One night, before he acted in a farce, he appeared on the stage in a white sheet with a torch in his hand, and recited some profane and indecent doggerel, which he called his recantation.

[230] With the name of Haines was joined, in many libels the name of a more illustrious renegade, John Dryden.

Dryden was now approaching the decline of life.

After many successes and many failures, he had at length attained, by general consent, the first place among living English poets.

His claims on the gratitude of James were superior to those of any man of letters in the kingdom.