20 JUNE 1914, Page 17

DRYDEN; A CORRECTION.

[To Ta. EDITOR Or TIM ..HTSCUTOR...1 Sr,—In your issue of June 13th I see it stated that Gray in his Progress of Poesy ranks Dryden as" the equal of Shake- speare and of Milton." Surely this is an error P After dealing with Shakespeare, and next with Milton as not second to him, Gray goes on: "Behold where Dryden's less presumptuous ear . . " ; and the qualities assigned to him are on an altogether lower plane than those assigned to Shake- speare and Milton. In the article Gray is blamed for his judgment; but the blame is, as it seems to me, quite unde- servel—I am, Sir, &c.,