See skulking Truth to her old cavern fled,' 1 Alluding to the saying of Democritus, that Truth lay at the bottom of a deep well, from whence he had drawn her though Butler says, He first put her in, before he drew her out. - POPE, [1729]. 2 Philosophy has at length brought things to that pass, as to have it esteemed unphilosophical to rest in the first cause; as if its ends were an endless indagation of cause after cause, without ever coming to the first. So that to avoid this unlearned disgrace, some of the propagators of our best philosophy have had recourse to the contrivance here hinted at. For this philosophy, which is founded in the principle of Gravitation, first considered that property in matter, as something extrinsical to it, and impressed immediately by God upon it. Which fairly and modestly coming up to the first cause, was pushing natural enquiries as far as they should go. But this stopping, though at the extent of our ideas, and on the maxim of the great founder of this philosophy, Bacon, who says, Circa ultimates rerum frustranca est inquisitio, was mistaken by foreign philosophers as recurring to the occult qualities of the peripatetics. Pulsantes equidem vires intelligo nusquam Sed gravitas etiam crescat, dum corpora Accedunt propius. Videor mihi cernere terrâ Emergens quidquid caliginis ac tenebrarum Pro causis, unoque secans problemata 645 To avoid which imaginary discredit to the new theory, it was thought proper to seek for the cause of gravitation in a certain elastic fluid, which pervaded all body. By this means, instead of really advancing in natural enquiries, we were brought back again, by this ingenious expedient, to an unsatisfactory second cause : For it might still, by the same kind of objection, be asked, what was the cause of that elasticity? See this folly censured, ver. 475. WARBURTON [1743]. 3 Certain writers, as Malbranche, Norris, and others, have thought it of importance, in order to secure the existence of the soul, to bring in question the reality of body; which they have attempted to do by a very refined metaphysical reasoning: while others of the same party, in order to persuade us of the necessity of a revelation which promises immortality, have been as anxious to prove that those qualities which are commonly supposed to belong only to an immaterial Being, are but the result from the sensations of matter, and the soul naturally mortal. Thus between these different reasonings, they have left us neither soul and body; nor the sciences of physics and metaphysics the least support, by making them depend upon, and go a-begging to, one another. - WARBURTON [1743]. 4 A sort of men, who make human reason the adequate measure of all Truth, having pretended that whatsoever is not fully comprehended by In vain! they gaze, turn giddy, rave, and die. Nor public Flame, nor private, dares to shine; it, is contrary to it; certain defenders of religion, who would not be outdone in a paradox, have gone as far in the opposite folly, and attempted to show that the mysteries of religion may be mathematically demonstrated; as the authors of philosophic, or astronomic principles of religion, natural and revealed; who have much prided themselves on reflecting a fantastic light upon religion from the frigid subtilty of school moonshine.-WARBURTON [1743]. 1 Blushing, as well at the memory of the past overflow of dulness, when the barbarous learning of so many ages was wholly employed in corrupting the simplicity, and defiling the purity of religion, as at the view of these her false supports in the present; of which it would be endless 650 655 to recount the particulars. However, amidst the extinction of all other lights, she is said only to withdraw hers; as hers alone in its own nature is unextinguishable and eternal. — WARBURTON [1743]. 2 It appears from hence that our poet was of very different sentiments from the Author of the Characteristics, who has written a formal treatise on Virtue, to prove it not only real but durable, without the support of religion. The word unawares alludes to the confidence of those men, who suppose that morality would flourish best without it, and consequently to the surprise such would be in (if any such there are) who indeed love virtue, and yet do all they can to root out the religion of their country.-WARBURTON [1743]. VOL. IV. --POETRY BY THE AUTHOR. A DECLARATION. WHEREAS certain Haberdashers of Points and Particles, being instigated by the spirit of Pride, and assuming to themselves the name of Critics and Restorers, have taken upon them to adulterate the common and current sense of our Glorious Ancestors, Poets of this Realm, by clipping, coining, defacing the images, mixing their own base allay, or otherwise falsifying the same; which they publish, utter, and bend as genuine: The said haberdashers having no right thereto, as neither heirs, executors, administrators, assigns, or in any sort related to such Poets, to all or any of them: Now We, having carefully revised this our Dunciad,' beginning with the words The Mighty Mother, and ending with the words buries All, containing the entire sum of One thousand seven hundred add fifty-four verses, declare every word, figure, point, and comma of this impression to be authentic: And do therefore strictly enjoin and forbid any person or persons whatsoever to erase, reverse, put between hooks, or by any other means, directly or indirectly, change or mangle any of them. And we do hereby earnestly exhort all our brethren to follow this our example, which we heartily wish our great Predecessors had heretofore set, as a remedy and prevention of all such abuses. Provided always, that nothing in this Declaration shall be construed to limit the lawful and undoubted right of every subject of this Realm, to judge, censure, or condemn, in the whole or in part, any Poem or Poet whatsoever. Given under our hand at London, this third day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand, seven hundred, thirty and two. Declarat' cor' me, JOHN BARBER, Mayor. 1 Read thus confidently, instead of "beginning with the word books, and ending with the word flies," as formerly it stood; read also, "containing the entire sum of one thousand, seven hundred, and fifty-six verses," instead of "one thousand and twelve lines;" such being the initial and final words, and such the true and entire contents, of this poem. Thou art to know, reader! that the first edition thereof, like that of Milton, was never seen by the Author, (though living and not blind :) The Editor himself con fessed as much in his Preface: And no two poems were ever published in so arbitrary a manner. The Editor of this bad as boldly suppressed whole passages, yea the entire last book, as the Editor of Paradise Lost added and augmented. Milton him self gave but ten books, his editor twelve; this author gave four books, his editor only three. But we have happily done justice to both; and presume we shall live, in this our last labour, as long as in any of our others.-BENTL |