Norton1, from Daniel and Ostroa sprung, 415 420 425 THE DUNCIAD. BOOK THE THIRD. ARGUMENT. After the other persons are disposed in their proper places of rest, the Goddess transports the King to her Temple, and there lays him to slumber with his head on her lap; a position of marvellous virtue, which causes all the visions of wild enthusiasts, projectors, politicians, inamoratos, castle-builders, chemists, and poets. He is immediately carried on the wings of Fancy, and led by a mad Poetical Sibyl to the Elysian shade; where, on the banks of Lethe, the souls of the dull are dipped by Bavius, before their entrance into this world. There he is met by the ghost of Settle, and by him made acquainted with the wonders of the place, and with those which he himself is destined to perform. He takes him to a Mount of Vision, from whence he shews him the past triumphs of the Empire of Dulness, then the present, and lastly the future: how small a part of the world was ever conquered by Science, how soon those conquests were stopped, and those very nations again reduced to her dominion. Then distinguishing the Island of Great-Britain, shews by what aids, by what persons, and by what degrees it shall be brought to her Empire. Some of the author the threat of a prosecution. In its enlarged form it bore the second title of Private Vices Public Benefits, which explains the moral or object of the Fable. Though Mandeville only meant to shew that under the system of Providence good is wrought out of evil, he would have done well to leave no doubt as to both the meaning and the limitations of his doctrine.] 1 Norton] Norton De Foe, offspring of the famous Daniel. Fortes creantur fortibus. One of the authors of the Flying Post, in which well-bred work Mr P. has sometime the honour to be abused with his betters; and of many hired scurrilities and daily papers, to which he never set his name. P. [Does Ostræa here signify an oyster-wife?] 2 Fleet] A prison for insolvent Debtors on the bank of the Ditch. P. the persons he causes to pass in review before his eyes, describing each by his proper figure, character, and qualifications. On a sudden the Scene shifts, and a vast number of miracles and prodigies appear, utterly surprising and unknown to the King himself, till they are explained to be the wonders of his own reign now commencing. On this subject Settle breaks into a congratulation, yet not unmixed with concern, that his own times were but types of these. He prophesies how first the nation shall be over-run with Farces, Operas, and Shows; how the throne of Dulness shall be advanced over the Theatres, and set up even at Court; then how her Sons shall preside in the seats of Arts and Sciences: giving a glimpse or Pisgahsight of the future Fulness of her Glory, the accomplishment whereof is the subject of the fourth and last book. BOOK III. UT in her Temple's last recess enclos'd, BUT On Dulness' lap th' Anointed head repos'd. And soft besprinkles with Cimmerian dew. Then raptures high the seat of Sense o'erflow, Hence, from the straw where Bedlam's Prophet nods, 5 ΤΟ And now, on Fancy's easy wing convey'd, A slip-shod Sibyl led his steps along, 15 Her tresses staring from Poetic dreams,' And never wash'd, but in Castalia's streams. Taylor, their better Charon, lends an oar, (Once swan of Thames, tho' now he sings no more.) 1 Taylor] John Taylor the Water-poet, an honest man, who owns he learned not so much as the Accidence: A rare example of modesty in a Poet! I must confess I do want eloquence, And never scarce did learn my Accidence; For having got from possum to posset, I there was gravell'd, could no farther get. He wrote fourscore books in the reign of James I. and Charles I. and afterwards (like Edward Ward) kept an Ale-house in Long-Acre. He died in 1654. P. [Carruthers corrects this date to 1653; and refers for an account of the poetic waterman to Southey's Lives of Uneducated Poets. A splendid edition of Taylor's poems 20 has recently been published by the Spenser Society.] Benlowes,] A country gentleman, famous for his own bad poetry, and for patronizing bad poets, as may be seen from many Dedications of Quarles and others to him. Some of these anagram'd his name, Benlowes into Benevolus: to verify which he spent his whole estate upon them. P. 3 And Shadwell nods the Poppy &c.] Shadwell took Opium for many years, and died of too large a dose, in the year 1692. P. [The hero of MacFlecknoe.] 4 Old Bavius sits,] Bavius was an ancient Poet, celebrated by Virgil for the like cause as And blunt the sense, and fit it for a skull 25 Of solid proof, impenetrably dull: Instant, when dipt, away they wing their flight, Where Brown and Mears1 unbar the gates of Light, Demand new bodies, and in Calf's array Rush to the world, impatient for the day. 30 Millions and millions on these banks he views, Wond'ring he gaz'd: When lo! a Sage3 appears, Thus the great Father to the greater Son. "Oh born to see what none can see awake! Behold the wonders of th' oblivious Lake. 40 Thou, yet unborn, hast touch'd this sacred shore; Bays by our Author, though not in so christianlike a manner: For heathenishly it is declared by Virgil of Bavius, that he ought to be hated and detested for his evil works; Qui Bavium non odit; Whereas we have often had occasion to observe our Poet's great Good Nature and Mercifulness thro' the whole course of this Poem. SCRIblerus. Mr Dennis warmly contends, that Bavius was no inconsiderable author; nay, that "He and Mævius had (even in Augustus's days) a very formidable party at Rome, who thought them much superior to Virgil and Horace: For (saith he) I cannot believe they would have fixed that eternal brand upon them, if they had not been coxcombs in more than ordinary credit." Rem. on Pr. Arthur, part II. c. I. An argument which, if this poem should last, will conduce to the honour of the gentlemen of the Dunciad. P. 1 Brown and Mears] Booksellers, Printers for any body. P. [Part om.] 45 50 55 2 Ward in pillory.] John Ward of Hackney, Esq. Member of Parliament, being convicted of forgery, was first expelled the House, and then sentenced to the Pillory on the 17th of February 1727. P. [Part om.] [Cf. Moral Essays, Ep. III. 20, note.] 3 [Dante.] 4 Settle] Elkanah Settle was once a Writer in vogue as well as Cibber, both for Dramatic Poetry and Politics. He was author or publisher of many noted pamphlets in the time of King Charles II. He answered all Dryden's political poems; and, being caried up on one side, succeeded not a little in his Tragedy of the Empress of Morocco. P. [Part om.] [For an account of this extremely sensational play, against which strictures were indited by Dryden, Shadwell and Crown, see Geneste, u. s. Vol. 1. p. 154.] Shall in thee centre, from thee circulate. "Ascend this hill, whose cloudy point commands бо 65 See, round the Poles 1 where keener spangles shine, 70 "Far eastward cast thine eye, from whence the Sun 2 "Thence to the south extend thy gladden'd eyes; 1 See, round the Poles &c.] Almost the whole Southern and Northern Continent wrapt in ignorance. P. 2 Ver. 73; in the former Editions: 75 80 85 90 95 mæan library, on the gates of which was this inscription, YYXHEIATPEION, the Physic of the Soul. P. [A. D. 641. Gibbon was strongly inclined to dispute the fact, but fresh authorities 'Far eastward cast thine eye, from whence the corroborating it have been adduced by Milman.] Sun And orient Science at a birth begun.' Warburton. Our Author favours the opinion that all Sciences came from the Eastern nations. P. 3 Chi Ho-am-ti Emperor of China, the same who built the great wall between China and Tartary, destroyed all the books and learned men of that empire. P. 4 The Caliph, Omar I., having conquered Egypt, caused his General to burn the Ptole 5 I have been told that this was the couplet by which Pope declared his own ear to be most gratified; but the reason of this preference I cannot discover. Johnson. 6 [The Alemanni, who twice invaded Gaul.] 7 [Kings of the Goths, Vandals and Huns respectively.) 8 (The soil that arts and infant letters bore)] Phoenicia, Syria, &c. where Letters are said to have been invented. In these countries Mahomet began his conquests. P. And saving Ignorance enthrones by Laws. "Lo! Rome herself, proud mistress now no more Streets pav'd with Heroes, Tiber chok'd with Gods: 100 105 See the Cirque falls, th' unpillar'd Temple nods, 'Till Peter's keys some christ'ned Jove adorn 4, And Pan to Moses lends his pagan horn; See, graceless Venus to a Virgin turn'd, "Behold yon' Isle, by Palmers, Pilgrims trod, Men bearded, bald, cowl'd, uncowl'd, shod, unshod, Peel'd, patch'd, and pyebald, linsey-wolsey brothers, Grave Mummers! sleeveless some, and shirtless others. That once was Britain-Happy! had she seen No fiercer sons, had Easter never been 5. In peace, great Goddess, ever be ador'd; How keen the war, if Dulness draw the sword! Thus visit not thy own! on this blest age 115 120 Oh spread thy Influence, but restrain thy Rage! "And see, my son! the hour is on its way, That lifts our Goddess to imperial sway: This fav'rite Isle, long sever'd from her reign, 125 Dove-like, she gathers to her wings again. Now look thro' Fate! behold the scene she draws! What aids, what armies to assert her cause! Behold, and count them, as they rise to light. 130 [Pope has a long note attempting to bring home this charge against Pope Gregory I. (the Great). His hatred of classical learning is undoubted; his destruction of ancient buildings rests only on later evidence. See Gibbon, chap. XLV. Compare on this and the whole subject of the prejudices of the Church against profane learning the first chapter of Hallam's Lit. of Europe. The establishment of the Index Expurgatorius belongs to the century of the Reformation.] 2 [Roger Bacon lived in the 13th century; the earliest English cultivator of mathematical science. His 'brazen head' was a popular superstition connected with his experiments in magic; and is alluded to in Butler's Hudibras.] 3 [Livy is said to have been burnt among other authors by Gregory I.] 4'Till Peter's keys some christ'ned Jove adorn,] After the government of Rome devolved to the Popes, their zeal was for some time exerted in demolishing the Heathen Temples and Statues, so that the Goths scarce destroyed more monuments of Antiquity out of rage, than these out of devotion. At length they spared some of the temples, by converting them to Churches; and some of the Statues, by modifying them into images of Saints. In much later times, it was thought necessary to change the statues of Apollo and Pallas, on the tomb of Sannazarius, into David and Judith; the Lyre easily became a Harp, and the Gorgon's head turned to that of Holofernes. P. [Abundant instances of this will be found in any description of Rome.] 5 Happy!-had Easter never been.] Wars in England anciently, about the right time of celebrating Easter. P. [It was not till the visit of St Augustine in 596 that the British Church conformed to the decision of the Council of Nice as to the day on which Easter should be kept.] 6 Dove-like she gathers] This is fulfilled in the fourth book. P. |