edition more complete: In which we also promise to infert any Criticism that fhall be published (if at all to the purpofe) with the Names of the Authors; or any letters fent us (tho' not to the purpose) shall yet be printed under the title of Epiftolæ Obfcurorum Virorum; which, together with fome others of the fame kind formerly laid by for that end, may make no unpleasant addition to the future impreffions of this poem.

V.

ADVERTISEMENT To the complete EDITION of 1743.

I

HAVE long had a defign of giving fome fort of Notes on the works of this poet. Before I had the happiness of his acquaintance, I had written a commentary on his Efay on Man, and have fince finifhed another on the Effay on Criticism. There was one already on the Dunciad, which had met with general approbation: but I ftill thought fome additions were wanting (of a more ferious kind) to the humorous notes of Scriblerus, and even to those written by Mr. Cleland, Dr. Arbuthnot, and others. I had lately the pleasure to pass fome months with the author in the country, where I prevailed upon him to do what I had long defired, and favour me with his explanation of feveral paffages in his works. It happened, that just at that juncture was published a ridiculous book against him, full of Perfonal Reflections, which furnished him with a lucky opportunity of improving This Poem, by giving it the only thing it wanted, a more confiderable Hero. He was always fenfible of its defect in that particular, and owned he had let it pafs with the Hero it had, purely for want of a better; not entertaining the leaft expectation that fuch an one was referved for this Poft, as has fince obtained the Laurel: But fince that had happened, he could no longer deny this juftice either to him or the Dunciad.

And yet I will venture to say, there was another motive which had ftill more weight with our Author: This perfon was one, who from every Folly (not to fay Vice) of which another would be afhamed, has conftantly derived a Vanity and therefore was the man in the world who would leaft be hurt by it.

W. W.

VI.

ADVERTISEMENT

W

Printed in the JOURNALS, 1730.

HEREAS, upon occafion of certain Pieces relating to the Gentlemen of the Dunciad, fome have been willing to fuggeft, as if they looked upon, them as an abuse: we can do no less than own, it is our opinion, that to call these Gentlemen bad authors is no fort of abuse, but a great truth. We cannot alter this opinion without fome reafon; but we promise to do it in respect to every person who thinks it an injury to be reprefented as no Wit, or Poet, provided he procures a Certificate of his being really fuch, from any three of his com panions in the Dunciad, or from Mr. Dennis fingly, who is efteemed equal to any three of the number,

VII.

A

PARALLEL

OF THE

CHARACTERS

OF

MI. DRYDEN and Mr. POPE.

As drawn by certain of their Contemporaries.

Mr. DRYDEN.

His POLITICS, RELIGION, MORALS.

MR

R. Dryden is a mere renagado from monarchy, poetry, and good fenfe a. A true republican fon of monarchical Church b. A republican Atheist c. Dryden was from the beginning an ἀλλοπρόσαλλω, and I doubt not will continue fo to the last d.

In the poem call'd Absalom and Achitophel are notorioufly traduced, The KING, the QUEEN, the LORDS and GENTLEMEN, not only their honourable perfons exposed, but the whole NATION and its REPRESENTATIVES notoriously libell'd. It is fcandalum magnatum, yea of MAJESTY itself e.

a Milbourn on Dryden's Virgil, 8vo. 1698. p. 6. b pag. 38. c pag. 192. d pag. 8. e Whip and Key, 4to. printed for

R. Janeway, 1682. Preface.

M

R. Pope is an open and mortal enemy to his country, and the commonwealth of learning a. Some call him a popifh whig, which is directly inconsistent b. Pope, as a papift, must be a tory and high flyer c. He is both whig and tory d.

He hath made it his cuftom to cackle to more than one party in their own fentiments e.

In his Miscellanies, the Perfons abused are, The KING, the QUEEN, His late MAJESTY, both Houfes of PARLIAMENT, the Privy-Council, the Bench of BISHOPS, the Eftablish'd CHURCH, the prefent MINISTRY, &c. To make Sense of some paffages, they must be construed into ROYAL SCANDAL f.

a Dennis's Rem. on the Rape of the Lock, pref. p. xii. b Dunciad diffected. c Pref. to Gulliveriana. d Dennis, character of Mr. P. e Theobald, Letter in Mift's Journal, June 22, 1728. f Lift at the end of a Collection of Verfes, Letters, Advertisements, 8vo. Printed for A. More, 1728, and the Preface to it, p. 6.

He looks upon God's gospel as a foolish fable, like the Pope, to whom he is a pitiful purveyer f. His very Christianity may be queftioned g. He ought to expect more feverity than other men, as he is moft unmerciful in his own reflections on others h. With as good a right as his Holiness, he sets up for poetical infallibility i.

Mr. DRYDEN only a Verfifier.

His whole Libel is all bad matter, beautify'd (which is all that can be said of it) with good metre k. Mr. Dry- den's genius did not appear in any thing more than his Verfification, and whether he is to be enobled for that only, is a question 1.

Mr. DRYDEN'S VIRGIL.

Tonfon calls it Dryden's Virgil, to fhew that this is not that Virgil fo admir'd in the Auguftean age; but a Virgil of another ftamp, a filly, impertinent, nonfenfical writer m. None but a Bavius, a Mævius, or a Bathyllus carp'd at Virgil; and none but fuch unthinking Vermin admire its Tranflator n. It is true, foft and eafy lines might become Ovid's Epiftles or Art of Love-But Virgil, who is all great and majeftic, &c. requires ftrength of lines, weight of words, and clofenefs of expreffion; not an ambling Mufe running on Carpet ground, and fhod as lightly as a Newmarket-racer. He has numberless faults. in his Author's meaning, and in propriety of expreffion.

Mr. DRYDEN understood no Greek nor Latin o. Mr. Dryden was once, I have heard, at Westminsterfchool: Dr. Bulby would have whipt him for so childish a Paraphrafe P. The meaneft Pedant in England would whip a Lubber of twelve for conftruing fo abfurdly 9. The Tranflator is mad, every line betrays his Stupidity. The faults are innumerable, and convince me that Mr. Dryden did not, or would not understand his Author s. This