Dennis is the paradigm of the declining order of patronage. In the late 1690s, Dennis used his private income to establish himself as a "modish man of letters" in London, where he published occasional verse and odes. He sought out the leading literary figures of the day, including Dryden, Wycherley, and Congreve. Anxious about his dwindling fortune, Dennis also looked for patrons in statesmen; Dennis claimed in 1719 that his literary works were well received by several prominent Whigs (Earls of Godolphin and Halifax, Mr. Maynwaring, and others) and Tories (The Duke of Buckingham and Lord Lansdown). Like Thomas Cooke, Dennis utilized dedications to flatter and appeal to these men. Nevertheless, monetary rewards were generally "modest and infrequent." With no other profession by which to make a living, Dennis turned to playwrighting, but his works achieved only modest success. In the 1710s, his finances remained uncertain and he was declared bankrupt in 1711 and imprisoned for debt in 1713. In 1716 he sold his waitership to Benjamin Hudson for £600. Destitute, sick, and blind towards the end of his life, several plays were put on for his benefit and old patrons gave him some charity.; destitute, sick, and blind towards the end of his life, several plays were put on for his benefit.