oons as a man made to be duped, as a man who
had hitherto been the prey of gamesters, and who might as well be the
prey of friars. A pasquinade, which, about the time of Rochester's
retirement, was fixed on the door of Salisbury House in the Strand,
described in coarse terms the horror with which the wise Robert Cecil,
if he could rise from his grave, would see to what a creature his
honours had descended. [227]

These were the highest in station among the proselytes of James. There
were other renegades of a very different kind, needy men of parts who
were destitute of principle and of all sense of personal dignity. There
is reason to believe that among these was William Wycherley, the
most licentious and hardhearted writer of a singularly licentious and
hardhearted school. [228] It is certain that Matthew Tindal, who, at a
later period, acquired great notoriety by writing against Christianity,
was at this time received into the bosom of the infallible Church, a
fact which, as may easily be supposed, the divines with whom he
was subsequently engaged in controversy did not suffer to sink into
oblivion. [229] A still more infamous apostate was Joseph Haines, whose
name is now almost forgotten, but who was well known in his own time as
an adventurer of versatile parts, sharper, coiner, false witness, sham
bail, dancing master, buffoon, poet, comedian. Some of his prologues and
epilogues were much admired by his contemporaries; and his merit as an
actor was universally acknowledged. This man professed himself a Roman
Catholic, and went to Italy in the retinue of Castelmaine, but was soon
dismissed for misconduct. If any credit is due to a tradition which was
long preserved in the green room, Haines had the impudence to affirm
that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and called him to repentance.
After the Revolution, he attempted to make his peace with the town by a
penance more scandalous than his offence. One night, before he acted in
a farce, he appeared on the stage in a white sheet with a torch in his
hand, and recited some profane and indecent doggerel, which he called
his recantation. [230]

With the name of Haines was joined, in many libels the name of a more
illustrious renegade, John Dryden. Dryden was now approaching the
decline of life. After many successes and many failures, he had at
length attained, by general consent, the first place among living
English poets. His claims on the gratitude of James were supe