And now had Fame's pofterior Trumpet blown, And all the Nations fummon'd to the Throne. 72 The the old, who feel her inward fway, One instinct feizes, and tranfports away.

young,

REMARK S.

Not the ancient Phoebus, the God of Harmony, but a modern Phoebus of French extraction, married to the Princefs Galimathia, one of the handmaids of Dulnefs, and an affiftant to Opera. Of whom fee Bouhours, and other Critics of that nation. SCRIBL. P. *.

VER. 71. Fame's pofterior Trumpet] Pofterior, viz. her second or more certain Report: unlefs we imagine this word pofterior to relate to the pofition of one of her Trumpets, according to Hudibras:

"She blows not both with the fame Wind,
"But one before and one behind;

"And therefore modern Authors name
"One good, and t'other evil Fame."

P. *.

VER. 73. The young, the old, who feel her inward fway, &c.] In this new world of Dulnefs each of these three claffes hath its appointed station, as best fuits its nature, and concurs to the harmony of the System. The first, drawn only by the strong and fimple impulfe of Attraction, are reprefented as falling directly down into her; as conglobed into her fubftance, and resting in her centre,

"Hung to the Goddefs, and coher'd around."

The fecond, though within the sphere of her attraction, yet having at the fame time a projectile motion, are carried, by the compofition of these two, in planetary revolutions round her centre, fome nearer to it, fome further off:

"Who gently drawn, and struggling less and less,
"Roll in her Vortex, and her pow'r confefs."

The third are properly excentrical, and no conftant members of her ftate or fyftem: fometimes at an immenfe distance

None need a guide, by fure Attraction led, 75
And strong impulfive gravity of Head:
None want a place, for all their Centre found,
Hung to the Goddess, and coher'd around.
Not clofer, orb in orb, conglob'd are seen
The buzzing Bees about their dusky Queen. 80
The gath'ring number, as it moves along,
Involves a vast involuntary throng,

Who gently drawn, and struggling lefs and lefs,

Roll in her Vortex, and her pow'r confess.

REMARK S.

from her influence, and fometimes again almost on the fur face of her broad effulgence. Their ufe in their perihelion or nearest approach to Dulnefs, is the fame in the moral World, as that of Comets in the natural, namely to refresh and recreate the drynefs and decays of the fyftem; in the manner marked out from ver. 91 to 98.

*.

VER. 75. None need a guide,-None want a place,] The fons of Dulnefs want no inftructors in ftudy, nor guides in life: They are their own mafters in all Sciences, and their own Heralds and Introducers into all places.

P. *.

VER. 76 to 101.] It ought to be observed that here are three claffes in this affembly. The first of men abfolutely and avowedly dull, who naturally adhere to the Goddefs, and are reprefented in the fimile of the Bees about their Queen. The second involuntarily drawn to her, though not caring to own her influence; from ver. 8 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 setting up for wits, and men of taste in arts they understand not; from ver. 91 to 101. . P. *.

Not those alone who paffive own her laws,

85

But who, weak rebels, more advance her cause. Whate'er of dunce in College or in Town Sneers at another, in toupee or gown; Whate'er of mungril no one clafs admits,

A wit with dunces, and a dunce with wits. 90 Nor abfent they, no members of her state,

Who pay

her homage in her fons, the Great ;

REMARK S.

VER. 86. weak Rebels, more advance her caufe.] Those, who affect to oppofe 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 modest and reserved; and the falfe, forward and prefuming; and the Judge easily impofed upon; Fools get the rewards due to Genius. For as the Poet faid of one of thefe Patrons,

"Dryden, alone, (what wonder?) came not nigh,
"Dryden alone efcap'd this judging eye."

And thus, as he rightly observes, these weak Rebels unwit. tingly advance the cause of her they would be thought most to oppose. For while no rewards are given to letters, Genius will fupport itself on the footing of its own reputation. But an undue distribution of the rewards of Learning will entirely deprefs all 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 otherwise have won for itself. For, as the courfe of things is ordered, when reputations come into rivalship, that which follows favour and high station carries it away from that which rises on the fimple endowments of Wit and Learning. Hence we conclude, that unless the province of encouraging Letters be wifely and faithfully adminiftred, it were better for them that there were no encouragements at all,

1

Who falfe to Phoebus, bow the knee to Baal;
Or impious, preach his Word without a call.
Patrons, who sneak from living worth to dead,
With-hold the penfion, and fet up the head; 96

Or veft dull Flatt'ry in the facred Gown ;

Or give from fool to fool the Laurel crown.

And (last and worst) with all the cant of wit,
Without the foul, the Mufe's Hypocrit.

100

There march'd the bard and blockhead, fide
by fide,

Who rhym'd for hire, and patroniz'd for pride.
Narciffus, prais'd with all a Parfon's pow'r,
Look'd a white lilly funk beneath a show'r.
There mov'd Montalto with fuperior air;
His stretch'd-out arm display'd a Volume fair ;

REMARK S.

105

VER. 93. falfe to Phoebus] Spoken of the ancient and true Phoebus; not the French Phoebus, who hath no chofen Priests or Poets, but equally inspires any man that pleaseth to fing or preach. SCRIBL. P. *.

VER. 99, 100.

And (laft and worst) with all the cant of wit,
Without the foul, the Mufe's Hypocrit.]

In this divifion are reckoned up, 1. The Idolizers of Dul-
nefs in the Great-2. Ill Judges,-3. Ill Writers,—4. Ill
Patrons. But the laft and worst, as he justly calls him, is the
Mufe s Hypocrite, who is, as it were, the Epitome of them

He who thinks the only end of poetry is to amufe, and the only bufinefs of the poet to be witty; and confequently who cultivates only fuch trifling talents in himself, and encourages only fuch in others.

Courtiers and Patriots in two ranks divide,

Thro' both he pafs'd, and bow'd from fide to fide:

But as in graceful act, with awful eye

III

Compos'd he stood, bold Benson thrust him by :
On two unequal crutches propt
he came,
Milton's on this, on that one Johnston's name.
The decent Knight retir'd with fober rage,
Withdrew his hand, and clos'd the pompous page.
But (happy for him as the times went then) 115
Appear'd Apollo's May'r and Aldermen,
On whom three hundred gold-capt youths await,
Tolug the pond'rous volume off in state.

VARIATIONS.

VER. 114. "What! no refpect, he cry'd, for SHAKE"SPEAR'S page?"

REMARK S.

VER. 1C8. bow'd from fide to fide:] As being of no one party.

VER. 110. bold Benfon] 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 paffion for one Arthur Johnston, a Scotch phyfician's Verfion of the Pfalms, of which he printed. many fine Editions. See more of him, Look iii. ver. 325.

P.

VER. 113. The decent Knight] An eminent perfon, who was about to publish a very pompous Edition of a great Author at his own expence. P. *: