“These be at last brought into that office of Her Majesty's Exchequer, which we, by a metaphor, do call the pipe ... because the whole receipt is finally conveyed into it by means of divers small pipes or quills.”—Bacon, The Office of Alienations.
[We are indebted to Richardson's Dictionary for this fragment of erudition. But a modern man of letters can know little on these points—by experience.]
Dryden addressed his “twelfth epistle” to “My dear friend Mr. Congreve,” on his comedy called The Double Dealer, in which he says—
Great Jonson did by strength of judgement please;
Yet, doubling Fletcher's force, he wants his case.
In differing talents both adorn'd their age:
One for the study, t'other for the stage.
But both to Congreve justly shall submit,
One match'd in judgement, both o'ermatched in wit.
In him all beauties of this age we see, &c. &c.
The Double Dealer, however, was not so palpable a hit as the Old Bachelor, but, at first, met with opposition. The critics having fallen foul of it, our “swell” applied the scourge to that presumptuous body, in the Epistle Dedicatory to the “Right Honourable Charles Montague.”
“I was conscious,” said he, “where a true critic might have put me upon my defence. I was prepared for the attack, ... but I have not heard anything said sufficient to provoke an answer.” He goes on—
“But there is one thing at which I am more concerned than all the false criticisms that are made upon me; and that is, some of the ladies are offended. I am heartily sorry for it; for I declare, I would rather disoblige all the critics in the world than one of the fair sex. They are concerned that I have represented some women vicious and affected. How can I help it? It is the business of a comic poet to paint the vices and follies of human kind.... I should be very glad of an opportunity to make my compliments to those ladies who are offended. But they can no more expect it in a comedy, than to be tickled by a surgeon when he is letting their blood.”
The sum Congreve left her was 200l., as is said in the Dramatic Miscellanies of Tom Davies; where are some particulars about this charming actress and beautiful woman.
She had a “lively aspect”, says Tom, on the authority of Cibber, and “such a glow of health and cheerfulness in her countenance, as inspired everybody with desire”. “Scarce an audience saw her that were not half of them her lovers.”
Congreve and Rowe courted her in the persons of their lovers. “In Tamerlane, Rowe courted her Selima, in the person of Axalla....; Congreve insinuated his addresses in his Valentine to her Angelica, in his Love for Love; in his Osmyn to her Almena, in the Mourning Bride; and, lastly, in his Mirabel to her Millamant, in the Way of the World. Mirabel, the fine gentleman of the play, is, I believe, not very distant from the real character of Congreve.”—Dramatic Miscellanies, vol. iii, 1784.