nd enquired, with eyes fixed upon the
fellow, who he had got in his house? to which he answered, a
black-looking ugly son of a w----, who had no money in his pocket, and
was obliged to pawn his ring. The ring, says the jeweller, is so
immensely rich, that but one man in the nation could afford to wear
it; and that one is the King. The jeweller being astonished at this
accident, went out with the bully, in order to be fully satisfied of
so extraordinary an affair; and as soon as he entered the room, he
fell on his knees, and with the utmost respect presented the ring to
his Majesty. The old Jezebel and the bully finding the extraordinary
quality of their guest, were now confounded, and asked pardon most
submissively on their knees. The King in the best natured manner
forgave them, and laughing, asked them, whether the ring would not
bear another bottle.

Thus ended this adventure, in which the King learned how dangerous it
was to risk his person in night-frolics; and could not but severely
reprove Rochester for acting such a part towards him; however he
sincerely resolved never again to be guilty of the like indiscretion.

These are the most material of the adventures, and libertine courses
of the lord Rochester, which historians and biographers have
transmitted to posterity; we shall now consider him as an author.

He seems to have been too strongly tinctured with that vice which
belongs more to literary people, than to any other profession under
the fun, viz. envy. That lord Rochester was envious, and jealous of
the reputation of other men of eminence, appears abundantly clear from
his behaviour to Dryden, which could proceed from no other principle;
as his malice towards him had never discovered itself till the
tragedies of that great poet met with such general applause, and his
poems were universally esteemed. Such was the inveteracy he shewed to
Mr. Dryden, that he set up John Crown, an obscure man, in opposition
to him, and recommended him to the King to compose a masque for the
court, which was really the business of the poet laureat; but when
Crown's Conquest of Jerusalem met with as extravagant success as
Dryden's Almanzor's, his lordship then withdrew his favour from Crown,
as if he would be still in contradiction to the public. His malice to
Dryden is said to have still further discovered itself, in hiring
ruffians to cudgel him for a satire he was supposed to be the author
of, which was at once malicious,