However, the injured Laureat may comfort himself with this reflection, that though it be a fleep, yet it is not the fleep of death, but of immortality. Here he will * live at least, though not awake, and in no worse condition than many enchanted hero before him. The famous Durandarte, for instance, was, like him, caft into a long flumber by Merlin the British bard and necromancer; and his example for submitting to it with a good grace might be of fervice to our Hero: for that difaftrous knight, being forely preffed or driven to make his anfwer by feveral perfons of quality †, only replied with a figh," Patience, and fhuffle the cards‡. But now, as nothing in this world, no, not the most facred or perfect things either of religion or government, can escape the ftings of envy, methinks I already hear thefe carpers objecting to the clearness of our Hero's title. It would never (fay they) have been esteemed fufficent to make an hero for the Iliad of Æneis, that Achilles was brave enough to overturn one empire, or Æneas pious enough to raise another, had they not been goddefs-born, and princes-bred. What then did this author mean by erecting a player inftead of one of his patrons, (a perfon "Never a hero even on the stage §") to this dignity of colleague in the empire of Dulnefs, and achiever of a work that neither old Omar, Attila, nor John of Leyden, could entirely bring to pals? To all this we have, as we conceive, a fufficient anfwer from the Roman hiftorian, Fabrum effe fuæ quemque fortuna: "That every man is the carver of his own fortune." The politic Florentine, Nicholas Machiavel, goeth ftill further, and affirmeth, that a man needeth but to believe himself a hero to be one of the worthieft that ever breathed. "Let him (faith he) but fancy himself capable of high things, and " he will of course be able to achieve the higheft.' From this principle it followeth that nothing can exceed our Hero's prowefs, as nothing ever equalled the greatnefs of his conceptions. Hear how he conftantly *C. Cibber's Letter, p. 1. + See Cibber's Letter to Mr. P. Don Quixote, Part II. Book ii. ch, 22. § See C. Cibber's Life, p. 148 ! paragons himself; at one time to Alexander the Great and Charles XII. of Sweden, for the excefs and delicacy of his ambition *; to Henry IV. of France, for honeft policy; to the first Brutus, for love of liberty‡; and to Sir Robert Walpole, for good government while in power §. At another time to the godlike Socrates, for his diverfions and amufements ||; to Horace, Montaigne, and Sir William Temple, for an elegant vanity that maketh them for ever read and admired**; to two Lord Chancellors for law, from whom, when confederate against him at the bar, he carried away the prize of Eloquence ++; and, to fay all in a word, to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of London himself, in the art of writing Paftoral Letters II. Nor did his actions fall fhort of the fublimity of his conceit. In his early youth he met the Revolution §§ face to face in Nottingham, at a time when other patriots contented themselves to follow her. It was here he got acquainted with Old Battle-array, of whom he hath made fo honourable mention in one of his immortal odes. But he fhone in courts as well as camps: he was called up when the nation fell in labour of this Revolution*, and was a goffip at her chriftening with the bishop and the ladies †. As to his birth, it is true he pretendeth no relation either to Heathen god or goddefs; but, what is as good, he was defcended from a Maker of both ‡. And that he did not pass himself on the world for a hero, as well by birth as education, was his own fault; for his Jineage he bringeth into his life as an anecdote, and is fenfible he had it in his power to be thought no body's fon at all §: and what is that, I pray you, but coming into the world a hero? But be it (the punctilious laws of epic poefy fo requiring) that a hero of more than mortal birth must K3 needs See C. Cibber's Life, p. 149. + Ib. p. 424. Ib. p. 366. § Ib. p. 437. 15. p. 18. ** ib. p. 425. tt P. 436, 437. ‡‡ P. 52. §§ P. 47. "Old Battle-array in confufion is fled, "And olive-rob'd Peace is come in his ftead," &c. Cibber's Life, p. 57. † P. 58, 59. A Statuary. Life. needs be procured for this achievement, even for this we have a refource. We can easily derive our Hero's pedigree from a goddess of no small power and authority amongst men, and legitimate and inftal him after the right claffical and authentic fafhion: for, like as the ancient fages found a fon of Mars in a mighty warrior, a fon of Neptune in a skilful feaman, a fon of Phoebus in a harmonious poet; so have we here, if need be, a fon of Fortune in an artful Gamefter. And who, I pray you, fitter than the offspring of Chance to affift in restoring the empire of Night and Chaos ? There is, in truth, another objection, of greater weight, namely, "That this hero ftill exifteth, and "hath not yet finished his earthly courfe. For if Solon faid well, 66 -ultima femper "Expectanda dies homini: diefque beatus "Ante obitum nemo fupremaque funera debet: "That no man could be called happy till his death, furely much lefs can any one, till then, be pro"nounced a hero; this fpecies of men being far more fubject than others to the caprices of Fortune and "Humour." But to, this alio we have an answer, which will (we hope) be deemed decifive. It cometh from himself, who, to cut this matter fhort, hath folemnly protefted that he will never change or amend. With regard to his Vanity, he declareth that nothing fhall ever part them. "Nature (faith he) hath "amply supplied me in vanity; a pleasure which nei"ther the pertnefs of wit, nor the gravity of wisdom, "will ever perfuade me to part with *." Our Poet had charitably endeavoured to adminifter a cure to it; but he telleth us plainly, "My fuperiors, perhaps, may be mended by him; but, for my part, I own myflf incorrigible. I look upon my follies as the beft part of my fortune t." And with good reafon; we fee to what they have brought him! 66 Secondly, as to Buffoonry, "Is it (faith he) a time "of day for me to leave off thele fooleries, and fet up a new character? I can no more put off my follies than C. Cibber's Life, p. 424. † Ib. p. 19. than my kin: I have often tried, but they stick too "clofe to me; nor am I fure my friends are difpleased "with them, for in this light I afford them frequent "matter of mirth," &c. &c.*. Having then fo publickly declared himself incorrigible, he is become dead in law, (I mean the law Epopæian) and devolveth upon the Poet; is now his property; and may be taken and dealt with like an old Egyptian hero, that is to fay, embowelled and embalmed for pofterity. Nothing therefore (we conceive) remaineth to hinder his own prophesy of himself from taking immediate effect. A rare felicity! and what few prophets have had the fatisfaction to fee alive! Nor can we conclude better than with that extraordinary one of his, which is conceived in thefe oraculous words, "My dulness "will find fomebody to do it rightf." ander Phoebus adeft, morfufque inferre parentem *Cibber's Life, p. 17. t Ib. p. 243. Octavo Edit. PREFACE Prefixed to the Five first imperfect Editions of the Dunciad, in Three Books, printed at Dublin and London, in Octavo and Duodecimo, 1727. THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER. IT will be found a true obfervation, though fomewhat furprifing, that when any fcandal is vented against a man of the higheft diftinction and character, either in the ftate or literature, the public in general afford it a moft quiet reception, and the larger part accept The publisher.] Who he was is uncertain; but Edward Ward tells us, in his Preface to Durgen, "That most judges are of opinion this Preface is not of English extraction, but Hibernian," &c. He means it was written by Dr. Swift, who, whether the publifher or not, may be faid in a fort, to be author of the Poem. For when he, together with Mr. Pope (for r.afons ipecified in the Preface to their Mifcellanies) determined to own the moft trifling pieces in which they had any hand, and to dentroy all that remained in their power, the first theten of this Poem was fnatched from the fire by Dr. Swift, who perfuaded his friend to proceed in it, and to him it was therefore infcribed. But the occafion of printing it was as follows: There accept it as favourable as if it were fome kindness done to themselves: whereas, if a known fcoundrel or blockhead but chance to be touched upon, a whole legion is up in arms, and it becomes the common cause of all fcribblers, bookfellers, and printers whatsoever. Not to fearch too deeply into the reafon hereof, I will only obferve as a fact, that every week, for these two months paft, the Town has been perfecuted with pamphlets, advertisements, letters, and weekly effays, not only against the wit and writings, but against the character and perfon, of Mr. Pope; and that of all those men who have received pleature from his Works, (which by modeft computation may be about a hundred thousand in thefe kingdoms of England and Ireland, not to mention Jerfey, Guernsey, the Orcades, thofe There was published in thefe Mifcellanies a Treatife of the Bathos, or, Art of Sinking in Poetry, in which was a chapter, where the fpecies of bad writers were ranged in claff s, and initial letters of names prefixed, for the most part, at random. But fuch was the number of poets eminent in that art, that fome one or other took every letter to himself. All fell into fo violent a fury, that for half a year, or more, the common newspapers (in most of which they had fome property, as being hired writers) were filled with the most abufive falfehoods and fcurrilities they could poffibly devifc; a liberty no ways to be wondered at in those people, and in those papers, that, for many years, during the uncontrolled licence of the prefs, had afperfed almost all the great characters of the age and this with impunity, their own perfons and names being utterly fecret and obfcure. This gave Mr. Pope the thought, that he had now fome opportunity of doing good, by detecting and dragging into light thefe common enemies of mankind; fince, to invalidate this univerfal flander, it fufficed to fhew what contemptible men were the authors of it. He was not without hopes that, by manifefting the dulnefs of thofe who had only malice to recommend them, either the bookfellers wonid not find their account in employing them, or the men themfelves, when difcovered, want courage to proceed in fo unlawful an occupation. This it was that gave birth to the Dunciad; and he thought it an happiness that, by the late flood of flander on nimfelf, he had acquired iuch a peculiar right over their names as was neceffary to his defign. Pamphlets, advertisements, &c.] See the lift of thofe anonymous papers, with their dates and authors annexed, inferted before the Poem. About a hundred thousand.] It is furprifing with what ftupidity this Preface, which is almost a continued irony, was taken by thofe authors. All fuch paffages as thefe were understood by Curl, Cook, Cibber, and others, to be ferious. Hear the Laureat (Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9.) "Though I grant the Dunciad a better poem of its kind than ever was "writ, yet, when I read it with thofe vain-glorious incumbrances of "notes and remarks upon it, &c. -- it is amazing that you, who have "writ with fuch matterly fpirit upon the ruling paffion, fhould be fo "blind a flave to your own, as not to fee how far a low avarice of praife," &c. (taking it for granted that the notes of Scriblerus and hers were the Author's own,) |