Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/565

 SOUTHERN. 561 o ! o o He was the first who raised the advantage of play-writing to a second and third night; which Pope mentions in these lines: Tom whom heav'n sent down to raise The price of prologues and of plays. Verses to Southern, 1742. The reputation which Dryden gained by the many pro logues he wrote, made the players always solicitous to have one of his, as being sure to be well received by the public. Dryden's price for a prologue had usually been four guineas, with which suim Southern once presented him; when Dryden, returning the money, said, “Young man, this is too little, I must have six guineas.” Southern answered, that four had been his usual price; “Yes,” says Dryden, “it has been so, but the players have hitherto had my labours too cheap; for the future I must have six guineas.” Southern also was industrious to draw a l l ima ginable profits from his poetical labours. Dryden once took occasion t o ask him, how much h e got b y one o f his plays? Southern said, after owning himself ashamed t o tell him, 700/.; which astonished Dryden, a s i t was more b y 600l. than h e himself had ever got b y his most success f u l plays. But i t appears that Southern was not beneath the arts o f solicitation, and often sold his tickets a t a very high price, b y making applications t o persons o f quality and distinction; a degree o f servility, which Dryden might justly think below the dignity o f a poet. Dryden enter tained a high opinion o f Southern's abilities; and prefixed a copy o f verses t o a comedy o f his, called “The Wife's Excuse,” acted i n 1692. The night that Southern’s “In nocent Adultery” was first acted, which has been esteemed b y soune the most affecting play i n any language, a gen tleman took occasion t o ask Dryden, “what was his opinion o f Southern's genius:” who replied “ that he thought him such another poet a s Otway.” Such indeed was Dryden's opinion o f his talents, that being unable t o finish his “Cleomenes,” h e consigned i t t o the care o f Southern, who wrote one half o f the fifth act o f that tra WOL. i . i. o o