Dryden wrote this poem in response to the eventful year of 1666. In England, the year marked a great deal of destruction and change, but the nation came out on the other side more rich and victorious than ever before. Dryden relates the events of the year in grand poetical manner, painting a picture of divine fate throughout the many interactions.
The year held three great obstacles for the British: war with the Dutch, the plague, and the great fire in London. Each of these events proved a unique challenge for the nation under the leadership of Charles II. Whether in military pursuits or defense against natural disaster, the people were forced to look to their monarch for a sort of supernatural deliverance. In Dryden's analysis, he credits God's blessing with the endurance of his country through these various trials.
In a puritanical sense, Dryden views the suffering of his nation as a blessing. He believes that God is chastising the nation as a test because it will be blessed on the other side of these trials. This view of God causing suffering in order to test his people is later picked up by John Calvin. He believed that God is the origin of suffering and evil, but that He is still a good God amidst this because He transcends human perspective of suffering. If God is a perfect god, then He is allowed to test his creation however He sees fit. In England in 1666, Dryden simplifies this belief to an acceptance of pain. He is hopeful despite present suffering because he believes patient endurance will be rewarded with divine blessings.
