And thrice he lifted high the Birth day brand, And thrice he dropt it from his quiv'ring hand; VER. 250. Now flames the Cid, &c.] In the former Edit. And last, his own cold Æfchylus took fire. Then gufh'd the Tears, as from the Trojan's eyes Var. Now flames old Memnon now Rodrigo burns, In one quick flash fee Proferpine expire.] 245 250 Memnon, a hero in the Perfian Princess, very apt to take fire, as appears by these lines, with which he begins the play, REMARK S. tion of Virgil's, obnoxious to the tender Paffions. He was indeed fo given to weeping, that he tells us, when Goodman the player fwore, if he did not make a good actor, he'd be damn'd; the furprife of being commended by one, who had been " himself fo eminent on the ftage, and in fo pofitive a manner. "was more than he could fupport. In a word (fays he) it al"most took away my breath, and (laugh if you please) fairly "drew tears from my eyes." P. 149. of his Life, octavo. VER. 250. Now flames the Cid, &c.] In the first Notes on the Dunciad it was faid, that this Author was particularly excellent at Tragedy. This (fays he) is as unjust as to fay I could not dance on a Rope." But certain it is that he had attempt IMITATIONS. VER.245. And thrice he lifted high the Birth-day brand,] Ovid, of Althea on a like occafion, burning her offspring: Tum conata quater flammis imponere torrem, Great Cæfar roars, and hiffes in the fires; By heav'n it fires my frozen blood with rage, Rodrigo, the chief perfonage of the Perfidious Brother (a play written between Tibbald and a Watch-maker.) The Rape of ProJerpine, one of the Farces of this Author, in which Ceres fet- ! ting fire to a corn-field, endangered the burning of the Playhouse. Var. And last, his own cold Æfchylus took fire] He had been (to ufe an expreffion of our Poet) about Æschylus for ten years, and had received fubfcriptions for the fame, but then went about other books. The character of this tragic Poet is Fire and Boldnefs in a high degree; but our author fuppofes it very much cooled by the tranflation: upon fight of a specimen of which was made this Epigram, "Alas! poor Afchylus! unlucky Dog! But this is a grievous error; for Æfchylus was not flain by the fall of a Lobster on his head, but of a Tortoife, tefte, Val. Max. 1. ix. SCRIBL. cap. 12. REMARK S. ed to dance on this Rope, and fell most shamefully, having produced no less than four Tragedies (the names of which the Poet preferves in thefe few lines) the three firft of them were fairly printed, acted, and damned; the fourth fuppreffed in fear of the like treatment. VER. 253-4 the dear Nonjuror-Moliere's old ftubble] a Comedy threshed out of Moliere's Tartuffe, and fo much the Tranfla IMITATIONS. VER. 250. Now flames the Cid, &c.] -Jam Deïphobi dedit ampla ruinam, Vulcano fuperante domus; jam proximus ardet Tears gush'd again, as from pale Priam's eyes 255 Kowz'd by the light, old Dulne's heav'd the head, Then fnatch'd a fheet of Thulè from her bed. Sudden fhe flies, and whelms it o'er the pyre, Down fink the flames, and with a hifs expire. REMARK S. 260 tor's favourite, that he affures us all our author's diflike to it could only arife from difaffeliion to the Government: 66 Qui meprife Cotin, n'eftime point fon Roi, Boil. He affures us, that "when he had the honour to kifs his Majefty's hand upon prefenting his dedication of it, he was gra"ciously pleafed out of his Royal bounty to order him two hundred pounds for it. And this he doubts not grieved Mr. "6 P." VER. 256. When the laft blaze fent Ilion to the fkies.] See Virgil En. ii. where I would advise the Reader to peruse the story of Troy's deftruction, rather than in Wynkyn, But I caution him alike in both to beware of a moft grievous error, that of thinking it was brought about by I know not what Trojan Horfe; there having never been any fuch thing. For, first, it was not Trojan, being made by the Greeks; and, fecondly, it was not a horse, but a mare. This is clear from many verfes in Virgil: --Uterumque armato milite complent.— Can a horse be said Utero gerere? Again, Infonuere cavæ -Uteroque recuffo, -Atque utero fonitum quater arma dedere. Nay, is it not expressly faid Scandit fatalis machina muros Foeta armis How is it poffible the word feta can agree with a horse? And indeed can it be conceived that the chafte and virgin Goddefs Pallas would employ herfelt in forming and fashioning the Male of that fpccies? But this fhall be proved to a demonftration in our Virgil restored. SCRIBL. Her ample presence fills up all the płace; A veil of fogs dilates her awful face: Great in her charms! as when on Shrieves and May'rs She looks, and breathes herself into their airs. She bids him wait her to her facred Dome : 265 Well pleas'd he enter'd, and confefs'd his home. So, Spirits ending their terrestrial race, Afcend, and recognize their Native Place. This the great Mother dearer held than all 269 The clubs of Quidnuncs, or her own Guildhall: REMARK S. VER. 258. Thule] An unfinished Poem of that name, of which one fheet was printed many years ago, by Amb. Philips, a northern Author. It is an ufual method of putting out a fire, to caft wet sheets upon it. Some critics have been of opinion that this sheet was of the nature of the Asbestos, which cannot be confumed by fire: But I rather think it an allegorical allusion to the coldness and heaviness of the writing. VER. 265. facred Dome :] Where he no fooner enters, but he reconnoitres the place of his original; as Plato fays the fpirits fhall, at their entrance into the celestial regions. VER. 269. Great Mother] Magna mater, here applied to Dulnefs. The Quidnuncs, a name given to the ancient members of certain political clubs who were constantly inquiring quid nunc ? what news? IMITATIONS. VER. 263. Great in her charms! as when on Shrieves and May'rs Et lætos oculis afHavit honores. VER. 269. This the great Mother, &c.] Urbs antiqua fuit Quam Juno fertur terris magis omnibus unam Virg. Æn. ii. Id. Æn. i. Here ftood her opium, here she nurs'd her Owls, Here to her Chofen all her works fhe fhews, Profe fwell'd to verfe, verfe loit'ring into profe: How random thoughts now meaning chance to find, Now leave all memory of sense behind: 276 How Prologues into Prefaces decay, And these to Notes are fritter'd quite away : How index-learning turns no student pale, Yet holds the eel of science by the tail: 280 How, with less reading than makes felons 'scape, Lefs human genius than God gives an ape, Small thanks to France, and none to Rome or Greece, 286 After ver. 268. in the former Ed. followed thofe two lines, And in fweet numbers celebrates the feat. Var. And in fweet numbers celebrates the feat.] Tibbald writ a poem called the Cave of Poverty, which concludes with a very REMARK S. VER. 286 Tibbald,] Lewis Tibbald (as pronounced) or Theobald (as written) was bred an Attorney, and Son to an Attorney, fays Mr Jacob) of Sittenburn in Kent. He was Author of fome IMITATIONS. Pofthabita coluiffe Samo: hic illius arma, Hic currus fuit hic regnum Dea gentibus effe Virg. Æn. i |