In An Essay of Dramatic Poesy, John Dryden uses the phrase "he needed not the spectacles of books to read Nature" to refer to William Shakespeare. Dryden is praising Shakespeare's natural genius and ability to understand and depict human nature without relying heavily on classical education or scholarly sources. Unlike writers who depended on studying books and the works of past authors, Dryden suggests that Shakespeare's insight into life and nature came instinctively, as if he could "read" it directly.
This contrasts with writers like Ben Jonson, who were known for their deep classical learning. Dryden admired Jonson too, but he points out that Shakespeare's brilliance was more intuitive and less bookish, which is why the correct answer is 3. William Shakespeare.
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