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INTRODUCTION
sioninthetitle.Dryden,inhispanegyricswrittenbothforCromwell
andCharlesII,clearlyindicatesthespecificpurpose,specificoccasion,
andthespecificpersonheisgoingtopraiseandglorify,hencehefollows
theclassical,Greekpatternofapanegyricandpersonifiesthefashion
forwritingthepraisingversessorelevantinturbulent17thcenturyEng-
land.
DrydenwasapioneerinwritingpublicandpoliticalpoetryinEng-
land.Whatismore,hewasthefirstofficiallyappointedPoetLaureate,
andthereforehewasverycloselyconnectedwithEnglishauthority,
whichheacutelyobservedanddescribed.Thisrelationtoauthority
makesDrydenatypicalRestorationpoetwhoisengagedinpolitical
andmoralmattersandwhotriestodefendthetraditionalvaluesofhis
countryinthecontextofstateauthorityandpower.Dryden’stimesare
firmlygroundedinpoliticalphilosophies,anditwouldbetonoavailto
discusshispoliticalpoetrywithoutstressingtheimportanceofthetwo
majorpoliticalideasprevalentin17thcenturyEngland.Drydenhimself
embodiesthetrendofcommentingonanddeliberatingovertheorigins
ofauthority,butthefundamentalsofpoliticaltheoriesareundeniably
bestrepresentedbyThomasHobbesandJohnLocke.Drydenseemsto
followHobbes’sphilosophyofauthority,whoproposedhispoliticalideas
inhistimelessLeviathan(1651).Hobbespromotesphilosophicalabso-
lutismandunderlinesthenecessityforadefactosovereign,nomatter
whichpoliticalpartytheyrepresent,andcallsthepeopletoKconferreall
theirpowerandstrengthupononeMan,orupononeAssemblyofmen,
thatmayreducealltheirWills,bypluralityofvoices,untoonevoice.’8
AlthoughitiscommonlythoughtthatHobbesendorsedabsolutemon-
archyinhistreatise,he,infact,expressesthesupportofanydefacto
sovereignwhoassurespeaceandorder.Hobbesbelievesthatintheab-
senceofaninvincible,absoluteruler,thepeoplewillbeinastateofKwar
ofallagainstall.’ThepresentbookshowsDrydenasapoliticalpoetwho
promotesanyauthoritythatguaranteestheultimateriddanceofchaos
andanarchy,andwhorulesintheforesightofgettingthepeopleKout
8
ThomasHobbes,Leviathan,ed.C.B.Macpherson(London:PenguinBooks,
1985),p.227.
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