PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. THE Editor of this volume has published within the last twelvemonth an edition of Dryden's Poems,-one of Messrs. Macmillan's Globe Series, with a carefully revised text, the result of a labour of some duration. The Globe edition of Dryden's Poems contains more than a hundred corrections of the text as presented in Sir Walter Scott's edition, or that of Mr. Robert Bell in his series of the English Poets. In the portion of Dryden's Poems published in this volume the text is the same as that of the Globe edition; and there are some forty corrections within the compass of these Poems. The Notes to this volume contain a suggestion of one new correction which I have not embodied in the text, not feeling absolutely sure about it; but I think it probable that the words Caledonian and Caledon, which have come down to us from Dryden in 'The Hind and the Panther' (Part I. line 14, and Part III. line 3), were intended by him to be Calydonian and Calydon. The Biography prefixed to this volume is of necessity in much part a repetition of the longer Memoir at the beginning of the Globe edition. Since the publication of the latter I have satisfied myself by additional information obtained from Trinity College, Cambridge, that the story of Dryden's continued residence at Cambridge till 1657 is a mistake, and that he ceased to reside there in 1654 or early in 1655. 32 DORSET SQUARE, LONDON, February 1871. W. D. C. In this second edition I have been able to make an interesting addition to the note at p. xvi. as to Dryden at Trinity College. October, 1873. W. D. C. In this fifth edition the notes have been revised, some additional notes added, and some errors corrected. notes and material alterations in the old notes are marked New by an asterisk. October, 1892. C. H. F. |