270

Booth in his cloudy tabernacle shrin'd
On grinning dragons thou shalt mount the wind.
Dire is the conflict, dismal is the din,
Here shouts all Drury, there all Lincoln's-inn;
Contending Theatres our empire raise,
Alike their labours, and alike their praise.

And are these wonders, Son, thee unknown ?
Unknown to thee? These wonders are thy own.

These
VARIATIONS.
Ver. 268. - Cibber mounts the wind.
After ver. 274. in the former Ed. followed,

For works like these let deathless Journals tell,

“ None but thyself can be thy parallel.”.
Var. None but thyself can be thy parallel.] A mar-
vellous line of Theobald; unless the Play called the
Double Falsehood be (as he would have it believed)
Shakespeare's: But whether this line be his or not, he
proves Shakespeare to have written as bad, which me-
thinks in an author, for whom he has a Veneration al-
most rising to idolatry, might have been concealed) as
for ex mple,

“ Try what Repentance can : what can it not?
“ But what can it, when one cannot repent?

"-For Cogitation
“ Resides not in the man who does not think, &c."

Mist's JOURN. It is granted they are all of a piece, and no man doubts but herein he is able to imitate Shakespeare.

REMARKS.

to be, 1. How the doing a thing againk one's confcience is an excuse for it? and, 2dly, It will he hard to prove how he got the leave of Truth and Sense to quit their fervice, unless he can produce a certificate that he ever was in it.

These Fate reserv'd to grace thy reign divine, 275
Foreseen by me, but ah; withheld from minc.
In Lud's old walls though long I rul'd, renown'd
Far as loud Bow's stupendous bells resound;
Though my own Aldermen conferr'd the bays,
To me committing their eternal Praise,

280
Their full-fed Heroes, their pacific Mayors,
Their annual trophies, and their monthly wars :
Though long my Party built on me their hopes,
For writing Pamphlets, and for roasting Popes :

Yet

VARIATION.
After ver. 284. in the former Ed. followed,

Different our parties, but with equal grace
The Goddess smiles on Whig and Tory race.
'Tis the same rope of several ends they twist;
To Dulness, Ridpath is as dear as Mift.

REMARKS.

Ver. 266, 267. Booth and Cibber were joint managers of the Theatre in Drury-lane.

Ver. 268. On grinning dragons thou shalt mount the wind.] In his Letter to Mr. P. Mr. C. folemnly declares this not to be literally true. We hope therefore the reader will understand it allegorically only.

Ver. 2&2. Annual trophies on the Lord-Mayor's day; and monthly wars in the Artillery ground.

Ver. 283. Though long my party) Settle, like most Party-writers, was very uncertain in his political principles. He was employed to hold the pen in the Character of a popish fucceffor, but afterwards printed his Narrative on the other side. He had managed the ceremony of a famous Pope-burning on Nov. 17, 1680; then became a trooper in King James's army, at Hounflow-heath. After the Revolution he kept a booth at

Bartho

285

290

Yet lo! in me what authors have to brag on!
Reduc'd at last to hiss in my own dragon.
Avert it, heaven! that thou, my Cibber, e'er
Should's wag a serpent-tail in Smithfield fair!
Like the vile straw that’s blown about the streets,
The needy Poet sticks to all he meets,
Coach'd, carted, trod upon, now loose, now fast,
And carry'd off in some Dog's tail at last.
Happier thy fortunes! like a rolling stone,
Thy giddy dulness still shall lumber on,
Safe in its heaviness, shall never stray,
But lick up every blockhead in the way.
Thee shall the Patriot, thee the Courtier taste,
And every year be duller than the last,

295

Till

VARIATIONS. Ver. 290. In former Ed.

In the Dog's tail his progress ends at last.
Ver. 295. Safe in its heaviness, &c.] in the former Ed.

Too safe in inborn heaviness to stray;
And lick up every blockhead in the way.
Thy Dragons, Magistrates and Peers shall taste,
And from each fhew rise duller than the latt.
Till rais’d from booths, &c.

REMARKS. Bartholomew-fair, where, in the droll called St. George for England, he acted in his old age in a Dragon of green leather of his own invention; he was at last taken into the Charter-house, and there died, aged fixty years.

Ver. 297. Thee fall the patriot, thee the Courtier tafte,] It stood in the first édition with blanks,

and

Till rais'd from booths, to Theatre, to Court,
Her seat imperial Dulness shall transport.

300
Already Opera prepares the way,
The sure fore-runner of her gentle sway ;
Let her thy heart, next Drabs and Dice, engage,
The third mad passion of thy doting age.
Teach thou the warbling Polypheme to roar, 305
And scream thyself as none e'er scream'd before!
To aid our caufe, if Heaven thou canst not bend,
Hell thou shalt move; for Faustus is our friend :

Pluto

VARIATION.

Ver. 303--306. Added with the new Hero.

REMARKS.

and **

Concanen was sure “ they must needs mean “ no body but King GEORGE and Queen CARO“ LINE ; and said he would inlift it was to, till the poet “ cleared himself by filling up the blanks otherwise, " agreeably to the context, and confiltent with his alle

giance. Pref. to a Collection of versei, essays, letters, &c. against Mr. P. printed for A. Moor, p. 6.

Ver. 305. Polypheme] He translated the Italian Opera of Polifemo ; but unfortunately lost the whole jest of the story. The Cyclops asks Ulyffes his name, who tells him his name is Noman: After his eye is put out, he roars and calls the Brother Cyclops to his aid: They enquire who has hurt him ? he answers Noman : whereupon they all go away again. Our ingenious Translator made Ulylles answer, I take no name; whereby all that followed became unintelligible. Hence it appears that Mr. Cibber (who values himself on subscribing to the English Tranflation of Homer's Iliad) had not that merit with respect to the Odyssey, or he might have been better instructed in the Greek Punnology.

Pluto with Cato thou for this fhalt join,
And link the Mourning Bride to Proferpine.

310
Grubstreet ! thy fall should men and Gods conspire,
Thy stage thall stand, ensure it but from Firę.
Another Æschylus appears! prepare
For new abortions, all ye pregnant fair!
In flames, like Semele’s, be brought to bed, 315
While opening Hell spouts wild-fire at your head.

Now, Bavius, take the Poppy from thy brow, And place it here! here, all ye Heroes, bow !

This, this is he, foretold by ancient rhymes : Th’ Augustus born to bring Saturnian times. 320 Signs following signs lead on the mighty year ; See! the dull stars roll round and re-appear. See, see, our own true Phæbus wears thy bays! Our Midas fits Lord Chancellor of Plays !

On

VARIATIONS.
Ver. 323. See, see, our own, &c.] In the former Ed.

Beneath his reign, shall Eusden wear the bays,
Cibber preside Lord Chancellor of Plays,
Benson sole judge of Architecture sit,
And Namby Pamby be preferr’d for Wit!
I see th’unfinish'd Dormitory wall,
I see the Savoy totter to her fall;
Hibernian Politics, O Swift! thy doom,
And Pope's, translating three whole years with

Broome.
Proceed, great days ! &c.

REMARKS.

Ver. 308, 309. Faustus, Pluto, &c.) Names of mi. serable Farces, which it was the custom to act at the end of the best Tragedies, to spoil the digestion of the audience.