thofe in the New World, and foreigners who have translated him into their languages) of all this number not a man hath stood up to say one word in his defence.

The only exception is the author of the following Poem, who doubtless had either a better infight into the grounds of this clamour, or a better opinion of Mr. Pope' integrity, joined with a greater perfonal love for him, than any other of his numerous friends and ad

mirers.

Farther, that he was in his peculiar intimacy, appears from the knowledge he manifefts of the most private authors of all the anonymous pieces against him, and from his having in this Poem attacked no man living who had not before printed or published some fcandal against this gentleman.

How I came poffeffed of it is no concern to the reader; but it would have been a wrong to him had I detained the publication; fince thofe names which are its chief ornaments die off daily fo faft, as must render it too foon unintelligible. If it provoke the author to give us a more perfect edition, I have my

end.

Who he is I cannot fay; and (which is a great pity) there is certainly nothing in his ftyle and manner of writing which can diftinguish or difcover him; for if it bears any resemblance to that of Mr. Pope, it is not improbable but it might be done on purpofe, with a view to have it pafs for his. But by the frequency of his allufions to Virgil, and a laboured (not to fay affected) fhortnefs in imitation of him, I should think him more an admirer of the Roman poet than of the Grecian, and in that not of the fame tafte with his friend. I have

The Author of the following Poem, &c.] A very plain irony, fpeaking of Mr. Pope himself.

The Publifher, in these words, went a little too far; but it is certain, whatever names the reader finds that are unknown to him are of fuch; and the exception is only of two or three, whofe dulnefs, impu-' dent fcurrilities, or felf-conceít, all mankind agreed to have justly entitled them to a place in the Dunciad.

There is certainly nothing in his ftyle, &c.] This irony had small effect in concealing the author. The Dunciad, imperfect as it was, had not been published two days, but the whole Town gave it to Mr. Pope.

I have been well informed that this work was the labour of full fix years of his life, and that he wholly retired himself from all the avocations and pleafures of the world to attend diligently to its correction and perfection; and fix years more he intended to bestow upon it, as it fhould feem by this verfe of Statius, which was cited at the head of his manuféript :

!

Hence alfo we learn the true title of the Poem; which, with the fame certainty as we call that of Homer the Iliad, of Virgil the Æneid, of Camoens the Lufiad, we may pronounce could have been, and can be, no other

than

THE DUNCIAD.

It is ftyled Heroic, as being doubly fo; not only with refpect to its nature, which, according to the best rules of the Ancients, and stricteft ideas of the Moderns, is critically fuch; but alfo with regard to the heroical difpofition and high courage of the writer, who dared to ftir up fuch a formidable, irritable, and implacable race of mortals.

There may arise some obscurity in chronology from the names in the Poem, by the inevitable removal of fome authors, and infertion of others in their niches : for, whoever will confider the unity of the whole de

fign,

The labour of full fix years, &c.] This alfo was honeftly and ferionfly believed by divers gentlemen of the Dunciad. J. Ralph, preface to Sawney: "We are told it was the labour of fix years, with the ut"most affiduity and application: it is no great compliment to the Au"tor's fenfe to have employed fo large a part of his life," &c. So alfo Ward, preface to Durgen: "The Dunciad, as the publisher very wifely confeffes, coft the Author fix years' retirement from all the plea"fures of life; though it is fomewhat difficult to conceive, from either "its bulk or beauty, that it could be fo long in hatching," &c. But the length of time and clofenefs of application were mentioned to prepoffefs the reader with a good opinion of it.

They just as well underfood what Scriblerus faid of the Poem.

*The prefacer to Curl's Key, p. 3. took this word to be really in Statius: Bv a quibble on the word Duncia, the Dunciad, is formed." Mr. Ward alio follows him in the fame opinion.

fign, will be fenfible that the Poem was not made for thefe authors, but these authors for the Poem. I should judge that they were clapped in as they rofe, fresh and fresh, and changed from day to day; in like manner as when the old boughs wither we thruft new ones into a chimney.

I would not have the reader too much troubled or anxious if he cannot decypher them; fince, when he fhall have found them out, he will probably know no more of the perfons than before.

Yet we judged it better to preferve them as they are, than to change them for fictitious names; by which the fatire would only be multiplied, and applied to many instead of one. Had the Hero, for inftance, been called Codrus, how many would have affirmed him to have been Mr. T. Mr. E. Sir R. B? &c. but now all that unjuft fcandal is faved, by calling him by a name which happens to be that of a real perfon.

A LIST OF

BOOKS, PAPERS, AND VERSES,

In which our Author was abused before the Publication of the Dunciad, with the true Names of the Authors. REFLECTIONS Critical and Satirical on a late Rhapfody, called An Effay on Criticifm. By Mr. Dennis. Printed by. B. Lintot, price 6d.

A New Rehearsal; or, Bayes the Younger; containing an Examen of Mr. Rowe's Plays, and a Word or two on Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock. Anon. By Charles Gildon. Printed for J. Roberts, 1714, price is.

Homerides; or, A Letter to Mr. Pope, occafioned by his intended Tranflation of Homer. By Sir Iliad Dogrel, Thomas Burnet and G. Ducket, Efquires. Printed for W. Wilkins, 1715, price 9d.

Æfop at the Bear-garden; a Vifion, in Imitation of the Temple of Fame, by Mr. Prefton. Sold by John Morphew, 1715, price 6d.

The

The Catholic Poet; or, Proteftant Barnaby's for rowful Lamentation; a Ballad about Homer's Iliad. By Mrs. Centlivre and others, 1715, price id.

An Epilogue to a Puppet-show at Bath, concerning the faid Iliad. By George Ducket, Efq. Printed by E. Curl.

A complete Key to the What-d'ye-call-it. Anon. By Griffin, a Player, fupervised by Mr. ThPrinted by J. Roberts, 1715.

A true Character of Mr. P. and his Writings, in a Letter to a Friend. Anon. Dennis. Printed for S. Popping, 1716, price 3d.

The Confederates, a Farce. By Jofeph Gay. J. D. Breval. Printed for R. Burleigh, 1717, price 1s.

Remarks upon Mr. Pope's Tranflation of Homer; with two Letters concerning the Windfor Foreft, and the Temple of Fame. By Mr. Dennis. Printed for E. Curl, 1717, price is. 6d.

Satires on the Tranflators of Homer, Mr. P. and Mr. T. Anon. Bez. Morris, 1717, price 6d.

The Triumvirate; or, A Letter from Palemon to Celia at Bath. Anon. Leonard Welited, 1711, folic, price 18.

The Battle of Poets, an heroic Poem. By Tho. Cooke. Printed for J. Roberts, folio, 1725.

Memoirs of Lilliput. Anon. Eliza Haywood, 8vo. Printed in 1727.

An Effay on Criticism, in Profe. By the Author of the Critical Hiftory of England. J. Oldmixon, octavo, Printed 1728.

Gulliveriana and Alexandriana ; with an ample Preface and Critique on Swift and Pope's Mifcellanies. By Jonathan Smedly. Printed by J. Roberts, octavo, 1728.

Characters of the Times: or, An Account of the Writings, Characters, &c. of feveral Gentlemen libelled by Sand P-, in a late Miscellany, octavo, 1728.

Remarks on Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock, in Letters to a Friend. By Mr. Dennis; written in 1724, though not printed till 1728, octavo.

Verses,

Verfes, Letters, Effays, or Advertisements, in the Public

Prints.

British Journal, Nov. 25, 1727. A Letter on Swift and Pope's Mifcellanies. Written by Mr. Concanen. Daily Journal, March 18, 1728. A Letter by Philomauri. By James Moore Smith.

Idem, March 29. A Letter about Thersites, accufing the Author of difaffection to the government. By James Moore Smith.

Mift's Weekly Journal, March 30. An Essay on the Arts of a Poet's finking in Reputation: or, A Supplement to the Art of finking in Poetry. Suppofed by Mr. Theobald.

Daily Journal, April 3. A Letter under the name of Philo-ditto. By James Moore Smith.

Flying-Poft, April 4. A Letter against Gulliver and Mr. P. By Mr. Oldmixon.

Daily Journal, April 5. An Auction of Goods at Twickenham. By James Moore Smith.

The Flying-Post, April 6. A Fragment of a Treatife upon Swift and Pope. By Mr. Oldmixon. The Senator, April 9.

Roome.

Daily Journal, April 8. Moore Smith.

On the fame. By Edward

Advertisement by James

Flying-Poft, April 13. Verfes against Dr. Swift, and against Mr. F's Homer. By J. Oldmixon. Daily Journal, April 23. Letter about the Tranflation of the Character of Therfites in Homer. By Thomas Cooke, &c.

Mift's Weekly Journal, April 27. A Letter of Lewis Theobald.

Daily Journal, May 11. A Letter against Mr. P. at large. Anon. John Dennis.

All these were afterwards reprinted in a pamphlet, entitled, A Collection of all the Verses, Eflays, Letters, and Advertisements occafioned by Mr. Pope and Swift's Mifcellanies, prefaced by Concanen. Anon. octavo, and printed for A. Moore, 1728, price is. Others, of an elder date, having lain as waste paper VOL. III.

L

many