A. v. Frankendaal Juelps. Her ample Presence fills up all the Space. A Veil of Fogs dilates her an full Face Dunciad Book I. TH BOOK I. HE Mighty Mother, and her Son, who brings VER I. The mighty mother, &c. in the firft Edit. it was thus, Still IMITATIONS Say, great Patricians! since yourselves inspire These wondrous works. -Dii cœptis (nam vos mutaftis et illas.) Ovid. Met. 1. REMARK S. The DUNCIAD, fic MS. It may be well difputed whether this be a right reading: Ought it not rather to be spelled Dunceiad, as the Etymology evidently demands? Dunce with an e, therefore Dunceiad with an e. That accurate and punctual Man of Letters, the Reftorer of Shakespeare, conftantly obferves the prefervation of this very Letter e, in spelling the Name of his beloved Author, and not like his common careless Editors, with the omiffion of one, nay fometimes of two ee's (as Shakspear) which is utterly unpardonable. "Nor is the neglect of a Single Letter fo trivial as to fome it may appear; the "alteration whereof in a learned language is an Atchievement that brings honour to the Critic who advances it; and Dr Bentley will be remembered to pofterity for his performan"ces of this fort, as long as the world fhall have any esteem for the remains of Menander and Philemon. THEOBALD. This is furely a flip in the learned author of the foregoing note; there having been fince produced by an accurate Antiquary, an Autograph of Shakspeare himself, whereby it appears that he fpelled his own name without the first e. this authority it was, that thofe most Critical Curators of his And upon I fing. Say you, her Inftruments the Great! Call'd to this work by Dulness, Jove, and Fate: REMARK S. Monument in Weftminster Abbey erafed the former wrong reading, and restored the true fpelling on a new piece of old Egyptian Granite. Nor for this only do they deferve our thanks, but for exhibiting on the fame Monument the first Specimen of an Edition of an author in Marble; where (as may be seen on comparing the Tomb with the Book) in the space of five lines, two Words and a whole Verse are changed, and it is to be hoped will there ftand, and outlast whatever hath been hitherto done in Paper; as for the future, our learned Sifter University (the other eye of England) is taking care to perpetuate a Total new Shakespear, at the Clarendon prefs. BENTL. It is to be noted, that this great Critic alfo has omitted one circumstance; which is, that the Inscription with the Name of Shakspeare was intended to be placed on the Marble Scroll to which he points with his hand; inftead of which it is now placed behind his back, and that Specimen of an Edition is put on the Scroll, which indeed Shakspeare hath great reason to point at. ANON.. Though I have as just a value for the letter E, as any Grammarian living, and the fame affection for the Name of this Poem as any Critic for that of his Author; yet it cannot induce me to agree with those who add yet another e to it, and call it the Dunceiade; which being a French and foreign termination, is no way proper to a word entirely English, and vernacular. One e therefore in this cafe is right, and two e's wrong. Yet upon the whole, I thall follow the Manufcript, and print it without any e at all; moved thereto by Authority (at all times, with Critics, equal, if not fuperior to Reafon.) In which method of proceeding, I can never enough praise my good friend, the exact Mr Thomas Hearne; who, if any word occur, which to him. and all mankind is evidently wrong, yet keeps he it in the Text with due reverence, and only remarks in the Margin fic MS In like manner, we shall not amend this error in the Title itself, but only note i obiter, to evince to the learned that it was not our fault, nor any effect of our ignorance or inattention. SCRIBL. This poem was written in the year 1726 In the next year an imperfe&t Edition was publifhed at Dublin, and reprinted at London in twelve; another at Dublin, and another at London in Octavo; and three others in twelves, the fame year But there was no perfect Edition before that of London in quarto; You by whose care, in vain decry'd and curst, REMARKS. which was attended with Notes. We are willing to acquaint Pofterity, that this Poem was prefented to King George the fecond and his Queen by the hands of Sir Robert Walpole, on the 12th of March, 1728-9. SCHOL. VET. It was expressly confeffed in the Preface to the first edition, that this Poem was not publifhed by the Author himfelt. It was printed originally in a foreign Country. And what foreign Country? Why, one notorious for blunders; where finding blanks only instead of proper names, these blunderers filled them up at their pleasure. The very Hero of the Poem hath been mistaken to this hour; fo that we are obliged to open our Notes with a difcovery who he really was. We learn from a former Editor, that this piece was prefented by the hands of Sir Robert Walpole to King George II. Now the author directly tells us, his hero is the -Man -who brings The Smithfield Mufes to the ear of Kings. And it is notorious who was the perfon on whom this Prince conferred the honour of the Laurel. It appears as plainly from the Apostrophe to the Great in the third verfe, that Tibbald could not be the perfon, who was never an Author in fashion, or careffed by the Great; whereas this Lingle characteristic is fufficient to point out the true Hero; who, above all other Poets of his time, was the Peculiar Delight and Chofen Companion of the Nobility of England; and wrote as he himself tells us, certain of his works at the earnest Defire of Perfons of Quality. Laftly, The fixth verfe affords full proof; this Poet being the only one who was univerfally known to have had a Son fo exactly like him, in his poetical, theatrical, political, and moral Capacities, that it could justly be faid of him Still Dunce the second reigns like Dunce the first. IMITATIONS. BENTL. VER. 6. Alluding to a verse of Mr Dryden, nɔt in MacFleckno (as is faid ignorantly in the Key to the Dunciad, p. 1.) but in his verfes to Mr Congreve, And Tom the second reigns like Tom the first. |