were qualified in 1693 to appear among the tranflators of Juvenal, they must have been taught fome religion before their father's change.

Of the person of Dryden I know not any account; of his mind, the portrait which has been left by Congreve, who knew him with great familiarity, is fuch as adds our love of his manners to our admiration of his genius. "He was," we are told, " of a "nature exceedingly humane and compaf"fionate, ready to forgive injuries, and ca

pable of a fincere reconciliation with those "that had offended him. His friendship, "where he profeffed it, went beyond his

profeffions. He was of a very easy, "of very pleasing accefs; but somewhat

flow, and, as it were, diffident in his ad"vances to others: he had that in his na"ture which abhorred intrusion into any

fociety whatever. He was therefore lefs "known, and confequently his character "became more liable to mifapprehenfions "and misrepresentations: he was very mo"deft, and very easily to be discountenanced "in his approaches to his equals or fupe"riors. As his reading had been very ex

"tenfive,

*tenfive, fo was he very happy in a memory "tenacious of every thing that he had read. *He was not more poffeffed of knowledge "than he was communicative of it; but "then his communication was by no means "pedantick, or impofed upon the conver"fation, but just such, and went so far as, "by the natural turn of the conversation in which he was engaged, it was neceffarily << promoted or required. He was extreme ready, and gentle in his correction of the errors of any writer who thought fit to *confult him, and full as ready and patient to admit of the reprehenfions of others, ** in refpect of his own overfights or mif** takes."

To this account of Congreve nothing can be objected but the fondness of friendship; and to have excited that fondness in fuch a mind is no small degree of praise. The dif pofition of Dryden, however, is fhewn in this character rather as it exhibited itself in curfory conversation, than as it operated on the more important parts of life. His placability and his friendship indeed were folid virtues; but courtesy and good-humour are often found with little real worth. Since Congreve,

G 2

Congreve, who knew him well, has told us no more, the reft must be collected as it can from other teftimonies, and particularly from thofe notices which Dryden has very liberally given us of himself.

The modefty which made him fo flow to advance, and so easy to be repulfed, was certainly no fufpicion of deficient merit, or unconsciousness of his own value: he appears to have known, in its whole extent, the dignity of his character, and to have set a very high value on his own powers and performances. He probably did not offer his conversation, because he expected it to be folicited; and he retired from a cold reception, not fubmiffive but indignant, with such reverence of his own greatness as made him unwilling to expofe it to neglect or violation.

His modesty was by no means inconfiftent with oftentatioufnefs: he is diligent enough to remind the world of his merit, and ex

preffes with very little fcruple his high opinion of his own powers; but his self-commendations are read without fcorn or indignation; we allow his claims, and love his franknefs.

Tradition,

Tradition, however, has not allowed that his confidence in himself exempted him from jealoufy of others. He is accused of envy and infidioufnefs; and is particularly charged with inciting Creech to tranflate Horace, that he might lose the reputation which Lucretius had given him.

Of this charge we immediately discover that it is merely conjectural; the purpose was fuch as no man would confefs; and a crime that admits no proof, why should we believe?

He has been described as magifterially prefiding over the younger writers, and assuming the distribution of poetical fame; but he who excels has a right to teach, and he whofe judgement is inconteftable may, without ufurpation, examine and decide.

Congreve reprefents him as ready to advise and inftruct; but there is reafon to believe that his communication was rather useful than entertaining. He declares of himself that he was faturnine, and not one of those whofe fpritely fayings diverted

company; and one of his cenfurers makes him fay,

Nor wine nor love could ever fee me gay;
To writing bred, I knew not what to fay.

There are men whofe powers operate only at leisure and in retirement, and whofe intellectual vigour deferts them in converfation; whom merriment confufes, and objection difconcerts; whofe bashfulness reftrains their exertion, and fuffers them not to speak till the time of speaking is past; or whofe attention to their own character makes them unwilling to utter at hazard what has not been confidered, and cannot be recalled.

Of Dryden's fluggishness in conversation it is vain to search or to guefs the cause. He certainly wanted neither fentiments nor language; his intellectual treasures were great, though they were locked up from his own ufe. His thoughts, when he wrote, flowed in upon him fo faft, that his only care was which to chufe, and which to reject. Such rapidity of compofition naturally promises a flow of talk, yet we must be content to be