But from all that hath been faid, the difcerning reader will collect, that it little availed our Author to have any candour, fince, when he declared he did not write for others, it was not credited; as little to have any modefty, fince, when he declined writing in any way himself, the prefumption of others was imputed to him. If he fingly enterprised one great work, he was taxed of boldnefs and madnefs to a prodigy if he took affiftants in another, it was complained of, and reprefented as a great injury to the public. The loftieft heroics; the loweft ballads, treatises against the state or church, fatires on lords and ladies, raillery on wits and authors, fquabbles with bookfellers, or even full and true accounts of monfters, poifons, and murders; of any hereof was there nothing fo good, nothing fo bad, which hath. not at one or other feafon been to him afcribed. If it bore no author's name, then lay he concealed; if it did, he fathered it upon that author to be yet better concealed: if it refembled any of his ftyles, then was it evident; if it did not, then disguised he it on fet purpose. Yea, even direct oppofitions in religion, principles, and politics, have equally been fuppofed in him inherent. Surely a moft rare and fingular character; of which let the reader make what he can. Doubtless most commentators would hence take occafion to turn all to their author's advantage, and k Burnet's Homerides, p. 1. of his tranflation of the Iliad. The London and Mift's Journals, on his undertaking the Odyffey. from the testimony of his very enemies would affirm, that his capacity was boundless, as well as his imagination; that he was a perfect mafter of all ftyles, and all arguments; and that there was in those times no other writer, in any kind, of any degree of excellence, fave he himself. But as this is not our own fentiment, we shall determine on nothing; but leave thee, gentle reader, to fteer thy judgment equally between various opinions, and to chufe whe ther thou wilt incline to the Teftimonies of Authors avowed, or of authors concealed; of thofe who knew him, or of those who knew him not. E 2 MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS OF THE POEM. THIS HIS Poem, as it celebrateth the moft grave and ancient of things, Chaos, Night, and Dulness; fo is it of the moft grave and ancient kind. Homer (faith Ariftotle) was the firft who gave the form, and (faith Horace) who adapted the measure, to heroic poefy. But even before this, may be rationally prefumed from what the ancients have left written, was a piece by Homer compofed, of like nature and matter with this of our Poct. For of Epic fort it appeareth to have been, yet of matter furely not unpleasant, witnefs what is reported of it by the learned archbifhop Euftathius, in Odyff. x. And accordingly Ariftotle, in his Poetics, chap. iv. doth further fet forth, that as the Iliad and Odyffey gave example to tragedy, fo did this Poem to Comedy its firft idea. From thefe authors alfo it fhould feem, that the hero, or chief perfonage of it was no lefs obfcure, and his understanding and fentiments no lefs quaint and ftrange (if indeed not more fo) than any of the actors of our Poem. MARGITES was the name of this perfonage, whom antiquity recordeth to have been Dunce the first; and furely from what we hear of him, not unworthy to be the root of fo fpreading a tree, and fo numerous a pofterity. The Poem therefore celebrating him was properly and abfolutely a Dunciad; which though now unhappily loft, yet is its nature fufficiently known by the infallible tokens aforefaid. And thus it doth appear, that the firft Dunciad was the first epic poem, written by Homer himself, and anterior even to the Iliad or Odyssey. Now, forafmuch as our Poet hath translated those two famous works of Homer which are yet left, he did conceive it in fome fort his duty to imitate that alfo which was loft: and was therefore induced to bestow on it the fame form which Homer's is reported to have had, namely that of Epic Poem; with a title alfo framed after the ancient Greek manner, to wit, that of Dunciad. Wonderful it is, that fo few of the moderns have been stimulated to attempt fome Dunciad! fince, in the opinion of the multitude, it might coft lefs pain and toil than an imitation of the greater Epic. But poffible it is alfo, that, on due reflection, the maker might find it easier to paint a Charlemagne, a Brute, or a Godfrey, with just pomp and dignity heroic, than a Margites, a Codrus, or a Fleckno. We shall next declare the occafion and the caufe which moved our Poet to this particular work. He lived in those days, when (after Providence had permitted the invention of printing as a fcourge for the fins of the learned) paper alfo became fo cheap, and printers so numerous, that a deluge of authors covered the land whereby not only the peace of the honeft unwriting fubject was daily molefted, but unmerciful demands were made of his applaufe, yea of his money, by fuch as would neither earn the one, nor deferve the other. At the fame time, the licence of the prefs was fuch, that it grew dangerous to refufe them either: for they would forthwith publish flanders unpunished, the authors being anonymous, and skulking under the wings of publishers, a fet of men who neither fcrupled to vend either calumny or blafphemy, as long as the Town would call for it. aNow our Author, living in those times, did conceive it an endeavour well worthy an honest satirift, to diffuade the dull, and punish the wicked, the only way that was left. In that public-fpirited view he laid the plan of this Poem, as the greatest service he was capable (without much hurt, or being flain) to render his dear country. First, taking things from their original, he confidereth the causes creative of fuch authors, namely Dulnefs and Poverty; the one born with them, the other contracted by neglect of their proper talents, through felf-conceit of greater abilities. This truth he wrappeth in an allegory (as the conftruction of epic poefy requireth), and feigns that one of thefe Goddeffes had taken up her abode with the other, and that they jointly infpired all fuch writers and fuch works. He proceedeth to fhew the qualities they beftow on thefe authors, and the b a Vide Boffu, Du Poem Epique, chap. viii. |