Quotes from work
The Maiden Queen

Secret Love, or The Maiden Queen is a 1667 tragicomedy written by John Dryden. The play, commonly known by its more distinctive subtitle, was acted by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane . The premiere occurred on 2 March, and was a popular success. King Charles II, his brother the Duke of York and future King James II, and Samuel Pepys were all in the audience on opening night.The Maiden Queen was noteworthy as a vehicle for Nell Gwyn, who played the heroine Florimel. Pepys raved about her performance in his Diary — "so great performance of a comical part was never, I believe, in the world before...." He returned to see the play eight more times. It was also a special favorite of the King, who reportedly called it "his play."


John Dryden photo

“Your ignorance is the mother of your devotion to me.”

The Maiden Queen, Act i, scene 2.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

John Dryden photo

“I am resolved to grow fat, and look young till forty.”

The Maiden Queen, Act iii, scene 1.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Similar authors

John Dryden photo
John Dryden 196
English poet and playwright of the XVIIth century 1631–1700
Alexander Pope photo
Alexander Pope 158
eighteenth century English poet
William Shakespeare photo
William Shakespeare 699
English playwright and poet
Joseph Addison photo
Joseph Addison 226
politician, writer and playwright
Samuel Johnson photo
Samuel Johnson 362
English writer
John Milton photo
John Milton 190
English epic poet
John Fletcher photo
John Fletcher 52
English Jacobean playwright
Friedrich Schiller photo
Friedrich Schiller 111
German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright
John Donne photo
John Donne 115
English poet
Richard Brinsley Sheridan photo
Richard Brinsley Sheridan 58
Irish-British politician, playwright and writer