In the reign of Charles the First the Puritans had raised a violent clamour against the drama, which they confidered as an entertainment not lawful to Chriftians, an opinion held by them in common with the church of Rome; and Prynne published Hiftrio-maftix, a huge volume, in which ftage plays were cenfured. The outrages and crimes of the Puritans brought afterwards their whole fyftem of doctrine into disrepute, and from the Restoration the poets and players were left at quiet; for to have molefted them would have had the appearance of tendency to puritanical malignity.

This danger, however, was worn away by time; and Collier, a fierce and implacable Non-juror, knew that an attack upon the theatre would never make him suspected for a puritan; he therefore (1698) published A fhort View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage, I believe with no other motive than religious zeal and honeft indignation. He was formed for a controvertist ; with fufficient learning; with diction vehement and pointed, though often vulgar and incorrect; with unconquerable pertinacity; with wit in the highest degree keen and farcaftick;

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caftick; and with all those powers exalted and invigorated by juft confidence in his cause.

Thus qualified, and thus incited, he walked out to battle, and affailed at once most of the living writers, from Dryden to Durfey, His onfet was violent: those paffages, which while they stood fingle had paffed with little notice, when they were accumulated and expofed together, excited horror; the wife and the pious caught the alarm, and the nation wondered why it had so long suffered irreligion and licentiousness to be openly taught at the public charge.

Nothing now remained for the poets but to refift or fly. Dryden's confcience, or his prudence, angry as he was, withheld him from the conflict: Congreve and Vanbrugh attempted answers. Congreve, a very young man, elated with fuccefs, and impatient of cenfure, affumed an air of confidence and fecurity. His chief artifice of controversy is to retort upon his adversary his own words: he is very angry, and, hoping to conquer Collier with his own weapons, allows himself in the use of every term of contumely and contempt; but he has the sword without the arm

of

of Scanderberg; he has his antagonift's coarseness, but not his ftrength. Collier replied; for conteft was his delight, he was not to be frighted from his purpofe or his prey.

The cause of Congreve was not tenable: whatever gloffes he might ufe for the defence or palliation of single paffages, the general tenour and tendency of his plays must always be condemned. It is acknowledged, with univerfal conviction, that the perufal of his works will make no man better; and that their ultimate effect is to reprefent pleasure in alliance with vice, and to relax thofe obligations by which life ought to be regulated.

The ftage found other advocates, and the difpute was protracted through ten years: but at laft Comedy grew more modeft; and Collier lived to fee the reward of his labour in the reformation of the theatre.

Of the powers by which this important victory was atchieved, a quotation from Love for Love, and the remark upon it, may afford a fpecimen.

Sir Sampf. "Sampfon's a very good name; "for your Sampfons were strong dogs from "the beginning."

VOL. III.

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Angel.

Angel." Have a care-If you remember, "the ftrongest Sampfon of your name pull'd "an old house over his head at last."

"Here you have the Sacred History bur"lefqued; and Sampfon once more brought "into the house of Dagon, to make sport for "the Philistines!"

Congreve's laft play was The Way of the World; which, though as he hints in his dedication it was written with great labour and much thought, was received with fo little favour, that, being in a high degree offended and disgusted, he refolved to commit his quiet and his fame no more to the caprices of an audience.

From this time his life ceafed to be publick; he lived for himself and for his friends; and among his friends was able to name every man of his time whom wit and elegance hadraised to reputation. It may be therefore reafonably fuppofed that his manners were polite and his converfation pleasing.

He feems not to have taken much pleasure. in writing, as he contributed nothing to the Spectator, and only one paper to the Tatler, though published by men with whom he might be fuppofed willing to affociate; and though

he

he lived many years after the publication of his Miscellaneous Poems, yet he added nothing to them, but lived on in literary indolence; engaged in no controversy, contending with no rival, neither foliciting flattery by publick commendations, nor provoking enmity by malignant criticifm, but, paffing his time among the great and fplendid, in the placid enjoyment of his fame and fortune.

Having owed his fortune to Halifax, he continued always of his patron's party, but, as it feems, without violence or acrimony; and his firmness was naturally efteemed, as his abilities were reverenced. His fecurity therefore was never violated; and when, upon the extrusion of the Whigs, fome interceffion was used left Congreve fhould be difplaced, the earl of Oxford made this answer:

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«Non obtufa adeo geftamus pectora Pœni, Nec tam averfus equos Tyriâ fol jungit ab urbe."

He that was thus honoured by the adverse party might naturally expect to be advanced when his friends returned to power, and he was accordingly made fecretary for the island of Jamaica; a place, I fuppofe, without trust

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or