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Beneath her foot-ftool, Science groans in Chains, And Wit dreads Exile, Penalties and Pains. There foam'd rebellious Logic, gagg'd and bound; There, ftript, fair Rhet'ric languifl'd on the ground; His blunted Arms by Sophiftry are born, And fhameless Billingfgate her Robes adorn. Morality, by her falfe Guardians drawn, Chicane in Furs, and Cafuiftry in Lawn,

REMARKS.

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Now if it be certain, that the works of our Poet have owed their fuccefs to this ingenious expedient, we hence derive an unanswerable Argument, that this Fourth DUNCIAD, as well as the former three, hath had the Author's laft hand, and was by him intended for the Prefs: Or elfe to what purpose hath he crown'd it, as we fee, by this finishing stroke, the profitable Lick at the Laureate?

BENT.

VER. 21, 22. Beneath her foot-ftool, &c.] We are next pre. fented with the pictures of those whom the Goddess leads in Captivity. Science is only depreffed and confined fo as to be rendered useless; but Wit or Genius, as a more dangerous and active enemy, punished, or driven away: Dulness being often reconciled in fome degree with Learning, but never upon any terms with Wit. And accordingly will be seen that she admits fomething like each Science, as Cafuiftry, Sophiftry, &c. but nothing like Wit, Opera alone fupplying its place. P. W.

VER, 27. by her falfe Guardians drawn,] Morality is the Daughter of Aftraa. This alludes to the Mythology of the ancient Poets; who tell us that in the Gold and Silver ages, or in the State of Nature, the Gods cohabited with men here on Earth; but when by reafon of human degeneracy men were forced to have recourse to a Magiftrate, and that the Ages of Brafs and Iron came on (that is, when Laws were wrote on brazen tablets inforced by the Sword of Justice) the Celestials foon retired from Earth, and Aftræa last of all; and then it was

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Gafps, as they ft.aiten at each end the cord,

And dies, when Dulnefs gives her Page the word.
Mad Mathefts alone was unconfin'd,

Too mad for meer material chains to bind,
Now to pure Space lifts her extatic ftare,
Now running round the Circle, finds it fquare.
But held in ten-fold bonds the Muses lie,
Watch'd both by Envy's and by Flatt'ry's eye;

REMARK S.

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fhe left this her Orphan Daughter in the hands of the Guardians aforefaid. SCRIBL.

VER. 30. gives her Page the word] There was a Judge of this name, always ready to hang any man that came before him, of which he was fuffered to give a hundred miserable examples during a long life, even to his dotage.-Tho' the candid Scriblerus imagined Page here to mean no more than a Page or Mute, and to allude to the cuftom of ftrangling State Criminals in Turkey by Mutes or Pages. A practice more decent than that of our Page, who, before he hanged any one, loaded him with reproachful language. SCRIEL.

VER 31. Mad Máthefis] Alluding to the ftrange Conclufiors fome Mathematicians have deduced from their principles, concerning the real Quantity of Matter, the Reality of Space, &c.

VER. 33. pure Space] i. e. pure and defæcated from Matter. -extatic Stare, the action of men who look about with full affurance of seeing what does not exist, such as those who expect to find Space a real being.

VER. 34. running round the Circle, finds it fquare.] Regards the wild and fruitless attempts of squaring the Circle.

VER 36. Watch'd both by Envy's and by Flatt'ry's eye] One of the misfortunes falling on Authors, from the Act for fubjecting Plays to the power of a Licerfer, being the falfe representations to which they were expos'd, from fuch as either gratify'd their Envy to Merit, or made their Court to Greatnefs, by

There to her heart fad Tragedy addrest

The dagger wont to pierce the Tyrant's breaft;
But fober History reftrain'd her rage,

And promis'd Vengeance on a barb'rous age.
There funk Thalia, nerveless, cold, and dead,
Had not her Sifter Satire held her head:

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Nor could'ft thou, CHESTERFIELD! a tear refuse, Thou wept'ft, and with thee wept each gentle Mufe.

REMARK S.

perverting general Reflections against Vice into Libels on particular Perfons.

VER. 39. But fober Hiftory] History attends on Tragedy, Satire on Comedy, as their fubftitutes in the discharge of their diftinct functions; the one in high life, recording the crimes and punishments of the great; the other in low, expofing the vices or follies of the common people. But it may be afked, How came History and Satire to be admitted with impunity to minifter comfort to the Mufes, even in the presence of the Goddefs, and in the midft of all her triumphs? A queftion, fays Scriblerus, which we thus refolve: Hiftory was brought up in her infancy by Dulness herself; but being afterwards espoused into a noble house, she forgot (as is ufual) the humility of her birth, and the cares of her early friends. This occafioned a long estrangement between her and Dulness. At length, in process of time, they met together in a Monk's Cell, were reconciled, and became better friends than ever. After this they had a fecond quarrel, but it held not long, and are now again on reasonable terms, and fo are like to continue. This accounts for the connivance fhewn to History on this occafion. But the boldness of SATIRE fprings from a very different caufe; for the reader ought to know, that he alone of all the fifters is unconquerable, never to be filenced, when truly inspired and animated (as fhould feem) from above, for this very purpose, to oppose the kingdom of Dulness to her laft breath.

VIB. 43. Nor could't thou, &c.] This Noble Pe: fon in the

When lo! a Harlot form foft fliding by,

With mincing ftep, fmall voice, and languid eye:
Foreign her air, her robe's difcordant pride.
In patch-work flutt'ring, and her head afide:
By finging Peers up-held on either hand,

She tripp'd and laugh'd, too pretty much to stand;
Caft on the proftrate Nine a fcornful look,
Then thus in quaint Recitativo fpoke.

O Cara! Cara! filence all that train:
Joy to great Chaos! let Divifion reign:

REMARK S.

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year 1737. when the Act aforefaid was brought into the House of Lords, oppofed it in an excellent fpeech (fays Mr. Cibber) "with a lively fpirit, and uncommon eloquence." This speech had the honour to be anfwered by the said Mr. Cibber, with a lively spirit alfo, and in a manner very uncommon, in the 8th Chapter of his Life and Manners. And here, gentle Reader, would I gladly infert the other speech, whereby thou mightest judge between them: but I muft defer it on account of fome differences not yet adjusted between the noble Author, and my. felf, concerning the True Reading of certain paffages. BENTI

VER. 45. When lo! a Harlot form] The Attitude given to this Phantom reprefents the nature and genius of the Italian Opera; its affected airs, its effeminate founds, and the practice of patching up these Operas with favourite Songs, incoherently put together. These things were fupported by the fubfcriptions of the Nobility. This circumftance that OPERA fhould prepare for the opening of the grand Seffions, was prophefied of in Book iii. ver. 304.

Already Opera prepares the way,

The fure fore-runner of her gentle fway.

IMITATIONS.

VER. 54. Joy to great Chaos!]

Foy to great Cafar-The beginning of a famous old Song..

Chromatic tortures foon fhall drive them hence, 55
Break all their nerves, and fritter all their fense:
One Trill hall harmonife joy, grief, and rage,
Wake the dull Church, and lull the ranting Stage;
To the fame notes thy fons fhall hum, or fnore,
And all thy yawning daughters cry, encore.
Another Phoebus, thy own Phoebus, reigns,
Joys in my jigs, and dances in my chains.
But Toon, ah foon, Rebellion will commence
If Mufic meanly borrows aid from Sense:

REMARKS.

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VER. 54. let Division reign:] Alluding to the false taste of playing tricks in Mufic with numberless divifions, to the neglect of that harmony which conforms to the Senfe and applies to the Paflions. Mr. Handel had introduced a great number of Hands, and more variety of Inftruments into the Orchestra, and employed even Drums and Cannon to make a fuller Chorus; which prov'd fo much too manly for the fine Gentlemen of his age, that he was obliged to remove his Mufic into Ireland. After which they were reduced, for want of Compofers, to practise the patch-work above-mentioned

VER. 55. Chromatic tortures] That fpecies of the antientTM mufic called the Chromatic was a variation and embellishment, in odd irregularities, of the Diatonic kind. They say it was invented about the time of Alexander, and that the Spartans for bad the use of it, as languid and effeminate.

'VER. 58. Wake the dull Church, and lull the ranting Stage;] i. e. Diffipate the devotion of the one by 'light' and wanton airs; and fubdue the Pathos of the other by recitative and fing fong.

VER. 59. Thy own Phœbus rèigns,]

Tuus jam regnat Apollo.

Virg.

Not the ancient Plabus, the God of Harmony, but a modera

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