Tate and revised by Dryden
Preserved but no longer current.
Ofthe prin- cipal characters, David stands for Charles II; Absalom for his natural son James, Duke of Monmouth (handsome and rebellious); Achi- tophel for Lord Shaftesbury; Zimri for the Duke of Buckingham; and Abdael for Monk. The accommodation of the biblical narrative to contemporary history is so skilfully made *hat the story of David seems to repeat itself. Absent.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Tate and revised by Dryden” mean?
Ofthe prin- cipal characters, David stands for Charles II; Absalom for his natural son James, Duke of Monmouth (handsome and rebellious); Achi- tophel for Lord Shaftesbury; Zimri for the Duke of Buckingham; and Abdael for Monk. The accommodation of the biblical narrative to contemporary history is so skilfully made *hat the story of David seems to repeat itself. Absent.
Is “Tate and revised by Dryden” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.