DENNIS, Remarks on Pr. ARTHUR.

I

Cannot but think it the most reasonable thing in

the world, to diftinguith good writers, by discouraging the bad. Nor is it an ill-natured thing, in relation even to the very perfons upon whom the reflections are made. It is true, it may deprive them, a little the fooner, of a short profit and a transitory repu tation; but then it may have a good effect, and oblige them (before it be too late) to decline that for which they are fo very unfit, and to have recourfe to Jomething in which they may be more fuccessful.

CHARACTER of Mr P. 1716.

THE Perfons whom Boileau has attacked in his writings, have been for the most part Authors, and most of those Authors, Poets: And the cenfures he hath passed upon them have been confirmed by all Europe.

GILDON, Pref. to his NEW REHEARSAL.

IT is the common cry of the Poetafters of the town, and their fautors, that it is an ill-natured thing to expose the Pretenders to wit and poetry. The Judges and Magistrates may with full as good reafon be reproached with Ill-nature for putting the Laws in execution against a Thief or Impoftor-The fame will hold in the republic of Letters, if the Critics and Judges will let every ignorant pretender to fcribbling pafs on the World.

THEOBALD, Letter to Mift, June 22. 1728.

ATTACKS may be levelled, either against Failures in Genius, or against the Pretensions of writing without

ene.

CONCANEN, Ded. to the Author of the DUNCIAD.

A Satire upon Dulness is a thing that has been used and allowed in All Ages.

Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, wicked Scribbler!

TESTIMONIES

OF

AUTHORS

CONCERNING

Our POET and his WORKS..

M. SCRIBLER US Lectori S.

EFORE we present thee with our exercitations

on this most delectable Poem (drawn from the many volumes of our Adverfaria on modern Authors) we fhall here, according to the laudable ufage of editors, collect the various judgments of the Learned concerning our Poet: Various indeed, not only of different authors, but of the fame author at different seasons. Nor shall we gather only the Teftimonies of fuch eminent Wits, as would of course descend to pofterity, and confequently be read without our collection; but we shall likewise, with incredible labour, feek out for divers others, which, but for this our diligence, could never at the distance of a few months appear to the eye of the most curious. Hereby thou may'st not only receive the delectation of Variety, but also arrive at a

more certain judgment, by a grave and circumfpeck comparison of the Witneffes with each other, or of each with himself. Hence alfo thou wilt be enabled to draw reflections, not only of a critical, but a moral nature, by being let into many particulars of the Person as well as Genius, and of the Fortune as well as Merit, of our Author: in which if I relate fome things of little concern peradventure to thee, and fome of as little even to him; I entreat thee to confider how minutely all true critics and commentators are wont to infift upon fuch, and how material they feem to themfelves, if to none other. Forgive me, gentle reader, if (following learned example) I ever and anon become tedious: allow me to take the fame pains to find whether my author were good or bad, well or ill natured, modest or arrogant; as another, whether his. author was fair or brown, fhort or tall, or whether he wore a coat or a caffock.

We purposed to begin with his Life, Parentage and Education: But as to thefe, even his cotemporaries do exceedingly differ. One faith a, he was educated at home; another ↳, that he was bred at St Omer's by Jefuits; a third, not at St Omer's, but at Oxford; a fourth, that he had no univerfity-education at all. Those who allow him to be bred at home, differ as much concerning his Tutor: Oue faith, he was kept

a Giles Jacobs lives of Poets, vol. ii. in his life.

b Dennis's Reflections on the Effay on Crit.

c Dunciad diffected, p. 4. d Guardian, No 40. c Jacob's Lives, &c. vol. ii.

h

by his father on purpose; a fecond f, that he was an itinerant priest; a third 8, that he was a parfon'; one calleth him a fecular clergyman of the Church of Rome; another i, a monk. As little do they agree about his Father, whom one k supposeth, like the Father of Hefiod a tradefman or merchant; another 1, a husbandman; another m, a hatter, &c. Nor has an author been wanting to give our Poet fuch a father as Apuleius hath to Plato, Jamblichus to Pythagoras, and divers to Homer, namely, a Dæmon: For thus Mr Gildon "; "Certain it is, that his original is not from Adam,

but the Devil; and that he wanteth nothing but ❝horns and tail to be the exact refemblance of his

infernal Father." Finding, therefore, fuch contrariety of opinions, and (whatever be ours of this fort of generation) not being fond to enter into controversy, we shall defer writing the life of our Poet, till authors can determine among themselves what Parents or education he had, or whether he had any Education or Parents at all.

Proceed we to what is more certain, his Works, tho' not lefs uncertain the judgments concerning them;

f Dunciad diffected, p. 4. g Farmer P. and his fon. h DunGiad diffected. i Characters of the times, p. 45. k Female Dunciad, p. ult. I Dunciad diffected. m Roome, Paraphrase on the ivth of Genefis, printed 1729. n Character of Mr P. and his Writings, in a Letter to a Friend, printed for S. Popping 1716. Curll, in his Key to the Dunciad (firft edit. faid to be printed for A. Dodd) in the 10th page, declared Gildon to be author of that libel; tho' in the subsequent editions of his Key he left out this affertion, and affirmed (in the Curliad, P. 4. and 8.) that it was written by Dennis only.

P. 10.