find the account transferred to a biographical dictionary.

*

"Mr. Dryden dying on the Wednesday morning, "Dr. Thomas Sprat, then Bishop of Rochester and "Dean of Westminster, sent the next day to the Lady Elizabeth Howard, Mr. Dryden's widow, "that he would make a present of the ground, which "was forty pounds, with all the other Abbey-fees. "The Lord Halifax likewise sent to the Lady Eliza"beth, and Mr. Charles Dryden her son, that, if

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they would give him leave to bury Mr. Dryden, "he would inter him with a gentleman's private fu"neral, and afterwards bestow five hundred pounds " on a monument in the Abbey; which, as they had "no reason to refuse, they accepted. On the Saturday following the company came; the corpse was put into a velvet hearse; and eighteen mourning "coaches, filled with company, attended. When

they were just ready to move, the Lord Jefferies, "son of the Lord Chancellor Jefferies, with some of "his rakish companions, coming by, asked whose "funeral it was: and being told Mr. Dryden's, he “said, 'What, shall Dryden, the greatest honour "and ornament of the nation, be buried after this

private manner! No, gentlemen, let all that loved "Mr. Dryden, and honour his memory, alight and join with me in gaining my lady's consent to let "me have the honour of his interment, which shall "be after another manner than this; and I will be"stow a thousand pounds on a monument in the

Abbey for him.' The gentlemen in the coaches, "not knowing of the Bishop of Rochester's favour,

*This story has been traced to its source, and clearly proved to be a fabrication, by Mr. Malone. See Malone's Life, 347.

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"nor of the Lord Halifax's generous design (they "both having, out of respect to the family, enjoined the Lady Elizabeth and her son to keep their favour "concealed to the world, and let it pass for their "own expence), readily came out of their coaches, "and attended Lord Jefferies up to the lady's bed"side, who was then sick. He repeated the purport "of what he had before said; but she absolutely "refusing, he fell on his knees, vowing never to rise "till his request was granted. The rest of the company by his desire kneeled also; and the lady, being under a sudden surprize, fainted away. As "soon as she recovered her speech, she cried, No, no. Enough, gentlemen, replied he; my lady is very good; she says, Go, go. She repeated her former "words with all her strength, but in vain, for her "feeble voice was lost in their acclamations of joy; "and the Lord Jefferies ordered the hearsemen to 66 carry the corpse to Mr. Russel's, an undertaker in "Cheapside, and leave it there till he should send "orders for the embalment, which, he added, should "be after the royal manner. His directions were "obeyed, the company dispersed, and Lady Eli"zabeth and her son remained inconsolable. The "next day Mr. Charles Dryden waited on the Lord "Halifax and the Bishop, to excuse his mother and himself, by relating the real truth. But neither his "Lordship nor the Bishop would admit of any plea:

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especially the latter, who had the Abbey lighted, "the ground opened, the choir attending, an an"them ready set, and himself waiting for some time "without any corpse to bury. The undertaker, "after three days' expectance of orders for em"balment without receiving any, waited on the Lord

"Jefferies; who pretending ignorance of the matter, "turned it off with an ill-natured jest, saying, that "those who observed the orders of a drunken frolick "deserved no better; that he remembered nothing "at all of it; and that he might do what he pleased "with the corpse. Upon this, the undertaker "waited upon the Lady Elizabeth and her son, and "threatened to bring the corpse home, and set it "before the door. They desired a day's respite, "which was granted. Mr. Charles Dryden wrote a "handsome letter to the Lord Jefferies, who returned "it with this cool answer: That he knew nothing "of the matter, and would be troubled no more "about it.' He then addressed the Lord Halifax "and the bishop of Rochester, who absolutely re"fused to do any thing in it. In this distress Dr. "Garth sent for the corpse to the College of Physi "cians, and proposed a funeral by subscription, to " which himself set a most noble example. At last "a day, about three weeks after Mr. Dryden's de"cease, was appointed for the interment. Dr. Garth 'pronounced a fine Latin oration, at the College, "over the corpse; which was attended to the Abbey by a numerous train of coaches. When the funeral was over, Mr. Charles Dryden sent a challenge to "the Lord Jefferies, who refusing to answer it, he "sent several others, and went often himself; but "could neither get a letter delivered, nor admittance "to speak to him; which so incensed him, that he "resolved, since his Lordship refused to answer him "like a gentleman, that he would watch an oppor"tunity to meet and fight off-hand, though with "all the rules of honour; which his Lordship hear

"ing, left the town: and Mr. Charles Dryden "could never have the satisfaction of meeting him,

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though he sought it till his death with the utmost application."

This story I once intended to omit, as it appears with no great evidence; nor have I met with any confirmation, but in a letter of Farquhar; and he only relates that the funeral of Dryden was tumultuary and confused. *

Supposing the story true, we may remark, that the gradual change of manners, though imperceptible in the process, appears great when different times, and those not very distant, are compared. If at this time a young drunken Lord should interrupt the pompous regularity of a magnificent funeral, what would be the event, but that he would be justled out of the way, and compelled to be quiet? If he should thrust himself into an house, he would be sent roughly away; and, what is yet more to the

* An earlier account of Dryden's funeral than that above cited, though without the circumstances that preceded it, is given by Edward Ward, who in his London Spy, published in 1706, relates, that on the occasion there was a performance of solemn Musick at the College, and that at the procession, which himself saw, standing at the end of Chancery-lane, Fleet Street, there was a concert of hautboys and trumpets. The day of Dryden's interment, he says, was Monday the 13th of May, which, according to Johnson, was twelve days after his decease, and shews how long his funeral was in suspense. Ward knew not that the expence of it was defrayed by subscription; but compliments Lord Jefferies for so pious an undertaking. He also says, that the cause of Dryden's death was an inflammation in his toe, occasioned by the flesh growing over the nail, which being neglected produced a mortification in his leg. H.

honour of the present time, I believe that those who had subscribed to the funeral of a man like Dryden, would not, for such an accident, have withdrawn their contributions. *

He was buried among the poets in Westminster Abbey, where, though the Duke of Newcastle had, in a general dedication prefixed by Congreve to his dramatick works, accepted thanks for his intention to erecting him a monument, he lay long without distinction, till the Duke of Buckinghamshire gave him a tablet, inscribed only with the name of DRYDEN.

He married the Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of the Earl of Berkshire, with circumstances, according to the satire imputed to Lord Somers, not very honourable to either party; by her he had three sons, Charles, John, and Henry. Charles was usher of the palace to Pope Clement the XIth; and, visit- ing England in 1704, was drowned in an attempt to swim across the Thames at Windsor.

John was author of a comedy called The Husband his own Cuckold. He is said to have died at Rome. Henry entered into some religious order. It is some proof of Dryden's sincerity in his second religion, that he taught it to his sons. A man, conscious of hypocritical profession in himself, is not

* In the Register of the College of Physicians, is the following Entry: "May 3, 1700. Comitiis Censoriis ordinariis. At the "request of several persons of quality, that Mr. Dryden might "be carried from the College of Physicians to be interred at "Westminster, it was unanimously granted by the President "and Censors."

This entry is not calculated to afford any credit to the narrative concerning Lord Jefferies. R.

BB 2