many years, were, upon the publication of the Dunciad, brought out, and their authors betrayed by the mercenary bookfellers, (in hopes of fome poffibility of vending a few,) by advertising them in this manner;"The Confederates, a Farce. By Capt. Breval, (for "which he was put into the Dunciad.) An Epilogue "to Powel's Puppet-fhow. By Col. Ducket, (for "which he was put into the Dunciad.) Effays, &c. "By Sir Richard Blackmore. (N.B. It was for a "paffage of this book that Sir Richard was put into "the Dunciad)." And fo of others.

After the Dunciad, 1728.

An Effay on the Dunciad, octavo, printed for J. Roberts. [In this book, p. 9. it was formally declared, "That the complaint of the aforefaid libels "and advertisements were forged and untrue; that all "mouths had been filent except in Mr. Pope's praise; ❝ and nothing against him published but by Mr. Theobald."]

Sawney, in blank verfe, occafioned by the Dunciad; with a Critique on that Poem. By J. Ralph, [a perfon never mentioned in it at first, but inferted after.] Printed by J. Roberts, octavo.

A complete Key to the Dunciad. By E. Curl, 12mo, price 6d.

A fecond and third edition of the fame, with additions, 12mo.

The Popiad. By E. Curl, extracted from J. Dennis, Sir Richard Blackmore, &c. 12mo, price 6d. The Curliad. By the fame E. Curl.

The Female Dunciad. Collected by the fame Mr. Curl, 12mo, price 6d. With the Metamorphofis of P. into a stinging Nettle. By Mr. Foxton, 12mo.

The Metamorphofis of Scriblerus into Snarlerus. By J. Smedley, printed for A. Moore, folio, price 6d. The Dunciad Diffected. By Curl and Mrs. Tho

mas, 12mo.

An Effay on the Tafte and Writings of the prefent Times. Said to be writ by a Gentleman of C. C. C. Oxon. Printed for J. Roberts, octavo.

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The

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The Arts of Logic and Rhetoric, partly taken from Bouhours, with new Reflections, &c. By John Oldmixon, octavo.

Remarks on the Dunciad. By Mr. Dennis, dedicated to Theobald, octavo.

A Supplement to the Profound. Anon. By Matthew Concanen, octavo.

Mift's Weekly Journal, June 8. A long Letter, figned W. A. writ by fome or other of the club of Theobald, Dennis, Moore, Concanen, Cooke, who for fome time held conftant weekly meetings for thefe kind of performances.

Daily Journal, June 11. A Letter, figned PhiloScriblerus, on the name of Pope-Letter to Mr. Theobald, in verfe, figned B. M. Bezaleel Morris, againft Mr. P. Many other little epigrams, about this time, in the fame papers, by James Moore, and others.

Mift's Journal, June 22. A Letter by Lewis

Theobald.

Flying-Poft, Aug. 8. Letter on Pope and Swift. Daily Journal, Aug. 8. Letter charging the Author of the Dunciad with Treafon.

Durgen: A plain Satire on a pompous Satirift. By Edward Ward, with a little of James Moore.

Apollo's Maggot in his Cups. By E. Ward. Gulliveriana Secunda. Being a collection of many of the libels in the newfpapers, like the former volume under the fame title, by Smedley. Advertised in the Craftsman, Nov. 9, 1728, with this remarkable promife, that "Any thing which any body fhould fend "as Mr. Pope's or Dr. Swift's, fhould be inferted and "published as their's."

Pope Alexander's Supremacy and Infallibility examined, &c. by George Ducket and John Dennis, quarto.

Dean Jonathan's Paraphrafe on the ivth Chapter of Genefis. Writ by E. Roome, folio, 1729.

Labeo. A Paper of Veries by Leonard Welfted, which after came into One Epistle, and was published

by James Moore, quarto, 1730.

Another part of it

came out in Welfted's own name, under the just title of Dulness and Scandal, folio, 1731.

There have been fince published,

Verfes on the Imitator of Horace. By a Lady, or between a Lady, a Lord, and a Court-'fquire. Printed for J. Roberts, folio.

An Epistle from a Nobleman to a Doctor of Divinity, from Hampton-Court, Lord H―y. Printed for J. Roberts. Alfo folio.

A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope. Printed for W. Lewis in Covent-Garden, octavo.

ADVERTISEMENT

To the first Edition with Notes, in quarto, 1729. T will be fufficient to say of this edition, that the reader has here a much more correct and complete copy of the Dunciad than has hitherto appeared. I cannot answer but some mistakes may have flipt into it, but a vast number of others will be prevented by the names being now not only fet at length, but juftified by the authorities and reasons given. I make no doubt the Author's own motive to ufe real rather than feigned names, was his care to preferve the innocent from any falfe application; whereas, in the former editions, which had no more than the initial letters, he was made, by keys printed here, to hurt the inoffenfive; and (what was worie) to abuse his friends by an impreffion at Dublin.

The Commentary which attends this Poem was fent me from several hands, and, consequently, must be unequally written; yet will have one advantage over moft commentaries, that it is not made upon conjectures, or at a remote distance of time; and the reader cannot but derive one pleasure from the very obfcurity of the perfons it treats of, that it partakes of the nature of a fecret, which most people love to be let into, though the men or the things be ever fo inconfiderable or trivial.

Of

Of the perfons it was judged proper to give fome account for fince it is only in this monument that they muft expect to furvive, (and here furvive they will, as long as the English tongue fhall remain fuch as it was in the reigns of Queen Anne and King George,) it feemed but humanity to bestow a word or two upon each, just to tell what he was, what he writ, when he lived, and when he died.

If a word or two more are added upon the chief offenders, it is only as a paper pinned upon the breast to mark the enormities for which they fuffered; left the correction only fhould be remembered, and the crime forgotten.

In fome articles it was thought fufficient barely to transcribe from Jacob, Curl, and other writers of their own rank, who were much better acquainted with them than any of the authors of this Comment can pretend to be. Most of them had drawn each other's characters on certain occafions; but the few here inferted are all that could be faved from the general deftruction of fuch works.

Of the part of Sciblerus I need fay nothing: his manner is well enough known, and approved by all but those who are too much concerned to be judges.

The Imitations of the Ancients are added, to gratify those who either never read, or may have forgotten them; together with fome of the parodies and allufions to the most excellent of the Moderns. If, from the frequency of the former, any man think the Pcem too much a Canto, our Pcet will but appear to have done the fame thing in jeft which Boileau did in earnest, and upon which Vida, Fracaftorius, and many of the most eminent Latin poets, profeffedly valued themselves.

ADVERTISEMENT

To the first Edition of the Fourth Book of the Dunciad, when printed feparately in the year 1742.

WE apprehend it can be deemed no injury to the

Author of the Three firft Books of the Dunciad that we publish this Fourth. It was found merely by

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accident,

accident, in taking the furvey of the library of a late eminent nobleman; but in fo blotted a condition, and in fo many detached pieces, as plainly fhewed it to be not not only incorrect, but unfinished. That the Author of the Three firft Books had a defign to extend and complete his Pcem in this manner, appears from the differtation prefixed to it, where it is faid, that "The defign is more extensive, and that we may expect other episodes to complete it :" and, from the declaration in the argument to the Third Book, that "The accomplishment of the prophecies therein would be the theme hereafter of a greater Dunciad." But whether or no he be the Author of this we declare ourselves ignorant. If he be, we are no more to be blamed for the publication of it, than Tucca and Varius for that of the last fix Books of the Æneid, though, perhaps, inferior to the former.

If any perfon be poffeffed of a more perfect copy of this work, or of any other fragments of it, and will communicate them to the publisher, we shall make the next edition more complete: in which we alfo promise to infert any Criticisms that shall be published (if at all to the purpose) with the names of the authors; or any letters fent us (though not to the purpose) fhall yet be printed, under the title of Epiftolæ obfcurorum virorum; which, together with fome others of the fame kind, formerly laid by for that end, may make no unpleasant addition to the future Impreffions of this Poem.

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ADVERTISEMENT

To the complete Edition of 1743•

HAVE long had a design of giving some sort of Notes on the works of this Poet. Before I had the happiness of his acquaintance, I had written a commentary on his Effay on Man, and have fince finished another on the Effay on Criticism. There was one already on the Dunciad, which had met with general approbation; but I ftill thought fome additions were wanting (of a more ferious kind) to the humorous