Imbibes new life, and scours and stinks along; Nor heeds the brown dishonours of his face. And now the victor stretch'd his eager hand, ΠΙΟ His papers light fly diverse, tost in air; 115 And whisk 'em back to Evans, Young, and Swift1. Th' embroider'd suit at least he deem'd his prey; 1 Evans, Young, and Swift.] Some of those persons, whose writings, epigrams, or jests he had owned. See Note on v. 50. Dr Evans, of St John's College, Oxford, author of the Apparition, a Satire on Tindal. Warton. 2 an unpaid tailor] This line has been loudly complained of in Mist, June 8, Dedic. to Sawney, and others, as a most inhuman satire on the poverty of Poets: But it is thought our Author would be acquitted by a jury of Tailors. To me this instance seems unluckily chosen; if it be a satire on any body, it must be on a bad paymaster, since the person to whom they have here applied it was a man of fortune. Not but poets may well be jealous of so great a prerogative as ron-payment; which Mr Dennis so far asserts, as boldly to pronounce, that "if Homer himself was not in debt, it was because nobody would trust him." P. 3 Like Congreve, Addison, and Prior;] These authors being such whose names will reach posterity, we shall not give any account of them, but proceed to those of whom it is necessary.— Besaleel Morris was author of some satires on the translators of Homer, with many other things : 120 125 130 135 printed in news-papers.-"Bond writ a satire "against Mr P.-Capt. Breval was author of "the Confederates, an ingenious dramatic per"formance, to expose Mr P., Mr Gay, Dr Arb. "and some ladies of quality," says Curl. P. 4 Mears, Warner, Wilkins] Booksellers, and Printers of much anonymous stuff. P. [As to Breval, see v. 237; Bond's and Besaleel Morris's works seem according to Carruthers to have disappeared.] 5 Joseph Gay, a fictitious name put by Curl before several pamphlets, which made them pass with many for Mr Gay's. P. The antiquity of the word Joseph, which likewise signifies a loose upper-coat, gives much pleasantry to the idea. Warburton. [Wakefield also points out the allusion to Iliad 111. 376, and to the story of Ixion embracing a cloud instead of Juno.] 6 And turn this whole illusion on the town:] It was a common practice of this bookseller to publish vile pieces of obscure hands under the names of eminent authors. P. 7 [See note to Epilogue to Satires, Dial. I. V. 112.] Be thine, my stationer! this magic gift; 140 145 There Ridpath, Roper, cudgell'd might ye view; The very worsted still look black and blue.. 150 Himself among the story'd chiefs he spies", As, from the blanket, high in air he flies; And "Oh!" (he cry'd) "what street, what lane but knows 155 Our purgings, pumpings, blankettings, and blows? Cook shall be Prior,] The man here specified writ a thing called The Battle of Poets, in which Philips and Welsted were the Heroes, and Swift and Pope utterly routed. He also published some malevolent things in the British, London, and Daily Journals; and at the same time wrote letters to Mr Pope, protesting his innocence. His chief work was a translation of Hesiod, to which Theobald writ notes and half notes, which he carefully owned. P. 2 [See Pope's note to v. 299.] 3 And we too boast our Garth and Addison.] Nothing is more remarkable than our author's love of praising good writers. He has in this very poem celebrated Mr Locke, Sir Isaac Newton, Dr Barrow, Dr Atterbury, Mr Dryden, Mr Congreve, Dr Garth, Mr Addison; in a word, almost every man of his time that deserved it; even Cibber himself (presuming him to be author of the Careless Husband). It was very difficult to have that pleasure in a poem on this subject, yet he has found means to insert their panegyric, and has made even Dulness out of her own mouth pronounce it. It must have been particularly agreeable to him to celebrate Dr Garth; both as his constant friend, and as he was his predecessor in this kind of satire. P. [Part om.] 4 A shaggy Tap'stry] A sorry kind of Tapestry frequent in old inns, made of worsted or some coarser stuff, like that which is spoken of by Donne-Faces as frightful as theirs who whip Christ in old hangings. The imagery woven in it alludes to the mantle of Cloanthus, in Æn. v. [v. 250, ff.] P. 5 On Codrus' old, or Dunton's modern bed;] Of Codrus the poet's bed, see Juvenal, describing his poverty very copiously, Sat. III. 103, &c. But Mr. Concanen, in his dedication of the letters, advertisements, &c. to the author of the Dunciad, assures us, "that Juvenal never satirized the Poverty of Codrus." P. John Dunton was a broken bookseller, and abusive scribbler; he writ Neck or Nothing, a violent satire on some ministers of state; a libel on the Duke of Devonshire and the Bishop of Peterborough, &c. P. 6 [Cf. ante, note to Bk. I. v. 103.] 7 And Tutchin flagrant from the scourge] John Tutchin, author of some vile verses, and of a weekly paper called the Observator: He was sentenced to be whipped through several towns in the west of England, upon which he petitioned King James II. to be hanged. When that prince died in exile, he wrote an invective against his memory, occasioned by some humane elegies on his death. He lived to the time of Queen Anne. P. [He was the author of The Foreigner, the Satire on William III. which provoked De Foe's True-born Englishman. The sentence to which Pope refers was pronounced by Judge Jeffreys, but remitted in return for a bribe which reduced the prisoner to poverty. See Macaulay's History of England, chap. 5.1 8 There Ridpath, Roper,] Authors of the Flying-post and Post-boy, two scandalous papers on different sides, for which they equally an alternately deserved to be cudgelled, and wer so. P. 9 Himself among the story'd chiefs he spies,] The history of Curl's being tossed in a blanket, and whipped by the scholars of Westminster, is well known. P. [Part om.] 10 Eliza Haywood] This woman was authoress of those most scandalous books called the Court of Carimania, and the new Utopia. P. [Part om. Two babes of love close clinging to her waist; Osborne and Curl accept the glorious strife, 160 165 175 First Osborne lean'd against his letter'd post; So Jove's bright bow displays its wat'ry round, Swift as it mounts, all follow with their eyes: Still happy Impudence obtains the prize. He chinks his purse, and takes his seat of state: 1 Kirkall, the name of an Engraver. Some of this Lady's works were printed in four volumes in 12m0, with her picture thus dressed up before them. P. 2 Osborne, Thomas] A bookseller in Gray'sinn, very well qualified by his impudence to act this part; and therefore placed here instead of a less deserving Predecessor. This man published advertisements for a year together, pretending to sell Mr Pope's subscription books of Homer's 175 185 185 190 195 200 Iliad at half the price: Of which books he had none, but cut to the size of them (which was Quarto) the common books in folio, without Copper-plates, on a worse paper, and never above half the value. P. [Part om.] Of Osborne Johnson used to say, that he had no sense of any shame, but that of being poor. Bannister [quoted by Bowles, who refers to the well-known episode in Boswell, concerning J.'s summary chastisement of O. See Boswell ad ann. 1742.] Now gentle touches wanton o'er his face, Secure, thro' her, the noble prize to carry, "Now turn to diff'rent sports," (the Goddess cries) Paolo Antonio Rolli, an Italian Poet, and writer of many Operas in that language, which, partly by the help of his genius, prevailed in England near twenty years. He taught Italian to some fine Gentlemen, who affected to direct the Operas. P. 2 Bentley his mouth &c.] Not spoken of the famous Dr Richard Bentley, but of one Tho. Bentley, a small critic, who aped his uncle in a little Horace. The great one who was intended to be dedicated to the Lord Halifax, but (on a change of the Ministry) was given to the Earl of Oxford; for which reason the little one was dedicated to his son the Lord Harley. P. [Part om.] 3 Welsted] Leonard Welsted, author of the Triumvirate, or a Letter in verse from Palæmon to Cælia at Bath, which was meant for a satire on Mr P. and some of his friends about the year 1718. He writ other things which we cannot remember. You have him again in Book III. 169. P. [Part om.] [He was a hanger-on of the Whigs, and a copious writer.] 4 A youth unknown to Phabus, &c.] The satire of this Episode, being levelled at the base flatteries of authors to worthless wealth or greatness, concludes here with an excellent lesson to 205 210 215 220 225 230 such men: That altho' their pens and praises were as exquisite as they conceit of themselves, yet (even in their own mercenary views) a creature unlettered, who serveth the passions, or pimpeth to the pleasures of such vain, braggart, puft Nobility, shall with those patrons be much more inward, and of them much higher rewarded. SCRIBL. 5 With Thunder rumbling from the mustardbowl.] The old way of making Thunder and Mustard were the same; but since, it is more advantageously performed by troughs of wood with stops in them. Whether Mr Dennis was the inventor of that improvement, I know not; but it is certain, that being once at a Tragedy of a new author, he fell into a great passion at hearing some, and cried, "'Sdeath! that is my "Thunder." P. [Dennis' tragedy was Ap pius and Virginia; and 'his thunder' was used in Macbeth. See note to Essay on Criticism, v. 586.] 7-with a tolling bell;] A mechanical help to the Pathetic, not unuseful to the modern writers of Tragedy. P. 6 Three Cat-calls ] Certain musical instruments used by one sort of Critics to confound the Poets of the Theatre. P. Of him, whose chatt'ring shames the monkey-tribe; Now thousand tongues are heard in one loud din; The monkey-mimics rush discordant in; 235 'Twas chatt'ring, grinning, mouthing, jabb'ring all, And Noise and Norton', Brangling and Breval, Dennis and Dissonance, and captious Art, And Snip-snap short, and Interruption smart, 240 And Demonstration thin, and Theses thick, And Major, Minor, and Conclusion quick. "Hold!" (cry'd the Queen), "a Cat-call each shall win Equal your merits! equal is your din! But that this well-disputed game may end, 245 Sound forth, my Brayers, and the welkin rend." As, when the long-ear'd milky mothers wait At some sick miser's triple bolted gate, 250 From dreams of millions, and three groats to pay. Such as from lab'ring lungs th' Enthusiast blows, 255 High Sound, attemper'd to the vocal nose; There, Webster! peal'd thy voice, and Whitfield 3! thine. But far o'er all, sonorous Blackmore's strain; Walls, steeples, skies, bray back to him again. 260 In Tot'nham fields, the brethren, with amaze, 265 Norton,] See ver. 417.-J. Durant Breval, author of a very extraordinary Book of Travels, and some Poems. See before, note on ver. 126. P. [The word 'brangle' (to oscillate; another form of brandle, Fr. branler) was confounded with 'wrangle."] 2 Sir Gilbert [Heathcote, cf. Moral Essays, Ep. III. v. 101]. 3 Webster-and Whitfield!] The one the writer of a News-paper called the Weekly Miscellany, the other a Field-preacher. Warburton. [George Whitfield, the early associate of the Wesleys, was born in 1714 and first attracted general attention by his preaching at Bristol and London in 1736. John Wesley was induced by his example to commence field-preaching. He died in America in 1770.] Long Chandry-lane] The place where the offices of Chancery are kept. The long detention of Clients in that Court, and the difficulty of getting out, is humorously allegorized in these lines. P. 5 [Westminster Hall; built by William II. A. D. 1097.] 6 Who sings so loudly, and who sings so long.] A just character of Sir Richard Blackmore knight, who (as Mr Dryden expresseth it) Writ to the rumbling of the coach's wheels, and whose indefatigable Muse produced no less than six Epic poems: Prince and King Arthur, twenty books; Eliza, ten; Alfred, twelve; the Redeemer, six; besides Job, in folio; the whole book of Psalms; the Creation, seven books; Nature of Man, three books; and many more. 'Tis in this sense he is styled afterwards the everlasting Blackmore. P. [Part om.] |