Panther," authority for bitter and personal
sarcasm, couched in masculine, though irregular versification, dashed
from the pen without revision, and admitting occasional rude and flat
passages, to afford the author a spring to comparative elevation. But
imitation always approaches to caricature; and the powers of Churchill
have been unable to protect him from the oblivion into which his poems
are daily sinking, owing to the ephemeral interest of political
subjects, and his indolent negligence of severe study and regularity. To
imitate Dryden, it were well to study his merits, without venturing to
adopt the negligences and harshness, which the hurry of his composition,
and the comparative rudeness of his age, rendered in him excusable. At
least, those who venture to sink as low, should be confident of the
power of soaring as high; for surely it is a rash attempt to dive,
unless in one conscious of ability to swim. While the beauties of Dryden
may be fairly pointed out as an object of emulation, it is the less
pleasing, but not less necessary, duty of his biographer and editor, to
notice those deficiencies, which his high and venerable name may excuse,
but cannot render proper objects of applause or imitation.

So much occasional criticism has been scattered in various places
through these volumes, that, while attempting the consideration of one
or two of his distinguishing and pre-eminent compositions, which have
been intentionally reserved to illustrate a few pages of general
criticism, I feel myself free from the difficult, and almost
contradictory task, of drawing my maxims and examples from the extended
course of his literary career.

My present task is limited to deducing his poetic character from those
works which he formed on his last and most approved model. The general
tone of his genius, however, influenced the whole course of his
publications; and upon that, however his taste, a few preliminary
notices may not be misplaced.

The distinguishing characteristic of Dryden's genius seems to have been
the power of reasoning, and of expressing the result in appropriate
language.[8] This may seem slender praise; yet these were the talents
that led Bacon into the recesses of philosophy, and conducted Newton to
the cabinet of nature. The prose works of Dryden bear repeated evidence
to his philosophical powers. His philosophy was not indeed of a formed
and systematic character; for he is often contented to leave the p