All gaze with ardour: Some a Poet's name, Others a fword-knot and lac'd fuit inflame. REMARKS. But lofty Lintot in the circle rofe: Fear held them mute. Alone, untaught to fear, "and fay nothing." The honest man did fo, but Stood dauntless Curll; "Behold that rival here! the other cried out, "See, gentlemen, what a thief "The race by vigour, not by vaunts, is won; "we have among us! look, he is stealing my hand-"So take the hindmost, Hell," (he faid) and "kerchief!" Some time before, he had borrowed of Dr. Arbuthnot a paper called an Hiftorico-phy fical account of the South Sea; and of Mr. Pope the memoirs of a Parish Clerk, which for two years he kept, and read to the Rev. Dr. Young; F. Billers, Eiq; and many others, as his own Being applied to for them, he pretended they were loft; but there happening to be another copy of the letter, it came out in Swift's and Pope's Mifcellanies. Upon this, it feems, he was fo far mistaken as to confefs his proceedings by an endeavour to hide it: unguardedly printing (in the Daily Journal of April 3, 1728.) "That the " contempt which he and others had for thofe pieces," (which only himself had fhewn, and handed about as his own) occafioned their being loft, and for that caufe only not returned." A fact, of which as none but he could be confcious, none but he could be the publisher of it. The plagiarifms of this perfon gave occafion to the following Epigram: "Moore always fmiles whenever he recites; "He fmiles (you think) approving what he writes. "And yet in this no vanity is shown ; "A modeft man may like what's not his own," This young Gentleman's whole misfortune was too inordinate a paffion to be thought a Wit. Here is a very strong inftance attefted by Mr. Savage, fon of the late Earl Rivers; who having fhewn fome verfes of his in manufcript to Mr. Moore, wherein Mr. Pope was called first of the tuneful train, Mr. Moore the next morning fent to Mr. Savage to defire him to give thofe verfes another turn, to wit, "That Pope "might now be the first, because Moore had left "him unrivalled, in turning his ftyle to Comedy." This was during the rehearfal of the Rival Modes, his first and only work; the town condemned it in the action, but he printed it in 1726-7, with this modeft Motto: "Hic cæftus, artemque repono." The fmaller pieces which we have heard attributed to this author are an Epigram on the Bridge at Blenheim, by Dr. Evans: Cofmelia, by Mr. Pit, Mr. Jones, &c. The Mock-Marriage of a mad Divine, with a Cl. for a Parfon, by Dr. W. The Saw-Pit, a Simile, by a Friend. Certain Phyfical works on Sir James Baker; and fome unowned Letters, AdVertifements, and Epigrams againit our author in the Daily Journal. Notwithstanding what is here collected of the Perfon imagined by Curll to be meant in this place, we cannot be of that opinion; fince our Poet had certainly no need of vindicating half a dozen verfes to himself, which every reader had done for him; fince the name itself is not spelled Moore, but More; and run. REMARKS. 60 lastly, fince the learned Scriblerus has fo well proved the contrary. Ver. 50. the phantom More.] It appears from hence, that this is not the name of a real person, but fictitious. More fromμgo, tultus, open, ftultitia, to reprefent the folly of a plagiary. Thus Erafmus, "Admonuit me Mori cognomen tib, quod tam ad Moriæ vocabulum accedit quam es iple a re alie"nus." Dedication of Moriæ Encomium to Sir Tho. More; the farewell of which may be our author's to his plagiary, Vale, More! et moriam tuam gnaviter defende. Adieu! More! and be sure SCRIB. ftrongly to defend thy own folly. Ver. 53. But lofty Lintot] We enter here upon the epifode of the Bookfellers; Persons whose names being more known and famous in the learned world than thofe of the authors in this poem, do therefore need lefs explanation. The action of Mr. Lintot here imitates that of Dares in Virgil, rifing juft in this manner to lay hold on a Bull. This eminent Bookfeller printed the Rival Modes before-mentioned.. Ver. 58. Stood dauntless Curll;] We come now to a character of much respect, that of Mr. Edmund Curll. As a plain repetition of great actions is the beft praise of them, we fhall only fay of this eminent man, that he carried the trade many lengths beyond what it ever before had arrived at; and that he was the envy and admiration of all his profeffion. He poffeffed himself of a command over all authors whatever; he caufed them to write what he pleafed ; they could not call their very Names their own. He was not only famous among thefe; he was taken notice of by the State, the Church, and the Law, and received particular marks of distinction from each. It will be owned that he is here introduced with all poffible dignity: He fpeaks like the intrepid. Diomede; he runs like the fwift-footed Achilles; if he falls, 'tis like the beloved Nifus; and (what Homer makes to be the chief of all praifes) he is favoured of the Gods; he fays but three words, and his prayer is heard: a Goddefs conveys it to the feat of Jupiter: Though he lofes the prize, he gains the victory; the great Mother hertelf comforts him, the infpires him with expedients, the honours him with an immortal prefent (fuch as Achilles receives from Thetis, and Eneas from Venus), at once inftructive and prophetical: Anter this he is unrivalled, and triumphant. The tribute our author here pays him is a grateful return for feveral unmerited obligations: Many weighty animadverfions on the public affairs, and many excellent and diverting pieces on private perfons, has he given to his name. Irever Le ownd Swift as a Bard the Bailiff leaves behind, 70 (Such was her wont, at early dawn to drop Obfcene with filth the Mifcreant lies bewray'd, 75 Hear, Jove! whofe name my barus and I adore, REMARKS. $5 90 two veríes to any other, he owed Mr. Carl fome thoufands. He was every day extending his fame, and enlarging his Writings: Witnefs innumerable inftances; but it shall fuffice only to mention the Court Poems, which he meant to publish as the work of the true writer, a Lady of quality; but being first threatened, and afterwards punished for it by Mr. Pope, he generously transferred it from her to him, and ever fince printed it in his name. The ngle time that ever he spoke to C. was on that affair, and to that happy incident he owed all the favour fince received from him: So true is the faying of Dr. Sydenham, that any one fhall be, at fome time or other, the better or the worfe, for having but "feen or spoken to a good or bad man." Amus'd he reads, and then returns the bills prayer, 100 And plac'd it next hin, a diftinction rare! And now the Victor ftretch'd his eager hand REMARKS, Ver. 101. Where, as he fifh'd, &c.] See the preface to Swift's and Pope's Mifc-llanies. Ver. 116. Evans, Young, and Swift.] Some of thofe perfons, whose writings, epigrams, or jefts he had owned. See note on ver. 50. Ver. 118. an unpay'd Taylor This line has been loudly complained of in Mitt, June 8, Dedic. to Sawney, and others, as a most inhuman fatile on the poverty of Poets: But it is thought our author will be acquitted by a jury of Taylors. To me this inftance feems unluckily chofen; if it be a fatire on any body, it must be on a bad paymafter, fince Ver. 70. Curli's Corinna] This name, it feems, the perfon to whom they have here applied it, was was taken by one Mrs. Thomas, who procured fome a man of fortune. Not but Poets may well be jeaprivate letters of M. Pope, while almoft a boy, te lous of fo great a prerogative as non-payment; which Mr. Cromwell, and fold them without the confent Mr. Dennis fo far afferts, as boldly to pronounce, of either of thofe Gentlemen to Curll, who printed that if Homer himfelf was not in debt, it was them in 12mo, 1727. He discovered her to be the becaufe nobody would trust him." Pref to Rem. publisher, in his Key, p. 11. We only take this on the Rape of the Lock, p. 15. opportunity of mentioning the manner in which those Ver. 124. like Congreve, Addifon, and Prior ;] letters got abroad, which the author was ashamed of These authors being fuch whose names will reach as very trivial things, full not only of levities, but of pofterity, we fhall not give any account of them, but wrong judgments or men and books, and only excuf-proceed to thofe of whom it is neceffary.-Befaleel able from the youth and inexperience of the writer. Ver. 82. Down with the Bible, up with the Pope's Arms.] The Bible, Curll's fign; the Crofskeys, Lintot's. Morris was author of fome fatires on the tranflators of Homer, with many other things printed in newspapers Bond writ a fatire against Mr. P Capt. Breval was author of The Confederates, Meers, Warner, Wilkins, run: delufive thought! 125 Breval, Bond, Befaleel, the varlets caught. REMARKS. 134 Paris "an ingenious dramatic performance to expofe Mr. "P. Mr. Gay, Dr. Arb. and fome ladies of qua"fity," fays CURLL, Key, p. 11. Ver. 125. Mears, Wainer, Walkins] Bookfel. lers, and Printers of much anonymous ftuff. Ver. 126. Breval, Bond, Befaleel,] I forefee it will be objected from this line, that we were in an error in our affertion on ver. 50. of this book, that More was a fictitious name, fince thofe perfons are equally reprefented by the poet as phantoms. So at first fight it may be feen; but be not deceived, reader; thefe a'fo are not real perfons. 'Tis true Curll declares Breval, a Captain, author of a piece called the Confederates; but the fame Curll firft faid it was written by Jofeph Gay: Is his fecond affertion to be credited any more than his first? He likewife affirms Bond to be one who writ a fatire on our poet: But where is fuch a fatire to be found? where was fuch a writer ever head of? As for Befaleel, it carries forgery in the very name; nor is it, as the others are, a furname. Thou may'it depend upon it, no fuch authors ever lived; all phanSCRIBL. toms. Ver. 128. Jofeph Gay, a fictitious name put by Curll before feveral pamphlets, which made them pafs with many for Mr. Gay's-The ambiguity of the word Jofeph, which likewife fignifies a loofe upper-coat, gives much pleasantry to the idea. Ver. 132. And turn this whole illufion on the town:] It was a common practice of this bookfeller to publish vile pieces of obfcure hands under the names of eminent Authors. Ver. 138. Cook fhall be Prior,] The man here fpecified writ a thing called The Battle of the Poets, in which Philips and Welfted were the Heroes, and Swift and Pope utterly routed. He also published fome malevolent things in the Britif, London, and Daily Journals; and at the fame time wrote letters to Mr. Pope, protesting his Innocence. His chief work was a tranflation of Hefiod, to which Theobald writ notes and half notes, which he carefully owned. Ver. 138. and Concanen, Swift:] In the firft edition of this poem there were only afterifks in this place, but the names were fince inferted, merely to fill up the yerfe, and give cafe to the ear of the reader. Ver. 140. And we too boaft our Garth and Addifon.] Nothing is more remarkable than our author's love of praifing good writers. He has in this very poem celebrated Mr. Locke, Sir Ifaac Newton, Dr. Barrow, Dr. Atterbury, Mr. Dryden, Mr. Congreve, Dr. Garth, Mr. Addifon; in a word, almost every man of his time that deferved it; even Cibber himself (prefuming him to be the author of the Careless Hufband). it was very difficult to have that pleasure in a poem on this fubject, yet he has found means to infert their panegyric, and has made even Duinefs out of her own mouth pronounce it. It must have been particularly agreeable to him to celebrate Dr. Garth; both as his conftant friend, and as he was his predeceffor in this kind of fatire. The Difperfry attacked the whole body of Apothecaries, a much more useful one undoubtedly than that of the bad Poets; if in truth, this can be a body, of which no two members ever agreed. It alfo did, what Mr. Theobald fays is unpardonable, draw in parts of private character, and introduced perfons independent of his fubject. Much more would Boileau have incurred his cenfure, who left all fubjects whatever, on all occafions, to fall upon the bad poets (which, it is to be feared, would have been more immediately his concern.) But certainly next to commending good writers, the greatest fervice to learning is to expofe the bad, who can only that way be made of any ufe to it. This truth is very well fet forth in thefe lines addreffed to our author. "The craven Rook, and pert Jack law, "(Though neither birds of moral kind) "Yet ferve, if hang'd, or fluff'd with straw, "To fhow us which way blows the wind. Thus dirty knaves, or chattering fcols, "Strung up by dozers in thy lay, "Teach more by half than Dennis' rules, "And point instruction every way. "With Ægypt's art thy pen may strive: "One potent drop let this but fhed, "And every Rogue that stunk alive, "Becomes a precious Mummy dead." Ver. 142. rueful length of face] "The decre"pid perfon or figure of a man are no reflections upon his Genius: An honeft mind will love and esteem a man of worth, though he be deformed or poor. Yet the author of the Dunciad hath libelled a perfon for his rueful length of face!" Mift's Journal, June 8. This Genius and man of worth, whom an honeft mind should love, is Mr. Curll. True it is, he flood on the pillory, an incident which will lengthen the face of any man, though it were ever fo comely, therefore is no reflection on the natural beauty of Mr. Curll. But as to re A fhaggy Tapestry, worthy to be fpread, REMARKS. flections on any man's face or figure, Mr. Dennis faith excellently; "Natural deformity comes not by our fault; it is often occafioned by calamities and difeafes, which a man can no more help "than a monster can help his deformity. There is no one misfortune, and no one difeafe, but "what all the reft of mankind are fubject to. But the deformity of this Author is vifible, prefent, lafting, unalterable, and peculiar to himfelf. it is the mark of God and Nature upon him, to give us warning that we should hold no fociety with him, as a creature not of our original, nor of our fpecies: and they who have <refused to take this warning which God and Na<ture has given them, and have, in spite of it, by a fenfelefs prefumption, ventured to be familiar with him, have feverely fuffered, &c. "It is certain his original is not from Adam, but "from the Devil, &c." DENNIS, character of Mr. P. octavo, 1716. Ver. 143. A fhaggy Tapeftry,] A forry kind of Tapestry frequent in old Inns, made of worfted or fome coarfer ftuff; like that which is spoken of by Donne-Faces as frightful as theirs who whipt Chrift in old hangings This imagery woven in it alludes to the mantle of Cleanthus, in n. v. Ver. 144 John Dunton was a broken bookfeller, and abufive fcribbler; he writ Neck or Nothing, a violent fatire on fome minifters of state; a libel on the Duke of Devonshire and the Bishop of Peter borough, &c. Admirably it is obferved by Mr. Dennis against Mr. Law, p. 33. "That the language of Billingfgate can never be the language of charity, nor confequently of Christianity." I should elfe be tempted to use the language of a Critic; for what is more provoking to a commentator than to behold his author thus pourtrayed? Yet I confider it really hurts not him! whereas to call fome others dull, might do them prejudice with a world too apt to believe it: Therefore, though Mr D. may call another a little afs or a young toad, far be it from us to call him a Ver. 148. And Tutchin flagrant from the fcourge] toothlefs lion or an old ferpent. Indeed, had John Tutchin, author of fome vile verfes, and of written these notes (as was once my intent) in the a weekly paper called the Observator: He was ferlearned language, I might have given him the ap-tenced to be whipped through feveral towns in the pellation of baiatro, calceatum caput, fcurra in west of England, upon which he petitioned King triviis, being phrafes in good efteeni and frequent James II. to be hanged. When that prince died in ufage among the beft learned: But in our mother-exile, he wrote an invective against his memory, octongue, were I to tax any gentleman of the Dun-cafioned by fome humane elegies on his death. He ciad, furely it should be in words not to the vulgar lived to the time of Queen Anne. intelligible; whereby chriftian charity, decency, and good accord among authors might be preferved. SCRIBL. The good Scriblerus here, as on all occafions, eminently fhews his humanity. But it was far otherwife with the gentlemen of the Dunciad, whofe fcurrilities were always perfonal, and of that nature which provoked every honeft man but Mr. Pope; yet never to be lamented, fince they occafioned the following amiable Verses: "While Malice, Pope, denies thy page "Its own celeftial fire; While Critics, and while Bards in rage, "While wayward pens thy worth affail, Ver. 149. There Ridpath, Roper,] Authors of the Flying-poft and Poft-boy, two fcandalous pa pers on different fides, for which they equally and alternately deferved to be cudgelled, and were fo. Ver. 151. Himself among the story'd chiefs he fpies,] The hiftory of Curll's being toffed in a blanket, and whipped by the fcholars of Weftminster, is well known. Of his purging and vo miting, fee A full and true account of a horrid Revenge on the body of Edm. Curll, &c. in Swift and Pope's Mifcellanies. Ver. 157. See in the circle next Eliza plac'd,] In this game is expofed, in the most contemptuous manner, the profligate licentiousness of those shame. lefs fcribblers (for the most part of that sex which ought leaft to be capable of such malice or impudence) who, in libellous Memoirs and Novels, reveal the faults or misfortunes of both sexes, to the ruin of public fame, or difturbance of private happiness. Our good poet (by the whole cast of his work being 160 Fair as before her works fhe ftands confefs'd, 175 First Ofborne lean'd against his letter'd pofta 165 Ofborne and Curll accept the glorious ftrife, REMARES. obliged not to take off the Irony) where he could not Ver. 160. Kirkall,] the name of an Engraver. Some of this Lady's works were printed in four volumes in 12mo, with her picture thus dreffed up before them. Ver. 167. Ofborne, Thomas] A bookfeller in Gray's-Inn, very well qualified by his impudence to act this part; therefore placed here instead of a lefs deferving predeceffor. [Chapman, the publither of Mrs; Haywood's New Utopia, &c. This man publifhed advertisements for a year together, pretending to fell Mr. Pope's Subfcription books of Homer's Iliad at half the price: Of which book he had none, but cut to the fize of them (which was Quarto) the common books in folio, without Copper-plates, on a worse paper, and never above half the value. Upon this advertisement the Gazetteer harangued thus, July 6, 1739, "How melancholy must it be to a Writer to be fo unhappy as to fee his "works hawked for fale in a manner fo fatal to his "fame! How, with honour to yourself, and jus❝tice to your Subfcribers, can this be done! "What an Ingratitude to be charged on the Only "" honest Poet that lived in 1738! and than whom "Virtue has not had a fhriller Trumpeter for many ages! That you were once generally admired and esteemed, can be denied by none; but that and your works are now defpifed, is verified you by this fact:" which being utterly falfe, did *not indeed much humble the Author, but drew this just chastisement on the Bookfeller, VOL. VI. Through half the heavens he pours th' exalted urn; Swift as it mounts, all follow with their eyes: 185 195 He chinks his purfe, and takes his feat of state REMARKS. Ver. 183. Through half the heavens he pours th' exalted urn;] In a manufcript Dunciad (where are fome marginal corrections of fome gentlemen fome time deceased) I have found another reading of thefe lines: thus, "And lifts his ura, through half the heavens to flow; "His rapid waters in their paffage glow." This I cannot but think the right: For, firft, the difference between burn and glow may feem not very material to others, to me I confefs the latter has an elegance a je nefcay qouy, which is much eafiet to be conceived than explained. Secondly, every reader of our poet must have obferved how frequently he uses this word glow in other parts of his works: To inftance only in his Homer: (1.) Iliad ix. ver. 726-With one refentment glows. (2) Iliad xi. ver. 626-There the battle glows. (4.) Iliad xf. ver. 45.Encompais`d Hector (6.) Iliad xviii. ver. 591.-Another part glow'd |