Royal Gardener John Rose and King Charles II: Hendrick Danckerts 1675.

This scene is faintly reminiscent of the Queen and the Gardner in Shakespeare's "Richard II" (III.iv) in its combination of roles. Dryden was this king's Poet Laureate, following the earlier precedent of Ben Jonson and Charles I. Charles II figures as King David in Dryden's political allegory "Absolom and Achitophel." He was a great enthusiast for the theatre and its actresses in particular, such as Nell Gwynn. Charles II. was probably the first English monarch who habitually joined with the general audience and occupied a box at a public theatre. Courtesy of the Yorck Project, under GNU Free Document License.