Hibernian Politics, O Swift! thy fate; VARIATION S. VER. 331. in the former Editions thus, ---O Swift! thy doom, And Pope's tranflating ten whole years with Broome. On which was the following Note: "He concludes his irony with "a ftroke upon himself: for whoever imagines this a sarcasm on "the other ingenious perfon, is furely mistaken. The opinion our "Author had of him was fufficiently fhewn by his joining him in "the undertaking of the Odyssey; in which Mr. Broome having "engaged without any previous agreement, difcharged his part fo "much to Mr. Pope's fatisfaction, that he gratified him with the "full fum of Five hundred pounds, and a prefent of all those books “for which his own intereft could procure him subscribers, to the "value of One hundred more. The author only feems to lament, "that he was employed in Translation at all,” REMARKS. idol of the Nobility and people, which the great Critic Mr. Dennis by the labours and outcries of a whole life could not overthrow, was demolished by a fingle ftroke of this gentleman's pen. This happened in the year 1728. Yet fo great was his modefty, that he conftantly prefixed to all the editions of it this motto, Nos bac novimus effe nibil. 1 VER. 331. Hibernian Politics, O Swift! thy fate ;] See Book I. ver. 26. VER. 332. And Pope's, ten years to comment and tranflate.] The author here plainly laments that he was so long employed in tranf. lating and commenting. He began the Iliad in 1713, and finished it in 1719. The edition of Shakespear (which he undertook merely because nobody else would) took up near two years more in the drudgery of comparing impreffions, rectifying the Scenery, etc. and the Translation of half the Odyffey employed him from that time to 1725. VER. 333. Proceed, great days! etc.] It may perhaps seem incredible, that fo great a Revolution in Learning as is here prophefied, fhould be brought about by fuch weak inftruments as have been [hitherto] defcribed in our poem: But do not thou, gentle reader, reft too fecure in thy contempt of thefe Instruments. Remember what the Dutch ftories fomewhere relate, that a great part of their Provinces was once overflowed, by a fmall opening made in one of their dykes by a fingle Water-Rat, Till Thames fee Eaton's fons for ever play, And Alma mater lie diffolv'd in Port! 335 Enough! enough! the raptur'd Monarch cries; And thro' the Iv'ry Gate the Vision flies. VARIATION S. After ver. 338. in the firft Edit. were the following lines To their firft Chaos Wit's vain works fhall fall, REMARK S. 340 However, that fuch is not seriously the judgment of our Poet, but that he conceiveth better hopes from the Diligence of our Schools, from the Regularity of our Universities, the Discernment of our Great men, the Accomplishments of our Nobility, the Encouragement of our Patrons, and the Genius of our Writers of all kinds (notwithstanding some few exceptions in each), may plainly be feen from his conclufion; where caufing all this vifion to pafs through the Ivory gate, he exprefsly, in the language of Poefy, declares all fuch imaginations to be wild, ungrounded, and fictitious. SCRIBL Ibid. Proceed, great days! etc. Till Birch fall blush, etc.] Another great prophet of Dulness, on this fide Styx, promifeth thofe, days to be near at hand. The Devil (faith he) licenfed Bishops to licenfe Mafters of Schools to instruct youth in the knowledge of the beathen Gods, their religion, etc. The Schools and Universities will foon be tired and afbamed of Claffics and fuch trumpery. HUTCHINSON'S Ufe of Reafon recovered. IMITATION S. VER. 340. And thro' the Iv'ry Gate, etc.] SCRIBL. "Sunt geminæ Somni portæ ; quarum altera fertur "Sed falfa ad cœlum mittunt infomnia manes." Virg. Æn. vi. THE END OF THE THIRD BOOK. THE DUNCIA D. BOOK THE FOURTH. ARGUMENT. THE Poet being, in this Book, to declare the Completion of the Prophecies mentioned at the end of the former, makes a new Invocation; as the greater Poets are wont, when fome high and worthy matter is to be fung. He fhews the Goddefs coming in her Majefty to deftroy Order and Science, and to fubftitute the Kingdom of the Dull upon earth. How fhe leads captive the Sciences, and filences the Mufes; and what they be who fucceed in their ftead. All her Children, by a wonderful attraction, are drawn about her; and bear along with them divers others, who promote her Empire by connivance, weak refiftance, or difcouragement of Arts; fuch as Half wits, taftelefs Admirers, vain Pretenders, the Flatterers of Dunces, or the Patrons of them. All these crowd round her; one of them, offering to appr proach her, is driven back by a Rival, but she commends and encourages both. The first who speak in form are the Geniufes of the Schools, who affure her of their care to advance her Caufe by confining Youth to Words, and keep · ing them out of the way of real Knowledge. Their Addrefs, and her gracious Anfwer; with her Charge to them and the Univerfities. The Universities appear by their proper Deputies, and affure her that the same method is obferved in the progress of Education. The Speech of Ariftarchus on this fubject. They are driven off by a band of young gentlemen returned from Travel with their Tutors; one of whom delivers to the Goddefs, in a polite oration, an account of the whole Conduct and Fruits of their Travels: prefenting to her at the fame time a young Nobleman perfectly accomplished. She receives him graciously, and endues him with the happy quality of Want of Shame. She fees loitering about her a number of Indolent Perfons abandoning all bufinefs and duty, and dying with laziness: To thefe approaches the Antiquary Annius, intreating her to make them Virtuofos, and affign them over to him: But Mummius, another Antiquary, complaining of his fraudulent proceeding, he finds a method to reconcile their difference. Then enter a Troop of people fantastically adorned, offering her ftrange and exotic prefents: Among ft them, one ftands forth and demands juftice on another, who had deprived him of one of the greatest Curiofities in nature: but he juftifies himself fo well, that the Goddess gives them both her approbation. She recommends to them to find proper employment for the Indolents before mentioned, in the ftudy of Butterflies, Shells, Birds-nefts, Mofs, etc. but with particular cau. tion not to proceed beyond Trifles, to any useful or extenfive views of Nature, or of the Author of Nature. Against the laft of these apprehenfions, he is fecured by a hearty Addrefs from the Minute Philofophers and Freethinkers, one of whom fpeaks in the name of the reft. The Youth thus inftructed and principled, are delivered to her in a body, by the hands of Silenus; and then admitted to to taste the Cup of the Magus her High Prieft, which caufes a total oblivion of all Obligations divine, civil, moral, or rational. To thefe her Adepts fhe fends Priests, Attendants, and Comforters, of various kinds; confers on them Orders and Degrees; and then difmiffing them with a fpeech, confirming to each his Privileges, and telling what she expects from each, concludes with a Yawn of extraordinary virtue : The Progress and Effects whereof on all Oraers of men, and the Confummation of all, in the Restoration of Night and Chaos, conclude the Poem. |