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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 Obscurorum 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.

I

V.

ADVERTISEMENT

To the complete EDITION of 1743.

HAVE long had a design of giving fome fort of Notes on the works of this poet. Before I had the happinefs 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 humourous notes of Scriblerus, and even to those written by Mr. Cleland, Dr. Arbuthnot, and others. I had lately the pleasure to pafs fome months with the author in the country, where I prevailed upon him to do what I had long defired, and favour me with his explanation of feveral paffages in his works. It happened, that just at that juncture was published a ridiculous book againft him, full of perfonal Reflections, which furnished him with a lucky opportunity of improving This Poem, by giving it the only thing it wanted, a more confiderable Hero. He was always fenfible of its defect in that particular, and owned he had let it pafs with the Hero

it had, purely for want of a better, not entertaining the least expectation that fuch an one was referved for this Poft, as has fince obtained the Laurel: But fince that had happened, he could no longer deny this juftice either to him or the Dunciad.

And yet I will venture to fay, there was another motive which had ftill more weight with our Author: This perfon was one, who from every Folly (not to fay Vice) of which another would be afhamed, has conftantly derived a Vanity and therefore was the man in the world who would leaft be hurt by it.

W. W.

VI.

ADVERTISEMENT

Printed in the JOURNALS, 1730.

WHEREAS, upon occafion of certain Pieces re

lating to the Gentlemen of the Dunciad, fome have been willing to fuggeft, as if they looked upon them as an abufe: we can do no lefs than own, it is our opinion, that to call thefe gentlemen bad authors is no fort of abufe, but a great truth. We cannot alter this opinion without fome reafon; but we promise to do it in respect to every perfon who thinks it an injury to be reprefented as no Wit, or Poet, provided he procurés a Certificate of his being really fuch, from any three of his companions in the Dunciad, or from Mr. Dennis fingly, who is efteemed equal to any three of the number.

VOL. III.

U

Α

VII.

A

PARALLEL

OF THE

CHARACTERS

O F

Mr. DRYDEN and Mr. POPE,
As drawn by certain of their Contemporaries.

Mr. DRYDEN,

His POLITICS, RELIGION, MORALS.

MR. Dryden is a mere renegado from Monarchy, poetry, and good fenfe a. A true republican fon of monarchical Church b. A republican Atheist". Dryden was from the beginning an αλλοπρόσαλλος, and I doubt not will continue fo to the last d.

In the Poem called Abfalom and Achitophel are notoriously traduced, The KING, the QUEEN, the LORDS and GENTLEMEN, not only their honourable persons expofed, but the whole NATION and its REPRESENTA

TIVES

a Milbourn on Dryden's Virgil, 8vo, 1698, p. 6. b Pag. 38.

C Pag. 192.

Pag. &.

VII.

A

PARALLEL

OF THE

CHARACTERS

OF

Mr. POPE and Mr. DRYDEN,

As drawn by certain of their Contemporaries.

Mr. POPE,

His POLITICS, RELIGION, MORALS.

MR. Pope is an open and mortal enemy to his

country and the commonwealth of learning a. Some call him a Popifh whig, which is directly inconfiftent b. Pope, as a Papift, must be a tory and high flyer. He is both whig and tory d.

He hath made it his cuftom to cackle to more than one party in their own fentiments *.

In his Mifcellanies, the Perfons abufed are, The KING, the QUEEN, His late MAJESTY, both Houses

a Dennis, Rem. on the Rape of the Lock, Pref. P. Dunciad diffected. Pref. to Gulliveriana.

d Dennis, Character of Mr. P.

of

xii.

Theobald, Letter in Mift's Journals, June 22, 1728.

TIVES notoriously libelled. It is scandalum magnatum, yea of MAJESTY itself e.

He looks upon God's Gospel as a foolish fable, like the Pope, to whom he is a pitiful purveyor f. His very christianity may be queftioned . He ought to expect more severity than other men, as he is moft unmerciful in his own reflections on others : With as good a right as his Holiness, he sets up for poetical infallibility i.

Mr. DRYDEN only a Versifier.

His whole Libel is all bad matter, beautified (which is all that can be said of it) with good metre k. Mr. Dryden's genius did not appear in any thing more than his Verfification, and whether he is to be ennobled for that only, is a question1.

Mr. DRYDEN'S VIRGIL.

Tonfon calls it Dryden's Virgil, to fhew that this is not that Virgil fo admired in the Auguftan age; but a Virgil of another stamp, a filly, impertinent, nonfenfical writer. None but a Bavius, a Mævius, or a Bathyllus, carped at Virgil m; and none but fuch unthinking Vermin admire his Translator n. It is true, foft and eafy lines might become Ovid's Epiftles or Art of Love-But Virgil, who is all great and majestic, &c. requires ftrength of lines, weight of words, and

clofe

• Whip and Key, 4to, printed for R. Janeway, 1682. Pref. f Ibid. g Milbourn, p.9.

i Pag. 39.

k Whip and Key, Pref.

Effay on Criticism, p. 84. n Pag. 35.

h Ibid. p. 175. 1 Oldmixon,

m

Milbourn, p. 2.

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