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All　For　Love

by　John　Dryden





INTRODUCTORY　NOTE

The　age　of　Elizabeth；　memorable　for　so　many　reasons　in　the　history　of　England；　was　especially　brilliant　in　literature；　and；　within　literature；　in　the　drama。　　With　some　falling　off　in　spontaneity；　the　impulse　to　great　dramatic　production　lasted　till　the　Long　Parliament　closed　the　theaters　in　1642；　and　when　they　were　reopened　at　the　Restoration；　in　1660；　the　stage　only　too　faithfully　reflected　the　debased　moral　tone　of　the　court　society　of　Charles　II。

John　Dryden　（1631…1700）；　the　great　representative　figure　in　the　literature　of　the　latter　part　of　the　seventeenth　century；　exemplifies　in　his　work　most　of　the　main　tendencies　of　the　time。　He　came　into　notice　with　a　poem　on　the　death　of　Cromwell　in　1658；　and　two　years　later　was　composing　couplets　expressing　his　loyalty　to　the　returned　king。　　He　married　Lady　Elizabeth　Howard；　the　daughter　of　a　royalist　house；　and　for　practically　all　the　rest　of　his　life　remained　an　adherent　of　the　Tory　Party。　　In　1663　he　began　writing　for　the　stage；　and　during　the　next　thirty　years　he　attempted　nearly　all　the　current　forms　of　drama。　　His　〃Annus　Mirabilis〃　（1666）；　celebrating　the　English　naval　victories　over　the　Dutch；　brought　him　in　1670　the　Poet　Laureateship。　　He　had；　meantime；　begun　the　writing　of　those　admirable　critical　essays；　represented　in　the　present　series　by　his　Preface　to　the　〃Fables〃　and　his　Dedication　to　the　translation　of　Virgil。　　In　these　he　shows　himself　not　only　a　critic　of　sound　and　penetrating　judgment；　but　the　first　master　of　modern　English　prose　style。

With　〃Absalom　and　Achitophel；〃　a　satire　on　the　Whig　leader；　Shaftesbury；　Dryden　entered　a　new　phase；　and　achieved　what　is　regarded　as　〃the　finest　of　all　political　satires。〃　　This　was　followed　by　〃The　Medal；〃　again　directed　against　the　Whigs；　and　this　by　〃Mac　Flecknoe；〃　a　fierce　attack　on　his　enemy　and　rival　Shadwell。　　The　Government　rewarded　his　services　by　a　lucrative　appointment。

After　triumphing　in　the　three　fields　of　drama；　criticism；　and　satire；　Dryden　appears　next　as　a　religious　poet　in　his　〃Religio　Laici；〃　an　exposition　of　the　doctrines　of　the　Church　of　England　from　a　layman's　point　of　view。　　In　the　same　year　that　the　Catholic　James　II。　ascended　the　throne；　Dryden　joined　the　Roman　Church；　and　two　years　later　defended　his　new　religion　in　〃The　Hind　and　the　Panther；〃　an　allegorical　debate　between　two　animals　standing　respectively　for　Catholicism　and　Anglicanism。

The　Revolution　of　1688　put　an　end　to　Dryden's　prosperity；　and　after　a　short　return　to　dramatic　composition；　he　turned　to　translation　as　a　means　of　supporting　himself。　　He　had　already　done　something　in　this　line；　and　after　a　series　of　translations　from　Juvenal；　Persius；　and　Ovid；　he　undertook；　at　the　age　of　sixty…three；　the　enormous　task　of　turning　the　entire　works　of　Virgil　into　English　verse。　　How　he　succeeded　in　this；　readers　of　the　〃Aeneid〃　in　a　companion　volume　of　these　classics　can　judge　for　themselves。　　Dryden's　production　closes　with　the　collection　of　narrative　poems　called　〃Fables；〃　published　in　1700；　in　which　year　he　died　and　was　buried　in　the　Poet's　Corner　in　Westminster　Abbey。

Dryden　lived　in　an　age　of　reaction　against　excessive　religious　idealism；　and　both　his　character　and　his　works　are　marked　by　the　somewhat　unheroic　traits　of　such　a　period。　　But　he　was；　on　the　whole；　an　honest　man；　open　minded；　genial；　candid；　and　modest；　the　wielder　of　a　style；　both　in　verse　and　prose；　unmatched　for　clearness；　vigor；　and　sanity。

Three　types　of　comedy　appeared　in　England　in　the　time　of　Dryden　the　comedy　of　humors；　the　comedy　of　intrigue；　and　the　comedy　of　mannersand　in　all　he　did　work　that　classed　him　with　the　ablest　of　his　contemporaries。　　He　developed　the　somewhat　bombastic　type　of　drama　known　as　the　heroic　play；　and　brought　it　to　its　height　in　his　〃Conquest　of　Granada〃；　then；　becoming　dissatisfied　with　this　form；　he　cultivated　the　French　classic　tragedy　on　the　model　of　Racine。　　This　he　modified　by　combining　with　the　regularity　of　the　French　treatment　of　dramatic　action　a　richness　of　characterization　in　which　he　showed　himself　a　disciple　of　Shakespeare；　and　of　this　mixed　type　his　best　example　is　〃All　for　Love。〃　　Here　he　has　the　daring　to　challenge　comparison　with　his　master；　and　the　greatest　testimony　to　his　achievement　is　the　fact　that；　as　Professor　Noyes　has　said；　〃fresh　from　Shakespeare's　'Antony　and　Cleopatra；'　we　can　still　read　with　intense　pleasure　Dryden's　version　of　the　story。〃


DEDICATION

To　the　Right　Honourable；　Thomas；　Earl　of　Danby；　Viscount　Latimer；　and　Baron　Osborne　of　Kiveton；　in　Yorkshire；　Lord　High　Treasurer　of　England；　one　of　His　Majesty's　Most　Honourable　Privy　Council；　and　Knight　of　the　Most　Noble　Order　of　the　Garter。

My　Lord；

The　gratitude　of　poets　is　so　troublesome　a　virtue　to　great　men；　that　you　are　often　in　danger　of　your　own　benefits：　　for　you　are　threatened　with　some　epistle；　and　not　suffered　to　do　good　in　quiet；　or　to　compound　for　their　silence　whom　you　have　obliged。　Yet；　I　confess；　I　neither　am　or　ought　to　be　surprised　at　this　indulgence；　for　your　lordship　has　the　same　right　to　favour　poetry；　which　the　great　and　noble　have　ever　had

　　　　　Carmen　amat；　quisquis　carmine　digna　gerit。

There　is　somewhat　of　a　tie　in　nature　betwixt　those　who　are　born　for　worthy　actions；　and　those　who　can　transmit　them　to　posterity；　and　though　ours　be　much　the　inferior　part；　it　comes　at　least　within　the　verge　of　alliance；　nor　are　we　unprofitable　members　of　the　commonwealth；　when　we　animate　others　to　those　virtues；　which　we　copy　and　describe　from　you。

It　is　indeed　their　interest；　who　endeavour　the　subversion　of　governments；　to　discourage　poets　and　historians；　for　the　best　which　can　happen　to　them；　is　to　be　forgotten。　　But　such　who；　under　kings；　are　the　fathers　of　their　country；　and　by　a　just　and　prudent　ordering　of　affairs　preserve　it；　have　the　same　reason　to　cherish　the　chroniclers　of　their　actions；　as　they　have　to　lay　up　in　safety　the　deeds　and　evidences　of　their　estates；　for　such　records　are　their　undoubted　titles　to　the　love　and　reverence　of　after　ages。　　Your　lordship's　administration　has　already　taken　up　a　considerable　part　of　the　English　annals；　and　many　of　its　most　happy　years　are　owing　to　it。　　His　Majesty；　the　most　knowing　judge　of　men；　and　the　best　master；　has　acknowledged　the　ease　and　benefit　he　receives　in　the　incomes　of　his　treasury；　which　you　found　not　only　disordered；　but　exhausted。　　All　things　were　in　the　confusion　of　a　chaos；　without　form　or　method；　if　not　reduced　beyond　it；　even　to　annihilation；　so　that　you　had　not　only　to　separate　the　jarring　elements；　but　（if　that　boldness　of　expression　might　be　allowed　me）　to　create　them。　　Your　enemies　had　so　embroiled　the　management　of　your　office；　that　they　looked　on　your　advancement　as　the　instrument　of　your　ruin。　　And　as　if　the　clogging　of　the　revenue；　and　the　confusion　of　accounts；　which　you　found　in　your　entrance；　were　not　sufficient；　they　added　their　own　weight　of　malice　to　the　public　calamity；　by　forestalling　the　credit　which　should　cure　it。　　Your　friends　on　the　other　side　were　only　capable　of　pitying；　but　not　of　aiding　you；　no　further　help　or　counsel　was　remaining　to　you；　but　what　was　founded　on　yourself；　and　that　indeed　was　your　security；　for　your　diligence；　your　constancy；　and　your　prudence；　wrought　most　surely　within；　when　they　were　not　disturbed　by　any　outward　motion。　　The　highest　virtue　is　best　to　be　trusted　with　itself；　for　assistance　only　can　be　given　by　a　genius　superior　to　that　which　it　assists；　and　it　is　the　noblest　kind　of　debt；　when　we　are　only　obliged　to　God　and　nature。　　This　then；　my　lord；　is　your　just　commendation；　and　that　you　have　wrought　out　yourself　a　way　to　glory；　by　those　very　means　that　were　designed　for　your　destruction：　　You　have　not　only　restored　but　advanced　the　revenues　of　your　master；　without　grievance　to　the　subject；　and；　as　if　that　were　little　yet；　the　debts　of　the　exchequer；　which　lay　heaviest　both　on　the　crown；　and　on　private　persons；　have　by　your　conduct　been　established　in　a　certainty　of　satisfaction。　　An　action　so　much　the　more　great　and　honourable；　because　the　case　was　without　the　ordinary　relief　of　laws；　above　the　hopes　of　the　afflicted　and　beyond　the　narrowness　of　the　treasury　to　redress；　had　it　been　managed　by　a　less　able　hand。　　It　is　certainly　the　happiest；　and　most　unenvied　part　of　all　your　fortune；　to　do　good　to　many；　while　you　do　injury　to　none；　to　receive　at　once　the　prayers　of　the　subject；　and　the　praises　of　the　prince；　and；　by　the　care　of　your　conduct；　to　give　him　means　of　exerting　the　chiefest　（if　any　be　the　chiefest）　of　his　royal　virtues；　his　distributive　justice　to　the　deserving；　and　his　bounty　and　compassion　to　the　wanting。　　The　disposition　of　princes　towards　their　people　cannot　be　better　discovered　than　in　the　choice　of　their　ministers；　who；　like　the　animal　spirits　betwixt　the　soul　and　body；　participate　somewhat　of　both　natures；　and　make　the　communication　which　is　betwixt　them。　　A　king；　who　is　just　and　moderate　in　his　nature；　who　rules　according　to　the　laws；　whom　God　has　made　happy　by　forming　the　temper　of　his　soul　to　the　constitution　of　his　government；　and　who　makes　us　happy；　by　assuming　over　us　no　other　sovereignty　than　that　wherein　our　welfare　and　liberty　consists