There funk Thalia, nerveless, cold, and dead,
Had not her Sifter Satire held her head:
Nor could't thou, CHESTERFIELD! a tear refuse,
Thou wept'ft, and with thee wept each gentle Muse.
When lo! a Harlot form soft sliding by,
With mincing step, small voice, and languid eye:
Foreign her air, her robe's discordant pride
In patch-work fluttering, and her head afide;

REMARKS.

45

By

purpose, to oppose the kingdom of Dulness to her last breath.

Ver. 43. Nor could't thou, &c.] This Noble Perfon in the year 1737, when the A&t aforefaid was brought into the Houfe of Lords, oppofed it in an excellent fpeech (fays Mr. Cibber)" with a lively fpirit, and un"common eloquence." This fpeech had the honour to be answered by the faid Mr. Cibber, with a lively fpirit alfo, and in a manner very uncommon, in the 8th Chapter of his Life and Manners. And here, gentle Reader, would I gladly infert the other speech, whereby thou mightest judge between them; but I must defer it on account of fome differences not yet adjusted between the noble Author, and myself, concerning the True Reading of certain paffages. BENTL.

Ver. 45. When lo! a Harlot form] The Attitude given to this Phantom reprefents the nature and genius of the Italian Opera; its affected airs, its effeminate founds, and the practice of patching up these Operas with favourite Songs, incoherently put together. Thefe things were fupported by the fubfcriptions of the Nobility. This circumftance that OPERA fhould prepare for the opening of the grand Seffions, was prophefied of in Book iii. ver. 304.

"Already Opera prepares the way,

"The fure forerunner of her gentle fway."

By finging Peers up-held on either hand,

She trip'd and laugh'd, too pretty much to stand:

Caft on the proftrate Nine a scornful look,
Then thus in quaint Recitativo spoke.

50

O Cara! Cara! filence all that train:

Joy to great Chaos! let Divifion reign:
Chromatic tortures foon fhall drive them hence,
Break all their nerves, and fritter all their fense:
One Trill shall harmonize joy, grief, and rage,
Wake the dull Church, and lull the ranting Stage;
To the fame notes thy fons shall hum, or snore,
And all thy yawning daughters cry, encore.
Another Phoebus, thy own Phoebus, reigns,
Joys in my jiggs, and dances in my chains.
But foon, ah foon, Rebellion will commence,
If Mufic meanly borrows aid from Sense:

55

Go

Strong in new Arms, lo! Giant HANDEL ftands,
Like bold Briareus, with a hundred hands;

65

To stir, to rouze, to shake the Soul he comes,
And Jove's own Thunders follow Mars's Drums.

REMARKS.

Ar

Ver. 54. Let Divifion reign:] Alluding to the false tate of playing tricks in Mufic with numberlefs divifions, to the neglect of that harmony which conforms to the Senfe, and applies to the Paffions. Mr. Handel had introduced a great number of Hands, and more variety of Inftruments into the Orchestra, and employed even Drums and Cannon to make a fuller Chorus which proved fo much too manly for the fine Gentlemen of his age, that he was obliged to remove his Mufic into Ireland. After which they were reduced, for want of Compofers, to practise the patch-work abovementioned.

Arrest him, Emprefs, or you fleep no more➡
She heard, and drove him to th' Hibernian shore.

And now had Fame's pofterior Trumpet blown,
And all the nations fummon'd to the Throne.
The young, the old, who feel her inward fway,
One inftinct seizes, and transports away.
None need a guide, by fure Attraction led,
And strong impulfive gravity of Head:
None want a place, for all their Centre found,
Hung to the Goddess, and coher'd around.
Not clofer orb in orb, conglob'd are feen
The buzzing Bees about their dusky Queen.

The gathering number, as it moves along,
Involves a vaft involuntary throng,

Who, gently drawn, and struggling less and lefs,
Roll in her vortex, and her power confefs.
Not thofe alone who paffive own her laws,
But who, weak rebels, more advance her cause.
Whate'er of dunce in College or in Town
Sneers at another, in toupee or gown;

REMARKS.

Whate'er

Ver. 76 to 101. It ought to be observed that here are three claffes in this affembly. The first of men abfolutely and avowedly dull, who naturally adhere to the Goddefs, and are imagined in the fimile of the Bees about their Queen. The fecond involuntarily drawn tơ `her, though not caring to own her influence; from ver. 81 to 90. The third of fuch, as though not members of her state, yet advance her service by flattering Dulnefs, cultivating mistaken talents, patronizing vile fcriblers, difcouraging living merit, or fetting up for wits, and Men of taste in arts they understand not; from ver. 91 to 101.

Whate'er of mungril no one clafs admits,

A wit with dunces, and a dunce with wits.

Nor absent they, no members of her state,
Who pay her homage in her sons, the Great;
Who, false to Phœbus, bow the knee to Baal;
Or impious, preach his Word without a call,
Patrons, who sneak from living worth to dead,
With-hold the pension, and fet up the head;
Or veft dull Flattery in the facred Gown ;
Or give from fool to fool the Laurel crown.
And (laft and worse) with all the cant of wit,
Without the foul, the Mufes Hypocrit.

90

95

100

There march'd the bard and blockhead fide by fide, Who rhym'd for hire, and patroniz'd for pride. Narciffus, prais'd with all a Parfon's power, Look'd a white lily funk beneath a shower. There mov'd Montalto with fuperior air; His ftretch'd-out arm difplay'd a Volume fair; Courtiers and Patriots in two ranks divide,

105

Through both he pass`d, and bow'd from fide to fide: But as in graceful act, with awful eye,

Compos'd he flood, bold Benson thrust him by:

REMARKS.

110

On

Ver. 108.-bow'd from fide to fide:] As being of no

one party.

Ver. 110. bold Benfon] This man endeavoured to raife himself to Fame by erecting monuments, ftriking coins, fetting up heads, and procuring tranflations, of Milton; and afterwards by as great a paffion for Arthur Johnston, a Scotch Phyfician's Verfion of the Pfalms, of which he printed many fine Editions. See more of him, Book iii. ver. 325.

On two unequal crutches propt he came,
Milton's on this, on that one Johnston's name.
The decent Knight retir'd with sober rage,
Withdrew his hand, and clos'd the pompous page.
But (happy for him as the times went then)
Appear'd Apollo's Mayor and Aldermen,
On whom three hundred gold-capt youths await,
To lug the ponderous volume off in state.

When Dulness smiling,—“ Thus revive the Wits!
But murder firft, and mince them all to bits;
As erft Medea (cruel, fo to fave!)

A new Edition of old Æfon gave;

Let standard-Authors, thus, like trophies borne,
Appear more glorious, as more hack'd and torn.

Ver. 114.

VARIATION.

115

120

And

What! no refpect, he cry'd, for Shakespeare's page?

REMARKS.

Ver. 113. The decent Knight] An eminent perfon who was about to publish a very pompous Edition of a great Author at his own expence.

Ver. 115, &c.] Thefe four lines were printed in a feparate leaf by Mr. Pope in the laft Edition, which he himself gave, of the Dunciad, with directions to the printer, to put this leaf into its place as foon as Sir T. H.'s Shakespeare should be published.

Ver. 119. Thus revive, &c.] The Goddess applauds the practice of tacking the obfcure names of Perfons not eminent in any branch of Learning, to those of the moft diftinguished Writers; either by printing Editions of their works with impertinent alterations of their Text, as in the former inftances; or by setting up Monuments difgraced with their own vile names and inscriptions, as in the latter.