The Translators; Roxana; The Looking Glass; The Fourth Epistle of the Fifth Book of Horace's Epistles; Epigram on a Dog's Collar; Sober Advice from Horace; The Three Gentle Shepherds; The Challenge. Of these we know from Warburton that "Roxana" was not written by Pope, and internal evidence is sufficient to prove that the Imitation of Horace's Fourth Epistle in the Fifth Book could not possibly have been his. The others, with the exception of "The Challenge" and the "Sober Advice," were certainly not worth preserving; and it might have been inferred that, as the latter was not printed by Warburton, Pope had wished, or at least consented, to suppress it. In 1776 appeared another adventurer with two volumes called "Additions to the Works of Alexander Pope, Esq.," and a preface still more elaborate in its apologies for raking up all the leavings of the poet. "When Authors," says he, "have long engaged the public attention, when their works are read with avidity, and universally receive a classical stamp, those who can add anything to their illustration, and recover by time what has eluded former diligence, bring an acceptable present to the public." To the unpublished poems printed in 1756 the new compiler added: A Farewell to London; Lines added to the Address to Miss Martha Blount on her Leaving London; Lines Sung by Durastanti; Mr. Gay's Epitaph; Lord Coningsby's Epitaph; A Dialogue; Verses to be Prefixed before Bernard Lintot's New Miscellany; On the Duke of Marlborough's House at Woodstock. The "Farewell" has distinct merit of its own; but Pope's reputation could certainly gain nothing from the publication of the other pieces. When once, however, the poems suppressed by Pope's literary legatee were admitted by his editors into the body of his works, it became practically impossible to exclude compositions which were known to be his. The number of the "Miscellaneous Poems" has therefore been constantly increasing in recent editions. Mr. Dyce inserted in the Aldine Edition of 1831 many which had not been previously collected; and Mr. Carruthers added more in his edition of 1853. The "Miscellanies" of Pope and Swift, published in 1727, furnished the two last named editors with the larger part of their materials, but others were obtained from scattered sources. For On the whole, it may be said that, with a few exceptions, the verses thus collected are only of interest as having been written by Pope; and it must be remembered, in justice to the poet, that he is not responsible for their preservation. the sake of completeness, however, it has been thought best to admit in the present edition all the miscellaneous poems that have been added since Warburton's edition, except where any obvious reason made their publication undesirable. Wherever I could, I have ascertained the authenticity of the piece, and the place in which it first appeared; for the rest I have confided in the high authority of Mr. Dyce and Mr. Carruthers. The verses reprinted from the "Miscellany" of 1727 cannot in all cases be certainly ascribed to Pope; some of them have been included in the works of Swift; as the honour, such as it is, of the parentage is doubtful, it seems fair that it should be divided. |