aight begot,
Then all proceeded from the great united--What?"

Sometimes he amused himself writing libels on the king, and some of his
satires contain more or less truth, as--

"His father's foes he does reward,
Preserving those that cut off's head,
Old Cavaliers, the crown's best guard,
He lets them starve for want of bread.
Never was a King endued
With so much grace and gratitude."

Buckingham does not appear to have agreed with Rochester about Charles,
for he writes, "He was an illustrious exception to all the common rules
of physiognomy, for with a most saturnine and harsh sort of countenance,
he was both of a merry and merciful disposition." Buckingham's humour
was of a very poor description, but he wrote a Comedy "The Rehearsal,"
which was highly approved, mostly, however, because aimed at Dryden, and
the heroic drama. From one passage in it, we observe that he noticed the
difference between the effect of humour in the plot, and in the dialogue
of the play--

_Prettyman._ Well, Tom, I hope shortly we shall have another coin
for thee; for now the wars are coming on, I shall grow to be a man
of metal.

_Bayes._ O, you did not do that half enough.

_Johnson._ Methinks he does it admirably.

_Bayes._ I, pretty well, but he does not hit me in't, he does not
top his part.

_Thimble._ That's the way to be stamped yourself, Sir, I shall see
you come home like an angel for the king's evil, with a hole bored
through you.

_Bayes._ There he has hit it up to the hilt. How do you like it
now, gentlemen? is not this pure wit?

_Smith._ 'Tis snip snap, Sir, as you say, but methinks not pleasant
nor to the purpose, for the play does not go on. The plot stands
still.

_Bayes._ Why, what the devil is the plot good for but to bring in
fine things.

Dryden could scarcely be expected to remain silent under the blow here
aimed at his plays. An opportunity for revenge soon presented itself,
when he undertook to compose a political satire upon Monmouth and his
intrigues. Some say that this remarkable poem was written at the command
of Charles. It had a great success, five editions being sold within the
year--one cause of its popularity being its novel character. The idea of
introducing Scriptural impersonations into a poem was new or nearly so,
and very successful. Monmouth had already been called Absalom, and as