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by James Moore, quarto, 1730. Another part of it came out in Welfted's own name, under the just title of Dulness and Scandal, folio, 1731.

There have been fince published,

Verses on the Imitator of Horace. By a Lady, or between a Lady, a Lord, and a Court-'fquire. Printed for J. Roberts, folio.

An Epistle from a Nobleman to a Doctor of Divinity, from Hampton-Court, Lord H-y. Printed for J. Roberts. Alfo folio.

A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope. Printed for W. Lewis in Covent-Garden, octavo.

ADVERTISEMENT

To the first Edition with Notes, in quarto, 1729. IT will be fufficient to say of this edition, that the reader has here a much more correct and complete copy of the Dunciad than has hitherto appeared. I cannot answer but fome mistakes may have flipt into it, but a vast number of others will be prevented by the names being now not only fet at length, but justified by the authorities and reafons given. I make no doubt the Author's own motive to use real rather than feigned names, was his care to preferve the innocent from any falfe application; whereas, in the former editions, which had no more than the initial letters, he was made, by keys printed here, to hurt the inoffenfive; and (what was worse) to abuse his friends by an impreffion at Dublin.

The Commentary which attends this Poem was fent me from several hands, and, confequently, must be unequally written; yet will have one advantage over most commentaries, that it is not made upon conjectures, or at a remote diftance of time; and the reader cannot but derive one pleasure from the very obscurity of the persons it treats of, that it partakes of the nature of a fecret, which most people love to be let into, though the men or the things be ever so inconsiderable or trivial.

Of

Of the perfons it was judged proper to give fome account: for fince it is only in this monument that they muft expect to furvive, (and here furvive they will, as long as the English tongue shall remain fuch as it was in the reigns of Queen Anne and King George,) it feemed but humanity to bestow a word or two upon each, just to tell what he was, what he writ, when he lived, and when he died.

If a word or two more are added upon the chief offenders, it is only as a paper pinned upon the breast to mark the enormities for which they fuffered; left the correction only fhould be remembered, and the crime forgotten.

In fome articles it was thought fufficient barely to tranfcribe from Jacob, Curl, and other writers of their own rank, who were much better acquainted with them than any of the authors of this Comment can pretend to be. Moft of them had drawn each other's characters on certain occafions; but the few here inferted are all that could be faved from the general deftruction of fuch works.

:

Of the part of Scriblerus I need fay nothing his manner is well enough known, and approved by all but those who are too much concerned to be judges.

The Imitations of the Ancients are added, to gratify those who either never read, or may have forgot ten them; together with fome of the parodies and allufions to the most excellent of the Moderns. If, from the frequency of the former, any man think the Poem too much a Canto, our Poet will but appear to have done the fame thing in jeft which Boileau did in earnest, and upon which Vida, Fracaftorius, and many of the. moft eminent Latin poets, profeffedly valued themfelves.

ADVERTISEMENT

To the first Edition of the Fourth Book of the Dunciad, when printed feparately in the year 1742. WE apprehend it can be deemed no injury to the

Author of the Three firft Books of the Dunciad that we publish this Fourth. It was found merely by

accident,

accident, in taking the furvey of the library of a late eminent nobleman; but in fo blotted a condition, and in fo many detached pieces, as plainly fhewed it to be not only incorrect, but unfinished. That the Author of the Three first Books had a defign to extend and complete his Poem in this manner, appears from the differtation prefixed to it, where it is faid, that "The defign is more extenfive, and that we may expect other episodes to complete it :" and, from the declaration in the argument to the Third Book, that "The accomplishment of the prophecies therein would be the theme hereafter of a greater Dunciad." But whether or no he be the Author of this we declare ourselves ignorant. If he be, we are no more to be blamed for the publication of it, than Tucca and Varius for that of the last fix Books of the Eneid, though, perhaps, inferior to the former.

If any perfon be poffeffed of a more perfect copy of this work, or of any other fragments of it, and will communicate them to the publisher, we shall make the next edition more complete: in which we also promife to infert any Criticisms that fhall be published (if at all to the purpose) with the names of the authors; or any letters fent us (though not to the purpose) shall yet be printed, under the title of Epiftola obfcurorum virorum; which, together with fome others of the fame kind, formerly laid by for that end, may make no unpleasant addition to the future Impreffions of this Poem.

I

ADVERTISEMENT

To the complete Edition of 1743.

HAVE long had a defign of giving fome fort of Notes on the works of this Poet. Before I had the happiness of his acquaintance, I had written a commentary on his Effay on Man, and have fince finifhed another on the Effay on Criticifm. There was one already on the Dunciad, which had met with general approbation; but I ftill thought fome additions were wanting (of a more ferious kind) to the humorous

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notes of Scriblerus, and even to those written by Mr. Cleland, Dr. Arbuthnot, and others. I had lately the pleasure to pass fome months with the Author in the country, where I prevailed upon him to do what I had long defired, and favour me with his explanation of feveral paffages in his works. It happened, that juft at that juncture was published a ridiculous book against him, full of perfonal reflections, which furnished him with a kicky opportunity of improving this Poem, by giving it the only thing it wanted, a more confiderable Hero. He was always fenfible of its defect in that particular, and owned he had let it pafs with the hero it had, purely for want of a better, not entertaining the leaft expectation that fuch an one was referved for this poft as has fince obtained the laurel but fince that had happened, he could no longer deny this justice either to him or the Dunciad.

And yet I will venture to fay, there was another motive which had ftill more weight with our Author; this perfon was one who, from every folly (not to fay vice) of which another would be afhamed, has conitantly derived a vanity; and therefore was the man in the world who would least be hurt by it. W. W.

ADVERTISEMENT

Printed in the Journals, 1730.

WHEREAS, upon occafion of certain pieces relating to the gentlemen of the Dunciad, fome have been willing to fuggeft, as if they had looked upon them as an abufe; we can do no less than own it is our opinion, that to call these gentlemen bad authors is no fort of abufe, but a great truth. We cannot alter this opinion without fome reafon; but we promife to do it in respect to every perfon who thinks it an injury to be reprefented as no wit, or poet, provided he procures a certificate of his being really fuch from any three of his companions in the Dunciad, or from Mr. Dennis fingly, who is efteemed equal to any three of the number. A PARALLEL

OF MR. DRYDEN AND MR. POPE,
As drawn by certain of their Contemporaries.

MR. DRYDEN, HIS POLITICS, RELIGION, MORALS.

MR. DRYDEN is a mere renegado from monarchy, poetry, and good fenfe.* A true republican fon of monarchical church t. A republican Atheist ‡. Dryden was from the beginning an αλλοπρόσαλλος, and I doubt not will continue fo to the last§.

In the poem called Abfalom and Ahithophel, are notoriously traduced the King, the Queen, the Lords and Gentlemen; not only their honourable perfons expofed, but the whole nation and its reprefentatives notorioufly libelled. It is fcandalum magnatum, yea of Majefty itself .

His

He looks upon God's gofpel as a foolish fable, like the Pope, to whom he is a pitiful purveyor.** very Chriftianity may be queftioned. He ought to expect more severity than other men, as he is most unmerciful in his reflections on others. With as good a right as his Holiness, he fets up for poetical infallibility.§§

Mr. DRYDEN only a Verfifier.

His whole libel is all bad matter, beautified (which is all that can be said of it) with good metre.|||| Mr. Dryden's genius did not appear in any thing more than his verfification, and whether he is to be ennobled for that only is a question*.

Mr. DRYDEN'S Virgil.

Tonfon calls it Dryden's Virgil, to fhew that this is not that Virgil fo much admired in the Auguftan age, but a Virgil of another ftamp, a filly, impertinent, nonfenfical writert. None but a Bavius, a Mævius,

Milbourn on Dryden's Virgil, 8vo. 1698. p. 6. + Ib. p. 38.
Ib. p. 8. Whip and Key, 4to. printed for R. Jane-
** Ibid. tt Milbourn, p. 9., ++ lb. p. 175-
Oldmixon, Elay on

lb. p. 192. way, 1682. Pref. lb. p. 39. Criticifm, p. 84.

Hill Whip and Key, Pref.

+ Milbourn, p. 2.

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