VII. A PARALLEL of the CHARACTERS O F Mr. DRYDEN and Mr. P O PE, As drawn by certain of their Contemporaries, Mr. DRYDEN, His POLITICS, RELIGION, MORAL S. MR. Dryden is a mere renegado from monarchy, poetry, and good fenfe 1. A true republican fon of monarchical Church 2. A republican Atheist 3., Dry. den was from the beginning an owfiσaños, and I doubt not will continue fo-to the last 4. In the Poem called Abfalom and Achitophel are notorioufly traduced, The KING, the QUEEN, the LORDS and GENTLEMEN, not only their honourable perfons expos'd, but the whole NATION and its REPRESENTATIVES notoriously libell'd. It is fcandalum magnatum, of MAJESTY itself. yea He looks upon God's Gofpel as a foolish fable, like the Pope, to whom he is a pitiful purveyor. His very christianity may be queftioned 7. He ought to expect 2 Pag. 38. 5 Whip and Key, 4to, printed for R. Jane. 7. Milbourn, p. 9. 1 Milbourn on Dryden's Virgil, 8vo. 1698. p. 6. 3 Pag 192. more VII. A PARALLEL of the CHARACTERS O F Mr. POPE and Mr. DRYDEN, As drawn by certain of their Contemporaries. Mr. POPE, His POLITICS, RELIGION, MORALS. MR. R. Pope is an open and mortal enemy to his country and the commonwealth of learning'. Some call him a popish whig, which is directly inconfiftent 2. Pope, as a Papift, must be a tory and high flyer3. He is both whig and tory 4. He hath made it his custom to cackle to more than one party in their own fentiments 3. In his Mifcellanies, the Perfons abused are, The KING, the QUEEN, His late MAJESTY, both Houfes of PARLIAMENT, the Privy-Council, the Bench of BISHOPS, the established CHURCH, the prefent MINISTRY, etc. To make Sense of some paffages, they must be construed into ROYAL SCANDAL ". He is a Popish Rhymefter, bred up with a contempt of the Sacred Writings 7. His Religion allows him to deftroy Hereticks, not only with his pen, but with fire I Dennis, Rem. on the Rape of the Lock, Pref. p. xii. 2 Dunciad diffected. 3 Pref. to Gulliveriana. 4 Dennis, Character of Mr. P. 5 Theobald, Letter in Mift's Journal, June 22, 1728. 6 Lift, at the end of a Collection of Verses, Letters, Advertisements, 8vo Printed for A. Moore, 1728, and the Preface to it, p. 6. 7 Dennis's Remarks on Hom. p.27. and more severity than other men, as he is moft unmerciful in his own reflections on others. With as good a right as his Holiness, he fets up for poetical infallibility 2. Mr. DRYDEN only a Verfifier. His whole Libel is all bad matter, beautified (which is all that can be faid of it) with good metre 3. Mr. Dryden's genius did not appear in any thing more than his Verfification, and whether he is to be ennobled for that only, is a question*. Mr. DRYDEN'S VIRGIL. Tonfon calls it Dryden's Virgil, to fhew that this is not that Virgil fo admir'd in the Auguftean age; but a Virgil of another ftamp, a filly, impertinent, nonfenfical writer. None but a Bavius, a Mævius, or a Bathyllus carp'd at Virgil 5; and none but fuch unthinking Vermin admire his Tranflator. It is true, foft and easy lines might become Ovid's Epiftles or Art of Love-But Virgil, who is all great and majestic, etc. requires ftrength of lines, weight of words, and closeness of expreffions; not an ambling Mufe running on Carpet-ground, and fhod as lightly as a Newmarket-racer.-He has numberlefs faults in his Author's meaning, and in propriety of expreffion 7. Mr. DRYDEN understood no Greek nor Latin. Mr. Dryden was once, I have heard, at Weftminster fchool: Dr. Bufby would have whipt him for fo childish a Paraphrafes. The meaneft Pedant in England would whip a Lubber of twelve for conftruing so abfurdly 9, The Tranflator is mad, every line betrays his Stupidity, and fword; and fuch were all thofe unhappy Wits whom he facrificed to his accurfed Popish Principles. It deserved Vengeance to fuggeft, that Mr. Pope had lefs Infallibility than his Namefake at Rome 2 Mr. P O PE only a Verfifier. The fmooth numbers of the Dunciad are all that recommend it, nor has it any other merit 3. It must be owned that he hath got a notable knack of rhyming and writing fmooth verfe 4. Mr. POPE's HOMER. The Homer which Lintot prints, does not talk like Homer, but like Pope; and he who tranflated him, one would fwear, had a hill in Tipperary for his Parnaffus, and a puddle in fome Bog for his Hippocrene. He has no admirers among thofe that can diftinguish, difcern, and judge. He hath a knack at fmooth verfe, but without either Genius or good Senfe, or any tolerable knowledge of English. The qualities which diftinguish Homer are the beauties of his Diction and the Harmony of his Verfification-But this little author, who is fo much in vogue, has neither Senfe in his Thoughts nor English in his expreffions 7. Mr. POPE underftood no Greek. He hath undertaken to tranflate Homer from the Greek, of which he knows not one word, into Englifh, of which he understands as little. I wonder how this Gentleman would look, fhould it be difcovered, that. 2 Dedication to the Collection of 1 Preface to Gulliveriana, p. 11. Verfes, Letters, etc. p. 9. 3 Mift's Journal of June 8, 1728. Character of Mr. P. and Dennis on Hom. 5 Dennis's Remarks on Pope's Homer, p. 12. 6 Ibid. p. 14. 7. Character of Mr. P. p. 17. and Remarks on Homer, p. 91. 8 Dennis's Remarks on Homer, p. 12. 3 he The faults are innumerable, and convince me that Mr. Dryden did not, or would not understand his Author '. This fhews how fit Mr. D. may be to tranflate Homer! A miftake in a fingle letter might fall on the Printer well enough, but xap for ixup must be the error of the Author: Nor had he art enough to correct it at the Prefs. Mr. Dryden writes for the Court Ladies-He writes for the Ladies, and not for use 3. The Tranflator puts in a little Burlesque now and then into Virgil, for a ragout to his cheated Subfcribers 4. Mr. DRYDEN trick'd his Subfcribers. I wonder that any man, who could not but be confcious of his own unfitnefs for it, fhould go to amufe the learned world with fuch an undertaking! A man ought to value his Reputation more than Money; and not to hope that those who can read for themselves, will be impofed upon, merely by a partially and unfeasonably celebrated Name 5. Poetis quidlibet audendi shall be Mr. Dryden's Motto, though it should extend to picking of pockets". Names beftowed on Mr. DRYDEN. An APE.] A crafty Ape dreft up in a gawdy gown -Whips put into an Ape's paw, to play pranks with -None but Apifh and Papifh brats will heed him 7. An Ass.] A camel will take upon him no more burden than is fufficient for his ftrength, but there is another beaft that crouches under all ". A FROG.] Poet Squab endued with Poet Maro's Spirit! an ugly, croaking kind of Vermin, which would fwell to the bulk of an Ox 9. |
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