of Carbery, to which title he afterwards succeeded. He was a man of
literature, and president of the Royal Society from 1686 to 1689.
Dryden was distinguished by his patronage as far back as 1664,
being fourteen years before the acting of this play. Lord Vaughan
had thus the honour of discovering and admiring the poet's genius,
before the public applause had fixed his fame; and, probably better
deserved the panegyric here bestowed, than was Usual among Dryden's
patrons. He wrote a recommendatory copy of verses, which are
prefixed to "The Conquest of Granada." Mr Malone informs us, that
this accomplished nobleman died at Chelsea, on 16th January,
1712-13.

2. The great popish plot, that scene of mystery and blood, broke out
in August 1678.

3. Flecknoe was a Roman Catholic priest, very much addicted to
scribbling verses. His name has been chiefly preserved by our
author's satire of "Mack-Flecknoe;" in which he has depicted
Shadwell, as the literary son and heir of this wretched poetaster.
A few farther particulars concerning him may be found prefixed to
that poem. Flecknoe, from this dedication, appears to have been
just deceased. The particular passage referred to has not been
discovered; even Langbaine had never seen it: but Mr Malone points
out a letter of Flecknoe to the Cardinal Barberini, whereof the
first sentence is in Latin, and the next in English. Our author, in
an uncommon strain of self-depreciation, or rather to give a neat
turn to his sentence, has avouched himself to be a worse poet than
Flecknoe. But expressions of modesty in a dedication, like those of
panegyric, are not to be understood literally. As in the latter,
Dryden often strains a note beyond _Ela_, so, on the present