The Works of Alexander Pope

cians, to cure their patients by intuition, and to others to cure without looking on them at all. He projected a menstruum to dissolve the stone, made of Dr. Woodward's Universal Deluge-water. His was also the device to relieve consumptive or asthmatic persons, by bringing fresh air out of the country to town, by pipes of the nature of the recipients of air-pumps: and to introduce the native air of a man's country into any other in which he should travel, with a seasonable intromission of such steams as were most familiar to him; to the inexpressible comfort of many Scotsmen, Laplanders, and white bears.

In physiognomy, his penetration is such, that from the picture only of any person, he can write his life; and from the features of the parents, draw the portrait of any child that is to be born.

Nor hath he been so enrapt in these studies, as to neglect the polite arts of painting, architecture, music, poetry, &c. It was he that gave the first hint to our modern painters, to improve the likeness of their portraits by the use of such colours as would faithfully and constantly accompany the life, not only in its present state, but in all its alterations, decays, age, and death itself.

In architecture, he builds not with so much regard to present symmetry or conveniency, as with a thought well worthy a true lover of antiquity, to wit, the noble effect the building will have to posterity, when it shall fall and become a ruin.

As to music, I think Heidegger has not the face

MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS

ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΘΟΥΣ:

OR, OF THE ART OF

SINKING IN POETRY.

FIRST PRINTED IN THE YEAR MDCCXXVII.

THE following Treatise on the Art of Sinking in Poetry, is probably entirely the work of Pope. It was intended as a portion of the greater work of Martinus Scriblerus, and may be considered as the immediate precursor of the Dunciad. It was first published in the miscellanies of Pope and Swift in 1727, and gave great offence to the numerous authors whose writings are quoted as instances of the Bathos; who uniting together produced a volume called the Popiad, and a collection of Essays, Letters, &c. forming three volumes, the particulars of which are stated by Pope as a vindication for the severity which he exercised in return. Of the circumstances attending its publication, a more particular account may be found in the Life of Pope prefixed to this Edition, chap. vii.

CONTENTS

OF THE

ART OF SINKING IN POETRY.

CHAP.

I. Introduction

II. That the Bathos, or Profund, is the natural Taste of Man, and in particular of the present Age

III. The Necessity of the Bathos, physically considered