Receiv'd of wits an undiftinguifh'd race, And others (harder ftill) he paid in kind. 240 Dryden alone (what wonder?) came not nigh, 245 Dryden alone escap'd this judging eye: NOTES. tion of Antiquaries, who frequently exhibit the headlefs Trunks and Terms of Statues, for Plato, Homer, Pindar, &c. Vide. Fulv. Urfin. vc. P. VER. 245. Dryden alone] Our Poet, with true gratitude, has feized every opportunity of fhewing his reverence for his great mafter, Dryden; whom Swift as conftantly depreciated and maligned. "I do affirm," fays he feverely, but with exquifite irony indeed, in the dedication of the Tale of a fub to Prince Pofterity, upon the word of a fincere man, that there is now actually in being a certain poet, called John Dryden, whofe tranflation of Virgil was lately printed in a large folio, well bound, and, if diligent fearch were made, for aught I know, is yet to be feen." And he attacks him again in the Battle of Books. Shaftesbury is alfo very fond of petulantly carping at Dryden : To see the incorrigibleness of our poets in their pedantic manner," fays he, vol. iii. p. 276. their vanity, defiance of criticism; their rhodomontade, and poetical bravado; we need only turn to our famous poet-laureat, the very Mr Bays himself, in one of his lateft and moft-valued pieces, Don Sebaftian, writ many years after the ingenious author of the Rebearsal had drawn his picture." I remember to have heard my father fay, that Mr. Elijah Fenton, who was his intimate friend, and bad been his mafter, informed him, that Dryden, upon feeing fome of Swift's earlieft verses, faid to him, "Young man, you will never be a poet:" And that this was the cause of Swift's rooted averfion to Dryden,, mentioned above. Baucis and Philemon was fo much and fo often altered, at the infligation of Addison, who mentioned this circumftance to my father at Magdalen College, that not above eight lines remain as they originally flood. Shaftesbury's refentment was excited by the admirable poem of But But fill the Great have kindness in referve, He help'd to bury whom he help'd to ftarve. May fome choice patron blefs each grey goofe quill! May ev'ry Bavius have his Bufo ftill! So when a Statesman wants a day's defence, NOTES. 250 Abfolom and Achitophel; and particularly by four lines in it that And all to leave, what with his toil he won, fa the character which Dr. Johnfon has given of Dryden, with his ufual eloquence and energy, there is one fentence to which I cannot fubfcribe: Dryden, ftanding in the higheft place, was in no danger. from his contemporaries." Where then was Milton? Dryden himself yielded the firft place to Milton. VER. 248. Help'd to bury] Mr. Dryden, after having lived in exigencies, bad a magnificent Funeral bestowed upon him by the contribution of feveral perfons of Quality. P. VER. 248. Help'd to starve. Alluding to the fubfcription that was made for his funeral. Garth (poke an oration over him. His necef ities obliged him to produce (befides many other poetical pieces) twenty-feven plays in twenty-five years, He got 25 1. for the copy, and 70 1. for his benefits generally. Dramatic poetry was certainly not his talent. His plays, a very few paffages excepted, are insufferably unnatural. It is remarkable that he did not fcruple to coufess, that he could not relish the pathos and fimplicity of Euripides, When he published his Fables, Tonfon agreed to give him two hundred and fixty-eight pounds for ten thoufand verfes. Aud, to complete the full number of lines ftipulated for, he gave the bookfeller the epiftle to his coufin, and the celebrated Mufic Ode. Old Jacob Tonfon used to fay, that Dryden was a little jealous of rivals. He would compliment Crown when a play of his failed, but was very cold to him if he met with fuccefs. He fometimes ufed to fay that Crown had fome genius but then he added always, that his father and Crown's mother were very well acquainted." Mr. Pope to Mr. Spence. VER. 251. So when a Statefman, &c.] Notwithstanding this ridicule on the public neceffities of the Great, our Poet was candid enough to confefs that they are not always to be imputed to them, as their private diftreffes generally may. For (when uninfected by the neigh bourhood of Party) he speaks of thofe acceffities much more dispassionVOL. IV. D hands! Or Envy holds a whole week's war with Senfe, NOTES. ately. W. In faЯ, neither great miniflers, nor great princes, are either fo good or fo bad, as their flatterers and cenfurers reprefent them to be. This, however, ought not to prevent our keeping a jealous eye over every man is power. VFR. 256. Left me GAY;] The sweetness and fimplicity of Gay's temper and mauuers much endeared him to all his acquaintance, and made them always fpeak of him with particular fondness and attachment. He wrote with neatness and terfenefs, æquali quâdam mediocritate, but certainly without any elevation; frequently without any fpirit. Trivia appears to be the best of his poems, in which are many frokes of genuine humour and pictures of London-life, which are now become curious, because our manners, as well as our dreffes, have been fo much altered and changed within a few years. His Fables the most popular of all his works, have the fault of many modern fable-writers, the afcribing, to the different animals and obje&s introduced, fpeeches and adions inconfiftent with their feveral natures. An elephant can have nothing to do in a bookfeller's fhop. They are greatly inferior, to the Fables of La Fontaine, which is perhaps the moft unrivalled work in the whole French language. The Beggars' Opera has furely been extolled beyond its merits. I could never perceive that fine vein of concealed fatire fuppofed to run through it: And though I should not join with a bench of Westminster Juftices in forbidding it to be reprefented on the ftage, yet I think pick-pockets, ftrumpets, and highwaymen may be hardened in their vices by this piece: and that Pope and Swift talked too highly of its moral good effects. One undefigned and accidental mifchief attended its fuccefs: it was the parent of that oft mondrous of all dramatic abfurdities, the Comic Opera. The friendship of two fuch excellent perfonages as the Duke and Duchefs of Queensberry, did, in troth, compenfate poor Gay's want of perfion and perferment. They behaved to him conftantly with that delicacy and fenfe of feeming equality, as never him for a moment to feel his ftate of dependence. Let every man of Letters, who wishes for patronage, read D'Alembert's Effay on living with the Great, before he enters the house of a pairon: let him always remember the fate of Racine, who having drawn up, at Madame Maintenon's fecret requeft, a memorial that ftrongly painted the diftreffes of the French nation, the weight of their taxes, to fuffer And ( Left me to fee neglected Genius bloom, 261 And fee what friends, and read what books I please: Above a Patron, tho' I condefcend Sometimes to call a Minifter my friend. I was not born for Courts or great affairs; I pay my debts, believe, and say my pray'rs ; 265 270 VARIATIONS. After Ver. 270. in the MS. Friendships from youth I fought, and feek them fill: By not making the world his School, he means, he did not form his system of morality on the principles or practice of men in bufineis. NOTES. and the expences of the court, fhe could not refit the importunity of Lewis XIV. but fhewed him ber friend's paper, again whom the king immediately conceived a violent indignation, becaufe a poet fhould dare to busy himself with politics. Raciue had the weakness to ake this anger fo much to heart, that it brought on a low fever which haftened his death. The Duchefs of Queensberry would not fo have betrayed her poetical friend Gay. I was informed by Mr. Spence, that Mr. Addifon, in his laft illness, fent to speak with Mr. Gay, and told him he had injured him; probably with refpect to bis gaining fome employment at court;" but," said be, "if I recover I will endeavour to recompenfe you." Why am I afk'd what next fhall fee the light? Heav'ns ! was I born for nothing but to write? Has Life no joys for me? or (to be grave) Have I no friend to ferve, no foul to fave? "I found him clofe with Swift-Indeed? no doubt 274 (Cries prating Balbus) fomething will come out." 'Tis all in vain, deny it as I will; No, fuch a Genius never can lie ftill;" 280 VARIATIONS. After Ver. 282. in the MS. P. What if I fing Auguftus, great and good? P. Be nice no more, but, with a mouth profound, A. Yes, filence if you keep, NOTES. VER. 161. Oh let me live] In the first edition; Give me on Thames's banks, in honeft cafe, To fee what friends, or read what books I please. VER. 265. Tho' I condescend, &c.] He thought it, and he jufly thought it, a condefcenfion in an honeft Man to accept the friendship of any one, how high foever, whofe conduct in life was governed only on principles of policy: for of what Miniflers be speaks, may be feen by the chara&er he gives, in the next line, of the Courts they belong to. |