MacFlecknoe

in Dryden's famous satire, is Thomas Shadwell, poet-laureate, whose immortality rests on the not very complimentary line, “Shadwell never deviates into sense.” (1640-1692.)

N.B. Flecknoe was an Irish Roman Catholic priest, doggerel sonneteer, and playwright. Shadwell, according to Dryden, was his double.

The rest to some slight meaning make pretence,
But Shadwell never deviates into sense.

Dryden: MacFlecknoe, 19, 20.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language