Sir William hath writt about 25 (quaere) playes; the romance called Gondibert; and a little poeme called Madagascar.
His private opinion was that Religion at last,—e.g. a hundred yeares hence,—would come to settlement, and that in a kind of ingeniose Quakerisme.
[782]That sweet swan of Isis, Sir William Davenant, dyed the seaventh day of April last, and lyes buried amongst the poets in Westminster abbey[783], by his antagonist, Mr. Thomas May, whose inscription of whose marble was taken away by order since the king came in.
Sir William was Poet Laureat; and Mr. John Dryden hath his place. But me thought it had been proper that a laurell should have been sett on his coffin—which was not donne.
He hath writt above 20 playes; besides his Gondibert and Madagascar.
Note.
[DN] Aubrey gives in trick the Davenant coat, ut supra, p. [203], but wreathed in laurel: see the facsimile at the end of vol. iv. of Clark's Wood's Life and Times.
John Davenport (1597-1669/70).
[784]Sir John Dugdale told me that he would enquire about Mr. John Davenport, and send to you.—This was halfe a yeare since, at least.