The Dramatic Works of John Dryden Author:John Dryden Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: AN EVENING'S LOVE; OK, THE MOCK ASTROLOGER. A COMEDY. [An Evening's Love, or The Mock Astrologer, acted at the Theatre Royal, by his Majesty's Ser... more »vants. Written by John Dryden, Servant to his Majesty. Mallem convivis qvam placuisse cods.—Mart. In the Savoy. Printed by T. N. for Henry Herringman, and are to be sold at the Anchor, in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange. 1671.—Ed.] TO HIS GRACE, WILLIAM, DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, One Of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privt Council, And Of Thr Most Noble Order Of The Garter, Etc. Amongst those few persons of wit and honour, whose favourable opinion I have desired, your own virtue, and my great obligations to yourgrace, have justly given you the precedence. For what could be more glorious to me, than to have acquired some part of your esteem, who are admired and honoured by all good men; who have been, for so many years together, the pattern and standard of honour to the nation ; and whose whole life has been so great an example of heroic virtue, that we might wonder how it happened into an age so corrupt as ours, if it had not likewise been a part of the former. As you came into the world with all the advantages of a noble birth and education, so you have rendered both yet more conspicuous by your virtue. Fortune, indeed, has perpetually crowned your undertakings with success, but she has only waited on your valour,not conducted it She has ministeredto your glory like a slave, and has been led in triumph by it; or, at most, while honour led you by the hand to greatness, fortune only followed to keep you from sliding back in the ascent That, which Plutarch accounted her favour to Cymon and Lucullus, was but her justice to your grace; and, never to have been overcome where you led in person, as it was more tha...« less