Cursory critics of John Oldham have quite correctly noted that his Satyrs Upon the Jesuits are distinguished from the rougher popular satire of the early Restoration by their more pretentious literary quality, the generalized nature of the satire, and the greater concentration and force of the invective. But beyond noting Oldham's acknowledged indebtedness to Persius, Horace, Ben Jonson, and Buchanan's Franciscanus, such critics have been generally somewhat vague on the subject of his literary patterns. Currently accepted views seem to be divided between two theories, stressing the classical or the neo-classical elements in his work: (1) According to one view, advanced by Mr. C.W. Previté-Orton, the lurid, violent tone of the poems is derived directly from Juvenal. (2) According to the analysis of Mr. A. F. B. Clark, the direct inspiration of the Satyrs was Boileau's Le Lutrin, which Oldham was engaged in translating at the time he began their composition. It is obvious from a survey of critical comments on Oldham that no English influence has been given much consideration, and that Oldham's almost complete separation from the popular English school of political satire has been generally taken for granted.