THE DISPENSARY, A POEM. IN SIX CANT O'S. "Hanc veniam petimufque damufque viciffim.” HOR. de Arte Poet, то ANTHONY HENLEY, ESQ. A MAN of your character can no more prevent a dedication, than he would encourage one; for merit, like a virgin's blufhes, is ftill moft difcovered, when it labours moft to be concealed. It is hard, that to think well of you, should be but justice, and to tell you so, should be an offence: thus, rather than violate your modefty, I must be wanting to your other virtues; and, to gratify one good quality, do wrong to a thousand. The world generally measures our esteem by the ardour of our pretences; and will scarce believe that fo much zeal in the heart, can be consistent with fo much faintnefs in the expreffion; but when they reflect on your readiness to do good, and your industry to hide it; on your paffion to oblige, and your pain to hear it owned; they will conclude that acknowledgements would be ungrateful to a perfon, who even feems to receive the obligations he confers. But though I should perfuade myself to be filent upon all occafions; thofe more polite arts, which, till of late, have languished and decayed, would appear under their present advantages, and own you for one of their generous restorers; infomuch, that Sculpture now breathes, Painting speaks, Mufic ravishes; and as you help to refine our taste, you diftinguish your own. Your approbation of this poem, is the only exception to the opinion the world has of your judgment, that ought to relifh nothing so much as what you write yourself: but you are refolved to forget to be a critic, by remembering you are a friend. To say more, would be uneafy to you; and to fay lefs, would be unjust in Your humble Servant. PREFACE. SINCE this following Poem in a manner ftole into the world, I could not be furprized to find it uncorrect: though I can no more fay I was a stranger to its coming abroad, than that I approved of the Publisher's precipitation in doing it: for a hurry in the execution generally produces a leisure in reflection; fo when we run the fafteft, we stumble the ofteneft. However, the errors of the printer have not been greater than the candour of the reader: and if I could but fay the fame of the defects of the author, he would need no juftification against the cavils of fome furious critics, who, I am fure, would have been better pleased if they had met with more faults. Their grand objection is, that the Fury Disease is an improper machine to recite characters, and recommend the example of prefent writers: but though I had the authority of fome Greek and Latin Poets, upon parallel inftances, to juftify the defign; yet that I might not introduce any thing that seemed inconfiftent, or hard, I started this objection myself, to a gentleman, very remarkable in this fort of criticism, who would by no means allow that the contrivance was forced, or the conduct incongruous. Disease is represented a Fury as well as Envy: she is imagined to be forced by an incantation from her recefs; and, to be revenged on the Exorcift, mortifies him with an introduction of feveral perfons eminent in an accomplishment he has made fome advances in. Nor is the compliment lefs to any great genius mentioned there; fince a very fiend, who naturally repines at any excellency, is forced to confefs how happily they have all fucceeded. Their next objection is, that I have imitated the Lutrin of Monfieur Boileau. I muft own, I am proud of the imputation; unless their quarrel be, that I have not done it enough: but he that will give himself the trouble of examining, will find I have copied him in nothing but in two or three lines in the complaint of Moleffe, Canto II. and in one in his first Canto; the fenfe of which line is entirely his, and I could wish it were not the only good one in mine. I have spoke to the most material objections I have heard of, and fhall tell these gentlemen, that for every fault they pretend to find in this poem, I will undertake to fhew them two. One of thefe curious perfons does me the honour to say, he approves of the conclufion of it; but I fuppofe it is upon no other reafon, but because it is the conclufion. However, I fhould not be much concerned not to be thought excellent in an amufe |