OF MR. POPE AND MR. DRYDEN, MR. POPE, HIS POLITICS, RELIGION, MORALS. MR R. POPE is an open and mortal enemy to his country, and the commonwealth of learning*. Some call him a Popish Whig, which is directly inconfiftent.t Pope, as a Papift, must be a Tory and High-flyer.‡ He is both a Whig and Tory.§ He hath made it his cuftom to cackle to more than one party in their own fentiments]. In his Mifcellanies, the perfons abused are the King, the Queen, his late Majefty, both Houfes of Parliament, the Privy Council, the Bench of Bifhops, the Established Church, the prefent Miniftry, &c. To make fenfe of fome passages, they must be construed into royal fcandal**. He is a Popish rhymfter, bred up with a contempt of the Sacred Writingstt. His religion allows him to destroy heretics, not only with his pen, but with fire and fword; and fuch were all thofe unhappy wits whom he facrificed to his accurfed Popish principles‡‡. It deferved vengeance to suggest, that Mr. Pope had lefs infallibility than his namefake at Rome§§. Mr. POPE only a Verfifier. The fmooth numbers of the Dunciad are all that recommend it, nor has it any other merit. It must be owned that he hath got a notable knack of rhyming and writing finooth verfe*. Mr. POPE's Homer. The Homer which Lintot prints does not talk like Homer, but like Pope; and he who translated him, Pref. to Gulliveriana. one Dennis, Rem. on the Rape of the Lock, pref. p. 12. + Dunciad Diffected. Dennis, Character of Mr. P. Theobald, Letter in Mitt's Journal, June 22, 1728. ** Lift at the end of a Collection of Verfes, Letters, Advertifements, 8vo. printed for A. Moore, 1728, and the preface to it, p. 6. tt Dennis's Remarks on Homer, p. 27. 1 Preface to Gulliveriana, p. II. Dedication to the Collection of Verfes, Letters, &c. p. 9. Mift's Journal of June 8, 1728. * Character of Mr. P. and Dennis on Homer. vius, or a Bathyllus, carped at Virgil; and none but fuch unthinking vermin admire his Tranflator*. It is true, foft and eafy lines might become Ovid's Epiftles, or Art of Love; but Virgil, who is all great and majestic, &c. requires ftrength of lines, weight of words, and clofenefs of expreffion; not an ambling Muse running on carpet-ground, and fhod as lightly as a Newmarket racer. He has numberlefs faults in his author's meaning, and in propriety of expreffion.† Mr. DRYDEN understood no Greek nor Latin Mr. Dryden was once, I have heard, at Weftminfter-fchool: Dr. Bushby would have whipt him for so childish a paraphrafet. The meaneft pedant in England would whip a lubber of twelve for conftruing fo abfurdly. The Translator is mad, every line betrays his ftupidity. The faults are innumerable, and convince me that Mr. Dryden did not, or would not, understand his author.** This fhews how fit Mr. Dryden may be to tranflate Homer! A mistake in a fingle letter might fall on the printer well enough, but six w for xp must be the error of the author: nor had he art enough to correct it at the prefstt. Mr. Dryden writes for the court ladies-He writes for the ladies, and not for ufe‡‡. The Tranflator puts in a little burlesque now and then into Virgil, for a ragout to his cheated fubfcribersss. Mr. DRYDEN tricked his Subscribers. I wonder that any man, who could not but be conscious of his own unfitness for it, fhould go to amuse the learned world with fuch an undertaking! A man ought to value his reputation more than money; and not to hope that thofe who can read for themselves, will be impofed upon merely by a partially and unfeasonably celebrated name||||. Poëtis quidlibet audendi fhall be Mr. Dryden's motto, though it should extend to picking of pockets*. Milbourn, p 35. Ib. p. 22, and 102. Ib. p. 72. #Ib. p.78. ** Ib. p. 206 ++ Ib. p. 19. ‡‡ Ib. 144, 190. lb. p. 192. * ¡b. p. 125 Names Ib. p. 203. lb. p. 67. one would fwear, had a hill in Tipperary for his Parnaffus, and a puddle in fome bog for his Hippocrene*. He has no admirers among those that can diftinguish, difcern, and judge†. He hath a knack at smooth verfe, but without either genius or good sense, or any tolerable knowledge of English. The qualities which diftinguish Homer are the beauties of his diction, and the harmony of his verfification. But this little Author, who is fo much in vegue, has neither sense in his thoughts, nor Englih in his expreffiont. Mr. POPE understood no Greek. He hath undertaken to tranflate Homer from the Greek, of which he knows not one word, into English, of which he understands as little§. I wonder how this gentleman would look, should it be discovered that he has not tranflated ten verfes together in any book of Homer with juftice to the poet; and yet he dares reproach his fellow-writers with not understanding Greek. He has ftuck fo little to his original, as to have his knowledge in Greek called in question**. I fhould be glad to know which it is of all Homer's excellencies which has fo delighted the ladies and the gentlemen who judge like ladiestt. But he has a notable talent at burlefque; his genius flides fo naturally into it, that he hath burlesqued Homer without designing it ‡‡. Mr. POPE tricked his Subfcribers. It is indeed fomewhat bold, and almost prodigious, for a fingle man to undertake fuch a work: but it is too late to diffuade, by demonstrating the madness of the project. The fubfcribers' expectations have been raifed in proportion to what their pockets have been drained of §§. Pope has been concerned in jobs, and hired out his name to book fellers||||. Names Dennis's **Suppl. * Dennis's Remarks on Pope's Homer, p. 12. + Ib. p. 14. Character of Mr. Pope, p. 17. and Remarks on Homer, p. iz. to the Profound, Preface. tt Dennis's Remarks, p. 28. Journal, Nov. 25, 1727. VOL. II. Remarks on Homer, p. 91. Y Il British Names beflowed on Mr. DRYDEN. An Ape.] A crafty ape, dreft up in a gawdy gown -Whips put into an ape's paw to play pranks with -None but apish and Papish brats will heed him*. An Afs.] A camel will take upon him no more burden than is fufficient for his ftrength, but there is another beast that crouches under allt. A Frog.] Poet Squab, endued with Poet Maroe's fpirit! an ugly, croaking kind of vermin, which would fwell to the bulk of an ox 1. A Coward.] A Clinias, or a Damætus, or a man of Mr. Dryden's own courage §. A Knave.] Mr. Dryden has heard of Paul, the knave of Jefus Chrift: and, if I mistake not, I have read fomewhat of John Dryden, fervant to his Majesty||. A Fool.] Had he not been fuch a self-conceited fool**. *Whip and Key, pref. p. 176. lb. p. 57. ++ ibid. p. 35. + Milbourn, p. 105. **Whip and Key, pref. § Ib. Ib. p. 11. ++ Milbourn, p. 34. Names beftowed on Mr. Pope. An Ape.] Let us take the initial letter of his Christian name, and the initial and final letters of his furname, viz. A. P. E. and they give you the fame idea of an ape as his face,* &c. An Afs.] It is my duty to pull off the lion's fkin from this little als.† A Frog.] A fquab fhort gentleman--a little creature that, like the frog in the fable, fwells, and is angry that it is not allowed to be as big as an ox.‡ A Coward.] A lurking, way-laying coward.§ A Knave.] He is one whom God and Nature have marked for want of common honefty. A Fool.] Great fools will be chriftened by the names of great poets, and Pope will be called Homer.** A Thing.] A little abject thing.tt Dennis's Daily Journal, May 11, 1728. Dennis's Rem. on Hom. pref. Dennis's Rem. on the Rape of the Lock, pref. p. 9. Char. of Mr. P. p. 3. Ibid. ** Dennis's Rem. on Homer, p. 37. tt ibid, p. 8. |