Wild through poetic scenes the genius roves,
Or wanders wild in Academic groves;
That nature our society adores,

490

Where Tindal dictates, and Silenus snores.'
Rous'd at his name, up rose the bowzy sire,
And shook from out his pipe the seeds of fire;
Then snapp'd his box, and strok'd his belly down,
Rosy and rev'rend, though without a gown.
Bland and familiar to the throne he came,
Led up the youth, and call'd the goddess dame.

REMARKS.

Ver. 492. Where Tindal dictates, and Silenus snores.] It cannot be denied but that this fine stroke of satire against atheism was well intended. But how must the reader smile at our author's officious zeal, when he is told, that at the time this was written, you might as soon have found a wolf in England as an atheist? The truth is, the whole species was exterminated. There is a trifling difference, indeed, concerning the author of the achievement. Some, as Dr. Ashenhurst, gave it to Bentley's Boylean Lectures. And he so well convinced that great man of the truth, that wherever afterwards he found atheist, he always read it A theist. But, in spite of a claim so well made out, others gave the honour of this exploit to a latter Boylean lecturer. A ju. dicious apologist for Dr. Clarke, against Mr. Whis ton, says, with no less elegance than positiveness of expression, 'It is a most certain truth, that the Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, has extirpated and banished atheism out of the Christian world,' p. 18. It is much to be lamented, that the clearest truths have still their dark side. Here we see it becomes a doubt which of the two Herculeses was the monsterqueller. But what of that? Since the thing is done, and the proof of it so certain, there is no occasion for so nice a canvassing of circumstances. SCRIBL.

Then thus: From priestcraft happily set free,
Lo! ev'ry finish'd son returns to thee:

First slave to words, then vassal to a name,
Then dupe to party; child and man the same;
Bounded by nature, narrow'd still by art,
A trifling head, and a contracted heart.
Thus bred, thus taught, how many have I seen,
Smiling on all, and smil'd on by a queen!
Mark'd out for honours, honour'd for their birth,
To thee the most rebellious things on earth:
Now to thy gentle shadow all are shrunk,
All melted down in pension, or in punk!
So K*, so B**, sneak'd into the grave,
A monarch's half, and half a harlot's slave.
Poor W**, nipt in folly's broadest bloom,
Who praises now? his chaplain on his tomb.
Then take them all, oh take them to thy breast!
Thy Magus, goddess! shall perform the rest.'

REMARKS.

500

510

Ver. 492. Silenus] Silenus was an Epicurean philosopher, as appears from Virgil, Eclog. vi. where he sings the principles of that philosophy in his drink.

Ver. 501. First slave to words, &c.] A recapitulation of the whole course of modern education de scribed in this book, which confines youth to the study of words only in schools; subjects them to the authority of systems in the universities; and deludes them with the names of party distinctions in the world. All equally concurring to narrow the understanding, and establish slavery and error in literature, philosophy, and politics. The whole finished in modern free-thinking: the completion of whatever is vain, wrong, and destructive to the happiness of mankind; as it establishes self-love for the sole principle of action.

Ver. 506. smil❜d on by a queen!] i. e. This or goddess of Dulness.

queen

With that a wizard old his cup extends;
Which whoso tastes, forgets his former friends,
Sire, ancestors, himself. One casts his eyes
Up to a star, and like Endymion dies:
A feather, shooting from another's head,
Extracts his brain; and principle is fled;
Lost is his God, his country, ev'ry thing;
And nothing left but homage to a king!

REMARKS.

520

Ver. 517. With that a wizard old, &c.] Here beginneth the celebration of the greater mysteries of the goddess, which the poet, in his invocation, ver. 5, promised to sing.

Ver. 518.

forgets his former friends,] Surely there little needed the force of charms or magic to set aside a useless friendship. For of all the accommodations of fashionable life, as there are none more reputable, so there are none of so little charge as friendship. It fills up the void of life with a name of dignity and respect; and at the same time is ready to give place to every passion that offers to dispute possession with it. SCRIBL.

Ver. 523, 524. Lost is his God, his country-And nothing left but homage to a king!] So strange as this must seem to a mere English reader, the famous Mons. de la Bruyere declares it to be the character of every good subject in a monarchy: Where,' says he, there is no such thing as love of our country, the interest, the glory, and service of the prince, supply its place.' De la Republique, chap. x.

Of this duty another celebrated French author speaks, indeed, a little more disrespectfully; which for that reason we shall not translate, but give in his own words: L'amour de la patrie, le grand motif des prémiers heros, n'est plus regardé que comme une chimêre; l'idée du service du roi, etendüe jusqu'a l'oubli de tout autre principe, tient lieu de ce qu'on appelloit autrefois grandeur d'ame et

The vulgar herd turn off to roll with hogs,
To run with horses, or to hunt with dogs;
But sad example! never to escape

Their infamy, still keep the human shape.

But she, good goddess, sent to ev'ry child Firm impudence, or stupefaction mild; And straight succeeded, leaving shame no room, Cibberian forehead, or Cimmerian gloom.

Kind self-conceit to some her glass applies,

Which no one looks in with another's eyes;
But, as the flatt'rer or dependant paint,
Beholds himself a patriot, chief, or saint.

REMARKS.

530

fidelité.---Boulainvilliers Hist des Anciens Parle. ments de France, &c.

Ver. 528. still keep the human shape.] The effects of the Magus's cup, by which is allegorized ́a total corruption of heart, are just contrary to that of Circe, which only represents the sudden plunging into pleasures. Hers, therefore, took away the shape, and left the human mind; his takes away the mind, and leaves the human shape.

Ver. 529. But she, good goddess, &c.] The only comfort people can receive, must be owing in some shape or other to Dulness; which makes some stupid, others impudent, gives self-conceit to some, upon the flatteries of their dependants, presents the false colours of interest to others, and busies or amuses the rest with idle pleasures or sensuality, till they become easy under any infamy. Each of which species is here shadowed under allegorical

persons,

Ver.532. Cibberian forehead, or Cimmerian gloom.] i. e. she communicates to them of her own virtue, or of her royal colleagues. The Cibberian forehead being to fit them for self-conceit, self-interest, &c. and the Cimmerian gloom, for the pleasures of ope. ra and the table. SCRIBL.

On others int'rest her gay liv'ry flings, Int'rest, that waves on party-colour'd wings: Turn'd to the sun, she casts a thousand dyes, And, as she turns, the colours fall or rise.

Others the syren sisters warble round, And empty heads console with empty sound. No more, alas! the voice of fame they hear, The balm of Dulness trickling in their ear. Great C**, H**, P**, R**, K*,

540

Why all your toils? your sons have learn'd to sing. How quick ambition hastes to ridicule!

The sire is made a peer, the son a fool.

On some, a priest succinct in amice white Attends; all flesh is nothing in his sight! Beeves, at his touch, at once to jelly turn, And the huge boar is shrunk into an urn: The board with specious miracles he loads, Turns hares to larks, and pigeons into toads.

REMARKS.

550

Ver. 553. The board with specious miracles he loads, &c.] Scriblerus seems at a loss in this place. Speciosa miracula (says he) according to Horace, were the monstrous fables of the Cyclops, Læstrygons, Scylla, &c. What relation have these to the transformation of hares into larks, or of pigeons into toads? I shall tell thee. The Læstrygons spitted men upon spears, as we do larks upon skewers; and the fair pigeon turned to a toad, is similar to the fair virgin Scylla ending in a filthy beast. But here is the difficulty, why pigeons in so shocking a shape should be brought to a table. Hares, indeed, might be cut into larks at a second dressing, out of frugal. ity: yet that seems no probable motive, when we consider the extravagance before mentioned, of dissolving whole oxen and boars into a small vial of jelly; nay, it is expressly said, that all flesh is nothing in his sight. I have searched in Apicius, Pliny, and the feast of Trimalchio, in vain; I can only