SATIRE IV. WELL! I may now receive, and die. My sin A recreation, and scant map of this. My mind, neither with pride's itch, nor hath been Poyson'd with love to see or to be seen, I had no suit there, nor new suit to show, Therefore I suffer'd this; towards me did run A thing more strange than on Nile's slime the sun NOTES. VER. 1. WELL! I may now receive, &c.] More short, severe, and pointed than Pope's paraphrastical lines. Warton. Ver. 7. The poet's hell,] He has here with great prudence corrected the licentious expression of his original. Warburton. Ver. 10. Not the vain itch] Courtiers have the same pride in admiring, which Poets have in being admired. For vanity is often as much gratified in paying our court to our superiors, as in receiving it from our inferiors. Warburton. SATIRE IV. WELL, if it be my time to quit the stage, I die in charity with fool and knave, Would go to Mass in jest (as story says) Could not but think, to pay his fine was odd, NOTES. 5 10 15 Ver. 13. Had no new verses, nor new suit to shew;] Insinuating "that Court-poetry, like Court-clothes, only comes thither in honour of the Sovereign; and serves but to supply a day's conversation!!" Warburton. Ver. 14. the devil would] This addition is mean. And line below, 26, is perhaps the greatest violation of harmony Pope has ever been guilty of, by beginning the verse with the word Noah. And line 17, his fine was odd, seems to be very exceptionable. Warton. E'er bred, or all which into Noah's ark came : A thing which would have posed Adam to name: That Africk monsters, Guinea's rarities, In the Danes' massacre had sure been slain, Sir, By your priesthood, tell me what you are? His cloathes were strange, though coarse, and black, though bare; Sleeveless his jerkin was, and it had been Velvet, but 'twas now (so much ground was seen) NOTES. Ver. 19. So was I punish'd,] Thus in former editions: Pope made many alterations in this Satire, and seems to have taken pains in correcting it. Line 65, and succeeding ones, stood thus: Well met, he cries, and happy sure for each, Line 86 stood as follows: Obliging Sir, I love you I profess, But wish you liked retreat a little less, Line 20 So was I punish'd, as if full as proud Or Sloane or Woodward's wondrous shelves contain, The watch would hardly let him pass at noon, 35 And the wise justice, starting from his chair, black: The suit, if by the fashion one might guess, Line 154 ran thus: NOTES. Shows Poland's interest, takes the Primate's part. 40 Dr. Johnson speaks, methinks, too slightingly of these Imitations of Donne, when he says, that " Pope seems to have known their imbecility." Warton. The thing hath travail'd, and faith, speaks all tongues, And only knoweth what to all States belongs, With his tongue, in his tongue call'd Compliment: Jovius, or Surius, or both together. He names me, and comes to me; I whisper, God, How have I sinn'd, that thy wrath's furious rod, This fellow, chuseth me! He saith, Sir, I love your judgment; whom do you prefer Of our two academies I named. Here He stopt me, and said, Nay, your Apostles were NOTES. Ver. 68. "The King's," said I.] "This sneer," said the ingenious Mr. Wilkes, "is really indecent. The good Bishop who published an edition of his works, ought, in the mild limbo of his Commentary, to have softened the severity of this passage." Warton. |