Her grey-hair'd Synods damning books unread, 105 See, the Cirque falls, th' unpillar'd Temple nods, Strects pav'd with Heroes, Tyber choak'd with Gods: Till Peter's keys fome chriften'd Jove adorn, And Pan to Mofes lends his pagan horn; 110 See REMARKS. Gregory's account. John of Salisbury gives a very odd encomium of this Pope, at the fame time that he mentions one of the ftrangeft effects of this excess of zeal in him: "Doctor fanctiffimus ille Gregorius, qui mel leo prædicationis imbre totam rigavit et inebriavit ec"clefiam; non modo Mathefin juffit ab aula, fed, ut "traditur a majoribus, incendio dedit probatæ lectionis "fcripta, Palatinus quæcunque tenebat Apollo." And in another place: "Fertur beatus Gregorius bibliothe"cam combuffiffe gentilem; quo divinæ paginæ gra❝tior effet locus, et major authoritas, et diligentia stu"diofior." Defiderius, Archbishop of Vienna, was fharply reproved by him for teaching Grammar and Literature, and explaining the Poets; becaufe (fays this Pope)" In uno fe ore cum Jovis laudibus Chrifti laudes "non capiunt: Et quam grave nefandumque fit Epifco"pis canere quod nec Laico religiofo conveniat, ipse "confidera." He is faid, among the reft, to have burned Livy; "Quia in fuperftitionibus et facris Romanorum perpetuo verfatur." The fame Pope is accused by Voffius, and others, of having caufed the noble monuments of the old Roman magnificence to be deftroyed, left those who came to Rome fhould give more attention to Triumphal Arches, &c. than to holy things. Bayle, Dict. See graceless Venus to a Virgin turn'd, Behold yon' Ifle, by Palmers, Pilgrims trod, Men bearded, bald, cowl'd, uncowl'd, shod, unshod. Peel'd, patch'd, and pyebald, linsey-wolfey brothers, Grave Mummers! fleeveless fome, and fhirtlefs others. That one was Britain-Happy! had she seen No fiercer fons, had Easter never been. In peace, great Goddess, ever be ador'd; How keen the war, if Dulness draw the fword! Thus vifit not thy own! on this bleft age Oh spread thy Influence, but restrain thy Rage. And fee, my fon! the hour is on its way, That lifts our Goddess to imperial sway; This favourite Ifle, long fever'd from her reign, Dove-like fhe gathers to her wings again. REMARKS. 120 125 Now Ver. 109. Till Peter's keys fome chriften'd Jove adorn,] After the government of Rome devolved to the Popes, their zeal was for fome time exerted in demolishing the heathen Temples and Statues, fo that the Goths fcarce deftroyed more monuments of Antiquity out of rage, than thefe out of devotion. At length they fpared fome of the Temples, by converting them to Churches; and fome of the Statues, by modifying them into images of Saints. In much later times, it was thought neceffary to change the ftatues of Apollo and Pallas, on the tomb of Sannazarius, into David and Judith; the Lyre eafily became a Harp, and the Gorgon's head turned to that of Holofernes. Ver. 117, 118. Happy! had Eafter never been!] Wars in England anciently, about the right time of celebrating Easter. N 3 Ver. Now look through Fate! behold the scene she draws! What aids, what armies, to affert her cause! See all her progeny, illuftrious fight! Behold, and count them, as they rife to light. 130 Not with lefs glory mighty Dulness crown'd 135 Shall take through Grubftreet her triumphant round; And, her Parnaffus glancing o'er at once, Behold an hundred fons, and each a Dunce. Mark firft that youth who takes the foremost place, And thrufts his perfon full into your face. A fecond fee, by meeker manners known, REMARKS. 140 145 Thee Ver. 126. Dove-like, the gathers] This is fulfilled in the fourth book. Ver. 128. What aids, what armies to affert her caufe!] i. e. Of Poets, Antiquaries, Critics, Divines, Freethinkers. But as this Revolution is only here fet on foot by the firft of thefe Claffes, the Poets, they only are here particularly celebrated, and they only properly fall under the Care and Review of this Collegue of Dulness, the Laureat. The others, who finish the great work, are referved for the fourth book, where the Goddess herfelf appears in full Glory. Thee fhall each Alehouse, thee each Gillhouse mourn, 150 Lo VARIATIONS. Ver. 149. in the first Edit. it was, Woolfton, the fcourge of Scripture, mark with awe!' And mighty Jacob, blunderbufs of Law! REMARKS. Ver. 149. Jacob, the fcourge of Grammar, mark with awe;]"This Gentleman is fon of a confiderable Maf"ter of Romfey in Southamptonshire, and bred to the "Law under a very eminent Attorney: Who, between "his more laborious ftudies, has diverted himself with "Poetry. He is a great admirer of Poets and their "works, which has occafioned him to try his genius "that way-He has writ in profe the Lives of the Poets, Effays, and a great many Law books, The Accom"plifhed Conveyancer, Modern Juftice, &c. GILES JACOB of himself, Lives of Poets, vol. 1. He very grofsly, and unprovoked, abused in that book the Author's Friend, Mr. Gay. Ver. 149, 150. Jacob, the fcourge of Grammar, mark with awe; There may feem fome error in thefe verfes, Mr. Jacob having proved our Author to have a Refpect for him, by this undeniable argument. "He had once a Regard for my Judgment; otherwife he never would have "fubfcribed two Guineas to me, for one fmall book in "octavo." Jacob's Letter to Dennis, printed in Dennis's Remarks on the Dunciad, p. 49. Therefore I fhould think the appellation of Blunderbufs to Mr. Jacob, like that of Thunderbolt to Scipio, was meant in his honour. Lo P-p-le's brow, tremendous to the town, Horneck's fierce eye, and Roome's funereal Frown. VARIATIONS. Lo Ver. 151, 152. Lo, P-p-le's brow, &c.] In the former Edit. thus, Lo, next two flip-fhod Mufes traipfe along, Lo Horneck's fierce, and Roome's funereal face. REMARKS. Mr. Dennis argues the fame way. "My writings "having made great impreffion on the minds of all "fenfible men, Mr. P. repented, and to give proof of "his Repentance, fubfcribed to my two volumes of fe"lect Works, and afterwards to my two Volumes of "Letters." Ibid. p. 80. We fhould hence believe, the Name of Mr. Dennis hath alfo crept into this poem by fome mistake. But from hence, gentle reader! thou may'ft beware, when thou giveft thy money to fuch Authors, not to flatter thyself that thy motives are Good. nature or Charity. Ver. 152. Horneck and Roome] Thefe two were virulent Party-writers, worthily coupled together, and one would think prophetically, fince, after the publifhing of this piece, the former dying, the latter fucceeded him in Honour and Employment. The firft was Philip Horneck, Author of a Billingfgate paper called The High German Doctor. Edward Roome was son of an Undertaker for Funerals in Fleetstreet, and writ fome of the papers called Pasquin, where by malicious Inuendoes, he endeavoured to reprefent our Author guilty of malevolent practices with a great man then under profecution |