VI. ADVERTISEMENT Printed in the JOURNALS, 1730. Whereas, upon occafion of certain Pieces rela ting to the Gentlemen of the Dunciad, fome have been willing to fuggeft, as if they looked upon them as an abuse: we can do no less than own, it is our opinion, that to call thefe Gentlemen bad authors is no fort of abuse, but a great truth. We cannot alter this opinion without some reason; but we promise to do it in respect to every person who thinks it an injury to be represented as no Wit, or Poet, provided he procures a Certificate of his being really fuch, from any three of his companions in the Dunciad, or from Mr Dennis fingly, who is esteemed equal to any three 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, RELIG 10 N, Μ' MORALS. R Dryden is a mere renegado from monarchy, poetry, and good sense 2. A true republican fon of monarchical Church . A republican Atheist ©. Dryden was from the beginning an ἀλλοπρόσαλλος, and I doubt not will continue fo the last d. In the Poem called Abfalom and Achitophel are notoriously 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, yea of MAJESTY itself e He looks upon God's Gospel as a foollfh fable, like a Milbourn on Dryden's Virgil, 8vo. 1698. p. 6. b Pag. 38. c Pag. 192. d Pag. 8. e Whip and Key, 4to. printed for R. Janeway, 1682. Preface. 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, MORAL S. M 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 b. Pope, as a Papist, must be a tory and high flyer. He is both a whig and toryd. He hath made it his cuftom to cackle to more than one party in their own fentiments e. In his Mifcellanies, the Perfons abufed are, The KING, the QUEEN, His late MAJESTY, both Houses of PARLIAMENT, the Privy Council, the Bench of BISHOPS, the Eftablifh'd CHURCH, the prefent MI a Dennis's Rem. on the the Rape of the Lock, Pref. P. xii. b Dunciad diff &ted. c Preface to Gulliveriana. d Dennis, Character of Mr P. e Theobald, Letter in Mift's Journal, June 22. 1728. most unWith as the Pope, to whom he is a pitiful purveyor f. His very christianity may be queftioned 8. He ought to expect more feverity than other men, as he is merciful in his own reflections on others h. good a right as his Holiness, he fets up for poetical infallibility. Mr DKYDEN only a Verfifier. His whole Libel is all bad matter, beautified (which is all that can be faid of it) with good metre k. 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 1. 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 m; and none but fuch unthinking Vermin admire his Tranflator ". It is true, soft and eafy lines might become Ovid's Epiftles or Art or Love-But Virgil, who is all great and majeftic, &c. requires ftrength of lines, weight of words, and clofenefs of expreffions; not an ambling Mufe running on Carpet ground, and fhod as lightly as a Newmarket f Ibid. g Milbourn, p. 9. Ibid. p. 175. i Pag. 39. 1 Oldmixon, Effay on Criticiím, p. 84. m Milbourn, p 2. NISTRY, &c. To make Senfe of fome paffages, they must be construed into ROYAL SCANDALf. He is a Popish Rhymefter, bred up with a contempt of the Sacred Writings %. His Religion allows him to destroy Herteicks, not only with his pen, but with fire and fword; and fuch were all those unhappy Wits whom he facrificed to his accurfed Popish Principles. It deferved Vengeance to fuggeft, that Mr Pope had lefs Infallibity than his Namefake at 'Rome i. Mr POPE only a Verfifier. The fmooth numbers of the Dunciad are all that recommend it, nor has it any other merit k. It must be owned that he hath got a notable knack of rhyming and writing fmooth verfe 1. 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 m. He has no Admirers among thofe that can distinguish, discern, and judge n. f Lift, at the end of a Collection of Verfes, Letters, Advertisements, 8vo. Printed for A. Moore, 1728, and the Preface to it, p 6. 1 Character of Mr P. and Dennis's Remarks on Ho- Dennis on Hom. mer, p. 27. m Dennis's Rem on Pope's h Preface to Gulliveriana, Homer, p. 12. P. 11. i Dedication to the Collec |