land (not to mention Jersey, Guernsey, the Orcades, those in the new world, and foreigners who have translated him into their languages); of all this number not a man hath stood up to fay one word in his defence.

The only exception is the d 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's integrity, joined with a greater perfonal love for him, than any other of his numerous friends and admirers.

Farther, that he was in his peculiar intimacy, appears from the knowledge he manifests 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 scandal against this gentleman.

How I came poffeft of it, is no concern to the reader : but it would have been a wrong to him had I detained the publication; fince those 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

d The author of the following poem, &c.] A very plain irony, fpeaking of Mr. Pope himself.

e The publisher 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, impudent fcurrility, or felf-conceit, all mankind agreed to have juftly entitled them to a place in the Dunciad.

Who he is I cannot fay, and (which is a great pity) there is certainly f nothing in his style 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 purpose, 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) shortness 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 been well informed, that this work was the labour of full g fix years of his life, and that he wholly

retired

f 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.

g the labour of full fix years, &c.] This alfo was honeftly and seriously believed by divers gentlemen of the Dunciad. J. Ralph, pref. to Sawney. "We are "told it was the labour of fix years, with the utmost "affiduity and application: It is no great compliment "to the author's fenfe, to have employed fo large a part "of his life, &c." So alfo Ward, pref. 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 con"ceive, from either its bulk or beauty, that it could "be fo long in hatching, &c. But the length of time "and closeness of application were mentioned, to pre"poffefs the reader with a good opinion of it."

They just as well understood what Scribleņus said of the poem.

retired himself from all the avocations and pleasures of the world, to attend diligently to its correction and perfection; and fix years more he intended to bestow upon it, as would feem by this verse of Statius, which was cited at the head of his manufcript.

"O mihi biffenos multum vigilata per annos,

"Duncia! h"

Hence also 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

It is ftyled Heroic, as being doubly fo; not only with respect to its nature, which according to the best rules of the ancients, and ftrictest ideas of the moderns, is éritically fuch; but also with regard to the heroical difpofition and high courage of the writer, who dared to ftir up such a formidable, irritable, and implacable race of mortals.

There may arife fome 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 defign, will be fenfible, that the poem was not made for

thefe

h. The prefacer to Curll's key, p. 3. took this word to be really in Statius : "By a quibble on the word Duncia, the Dunciad is formed." Mr. Ward alfo follows him in the fame opinion.

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 thrust 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 preserve 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 instance, been called Codrus, how many would have affirmed him to have been Mr. T. Mr. E. Sir R. B. &c. But now all that unjust scandal is saved by calling him by a name, which by good luck happens to be that of a real perfon.

II.

A LIST of

BOOKS, PAPERS, and VERSES,

In which our Author was abufed, before the Publication of the DUNCIAD; with the true Names of the Authors.

R

EFLECTIONS critical and fatirical on a late Rhapsody, called, An Effay on Criticism. By Mr. Dennis, printed by B. Lintot, price 6 d.

A New Rehearsal, or Bays 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 1 s.

Homerides, or a Letter to Mr. Pope, occafioned by his intended tranflation of Homer. By Sir Iliad Dogrel. [Tho. Burnet and G. Ducket efquires] printed for W. Wilkins, 1715, price 9 d.

fop at the Bear-garden; a vision, in imitation of the Temple of Fame, by Mr. Prefton. Sold by John Morphew, 1715, price 6 d.

The Catholic Poet, or Proteftant Barnaby's Sorrowful Lamentation; a Ballad about Homer's Iliad. By Mrs. Centlivre and others, 1715, price 1d.

An Epilogue to a Puppet-show at Bath, concerning the faid Iliad. By George Ducket efq; printed by E. Curll.

A com