The finest and most characteristic of Dryden's critical writings--but it is unfortunately also the longest--is without doubt the _Essay of Dramatic Poesy_. The subject was one peculiarly well suited to Dryden's genius. It touched a burning question of the day, and it opened the door for a discussion of the deeper principles of the drama. The _Essay_ itself forms part of a long controversy between Dryden and his brother-in-law, Sir Robert Howard. The dispute was opened by Dryden's preface to his tragi-comedy, _The Rival Ladies_, published probably, as it was certainly first acted, in 1664; and in the beginning Dryden, then first rising [Footnote: "To a play at the King's house, _The Rival Ladies_, a very innocent and most pretty witty play"--is Pepys' entry for August 4, 1664: _Diary_, ii. 155. Contrast his contemptuous description of Dryden's first comedy, _The Wild Gallant_, in the preceding year (Feb. 23)--"So poor a thing as I never saw in my life almost".--_Ib_., i. 390.] into fame as a dramatist, confines himself to pleading the cause of rhyme against blank verse in dramatic writing. [Footnote: Tragedy alone is mentioned by name [_English Garner_, in. 490, 491]. But, from the general drift of the argument, it seems probable that Dryden was speaking of the drama in general. At a later stage of the dispute, however, he distinguishes between tragedy and comedy, and allows that the arguments in favour of rhyme apply only to the former--a curious inversion of the truth, as it would appear to the modern mind.--_Ib_., pp. 561, 566.] Howard--who, it may reasonably be guessed, had had some brushes with Dryden over their joint tragedy, _The Indian Queen_--at once took up the cudgels. He had written rhymed plays himself, it is true; the four plays, to which his attack on rhyme was prefixed, were such; but he saw a chance of paying off old scores against his brother-in-law, and he could not resist it. Dryden began his reply at once; but three years passed before it was published. And the world has no reason to regret his tardiness. There are few writings of which we can say with greater certainty, as Dryden himself said of a more questionable achievement, 'T is not the hasty product of a day, But the well-ripened fruit of wise delay.