DENNIS, Remarks on Pr. ARTHUR.

CANNOT but think it the moft reasonable thing in the world, to diftinguish good writers, by difcouraging the bad. Nor is it an ill-natured thing, in relation even to the very perfons upon whom the reflections are made,. It is true, it may deprive them, a little the fooner, of a short profit and a tranfitory reputation; but then it may have a good effect, and oblige them (before it be too late) to decline that for which they are fo very unfit, and to have recourse to Something in which they may be more fuccefsful.

CHARACTER of Mr. P. 1716.

THE Perfons whom Boileau has attacked in his writings, have been for the moft part Authors, and moft of thofe Authors, Poets: And the cenfures he hath paffed upon them have been confirmed by all Europe.

GILDON, Pref. to his NEW REHEARSAL.

IT is the common cry of the Poetafters of the town, and their fautors, that it is an ill-natured thing to expofe the Pretenders to wit and poetry. The Judges and Magiftrates may with full as good reason be reproached with Ill-nature for putting the Laws

in execution against a Thief or Impoftor-The fame will hold in the republic of Letters, if the Critics and Judges will let every ignorant pretender to fcribling pass on the world.

THEOBALD, Letter to Mift, June 22, 1728.

ATTACKS may be levelled, either against Failures in Genius, or against the Pretenfions of writing without one.

CONCANEN, Ded. to the Author of the DUNCIA D...

A Satire upon Dulness is a thing that has been used and allowed in All-Ages.

Out of thine own Mouth will I judge thee, wicked Scribler

TESTIMONIES

O F

AUTHORS

CONCERNING

our POET and his WORKS.

M. SCRIBLERUS Lectori S.

B

EFORE we prefent thee with our exercitations on this moft delectable Poem (drawn from the many volumes of our Adverfaria on modern Authors) we shall here, according to the laudable ufage of editors, collect the various judgments of the Learned concerning our Poet: Various indeed, not only of different authors, but of the fame author at different feafons. Nor fhall wê gather only the Teftimonies of fuch eminent Wits, as would of courfe defcend to pofterity, and confequently be read without our collection; but we fhall likewife with incredible labour feek out for divers others, which, but for this our diligence, could never at the distance of a few months appear to the eye of the most curious. Hereby thou may't not only receive the delectation of Variety, but alfo arrive at a more certain judgment, by a grave and circumfpect comparifon of the witneffes with each other, or of each with himself. Hence alfo thou wilt be VOL. V. b.

as

enabled to draw reflections, not only of a critical, but a moral nature, by being let into many particulars of the Perfon as well as Genius, and of the Fortune as well a Merit, of our Author: In which if I relate fome things of little concern peradventure to thee, and fome of as little even to him; I entreat thee to confider how minutely all true critics and commentators are wont to infift upon fuch, and how material they feem to themselves, if to none other. Forgive me, gentle reader, if (following learned example) I ever and anon become tedious allow me to take the fame pains to find whether my author were good or bad, well or ill-natured, modeft or arrogant; as another, whether his author was fair or brown, short or tall, or whether he wore a coat or a caffock.

We proposed to begin with his Life, Parentage, and Education: But as to thefe, even his contemporaries do exceedingly differ. One faith a, he was educated at home another b, that he was bred at St. Omer's by Jefuits; a third c, not at St. Omer's, but at Oxford; a fourth d, that he had no univerfity education at all. Those who allow him to be bred at home, differ as much concerning his Tutor: One faith, he was kept by his father on purpose ; a fecond f, that he was an itinerant prieft; a third g, that he was a parfon; one h calleth him a fecular clergyman of the Church of Rome; another i, a monk. As little do they agree about his Father, whom one k fuppofeth, like the father of Hefiod, a tradesman or merchant; another 1, a husband-man; another m, a hatter, &c. Nor has an author been wanting to give our Poet fuch a father, as Apuleius hath to Plato, Jamblichus to Pythagoras, and divers to Homer, namely a Dæmon: For thus Mr. Gildon: Certain it is, that his original is not from Adam,

b Dennis's diffected, p. 4. f Dunciad

a Giles Jacob's Lives of Poets, vol. ii. in his Life. Reflections on the Eflay on Crit. p. 4. c Dunciad d Guardian, No 40. e Jacob's Lives, &c. vol. ii. diffected, p. 4. g Farmer P. and his fon. i Characters of the times, p. 45°. k Female Dunc. p. ult. 1 Dunc. m Roome, Paraphrafe on the ivth of Genefis, printed n Character of Mr. P. and his Writings, in a Letter to a

diffect.

1729.

h Dunc. diffect.

"but the Devil; and that he wanted nothing but horns " and tail to be the exact resemblance of his infernal Fa"ther." Finding therefore, fuch contrariety of opinions, and (whatever be ours of this fort of generation) not being fond to enter into controverfy, we fhall defer writing the life of our Poet, 'till authors can determine among themfelves what Parents or Education he had, or whether he had any Education or Parents at all.

Proceed we to what is more certain, his Works, tho' not lefs uncertain the judgments concerning them; beginning with his ESSAY ON CRITICISM, of which hear firft the most antient of Critics,

Mr. JOHN DENNIS.

"His precepts are falfe or trivial, or both; his thoughts are crude and abortive, his expreffions abfurd, his "numbers harsh and unmufical, his rhymes trivial and "common-inftead of majesty, we have fomething that "is very mean; inftead of gravity, fomething that is very boyish; and instead of perfpicuity and lucid order, we "have but too often obfcurity and confufion." And in another place: "What rare numbers are here! Would not 66 one fwear that this youngfter had espoused fome anti"quated Mufe, who had fued out a divorce from fome superannuated sinner, upon account of impotence, and "who being poxed by her former fpoufe, has got the gout in her decrepid age, which makes her bobble so "damnably,"

No lefs peremptory is the cenfure of our hypercritical Hiftorian.

Mr. OLD MIXON.

"I dare not fay any thing of the Effay on Criticism in "verse; but if any more curious reader has difcovered

Friend, printed for S. Popping, 1716, p. 10. Curl, in his Key to the Dunciad (firft edit. faid to be printed for A. Dodd) in the 10th page, declared Gildon to be author of that libel; though in the fubfequent editions of his key he left out this affertion, and affirmed (in the Curliad, p. 4. and 8.) that it was written by Dennis only.

o Reflections critical and fatyrical on a Rhapfody, called, an Effay on Criticism, Printed for Bernard Lintot, octavo.