THEOBALD, Letter to Mift, June 22, 1728.

ATTACKS may be leveled, either against Failures in Genius, or against the Pretensions of writing without

one.

CONCANEN, Ded. to the Author of the DUNCIAD. A Satire upon Dulness is a thing that has been ufed and allowed in All Ages.

Out of thine own Mouth will I judge thee, wicked Scribbler!

B

M. SCRIBLERUS Lectori S.

EFORE we present thee with our exercitations on this moft delectable Poem (drawn from the many volumes of our Adverfaria on modern Authors) we shall here, according to the laudable ufage of editors, collect the various judgments of the Learned concerning our Poet: Various indeed, not only of different authors, but of the fame author at different seasons. Nor fhall we gather only the Teftimonies of fuch eminent Wits, as would of courfe defcend to pofterity, and confequently be read without our collection; but we fhall likewife with incredible labour feek out for divers others, which, but for this our diligence, could never at the distance of a few months appear to the eye of the most curious. Hereby thou mayft not only receive

the delectation of Variety, but also arrive at a more certain judgment, by a grave and circumfpect comparifon of the Witneffes with each other, or of each with himself. Hence alfo thou wilt be enabled to draw reflections, not only of a critical, but a moral nature, by being let into many particulars of the Perfon as well as Genius, and of the Fortune as well as Merit, of our Author: in which if I relate some things of little concern peradventure to thee, and fome of as little even to him; I entreat thee to confider how minutely all true critics and commentators are wont to infift upon fuch, and how material they feem to themselves, if to none other. Forgive me, gentle reader, if (following learned example) I ever and anon become tedious: allow me to take the fame pains to find whether my author were good or bad, well or ill natured, modeft or arrogant; as another, whether his author was fair or brown, fhort or tall, or whether he wore a coat or a caffock.

We proposed to begin with his Life, Parentage, and Education: But as to thefe, even his contemporaries do exceedingly differ. One faith 2, he was educated at home; another b, that he was bred at St. Omer's, by Jefuits; a third, not at St. Omer's, but at Oxford ! a fourth, that he had no Univerfity education at all. Those who allow him to be bred at home, differ as much concerning his Tutor: One faith, he was kept

a Giles Jacob's Lives of the Poets, vol. ii. in his Life. b Dennis's Reflections on the Effay on Crit. c Dunciad diffected, p: 4. d Guardian, N° 40. Lives, &c. vol. ii.

c Jacob's

by

by his father on purpose; a fecond f, that he was an itinerant prieft; a third s, that he was a parfon; one h calleth him a secular clergyman of the Church of Rome; anotheri, a monk. As little do they agree about his Father, whom one k supposeth, like the Father of Hefiod, a tradesman or merchant; another', a husbandman; anotherm, a hatter, &c. Nor has an author been wanting to give our Poet fuch a father as Apuleius hath to Plato, Jamblichus to Pythagoras, and divers to Homer, namely a Demon: For thus Mr. Gildon n : "Certain it is, that his original is not from "Adam, but the Devil; and that he wanteth nothing "but horns and tail to be the exact resemblance of his "infernal Father." Finding, therefore, fuch contrariety of opinions, and (whatever be ours of this fort of generation) not being fond to enter into controversy, we shall defer writing the Life of our Poet, till authors can determine among themselves what Parents or Education he had, or whether he had any Education or Parents at all.

f Dunciad diffected, p. 4. g Farmer P. and his fon, h Dunciad diffected. i Characters of the times, p. 45. Female Dunciad, p. ult. 1 Dunciad diffected. Roome, Paraphrafe on the ivth of Genefis, printed 1729. n Character of Mr. P. and his Writings, in a Letter to a Friend, printed for S, Popping, 1716, p. 10. Curll, in his Key to the Dunciad (first edit. faid to be printed for A. Dodd) in the 10th page, declared Gildon to be the author of that libel; though in the fubfequent editions of his Key he left out this affertion, and affirmed (in the Curliad. p. 4. and 8.) that it was written by Dennis only.

C 3

Proceed

Proceed we to what is more certain, his Works, though not lefs uncertain the judgments concerning them; beginning with his ESSAY on CRITICISM, of which hear firft the most ancient of Critics,

Mr. JOHN DENNIS.

"His precepts are falfe or trivial, or both; his thoughts are crude and abortive, his expreffions ab"furd, his numbers harsh and unmufical, his rhymes "trivial and common ;-inftead of majesty, we have "fomething that is very mean; inftead of gravity, "fomething that is very boyish; and inftead of per"fpicuity and lucid order, we have but too often ob"fcurity and confufion." And in another place : "What rare numbers are here! Would not one fwear "that this youngfter had efpoufed fome antiquated "Mufe, who had sued out a divorce from fome fuper"annuated finner, upon account of impotence, and "who, being poxed by the former spouse, has got the Co gout in her decrepid age, which makes her hobble fo "damnably "."

No lefs peremptory is the cenfure of our hypercritical Hiftorian

Mr. OLDMIXON.

"I dare not say any thing of the Effay on Criticism " in verse; but if any more curious reader has difco"vered in it something new which is not in Dryden's "prefaces, dedications, and his effay on dramatic

• Reflections critical and fatirical on a Rhapfody, called, An Effay on Criticism. Printed for Bernard Lintot, octavo.

"poetry,