Restoration & Augustan
John Dryden
John Dryden (1631–1700) was England’s dominant literary figure of the later 17th century — poet, satirist, playwright, and critic — and was made the first official Poet Laureate in 1668.
His satires — Absalom and Achitophel, Mac Flecknoe, The Medal — and his public odes set the model for Augustan verse that Pope and Swift would inherit.
Major Works (1)
- The Hind and the Panther — Allegorical poem, 1687
Poems (211)
- On the Death of Lord Hastings
- Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Oliver Cromwell
- To His Sacred Majesty: A Panegyric on His Coronation
- To the Lord Chancellor Hyde
- Satire on the Dutch
- To Her Royal Highness the Duchess, on the Memorable Victory Gained by the Duke
- Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666
- Absalom and Achitophel
- The Medal: A Satire Against Sedition
- Religio Laici; or, A Layman's Faith
- Threnodia Augustalis: A Funeral Pindaric Poem, Sacred to the Happy Memory of King Charles II
- Veni Creator Spiritus, Paraphrased
- Mac Flecknoe
- Britannia Rediviva: A Poem on the Prince, Born June 10, 1688
- To My Honoured Friend Sir Robert Howard, on His Excellent Poems
- To Mr Lee, on His "Alexander"
- A Song for St Cecilia's Day, 1687
- Alexander's Feast; or, The Power of Music
- The Secular Masque
- Astraea Redux: A Poem on the Happy Restoration and Return of His Sacred Majesty Charles II, 1660
- The Hind and the Panther, Part I
- The Hind and the Panther, Part II
- The Hind and the Panther, Part III
- To My Honoured Friend Dr Charleton, on His Learned and Useful Works; but More Particularly His Treatise of Stonehenge, by Him Restored to the True Founder
- To the Lady Castlemain, upon Her Encouraging His First Play
- To the Earl of Roscommon, on His Excellent Essay on Translated Verse
- To the Duchess of York, on Her Return from Scotland in the Year 1682
- A Letter to Sir George Etherege
- To Mr Southerne, on His Comedy Called "The Wives' Excuse"
- To Henry Higden, Esq., on His Translation of the Tenth Satire of Juvenal
- To My Dear Friend Mr Congreve, on His Comedy Called "The Double-Dealer"
- To Mr Granville, on His Excellent Tragedy Called "Heroic Love"
- To My Friend Mr Motteux, on His Tragedy Called "Beauty in Distress"
- To My Honoured Kinsman, John Dryden of Chesterton, in the County of Huntingdon, Esq.
- To Sir Godfrey Kneller, Principal Painter to His Majesty
- To His Friend the Author, John Hoddesdon, on His Divine Epigrams
- To My Friend Mr J. Northleigh, Author of "The Parallel", on His "Triumph of the British Monarchy"
- To the Memory of Mr Oldham
- To the Pious Memory of the Accomplished Young Lady, Mrs Anne Killigrew, Excellent in the Two Sister Arts of Poesy and Painting: An Ode
- Upon the Death of the Earl of Dundee
- Eleonora: A Panegyrical Poem, Dedicated to the Memory of the Late Countess of Abingdon
- On the Death of Amyntas: A Pastoral Elegy
- On the Death of a Very Young Gentleman
- Upon Young Mr Rogers of Gloucestershire
- On the Death of Mr Purcell
- Epitaph on the Lady Whitmore
- Epitaph on Sir Palmes Fairbone's Tomb in Westminster Abbey
- Under Mr Milton's Picture, before His "Paradise Lost"
- On the Monument of a Fair Maiden Lady, Who Died at Bath, and Is There Interred
- Epitaph on Mrs Margaret Paston of Burningham, in Norfolk
- On the Monument of the Marquis of Winchester
- The Fair Stranger
- On the Young Statesmen
- The Tears of Amynta, for the Death of Damon
- The Lady's Song
- A Song (Fair, sweet, and young, receive a prize)
- A Song (High state and honours to others impart)
- Roundelay
- A Song (Go tell Amynta, gentle swain)
- A Song to a Fair Young Lady, Going out of Town in the Spring
- Song from "The Indian Emperor" (Ah, fading joy! how quickly art thou past!)
- Song from "The Indian Emperor" (I look'd, and saw within the book of fate)
- Song from "The Maiden Queen"
- Song from "The Conquest of Granada" (Wherever I am, and whatever I do)
- Song from "The Conquest of Granada" (How unhappy a lover am I)
- Song of the Sea-Fight in "Amboyna"
- Incantation in "Oedipus"
- Song from "Albion and Albanius" (Cease, Augusta! cease thy mourning)
- Song from "Albion and Albanius" (Albion, by the nymph attended)
- Song from "Albion and Albanius" (Infernal offspring of the Night)
- Song from "Albion and Albanius" (See the god of seas attends thee)
- Song from "Albion and Albanius" (Albion, loved of gods and men)
- Song from "King Arthur" (Come, if you dare, our trumpets sound)
- Song from "King Arthur" (O sight, the mother of desires)
- Song from "King Arthur" (Two daughters of this aged stream are we)
- Song from "King Arthur" (Ye blustering brethren of the skies)
- Song from "King Arthur" (Foe folded flocks, on fruitful plains)
- Song from "King Arthur" (Fairest isle, all isles excelling)
- Song of Jealousy in "Love Triumphant"
- Song: Farewell, Fair Armida
- Song of a Scholar and His Mistress
- Prologue to "The Rival Ladies"
- Prologue to "The Indian Queen"
- Epilogue to "The Indian Queen"
- Epilogue to "The Indian Emperor"
- Prologue to "Sir Martin Marr-all"
- Prologue to "The Tempest"
- Prologue to "Tyrannic Love"
- Epilogue to "The Wild Gallant"
- Prologue, Spoken the First Day of the King's House Acting after the Fire of London
- Epilogue to the Second Part of "The Conquest of Granada"
- Epilogue to "Amboyna"
- Prologue, Spoken at the Opening of the New House, March 26, 1674
- Prologue to the University of Oxford, 1674
- Prologue to "Circe", a Tragic Opera
- Epilogue, Intended to Have Been Spoken by the Lady Hen. Mar. Wentworth, When "Calisto" Was Acted at Court
- Prologue to "Aureng-Zebe"
- Epilogue to "The Man of Mode; or, Sir Fopling Flutter"
- Epilogue to "All for Love"
- Prologue to "Limberham"
- Epilogue to "Mithridates, King of Pontus"
- Prologue to "Oedipus"
- Epilogue to "Oedipus"
- Prologue to "Troilus and Cressida"
- Prologue to "Cæsar Borgia"
- Prologue to "Sophonisba"
- Prologue to "The Loyal General"
- Prologue to the University of Oxford, 1681
- Prologue to His Royal Highness, upon His First Appearance at the Duke's Theatre, after His Return from Scotland, 1682
- Prologue to "The Earl of Essex; or, the Unhappy Favourite"
- Epilogue for "The King's House"
- Prologue to "The Loyal Brother; or, the Persian Prince"
- Prologue to "The King and Queen"
- Prologue to the University of Oxford, Spoken by Mr Hart at the Acting of "The Silent Woman"
- Epilogue, Spoken by Mr Hart at Oxford
- Epilogue, Spoken at Oxford by Mrs Marshall
- Prologue to the University of Oxford (Discord and plots, which have undone our age)
- Prologue to the University of Oxford (Though actors cannot much of learning boast)
- Prologue to "Albion and Albanius"
- Epilogue to "Albion and Albanius"
- Prologue to "Arviragus and Philicia Revived"
- Prologue to "Don Sebastian"
- Prologue to "The Prophetess"
- Prologue to "King Arthur"
- Prologue to "Albumazar"
- An Epilogue
- Epilogue to "The Husband His Own Cuckold"
- Prologue to "The Pilgrim"
- Epilogue to "The Pilgrim"
- Prologue for the Women, When They Acted at the Old Theatre, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields
- Epilogue, Spoken at the Opening of the New House, 1674
- Prologue to "The True Widow"
- Epilogue to "Tamerlane"
- Epilogue to "The Loyal Brother; or, the Persian Prince"
- Epilogue to "Constantine the Great"
- Prologue to "The Disappointment; or, the Mother in Fashion"
- Epilogue on the Union of the Two Companies, 1686
- Prologue to "The Princess of Cleves"
- Epilogue to "The Princess of Cleves"
- Epilogue to "Henry the Second"
- A Prologue (Gallants, a bashful poet bids me say)
- A Song (Sylvia, the fair, in the bloom of fifteen)
- To Her Grace the Duchess of Ormond, with the Following Poem of Palamon and Arcite
- Palamon and Arcite
- The Cock and the Fox; or, The Tale of the Nun's Priest
- The Flower and the Leaf; or, The Lady in the Arbour
- The Wife of Bath, Her Tale
- The Character of a Good Parson
- Sigismonda and Guiscardo
- Theodore and Honoria
- Cymon and Iphigenia
- A Pair Well Matched
- Meleager and Atalanta, out of the Eighth Book of Ovid's Metamorphoses
- Baucis and Philemon, out of the Eighth Book of Ovid's Metamorphoses
- Cinyras and Myrrha, out of the Tenth Book of Ovid's Metamorphoses
- Ceyx and Alcyone, out of the Eleventh Book of Ovid's Metamorphoses
- The Speeches of Ajax and Ulysses, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book XIII
- Dido to Aeneas
- Ovid's Elegies, Book II, Elegy XIX
- From Lucretius: The Latter Part of the Third Book, Against the Fear of Death
- From Lucretius: From Book the Fifth
- From Horace: The Third Ode of the First Book
- The First Book of Ovid's Metamorphoses
- The Fable of Iphis and Ianthe, from the Ninth Book of the Metamorphoses
- Epilogue to "The Wild Gallant", as First Acted (1663)
- Prologue to "The Indian Emperor"
- Prologue to "Secret Love; or, The Maiden Queen"
- Second Prologue to "Secret Love; or, The Maiden Queen"
- Epilogue to "Secret Love; or, The Maiden Queen"
- Prologue to "The Wild Gallant", Revived (As some raw squire, by tender mother bred)
- Epilogue to "Sir Martin Mar-all; or, The Feign'd Innocence"
- Epilogue to "The Tempest"
- Prologue to "An Evening's Love; or, The Mock Astrologer"
- Epilogue to "An Evening's Love; or, The Mock Astrologer"
- Song from "An Evening's Love" (You charm'd me not with that fair face)
- Song from "An Evening's Love" (After the pangs of a desperate lover)
- Epilogue to "Tyrannic Love; or, The Royal Martyr"
- Song from "Tyrannic Love" (Ah how sweet it is to love)
- Prologue to "The Conquest of Granada", Part I
- Epilogue to "The Conquest of Granada", Part I
- Prologue to "The Conquest of Granada", Part II
- Prologue to "Marriage A-la-Mode"
- Epilogue to "Marriage A-la-Mode"
- Song from "Marriage A-la-Mode" (Why should a foolish marriage vow)
- Song from "Marriage A-la-Mode" (Whilst Alexis lay prest)
- Epilogue to "The Assignation; or, Love in a Nunnery"
- Song from "The Assignation" (Long betwixt love and fear Phyllis, tormented)
- Epilogue to "Aureng-Zebe"
- Prologue to "All for Love; or, The World Well Lost"
- Epilogue to "The Kind Keeper; or, Mr. Limberham"
- Song from the Italian (By a dismal cypress lying)
- Epilogue to "Troilus and Cressida" (Spoken by Thersites)
- Song from "Troilus and Cressida" (Can life be a blessing)
- Prologue to "The Spanish Friar; or, The Double Discovery"
- Song from "The Spanish Friar" (Farewell, ungrateful traitor)
- The Second Part of Absalom and Achitophel (Dryden's part, lines 310-509)
- Prologue to "The Duke of Guise"
- Epilogue to "The Duke of Guise" (Spoken by Mrs. Cooke)
- Another Epilogue, Intended to Have Been Spoken to "The Duke of Guise"
- Prologue to "Amphitryon; or, The Two Sosias"
- Epilogue to "Amphitryon; or, The Two Sosias"
- Song from "Amphitryon" (Celia, that I once was blest)
- Song from "King Arthur" (How happy the lover)
- Harvest Song from "King Arthur" (Your hay it is mow'd, and your corn is reap'd)
- Song from "King Arthur" (You say 'tis love creates the pain)
- Prologue to "Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero"
- Epilogue to "Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero"
- Song from "Cleomenes" (No, no, poor suffering heart, no change endeavor)
- Epilogue to "Love Triumphant; or, Nature Will Prevail"
- Lines to Mrs. Creed
- Here lies my wife: here let her lie!