as faft afleep; fo misbeseeming the Eye of Empire, which, like that of Providence, fhould never doze nor flumber. "Hah! (faith he) faft asleep, it seems! "that's a little too ftrong. Pert and dull at least you "might have allowed me, but as seldom asleep as any "fool." However, the injured Hero may comfort himself with this reflection, that though it be a sleep, yet is not the fleep of death, but of immortality. Here he will m live at least, though not awake; and in no worse condition than many an enchanted Warrior before him. The famous Durandante, for inftance, was, like him, caft into a long flumber by Merlin the British Bard and Necromancer; and his example for fubmitting to it with a good grace, might be of use to our Hero. For that disastrous knight being forely pressed or driven to make his answer by feveral perfons of quality, only replied with a figh, Patience and fhuffle the cards .

But now, as nothing in this world, no not the most facred and perfect things, either of Religion or Government, can efcape the fting of Envy, methinks I already hear these carpers objecting to the clearness of our Hero's title..

It would never (fay they) have been efteemed fufficient to make an Hero for the Iliad or Æneis, that Achilles was brave enough to overturn one Empire, or Æneas pious enough to raise another, had they not been Goddefs-born, and Princes bred. What then did

1 Letter, P. 53.

n Don Quixote, Part ii. Book ii. ch. 22.

m Letter, p. 1.

this

this Author mean, by erecting a Player inftead of one of his Patrons (a perfon, "never a hero even on the "ftage o"), to this dignity of Collegue in the Empire of Dulness, and Atchiever of a work that neither old Omar, Attila, nor John of Leyden, could entirely bring to pafs.

To all this we have, as we conceive, a fufficient anfwer from the Roman historian, "Fabrum effe fuæ quemque fortune" That every man is the Smith of his own fortune. The politic Florentine, Nicholas Machiavel, goeth ftill further, and affirmeth that a man needeth but to believe himself a Hero to be one of the worthieft. "Let him (faith he) but fancy himself capable of the "highest things, and he will of courfe be able to at"chieve them." From this principle it follows, that nothing can exceed our Hero's prowefs; as nothing ever equalled the greatnefs of his conceptions. Hear how he constantly paragons himself; at one time to Alexander the Great and Charles the XII. of Sweden for the excefs and delicacy of his Ambition Pj to Henry the IV. of France, for honeft Policy 9; to the first Brutus, for love of liberty r; and to Sir. Robert Walpole, for good Government while in powers: At another time, to the godlike Socrates for his diverfions and amusements: to Horace, Montaigne, and Sir William Temple, for an elegant Vanity that maketh them for ever read and

admired"; to two Lord Chancellors, for law, from whom, when confederate against him at the bar, he carried away the prize of Eloquence w; and, to fay all in a word, to the right reverend the Lord Bishop of London himself, in the art of writing pa

ftoral letters x.

Nor did his actions fall fhort of the fublimity of his Conceit. In his early youth he met the Revolution face to face in Nottingham; at a time when his betters contented themselves with following her. It was here he got acquainted with Old Battle-array, of whom he hath made fo honourable mention in one of his immortal Ódes. But he fhone in Courts as well as in Camps: He was called up when the nation fell in labour of this Revolution z; and was a goffip at her christening, with the Bishop and the Ladies a.

As to his Birth, it is true he pretendeth no relation either to Heathen God or Goddess; but, what is as good, he was defcended from a Maker of both b. And that he did not pass himself on the world for a Hero, as well by birth as education, was his own fault: For his lineage he bringeth into his life as an Anecdote, and is fenfible he had it in his power to be thought nobody's fon at all: And what is that but coming into the world a Hero?

But be it (the punctilious Laws of Epic Poefy so requiring) that a Hero of more than mortal birth must

needs be had: Even for this we have a remedy. We can easily derive our Hero's Pedigree from a Goddess of no fmall power and authority amongst men; and legitimate and install him after the right claffical and authentic fashion: For, like as the ancient Sages found a Son of Mars in a mighty Warrior; a Son of Neptune in a skilful Seaman; a Son of Phoebus in a harmonious Poet; fo have we here, if need be, a Son of FORTUNE in an artful Gamefter. And who fitter than the Offspring of Chance, to affift in reftoring the Empire of Night and Chaos ?

There is in truth another objection of greater weight, namely, "That this Hero ftill exifteth, and hath not 66 yet finished his earthly courfe. For if Solon said well, ultima femper

Expectanda dies homini: dicique beatus

Ante obitum nemo fupremaque funera debet! "if no man can be called happy till his death, fure"ly much less can any one, till then, be pronoun"ced a Hero: this fpecies of men being far more fub"ject than others to the caprices of Fortune and Hu"mour." But to this also we have an answer, that will (we hope) be deemed decifive. It cometh from himself; who, to cut this matter short, hath folemnly protested that he will never change or amend.

With regard to his Vanity, he declareth that nothing shall ever part them. "Nature (faith he) hath amply "fupplied me in Vanity; a pleasure which neither the "pertness of Wit, nor the gravity of Wisdom, wiłł

Our poet had

"ever perfuade me to part with d." charitably endeavoured to administer a cure to it: But he telleth us plainly, "My fuperiors perhaps may be "mended by him; but for my part I own myself in

66

corrigible. I look upon my Follies as the best part " of my Fortune e." And with good reason: We see to what they have brought him!

Secondly, as to Buffoonry, "Is it (faith he) a time " of day for me to leave off these fooleries, and fet up "a new character? I can no more put off my Follies "than my Skin; I have often tried, but they stick ❝ too close to me: nor am I fure my friends are dif"pleased with them, for in this light I afford them "frequent matter of mirth, &c. &c. f"

Having then fo publickly declared himself incorrigible, he is become dead in law (I mean the law Epopœian), and devolveth upon the Poet as his property; who may take him, and deal with him as if he had been dead as long as an old Egyptian hero; that is to fay, embowel and embalm him for posterity.

Nothing therefore (we conceive) remaineth to hinder his own prophecy of himself from taking immediate effect. A rare felicity! and what few Prophets have had the fatisfaction to fee, alive! Nor can we conclude better than with that extraordinary one of his, which is conceived in thefe Oraculous words, MY DULNESS WILL FIND SOMEBODY TO DO IT RIGHT %.

d Life, p. 424. 8 P. 243. octavo edit.

f P. 17.

e P. 19.

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