Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A59339
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Reflections on several of Mr. Dryden's plays particularly the first and second part of The conquest of Granado / by E. Settle.
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Settle, Elkanah, 1648-1724.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing S2714; ESTC R25143
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101,648
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102
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writes but is written of a man But a Proselyte is one that changes his Religion and he is the likest to make a Traytour A very Substantial Apothegme A man that out of a principle of Piety is converted from a Religion that he thinks erroneous to one he thinks the true is the likest to prove a Traytour which is as much as to say a man that does his best endeavour to be good and honest is the likest to be a Rogue Besides in Hametalhaz's case Love converted him from a Villain to an honest man Therefore says Notes he is the likest to be a Villain But his impertinence draws towards a conclusion and indeed 't is high time Ham. I from those Eyes for ever will remove I cannot stand the sight of hopeless love In his next Speech he says To what e're place my wandring steps incline I 'le fancy Empires for I 'le think her mine His Love is hopeless and yet he 'll think her his As if his Love were ever the less hopeless for his thinking her his If a mans thinking a woman his could make his Love cease to be hopeless there needs not be such a thing as a despairing Lover in Nature For if a Cobler were in Love with a Queen if thinking her his own would give him hopes who could hinder his thoughts But if Commentatour will have it otherwise I am his Humble Servant Raigning's a whole Lifes toyl the work of Years Raigning is neither a whole Lifes toyl if the King be not Crown'd in his Cradle nor the work of Years in case he raign but one Year How severely would Elkanah have been handled if he were really guilty and all Commentatours Objections were sense and reason How will he reconcile this expression in his preface This upstart and illiterate scribler comes amongst the Poets like one of the Earth-born Brethren and his first business in the world is to attacque and murder all his Fellows Now I am of belief that Elkanahs first business in the world if you 'l ask his Nurse was rather as Commentatour says in the Fourth Act To Bite stamp crie and roar then to murder Poets If he began to attacque and murder Poets in his Cradle he was no doubt an upstart scribler indeed My Iustice ended now I 'le meet a Crown Then it seems be intends to do Iustice no longer now he is King but to turn Rogue like Crimalhaz or Fool like Muly Labas His Iustice upon Crimalhaz I am of opinion was ended when Crimalhaz was Executed and yet he might be just still and neither Fool nor Rogue In Love a Day an Hour a Minutes bliss Is all flights rapture flame and Extasies Is and Extasies are of several numbers are they so If I were as thee I would not take it at the Poets hands More Extasies than one in a minutes happiness is too much Loves livelyer joys so quick and active move An Age in Empire 's but an hour in Love. How an Age in Empire is but an hour in Love I cannot understand And in troth I believe thee for why thy understanding should be any clearer here than it has been all along through the Play I can't imagine But to quicken thy apprehension that thou mayst understand this last Line of the Play I 'le beg the favour of thee to construe these two Lines in Cowley 'T is so with man when once a Crown he wears The Coronation day's more than a Thousand Years On the Conduct or Plot of the Play. THis being much of a piece with the Notes on the Play a man may start into the matter without the trouble of a formal introduction He tells you first On what foundation of nonsense this Play is built Morena runs away with Muly Labas from her Fathers Court for which they are both imprison'd by his Father and to be put to death for stealing one another Yet in the mean time her Father is so far offended that he is wageing War against His and coming with an Army against Morocco In the first place she relates a thing to one who knows it her self And upbraids him with what she suffered for his sake A pretty Character of his Heroine to make her an illnatur fool This is his first objection but in the next page he contradicts himself and says Morena gives him a reason for this relation and said it not to upbraid him Very well she does and she does not she is an illnatard and she is noâ— an illnatard fool Well argued Laureat But next says he why should Muly Labas steal her away she was her equal and therefore her Father ought to have given his consent to the Marriage At him agen Bays Because they were eqâ—â—â—'s must there be an absolute necessity of her Fathers consent What if he design'd her for some other Prince Muly Labas his superior and a person whose alliance miâ—â—â— be more for his interest Or how if she was contracted to some other Prince whom 〈◊〉 â—â—ked not and forced by state interest aâ— great Match-maker among Princes against her inclination and therefore for Love of Muly Labas ran away with him to avoid the other Where lyes the impossibility How many more reasons might there be for his stealing her which if the Poet had occasion to have mentiond you should have heard of But then why does Muly Labas his Father put his Son in Prison at his return Why did Solyman strangle Mustapha does not the Play tell him why for a suspition of an attempt againâ—t his Empire But why will he kill them both Yes mark the Poets reasons He will present her Father with her head a good way to pacifie him and make him withdraw the Siege Sending the Lady back might have avoided the inconveniency of the War. A very pretty King he would make of him the whilst to say Here Sir take your daughter agen I 'le rid my hands of the Baggage she shall come no more within my doores let us be friends for I do not like bloody noses and pray depart in peace if you love me and you will much oblige yours to command King of Morocco This is the Character Mr. Dryden likes But what if Elkanahs King is a little more rough and will fight him and cares neither for his Army nor him neither But will cut his Daughters head off and his too if he can come at it But why Muly Labas a Traytor he a Traytor I wonder his Father knew him no better then to suspect him of so much Wit as goes to the making one c. Muly Labas is a Fool a Fool a Fool the Parrat has so over and over agen repeated in the Play that 't is high time to clear him Muly Labas in the true story was but twelve years of age when he came to the Crown and through the whole Play the Author has made him though no great part yet a man that does nothing but what reason and Circumstances would convince a