This book analyzes the political and religious allegory in John Dryden's famous poem, exploring its relevance to the ecclesiastical policies of James II. Bernard Vildhaut provides a comprehensive examination of the poem's themes and the historical context in which it was written. This work is a must-read for scholars of literature and British history alike. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.