The birds in unfrequented fhades express, mittee, or, the Faithful Irishman; the Great Favorite, or, the Duke of Lerma; the Indian Queen, a tragedy, written in conjunction with our author; the Surprizal, a tragi-comedy; and the Vestal Virgin, or the Roman Ladies, a tragedy: the last has two different conclufions, one tragical, and the other, to use the author's own words, comical. The laft five plays were col lected together, and published by Tonfon, in a fmall 12mo voJume, in 1722. The Blind Lady was printed with fome of his poems. Langbaine fpeaks in very high terms of Sir Robert's merit, in which he is copied by Giles Jacob. See their Lives of the Poets. This gentleman was, however, extremely pofitive, remarkably overbearing, and pretending to univerfal knowledge; which failings, joined to his having then been of an oppofite party, drew upon him the cenfure of Shadwell, who has fatirized him very feverely in a play, called The Sullen Lovers, under the name of Sir Pofitive At-all, and his lady, whom he first kept, and afterwards married, under that of Lady Vain. DERRICK. Ver. 1. As there is mufic] One would have thought from this elegant exordium, that Sir Robert Howard was a fon of fancy, and warbled his native wood notes wild with peculiar freedom and felicity. His poems, which are hard and profaic, are not of this kind. The edition to which these were prefixed were printed by Herringman, 1660, and contains a Panegyric to the King, Songs and Sonnets, the Blind Lady, a comedy; the fourth book of Virgil, the Achilleis of Statius, a panegyric on General Monk. The fongs are without harmony of numbers; the fourth book of Virgil lame and not faithful; the notes added to the Achilleis are fome of them learned; the panegyric on Monk very inferior to that of Dryden. He wrote befides, the Committee, a comedy; the Great Favourite, a tragedy; the Indian Queen, a tragedy; the Surprizal, a tragi-comedy; the Vestal Virgin, a tragedy. He was member of Parliament for Stockbridge, in Hampshire, and was brother-in-law to Mr, Dryden, who addreffed his Annus Mirabilis to him, but quarrelled with him afterwards on defending dramatic rhyme, which Dryden defended in his Dialogue on Dramatic Poetry. In this epiftle, the lines 23, 25, 31, 40, 44, 60, 100, are all of them full of fulfome and falfe adulation. The most celebrated of 5 So in your verse a native sweetness dwells, Their even calmnefs does fuppofe them deep; 10 And yet no fign of toil, no fweat appear. 25 Howard's poems was the Duel of the Stags. Shadwell feverely Ver. 26. The curious net &c.] A compliment to a poem of Sir Robert's, entitled Rete Mirabile. DERRICK. 30 Lets through its meshes every meaner thought, 34 Great Hercules himself could ne'er do more, Than not to feel those heavens and gods he Your eafier odes, which for delight were penn'd, Yet our inftruction make their fecond end: We're both enrich'd and pleas'd, like them that WOO 45 At once a beauty, and a fortune too. And gives us hope, that having feen the days When nothing flourish'd but fanatic bays, All will at length in this opinion rest, "A fober prince's government is best.” This is not all; your art the way has found 55 To make the improvement of the richest ground, 60 That foil which thofe immortal laurels bore, view: Then we shall fee his work was lamely rough, 65 70 75 But as in perspective we beauties fee, That wealth, which his your bounty only makes. Thus vulgar dishes are, by cooks disguis'd, 80 More for their dreffing, than their substance priz'd. Your curious notes fo fearch into that age, That, fince in that dark night we needs muft ftray, We are at least misled in pleasant way. 85 But what we moft admire, your verse no less Of light, you faw great Charles his morning break. So fkilful feamen ken the land from far, 90 Which fhews like mifts to the dull paffenger. To Charles your muse first pays her duteous love, As still the antients did begin from Jove. With Monk you end, whofe name preferv'd fhall be, As Rome recorded Rufus' memory, Who thought it greater honor to obey His country's intereft, than the world to fway. 9,5 |