body, by the hands of Silenus; and then admitted to taste the cup of the Magus, her high priest, which causes a total oblivion of all obligations, divine, civil, moral, or rational. To these her adepts she sends priests, attendants, and comforters, of various kinds; confers on them orders and degrees and then dismissing them with a speech, confirming to each his privileges and telling what she expects from each, concludes with a yawn of extraordinary virtue; the progress and effects whereof on all orders of men, and the consummation of all, in the restoration of Night and Chaos, conclude the poem. YET, yet a moment, one dim ray of light Now flamed the dog-star's unpropitious ray, She mounts the throne: her head a cloud conceal'd, In broad effulgence all below reveal'd, ('Tis thus aspiring Dulness ever shines) Soft on her lap her laureate son reclines. Beneath her foot-stool, Science groans in chains, And Wit dreads exile, penalties and pains. Too mad for mere material chains to bind, There to her heart sad Tragedy addrest And promised vengeance on a barbarous age. Nor could'st thou, Chesterfield! a tear refuse, She tripp'd and laugh'd, too pretty much to stand; O cara! cara! silence all that train: The The gathering number, as it moves along, Who gently drawn, and struggling less and less, Nor absent they, no members of her state, There march'd the bard and blockhead, side by side, Who rhymed for hire, and patronised for pride. Narcissus, praised with all a parson's power, Look'd a white lily sunk beneath a shower. There moved Montalto with superior air; His stretch'd-out arm display'd a volume fair ; Courtiers and patriots in two ranks divide, Through both he pass'd, and bow'd from side to side: Composed he stood, bold Benson i thrust him by : Withdrew his hand, and closed the pompous page. iThis man endeavoured to raise himself to fame by erecting monuments, striking coins, setting up heads, and procuring translations, of Milton; and afterwards by a great passion for Arthur Johnston, a Scotch physician's version of the Psalms, of which he printed many fine editions. See more of him, Book III. ver. 325. J An eminent person, who was about to publish a very pompous edition of a great author, at his own expense. See Christians, Jews, one heavy sabbath keep, Lo! Rome herself, proud mistress now no more Men bearded, bald, cowl'd, uncowl'd, shod, unshod, A strong instance of this pious rage is placed to Pope Gregory's account. John of Salisbury gives a very odd encomium of this Pope, at the same time that he mentions one of the strangest effects of this excess of zeal in him: Doctor sanctissimus ille Gregorius, qui melleo prædicationis imbre totam rigavit et inebriavit ecclesiam; non modo Mathesin jussit ab aula, sed, ut traditur a majoribus, incendio dedit probatæ lectionis scripta, Palatinus quæcunque tenebat Apollo. And in another place: Fertur beatus Gregorius bibliothecam combussisse gentilem ; quo divinæ paginæ gratior esset locus, et major authoritas, et diligentia studiosior. Desiderius, Archbishop of Vienna, was sharply reproved by him for teaching grammar and literature, and explaining the poets; because (says this Pope) In uno se ore cum Jovis laudibus Christi laudes non capiunt: Et quam grave nefandumque sit Episcopis canere quod nec Laico religioso conveniat, ipse considera. He is said, among the rest, to have burned Livy; Quia in superstitionibus et sacris Romanorum perpetuo versatur. The same Pope is accused by Vossius, and others, of having caused the noble monuments of the old Roman magnificence to be destroyed, lest those who came to Rome should give more attention to triumphal arches, &c. than to holy things.-BAYLE, Dict. • After the government of Rome devolved to the Popes, their zeal was for some time exerted in demolishing the heathen temples and statues, so that the Goths scarce destroyed more monuments of antiquity out of rage, than these out of devotion. At length they spared some of the temples, by converting them to churches; and some of the statues, by modifying them into images of saints. In much later times, it was thought necessary to change the statues of Apollo and Pallas, on the tomb of Sannazarius, into David and Judith; the lyre easily became a harp, and the Gorgon's head turned to that of Holofernes. P Wars in England anciently, about the right time of celebrating Easter. Et fortunatam, si nunquam armenta fuissent.-VIRG. Ecl. vi. Placed at the door of learning, youth to guide, O (cried the goddess ') for some pedant reign! • This circumstance of the Genius Loci (with that of the index-hand before) seems to be an allusion to the Table of Cebes, where the Genius of Human Nature points out the road to be pursued by those entering into life. Ὁ δὲ γέρων ὁ ἄνω ἑστηκὼς, ἔχων χάρτην τινὰ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ, καὶ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ ὥσπερ δεικνύων, τι, οὗτος Δαίμων καλεῖται, δε. P By obliging them to get the classic poets by heart, which furnishes them with endless matter for conversation, and verbal amusement for their whole lives. For youth being used like pack-horses and beaten on under a heavy load of words, lest they should tire, their instructors contrive to make the words jingle in rhyme or metre. r Westminster Hall and the House of Commons. • Viz. an epigram. The famous Dr. South declared a perfect epigram to be as difficult a performance as an epic poem. And the critics say, "an epic poem is the greatest work human nature is capable of." The matter under debate is how to confine men to words for life. The instructors of youth show how well they do their parts; but complain that when men come into the world they are apt to forget their learning, and turn themselves to useful knowledge. This was an evil that wanted to be redressed. And this the Goddess assures them will need a more extensive tyranny than that of grammar schools. She therefore points out to them the remedy, in her wishes for arbitrary power; whose interest it being to keep men from the study of things, will encourage the propagation of words and sounds; and to make all sure, she wishes for another pedant monarch. The sooner to obtain so great a blessing, she is willing even for once to violate the fundamental principle of her politics, in |