Who fate the neareft, by the words o'ercome, Slept firft; the diftant nodded to the hum. Then down are roll'd the books; ftretch'd o'er 'em lies Each gentle clerk, and mutt'ring feals his eyes, As what a Dutchman plumps into the lakes, 405 410 VOL. II. H h Norton it, expecting his approbation: This Doctor afterwards published the same piece mutatis mutandis, against that very person. This is faid by Curl, Key to Dunc. to allude to a sermon of a reve rend Bishop. * It is a common and foolish mistake, that a ludicrous parody of a grave and celebrated paffage is a ridicule of that paffage. The reader, therefore, if he will, may call this a parody of the author's own fublime Similitude in the Effay on Man, Ep. iv. As the fmall pebble, etc. but will any body therefore suspect the one to be a ridicule of the other? A ridicule indeed there is in every parody; but when the image is transferred from one fubject to another, and the fubject is not a poem burlesqued (which Scriblerus hopes the reader will distinguish from a burlesque poem) there the ridicule falls not on the thing imitated, but imitating. Thus, for instance, when Old Edward's armour beams on Cibber's breast, it is, without doubt, an object ridiculous enough. But I think it falls neither on old king Edward, nor his armour, but on his armour-bearer only, Let this be faid to explain our Author's parodies (a figure that has always a good effect in a mock epic poem) either from profane or facred writers. Mrs. Sufanna Centlivre, wife to Mr. Centlivre, Yeoman of the Mouth to his Majesty. She writ many Plays, and a Song (fays Mr. Jacob, vol. i. P. 32) before she was seven years old, She alfo writ a Ballad against Mr. Pope's Homer, before he began it. A. Boyer, a voluminous compiler of Annals, Political Collections, etc. -William Law, A. M. wrote with great zeal against the Stage; Mr. Denmis answered with as great; Their books were printed 1726. Mr. Law affirme * Norton from Daniel and Oftræa fprung, 215 Blefs'd with his father's front, annd mother's tongue, And all was hush'd, as Folly's felf lay dead. . 420 affirmed, that “The Flayhouse is the temple of the Devil; the peculiar pleasure of the Devil; where all they who go, yield to the Devil; where "all the laughter is a laughter among Devils; and all who are there are hearing Music in the very porch of Hell." To which Mr. Dennis replied, that "There is every jot as much difference between a true Play, and one made by a Portafter, as between two religious books, the Bible and the "Alcoran.' Then he demonftrates, that "All those who had written against the Stage were Jacobites and Nonjurors; and did it always at a time "when fomething was to be done for the Pretender. Mr. Collier published "his Short View when France declared for the Chevalier; and his Dissuasive, "just at the great storm, when the devastation which that hurricane wrought, "had amazed and aftonished the minds of men, and made them obnoxions "to melancholy and defponding thoughts. Mr. Law took the opportunity "to attack the Stage upon the great preparations he heard were making a"broad, and which the Jacobites flattered themselves were defigned in their "favour. And as for Mr. Bedford's Serious Remonftrance, tho' I know "nothing of the time of publishing it, yet I dare to lay odds it was either << upon the duke d'Amont's being at Somerfet-house, or upon the late rebellion.” DENNIS, Stage defended against Mr. Law, p. ult. The fame Mr. Law is Author of a book, intitled, An Appeal to all that doubt of or difbelieve the truth of the Gofpel; in which he has detailed a Syftem of the rankest Spinozism, for the most exalted Theology, and amongst other things as rare, has informed us of this, that Sir Ifaac Newton fole the principles of his philofophy from one Jacob Behman, a German Cobler. A writer againft Religion, distinguished no otherwife from the rabble of his tribe, than by the pompoufness of his Title; for having stolen his Morality from Tindal, and his Philosophy from Spinofa, he calls bimself, by the courtesy of England, a Moral Philofopher. 1 his writer, who prided himself as much in the reputation of an Immoral Philofopher, was author of a famous book called the Fable of the Bees; written to prove, that Moral Virtue is the Invention of knaves, and Chriftian Virtue the Imposition of fools; and that Vice is neceffary, and alone fufficient to render Society flourishing and happy. * Norton De Foe, offspring of the famous Daniel, Fortes creantur fortibus. One of the authors of the lying Poft, in which well bred work Mr. P. had. fome time the honour to be abufed with his betters; and of many hired fourrilities and daily papers, to which he never fet his name. Why Why should I fing, what bards the nightly Mufe And to mere mortals seem'd a priest in drink * : 425 This line presents us with an excellent moral, that we are never to pass judgment merely by appearances; a leffon to all men, who may happen to fee a reverend Perfon in the like fituation, not to determine too rafhly: fince not only the Poets frequently defer be a Bard inspired in this posture, (On Cam's fair bank, where Chaucer lay inspir'd, and the like) but an eminent Cafuift tells us, that "if a Priest be seen in "any indecent action, we ought to account it a deception of fight, or illu"fion of the Devil, who fometimes takes upon him the shape of holy men " on purpose to cause scandal." † A prison for infolvent Debtors on the bank of the Ditch. The END of the SECOND BOOK. |