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Not to fearch too deeply into the reafon hereof, I will only obferve as a fact, that every week for these two months paft, the town has been perfecuted with pamphlets, advertisements, letters, and weekly effays, not only against the wit and writings, but against the character and perfon of Mr Pope. And that of all those men who have received pleasure from his works, which by modest computation may be about a hundred thousand in thefe kingdoms of England and Ireland; not to mention Jerfey, Guernsey, the

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There was published in thofe Mifcellanies, a Treatife of the Bathos, or Art of Sinking in Poetry, in which was a chapter, where the fpecies of bad writers were ranged in clafies, and initial letters of names prefixed, for the most part at random. But fuch was the Number of poets cm nent in that art, that fome one or other took every letter to himf f. All fell into fo violent a fury, that for half a year, or more, the common News-papers (in most of which they had fome property, as being hired writers) were filled with the moit abufive falfhoods and fcurrilities they could poffibly devife; a liberty no ways to be wondered at in thofe people, and in thofe papers, that, for many years, during the uncontrouled Licence of the prefs, had afperfed almost all the great characters of the age; and this with impunity, their own perfons and names being utterly fecret and obfcure. This gave Mr. Pope the thought, that he had now fome opportunity of doing good, by detecting and dragging into light these common Enemies of mankind; fince to invalidate this univerfal flander, it fufficed to fhew what contemptible men were the authors of it. He was not without hopes, that by manifefting the dulnefs of those who had only malice to recommend them; either the bookfellers would not find their account in employing them, or the men themselves, when discovered, want courage to proceed in fo unlawful an occupation. This it was that gave birth to the Dunciad; and he thought it an happiness, that by the late flood of flander on himself, he had aequired fuch a peculiar right over their Names as was neceffary to his defign.

Pamphlets, advertisements, &c.]ee the Lift of thofe anonymous papers, with their dates and authors annexed, inferted before the Poem.

About a bur dred thoufand] It is furprizing with what ftupidity this preface, which is almost a continued irony, was taken by thofe authors. All fuch paffages as thefe were understood by Curl, Cook, Cibber, and others, to be serious. Hear the Laureate (Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9.) "Though I grant the Dunciad a bet

ter poem of its kind than ever was writ; yet, when I read it "with those vain glorious encumbrances of Notes and Remarks

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Orcades, thofe in the new world, and foreigners who have tranflated him into their languages) of all this number not a man hath stood up to fay one word in his defence.

The only exception is the author of the following poem, who doubtlefs had either a better infight into the grounds of this clamour, or a better opinion of Mr. Pope's integrity, joined with a greater perfonal love for him, than any other of his numerous friends and admirers.

Farther, that he was in his peculiar intimacy, appears from the knowledge he manifefts of the most private authors of all the anonymous pieces against him, and from his hav ing in this poem attacked no man living, who had not before printed, or publifhed, fome fcandal against this gentleman.

How I came poffeft of it, is no concern to the reader; but it would have been a wrong to him had I detained the publication; fince thofe names which are its chief ornaments die off daily so fast, as must render it too foon unintelligible. If it provoke the author to give us a more perfect edition, I have my end.

Who he is I cannot fay, and (which is a great pity) there is certainly nothing in his ftyle and manner of writing, which can diftinguish or discover him: For if it bears any resemblance to that of Mr. Pope, 'tis not improbable but it might be done on purpose, with a view to have it pass for his. But by the frequency of his allufions to Virgil, and a laboured (not to fay affected) Shortness in imitation of him,

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upon it, &c.--it is amazing, that you, who have writ with "fuch masterly spirit upon the ruling Paffion, fhould be fo blind a "flave to your own, as not to fee how far a low avarice of Praife," &c. (taking it for granted that the notes of Scriblerus and others, were the author's own.)

The author of the following pcem, &c] A very plain irony,, fpeaking of Mr. Pepe himself.

The publisher in these words went a little too far: But it is certain whatever names the reader finds that are unknown to him, are of fuch; and the exception is only of two or three, whofe dulnefs, impudent fcurrili, or felf-conceit, all mankind agreed to have juffly entitled them to a place in the Dunciad.

There is certainly nothing in his ftyle, &c.] This irony had small effect in concealing the author. The Dunciad, imperfect as it was, had not been published two days, but the whole Town gave it to Mr. Pope.

I should think him more an admirer of the Roman poet than of the Grecian, and in that not of the fame taste with his friend.

I have been well informed, that this work was the labour of full fix years of his life, and that he wholly retired himfelf from all the avocations and pleafures of the world, to attend diligently to its correction and perfection; and fix years more he intended to bestow upon it, as it should seem by this verfe of Statius, which was cited at the head of his manufcript,

Oh mihi biffenas multum vigilata per annos,

Dunia biffenos

Hence alfo we learn the true title of the poem; which with the fame certainty as we call that of Homer the Iliad, of Virgil the Æneid, of Camocns the Lufiad, we may pronounce, could have been, and can be no other than

The DUNCIA D.

It is ftyled Heroic, as being doubly fo; not only with refpect to its nature, which, according to the beft rules of the ancients, and ftrictest ideas of the moderns, is critically fuch; but alfo with regard to the heroical difpofition and high courage of the writer, who dared to ftir up fuch a formidable, irritable, and implacable race of mortals.

There may arise fome obfcurity in chronology from the Names in the poem, by the inevitable removal of fome

8 The labour of full fix years, &c.] This alfo was honestly and feriously believed by divers gentlemen of the Dunciad. J. Ralph, pref. to Sawney: "We are told it was the labour of fix years,

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with the utmoft affiduity and application: It is no great compliment to the author's fenfe, to have employed fo large a part of "his life," &c. So alfo Ward, pref. to Durgen: The Dunciad, "as the publisher very wifely confeffes, coft the author fix years "retirement from all the pleafures of life; though it is somewhat "difficult to conceive, from either its bulk or beauty, that it could "be fo long in hatching, &c. But the length of time and clofeness "of application were mentioned to prepoffefs the reader with a good "opinion of it."

They just as well understood what Scriblerus faid of the Poem. The prefacer to Curl's Key, p. 3. took this word to be really in Statius: 66 By a quibble on the word Duncia, the Dunciad is "formed." Mr. Ward alfo follows him in the fame opinion.

For who

authors, and infertion of others, in their niches. ever will confider the unity of the whole defign, will be fenfible, that the poem was not made for these authors, but thefe authors for the poem. I fhould judge that they were clapped in as they rofe, fresh and fresh, and changed from day to day; in like manner as when the old boughs wither, we thrust new ones into a chimney.

I would not have the reader too much troubled or anxious, if he cannot decypher them; fince when he fhall have found them out, he will probably know no more of the perfons than before.

Yet we judged it better to preferve them as they are, than to change them for fictitious names; by which the fatire would only be multiplied, and applied to many instead of one. Had the Hero, for inftance, been called Codrus, how many would have affirmed him to have been Mr. T. Mr. E. Sir R. B. &c. but now all that unjust scandal is faved by calling him by a name, which by good luck happens to be that of a real perfon.

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II.

A LIST of

BOOKS, PAPERS, and VERSES, In which our Author was abused, before the Publication of the DUNCIAD; with the true Names of the Authors.

EFLECTIONS critical and fatyrical on a late Rhapfody, called An Effay on Criticifm. By Mr. Dennis, printed by B. Lintot, price 6 d.

A New Rehearfal, or Bays the younger; containing an Examen of Mr. Rowe's plays, and a word or two on Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock. Anon. [by Charles Gildon] printed for J. Roberts, 1714, price 1 s.

Homerides, or a Letter to intended tranflation of Homer.

Mr. Pope, occafioned by his
By Sir Iliad Dogrel [Tho.

Burnet and G. Ducket efquires] printed for W. Wilkins, 1715, price 9 d.

Alop at the Bear-garden; a vision, in imitation of the Temple of Fame, by Mr. Preston. Sold by John Morphew, 1715, price 6 d.

The Catholic Poet, or Proteftant Barnaby's Sorrowful Lamentation; a Ballad about Homer's Iliad. By Mrs. Centlivre, and others, 1715, price 1 d.

An Epilogue to a Puppet-fhew at Bath, concerning the faid Iliad. By George Ducket efq. printed by E. Curl.

A complete Key to the What d'ye call it. Anon. [by Griffin a player, fupervised by Mr. Th-] printed by J. Roberts, 1715.

A true Character of Mr. P. and his writings, in a letter to a friend. Anon. [Dennis] printed for S. Popping, 1716,

price 3 d.

The Confederates, a Farce. By Jofeph Gay [J. D. Breval] printed for R Burleigh, 1717, price 1 s.

Remarks upon Mr. Pope's translation of Homer; with two letters concerning the Windfor Foreft, and the Temple of Fame. By Mr. Dennis, printed for E. Curl, 1717, price I s. 6 d.

Satires on the tranflators of Homer, Mr. P. and Mr. T. Anon. [Bez. Morris] 1717, price 6d.

The Triumvirate; or, a Letter from Palæmon to Celia at Bath. Anon. [Leonard Welfted] 1711, folio, price I s. The Battle of Poets; an heroic poem. By Tho. Cooke, printed for J. Roberts, Folio, 1725.

Memoirs of Lilliput. Anon. [Eliza Haywood] octavo, printed in 1727.

An Effay on Criticifm, in profe. By the Author of the Critical History of England [J. Oldmixon] octavo, printed 1728.

Gulliveriana and Alexandriana; with an ample preface and critique on Swift and Pope's Mifcellanies. By Jonathan Smedley, printed by J. Roberts, octavo, 1728.

Characters of the Times; or, an account of the writings, characters, &c. of several gentlemen libelled by S- and P—, in a late Miscellany, octavo, 1728.

Remarks on Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock, in letters to a friend. By Mr. Dennis'; written in 1724, though not printed till 1728, octavo.

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