DRYDEN

the poet, was bom in 1631, and began his literary career with his Heroic Stanzas on the death of Cromwell His first great hit was the Indian Emperor in 1663, followed by his most elaborate production, the Annus Mirabilit of 1666. His E ay on Dramatic Poesy marked an epoch in literary and dramatic criticism. The first of his political satires, Absalom and Achltophel (Mon mouth and Shaftesbury), was produced in 1681, when he was poet laureate with a salary of,£200 a year. He perverted to Romanism on the acce ion of James II., and wrote his Hind and Panther satire on his old creed. His last great work was his brilliant lyric of Alexander’s Feast. He died in 1700. He stands unequalled as a satirist among English poets, and wrote excellent prose.