ornatum, hinc ad fucum et lafciviam prolabitur. Eft idem animorum et ingeniorum, qui vitæ et reipublicæ, ab aufteritate ad elegantiam, ab hac ad luxum et delicias, progreffus; quo gradu uti femel rerum vices conftitere, ad interitum eas vergere neceffe eft."

It is not improper to obferve what great improvements the Art of Criticism has received fince this Effay was written. For without recurring to pieces of earlier date, and nearer the time in which it was written; the effays in the Spectator and Guardian; Shaftesbury's Advice to an Author; Spence on the Odyffey; Fenton on Waller; Blackwell's Enquiry into the Life and Writings of Homer: even of late years, we have had the Treatifes of Harris; Hurd's Remarks on Horace; Obfervations on the Fairy Queen; Webb on Poetry and Mufic; Brown's Differtation on the fame; the Differtations of Beattie; the Elements of Criticifm, of Kaims; the Lectures of Blair; the Editions of Milton, by Newton and Warton; and of Shakespeare and Spenfer, by Malone, Steevens, and Upton; the Hiftory of English Poetry; the critical papers of the Rambler, Adventurer, World, and Connoiffeur; and The Lives of the Poets, by Johnson; the Biographia Britannica; and the Poetics of Ariftotle, translated, and accompanied with judicious notes, by Twining and Pye; and the tranflation, with notes, of Horace's Art of Poetry, by Hurd and Colman; and the Epiftles of Hayley.

THE RAPE OF THE LOCK.

AN HEROI.COMICAL POEM.

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR MDCCXII.

VOL. I.

T

TO MRS. ARABELLA FERMOR.

MADAM,

T will be in vain to deny that I have fome regard

IT

for this piece, fince I dedicate it to You. Yet you may bear me witness, it was intended only to divert a few young Ladies, who have good fenfe and good humour enough to laugh not only at their fex's little unguarded follies, but at their own. But as it was communicated with the air of a Secret, it foon found its way into the world. An imperfect copy having been offered to a Bookfeller, you had the good-nature for my fake to confent to the publication of one more correct: This I was forced to, before I had executed half my defign, for the Machinery was entirely wanting to complete it.

The Machinery, Madam, is a term invented by the Critics, to fignify that part which the Deities, Angels, or Demons, are made to act in a Poem: For the ancient Poets are in one refpect like many modern Ladies; let an action be never so trivial in itself, they always make it appear of the utmost importance. Thefe Machines I determined to raise on a very new and odd foundation, the Roficrucian doctrine of Spirits.