Your Lordship will judge how easy 'tis to pass any thing upon an University, and how gross flattery the learned will endure. If your Lordship had been in town, and I in the country, I durst not have entertained you with three pages of a letter; but I know they are very ill things which can be tedious to a man who is fourscore miles from Covent-Garden. "'Tis upon this confidence that I dare almost promise to entertain you with a thousand bagatelles every week, and not to be serious in any part of my Letter but that wherein I take leave to call myself your Lordship's

Most obedient servant,

JOHN DRYDEN.

LETTER III.

TO THE REV. DR. BUSBY.2

HONOUR'D SIR,

Wednesday Morning, [1682.]

We have, with much ado, recover'd my younger sonn, who came home extreamly sick of a violent

to her, may have been in Etherege's thoughts, when he wrote these lines.

The Prologue and Epilogue alluded to, were probably those spoken at Oxford by Mr. Hart, at the representation of the SILENT WOMAN, which are printed in the first volume of Dryden's MISCELLANIES, 8vo. 1684, where they are arranged immediately before another Prologue spoken at Oxford in 1674.”

2 See vol. i. part i. p. 13, n. 9.

John, our author's second son, was admitted, a King's

cold, and, as he thinks him selfe, a chine-cough. The truth is, his constitution is very tender; yet his desire of learning, I hope, will inable him to brush through the college. He is allwayes gratefully acknowledging your fatherly kindnesse to him; and very willing, to his poore power, to do all things which may continue it. I have no more to add, but only to wish the eldest may also deserve some part of your good opinion, for I believe him to be of vertuous and pious inclinations; and for both, I dare assure you, that they can promise to them selves no farther share of my indulgence, then while they carry them selves with that reverence to you, and that honesty to all others, as becomes them. I am, Honour'd Sir,

Your most obedient Servant and Scholar,
JOHN DRYDEN.4

Scholar, into the college of Westminster, in 1682.Charlés, the eldest, left it in the following year. On these grounds, I have added 1682, above, as the conjectural date of this letter.

4 The following letter to Dr. Busby, appears to have been written by our author's wife, Lady Elizabeth Dryden, about the same time with the above.

HONNORED SIR,

Ascension Day, [1682.]

I HOPE I need use noe other argument to you in excuse of my sonn for not coming to church to Westminster then this, that he now lies at home, and thearfore cannot esilly goe soe far backwards and forwards. His father and I will take care that he shall duely goe to church heare, both on holydayes and Sundays, till he

IF I could have found in my selfe a fitting temper to have waited upon you, I had done it the day you dismissed 4 my sonn from the college; for he did the message; and by what I find from Mr. Meredith, as it was delivered by you to him; namely, that you desired to see me, and had somewhat to say to me concerning him. I observ'd likewise somewhat of kindnesse in it, that you sent him away that you might not have occasion to correct him. I examin'd the business,

:

comes to be more nearly under your care in the college. In the mean time, will you pleas to give me leave to accuse you of forgetting your prommis conserning my eldest sonn; who, as you once assured me, was to have one, night in a weeke alowed him to be at home, in considirasion both of his health and cleanliness. You know, Sir, that prommises mayd to women, and espiceally mothers, will never faill to be cald upon; and thearfore I will add noe more but that I am, at this time, your remembrancer, and allwayes, Honnord Sir,

Your humble Servant,

Probably his eldest son, Charles.

E. DRYDEN.

and found it concern'd his having been Custos' foure or five dayes together. But if he admonished, and was not believed, because other boyes combined to discredit him with false witnesseing, and to save them selves, perhaps his crime is not so great. Another fault it seems he made, which was going into one Hawkes his house, with some others which you hapning to see, sent your servant to know who they were, and he onely returned you my sonn's name: so the rest escaped.

I have no fault to find with my sonn's punishment; for that is, and ought to be, reserv'd to any master, much more to you who have been his father's. But your man was certainly to blame, to name him onely; and 'tis onely my respect to you, that I do not take notice of it to him. My first rash resolutions were, to have brought things past any composure, by immediately sending for my sonn's

In the hall of the college of Westminster, when the boys are at dinner, it is ex officio the place of the second boy in the second election to keep order among the two under elections; and if any word, after he has ordered silence, be spoken, except in Latin, he says to the speaker, tu es CUSTOS; and this term passes from the second speaker to the third or more, till dinner is over. Whoever is then Custos, has an imposition.

It is highly probable, (adds the very respectable gentleman to whom I am indebted for this information,) that there had formerly been a tessera or symbolum delivered from boy to boy, as at some French schools now, and that Custos meant Custos tesseræ, symboli, &c.; but at Westminster the symbol is totally unknown at present.

things out of college; but upon recollection, I find I have a double tye upon me not to do it: one, my obligations to you for my education; another, my great tendernesse of doeing any thing offensive to my Lord Bishop of Rochester," as cheife governour of the college. It does not consist with the honour I beare him and you, to go so precipitately to worke; no, not so much as to have any difference with you, if it can possibly be avoyded. Yet, as my sonn stands now, I cannot see with what credit he can be elected; for, being but sixth, and (as you are pleased to judge) not deserving that neither, I know not whether he may not go immediately to Cambridge, as well as one of his own election went to Oxford this yeare by your consent. I will say nothing of my second sonn, but that, after you had been pleased to advise me to waite on my Lord Bishop for his favour, I found he might have had the first place, if you had not opposed it; and I likewise found at the election,

7

• Dr. John Dolben, who was translated from Rochester to York, in August, 1683. Our author, in the Postscript to his Translation of Virgil, has mentioned the kindness of the Archbishop's son, Gilbert Dolben, Esq. in giving him the various editions of that author.

7 The person meant was Robert Morgan, who was elected with Charles Dryden into the college of Westminster in 1680, and is the only one of those then admitted, who was elected to Oxford in 1682. That circumstance, therefore, ascertains the year when this letter was written. VOL. I. PART II.

C