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needs be procured for this achievement, even for this we have a resource. We can easily derive our Hero's pedigree from a goddess of no small power and authority amongft men, and legitimate and inftal him after the right claffical and authentic fafhion: for, like as the ancient fages found a fon of Mars in a mighty warrior, a fon of Neptune in a skilful seamen, a fon of Phoebus in a harmonious poet; fo have we here, if need be, a fon of Fortune in an artful Gamefter. And who, I pray you, fitter than the offspring of Chance to affift in restoring the empire of Night and Chaos?

There is, in truth, another objection, of greater weight, namely, "That this hero ftill exifteth, and ❝ hath not yet finished his earthly course. For if So"lon faid well,

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"ultima femper

"Expectanda dies homini: diefque beatus

"Ante obitum nemo fupremaquè funera debet:

"That no man could be called happy till his death, furely much lefs can any one, till then, be pro"nounced a hero; this fpecies of men being far more "fubject than others to the caprices of Fortune and "Humour." But to this alfo we have an answer, which will (we hope) be deemed decifive. It cometh from himself, who, to cut the matter fhort, hath folemnly protelted that he will never change or amend.

With regard to his Vanity, he declareth that nothing fhall ever part them. "Nature (faith he) hath "amply fupplied me in vanity; a pleafure which nei"ther the pertnefs of wit, nor the gravity of wifdom, will ever perfuade me to part with. Our Poet

had charitably endeavoured to adminifter a cure to it; but he telleth us plainly, "My fuperiors, perhaps, "may be mended by him; but, for my part, I own "myfelf incorrigible. I look upon my follies as the beft part of my fortune."+ And with good reafon; we fee to what they have brought him!

· Secondly, as to Buffoonry," Is it (faith he) a time "of day for me to leave off these fooleries, and fet up " a new character? I can no more put off my follies

C. Cibber's Life, p. 424. † Ib. p. 19.

than

"than my skin: I have often tried, but they stick too "clofe to me; nor am I fure my friends are displeased "with them, for in this light I afford them frequent "matter of mirth," &c. &c. Having then fo publickly declared himself incorrigible, he is become dead in law, (I mean the law Epopaian) and devolveth upon the Poet; is now his property; and may be taken and dealt with like an old Egyptian hero, that is to fay, embowelled and embalmed for posterity.

Nothing therefore (we conceive) remaineth to hinder his own prophecy of himself from taking immediate effect. A rare felicity! and what few prophets have had the fatisfaction to fee alive! Nor can we conclude better than with that extraordinary one of his, which is conceived in thefe oraculous words, "My dulness "will find somebody to do it right."+

Tandem Phebus adeft, morfufque inferre parentem
"Congelat, et patulos, ut erant, indurat hiatus."

Cibber's Life, p. 17. t Ib. p. 243. Octavo Edit.
Ovid of the Serpent biting at Orpheus' Head.

PREFACE

Prefixed to the Five first imperfect Editions of the Dunciad, in Three Books, printed at Dublin and London, in Octavo and Duodecimo, 1727.

IT

THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER.

T will be found a true obfervation, though fomewhat furprifing, that when any fcandal is vented against a man of the highest diftinction and character, either in the state or literature, the public in general afford it a moft quiet reception, and the larger part

accept

The publisher.] Who he was is uncertain; but Edward Ward tells us, in his Preface to Durgen, "That mot judges are of opinion this Preface "is not of English extraction, but Hibernian," &c. He means it was written by Dr. Swift, who, whether the publisher or not, may be faid, in a fort, to be author of the Poem. For when he, together with Mr. Pope (for reasons fpecified in the Preface to their Mifcellanies) determined to own the most trifling pieces in which they had any hand, and so deftroy all that remained in their power, the first tketch of this Poem was fnatched from the fire by Dr. Swift, who perfuaded his friend to proceed in it, and to him it was therefore infcribed. But the occafion of printing it was as follows.

There

accept it as favourably as if it were fome kindness done to themselves: whereas, if a known fcoundrel or blockhead but chance to be touched upon, a whole legion is up in arms, and it becomes the common cause of all fcribblers, booksellers, and printers whatsoever. Not to fearch too deeply into the reason 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 thofe men who have received pleasure from his Works, (which by modeft computation may be about a hundred thousand in these kingdoms of England and Ireland, not to mention Jerfey, Guernsey, the Orcades,

thofe

There was published in thefe Mifcellanies a Treatife of the Bathos, or, Art of Sinking in Poetry, in which was a chapter, where the species of bad writers were ranged in claffes, and initial letters of names prefixed, for the most part, at random. But fuch was the number of poets eminent in that art, that fome one or other took every letter to himself. All fell into fo violent a fury, that for half a year, or more, the com mon newspapers (in most of which they had fome property, as being hired writers) were filled with the most abufive falfehoods and fcurrilities they could poffibly devife; a liberty no ways to be wondered at in those people, and in thofe papers, that, for many years, during the uncontrolled 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 thefe 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 manifesting the du nefs of those who had only malice to recommend them, either the Bookfellers would not find their account in employing them, or the men themfelves, 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 acquired fuch a peculiar right over their names as was neceffary to his defign.

Pamphlets, advertisements, &c.] See the lift of those anonymous papers, with their dates and authors annexed, inferted before the Poem. About a hundred thoufand.] It is furprising with what stupidity 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 ferious. Hear the Laureat (Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9.) "Though I grant the Dunciad a better poem of its kind than ever was "writ, yet, when I read it with thofe vain-glorious incumbrances of notes and remarks upon it, &c.---it is amazing that you, who have "writ with fuch matterly fpirit upon the ruling paffion, fhould be fo "blind a flave to your own, as not to fee how far a low avarice of 86 praife," "&c. (taking it for granted that the notes of Scriblerus and others were the Author's own.)

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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 lay 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 having in this Poem * attacked no man living who had not before printed or published fome fcandal against this gentleman.

How I came poffeffed of it is no concern to the reader; but it would have been a wrong to him had I detained the publication; fince those 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 diftinguifh or discover him; for if it bears any refemblance to that of Mr. Pope, it is not improbable but it might be done on purpose, with a view to have it pafs for his. But by the frequency of his allufions too Virgil, and a laboured (not to say affected) fhortnefs in imitation of him, I should think him more an admirer of the Roman poet than of the Grecian, and in that not of the fame tafte with his friend. I have

The Author of the following Poem, &c.] A very plain irony, fpeaking of Mr. Pope himself.

The Publisher, in thefe 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, impu dent fcurrilities, or felf-conceit, all mankind agreed to have justly 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 have been well informed that this work was the labour of full fix years of his life, and that he wholly retired himself from all the avocations and pleasures of the world to attend diligently to its correction and perfection; and fix years more he intended to bestow upon it, as it fhould feem by this verfe of Statius, which was cited at the head of his manuscript :

"Oh mihi bienos multum vigilata per annos,

"Duncia!"*

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 Camoens the Lufiad, we may pronounce could have been, and can be, no other than

THE DUNCIAD.

It is ftyled Heroic, as being doubly fo; not only with refpect to its nature, which, according to the best rules of the Ancients, and strictest ideas of the Moderns, is critically fuch; but also 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 authors, and infertion of others in their niches : for, whoever will confider the unity of the whole de

fign,

The labour of full fix years, &c.] This alfo was honeftly and ferioufly believed by divers gentlemen of the Dunciad. J. Ralph, preface to Sawney: "We are told it was the labour of fix years, with the ut"mot affiduity and application: it is no great compliment to the Au"thor's fenfe to have employed fo large a part of his life," &c. So alfo Ward, preface to Durgen: "The Dunciad, as the publisher very wifely confeffes, coft the Author fix years' retirement from all the plea"fures of life; though it is fomewhat difficult to conceive, from either its bulk or beauty, that it could be fo long in hatching," &c. But the length of time and clofenefs of application were mentioned to prepoffets 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: By a quibble on the word Duncia, the Dunciad is formed." Mr. Ward alfo follows him in the fame opinion.

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