Religio Laici
| Author | John Dryden |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Religious poem |
| Publisher | Jacob Tonson |
Publication date | 1682 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
Religio Laici, Or A Layman's Faith (1682) is a poem by John Dryden, published as a premise to his subsequent The Hind and the Panther (1687), a final outcome of his conversion to Roman Catholicism.[1][page needed]
The poet argues for the credibility of the Christian religion and against Deism, and for the Anglican Church against that of Rome.[2][failed verification]
Excerpt
These are the last couplets of the poem:
Thus have I made my own Opinions clear:
Yet neither Praise expect, nor Censure fear:
And this unpolish'd, rugged Verse I chose;
As fittest for Discourse, and nearest prose:
For while from Sacred Truth I do not swerve,
Tom Sternhold's or Tom Sha—ll's Rhimes will serve.[3]— lines 451-456
English courtier Thomas Sternhold (1500–1549) was the principal author of the first English metrical version of the Psalms, originally attached to the Prayer-Book and which first appeared in 1549. Their popularity was due more to the subject matter than to their poetic style. Thomas Shadwell (1642-1692) was an English poet and playwright who was appointed poet laureate in 1689.[4]
Notes
- ^ Complete facsimile in Googlebooks. Cf. also facsimile reproduction of 1682 ed., J. Dryden, Religio Laici, Or, a Laymans Faith a Poem. (1682), EEBO Editions (2010).
- ^ S. N. Zwicker, The Cambridge Companion to John Dryden, Cambridge University Press (2004).
- ^ Dryden, John (1913). Sargeaunt, John (ed.). The Poems of John Dryden. Oxford University Press. p. 105.
- ^ Cf. also Luminarium on John Dryden's poems.
External links
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