"of his genius and excellencies, that, notwithstanding "he profeffes a veneration almoft rifing to idolatry for the writings of this inimitable Poet, he would "be very loath even to do him juftice at the expence " of that other gentleman's character."* MR. CHARLES GILDON, after having violently attacked him in many pieces, at laft came to with from his heart, "That Mr. Pope "would be prevailed upon to give us Ovid's Epiftles by his hand; for it is certain we see the original of "Sappho to Phaon with much more life and likeness " in his verfion than in that of Sir Car Scrope. And "this (he adds) is the more to be wifhed, because in "the English tongue we have scarce any thing truly "and naturally written upon Love." He also, in taxing Sir Richard Blackmore for his heterodox opinions of Homer, challenges him to anfwer what Mr. Pope hath faid in his preface to that poet. MR. OLDMIXON calls him a great mafter of our tongue; declares "The "purity and perfection of the English Language to be "found in his Homer; and, faying there are more "good verfes in Dryden's Virgil than in any other "work, excepts this of our Author only."‡ The Author of a Letter to Mr. Cibber fays, "Pope was fo good a verlifier [once] that his predeceffor, Mr. Dryden, and his contemporary, "Mr. Prior, excepted, the harmony of his numbers is "equal to any body's; and that he had all the merit "that a man can have that way." And MR. THOMAS COOKE, after much blemishing our Author's Homer, crieth out, "But * Introduction to Shakespeare Reftored, in quarto, p. 3. + Commentary on the Duke of Buckingham's Effay, 8vo. 1721, p.97, 98. In his Profe Effay on Criticiiin. Printed by J. Roberts, 1742, p. 11. But in his other works what beauties shine So alfo one who takes the name of H. STANHOPE, the maker of certain verfes fo Duncan Campbell, in that poem, which is wholly a fatire on Mr. Pope, confeffeth, "Tis true, if fineft notes alone could fhow (Tun'd justly high, or regularly low) "That we should fame to thefe mere vocals give, "For when fome gliding river is his theme, "His lines run fmoother than the fimoothest fream," &c. MIST'S JOURNAL, June 8, 1728. Although he fays, "The smooth numbers of the "Dunciad are all that recommend it, nor has it any "other merit ;" yet that fame paper hath thefe words: "The Author is allowed to be a perfect master of an "eafy and elegant verfification. In all his works we "find the most happy turns, and natural fimilies, "wonderfully fhort, and thick fown.” The Effay on the Dunciad alfo owns, p. 25, it is very full of beautiful images. But the panegyric, which crowns all that can be faid on this Poem, is beftowed by our Laureat, MR. COLLEY CIBBER, who "< grants it to be a better Poem of its kind than 66 ever was writ;" but adds, "it was a victory over "a parcel of poor wretches, whom it was almost "cowardice to conquer.-A man might as well tri"umph for having killed fo many filly flies that of"fended him. Could he have let them alone, by this "time, poor fouls! they had all been buried in obli"vion." Here we fee our excellent Laureat allows the juftice of the fatire on every man in it but himself, as the great Mr. Dennis did before him. The *Battle of Poets, folio, p. 15. + Printed under the title of The Progrefs of Dulnefs, duodecimo, 1728. Cibber's Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9, 12. VOL. II. T The faid MR. DENNIS AND MR. GILDON, in the most furious of all their works, (the forecited Character, p. 5.) do in concert * confefs, "That "fome men of good understanding value him for his "rhymes." And (p. 17.) "That he has got, like "Mr. Bayes in the Rehearsal, (that is, like Mr. Dry"den,) a notable knack at rhyming, and writing "fmooth verse.” Of his Essay on Man numerous were the praises beftowed by his avowed enemies, in the imagination that the fame was not written by him, as it was printed anonymously. Thus fang of it even BEZALEEL MORRIS. "Aufpicious Bard! while all admire thy ftrain, And MR. LEONARD WELSTED thus wrote to the unknown Author, on the first pub. lication of the faid Effay: "I must own, after the re"ception which the vilest and most immoral ribaldry "hath lately met with, I was surprised to see what I *In concert.] Hear how Mr. Dennis hath proved our mistake in this place: "As to my writing in concert with Mr. Gildon, I declare upon the honour and word of a gentleman, that I never wrote fo much as one "line in concert with any one man whatfoever. And thefe two letters "from Gildon will plainly thew that we are not writers in concert with " each other. "Sir, "The height of my ambition is to please men of the best judgment; "and finding that I have entertained my mafter agreeably, I have the "extent of the reward of my labour." "Sir, "I had not the opportunity of hearing of your excellent Pamphlet till this day. I am infinitely fatisfied and pleafed with it, and hope you "will meet with that encouragement your admirable performance de"ferves, &c. Ch. Gildon." "Now is it not plain that any one who fends fuch compliments to another, has not been used to write in partnership with him to whom he fends them?" Dennis, Remarks on the Dunciad, p. 50. Mr. Dennis is therefore welcome to take this piece to himfelf. In a letter under his hand, dated March 12, 1733. had long defpaired, a performance deferving the << name of a Poet. Such, Sir, is your work. It is, indeed, above all commendation, and ought to have "been published in an age and country more worthy "of it. If my teftimony be of weight any where, you "are fure to have it in the ampleft manner," &c. &c. Thus we fee every one of his works hath been extolled by one or other of his moft inveterate enemies; and to the fuccefs of them all they do unanimously give testimony. But it is fufficient, inftar omnium, to behold the great critic, Mr. Dennis, forely lamenting it, even from the Ellay on Criticifm to this day of the Dunciad! "A moft notoricus inftance (quoth he) of the depravity of genius and tafte, the approbation "this Effay meets with.*-I can safely affirm, that "I never attacked any of thefe writings, unless they had fuccefs infinitely beyond their merit. This, "though an empty, has been a popular fcribbler. "The epidemic madnefs of the times has given him "reputation.-If, after the cruel treatment fo many "extraordinary men (Spenfer, Lord Bacon, Ben John"fon, Milton, Butler, Otway, and others) have re ceived from this country for thefe laft hundred years, "I fhould fhift the fcene, and fhew all that penury "changed at once to riot and profuseness, and more fquandered away upon one object than would have "fatisfied the greater part of those extraordinary men, "the reader, to whom this one creature fhould be un"known, would fancy him a prodigy of Art and "Nature; would believe that all the great qualities "of these perfons were centered in him alone. But if "I fhould venture to affure him that the people of "England had made fuch a choice-the reader would either believe me a malicious enemy and flanderer, "or that the reign of the last (Queen Anne's) miniftry ❝ was designed by Fate to encourage fools."‡ T 2 But Dennis, Preface to his Reflections on the Effay on Criticism, + Preface to his Remarks on Homer. But it happens that this our Poet never had any place, penfion, or gratuity, in any fhape, from the faid glorious Queen, or any of her minifters. All he owed, in the whole courfe of his life, to any court, was a fubfcription for his Homer of 200l. from King George I. and col. from the Prince and Princefs. However, left we imagine our Author's fuccefs was conftant and univerfal, they acquaint us of certain works in a lefs degree of repute, whereof, although owned by others, yet do they affure us he is the writer. Of this fort Mr. Dennis * afcribes to him two Farces, whole names he does not tell, but affures us that there is not one jeft in them; and an Imitation of Horace, whofe title he does not mention, but affures us it is much more execrable than all his works.† The Daily Journal, May 11, 1728, affures us, “He "is below Tom Durfey in the drama; because (as "that writer thinks) the Marriage-Hater Matched, " and the Boarding-School, are better than the What"d'ye-call it," which is not Mr. P's. but Mr. Gay's. Mr. Gildon affures us, in his New Rehearsal, p. 48, "That he was writing a play of the Lady Jane "Gray ;" but it afterwards proved to be Mr. Rowe's. We are affured by another, "He wrote a pamphlet "called Dr. Andrew Tripe; which proved to be one Dr. Wagstaff's. Mr. Theobald affures, in Milt of the 27th of April, "That the Treatife of the Pro found is very dull, and that Mr. Pope is the au"thor of it." The writer of Gulliveriana is of ano ther opinion; and fays, "The whole, or greatest "part, of the merit of this treatise must and can · "only be afcribed to Gulliver." [Here, gentle Reader! cannot I but fmile at the ftrange blindness and positiveness of men, knowing the faid treatife to appertain to none other but to me, Martinus Scriblerus.] We are affured, in Mift of June 8, "That his own "plays and farces would better have adorned the Dun ❝ciad Remarks on Homer, p. 8. + Character of Mr. Pope, p. 7. |