Voltaire, who was then in England, fent him a Letter of Confolation. He had been entertained by Pope. at his table, where he talked with fo much groffness that Mrs. Pope was driven from the room. Pope discovered, by a trick, that he was a fpy for the Court, and never confidered him as a man worthy of confidence.

He foon afterwards (1727) joined with Swift, who was then in England, to publish three volumes of Mifcellanies, in which amongst other things he inferted the Memoirs of a Parish Clerk, in ridicule of Burnet's importance in his own Hiftory, and a Debate upon Black and White Horfes, written in all the formalities of a legal procefs by the affiftance, as is faid, of Mr. Fortescue, afterwards Mafter of the Rolls. Before these Miscellanies is a preface figned by Swift and Pope, but apparently written by Pope; in which he makes a ridiculous and romantick complaint of the robberies committed upon authors by the clandeftine feizure and fale of their papers. He tells, in tragick ftrains, how the cabinets of the Sick and the clofets of the Dead have been broke open and ranfacked; as if those violences were often committed for papers of uncertain and accidental value, which are rarely provoked by real treasures; as if epigrams and effays were in danger where gold and diamonds are fafe. A cat, hunted for his musk, is, according to Pope's account, but the emblem of a wit winded by bookfellers.

His complaint, however, received fome atteftation; for the fame year the Letters written by him to Mr. Cromwell, in his youth, were fold by Mrs. Thomas to Curll, who printed them.

In thefe Mifcellanies was first published the Art of Sinking in Poetry, which, by fuch a train of confequences as ufually paffes in literary quarrels, gave in a fhort time, according to Pope's account, occafion to the Dunciad.

In the following year (1728) he began to put Atterbury's advice in practice; and fhewed his fatirical powers by publishing the Dunciad, one of his greatest and most elaborate performances, in which he endeavoured to fink into contempt all the writers by whom he had been attacked, and fome others whom he thought unable to defend themfelves.

At the head of the Dunces he placed poor Theobald, whom he accused of ingratitude; but whofe real crime was fuppofed to be that of having revifed Shakespeare more happily than himfelf. This fatire had the effect which he intended, by blafting the characters which it touched. Ralph, who, unneceffarily interpofing in the quarrel, got a place in a fubfequent edition, coinplained that for a time he was in danger of ftarving, ast the bookfellers had no longer any confidence in his capacity.

The prevalence of this poem was gradual and flow : the plan, if not wholly new, was little understood by common readers. Many of the allufions required ilJuftration; the names were often expreffed only by the initial and final letters, and, if they had been printed at length, were fuch as few had known or recollected. The fubject itself had nothing generally interesting, for whom did it concern to know that one or another fcribbler was a dunce? If therefore it had been poffible for those who were attacked to conceal their pain and their refentment, the Dunciad might have made its way very flowly in the world.

This, however, was not to be expected; every man is of importance to himself, and therefore, in his own opinion, to others; and, fuppofing the world already acquainted with all his pleasures and his pains, is perhaps the first to publish injuries or misfortunes, which had never been known unless related by himself, and at which thofe that hear them will only laugh; for no man fympathises with the forrows of vanity.

The hiftory of the Dunciad is very minutely related by Pope himself, in a Dedication which he wrote to Lord Middlefex in the name of Savage,

"I will relate the war of the Dunces (for fo it has been commonly called), which began in the year 1727, and ended in 1739,

"When Dr, Swift and Mr. Pope thought it proper, "for reafons fpecified in the Preface to their Mifcel"lanies, to publifh fuch little pieces of theirs as had "cafually got abroad, there was added to them the

Treatife of the Bathos, or the Art of Sinking in Poetry, "It happened that in one chapter of this piece the "feveral pieces of bad poets were ranged in claffes, to "which were prefixed almost all the letters of the

alphabet (the greatest part of them at random); but "fuch was the number of poets eminent in that art, "that fome one or other took every letter to himself: "all fell into fo violent a fury, that, for half a year

or more, the common newspapers (in most of which they had fome property, as being hired writers) were filled with the most abufiye falfehoods and fcurrili"ties they could poffibly devife; a liberty no way "to be wondered at in those people, and in those papers, that for many years, during the uncon"trouled licenfe of the prefs, had afperfed almoft all

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"the great characters of the age; and this with inpunity, their own perfons and names being utterly "fecret and obfcure.

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"This gave Mr. Pope the thought, that he had now fome opportunity of doing good, by detecting "and dragging into light thefe common enemies of "mankind; fince, to invalidate this univerfal flander, "it fufficed to fhew what contemptible men were the "authors of it. He was not without hopes, that, by

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manifefting the dulnefs of thofe who had only ma"lice to recommend them, either the book fellers' "would not find their account in employing them, "or the men themfelves, when difcovered, want courage to proceed in fo unlawful an occupation. "This it was that gave birth to the Dunciad; and he "thought it an happinefs, that, by the late flood of "flander on himfelf, he had acquired fuch a pecu"light over their names as was neceffary to this "d.fign.

"On the 12th of March, 1729, at St. James's, that

poem was prefented to the King and Queen (who "had before been pleafed to read it) by the right "honour le Sir Robert Walpole; and fome days after "the whole impreffion was taken and difperfed by "feveral noblemen and perfons of the firft diflinc

❝tion.

"It is certainly a true obfervation, that no people "are fo impatient of cenfure as thofe who are the

greatest flanderers, which was wonderfully exempli"fied on this occafion. On the day the book was "first vended, a crowd of authors befieged the fhop; "intreaties, advices, threats of law and battery, nay "cries of treafon, were all employed to hinder the (6 com

"coming-out of the Dunciad: on the other fide, the "bookfellers and hawkers made as great efforts to

procure it. What could a few poor authors do "against fo great a majority as the publick? There 66 was no stopping a torrent with a finger; fo out it

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came.

"Many ludicrous circumftances attended it. The "Dunces (for by this name they were called) held weekly clubs, to confult of hoftilities against the "author: one wrote a Letter to a great minifter, affuring him Mr. Pope was the greatest enemy the go"vernment had; and another bought his image in

clay, to execute him in effigy; with which fad fort "of fatisfaction the gentlemen were a little com"forted.

"Some falfe editions of the book having an owl in "their frontispiece, the true one, to distinguish it, fixed "in its ftead an afs laden with authors. Then another furreptitious one being printed with the fame afs, "the new edition in octavo returned for diftinction to "the owl again. Hence arofe a great contest of "bookfellers against bookfellers, and advertisements "against advertisements; fome recommending the edi"tion of the owl, and others the edition of the afs; by which names they came to be diftinguished, to "the great honour alfo of the gentlemen of the "Dunciad."

Pope appears by this narrative to have contemplated his victory over the Dunces with great exultation; and fuch was his delight in the tumult which he had raised, that for a while his natural fenfibibity was fufpended, and he read reproaches and invectives without emotion, confidering them only as the neceflary effects of that pain which he rejoiced in having given.