MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS OF THE POEM. THIS poem, as it celebrateth the most grave and ancient of things, Chaos, Night, and Dulness; fo is it of the moft grave and ancient kind. Homer, (faith Ariftotle) was the first who gave the Form, and (faith Horace) who adapted the Measure, to heroic poefy. But even before this, may be rationally prefumed from what the Ancients have left written, was a piece by Homer compofed, of like nature and matter with this of our Poet. For of Epic fort it appeareth to have been, yet of matter furely not unpleasant, witness what is reported of it by the learned archbishop Euftathius, in Odyff. x. And accordingly Aristotle, in his Poetics, chap. iv. doth further fet forth, that as the Iliad and Odyffey gave example to Tragedy, fo did this poem to Comedy its firft idea. From these authors alfo it fhould feem, that the Hero, or chief perfonage of it was no lefs obfcure, and his understanding and fentiments no lefs quaint and ftrange (if indeed not more fo) than any of the actors of our poem. MARGITES was the name of this perfonage, whom Antiquity recordeth to have been Dunce the firft; and furely from what we hear of him, not unworthy to be the root of so spreading a tree, and so numerous a pofterity. The poem therefore celebrating him was properly and abfolutely a Dunciad; which though now unhappily loft, yet is its nature fufficiently known by the infallible tokens aforefaid. And thus it doth appear, that the firft Dunciad was the first Epic poem, written by Homer himself, and anterior even to the Iliad or Odyssey. Now, forafmuch as our poet hath translated those two famous works of Homer which are yet left, he did conceive it in fome fort his duty to imitate that also which was loft: and was therefore induced to bestow on it the fame form which Homer's is reported to have had, namely that of Epic poem; with a title alsoframed after the ancient Greek manner, to wit, that of Dunciad. Wonderful it is, that fo few of the moderns have been stimulated to attempt fome Dunciad! fince in the opinion of the multitude, it might coft lefs pain and toil than an imitation of the greater Epic. But poffible it is also, that, on due reflection, the maker might find it easier to paint a Charlemagne, a Brute, or a Godfrey, with just pomp and dignity heroic, than a Margites, a Codrus, or a Fleckno. We shall next defcribe the occafion and the caufe which moved our poet to this particular work. He lived in those days, when (after Providence had permitted the invention of Printing as a fcourge for the fins of the learned) Paper also became fo cheap, and Printers fo numerous, that a deluge of authors covered the land: Where by not only the peace of the honeft unwriting fubject was daily molefted, but unmerciful demands were made of his applause, yea of his money, by fuch as would neither earn the one, nor deserve the other. As the fame time, the licence of the Prefs was fuch, that it grew dangerous to refuse them either: for they would forthwith publish flanders unpunished, the authors being anonymous, and skulking under the wings of publishers, a set of men who neither fcrupled. to vend either Calumny or Blafphemy, as long as the Town would call for it, 2 C Now our author, living in thofe times, did conceive it an endeavour well worthy an honest Satirist, to diffuade the dull, and punish the wicked, the only way that was left. In that public-spirited view he laid the plan of this poem, as the greatest service he was capable (without much hurt, or being flain) to render his dear country. First, taking things from their original, he confidereth the caufes creative of fuch Authors, namely Dulness and Poverty; the one born with them, the other contracted by neglect of their proper talents, through felf-conceit of greater abilities. This truth he wrappeth in an Allegory b (as the conftruction of Epic poefy requireth), and feigns that one of thefe Goddeffes had taken up her abode with the other, and that they jointly infpired all fuch writers and fuch works. He proceedeth to fhew the qualities they beftow on these authors, and the effects they produce: then the materials, or ftock, with which they furnish them; and (above all) that felf opinion which caufeth it to feem to themselves vaftly greater than it is, and is the prim motive of their fetting up in this fad and forry merchandise. The great power of these Goddeffes acting in alliance (whereof as the one is the mother of Induftry, fo is the other of Plodding) was to be exemplified in fome one great and remarkable Action: And none could be more fo than that which our poet hath chofen; viz. the restoration of the reign of Chaos and Night, by the miniftry of Dulnefs their daughter, in the removal of her imperial feat from the City to the polite World; as the Action of the Eneid is the reftoration of the empire of Troy, by the removal of the race from thence to Latium. But as Homer finging a Vide Boffu, Du Poeme Epique, chap. viii. to 54. viii. e Ver. 57 to 77. d Ver. 45 g Ibid. chap. vii. only the Wrath of Achilles, yet includes in his Poem the whole history of the Trojan war, in like manner our author hath drawn into this fingle Action the whole hiftory of Dulness and her children. A Perfon muft next be fixed upon to support this Action. This Phantom in the Poet's mind must have a Name : He finds it to be --: and he becomes of courfe the Hero of the poem. The Fable being thus, according to the beft example, one and entire, as contained in the Propofition; the Machinery is a continued chain of Allegories setting forth the whole Power, Miniftry, and Empire of Dulnefs, extended through her fubordinate inftruments, in all her various operations. This is branched into Episodes, each of which hath its Moral apart, though all conducive to the main end. The Crowd affembled in the fecond book, demonftrates the defign to be more extenfive than to bad poets only, and that we may expect other Episodes of the Patrons, Encouragers, or Paymafters of fuch authors, as occafion fhall bring them forth. And the third book, if well confidered, feemeth to embrace the whole world. Each of the Games relateth to fome or other vile class of writers: The first concerneth the Plagiary, to whom he giveth the name of Moore; the fecond the libellous Novelift, whom he styleth Eliza; the third, the Flattering Dedicator; the fourth, the bawling Critic, or noify Poet; the fifth, the dark and dirty Party-writer; and fo of the reft: affigning to each some proper name or other, fuch as he could find. As for the Characters, the public hath already acknowledged how juftly they are drawn: The manners are fo depicted, and the fentiments fo peculiar to thofe to whom applied, that furely to transfer them to any Boffu, chap. viii. Vide Ariftot. Poetie. cap. ix. other or wifer perfonages, would be exceeding difficult: And certain it is, that every perfon concerned, being confulted apart, hath readily owned the resemblance of every portrait, his own excepted. So Mr. Cibber calls them," a parcel of poor wretches, fo many filly "flies1." but adds, our Author's Wit is remarkably 86 more bare and barren, whenever it would fall foul on Cibber, than upon any other perfon whatever." The Defcriptions are fingular, the Comparisons very quaint, the Narration various, yet of one colour: The purity and chastity of Diction is fo preferved, that in the places moft fufpicious, not the words but only the images have been cenfured, and yet are those images no other than have been fanctified by ancient and claffical Authority (though, as was the manner of thofe good times, not fo curiously wrapped up), yea, and commented upon by the moft grave Doctors, and approved Critics. As it beareth the name of Epic, it is thereby fubjected to fuch fevere indispensable rules as are laid on all Neoterics, a strict imitation of the Ancients; infomuch that any deviation, accompanied with whatever poetic beauties, hath always been cenfured by the found Critic. How exact that limitation hath been in this piece, appeareth, not only by its general ftructure, but by particular allufions infinite, many whereof have escaped both the commentator and poet himfelf; yea divers by his exceeding diligence are so altered and interwoven with the rest, that several have already been, and more will be, by the ignorant abufed, as altogether and originally his own. In a word, the whole poem proveth itself to be the work of our Author when his faculties were in full vigour and perfection; at that exact time when years i Cibber's Letter to Mr. P. pag. 9, 12, 41. |