ΑΝ

ACCOUNT OF THE POEM,

ENTITLED

ANNUS MIRABILIS,

IN A LETTER TO

THE HONOURABLE SIR ROBERT HOWARD."

SIR,

IAM so many ways obliged to you, and so

little able to return your favours, that, like those who owe too much, I can only live by getting farther into your debt. You have not only been careful of my fortune, which was the effect of your nobleness, but you have been solicitous of my reputation, which is that of your kindness. It is not long since I gave you the trouble of perusing a play for me; and now, instead of an acknowledgment, have given you a greater, in the correction of a poem. But since you are to bear this persecution, I will at least give you the encouragement of a martyr,-you could never suffer in a nobler cause; for I have chosen the most heroick

See Vol. I. pp. 147, 155.

8

subject which any poet could desire. I have taken upon me to describe the motives, the beginning, progress, and successes, of a most just and necessary war; in it, the care, management, and prudence of our King; the conduct and valour of a royal admiral, and of two incomparable generals; the invincible courage of our captains and seamen; and three glorious victories, the result of all. After this, I have in the fire the most deplorable, but withal the greatest, argument that can be imagined; the destruction being so swift, so sudden, so vast and miserable, as nothing can parallel in story. The former part of this poem, relating to the war, is but a due expiation for my not serving my King and country in it. All gentlemen are almost obliged to it; and I know no reason we should give that advantage to the commonalty of England to be foremost in brave actions, which the nobless of France would never suffer in their peasants. I should not have written this but to a person, who has been ever forward to appear in all employments whither his honour and generosity have called him. The latter part of my poem, which describes the fire, I owe first to the piety and fatherly affection of our monarch to his suffering subjects; and, in the second place, to the courage, loyalty, and magnanimity of the city; both which were so

8 James, Duke of York.

9 Prince Rupert, and the Duke of Albemarle.

conspicuous, that I have wanted words to celebrate them as they deserve.

I have called my poem historical, not epick, though both the actions and actors are as much heroick as any poem can contain. But since the action is not properly one, nor that accomplished in the last successes, I have judged it too bold a title for a few stanzas, which are little more in number than a single Iliad, or the longest of the Eneids. For this reason, (I mean not of length, but broken action, tied too severely to the laws of history,) I am apt to agree with those who rank Lucan rather among historians in verse, than epick poets; in whose room, if I am not deceived, Silius Italicus, though a worse writer, may more justly be admitted. I have chosen to write my poem in quatrains or stanzas of four in alternate rhyme, because I have ever judged them more noble, and of greater dignity, both for the sound and number, than any other verse in use amongst us; in which I am sure I have your approbation. The learned languages have certainly a great advantage of us, in not being tied to the slavery of any rhyme; and were less constrained in the quantity of every syllable, which they might vary with spondees or dactyles, besides so many other helps of grammatical figures for the lengthening or abbreviation of them, than the modern are in the close of that one syllable, which often confines and more often corrupts the sense of all the rest. But in this necessity of our rhymes, I have always

found the couplet verse most easy, (though not so proper for this occasion,) for there the work is sooner at an end, every two lines concluding the labour of the poet; but in quatrains he is to carry it farther on; and not only so, but to bear along in his head the troublesome sense of four lines together. For those who write correctly in this kind, must needs acknowledge, that the last line of the stanza is to be considered in the composition of the first. Neither can we give ourselves the liberty of making any part of a verse for the sake of rhyme, or concluding with a word which is not current English, or using the variety of female rhymes, all which our fathers practised; and for the female rhymes, they are still in use amongst other nations; with the Italian in every line, with the Spaniard promiscuously, with the French alternately, as those who have read the ALARIQUE, the PUCELLE, or any of their later poems, will agree with me. And besides this, they write in Alexandrines, or verses of six feet, such as amongst us is the old translation of Homer

2

"D'Avenant (says Dr. Johnson) was perhaps at this time his favourite author, though GONDIBERT never appears to have been popular; yet from D'Avenant he learned to please his ear with the stanza of four lines alternately rhymed."

2

* By female rhymes (as appears from the Preface to ALBION AND ALBANIUS,) our author means-double rhymes.