will die of themselves in peace, and so will his friends; and so there will be neither punishment or reward."

What delayed the appearance of Pope's satire was no doubt the popularity of the 'Beggar's Opera,' which, having been first acted on Jan. 29, 1728, had enjoyed a run of sixty-three nights, and engrossed conversation to such an extent, that, as Swift wrote to Pope (March 28, 1728) it had "knocked down Gulliver." Meantime Pope had begun to make certain alterations in his original design. The first of these he announced to Swift in a letter dated March 23, 1727-8: "As for those scribblers for whom you apprehend I would suppress my 'Dulness' (which, by the way, for the future you are to call by a more pompous name, the 'Dunciad '), how much that nest of hornets are my regard, will easily appear to you when you read the Treatise of the 'Bathos.'" A more important change was in contemplation, and was confidentially announced to Swift on the eve of the publication of the 'Dunciad.' "The Doctor (Delany)," writes the Dean to Pope, on the 1st June, 1728, "told me your secret about the 'Dunciad,' which does not please me, because it defers gratifying my vanity in the most tender point, and perhaps may wholly disappoint it."

The meaning of these words is explained by the form in which the 'Dunciad' made its first appearance. As we have already seen, when the poet formed the design of the satire, he intended to publish it in his own name, with a commentary, and an inscription to Swift. But when it was first published there were no notes, the inscription to Swift was omitted, and not only did Pope's name not appear on the title-page, but an Advertisement from the publisher to the reader insinuated that he was not the author. After stating that the writer of the poem, finding that no voice was raised to protest against the repeated slanders by which the author of the 'Bathos' was assailed, had thought it right to step forward in his defence, the publisher proceeds to make the following mysterious announcement: "That he (the writer) was in his (Pope's) particular intimacy, appears from the knowledge he

manifests of the most private authors of all the anonymous pieces against him, and from his having in this poem attacked no man living, who had not before printed and published against this particular gentleman. How I became possessed of it is no concern to the Reader; but it would have been a wrong to him had I detained this publication: since those names which are its chief ornaments die off daily so fast, as must render it soon unintelligible. If it provoke the author to give us a more perfect edition I have my end.. Who he is

I cannot say, and (which is great pity) there is certainly nothing in his style and manner of writing, which can distinguish or discover him." The names of the persons satirised were in most cases suppressed in this edition, their places being supplied by asterisks or initial letters.

The words "Dublin Printed, London Re-printed," on the title-page, were a disguise intended to raise the idea that there had been a previous edition published in Dublin—an impossibility, as appears from the correspondence between Swift and Pope already quoted; while the inscription to Swift was suppressed lest it should too evidently indicate the author. These mystifications were doubtless the fruit of Pope's fears. As the time approached for the publication of a relentless satire directed against already exasperated enemies, he recoiled from the consequences of his daring. On the one hand, he was uncertain of the reception the 'Dunciad' would meet with from the public; on the other, he must have known that he was exposing himself to the most malignant vengeance the Dunces could inflict. Hence his elaborate scheme to disguise his connection with the poem. If it proved a success with the public, he would have no occasion to disavow the authorship, already indicated not obscurely beneath the transparent veil of the Advertisement; if it were disapproved of, he might shelter himself behind the strict letter of the publisher's notice, or at least deny that the poem had been published with his consent. He was soon relieved of one half of his apprehensions: the public read the poem with avidity, and

Pope felt his position sufficiently strong to warrant him in boldly advancing to the attack. On the 28th of June, 1728, he writes to Swift: "The 'Dunciad' is going to be printed in all pomp with the inscription which makes me proudest. It will be attended with Proeme, Prolegomena, Testimonia Scriptorum, Index Authorum, and Notes Variorum. As to the latter I desire you to read over the text, and make a few in any way you like best, whether dry raillery upon the style and way of commenting of trivial critics, or humorous upon the authors in the poem; or historical of persons, places, times; or collecting the parallel passages of the ancients."

Here we have the first announcement of the approaching publication of the quarto edition of the 'Dunciad,' which, as is stated in Savage's Preface, was presented to the King by Sir Robert Walpole on the 12th March, 1729. But Pope was yet far from proceeding with the open boldness which the narrative in that Preface suggests. He still withheld his name from the title-page; and in the Publisher's Advertisement to the new edition, he kept up the fiction that he was not the author. For the change in the form of the poem he made the Publisher offer the following explanation: "I make no doubt the author's own motive to use real rather than feigned names, was his care to preserve the innocent from any false application; whereas in the former editions, which had no more than the initial letters, he was made, by keys printed here, to hurt the inoffensive; and (what was worse) to abuse his friends by an impression at Dublin." This Advertisement was followed by the letter to the Publisher, signed William Cleland,' in which the writer, while sending notes on the poem for insertion, takes the opportunity of expanding what had been said in the first edition as to the Dunces being the aggressors, and apologises for the satire on the ground of its justice and morality.

For some time Pope was too cautious to permit any open sale of the poem. On the 8th of April, 1729, he

manifests of the most private authors of all the anonymous pieces against him, and from his having in this poem attacked no man living, who had not before printed and published against this particular gentleman. How I became possessed of it is no concern to the Reader; but it would have been a wrong to him had I detained this publication: since those names which are its chief ornaments die off daily so fast, as must render it soon unintelligible. If it provoke the author to give us a more perfect edition I have my end. Who he is I cannot say, and (which is great pity) there is certainly nothing in his style and manner of writing, which can distinguish or discover him." The names of the persons satirised were in most cases suppressed in this edition, their places being supplied by asterisks or initial letters.

The words "Dublin Printed, London Re-printed," on the title-page, were a disguise intended to raise the idea that there had been a previous edition published in Dublin-an impossibility, as appears from the correspondence between Swift and Pope already quoted; while the inscription to Swift was suppressed lest it should too evidently indicate the author. These mystifications were doubtless the fruit of Pope's fears. As the time approached for the publication of a relentless satire directed against already exasperated enemies, he recoiled from the consequences of his daring. On the one hand, he was uncertain of the reception the 'Dunciad' would meet with from the public; on the other, he must have known that he was exposing himself to the most malignant vengeance the Dunces could inflict. Hence his elaborate scheme to disguise his connection with the poem. If it proved a success with the public, he would have no occasion to disavow the authorship, already indicated not obscurely beneath the transparent veil of the Advertisement; if it were disapproved of, he might shelter himself behind the strict letter of the publisher's notice, or at least deny that the poem had been published with his consent. He was soon relieved of one half of his apprehensions: the public read the poem with avidity, and

Pope felt his position sufficiently strong to warrant him in boldly advancing to the attack. On the 28th of June, 1728, he writes to Swift: "The 'Dunciad' is going to be printed in all pomp with the inscription which makes me proudest. It will be attended with Proeme, Prolegomena, Testimonia Scriptorum, Index Authorum, and Notes Variorum. As to the latter I desire you to read over the text, and make a few in any way you like best, whether dry raillery upon the style. and way of commenting of trivial critics, or humorous upon the authors in the poem; or historical of persons, places, times; or collecting the parallel passages of the ancients."

Here we have the first announcement of the approaching publication of the quarto edition of the 'Dunciad,' which, as is stated in Savage's Preface, was presented to the King by Sir Robert Walpole on the 12th March, 1729. But Pope was yet far from proceeding with the open boldness which the narrative in that Preface suggests. He still withheld his name from the title-page; and in the Publisher's Advertisement to the new edition, he kept up the fiction that he was not the author. For the change in the form of the poem he made the Publisher offer the following explanation: "I make no doubt the author's own motive to use real rather than feigned names, was his care to preserve the innocent from any false application; whereas in the former editions, which had no more than the initial letters, he was made, by keys printed here, to hurt the inoffensive; and (what was worse) to abuse his friends by an impression at Dublin." This Advertisement was followed by the letter to the Publisher, signed William Cleland,' in which the writer, while sending notes on the poem for insertion, takes the opportunity of expanding what had been said in the first edition as to the Dunces being the aggressors, and apologises for the satire on the ground of its justice and morality.

For some time Pope was too open sale of the poem. On the

cautious to permit any 8th of April, 1729, he