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ON

SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

To which are added,

THE

TRAGEDIES

O F

JULIUS CAESAR, and MARCUS BRUTUS.

BY

JOHN SHEFFIELD,

DUKE of BUCKINGHAM.

-NEC PHOEBO GRATIOR ULLA EST

QUAM SIBI QUAE VARI PRAESCRIPSIT PAGINA NOMEN.

VIRG.

GLASGOW,

PRINTED BY ROBERT AND ANDREW FOULIS

M DCC LII.

TESTIMONIES

O F

AUTHORS,

Concerning his GRACE, and his WRITINGS.

Earl of ROSCOMMON, Essay on Tranflated Verfe. Hearth Well our old HORATION WAY APPY that Author! whole corre&* Essay

DRYDEN, Abfalom and Achitophel.

Sharp-judging ADRIEL, the mufes friend,
Himself a mufe-In Sanhedrim's debate,
True to his prince, but not a flave of state.

DRYDEN, Verfes to Lord ROSCOMMON.
How will sweet OVID's ghost be pleas'd to hear
His fame augmented by an English peer?
Now he embellishes his HELEN's loves,
Outdoes his softness, and his sense improves!

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DRYDEN, Preface to VIRGIL'S AENEIS.

"YOUR Effay on Poetry, which was published without a name, and of which I was not honour'd with the confi"dence, I read over and over, with much delight, and as "much inftruction; and, without flattering you, or making "myself more moral than I am, not without fome envy. I "was loth to be informed how an Epic Poem fhould be writ"ten, or how a Tragedy should be contrived and managed, "in better verse, and with more judgment, than I could teach "others.

"I gave the unknown Author his due commendation, I "must confefs: but who can answer for me, and for the rest "of the Poets who heard me read the Poem, whether we "should not have been better pleased, to have seen our own "names at the bottom of the Title-page? Perhaps we com* Efay on Poetry.

"mended it the more, that we might seem to be above the "cenfure, &c."

DRYDEN, Ibid.

"THIS is but doing justice to my country; part of which "honour will reflect on your Lordship; whofe thoughts are "always just, your numbers harmonious, your words cho"fen, your expressions strong and manly, your verse flow"ing, and your turns as happy as they are eafy. If you "would fet us more copies, your example would make all precepts needlefs. In the mean time, that little you have "writ is owned, and that particularly by the poets (who are a nation not over-lavish of praife to their contemporaries) as a particular ornament to our language: but the sweet"est effences are always confined in the smallest glasses.”

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DRYDEN, Dedication to AURENGezeb.

How great and manly in your Lordship, is your contempt of popular applaufe; and your retired virtue, which shines only to a few; with whom you live so easily and freely, that you make it evident, you have a foul which is capable of all the tenderness of friendship, and that you only retire yourfelf from those, who are not capable of returning it! Your kindness, where you have once plac'd it, is inviolable: and 'tis to that only I attribute my happiness in your love. This makes me more eafily forfake an argument, on which I could otherwife delight to dwell: I mean your judgment in your choice of friends; because I have the honour to be one. After which, I am fure you will more easily permit me to be filent, in the care you have taken of my fortune; which you have refcu'd, not only from the power of others, but from my worst of enemies, my own modesty and laziness. Which favour, had it been employ'd on a more deserving subject, had been an effect of justice in your nature; but as placed on me, is only charity. Yet withal, 'tis conferred on fuch a man, as prefers your kindness itself, before any of its confequences; and who values, as the greatest of your favours, those of your love, and of your converfation. From this conftancy to your friends, I might reasonably affume, that your resentments would be as ftrong and lafting, if they were not restrained by a nobler principle of good-nature and generofity. For certainly, 'tis the fame compofition of mind, the fame refolution and courage, which makes the greatcft friendships, and the

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greatest enmities. To this firmness in all your actions (tho' you are wanting in no other ornaments of mind and body, yet to this) I principally afcribe the intereft your merits have acquir'd you in the Royal Family. A prince, who is conftant to himself, and steady in all his undertakings; one with whom the character of HORACE will agree,

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Such a one cannot but place an esteem, and repose a confidence on him, whom no adverfity, no change of courts, no bribery of interest, or cabal of factions, or advantages of fortune, can remove from the folid foundations of honour and fidelity.

"Ille meos, primus qui me fibi junxit, amores

"Abftulit, ille habeat fecum, fervetque fepulcro."

How well your Lordship will deferve that praise, I need no infpiration to foretel. You have already left no room for prophecy: Your carly undertakings have been fuch, in the fervice of your king and country, when you offer'd yourself to the most dangerous employment, that of the sea: when you chose to abandon those delights, to which your youth and fortune did invite you, to undergo the hazards, and, which was worse, the company of common seamen; that you have made it evident, you will refufe no opportunity of rendring yourself useful to the nation, when either your courage or conduct shall be required.

Bishop BURNET, Preface to Sir T. MORE'S Utopia.

OUR language is now certainly properer and more natural than it was formerly, chiefly fince the correction that was given by the Rehearsal: and it is to be hoped that the Effay on Poetry, which may be well match'd with the best pieces of its kind that even AUGUSTUS's age produced, will have a more powerful operation; if clear fenfe, joined with home, but gentle reproofs, can work more on our writers, than that unmerciful exposing of 'em has done.

ADDISON, Spectator, N° 253.

We have three Poems in our tongue, which are of the fame nature, and each of them a master-piece in its kind: the Ef

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