledge that
his defensein these words:15 our best poetshave differed fromotherna-
tions(thoughnotso happily)in usuallymin-
13Grilloton (pp. 8-9) shows that this debate was
restrained: "Dans une lettre A Louis XIV du 21 gling and interweaving mirthand sadness
juillet 1664-quinze jours apres l'arr{t qui condam- through thewholecourseoftheirplays-Ben
nait Sorbilre-l'ambassadeur Cominges dit au roi Jonsononlyexcepted, whokeepshimself en-
qu'il est intervenu aupris de Charles II pour emp~cher
certains membres de la Soci6t6 Royale 'qui dejk tail- tireto oneargument. AndI confess I am now
laient leurs plumes' pour lui repondre, de riposter au convinced inmyownjudgment thatit is most
voyageur franCais. Le roi d'Angleterre a df menacer to the audiencein one entiredis-
'ces Messieurs de 1'Academie' pour les obliger A lui proper keep
apporter les mat6riaux d6jh pr6par6s pour leur position bothofconcern and attention.'"
replique." Nevertheless, Sprat's "Letter to Wren"
(Observations) was dated August 1, 1664, and some Though such "pursuingaccidents" may
covert, though partial, replies seem to have been be possible,"they may not be so proper
made.
14 The
opening of the Essay furthercharacterizes to be presented-an entire connection
the wits who are introduced in the Dedication. Oddly
being the natural beauty of all plays."
enough, on "that memorable day" Eugenius, if he is
Buckhurst, presumably shared in the victory over the To that extentHoward bows to the uni-
Dutch rather than in that over the French. The Essay ties.19 But, after the French, neither
is described in the Defence as "a little discourse in
dialogue, for the most part borrowed from the obser- Italian nor Spanish plays offerhim any-
vations of others." Too often "others" has been re- 16 Ibid., p. 6.
stricted to foreignsources.
17Ibid., p. 7.
15 For convenience references to Howard and
18Ibid., p. 8.
Dryden are made to Dryden dc Howard, 1664-1668,
ed. D. D. Arundell (Cambridge, 1929); cited hereafter 19 Here the unity of feeling,an aspect of the unity
as "Arundell." of action or the nonmixture of the genres.

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6 GEORGE WILLIAMSON

thing worthyof imitation.In termsof notonlyspeakofplaysin verse,butmingled,

Dryden's Essay,his argument,exceptfor inthefreedom ofdiscourse,
somethingsofthe
rhyme, is more in accord with that of ancient,many of themodern waysofwriting;
than with that of but it comparing thosewiththese,and thewitsof
Eugenius Crites,
ournationwiththoseofothers.24
agreeswithLisideiuson tragicomedy.He
is against both the Ancients and the Needless to say, the quarrel betweenthe
French, but allows that the Ancients ancientand modernwaysofwritingis also
had reasonfortheirmethod;20 among the representedin the quarrel between the
English he evidentlyrates the past age, Frenchand English.Therefore,Dryden's
especiallyJonson,above the present. openingremarkto thereaderbecomesless
When we come to Dryden,it must be puzzlingto a modernreader:"The driftof
said at once that by defendingrhymehe theensuingDiscoursewas chiefly to vindi-
appeared to belongto the Frenchparty;21 cate the honour of our English writers,
in other respectshe is neithermore nor fromthe censureof those who unjustly
less ready than other members of the prefertheFrenchbeforethem."25 Howard
English party to accept elementsof the could have made a similarclaim forhis
French way of drama. Dryden himself Preface. Altogether,this remark, like
placed the Essay in relationto the quarrel Howard's Preface,suggestsan occasion,
with Howard about rhyme,explicitlyin beyondthequarrelabout rhyme,to which
the Defenceof an Essay, and implicitlyin such a vindicationoftheEnglishwouldbe
the Essay by borrowingHoward's argu- relevant. Sorbibreprovidedsuch an oc-
ments. Othershave attemptedto saddle casion,if onlyby makinga Frenchparty
all of Crites' argumentsupon Howard, amongtheEnglishall themoreobnoxious.
but such an assimilationdoes not cor- Dryden's next sentenceto the reader
respondto the facts; nor does it seem to emphasizes the occasional aspect of the
have been a part of Dryden's purpose,for Essay at the expenseof its generalchar-
this allusion in his Dedication applied to acter: "This I intimate,lest any should
no one so well as to Howard: think me so exceedingvain, as to teach
Even Tullyhada controversy withhisdear othersan artwhichtheyunderstandmuch
Atticus;and in one of his Dialogues,makes betterthan myself." Despite this prot-
himsustainthe partof an enemyin philos- estation,the authorof the Prefaceto The
ophy,who,in his letters,is his confident of Duke
of Lerma took the Essay as a sign
state,and made privyto the mostweighty of such vanityin Dryden. But the Essay
affairs oftheRomanSenate.22
itselfbears out Dryden's claim; forit has
In context this remark is part of an all the marks of a vindication,weighing
apologyforhis ownopinions,"whichwere the chargeswhichhad been made against
firstmade public."23Then Dryden gives English drama and marshalingthe argu-
this descriptionof the Essay: mentswhichhad been or could be used to
.... the relation ofa dispute betwixtsome of refutethem. It is not incidentalto this
ourwitsuponthissubject,in whichtheydid purposethat he, like Howard, also enter-
20 Of course, Thomas Rymer became the chief tains the reader "with what a good play
English advocate for the Ancients.
21 Howard had stigmatized rhyme as part of the
should be"; it is, however, central to
French way, but Dryden speaks of his "adversaries" anotherpurpose.
in the Dedication of the Essay. In the Essay, rhymeis the issue re-
22
Arundell, p. 20.
See his recapitulation
23 of thecontroversywith
servedforfinaland separate debate, but
Howard at the close of the Defence of an Essay. 24 Arundell, p. 21. 26 Ibid., p. 22.

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 THE OCCASION OF "AN ESSAY OF DRAMATIC POESY"
it was the issue which Dryden firstset
up, and therebycompromisedhis native
stand. DrydeninvokesEuropean example
only in supportof rhyme,but even then
he assertsEnglishprecedentforit-more
vigorouslyin the Essay, thoughhe is al-
ready anti-Frenchin the Dedication of
The rival ladies.26To his praise in these
worksof the perfecters of Englishrhyme
he added, in his enthusiasm,the dedica-
tion of the Essay to one of those transla-
tors of Corneille'sPompeywho had pro-
vided him with a dazzling argumentfor
Englishrhymedplays.27It has long been
recognized that Dryden put Howard's
argumentsagainst rhymeinto the mouth
of Crites,but not that Sprat anticipated
Howard in arguing against rhyme,es-
peciallyits unnaturalness.ThereforeNe-
anderis reallyansweringboth,as well as
justifyingan English use of a prominent
featureof the Frenchway of drama.
The Essay oughtto be examinedforits
dispositionof previous argument,apart
fromrhyme.It will be rememberedthat
Crites and Lisideius are spokesmenfor
and
theAncientsand Frenchrespectively,
that Eugenius and Neander are partners
in rebuttal.Justas Eugenius arguesthat
Ancient plots are deficient,so Neander
arguesthatFrenchplotsare deficient;and
as Eugenius arguesthat the Ancientsdid
not follow their method rigidly,so Ne-
26 Jonson provided English precedent not only for
rhyme but also for dramatic regularity. He is veryuse-
ful to Dryden, even doctrinally, in repudiating French
influence.
27 See the allusion to Pompey in the Dedication.
This translation (1664)-called the "SMEC" version
by a eulogist of Orinda-was a work of the wits, in-
cluding not only Buckhurst but Sedley and Waller
(cf. Lettersfrom Orinda [1705], p. 112, and Dryden's
or Tonson's Miscellanies [1716], II, 94). Through
these names, and because of this association, Dryden's
Essay pays still more homage to rhyme. Crites alone
opposes it, but Crites is given an officeappropriate to
his name and dismissed in the company of Neander
rather than of the wits. If Crites were Roscommon, as
has been suggested, he would have written the pro-
logue to the rival Pompey translated by Katharine
Philips.
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7
ander argues that the French have de-
parted from theirs when they sought
variety.The consequenceis to renderthe
unities not indispensablebut contingent
upon variety.28Let us recall that the
issues of plot and wit with whichCrites
begins the argument had been raised
against the Ancients by Howard. Al-
though he was probably not the "late
writer"to whomEugeniusrefers, Howard
had pointedout that the subjects of the
Ancients"were usually the most known
stories and fables"-a fact which Eu-
geniusproceedstodevelopintoa limitation
upon variety and delight.29 On tragi-
comedy Lisideius definitely echoes
Howard's argumentagainstthis mixture,
especiallyas it may frustratethe interest
and concernof the audience."3Lisideius,
moreover,answersSprat on Frenchplots:
But I returnagainto the Frenchwriters,
who,as I have said, do not burdenthem-
selvestoomuchwithplot,whichhas beenre-
proachedto themby an ingenious personof
ournationas a fault.For he saystheycom-
monlymakebutonepersonconsiderable in a
play; they dwell uponhim and his concern-
ments,whiletherestofthepersonsare only
subservient to sethimoff.31
The actual wordsof this "ingeniousper-
son of our nation," hithertounidentified,
willbe foundin Sprat's remarksabout the
Frenchway in replyto Sorbiere.But Lisi-
deius also interpretsSprat's argumentin
his answer:
If he intendsthisby it, thatthereis one
personin the playwhois of greaterdignity
28 Positively, of course, Dryden argues for both
the unities and rhyme as aids to imitation.
29 Arundell, pp. 38, 7. Obviously he was not the
writerif "late" means "lately deceased." Howard does
not develop the consequence mentioned by Dryden;
rather he argues that these stories obliged the dram-
atists to resort to "relations." Cowley, now a
"late" writer,characterized these stories in terms simi-
lar to those of Dryden, but with respect to epic poetry
(Preface to Poems [1656]).
soArundell, pp. 47-48, 8.
81 Ibid., pp. 50-51.
8 GEORGE WILLIAMSON

thantherest,he musttaxnotonlytheirs, but Here, of course, he is arguing partly

thoseoftheancients, and-whichhe wouldbe against Howard; but Lisideius is not al-
loathto do-the bestofours.32 lowed a victory,forthe Frenchhave erred
Spratwouldnothave been loathto tax an grosslyin this respect,and a mean be-
opponent with shiftinghis argument. tween French and English practice is
Again, Lisideius goes to considerable best. Howard had arguedthatthe French
pains to refuteHoward's chargesagainst used relationswithoutregardto necessity.
the French method of relations;33 the When Neander argues "that we have
nexus becomes obvious when he says, many plays of ours as regularas any of
"But it is objected that if one part of the theirs, and which, besides, have more
play may be related,thenwhynot all."'34 variety of plot and characters,""9he
The argumentof Neander agreesin all comesprettyclose to summingup Sprat's
respectssave rhymewiththe defenseof- defense, including regularityas a cri-
feredby Sprat, includingthe chargethat terion.
Frenchplays werebased on Spanishplots. If Sorbieremay be said to have initi-
Neander refutesthe argumentsof Lisi- ated the occasion forthe Essay, and the
deius and Howard on tragicomedy, which Essay itselfmay be allowed to reveal an
he makes a special gloryof the English.35 appropriateorientation, the questionmay
He followsSprat whenhe argues against then be asked why Dryden delayed its
"Lisideius and manyothers"who "cryup publicationfrom 1665-66, the apparent
the barrennessof the Frenchplots above date of composition,40 until 1668. The
the varietyand copiousnessof the Eng- most obvious answer is supplied by the
lish";36 he agrees with Sprat on short Plague and Fire. Actually the Essay
speeches versus long harangues.It is in was enteredin the Stationers' Register,
the interestof varietythat he argues a August 7, 1667, and thus was probably
weaknessin Lisideius' answerto Sprat: intendedforpublicationin the same year
Thereis anotherpartof Lisideiushis dis- as theAnnusmirabilis.41The delay,which
course,in whichhe has ratherexcusedour is magnifiedby the publication date,
neighbours thancommended them,-thatis, requiresno other explanation,since The
foraimingonlyto makeone personconsider- Indian
ablein theirplays."7 emperor,though registeredMay
26, 1665, was not printeduntil late in
"'Tis evident," says Neander, "that the
39Ibid., p. 66.
more the personsare, the greaterwill be
40 See the Dedication of the Essay. The remark in
the variety of the plot," and thus sup- the Dedication that he has since laid aside the writing
ports Sprat. He is ready to admit,how- rather
of plays in rhyme until he has more leisure seems
odd when we consider that although he did not
ever, that Lisideiushas reason in what he defend rhyme in comedy, he laid it aside (after The
says about relations,especiallyin arguing maiden queen) only to write comedies.
that all incredibleactions be related.38 The Prefatory Epistle to this poem, dated from
41

November
Charlton, Wiltshire, asks Howard
10, 1666,
32 Ibid.,p. 51. 33
Ibid., pp. 51-55. to see the poem through the press; it was published
34 Ibid., pp. 53, 7. Howard had said that "they do by early in 1667, and celebrated the late fire as well
consequence maintain that a whole play might be as as the unconcluded Dutch war. The maiden queen-
well related as acted." It might be remarked that apparently read by Howard between his "first
Howard's show of logic eventually became a little irk- perusal" and his "correction" of the Annus mirabilis
some to Dryden. (cf. Epistle) and staged early in 1667-was entered in
35Ibid., pp. 58, 48, 8.
the Stationers' Register at the same time as the Essay,
and had been published by January 18, 1668, when
36Ibid., p. 58. 37
Ibid., p. 61. Pepys bought a copy "newly printed." Dryden's re-
38Ibid., pp. 61-62. Howard argued that it was im- mark about laying rhyme aside since that time should
possible to represent some parts of the stories used by make The maiden queen at least contemporary with
the Ancients. the Essay.

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 THE OCCASION OF "AN ESSAY OF DRAMATIC POESY"
1667.42 The retrospectivenote in the
Dedication of the Essay springsfromthe
same interval,which overlaps Dryden's
retirement in the country.43On the other
hand, because of the interruptionof
normallife by the Plague and Fire, the
loss in timelinesswas less than it would
seem; Sprat's Observations reappearedin
1668.Whiletheking'sattemptto prevent
any reply to Sorbiere may have made
Dryden's vindicationmore indirect,no
doubt Drydenwrotethe Essay chieflyto
explore and definehis own theories of
dramaticart-not withoutregardto the
taste of the Court, to whichhe owed so
much-and his recent success with The
Indian emperor encouragedhim to under-
take it.44
Despite theenforceddelay,whichmade
1667 the earliestdate forthe publication
of the Essay, therecan be no doubt that
it was an ambitiousworkor that it had a
dual purpose. All this is clear fromthe
address "To the reader." I have already
quoted the first part of that address,
which intimatesthe occasional aspect of
42The interval between registration and publica-
tion, even for Dryden's plays, usually was very much
shorter. For bibliographical details concerning these
works see Hugh MacDonald's Bibliography (Oxford,
1939).
4 The opening sentence of the Essay, however,
seems to place the Essay later than the date assigned
in the Dedication; for Dryden's phrase "in the first
summer of the late war" could not have been written
much before the entry in the Stationers' Register,
since the "late war" was concluded in the preceding
month with the Peace of Breda. This suggests, despite
Dryden's protest, revision.
44 The maiden queen, however, his firstattempt to
embody his new formula (cf. Prologue), was saved by
the king's approval (cf. Preface). In the Preface to
Juvenal (1693) he speaks of the Essay as a product of
the time "when I was drawing the outlines of an art,
without any living master to instruct me in it; an art
which had been better praised than studied here in
England ..... I was sailing in a vast ocean, without
other help than the pole-star of the ancients, and the
rules of the French stage amongst the moderns, which
are extremely differentfrom ours, by reason of their
opposite taste." He was speaking to the man to whom
he dedicated the Essay.
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9
the Essay. The latterpartsuggestsa more
generalpurpose:
But if thisincorrect
Essay,written in the
country withoutthehelpofbooksoradviceof
shallfindanyacceptance
friends, intheworld,
I promiseto myselfa bettersuccessof the
secondpart,wherein thevirtuesandfaultsof
theEnglishpoetswhohavewritten eitherin
this,theepic,orlyricway,willbe morefully
treatedof,andtheirseveralstylesimpartially
imitated.45
That whichhas beeninadequatelytreated,
or neglectedin favorof a party defense,
will be the main subject of a secondpart.
This more general purpose Dryden ful-
filled,at least in large part,but not as he
anticipated; rather in the form of oc-
casional essays attachedto otherworks.46
For the dramaticway he has manyessays
to show; forthe epic way, several essays
and parts of essays; for the lyric way,
variousmiscellaneouspassages.
This "incorrectEssay"-later honored
by revision,thoughnot of its alleged de-
fects-still keeps a place apart in his
criticism, but least forits dual motivation,
whichmakes it, like most of his essays,
both occasional and generalin nature; it
keeps that place, aside frommerit,forits
ambitious program,dialogue form,and
basic principles.Yet even in "drawingthe
outlinesof an art" Dryden had adjusted
his argumentboth to occasion and to
principle.
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
45 Arundell, p. 22.
46 The groundwork for his later criticism was laid
in the Essay and the "Account" of the Annus, which
overlap on rhyme and the "proper wit of poetry."
The Preface to Troilus and Cressida, for example, is
no radical departure from the Essay. While the au-
thorities are new-Bossu, Rapin, Longinus-the
argument still owes much to Corneille's Discourses,
particularly on manners and the properties of the
action, even to the founding of pity and fear on the
chief character-a rule not "fully enough discovered
to us,"