[14] The pains which Dryden bestowed on the character of Zimri, and the esteem in which he held it, is evident from his quoting it as the master-piece of his own satire. "The character of Zimri in my 'Absalom' is, in my opinion, worth the whole poem: it is not bloody, but it is ridiculous enough; and he, for him it was intended, was too witty to resent it as an injury. If I had railed, I might have suffered for it justly; but I managed my own work more happily, perhaps more dexterously. I avoided the mention of great crimes, and applied myself to the representing of blind-sides, and little extravagancies; to which, the wittier a man is, he is generally the more obnoxious. It succeeded as I wished; the jest went round, and he was laughed at in his turn who began the frolic." [15] In one of Cibber's moods of alteration, he combined the comic scenes of these two plays into a comedy entitled, "The Comical Lovers." [16] "You are changed too, and your pretence to see Is but a nobler name for charity; Your own provisions furnish out our feasts, While you, the founders, make yourselves the guests."--Vol. x. [17] "Some have expected, from our bills to-day, To find a satire in our poet's ploy. The zealous route from Coleman street did run. To see the story of the Friar and Nun; Or tales yet more ridiculous to hear, Vouched by their vicar often pounds a-year,-- Nuns who did against temptation pray, And discipline laid on the pleasant way: Or that, to please the malice of the town, Our poet should in some close cell have shown Some sister, playing at content alone. This they did hope; the other side did fear; And both, you see, alike are cozened here." [18] "_Bayes._ I remember once, in a play of mine, I set off a scene, i'gad, beyond expectation, only with a petticoat and the belly-ache. _Smith_. Pray, how was that, sir? _Bayes_. Why, sir, I contrived a petticoat to be brought in upon a chair (nobody knew how), into a prince's chamber, whose father was now to see it, that came in by chance. _Johns_. God's-my-life, that was a notable contrivance indeed! _Smith_. Ay, but, Mr. Bayes, how could you contrive the belly-ache? _Bayes._ The easiest i' the world, i'gad: I'll tell you how; I made the prince sit down upon the petticoat, no more than so, and pretended to his father that he had just then got the belly-ache; whereupon his father went out to call a physician, and his man ran away with the petticoat."--_Rehearsal_. [19] Not Matthew, but Martin, as it is correctly printed before.--Ed.