Or fuch as bellow from the deep Divine; 260 There, Webster! peal'd thy voice, and Whitefield! thine. 265 VARIATION. This Ver. 257, 258. This couplet is an addition. REMARKS. Ver. 258. Webfter-and Whitefield] The one the writer of a News-paper called the Weekly Mifcellany, the other a Field-preacher. This thought the only means of advancing Religion was by the New-birth of fpiritual madnefs: That by the old death of fire and faggot: And therefore they agreed in this, though in no other earthly thing, to abufe all the fober Clergy. From the fmall fuccefs of these two extraordinary perfons, we may learn how little hurtful Bigotry and Enthufiafm are, while the Civil Magiftrate prudently forbears to lend his power to the one, in order to the employing it against the other. Ver. 263. Long Chancery-lane] The place where the offices of Chancery are kept. The long detention of Clients in that Court, and the difficulty of getting out, is humorously allegorized in thefe lines. This labour paft, by Bridewell all defcend, (As morning-prayers, and flagellation end) REMARKS. 270 Το Ver. 268. Who fings fo loudly, and who fings fo long.] A juft character of Sir Richard Blackmore, knight, who (as Mr. Dryden expreffeth it) "Writ to the rumbling of his coach's wheels." and whose indefatigable Mufe produced no less than fix Epic poems: Prince and King Arthur, twenty books; Eliza ten; Alfred twelve; the Redeemer, fix; befides Job, in folio; the whole Book of Pfalms; the Creation, feven books; Nature of Man, three books; and many more. It is in this fenfe he is ftyled afterwards the everlasting Blackmore. Notwithstanding all which, Mr. Gildon feems affured, "that this admirable author "did not think himself upon the fame foot with Ho"mer." Comp. Art of Poetry, vol. i. p. 108. But how different is the judgment of the author of Characters of the times? p. 25. who fays, "Sir Ri"chard Blackmore is unfortunate in happening to mif"take his proper talents; and that he has not for many years been fo much as named, or even thought of 66 among writers." Even Mr. Dennis differs greatly from his friend Mr. Gildon: "Blackmore's Action "(faith he) has neither unity, nor integrity, nor mora"lity, nor univerfality; and confequently he can have "no Fable, and no Heroic Poem: His Narration is "neither probable, delightful, nor wonderful; his cha"racters have none of the neceffary qualifications; the "things contained in his narration are neither in their "own nature delightful, nor numerous enough, nor "rightly difpofed, nor furprizing, nor pathetic."-Nay he proceeds fo far as to fay Sir Richard has no Genius; firft laying down, that "Genius is caused by a furious "joy and pride and foul, on the conception of an extra❝ ordinary L4 To where Fleet-ditch with difemboguing ftreams REMARKS. The 'ordinary Hint. Many men (fays he) have their Hints, "without thofe motions of fury and pride of foul, be"caufe they want fire enough to agitate their fpirits; "and thefe we call cold writers. Others who have a << great deal of fire, but have not excellent organs, feel "the fore-mentioned motions, without the extracr"dinary hints; and thefe we call fuftian writers. But "he declares that Sir Richard had neither the Hints nor "the Motions." Remarks on Pr. Arth. octavo, 1656. Preface. "It was This gentleman in his firft works abufed the character of Mr. Dryden; and in his laft, of Mr. Pope, accufing him in very high and fober terms of profanenefs and immorality (Effay on Polite Writing, vol. ii. p. 270.) on a mere report from Edm. Curll, that he was author of a Travestie on the first Pfalm. Mr. Dennis took up the fame report, but with the addition of what Sir Richard had neglected, an Argument to prove it; which being very curious, we fhall here tranfcribe. "he who burlefqued the Pfalms of David. It is ap"parent to me that Pfalm was burlefqued by a Popish "rhymefter. Let rhyming perfons who have been “brought up Proteftants be otherwife what they will, "let them be rakes, let them be fcoundrels, let them "be Atheifts, yet education has made an invincible im"preffion on them in behalf of the facred writings. "But a Popish rhymefter has been brought up with a contempt for thofe facred writings; now thew me "another Popish rhymefter but he." This manner of argumentation is ufual with Mr. Dennis; he has employed the fame against Sir Richard himfelf, in a like charge of Impiety and Irreligion. "All Mr. Blackmore's celeftial Machines, as they cannot be defended fo 66 "much The King of dykes! than whom no fluice of mud With deeper fable blots the filver ficod. "Here ftrip, my children! here at once leap in, 275 "Here prove who beft can dafh through thick and thin, "And who the moft in love of dirt excel, " Or dark dexterity of groping well. REMARKS. "Who "much as by common received opinion, fo are they di"rectly contrary to the doctrine of the church of Eng"land; for the visible defcent of an Angel must be a "miracle. Now it is the doctrine of the Church of England that miracles had ceased a long time before "Prince Arthur came into the world. Now if the doc"trine of the Church of England be true, as we are "obliged to believe, then are all the celeftial machines "in Prince Arthur unfufferable, as wanting not only “human, but divine probability. But if the machines "are fufferable, that is, if they have fo much as divine "probability, then it follows of neceffity that the doc trine of the Church is faife. So I leave it to every "impartial Clergyman to confider," &c. Preface to the Remarks on Prince Arthur. : Ver. 270. (As morning prayer and flagellation end)] It is between eleven and twelve in the morning, after church fervice, that the criminals are whipt in Bridewell. This is to mark punctually the time of the day: Homer does it by the circumftance of the Judges rifing from court, or of the Labourers dinner our author by one very proper both to the Perfons and the Scene of his poem, which we may remeinber commenced in the evening of the Lord mayor's day: The first book passed in that night; the next morning the games begin in the Strand, thence along Fleet-ftreet (places inhabited by Bookfellers) then they proceed by Bridewell toward Fleet-ditch, and laftly through Ludgate to the City and the Temple of the Goddefs, "Who flings most filth, and wide pollutes around “The stream, be his the Weekly Journals bound; 280 "A pig of lead to him who dives the best; "A peck of coals apiece fhall glad the rest." In naked majesty Oldmixon stands, And, Milo-like, furveys his arms and hands; VARIATION. Then Ver. 283. In former Ed.-great Dennis stands. REMARKS. Ver. 280. the weekly Journals] Papers of news and fcandal intermixed, on different fides and parties, and frequently fhifting from one fide to the other, called the London Journal, British Journal, Daily Journal, &c. the concealed writers of which for fome time were Oldmixon, Roome, Arnall, Concanen, and others; perfons never seen by our author. Ver. 283. In naked majefty Oldmixon ftands,] Mr. JOHN OLDMIXON, next to Mr. Dennis, the most ancient Critic of our Nation; an unjust cenfurer of Mr. Addifon in his profe Effay on Criticism, whom alfo in his imitation of Bouhours (called the Arts of Logic and Rhetoric) he mifreprefents in plain matter of fact; for in p. 45. he cites the Spectator as abufing Dr. Swift by name, where there is not the least hint of it; and in p. 304. is fo injurious as to fuggeft that Mr. Addifon himself writ that Tatler, No. 43. which fays of his own Simile, that ""'Tis as great as ever entered into the "mind of man." "In Poetry he was not so happy as "laborious, and therefore characterized by the Tatler, No. 62. by the name of Omicron the Unborn Poet." Curll, Key, p. 13, "He writ Dramatic works, and a "volume of Poetry confifting of heroic Epiftles, &c. fome "whereof are very well done," faid that great Judge, Mr. Jacob, in his Lives of Poets, vol. ii. p. 303. |