Norton, from Daniel and Oftroea fprung, 415 Blefs'd with his father's front, and mother's tongue, REMARKS. Hung d'Aumont's being at Somerset-house, or upon the late Rebellion. DENNIS, Stage defended against Mr. Law, p. ult. WARBURTON. How Boyer, who was indeed a dull but useful writer, offended our author, I have never heard. But indeed most of the Scriblers here profcribed, were of a rank much inferior to the writers whom Boileau thought proper to attack; particularly Quinault, whom he fo unjustly and impotently cenfured. It was faid of Boileau, that though he made Vice odious, he never made Virtue amiable. Law was a melancholy Enthuafift, who disguised and mifreprefented true Religion by dreffing it up in dark gloomy colours. WARTON. VER. 414. Morgan] A writer against Religion, diftinguished no otherwife from the rabble of his tribe, than by the pompousness of his Title, of a Moral Philofopher... WARBURTON. Ibid. Morgan] Morgan was bred a diffenting minifter; he afterwards turned physician, and fettled in Bristol, but never could get much practice, owing, it is faid, to his ungraceful form and uncouth manner. He was a man of fome learning, and uncommon acuteness, with a strong difpofition to fatire, which very often degenerated into fcurrility. His most celebrated work is the Moral Philofopher, first published in the year 1737. It is written. with great art; and the author endeavours to conceal the mifchievous tendency of his principles, till he thinks he has brought the reader over to his opinion: he then difplays his malice without difguife. He is remarkable for the indecency and impiety of his expreffions, and the indulgence of a coarfe ftrain of humour, or rather buffoonery. He was anfwered by Leland, Lowman, and Chandler, and treated by the latter with great feverity. He died in the year 1742. BANNISTER. Ibid. Mandevil] Author of a famous book called the Fable of the Bees; written to prove, that Moral Virtue is the invention of knaves, and Christian Virtue the impofition of fools; and that Vice is neceffary, and alone fufficient to render Society flourishing and happy. WARBURTON. Hung filent down his never-blushing head; REMARKS. 420 Who VER. 415. Norton,] Norton De Foe, faid to be the natural offspring of the famous Daniel De Foe. "Fortes creantur fortibus." One of the authors of the " Flying Poft.” VER. 418. And all was hufb'd,] Alluding to the first Line of Dryden's Description of Night in the Indian Emperor. A Defcription which Rhymer produces as a Specimen of the Superiority of English Poetry, to that of other nations: after quoting the Descriptions of Apollonius, Virgil, Ariofto, Taffo, Marino, Chapelain, and Le Moyne; as if, by one defcription, such a queftion could be determined! Rhymer introduces this criticism in the preface to his translation of Rapin's Reflexions on Aristotle's Poetics; and Rhymer, at that time, gave the Law to all writers, and was appealed to as a supreme judge of all works of Taste and Genius. How well he was qualified for this character, will appear by obferving, that after making remarks on what he calls our three Epic-Poets, Spencer, Davenant, and Cowley, he mentions not one fyllable of Milton. But Milton was not relished and comprehended either by Rapin or Rhymer. WARTON. VER. 418. And all was hufh'd, as Folly's felf lay dead.] Creech in his tranflation of the ftory of Lucretia, from Ovid, Faft. ii. “And all was husht, as Nature's felf lay dead.” And Hughes, in his Morning-Apparition: "All things were hush'd, as Noise itself were dead." WAKEFIELD. VER. 421. Why Should I fing, what bards the nightly Muse A parody on Paradise Lost, ix. 20. "If answerable ftile I can obtain Of my celeftial patronefs, who deigns Her nightly vifitation unimplor'd, And dictates to me slumb'ring.” WAKEFIELD. Who prouder march'd, with magistrates in state, And to mere mortals feem'd a Prieft in drink: REMARKS. 425 VER. 426. And to mere mortals feem'd a Prieft in drink :] This line prefents us with an excellent moral, that we are never to pass judgment merely by appearance; a lesson to all men, who may happen to fee a reverend person in the like fituation, not to determine too rafhly: fince not only the Poets frequently defcribe a Bard infpired in this pofture, " (On Cam's fair bank, where Chaucer lay inspir'd," and the like) but an eminent Casuist tells us, that "if a Prieft be seen in any indecent action, we ought to account it a deception of fight, or illufion of the Devil, who sometimes takes upon him the fhape of holy men on purpose to cause scandal." SCRIBLERUS. VER. 427 Fleet] A prison for insolvent Debtors on the bank of the Ditch. WARBURTON. VER. 428. Haunt of the Mufes] A moft happy ftroke of fly Yatire, unexpectedly ftolen in. WARTON. THE END OF THE SECOND BOOK. THE DUNCIA D. BOOK THE THIRD. ARGUMENT. AFTER the other perfons are difpofed in their proper places of reft, the Goddess tranfports the King to her Temple, and there lays him to flumber with his head on her lap: a pofition of marvellous virtue, which caufes all the Visions of wild enthu fiafts, projectors, politicians, inamoratos, caftle-builders, chemists, and poets. He is immediately carried on the wings of Fancy, and led by a mad Poetical Sibyl to the Elyfian fhade; where, on the banks of Lethe, the fouls of the dull are dipped by Bavius, before their entrance into this world. There he is met by the ghost of Settle, and by him made acquainted with the wonders of the place, and with those which he himself is deftined to perform. He takes him to a Mount of Vifion, from whence he fhews him the past triumphs of the empire of Dulness, then the prefent, and lastly the future: how small a part of the world was ever conquered by Science, how foon those conquefts were stopped, and those very nations again reduced to her dominion. Then diftinguishing the Island of Great Britain, fhews by what aids, by what perfons, and by what degrees, it fhall be brought to her Empire. Some of the perfons he causes to pafs in review before his eyes, defcribing each by his proper figure, character, and qualifications. On a fudden the Scene Shifts, |