entire fum of One thoufand feven hundred and fifty-four verfes, declare every wold, figure, point, and comma of this impresion to be authentic: And do therefoze Krialy enjoin and forbid any person oz perlons whatsoever, to crale, reverse, put between hooks, or by any other means, directly oz indirectly, change o2 mangle any of them. And we do hereby earnefly exhozt all our brethren to follow this our example, which we heartily with our great Piedecellors had heretofoze let, as a remedy and prevention of all fuch abules. Provided always, that nothing in this Declaration hall be construed to limit the lawful and undoubred right of every lubject of this Realm, to judge, cenlure, oz condemn, in the whole or in part, any Poem or Poet whatsoever, la Given under our hand at London, this third day of January, in the year of our Lord one thou fand feven hundred thirty and two. Declarat' cor' me, JOHN BARBER, Mayor. fuch being the initial and final words, and fuch the true and entire contents of this poem. Thou art to know, reader! that the first Edition thereof, like that of Milton, was never seen by the Author (though living and not blind): The Editor himself confeffed as much in his preface; and no two poems were ever published in fo arbitrary a manner. The Edi, tor of this had as boldly fuppreffed whofe Paffages, yea the entire laft book, as the Editor of Paradife Loft, added and augmented. Milton himfelf gave but ten books, his Editor twelve; this Author gave four books, his Editor only three. But we have happily done justice to both; and prefume we shall live, in this our last labour, as long as in any of our others. BENTL A P P E NDI X. I. PREFACE Prefixed to the five first imperfect Editions of the DUNCIAD, in three books, printed at DUBLIN and LONDON, in octavo and duodecimo, 1727. IT The PUBLISHER a to the READER. T will be found a true obfervation, though somewhat furprifing, that when any fcandal is vented against a man of the highest distinction and character, either in the ftate or literature, the Public in general afford it a moft quiet reception; and the larger part accept it as favourably as if it were fome kindness done to themfelves whereas if a known fcoundrel or blockhead but chance to be touched upon, a whole legion is up in The Publisher] Who he was is uncertain; but Edward Ward tells us, in his preface to Durgen, "that moft judges are of opinion "this preface is not of English extraction, but Hibernian," etc. He means it was written by Dr. Swift, who, whether publisher or not, may be faid in a fort to be author of the poem. For when he, together with Mr. Pope (for reafons fpecified in the preface to their Mifcellanies), determined to own the moft trifling pieces in which they had any hand, and to destroy all that remained in their power, the firft sketch of this poem was fnatched from the fire by Dr. Swift, who perfuaded his friend to proceed in it; and to him it was therefore infcribed. But the occafion of printing it was as follows: arms, and it becomes the common cause of all scribsers, bookfellers, and printers whatsoever. Not to fearch too deeply into the reason hereof, I will only observe as a fact, that every week for these two months paft, the town has been perfecuted with b pamphlets, advertisements, letters, and weekly effays, not only against the wit and writings, but against the character and person of Mr. Pope. And that of all those men who have received pleasure from his works, which by modeft computation may be about a hun C There was published in thofe Mifcellanies, a Treatife of the Bathos, or Art of Sinking in Poetry; in which was a chapter, where the fpecies of bad writers were ranged in claffes, and initial letters of names prefixed, for the most part at random. But fuch was the Number of Poets eminent in that art, that some one or other took every letter to himself. All fell into fo violent a fury, that for half a year, or more, the common Newspapers (in most of which they had fome property, as being hired writers) were filled with the most abufive falfehoods and fcurrilities they could poffibly devise; a liberty noways to be wondered at in those people, and in those papers, that, for many years, during the uncontrolled Licence of the prefs, had afperfed almost all the great characters of the age; and this with impunity, their own perfons and names being utterly fecret and obfcure. This gave Mr. Pope the thought, that he had now fome opportunity of doing good, by detecting and dragging into light these common Enemies of mankind; fince, to invalidate this universal flander, it fufficed to fhew what contemptible men were the authors of it. He was not without hopes, that, by manifefting the dulnefs of those who had only malice to recommend them; either the bookfellers would not find their account in employing them, or the men themselves, when discovered, want courage to proceed in fo unlawful an occupation. This it was that gave birth to the Dunciad; and he thought it an happiness, that, by the late flood of flander on himself, he had acquired fuch a peculiar right over their Names as was neceffary to his defign. b pamphlets, advertisements, etc.] See the Lift of thofe anonymous papers, with their dates and authors annexed, inferted before the Poem. about a hundred thousand] It is furprifing with what ftupidity this preface, which is almost a continued irony, was taken by thofe authors. All fuch paffages as these were understood by Curl, Cook, Cibber, and others, to be ferious. Hear the Laureate (Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9.) "Though I grant the Dunciad a better poem of its kind than ever was writ; yet, when I read it with those vain dred thousand in thefe kingdoms of England and Ireland; (not to mention Jerfey, Guernsey, the Orcades, those in the new world, and foreigners who have tranf·lated 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'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 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, fome fcandal against this gentleman. с 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 soon unintelligible. If it provoke the author to give us a more perfect edition, I have my end. Who he is I cannot say, and (which is a great pity) "glorious encumbrances of Notes and Remarks upon it, etc.-it is "amazing, that you, who have writ with fuch masterly spirit upon the ruling paffion, fhould be fo blind a flave to your own, "as not to fee how far a low avarice of Praife," etc. (taking it for granted that the notes of Scriblerus, and others, were the author's own.) The author of the following poem, etc.] 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 justly entitled them to a place in the Dunciad. there is certainly f nothing in his style and manner of writing, which can distinguish or discover him : For if it bears any resemblance to that of Mr. Pope, 'tis 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 say affected) fhortnefs in imitation of him, I fhould 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 & fix years of his life, and that he wholly 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 verfe of Statius, which was cited at the head of his manufcript: "O mihi biffenos multum vigilata per annos, Hence also we learn the true title of the poem: which with the fame certainty as we call that of Homer the There is certainly nothing in his ftyle, etc.] 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. 8 the labour of full fix years, etc.] This alfo was honeftly and feriously 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," etc. So alfo Ward, pref. to Durgen, "The Dunciad, as the publisher "6 very wifely confeffes, coft the author fix years retirement from "all the pleasures of life; though it is fomewhat difficult to con ceive, from either its bulk or beauty, that it could be fo long ❝in hatching, etc. But the length of time, and clofeness of ap"plication, were mentioned to prepoffefs the reader with a good "opinion of it.' They juft as well understood what Scriblerus faid of the poem. h The prefacer to Curl'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. |