taking; and indeed may be well dispensed with, after Dr. Johnson's elaborate and admirable disquisition on his writings;' than which a more beautiful and judicious piece of criticism perhaps has not appeared since the days of Aristotle.-I shall therefore no longer detain the reader from the perusal of the ensuing volumes; which contain such a variety of excellence, that,-so long as just ness of thought and vigour of expression, fertility of mind and copiousness of illustration, shall have the power of enchaining the attention and commanding the admiration of mankind,—to all who seek to amuse the fancy and to inform the judgment, they must continue to prove an abundant source of instruction and delight. I With that incomparable work should be read his exquisite parallel of Dryden and Pope, in the Life of the latter poet, pp. 166-171, edit. 1783; in which " the superiority of genius,-that power which constitutes a poet; that quality without which judgment is cold and knowledge is inert; that energy which collects, combines, amplifies and animates ;”—is, “with some hesitation," attributed to Dryden. APPENDIX. NUMBER I. DRYDEN'S PATENT. Pat. 22 Car. II. p. 6. n. 6. CHARLES the Second, by the grace of GoD, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. to the Lords Commissioners of our Treasury, Treasurer, Chancellor, Under-treasurer, Chamberlaines and Barons of the Exchequer, of us, our heires and successors, now being and that hereafter shall bee, and to all other the officers and ministers of our said court and of the receipt there, now being and that hereafter shall bee, and to all others to whom these presents shall come; greeting. Know yee, that wee, for and in consideration of the many good and acceptable services by John Dryden, Master of Arts,* and eldest sonne of Erasmus * Concerning some of the subjects stated in the preceding pages, wherever I entertained any doubts, my researches were continued even after the sheets were printed off, in which such information was used as my utmost diligence could procure. One of these was, Dryden's Degree of Master of Arts; an honour which I |