Kone want a place, for all their Centre found, Who gently drawn, and struggling less and less, 80 85 90 VER. 76 to 10r. It ought to be obferved that here are three claffes in this affembly. The first of men abfolutely and avowedly dull, who naturally adhere to the Goddess, and are imagined in the fimile of the Bees about their Queen. The fecond involuntarily drawn to her, though not caring to own her influence; from ver. 81 to 90. The third of fuch, as though not members of her state, yet advance her service by flattering Dulness, cultivating mistaken talents, patronizing vile fcriblers, difcouraging living merit, or fetting up for wits, and Men of taste in arts they understand not; from ver. 91 to 101. * Such as thofe, who affect to oppose her Government, by fetting up for patrons of Letters, without knowing how to judge of merit. The confequence of which is, that, as all true merit is modeft and referved; and the falfe, forward and prefuming; and the Judge cafily imposed upon; Fools get the rewards due to genius. For as the Poet faid of one of these Patrons, "Dryden alone, (what wonder?) came not nigh, And thus, as he rightly obferves, thefe weak Rebels unwittingly advance the caufe of her they would be thought most to oppose. For while no rewards are given for the Encouragement of Letters, Genius will fupport itself on the footing of that reputation, which men of wit will always win from the Dunces. But an undue diftribution of the rewards of Learning will entirely deprefs or difguft ll true genius; which now not only finds itself robbed of the honours it might claim from others, but defeated of that very reputation it would otherwife have won for itself. For, as the courfe of things is ordered, general reputation, when it comes into rivalship, is rather attendant on favour and high station, than on the fimple endowments of Wit and Learning. Hence we conclude that unless the Province of encouraging Letters be wifely and faith ul y adminiftred, it were better for them that there were no encouragement at all. Nor Nor abfent they, no members of her state, There march'd the bard and blockhead fide by fide, Compos'd he stood, bold Benson || thrust him by : N n 95 100 105 But Spoken of the antient and true Phœbus; not the French Phoebus, who hath no chofen Priests or Poets, but equally infpires any man that pleaseth to fing or preach. SCRIBL. In this divifion are reckoned up, 1. The Idolizers of Dulness in the Great,- -2. Ill Judges,-3. Il Writers, -4. Il Patrons. But the last and worft, as he justly calls him, is the Mufe's Hypocrite, who is, as it were, the Epitome of them all. He who thinks the only end of poetry is to amuse, and the only business of the poet to be witty; and confequently who cultivates only fuch trifling talents in himself, and encourages only fuch in others, As being of no one party. This man endeavoured to raise himself to Fame by erecting monuments, ftriking coins, fetting up heads, and procuring tranflations, of Milton; and afterwards by as great a paffion for Arthur Johnston, a Scoth physician's Version of the Pfalms, of which he printed many fine Editions. See more of him, Book iii. ver, 325. But (happy for him as the times went then *) 115 On whom three hundred gold-capt youths await, When Dulnefs fimiling,-" Thus revive the Wits +! But murder firft, and mince them all to bits; 120 Let ftandard-Authors, thus, like trophies born, 125 130 So by each Bard § an Alderman shall fit **, And $ An eminent perfon who was about to publish a very pompous Edition of a great Author at his own expence. * VER. 115, etc.] These four lines were printed in a separate leaf by Mr. Pope in the last Edit on, which he himself gave, of the Dunciad, with di rections to the printer, to put this leaf into its place as soon as Sir T. H.'ş Shakespear fhould be published. + The Goddess applauds the pra&ice of tacking the obscure names of Perfons not eminent in any branch of Learning, to those of the most distinguished Writers; either by printing Editions of their works with impertinent alterations of their Text, as in the former inftances; or by fetting up Monuments difgraced with their own vile names and inscriptions, as in the latter. Of whom Ovid (very applicable to these restored Authors) "Afon miratur, Diffimilemque animum fubiit” For what less than a Grave can be granted to a dead author? or what lefs than a Page can be allowed a living one? Ibid. Pagena, not Pediffequas. A Page of a Book, not a Servant, Follower, or Attendant: no Poet having had a Page fince the death of Mr. Thomas Durfey. § Vide the Tombs of the Poets, Editio Weftmonafterienfis. SCRIEL ** Alluding to the Monument erected for Butler by Alderman Barber. tt How unnatural an image! and how ill fupported, faith Aristarchus Had it been, A heavy Wit shall hang at ev'ry Lord, fomething And while on Fame's triumphal Car they ride, Now crowds on crowds around the Goddess prefs, Dunce fcorning Dunce beholds the next advance, 136 140 145 fomething might have been said, in an Age so distinguished for well judging Patrons. For LORD, then, read LOAD; that is, of Debts here, and of Commentaries hereafter. To this purpose, confpicuous is the cafe of the poor Author of Hudibras, whose body, long fince weighed down to the Grave by a load of debts, has lately had a more unmerciful load of Commentaries laid upon his Spirit; wherein the Editor has atchieved more than Virgil himfelf, when he turned Critic, could boast of, which was only, that be bad pick'd gold out of another man's dung; whereas the Editor has pick'd it out of his own. SCRIBL. Ariftarchus thinks the common reading right: and that the author himself had been struggling: and but just shaken off his Load when he wrote the following Epigram. "My Lord complains, that Pope, stark mad with gardens, "Has lopt three trees the value of three farthings: But he's my neighbour, cries the peer polite, *This is not to be afcribed fo much to the different manners of a Court and College, as to the different effects which a pretence to Learning, and a pretence to Wit have on Blockheads. For as Judgment confifts in finding out the differences in things, and Wit in finding out their likeneffes, to the Dunce is all difcord and diffenfion, and conftantly bufied in reproving, examining, confuting, etc. while the Fop flourishes in peace, with Songs and Hymns of praife, Addresses, Characters, Epithalamiums, etc. A cane ufually borne by Schoolmasters, which drives the poor Souls about like the wand of Mercury. SCRIBL. The pale Boy-Senator yet tingling ftands, * And holds his breeches clofe with both his hands. 155 Then thus. Since Man from beaft by Words is known, Words are Man's province, Words we teach alone. 150 When Reafon doubtful, like the Samian letter +, Points him two ways, the narrower is the better. Plac'd at the door of Learning ‡, youth to guide, We never fuffer it to ftand too wide |. To afk, to guefs, to know, as they commence, As Fancy opens the quick springs of Senfe, We ply the Memory, we load the brain, Bind rebel Wit, and double chain on chain, Confine the thought, to exercise the breath §; And keep them in the pale of Words till death. Whate'er the talents, or howe'er defign'd, We hang one jingling padlock on the mind ** A Poet the first day, he dips his quill; And what the laft? a very Poet still. Pity; the charm works only in our wall, : Loft, loft too foon in yonder Houfe or Hall ++. 160 165 • An effect of Fear somewhat like this, is described in the viith Æneid, "Contremuit nemus "Et trepidæ matres preffere ad pectora nates," nothing being fo natural in any apprehension, as to lay close hold on whatever is fuppofed to be most in danger. But let it not be imagined the author would infinuate these youthful fenators (tho' so lately come from school) to be under the undue influence of any Master. SCRIBL The letter Y used by Pythagoras as an emblem of the different roads of Virtue and Vice. "Et tibi quæ Samios diduxit litera ramos. Perf. This circumstance of the Genius Loci (with that of the Index hand before) feems to be an allufion to the Table of Cebes, where the Genius of human nature points out the road to be pursued by thofe entering into life. A pleasant allufion to the defcription of the door of Wisdom in the Table of Cebes. S By obliging them to get the claffic poets by heart, which furnishes them with endless matter for Converfation, and Verbal amufement for their whole lives. ** For youth being used like Pack-horses and beaten under a heavy load of Words, left they should tire, their inftructors contrive to make the Words jingle in rhyme or metre. ++ Westminster-hall and the House of Commons, There |