fight into the grounds of this clamour, or a better opinion of Mr. Pope's integrity, join'd with a greater perfonal love for him, than any other of his numerous friends and admirers.

Farther, that he was in his peculiar intimacy, appears from the knowledge he manifefts of the most private authors of all the anonymous pieces against him, and from his having in this poem attacked no man living, who had not before printed, or published, fome scandal against this gentleman.

How I came poffeft of it, is no concern to the reader; but it would have been a wrong to him had I detained the publication; fince those names which are its chief ornaments die off daily fo faft, as must render it too foon unintelligible. If it provoke the author to give us a more perfect edition, I have my end.

Who he is I cannot fay, and (which is a great pity) there is certainly nothing in his style and manner of writing, which can diflinguish or difcover him: For if it bears any refemblance to that of

e The publisher in these words went a little too far; but it is certain, whatever names the reader finds that are unknown to him, are of such ; and the exception is only of two or three, whofe dulness, impudent fcurrility or felf-conceit, all mankind agreed to have juftly entitled them to a place in the Dunciad.

There is certainly nothing in bis ftyle, etc.] This irony had small effect in concealing the author. The Dunciad, imperfect as it was, had not been published two days, but the whole Town gave it to Mr. Pope.

Mr. Pope, 'tis not improbable but it might be done on purpose, with a view to have it pass for his. But by the frequency of his allufions to Virgil, and a laboured (not to fay affected) Shortness in imitation of him, I should think him more an admirer of the Roman poet than of the Grecian, and in that not of the fame taste with his friend.

I have been well informed, that this work was the labour of full fix years of his life, and that he wholly retired himself from all the avocations and pleafures of the world, to attend diligently to its correction and perfection; and fix years more he intended to bestow upon it, as fhould feem by this verfe of Statius, which was cited at the head of his manuscript.

O mihi binos multum vigilata per annos,

Dunciah!

≈ the labour of full fix years, etc.] This also was honestly and seriously believed by divers gentlemen of the Dunciad. J. Ralph, pref. to Sawney. "We are told it was the labour of "fix years, with the utmost assiduity and application: It is no great compliment to the author's fenfe, to have em"ployed fo large a part of his life,” etc. So also Ward, pref. to Durgen, "The Dunciad, as the publisher very wifely confeffes, coft the author fix years retirement from all the pleasures of life; though it is fomewhat difficult to con"ceive, from either its bulk or beauty, that it could be fo long in hatching, etc. But the length of time and clofeness "of application were mentioned to prepoffefs the reader "with a good opinion of it." They just as well understood what Scriblerus faid of the poem. The prefacer to Curl's key, p. 3. took this word to be really

66

Hence alfo we learn the true title of the poem ; which with the fame certainty as we call that of Homer the Iliad, of Virgil the Æneid, of Camoens the Lufiad, we may pronounce, could have been, and can be no other than

The DUNCIA D.

It is ftyled Heroic, as being doubly fo; not only with refpect to its nature, which, according to the beft rules of the ancients, and ftrictest ideas of the moderns, is critically fuch; but also with regard to the heroical difpofition and high courage of the writer, who dar'd to ftir up fuch a formidable, irritable, and implacable race of mortals.

There may arife fome obfcurity in chronology from the Names in the poem, by the inevitable removal of fome authors, and infertion of others, in their niches. For whoever will confider the unity of the whole defign, will be fenfible, that the poem was not made for thefe authors, but thefe authors for the poem. I fhould judge that they were clapp'd in as they rofe, fresh and fresh, and chang'd from day to day; in like manner as when the old boughs wither, we thrust new ones into a chimney.

I would not have the reader too much troubled or anxious, if he cannot decypher them; fince when

in Statius: "By a quibble on the word Duncia, the Dunciad is "formed." Mr. Ward alfo follows him in the same opinion.

he fhall have found them out, he will probably know no more of the persons than before.

Yet we judg'd it better to preferve them as they are, than to change them for fictitious names; by which the fatire would only be multiplied, and applied to many instead of one. Had the hero, for inftance, been called Codrus, how many would have affirmed him to have been Mr. T. Mr. E. Sir R. B. &c. but now all that unjust scandal is faved by calling him by a name, which by good luck happens to be that of a real perfon.

II.

A LIST of

BOOKS, PAPERS, and VERSES,

In which our Author was abused, before the Publication of the DUNCIAD; with the true Names of the Authors.

EFLECTIONS critical and fatirical on a late Rhapsody, called, An Effay on Criticism. By Mr. Dennis, printed by B. Lintot, price 6d. A New Rehearsal, or Bays the younger; containing an Examen of Mr. Rowe's plays, and a word or two on Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock. Anon.

[by Charles Gildon] printed for J. Roberts, 1714, price is.

Homerides, or a Letter to Mr. Pope, occafioned by his intended tranflation of Homer. By Sir Iliad Dogrel. [Tho. Burnet and G. Ducket efquires] printed for W. Wilkins, 1715, price gd.

Æfop at the Bear-garden; a vifion, in imitation of the Temple of Fame, by Mr. Prefton. Sold by John Morphew, 1715, price 6d.

The Catholic Poet, or Proteftant Barnaby's Sorrowful Lamentation; a Ballad about Homer's Iliad. By Mrs. Centlivre, and others, 1715, price 1d.

An Epilogue to a Puppet-fhew at Bath, concerning the faid Iliad. By George Ducket efq. printed by E. Curl.

A complete Key to the What d'ye call it. Anon. [by Griffin a player, supervised by Mr. Th-] printed by J. Roberts, 1715.

A true character of Mr. P. and his writings, in a letter to a friend. Anon, [Dennis] printed for S. Popping, 1716, price 3d.

The confederates, a Farce. By Jofeph Gay, [J. D. Breval] printed for R. Burleigh, 1717 price is.

Remarks upon Mr. Pope's tranflation of Homer; with two letters concerning the Windfor Foreft, and the Temple of Fame. By Mr. Dennis, printed for E. Curl, 1717, price is 6d.