were by letters-patent, and were, in the usual course, confirmed on the accession of the new Sovereign, though James characteristically cut out the butt of sack.  But the extra pension, which was merely granted by letters of privy seal, lapsed, and it was absolutely within the discretion of the new Sovereign to continue or discontinue it.  It was not formally regranted for a year, and this pension was mistaken by Macaulay for an original one granted in payment of apostasy.  That the difference is very considerable must strike every one, and I for one cannot see that the drawing of the obvious inference can be called sophistry.  If the time between the lapsing and the regranting seems long, it has to be observed, first, that arrears to the date of the lapse are carefully specified; secondly, that even in the case of the laureateship patent, four whole months, as has been seen, elapsed between the instruction for it and the patent itself.  The circumstances are, of course, consistent with the supposition that apostasy was made a condition of the renewal; but they cannot be said to supply of themselves any argument in favour of such a supposition.—­ED.]

SECTION VI.

Threnodia Augustalis—­Albion and Albanius—­Dryden becomes a Catholic—­ The Controversy of Dryden with Stillingfleet—­The Hind and Panther—­Life of St. Francis Xavier—­Consequences of the Revolution to Dryden—­Don Sebastian—­King Arthur—­Cleomenes—­Love Triumphant.

The accession of James II. to the British throne excited new hopes in all orders of men.  On the accession of a new prince, the loyal looked to rewards, the rebellious to amnesty.  The Catholics exulted in beholding one of their persuasion attain the crown after an interval of two centuries; the Church of England expected the fruits of her unlimited devotion to the royal line; even the sectaries might hope indulgence from a prince whose religion deviated from that established by law as widely as their own.  All, therefore, hastened, in sugared addresses, to lament the sun which had set, and hail the beams of that which had arisen.  Dryden, among other expectants, chose the more honourable of these themes; and in the “Threnodia Augustalis,” at once paid a tribute to the memory of the deceased monarch, and decently solicited the attention of his successor.  But although he had enjoyed personal marks of the favour of Charles, they were of a nature too unsubstantial to demand a deep tone of sorrow.  “Little was the muses’ hire, and light their gain;” and “the pension of a prince’s praise” is stated to have been all their encouragement.  Dryden, therefore, by no means sorrowed as if he had no hope; but, having said all that was decently mournful over the bier of Charles, tuned his lyrics to a sounding close in praise of James.