You grow correct that once with Rapture writ, you fteal? 5 'Tis NOTES. 1 style, without flatnefs. The fatire in these pieces is of the strongest kind; fometimes, direct and declamatory, at others, ironical and oblique. It must be owned to be carried to excess. Our country is represented as totally ruined, and overwhelmed with diffipation, depravity, and corruption. Yet this very country, fo emafculated and debased by every fpecies of folly and wickedness, in about twenty years afterwards, carried its triumphs over all its enemies, through all the quarters of the world, and astonished the most diftant nations with a difplay of uncommon efforts, abilities, and virtue. So vain and groundless are the prognostications of poets, as well as politicians. It is to be wifhed, that a genius could be found to write an One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-one, as a counter-part to these two Dialogues, which were more diligently laboured, and more frequently corrected than any of our Author's compofitions. I have often heard Mr. Dodfley say, that he was employed by the Author to copy them fairly. Every line was then written twice over; a clean tranfcript was then delivered to Mr. Pope, and when he afterwards fent it to Mr. Dodsley to be printed, he found every line had been written twice over a fecond time. Swift tells our Author, these Dialogues are equal, if not fuperior, to any part of his works. They are, in truth, more Horatian, than the profeffed Imitations of Horace. They at first were intitled, from the year in which they were published, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty-eight. They were afterwards called, fantastically enough, Epilogue to the Satires, as the Epiftle to Arbuthnot was intitled Prologue to the Satires. It is remarkable that the first was published the very fame morning with Johnfon's admirable London; which Pope much approved, and rched diligently for the Author, who lived then in obscurity. n had a second edition in a week. Pope has himself given Dialogues than on any other 3 and illuftrations on t i. WARTON. ion. ARTON. 'Tis all from Horace; Horace long before ye 15 And NOTES. VER. 9, 10. And taught his Romans, in much better metre, The general turn of the thought is from Boileau, "Avant lui, Juvénal avoit dit en Latin, Qu'on eft affis à l'aise aux fermons de Cotin." VER. 12. Bubo obferves,] Some guilty perfon, very fond of making fuch an observation. POPE. Bubo is faid to mean Mr. Doddington, afterward Lord Melcombe. WARTON. Pope has before claffed together "Sir Will, and Bubo." See note on that line, Prologue to the Satires. 39 truths he spoke. VER. 13 Horace would fay,] The bufinefs of the friend here introduced is to diffuade our Poet from personal invectives. But he dexterously turns the very advice he is giving into the bitterest fatire. Sir Billy was Sir William Young, who, from a great fluency, was often employed to make long fpeeches till the minifter's friends were collected in the House. WARTON. 1 VER. 14. H-ggins] Formerly Gaoler of the Fleet prifon, en. riched him Such welf by many exactions, for which he was tried and e Pr pelled. Of Robin' He was the The gay co father of the Author of the abfurd and Tranflation of 2 ov'd with Ariosto; an account of him is ss'd, dotes of Hogart His cheerfulh. Added new g And own, the Spaniard did a waggish thing, Who cropt our Ears, and sent them to the King. 00 C Why IP please at Court, and make Augus fmile: A il Manager, that crept betwe His Friend and Shame, and was a kin But 'faith your very Friends will foon bo Patriots there are, who wish you'd jeft no more VARIATIONS. NOTES. VER. 15. In Sappho touch] In former Editions, After Ver. 26. in the MS. There's honeft Tacitus * once talk'd as big, Mr. Thomas Gordon, who was bought off by a place at Court. 21 And WARTON. VER. 18. Who cropt our Ears,] Said to be executed by the Captain of a Spanish Ship on one Jenkins, a Captain of an Englifh one. He cut off his ears, and bid him carry them to the King his Mafter. POPE. VER. 18. Who cropt cur Ears,] This circumftance has been ludicrously called by Burke, "the Fable of Captain Jenkins's Ears!" See Coxe's Memoirs. VER. 22. Screen. "Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico Tangit, et admiffus circum præcordia ludit." PERS. A metaphor peculiarly appropriated to a certain perfon in POPE. ver. . 24. Patriots there are, &c.] This appellation was geneen to thofe in oppofition to the Court. Though fome of thor hints at) had views too mean and inPOPE. name.. And where's the Glory? 'twill be only thought 25 P. See Sir ROBERT!-hum- 30 Seen NOTES. VER 26. That Great men] A phrase, by common use, appropriated to the first Minister. POPE. VER. 27. Go fee Sir ROBERT] We muft not judge of this minifter's character from the Differtation on Parties, nor from the eloquent Philippics, for eloquent they were, uttered against him in both Houfes of Parliament. Hime has drawn his portrait with candour and impartiality. And fome of his most vehement antagonists, particularly the great Iord Chatham, lived to allow the merits of that long and pacific miniftry, which fo much extended the commerce, and co y enlarged the riches of this country. Jury went in WARTON. The nobleft monafter, but he s been raised to the memory of Sir Robert ae feal being fet toy Mr. Coxe, who, from fources of authenWalpole earneftly inqymoft ably illuftrated the eventful period ofower, that the Big the administration of Sir Robert. There iA chapter was acce or character connected with the Hiftory of the tnfand pit what has received new light from that accurate and elegant hiftorian. VER.2 R. 29. Seen him I have, &c.] The pleasant, amiable character of Sir Robert in private life, is here most admirably touched. Lady M. W. Montagu's portrait of this eminent statesman, in his character as a private man, gives also a most pleasing idea of him : On feeing a Portrait of Sir Robert Walpole. Seen him, uncumber'd with the Venal tribe, He does not think me what he thinks mankind. Come, NOTES. mer E VER. 29. Seen him I have, &c.] This, and other strokes of commendation in the following poem, as well as his regard to Sir Robert Walpole on all occafions, were in acknowledgment of a certain service he had done a friend of Mr. Pope's at his folicitation. Our Poet, when he was about feventeen, had a very ill fever in the country; which it was feared, would end fatally. In this condition he wrote to Southcot, a Prieft of his acquaintance, then in town, to take his laft leave of him. Southcot, with great affection and folicitude, applied to Dr. Radcliffe for his advice. And not content with that, he rode down poft to Mr. Pope, who was then an hundred miles from London, with the Doctor's direc ́tions; which had the defired effect. A long time after this, Southcot, who had an intereft in the Court of France, writing to a common acquaintance in Engla med him that there was a good abbey void near Avignor1t gallantries ad credit enough to get, were it not from an appreh TO tion would give umbrage to the English Cour Said to be executechcot) by his intrigues in the Pretender's ferpkins, a Captain of a obnoxious. The perfon to whom this was wid him carry them cquaint Mr. Pope with the cafe, he immediately w Ftter to Sir R. Walpole in the Prieft's behalf: He aceted the Minifter with the grounds of his folicitation, and begged that this embargo, for his, Mr. P.'s fake, might be taken off; for that he was indebted to Southcot for his life; which debt muft needs be difcharged either here or in purgatory. The Minifter received the application favourably, and with much good-nature wrote to his brother, then in France, to remove the obstruction. In confequence of which Southcot got the abbey. Mr. Pope ever after retained a grateful fenfe of his civility. WARBURTON. 16 To the account given in this note may be added, that in gratitude for this favour conferred on his friend, Pope prefented to Mr. Horatio Walpole, afterwards Lord Walpole, a fet of his Works in quarto, richly bound; which are now in the library at Wolterton. WARTON. |