MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS Of the POEM. HIS poem, as it celebrateth the most grave and ancient of things, Chaos, Night, and Dulness; fo is it of the most grave and ancient kind. Homer (faith Aristotle) was the first who gave the Form, and faith Horace) who adapted the Measure, to heroic poefy. But even before this, may be rationally prefumed from what the Ancients have left written, was a piece by Homer compofed, of like nature and matter with this of our Poet. For of Epic fort it appeareth to have been, yet of matter furely not unpleasant, witness what is reported of it by the learned archbishop Euftathius, in Odyff. x. And accordingly Ariftotle, in his Poetic, chap. iv. doth further fet forth, that as the Iliad and Odyffey gave example to Tragedy, fo did this poem to Comedy its firft idea. From these authors alfo it fhould feem, that the Hero, or chief perfonage of it was no lefs obscure, and his understanding and fentiments no lefs quaint and ftrange (if indeed not more fo) than any of the actors of our poem. MARGITES was the name of this perfonage, whom Antiquity recordeth to have been Dunce the firft; and furely from what we hear of him, not unworthy to be the root of fo fpreading a tree, and fo numerous a pofterity. The poem therefore celebrating him was properly and absolutely a Dunciad; which though now unhappily loft, yet is its nature fufficiently known by the infallible tokens aforefaid. And thus it doth appear, that the first Dunciad was the first Epic poem, written by Homer himself, and anterior even to the Iliad or Odyssey. Now, forafmuch as our poet hath tranflated those two famous works of Homer which are yet left, he did con ceive it in fome fort his duty to imitate that alfo which was loft and was therefore induced to bestow on it the fame form which Homer's is reported to have had, namely that of Epic poem; with a title alfo framed after the ancient Greek manner, to wit, that of Dunciad. Wonderful it is, that fo few of the moderns have been ftimulated to attempt fome Dunciad! fince in the opinion of the multitude, it might coft lefs pain and oil than an imitation of the greater Epic. But poffible it is also, that, on due reflection, the maker, might find it easier to paint a Charlemagne, a Brute, or a Godfrey, with juft pomp and dignity heroic, than a Margites, a Codrus, or a Fleckno. We fhall next declare the occafion and the cause which moved our poet to this particular work. He lived in those days, when (after Providence had permitted the invention of Printing as a fcourge for the fins of the learned) Paper also became fo cheap, and Printers fo numerous, that a deluge of Authors covered the land: whereby not only the peace of the honeft unwriting fubject was daily mo lefted, but unmerciful demands were made of his applause, yea of his money, by fuch as would neither earn the one, nor deferve the other. At the fame time, the licence of the Prefs was fuch, that it grew dangerous to refuse them either for they would forthwith publish flanders unpunished, the authors being anonymous, and fkulking under the wings of Publishers, a fet of men who never fcrupled to vend either calumny or blafphemy, as long as the Town would call for it. a Now our author, living in thofe times, did conceive it an endeavour well worthy an honeft fatirift, to diffuade the dull, and punish the wicked, the only way that was left. In that public-fpirited view he laid the plan of this poem, as the greatest service he was capable (without much hurt, or being flain) to render his dear country. First taking things from their original, he confidereth the causes creative of fuch Authors, namely Dulness and Poverty; the a Vide Boffu, Du Poeme Epique ch. viii. one born with them, the other contracted by neglect of their proper talents, through self-conceit of greater abilities. This truth he wrappeth in an Allegory b (as the conftruction of Epic poefy requireth) and feigns that one of thefe Goddeffes had taken up her abode with the other, and that they jointly infpired all fuch writers and fuch works. He proceedeth to fhew the qualities they bestow on these authors, and the effects they produced: then the materials, or flock, with the which they furnish theme; and (above all) that felf-opinion f, which caufeth it to feem to themfelves vaftly greater than it is, and is the prime motive of their setting up in this fad and forry merchandise, The great power of these Goddeffes acting in alliance (whereof as the one is the mother of Indultry, fo is the other of Plodding) was to be exemplified in fome one, great and remarkable action g: And none could be more fo than that which our poet hath chofen, viz. the restoration of the reign of Chaos and Night, by the miniftry of Dulness their daughter, in the removal of her imperial feat from the City to the polite World; as the action of the Æneid is the restoration of the empire of Troy, by the removal of the race from thence to Latium. But as Homer finging only the wrath of Achilles, yet includes in his Poem the whole hiftory of the Trojan War; in like manner our author hath drawn into this fingle action the whole history of Dulness and her children. A Perfon muft next be fixed upon to support this Action, This Phantom in the poet's mind must have a Name : He finds it to be ; and he becomes of course the Hero of the poem. The Fable being thus, according to the best example, one and entire, as contained in the propofition; the Machinery is a continued chain of Allegories, fetting forth the whole Power, Miniftry, and Empire of Dulnefs, ex c Book. I. ver. 32, &c. e Ver. 57 to 77. b Boffu, chap. vii. 45 to 54. chap. vii, viii. d Ver. Ibid. h Boffu, chap, viii. Vide Ariftot. Poetic. cap. ix. tended through her fubordinate inftruments, in all her various operations. This is branched into Episodes, each of which hath its Moral apart, though all conducive to the main end. The Crowd affembled in the second book, demonstrates the defign to be more extenfive than to bad poets only, and that we may expect other Episodes of the Patrons, Encouragers, or Pay mafters of fuch authors, as occafion fhall bring them forth. And the third book, if well confidered, feemeth to embrace the whole World. Each of the Games relateth to fome or other vile clafs of writers: The first concerneth the plagiary, to whom he giveth the name of More; the fecond the libelous Novellift, whom he styleth Eliza; the third, the flattering Dedicator; the fourth, the bawling Critic, or noify Poet; the fifth, the dark and dirty Party writer; and fo of the reft; affigning to each fome proper name or other, fuch as he could find. As for the Characters, the public hath already acknowledged how juftly they are drawn: The manners are fo depicted, and the fentiments fo peculiar to those to whom applied, that furely to transfer them to any other or wifer perfonages, would be exceeding difficult: And certain it is, that every perfon concerned, being confulted apart, hath readily owned the resemblance of every portrait, his own excepted. So Mr. Cibber calls them," a parcel "of poor wretches, fo many filly flies i: but adds, our Au"thor's Wit is remarkably more bare and barren, when"ever it would fall foul on Cibber, than upon any other "perfon whatever.” The Defcriptions are fingular, the Comparisons very quaint, the Narration various, yet of one colour: The purity and chastity of Diction is fo preferved, that in the places moft fufpicious, not the words but only the images have been cenfured, and yet are thofe images no other than have been fanctified by ancient and claffical Authority (though, as was the manner of thofe good times, not i Cibber's Letter to Mr. P. p. 9. 12, 41. fo curiously wrapped up) yea, and commented upon by the most grave Doctors, and approved Critics. As it beareth the name of Epic, it is thereby fubjected to fuch fevere indifpenfable rules as are laid on all Neoterics, a ftrict imitation of the Ancients; infomuch that any deviation, accompanied with whatever poetic beauties, hath always been cenfured by the found Critic. How exact that Imitation hath been in this piece, appeareth not only by its general ftructure, but by particular allufions infinite, many whereof have escaped both the commentator and poet himself; yea divers by his exceeding diligence are fo altered and interwoven with the reft, that feveral have already been, and more will be, by the ignorant abused, as altogether and originally his own. In a word, the whole poem proveth itself to be the work of our Author, when his faculties were in full vigour and perfection; at that exact time when years have ripened the Judgment, without diminishing the Imagination: which, by good Critics is held to be punctually at forty. For at that feafon it was that Virgil finished his Georgics; and Sir Richard Blackmore at the like age compofing his Arthurs, declared the fame to be the very Acme and pitch of life for Epic poefy; Though fince he hath altered it to fixty, the year in which he published his Alfred k. True it is, that the talents for Criticism, namely smartness, quick cenfure, vivacity of remark, certainty of affeveration, indeed all but acerbity, feem rather the gifts of youth than of riper Age: But it is far otherwise in Poetry; witness the works of Mr. Rymer and Mr. Dennis, who beginning with Criticism, became afterwards fuch Poets as no age hath paralleled. With good reafon therefore did our author chufe to write his Effay on that fubject at twenty, and referve for his maturer years this great and wonderful work of the Dunciad. , P. k See his Effays |