yden had a very marked influence on our literature in
shortening his sentences, and especially in writing naturally, without
depending on literary ornamentation to give effect to what he is saying. If
we compare his prose with that of Milton, or Browne, or Jeremy Taylor, we
note that Dryden cares less for style than any of the others, but takes
more pains to state his thought clearly and concisely, as men speak when
they wish to be understood. The classical school, which followed the
Restoration, looked to Dryden as a leader, and to him we owe largely that
tendency to exactness of expression which marks our subsequent prose
writing. With his prose, Dryden rapidly developed his critical ability, and
became the foremost critic[178] of his age. His criticisms, instead of
being published as independent works, were generally used as prefaces or
introductions to his poetry. The best known of these criticisms are the
preface to the _Fables_, "Of Heroic Plays," "Discourse on Satire," and
especially the "Essay of Dramatic Poesy" (1668), which attempts to lay a
foundation for all literary criticism.

DRYDEN'S INFLUENCE ON LITERATURE. Dryden's place among authors is due
partly to his great influence on the succeeding age of classicism. Briefly,
this influence may be summed up by noting the three new elements which he
brought into our literature. These are: (1) the establishment of the heroic
couplet as the fashion for satiric, didactic, and descriptive poetry; (2)
his development of a direct, serviceable prose style such as we still
cultivate; and (3) his development of the art of literary criticism in his
essays and in the numerous prefaces to his poems. This is certainly a large
work for one man to accomplish, and Dryden is worthy of honor, though
comparatively little of what he wrote is now found on our bookshelves.

SAMUEL BUTLER (1612-1680). In marked contrast with Dryden, who devoted his
life to literature and won his success by hard work, is Samuel Butler, who
jumped into fame by a single, careless work, which represents not any
serious intent or effort, but the pastime of an idle hour. We are to
remember that, though the Royalists had triumphed in the Restoration, the
Puritan spirit was not dead, nor even sleeping, and that the Puritan held
steadfastly to his own principles. Against these principles of justice,
truth, and liberty there was no argument, since they expressed the manhood
of England; but many of the Puritan pra