''Religio Laici, Or A Layman's Faith'' (1682) is a poem written in

heroic couplet A heroic couplet is a traditional form for English poetry, commonly used in epic and narrative poetry, and consisting of a rhyming pair of lines in iambic pentameter. Use of the heroic couplet was pioneered by Geoffrey Chaucer in the ''Legend of ...

s by

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

. It was written in response to the publication of an English translation of the ''Histoire critique due vieux testament'' by the French cleric Father Richard Simon. Simon's book applied detailed criticism to the textual history of the Bible and argued that, given the compromised nature of much of the Bible, Christians would do better to base their faith on the history and traditions of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The tendency of Simon's book was to undermine Protestantism, which prioritises the authority of the Bible over the traditions and rituals of the Catholic Church, and so Dryden set out in ''Religio Laici'' to address the issues raised by Simon's book, along with other religious issues of his times such as Deism, in order to assert the validity of the teachings of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Sections

''Religio Laici'' consists of 462 lines of consecutive rhyming couplets. Although it is not divided by breaks or headings into parts or sections, Dryden added notes in the margins to indicate the topics and issues addressed in each section of the poem. These are (in the original spelling): * Opinions of the several sects of Philosophers concerning the ''Summum Bonum'' * System of Deism * Of Reveal'd Religion * Objection of the Deist * The Objection answer'd * Digression to the Translator of Father Simon's Critical History of the Old Testament * Of the infallibility of Tradition, in General * Objection in behalf of Tradition; urg'd by Father Simon * The Second Objection * Answer to the Objection

Excerpt

Dryden concludes the poem with a plea for moderation in all things including religious debate. On this subject, more than all others, it behoves each citizen to 'curb' their 'private Reason' (or opinions) rather than disturb 'the publick Peace'. It is notable that the climax of this long series of complex religious arguments is social rather than religious: 'Common quiet is Mankind's concern'.

The Hind and the Panther

Five years after publishing ''Religio Laici'' Dryden drastically changed his position and converted to Roman Catholicism. He published a long and complex allegorical poem in three parts, ''

The Hind and the Panther ''The Hind and the Panther: A Poem, in Three Parts'' (1687) is an allegory in heroic couplets by John Dryden. At some 2600 lines it is much the longest of Dryden's poems, translations excepted, and perhaps the most controversial. The critic Mar ...

'' (1687) to explain his conversion. The fact that he converted a few years into the rule of the Catholic king, James II, prompted much scorn and derision from contemporaries.

Notes

External links

Online edition at The Literature Network
Poetry by John Dryden 1680s poems Christian poetry {{UK-poem-stub