The Poetry of History - Annus Mirabilis 1666

Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and chooses: - The Poetry of History: Annus Mirabilis.

For our late Queen Elizabeth, 1992 was an Annus Horribilis a title many believe she borrowed from the subject of this week's programme, the poem Annus Mirabilis - the Year of Wonders, by John Dryden.

Jonathan Bate examines Dryden's unquenchable enthusiasm for the events of 1666 which to historians include an inconclusive naval war with the Dutch, plague and finally the Great Fire of London.

Producer: Tom Alban

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.