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character, and qualifications. On a sudden the scene shifts, and a vast number of miracles and prodigies appear, utterly surprising and unknown to the king himself, till they are explained to be the wonders of his own reign now commencing. On this subject Settle breaks into a congratulation, yet not unmixed with concern, that his own times were but the types of these. He prophesies how first the nation shall be over-run with farces, operas, and shows; how the throne of Dulness shall be advanced over the theatres, and set up even at court: then how her sons shall preside in the seats of arts and sciences; giving a glimpse, or Pisgah sight, of the future fulness of her glory, the accomplishment whereof is the subject of the fourth and last book.

BOOK III.

UT in her temple's last recess enclos'd,

BUT

On Dulness' lap th' anointed head repos'd. Him close she curtains round with vapours blue, And soft besprinkles with Cimmerian dew, Then raptures high the seat of sense o'erflow, Which only heads refia'd from reason know.

REMARKS.

Ver. 5, 6, &c.] Hereby is intimated that the following vision is no more than the chimera of the dreamer's brain, and not a real or intended satire on the present age, doubtless more learned, more enlightened, and more abounding with great geniuses in divinity, politics, and whatever arts and sciences, than all the preceding. For fear of any such mistake of our poet's honest meaning, he hath again, at the end of the vision, repeated this monition, saying,

Hence from the straw where Bedlam's prophet nods,
He hears loud oracles, and talks with gods:
Hence the fool's paradise, the statesman's scheme,”
The air-built castle, and the golden dream,
The maid's romantic wish, the chemist's flame,
And poet's vision of eternal fame.

And now on fancy's easy wing convey'd,
The king descending, views th' Elysian shade.
A slip-shod Sibyl led his steps along,
In lofty madness meditating song;

REMARKS.

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that it all passed through the ivory gate, which (ac cording to the ancients) denoteth falsity.

SCRIBL. How much the good Scriblerus was mistaken, may be seen from the fourth book, which, it is plain from hence, he had never seen. BENTL.

Ver. 15. A slip-shod sibyl] This allegory is extremely just, no confirmation of the mind so much subjecting it to real madness, as that which produces real dulness. Hence we find the religious (as well as the poetical) enthusiasts of all ages were ever, in their natural state, most heavy and lumpish; but on the least application of heat, they ran like lead, which of all metals falls quickest into fusion. Whereas fire in a genius is truly Promethean; it hurts not its constituent parts, but only fits it (as it does well-tempered steel) for the necessary impressions of art. But the common people have been taught (I do not know on what foundation) to regard lunacy as a mark of wit, just as the Turks and our modern methodists do of holiness. But if the cause of madness assigned by a great philosopher be true, it will unavoidably fall upon the dunces. He supposes it to be the dwelling over long on one object or idea. Now as this attention is occasioned either by grief or study, it will be fixed by dulness; which hath not quickness enough to comprehend what it seeks, nor

Her tresses staring from poetic dreams,
And never wash'd but in Castalia's streams,
Taylor, their better Charon, lends an oar,
(Once swan of Thames, though now he sings no

more).

Benlowes, propitious still to blockheads, bows;
And Shadwell nods, the poppy on his brows.
Here, in a dusky vale where Lethe rolls,
Old Bavius sits, to dip poetic souls,

REMARKS.

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force and vigour enough to divert the imagination from the object it laments.

Ver. 19. Taylor,] John Taylor, the water-poet, an honest man, who owns he learned not so much as the accidence: a rare example of modesty in a poet!

I must confess I do want eloquence,

And never scarce did learn my accidence:
For having got from possum to posset,

I there was gravell'd, could no farther get. He wrote fourscore books in the reign of James I. and Charles I. and afterwards (like Edward Ward} kept an ale-house in Long-acre. He died in 1654.

Ver. 21. Benlowes,] A country gentleman, famous for his own bad poetry, and for patronizing bad poets, as may be seen from many dedications of Quarles and others to him. Some of these anagramed his name Benlowes into Benevolus: to verify which, he spent his whole estate upon them.

Ver. 22. And Shadwell nods, the poppy, &c.] Shad. well took opium for many years; and died of too large a dose, in the year 1692.

Ver. 24. Old Bavius, sits,] Bavius was an ancient poet, celebrated by Virgil for the like causes as Bays by our author, though not in so Christianlike a manner for heathenishly it is declared by Virgil of Ba vius, that he ought to be hated and detested for his

And blunt the sense, and fit it for a skull
Of solid proof, impenetrably dull:

Instant, when dipt, away they wing their flight,
Where Brown and Meers unbar the gates of light,
Demand new bodies, and in calf's array,
Rush to the world, impatient for the day.
Millions and millions on these banks he views,
Thick as the stars of night, or morning dews,
As thick as bees o'er vernal blossoms fly,
As thick as eggs at Ward in pillory.

REMARKS.

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evil works; qui Bavium non odit: whereas we have often had occasion to observe our poet's great good-nature and mercifulness through the whole course of this poem.

SCRIBL.

Ver. 28. Brown and Meers] Booksellers, printers for any body.-The allegory of the souls of the dull coming forth in the form of books, dressed in calf's leather, and being let abroad in vast numbers by booksellers, is sufficiently intelligible.

Ver. 34. Ward in pillory.] John Ward, of Hack. ney, esq. member of parliament, being convicted of forgery, was first expelled the house, and then sentenced to the pillory on the 17th of February, 1727. Mr. Curll (having likewise stood there) looks upon the mention of such a gentleman in a satire, as a great act of barbarity, Key to the Dunc. 3d edit. p. 16. And another author reasons thus upon it: Dur gen, 8vo. p. 11, 12. How unworthy is it of Chris tian charity to animate the rabble to abuse a worthy man in such a situation! What could move the poet thus to mention a brave sufferer, a gallant pri. soner, exposed to the view of all mankind? It was laying aside his senses, it was committing a crime for which the law is deficient not to punish him! nay, a crime which man can scarce forgive, or time efface! nothing surely could have induced him to it but being bribed by a great lady,' &c. (to whom

Wond'ring he gaz'd: when, lo! a sage appears. By his broad shoulders known, and length of ears

REMARKS.

this brave, honest, worthy gentleman was guilty no offence but forgery, proved in open court). B it is evident, this verse could not be meant of him. it being notorious that no eggs were thrown at thi gentleman. Perhaps, therefore, it might be intend ed of Mr. Edward Ward, the poet, when he stood there.

Ver. 36. and length of ears,] This is a sophisti cated reading. I think I may venture to affirm ali the copyists are mistaken here: I believe I may say the same of the critics; Dennis, Oldmixon, Welsted, have passed it in silence. I have also stumbled at it, and wondered how an error so manifest could escape such accurate persons. I dare assert, it pro ceeded originally from the inadvertency of some transcriber, whose head ran on the pillory, mentioned two lines before; it is, therefore, amazing that Mr. Curll himself should overlook it! Yet that scholiast takes not the least notice hereof. That the learned Mist also read it thus, is plain from his ranging this passage among those in which our au thor was blamed for personal satire on a man's face (whereof doubtless he might take the ear to be a part); so likewise Concanen, Ralph, the Flying Post, and all the herd of commentators-Tota armenta sequuntur.

A very little sagacity (which all these gentlemen, therefore, wanted) will restore to us the true sense of the poet thus:

By his broad shoulders known, and length of

years.

See how easy a change; of one single letter! That Mr. Settle was old, is most certain; but he was (happily) a stranger to the pillory. This note is partly Mr. Theobald's, partly Scribl.

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