Thence to the south extend thy gladden'd eyes; How little, mark! that portion of the ball, peace, great goddess, ever be adored; How keen the war, if Dulness draw the sword! 120 Thus visit not thy own! on this bless'd age O spread thy influence, but restrain thy rage. And see, my son! the hour is on its way, 90 That lifts our goddess to imperial sway; 100 Lo! Rome herself, proud mistress now no more REMARKS. 130 This favourite isle, long sever'd from her reign, 140 Mark first that youth who takes the foremost place, A second see, by meeker manners known, Ver. 81, 82. The caliph, Omar 1. having conquered Jacob, the scourge of grammar, mark with awe; Egypt, caused his general to burn the Ptolemæan library, on Nor less revere him, blunderbuss of law. the gates of which was this inscription, The physic of the soul. Ver. 96. (The soil that arts and infant letters bore.)] Phoenicia, Syria, &c. where letters are said to have been invented. In these countries Mahomet began his conquests. REMARKS. 150 Ver. 117, 118. Happy! had Easter never been.] Wars in England anciently, about the right time of celebrating Easter. Ver. 126. Dove-like, she gathers.] This is fulfilled in Ver. 102. Thundering against heathen lore:] A strong instance of this pious rage is placed to pope Gregory's account. John of Salisbury gives a very odd encomium of this pope, at the same time that he mentions one of the the fourth book. strangest effects of this excess of zeal in him: 'Doctor sanc-i. e. Of poets, antiquaries, critics, divines, freethinkers. But Ver. 128. What aids, what armies, to assert her cause!] tissimus ille Gregorius, qui melleo prædicationis imbre totam rigavit et inebriavit ecclesiam; non modo mathesin jussit ab as this revolution is only here set on foot by the first of these aula, sed, ut traditur a majoribus, incendio dedit probata classes, the poets, they only are here particularly celebrated, lectionis scripta, Palatinus quæcunque tenebat Apollo ? and they only properly fall under the care and review of And in another place: Fertur beatus Gregorius bibliothe-this colleague of Dulness, the laureate. The others, who cam combussisse gentilem; quo divinæ paginæ gratior esset finish the great work, are reserved for the fourth book, where locus, et major auctoritas, et diligentia studiosior. De- the goddess herself appears in full glory. siderius, archbishop of Vienna, was sharply reproved by Ver. 140. Jacob, the scourge of grammar, mark with him for teaching grammar and literature, and explaining awe;] This gentleman is son of a considerable master of the poets: because (says this pope)' In uno se ore cum Jovis Romsey in Southamptonshire, and bred to the law under a laudibus Christi laudes non capiunt: Et quam grave nefan- very eminent attorney, who, between his more laborious dumque sit episcopis canere quod nec laicó religioso conve- studies, has diverted himself with poetry. He is a great adniat, ipse considera.' He is said among the rest to have mirer of poets and their works, which has occasioned him burned Livy; 'Quia in superstitionibus et sacris Romano- to try his genius that way. He has writ in Prose the Lives rum perpetuo versatur.' The same pope is accused by Vos-of the poets, Essays, and a great many law books, The Ac sius, and others, of having caused the noble monuments of complished Conveyancer, Modern Justice, &c.' Giles Jacob the old Roman magnificence to be destroyed, lest those who of himself, Lives of Poets, vol. i. He very grossly and uncame to Rome should give more attention to triumphal provoked, abused in that book the author's friend, Mr. Gay. arches, &c. than to holy things. Bayle, Dict. Ver. 149, 150. Ver. 109. Till Peter's keys some christen'd Jove adorn.] Jacob, the scourge of grammar, mark with awe; After the government of Rome devolved to the Popes, their Nor less revere him, blunderbuss of law.] zeal was for some time exerted in demolishing the heathen There may seem some error in these verses, Mr. Jacob temples and statues, so that the Goths scarce destroyed having proved our author to have a respect for him, by this more monuments of antiquity out of rage, than these out of undeniable argument: 'He had once a regard for my judg devotion. At length they spared some of the temples, by ment; otherwise he never would have subscribed two guiconverting them into images of saints. In much later times, neas to me, for one small book in octavo.' Jacob's Letter to it was thought necessary to change the statues of Apollo Dennis, printed in Dennis's Remarks on the Dunciad, p. 49. and Pallas, on the tomb of Sannazarius, into David and Ju- Therefore I should think the appellation of blunderbuss to dith; the lyre easily became a harp, and the Gorgon's head Mr. Jacob, like that of thunderbolt to Scipio, was meant in urned to that of Holofernes. his honour. Lo, P-p-le's brow, tremendous to the town, REMARKS. Mr. Dennis argues the same way: 'My writings having made great impression on the minds of all sensible men. Mr. P. repented, and to give proof of his repentance, subscribed to my two volumes of Select Works, and afterwards to my two volumes of Letters.' Ibid. p. 80. We should hence believe, the name of Mr. Dennis hath also crept into this poem by some mistake. But from hence, gentle reader! thou mayest beware, when thou givest thy money to such authors, not to flatter thyself that thy motives are good nature or charity. Ver. 152. Horneck and Roome.] These two were virulent party-writers, worthily coupled together, and one would think prophetically, since, after the publishing of this piece, the former dying, the latter succeeded him in honour and employment. The first was Philip Horneck, author of a Billingsgate paper, called the High German Doctor. Edward Roome was son of an undertaker for funerals in Fleetstreet, and writ some of the papers called Pasquin, where, by malicious inuendos, he endeavoured to represent our author guilty of malevolent practices with a great man then under prosecution of parliament. Of this man was made the following epigram: 'You ask why Roome diverts you with his jokes? Yet if he writes, is dull as other folks! You wonder at it-This, sir, is the case, The jest is lost unless he prints his face.' P-le was the author of some vile plays and pamphlets. He published abuses on our author in a paper called the Prompter. Ver. 153. Goode,] An ill-natured critic, who writ a Fatire on our author, called the Mock Esop, and many anonymous libels in newspapers for hire. Ver. 156. Whose tuneful whistling makes the waters pass:] There were several successions of these sorts of minor poets at Tunbridge, Bath, &c. singing the praise of the annuals flourishing for that season; whose names, indeed, would be nameless, and therefore the poet slurs them over with others in general. Ver. 165. Ralph.] James Ralph, a name inserted after the first editions, not known to our author till he writ a swearing piece, called Sawney, very abusive of Dr. Swift, Mr. Gay, and himself. These lines allude to a thing of his, entitled Night, a Poem. This low writer attended his own works with panegyrics in the Journals, and once in particular praised himself highly above Mr. Addison, in wretched remarks upon that author's account of English Poets, printed in a London Journal, Sept. 1728. He was wholly illiterate, and knew no language, not even French. Being advised to read the rules of dramatic poetry before he began a play, he smiled and replied, 'Shakspeare writ without rules.' He ended at last in the common sink of all such writers, a political newspaper, to which he was recommended by his friend Arnall, and received a small pittance for pay. Ver. 168. Morris] Besaleel. See Book ii. Ver. 169. Flow, Welsted, &c.] Of this author see the Remark on Book ii. v. 209. But (to be impartial) add to it the following different character of him: this he (civilly) became a member of both, and after having passed some time at the one, he removed to the other. From thence he returned to town, where he became the darling expectation of all the polite writers, whose encouragement will make no small part of the fame of his protectors. It he acknowledged in his occasional poems, in a manner that also appears from his works, that he was happy in the patronage of the most illustrious characters of the present published a book of poems, some in the Ovidian, some in age. Encouraged by such a combination in his favour, hethe Horatian manner; in both which the most exquisite judges pronounce he even rivalled his masters.--His loveverses have rescued that way of writing from contempt.-In his translations, be has given as the very soul and spirit of tale--all, are the most perfect things in all poetry. WelHis Ode-his Epistle-Ins Verses--his Lovested of himself, Char. of the Times, 8vo. 1728, page 23, 24. It should not be forgot for his honour, that he received at one time the sum of five hundred pounds for secret service, among the other excellent authors hired to write anony mously for the ministry. See Report of the secret Commit his author. tee, &c. in 1742. Ver. 173. Ah, Dennis! Gildon, ah!] These men became the public scorn by a mere mistake of their talents. They would needs turn critics of their own country writers (just the beauties and defects of composition: as Aristotle and Longinus did of theirs,) and discourse upon 'How parts relate to parts, and they to whole; The body's harmony, the beaming soul." Whereas had they followed the example of those microscopes of wit, Kuster, Burman, and their followers, in verbal criticism on the learned languages, their acuteness and industry might have raised them a name equal to the most famous of the scholiasts. We cannot, therefore, but lament the late apostacy of the prebendary of Rochester, who be ginning in so good a train has now turned short to write comments on the Fire-side, and dreams upon Shakspeare: where we find the spirit of Oldmixon, Gildon, and Denois, all revived in his belaboured observations. Scribl. Here Scriblerus, in this affair of the Fire-side, I want thy usual candour. It is true, Mr. Upton did write notes upon it, but with all the honour and good faith in the world. He took it to be a panegyric on his patron. This it is to have to do with wits; a commerce unworthy a scholiast of so solid learning. Aris. Ver. 173. Ah, Dennis, &c.] The render who has seen through the course of these notes, what a constant attendance Mr. Dennis paid to our author and all his works, may perhaps wonder he should be mentioned but twice, and so slightly touched, in this poem. But in truth he looked upon him with some esteem, for having (more generously than all the rest) set his name to such writings. He was also a very old man at this time. By his own account of himself, in Mr. Jacob's lives, he must have been above threescore, and happily lived many years after. So that he was senior to Mr. D'Urfey, who hitherto, of all our poets, enjoyed the longest bodily life. Ver. 179. Behold yon pair, &c.] One of these was anthor of a weekly paper called The Grumbler, as the othe was concerned in another called Pasquin, in which Mr. Pope was abused with the duke of Buckingham, and bishop of Rochester, They also joined în a piece against his first undertaking to translate the Iliad, entitled Homerides, by sir Iliad Doggrel, printed 1715. Of the other works of these gentlemen the world has heard no more, than it would of Mr. Pope's, had their united laudable endeavours discouraged him from pursuing his studies. How few good works had ever appeared (since men of true merit are always the least presuming) had there been always such champions to stifle them in their concepMr. Welsted had, in his youth, raised so great expectation! And were it not better for the public, that a million tions of his future genius, that there was a kind of struggle of monsters should come into the world, which are sure to between the most eminent of the two universities, which die as soon as born, than that the serpents should strangle should have the honour of his education. To compound one Hercules in his cradle? After many editions of this poem, the author thought fit to omit the names of these two persons, whose injury to him was of so old a date. How fluent nonsense trickles from his tongue! A decent priest, where monkeys were the gods! That beams on earth, each virtue he inspires, REMARKS. 220 no mortal ever thought of; he had success against all opposition; challenged his adversaries to fair disputations, and none would dispute with him; writ, read, and studied twelve hours a day; composed three dissertations a week on all subjects; undertook to teach in one year what schools and universities teach in five; was not terrified by menaces, insults, or satires, but still proceeded, matured his bold scheme, and put the church, and all that, in danger.'-Weisted, Narrative in Orat. Transact. No. 1. After having stood some prosecutions, he turned his rhetoric to buffoonery upon all public and private occurVer. 184. That shines a consul, this commissioner.]rences. All this passed in the same room, where sometimes Such places were given at this time to such sort of writers. he broke jests, and sometimes that bread which he called Ver. 187. Myster wight.] Uncouth mortal. the primitive eucharist. This wonderful person struck meVer. 188. Wormius hight.] Let not this name, purely dals, which he dispersed as tickets to his subscribers; the fictitious, be conceited to mean the learned Olaus Wormius; device a star rising to the meridian, with this motto, much less (as it was unwarrantably foisted into the surrepti- AD SVMMA: and below, INVENIAM VIAM AVT tious editions) our own antiquary, Mr. Thomas Hearne, who FACIAM. This man had a hundred pounds a year given had no way aggrieved our poet, but on the contrary publish- him for the secret service of a weekly paper of unintelligible ed many curious tracts which he hath to his great content-nonsense, called the Hyp-Doctor. ment perused. Ver. 204. Sherlock, Hare, Gibson,] Bishops of SalisVer. 192. Wits who, like owls, &c.] These few lines bury, Chichester, and London; whose sermons and pastoral exactly describe the right verbal critic: the darker his au- letters did honour to their country as well as stations. thor is, the better he is pleased; like the famous quack doc- Ver. 212. Of Toland, and Tindal, see Book ii. Tho. tor, who put up in his bills, he delighted in matters of diffi-Woolston was an impious madman, who wrote in a most culty. Somebody said well of these men, that their heads insolent style against the miracles of the Gospel, in the year were libraries out of order. 1726, &c. Ver. 215. 'Tis yours, a Bacon or a Locke to blame, A Newton's genius, or a Milton's flame:] Ver. 199. Lo! Henley stands, &c.] J. Henley the Ver. 213. Yet oh, my sons, &c.] The caution against orator; he preached on the Sundays upon theological matters, blasphemy here given by a departed son of Dulness to his yet and on the Wednesdays upon all other sciences. Each existing brethren, is, as the poet rightly intimates, not out auditor paid one shilling. He declaimed some years against of tenderness to the ears of others, but their own. And so the greatest persons, and occasionally did our author that we see that when that danger is removed, on the open estabhonour. Welsted, in Oratory Transactions, No. 1, publish-lishment of the goddess in the fourth book, she encourages ed by Henley himself, gives the following account of him: her sons, and they beg assistance to pollute the source of 'He was born at Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire. From light itself, with the same virulence they had before done his own parish school he went to St. John's College, in Cam- the purest emanations from it. bridge. He began there to be uneasy; for it shocked him to find he was commanded to believe against his own judgment in points of religion, philosophy, &c. for his genius leading him freely to dispute all propositions, and call all points to Thankfully received, and freely used, is this gracious licence account, he was impatient under those fetters of the free-by the beloved disciple of that prince of cabalistic dunces, born mind. Being admitted to priest's orders, he found the the tremendous Hutchinson. Hear with what honest plainexamination very short and superficial, and that it was not ness he treateth our great geometer. 'As to mathematical necessary to conform to the Christian religion, in order demonstrations,' saith he, founded upon the proportions of either to deaconship or priesthood. He came to town, and lines and circles to each other, and the ringing of changes after having for some years been a witer for booksellers, he upon figures, these have no more to do with the greatest part had an ambition to be so for ministers of state. The only of philosophy, than they have with the man in the moon. reason be did not rise in the church, we are told, was the Indeed, the zeal for this sort of gibberish (mathematical envy of others, and a disrelish entertained of him, because principles) is greatly abated of late: and though it is now he was not qualified to be a complete spaniel.' However upwards of twenty years that the Dagon of modern philosohe offered the service of his pen to two great men, of opinions phers, sir Isaac Newton, has lain with his face upon the and interests directly opposite; by both of whom being re-ground before the ark of God, Scripture philosophy; for so jected, he set up a new project, and styled himself the Restorer long Moses's Principia have been published; and the Treaof ancient Eloquence. He thought it as lawful to take a tise of Power Essential and Mechanical, in which sir Isaac licence from the king and parliament in one place as ano- Newton's philosophy is treated with the utmost contempt, ther; at Hickes's Hall, as at Doctors' Commons; so set up has been published a dozen years; yet is there not one of his oratory in Newport-market, Butcher-row. There,' says the whole society who hath had the courage to attempt to his friend, he had the assurance to form a plan, which raise him up. And so let him lie.' The Philosophical Prin · His never-blushing head he turn'd aside, Till one wide conflagration swallows all. 240 Thence a new world, to nature's laws unknown, Immortal Rich! how calm he sits at ease On grinning dragons thou shalt mount the wind. 270 280 And are these wonders, son, to thee unknown? Unknown to thee? These wonders are thy own. These fate reserved to grace thy reign divine, Foreseen by me, but, ah! withheld from mine. In Lud's old walls though long I ruled, renown'd Far as loud Bow's stupendous bells resound;' Though my own aldermen conferr'd the bays, To me committing their eternal praise, Their full fed heroes, their pacific mayors, Their annual trophies, and their monthly wars : The forests dance, the rivers upward rise, Though long my party built on me their hopes, Whales sport in woods, and dolphins in the skies; For writing pamphlets, and for roasting popes: And last, to give the whole creation grace, Yet lo! in me what authors have to brag on! Lo! one vast egg produces human race. Reduced at last to hiss in my own dragon. Joy fills his soul, joy innocent of thought: Avert it, Heaven! that thou, my Cibber, e'er 'What power,' he cries,' what power these wonders Shouldst wag a serpent-tail in Smithfield fair! wrought?' Like the vile straw that's blown about the streets,, 'Son; what thou seek'st is in thee! Look, and find The needy poet sticks to all he meets, Each monster meets his likeness in thy mind. Yet wouldst thou more? in yonder cloud behold, Whose sarsenet skirts are edged with flaming gold, A matchless youth! his nod these worlds controls, Wings the red lightning, and the thunder rolls. Angel of Dulness, sent to scatter round Her magic charms o'er all unclassic ground: Yon stars, yon suns, he rears at pleasure higher, Illumes their light, and sets their flames on fire. REMARKS. 250 260 ciples of Moses asserted, &c. p. 2, by Julias Bate, A. M. chaplain to the right honourable the earl of Harrington. London, 1744, 8vo. Coach'd, carted, trode upon, now loose, now fast, REMARKS. 290 Ver. 261. Immortal Rich!] Mr. J. Rich, master of the theatre-royal in Covent-garden, was the first that excelled this way. Ver. 266. I see my Cibber there!] The history of the foregoing absurdities is verified by himself, in these words, (Life, chap. xv.) Then sprung forth that succession of monstrous medleys that have so long infested the stage, which arose upon one another alternately at both houses, outvieing each other in expense.' He then proceeds to excuse his own part in them, as follows:- If I am asked why I assented? I have no better excuse for my error than to confess I did it against my conscience, and had not virtue Ver. 224. But, Learn, ye Dunces! not to scorn your enough to starve. Had Henry IV. of France a better for God.'] The hardest lesson a dunce can learn. For being changing his religion? I was still in my heart, as much as bred to scorn what he does not understand, that which be he could be, on the side of truth and sense: but with this understands least he will be apt to scorn most. Of which, difference, that I had their leave to quit them when they to the disgrace of all government, and, in the poet's opinion, could not support me. But let the question go which way it even of that of Dulness herself, we have had a late example, will, Harry IVth has always been allowed a great man.* in a book entitled Philosophical Essays concerning Human This must be confessed a full answer: only the question still Understanding. seems to be, 1. How the doing a thing against one's con Scribl. Ver. 266, 267. Booth and Cibber were joint managers of the theatre in Drury-lane. Ver. 224. Not to scorn your God.'] See this subject science is an excuse for it? and, 2dly, It will be hard to prove pursued in Book iv. how he got the leave of truth and sense to quit their service, Ver. 232. (Not half so pleased, when Goodman prophesi-unless he can produce a certificate that he ever was in it. ed.)] Mr. Cibber tells us, in his Life, p. 149, that Goodman being at the rehearsal of a play, in which he had a part, clapp'd him on the shoulder, and cried, 'If he does not make a good actor, I'll be d-d.' And,' says Mr. Cibber, I make it a question, whether Alexander himself, or Charles the Twelfth of Sweden, when at the head of their first victorious armies, could feel a greater transport in their bosoms than I did in mine.' Ver. 268. On grinning dragons thou shalt mount the wind.] In his letter to Mr. P. Mr. C. solemnly declares this not to be literally true. We hope, therefore, the reader will understand it allegorically only. Ver. 282. Annual trophies on the lord-mayor's day; and monthly wars in the artillery ground. Ver. 233. A sable sorcerer.] Dr. Faustus, the subject Ver. 283. Though long my party.] Settle, like most of a set of farces, which lasted in vogue two or three sea-party writers, was very uncertain in his political principles sons, in which both playhouses strove to outdo each other He was employed to hold the pen in the character of a popish for some years. All the extravagances in the sixteen lines successor, but afterwards printed his narrative on the other following, were introduced on the stage, and frequented by side He had managed the ceremony of a famous popepersons of the first quality in England, to the twentieth and burning, on Nov. 17, 1680; then became a trooper in king thirtieth time. James's army, at Hounslow-heath. After the Revolution, Ver. 237. Hell rises, heaven descends, and dance on he kept a booth at Bartholomew-fair, where, in the droll earth: This monstrous absurdity was actually represented called St. George for England, he acted in his old age, in a In Tibbald's Rape of Proserpine. dragon of green leather of his own invention; he was at las taken into the Charter-house, and there died, aged sixty years. Ver. 248. Lo! one vast egg.] In another of these farces Harlequin is hatched upon the stage, out of a large egg. 300 Happier thy fortunes! like a rolling stone, This, this is he, foretold by ancient rhymes: REMARKS. 310 320 the king against Benson, for such a misrepresentation; but the earl of Sunderland, then secretary, gave them an assurance that his majesty would remove him, which was done accordingly. In favour of this man, the famous sir Christopher Wren, who had been architect to the crown for above fifty years, who had built most of the churches in London, laid the first stone of St. Paul's, and lived to finish it, had been displaced from his employment at the age of near ninety years. Ver. 326. Ambrose Phillips.] He was,' saith Mr. Jacob, one of the wits at Button's, and a justice of the peace:" but he hath since met with higher preferment in Ireland: don's Complete Art of Poetry, vol. i. p. 157. Indeed he and a much greater character we have of him in Mr. Gilconfesses, he dares not set him quite on the same foot with Virgil, lest it should seem flattery, but he is much mistaken if posterity does not afford him a greater esteem than he at present enjoys.' He endeavoured to create some misunderstanding between our author and Mr. Addison, whom also soon after he abused as much. His constant cry was, that Mr. P. was an enemy to the government; and in particular he was the avowed author of a report very industriously spread, that he had a hand in a party-paper called the Examiner: a falsehood well known to those yet living, who had the direction and publication of it. Ver. 328. While Jones' and Boyle's united labours fall:] At the time when this poem was written, the banquetinghouse of Whitehall, the church and piazza of Covent-garden, and the palace and chapel of Somerset-house, the works of the famous Inigo Jones, had been for many years so neglected, as to be in danger of ruin. The portico of Covent-garden church had been just then restored and beautified, at the expense of the earl of Burlington; who, at the same time, by his publication of the designs of that great master and Palladio, as well as by many noble buildings of his own, revived the true taste of architecture in this kingdom. Ver. 330. Gay dies unpension'd, &c.] See Mr. Gay's Ver. 297. Thee shall the patriot thee the courtier taste,] fable of the Hare and many Friends. This gentleman was It stood in the first edition with blanks, ** and **. Con- early in the friendship of our author, which continued to his canen was sure they must needs mean nobody but King death. He wrote several works of humour with great suc George and Queen Caroline; and said he would insist it was cess, the Shepherd's Week, Trivia, the What d'ye call it, so, till the poet cleared himself by filling up the blanks Fables, and lastly the celebrated Beggar's Opera; a piece otherwise, agrecably to the context, and consistent with his of satire which hit all tastes and degrees of men, from those allegiance.' Pref. to a collection of verses, letters, &c. of the highest quality to the very rabble; that verse of against Mr. P. printed for A. Moore, p. 6. Horace, 'Primores populi arripuit, populumque tributim,' Ver. 305. Polypheme.] He translated the Italian opera of Polifemo; but unfortunately lost the whole jest of the story. The Cyclop asks Ulysses his name, who tells him could never be so justly applied as to this. The vast suchis name is Noman: after his eye is put out, he roars and cess of it was unprecedented, and almost incredible: what is calls the brother Cyclops to his aid: they inquire who has related of the wonderful effects of the ancient music or hurt him? he answers Noman: whereupon they all go tragedy hardly came up to it: Sophocles and Euripides away again. Our ingenious translator made Ulysses an-were less followed and famous. It was acted in London swer, I take no name; whereby all that followed became sixty-three days, uninterrupted; and renewed the next seaunintelligible. Hence it appears that Mr. Cibber (who son with equal applauses. It spread into all the great values himself on subscribing to the English translation of towns of England, was played in many places to the thirtieth Homer's Iliad) had not that merit with respect to the and fortieth time, and at Bath and Bristol fifty, &c. It Odyssey, or he might have been better instructed in the Greek pannology. Ver. 308, 309. Faustus, Pluto, &c.] Names of miserable farces which it was the custom to act at the end of the best tragedies, to spoil the digestion of the audience. · Ver. 312. Insure it but from fire.] In Tibbald's farce of Proserpine, a corn field was set on fire; whereupon the other playhouse had a barn burnt down for the recreation of the spectators. They also rivalled each other in showing the burnings of hell-fire, in Dr. Faustus. Ver. 313. Another Eschylus appears!] It is reported of Eschylus, that when his tragedy of the Furies was acted, that the audience were so terrified, that the children fell into fits, and the big-bellied women miscarried. made its progress into Wales, Scotland, and Ireland where it was performed twenty-four days together; it was last acted in Minorca. The fame of it was not confined to the author only; the ladies carried about with them the favourite songs of it in fans; and houses were furnished with it in screens. The person who acted Polly, till then obscure, became at once the favourite of the town: her pictures were engraved, and sold in great numbers, her life written, books of letters and verses to her published; and pamphlets made even of her sayings and jests. Furthermore, it drove out of England, for that season, the Italian opera, which had carried all before it for ten years. That idol of the nobility and people, which the great critic Mr. Dennis by the labours and outcries of a whole life could Ver. 325. On poets' tombs see Benson's titles writ!] not overthrow, was demolished by a single stroke of this W-m Beason (surveyor of the buildings to his majesty K gentleman's pen. This happened in the year 1728. Yet so George L.) gave in a report to the lords, that their House and great was his modesty, that he constantly prefixed to all the Painted-chamber adjoining were in immediate danger of editions of it this motto: Nos hæc novimus esse nikil. falling. Whereupon the lords met in a committee to ap- Ver. 332. And Pope's, ten years to comment and transpoint some other place to sit in, while the house should be late.] The author here plainly laments, that he was so long taken down. But it being proposed to cause some other employed in translating and commenting. He began the builders first to inspect it, they found it in very good condi-Iliad in 1713, and finished it in 1719. The edition of Shak tion. The lords, upon this, were going upon an address to speare (which he undertook merely because nobody else |