"had all been buried in oblivion y." Here we see our excellent Laureate allows the juftice of the fatire on every man in it, but himself; as the great Mr. Dennis did before him.

The faid

Mr. DENNIS and Mr. GILDON,

in the most furious of all their works (the forecited character, p. 5.) do in concert 2 confefs, "That fome men of "good understanding value him for his rhymes." And (p. "17.) that he has got like Mr. Bays in the Rehearsal, "(that is, like Mr. Dryden) a notable knack at rhyming "and writing smooth verse."

Of his Effay on Man, numerous were the praifes beflowed by his avowed enemies, in the imagination that the fame was not written by him, as it was printed anonymoufly.

Thus fang of it even

BEZALEEL MORRIS,

Aufpicious bard! while all admire thy ftrain, "All but the selfish, ignorant, and vain;

y Cibber's Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9, 12. z in concert] Hear how Mr. Dennis hath proved our mistake in this place," As to my writ"ing in concert with Mr. Gildon, I declare upon the honour and word "of a gentleman, that I never wrote fo much as one line in concert "with any one man whatsoever. And thefe two Letters from Gildon "will plainly fhew that we are not writers in concert with each other.

Sir, The height of my ambition is to pleafe Men of the beft Judgment; and finding that I bave entertained my Mafter agreeably, I have the extent of the Reward of my Labour.

Sir,

I had not the opportunity of bearing of your excellent Pamphlet 'till this day. I am infinitely fatisfied and pleafed with it, and bope you will meet with that encouragement your admirable performance deferves, &c.

CH. GILDON.

"Now is it not plain, that any one who fends fuch compliments to "another, has not been used to write in partnership with him to "whom he fends them?" Dennis, Rem. on the Dunc. p. 50. Mr. Dennis is therefore welcome to take this piece to himself.

"I, whom no bribe to servile flatt'ry drew, "Muft pay the tribute to thy merit due: "Thy mufe fublime, fignificant, and clear, "Alike informs the Soul, and charms the Ear," And

Mr. LEONARD WELSTED

thus wrote a to the unknown author, on the first publication of the faid Effay: "I muft own, after the reception "which the vileft and most immoral ribaldry hath lately "met with, I was furprised to see what I had long de

fpaired, a performance deferving the name of a poet. "Such, Sir, is your work. It is, indeed, above all com"mendation, and ought to have been published in an age "and country more worthy of it. If my teftimony be of "weight any where, you are fure to have it in the amplest manner," &c. &c. &c.

Thus we fee every one of his works hath been extolled by one or other of his moft inveterate enemies; and to the fuccefs of them all they do unanimously give teftimony. But it is fufficient, inftar omnium, to behold the great critic, Mr. Dennis, forely lamenting it, even from the Effay on Criticism to this day of the Dunciad!" A most noto"rious inftance (quoth he) of the depravity of genius and "tafte, the approbation this effay meets with b→ I can "fafely affirm, that I never attacked any of thefe writ"ings, unless they had fuccefs infinitely beyond their me "rit. This, though an empty, has been a popular scrib"ler. The epidemic madness of the times has given him

reputation c.—If, after the cruel treatment fo many ex"traordinary men (Spencer, Lord Bacon, Ben. Johnson, "Milton, Butler, Otway, and others) have received from "this country, for these last hundred years, I should shift "the scene, and fhew all that penury changed at once to "riot and profufenefs; and more fquandered away upon "one object, than would have satisfied the greater part of

a In a letter under his hand, dated March 19, 1733. b Dennis, Pref. to his reflect, on the effay on Criticism. c Pref. to his Rem on Homer.

"thofe extraordinary men; the reader to whom this one "creature should be unknown, would fancy him a prodigy of art and nature, would believe that all the great qualities of these perfons were centered in him alone.“ But if I should venture to assure him, that the PEOPLE ❝ of ENGLAND had made fuch a choice-the reader "would either believe me a malicious enemy, and flanderer; "or that the reign of the laft (Queen Anne's) Miniftry "was defigned by fate to encourage Fools d."

But it happens, that this our Poet never had any Place, Penfion, or Gratuity, in any shape, from the faid glorious Queen, or any of her minifters. All he owed, in the whole courfe of his life, to any court, was a fubfcription for his Homer of 200 /. from King George I, and 100% from the Prince and Princess.

However, left we imagine our Author's Succefs was constant and univerfal, they acquaint us of certain works in a lefs degree of repute, whereof, although owned by others, yet do they affure us he is the writer. Of this fort Mr. DENNIS e afcribes to him two Farces, whose names he does not tell, but affures us that there is not one jeft in them: And an imitation of Horace, whose title he does not mention, but affures us it is much more execrable than all his works f. The DAILY JOURNAL, May 11, 1728. affures us, "He is below Tom. Durfey in the "Drama, because (as that writer thinks) the Marriage "Hater matched, and the Boarding School are better "than the What-d'-ye-call-it;" which is not Mr. P's, but Mr. Gay's. Mr. GILDON affures us, in his New Rehearfal, p. 48. "That he was writing a Play of the "Lady Jane Grey;" but it afterwards proved to be Mr. Rowe's. We are affured by another," He wrote a pamphlet "called Dr. Andrew Tripe g;" which proved to be one Dr. Wagstaff's. Mr. THEOBALD affures us, in Mift of the 27th of April, "That the treatise of the Profound is very dull, and that Mr. Pope is the author of it." The

writer of Gulliveriana is of another opinion; and fays, "the whole, or greatest part, of the merit of this treatise "muft and can only be ascribed to Gulliver h." [Here, gentle reader! cannot I but fmile at the ftrange blindness and pofitivenefs of men; knowing the faid treatise to appertain to none other but to me, Martinus Scriblerus.]

We are affured in Mift of June 8, "That his own "Plays and Farces would better have adorned the Dun"ciad, than thofe of Mr. Theobald; for he had neither "genius for Tragedy nor Comedy." Which whether true or not, it is not,eafy to judge; in as much as he had attempted neither. Unlefs we will take it for granted, with Mr. Cibber, that his being once very angry at hearing a friend's Play abufed, was an infallible proof the Play was his own; the faid Mr. Cibber thinking it impoffible for a man to be much concerned for any but himself: "Now "let any man judge (faith he) by this concern, who was "the true mother of the child?"

But from all that hath been faid, the discerning reader will collect, that it little availed our author to have any Candour, fince, when he declared he did not write for others, it was not credited; as little to have any Modefty, fince, when he declined writing in any way himfelf, the prefumption of others was imputed to him. If he fingly enterprised one great work, he was taxed of Boldnefs and Madness to a prodigy k: If he took affiftants in another, it was complained of, and reprefented as a great injury to the public 1. The loftieft heroics, the lowest ballads, treatises against the ftate or church, fatires on lords and ladies, raillery on wits and authors, fquabbles with booksellers, or even full and true accounts of monfters, poifons, and murders; of any hereof was there no. thing fo good, nothing fo bad, which had not at one or other feafon been to him afcribed. If it bore no author's name, then lay he concealed; if it did, he fathered it

Gulliv. p. 336. i Cibber's Letter to Mr. P. P. 19: net's Homerides, p. 1. of his tranflation of the Iliad. den and Mift's Journal, on his undertaking the Odyssey.

k Bur1 The Lon

upon that author to be yet better concealed: If it refembled any of his styles, then it was evident; if it did not, then difguifed he it on fet purpose. Yea, even direct oppofitions in religion, principles, and politics, have equally been fuppofed in him inherent. Surely a moft rare and fingular character! Of which let the reader make what he

can.

Doubtless moft Commentators would hence take occafion to turn all to their Author's advantage, and from the teftimony of his very enemies would affirm, That his Capacity was boundlefs, as well as his Imagination; that he was a perfect mafter of all Styles; and all Arguments; and that there was in thofe times no other Writer, in any kind, of any degree of excellence, fave he himfelf. But as this is not our own fentiment, we shall determine on no thing; but leave thee, gentle reader, to steer thy judg. ment equally between various opinions, and to chufe whether thou wilt incline to the Testimonies of Authors avowed, or of Authors concealed; of those who knew him, or of those who knew him not.

P.