John Dryden and the first Jacobite poem

 

                                                 Britannia Rediviva -A Poem on the Prince

                                                      Born 10th June 1688

                 Birth of the infant Prince James in 1688, unknown artist, image in public domain courtesy of 'Wikipedia' 

The Jacobites have been commemorated in song, ballads, novels. But arguable the  first Jacobite poem -John Dryden's Britannia Rediviva, A Poem on the Prince - has been overlooked. 

Charles II died on 6th February 1685. The ongoing struggle  for succession between the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, his illegitimate son, and Charles' brother James Duke of York, a Roman Catholic, was destined to break out again due to the stubborn nature of both men. Neither seemed prepared to abandon their claim to the succession. However,  Monmouth was in exile in the Dutch Republic. The fact that the Duke of York took his throne with so little opposition probably should have been a warning but Monmouth launched his rebellion by landing at Lyme Regis on 11th June 1685, yet,only really managed to gain support in parts of East Devon, Somerset and the very Western edge of Dorset. The Battle of Sedgemoor, the last pitched battle on English soil, saw Monmouth soundly defeated.  An uprising in Scotland under the Duke of Argyll to coincide with the Monmouth Rebellion faltered even more swiftly. 

Somehow the vast majority of the population were prepared to tolerate a Catholic king. The reasons were most likely that James was considered at the age of  52 to be old by the time he ascended the throne. Moreover , James and his second wife, Mary of Modena,whom he married in 1677, seemed to have problems conceiving a child who could survive . Mary of Modena may have had as many as seven miscarriages whilst three babies died in infancy. * By 1685, the couple were childless and considered unlikely to be in a position to have a healthy child, particularly a son, who would be the heir apparent. 

Moreover James' daughters, Anne and Mary from his first marriage , were both Protestant and had married princes of their faith. It is highly likely that James' reign could just be viewed in Protestant terms of reference as something that would pass, some sort of spiritual test that the faithful  had to go through until the  Protestant succession would return. However, on 10th June 1688 Mary of Modena gave birth to a healthy son also named James. The possibility of a Catholic dynasty, perhaps a full on  Catholic resurgence, suddenly loomed. In November  William of Orange landed at Torbay with a Dutch army, and James lost the throne in a matter of weeks . Mary of Modena took the baby James into exile on 9th December 1688. 

John Dryden was a firm supporter of James in his Duke of York of days. He was re-appointed as Poet Laureate by James.  Dryden had also converted to Catholicism around the Summer of 1685 . Britannia Rediviva was licensed for publication on the 19th June 1688. It is not great literature. Dryden seemed to be trying too hard to prove his loyalty to the Crown, and to his new faith. The poem becomes more of a curiosity due to its misplaced, perhaps desperate,  optimism in a new Catholic dynasty which was never going to happen. 

Britannia Rediviva  (extract ) 

Our vows are heard betimes! and Heaven takes care To grant, before we can conclude the pray'r: Preventing angels met it half the way, And sent us back to praise, who came to pray. Just on the day, when the high-mounted sun Did farthest in his northern progress run, He bended forward, and ev'n stretch'd the sphere Beyond the limits of the lengthen'd year, To view a brighter sun in Britain born; That was the bus'ness of his longest morn; The glorious object seen, 't was time to turn. Departing Spring could only stay to shed Her bloomy beauties on the genial bed, But left the manly Summer in her stead, With timely fruit the longing land to cheer, And to fulfil the promise of the year. Betwixt two seasons comes th' auspicious heir, This age to blossom, and the next to bear. Last solemn Sabbath saw the Church attend; The Paraclete in fiery pomp descend; But when his wondrous octave roll'd again, He brought a royal infant in his train. So great a blessing to so good a king, None but th' Eternal comforter could bring. Or did the mighty Trinity conspire, As once, in council to create our sire:? It seems as if they sent the newborn guest To wait on the procession of their feast; And on their sacred anniverse decreed To stamp their image on the promis'd seed. Three realms united, and on one bestow'd, An emblem of their mystic union show'd: The Mighty Trine the triple empire shar'd, As every person would have one to guard. Hail, son of pray'rs, by holy violence Drawn down from heav'n; but long be banished thence, And late to thy paternal skies retire! To mend our crimes whole ages would require; to change th' inveterate habit of our sins, And finish what they godlike sire begins. Kind Heav'n, to make us Englishmen again, No less can give us than a patriarch's reign..........

Full Text

It's hard to think of another royal birth which caused so much havoc. The reign of James as King James II of England, James VII of Scotland, lasted less than four years. His son James spent most of this life in exile, first at St Germaine, then Rome.  His attempt to take the throne in 1715 failed, and has gone down in history as the 'Old Pretender' , dying uncrowned and in exile on  1st January 1766. Overshadowed in history by dramatic arrival in Scotland  of his son Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, and its sad end at the Battle of Culloden on 16th April 1645.  The Protestant Whig ascendancy took massive retaliation against the Highlands. 

Footnote.

* Historians differ concerning how many miscarriages and how many children the couple who had, only to die in infancy. I have used Rebecca Starr Brown blogpost on the subject.

More posts about John Dryden from this blog

Rose Alley Ambuscade  Post about the physical assault that took place on Dryden on 18th December 1679

John Dryden and Restoration War Poetry  From 2017, looking at Dryden's poetry on the second Anglo-Dutch War 1665-1667. 

New Blog

Have been gathering some of my previous post about the Duke of Monmouth and the Monmouth Rebellion and re posting them in a new blog Monmouth Rebellion 1685