The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 11 — John Shaqi
The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 11Dryden, John
General
The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 11
Dryden, John
English literature
the monument seems likely to have been a Saxon erection, during their
days of paganism; for it is neither mentioned by Cæsar nor Tacitus, who
were both likely to have noticed a structure of so remarkable an
appearance. Leaving the book to return to the author, I am sorry to add,
that this learned man, after being president of the College of
Physicians, and thus having attained the highest honours of his
profession, in 1691 fell into embarrassed circumstances, which forced
him shortly after to take refuge in the island of Jersey. It is
uncertain if Dr Charleton ever returned from this sort of exile; but his
death took place in 1707, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years.
Dr Charleton's hypothesis concerning Stonehenge was but indifferently
received. It was considered as a personal attack on Inigo Jones, who had
formed a much more fantastic opinion upon the subject, conceiving the
stones to form a temple, dedicated, by the Romans, to the god Cælus, or
Cælum. To the disgrace of that great architect's accuracy, it seems
probable that he never had seen the monument which he attempts to
describe; for he has converted an irregular polygon into a regular
hexagon, in order to suit his own system. Dryden sided with Charleton in
his theory; and, in the following elegant epistle, compliments him as
having discovered the long-forgotten cause of this strange monument. The
verses are not only valuable for the poetry and numbers, but for the
accurate and interesting account which they present of the learning and
philosophers of the age. It was probably written soon before the
publication of Charleton's book in 1663. Sir Robert Howard also favoured
Dr Charleton with a copy of recommendatory verses. Both poems are
prefixed to the second edition of the "Chorea Gigantum," which is the
only one I have seen. That of Dryden seems to have been afterwards
revised and corrected.
EPISTLE THE THIRD.
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