That once was Britain-Happy! had she seen In peace great goddess ever be ador'd ; How keen the war, if Dulness draw the sword! 120 This favʼrite isle, long sever'd from her reign, 125 Now look through Fate! behold the scene she draws! IMITATIONS. . 117, 118. Happy!..had Easter never been.] v. 127, 129. Now look through Fate! See all her progeny, &c.} Virg. Ecl. vi Nunc age, Dardaniam prolem quae deinde sequatur . 131. As Berecynthia, &c.] Virg. Æn. VI. Felix prole virum, qualis Berecynthia mater Virg. Æn. VL Not with less glory mighty Dulness crown'd, 135 140 A second see, by mecker manners known, And modest as the maid that sips alone; From the strong fate of drams if thou get free, 145 Another Durfey, Ward! shall sing in thee. Thee shall each alehouse, thee each gillhouse mourn, And answ'ring gin-shops sourer sighs return. IMITATIONS. v. 139. Mark first that youth, &c. Ille vides, pura juvenis qui nititur hasta. Virg. Æn. VI. v. 141. With all thy father's virtues bless'd, be born.] A manner of expression used by Virgil, Ecl. viii. Nascere! praeque diem veniens age, Lucifer.'.. As also that of patriis virtutibus, Ecl. iv. It was very natural to shew to the Hero, before all others, his own son, who had already begun to emulate him in his theatrical, poetical, and every political capacities. By the attitude in which he here presents himself. the reader may be cautioned against ascribing wholly to the father the merit of the epithet Cibberian, which is equally to be understood with an eye to the son. v. 145. From the strong fate of drams if thou get free.] ...si qua fata aspera rumpas, "Tu Marcellus eris!" D. 147. Thee shall each alehouse, &c.} Virg. Æn. VI. Virg. Æn. VII. "Te nemus Anguitiae, vitrea te Fucinus unda, Virgil again, Ecl. x. ......etiam lauri, etiam flevere myricae," &c. M Jacob, the scourge of Grammar, mark with awe ; Nor less revere him, blunderbuss of Law, 150 Lo P-p-le's brow, tremendous to the Town, Horneck's fierce eye, and Roome's funereal frown. REMARKS. r. 149. Jacob, the scourge of grammar, mark with awe.} This gentleman is a son of a considerable maltster of Romsey in Southamptonshire, and bred to the law under a very eminent attorney: Who, between his more laborious studies, has di ⚫verted himself with poetry. He is a great admirer of poets and their works, which has occasioned him to try his genius that way. He has writ in prose the Lives of the Poets, Essays, and, a great many Law books, Accomplished Conveyancer, Modern 'Justice,' &c. Giles Jacob of himself, Lives of Poets, vol. i. He very grossly, and unprovoked, abused in that Book the Author's friend Mr. Gay. v. 152. Horneck..Rome.] These two were virulent partywriters, worthily coupled together, and, one would think, prophetically; since, after the publishing of this piece the former dying, the latter succeeded him in honor and employment. The first was Philip Horneck, author of a Billingsgate paper called The High Gerinan Doctor. Edward Roome was son of an undertaker for funerals in Fleet-street, and writ some of the papers called Pasquin, where, by malicious innuendoes, he endeavoured to represent our Author guilty of malevolent practices with a great man then under prosecution of parliament. Of this man was made the following epigram: You ask why Roome diverts you with his jokes, • You wonder at it-This, Sir, is the case, VARIATIONS. s. 149. In the first edition it was Woolston, the scourge of Scripture, mark with awe, c. 151. Lo P..p..le's brow, &c.] In the former edition, Lo Horneck's fierce, and Roome's funereal face. IMITATIONS. v. 150......." duo fulmina belli "Scipiadas, cladem Libyae!" Virg. An VI. Lo sneering Goode, half malice, and half whim, A fiend in glee, ridiculously grim. 154 Each cygnet sweet, of Bath and Tunbridge race, REMARKS. ye Owls! P-ple was the author of some vile plays and pamphlets. He published abuses on our Author in a paper called The Prompter. 133...Goode.] An ill-natured critic, who writ a satire on our Author, called The Mock Æsop, and many anonymous libels in newspapers, for hire. 7.65...Ralph. James Ralph, a name inserted after the first editions, not known to our author till he writ a swearing-piece VARIATIONS. v. 157. Each sngster, riddler, &c.] In the former edit, Lo Bond and Foxton, ev'ry nameless name. After ver. 158. in the first edition followed: How proud, how pale, how earnest all appear! IMITATIONS. c. 165. And makes night hideous......] Visit thus the glimpses of the moon, Making night hideous.' Shakesp. Sense,speech,andmeasure, living tongues and dead, Let all give way-and Morris may be read. Flow, Welsted, flow! like thine inspirer, beer, Tho' stale, not ripe; tho' thin, yet never clear; 170 So sweetly mawkish, and so smoothly dull; Heady, not strong; o'erflowing, though not full. Ah, Dennis! Gildon, ah! what ill-starr'd rage Divides a friendship long confirm'd by age? Blockheads with reason wicked wits abhor, 175 But fool with fool is barb'rous civil war. Embrace, embrace, my sons! be foes no more! Nor glad vile poets with true critics' gore. REMARKS. called Sawney, very abusive of Dr. Swift, Mr. Gay, and himself. These lines alluded to a thing of his entitled Night, a poem. This low writer attended his own works with panegyrics in the Journals, and once in particular praised himself highly above Mr. Addison, in wretched remarks upon that author's account of English Poets printed in a London Journal, Sept. 17, 1728. He was wholly illiterate, and knew no language, not even French. Being advised to read the Rules of dramatic poetry before he be gan a play, he smiled, and replied, 'Shakespeare writ without rules. He ended at last, in the common sink of all such, wri ters, a political newspaper, to which he was recommended by his friend Arnall, and received a small pittance for pay. IMITATIONS. v. 169. Flow, Welsted, flow! &c.] Parody on Denham, Coo per's Hill: O could I flow like thee, and make thy stream Tho' deep, yet clear; tho' gentle, yet not dull; ......Ne tanta animis assuescite bella, Neu patriæ validas in viscera vertite vires: |