III. ADVERTISEMENT I To the FIRST EDITION with Notes, T will be fufficient to fay of this edition, that the reader has here a much more correct and complete copy of the DUNCIAD, than has hitherto appear'd. I cannot answer but fome mistakes may have flipt into it, but a vast number of others will be prevented by the names being now not only fet at length, but juftified by the authorities and reafons given. I make no doubt, the author's own motive to ufe real rather than feign'd names, was his care to preferve the innocent from any falfe application; whereas in the former editions, which had no more than the initial letters, he was made, by keys printed here, to hurt the inoffenfive; and (what was worfe) to abuse his friends, by an impreffion at Dublin. The commentary which attends this poem was fent me from feveral hands, and confequently muft be unequally written; yet will have one advantage over most commentaries, that it is not made upon conjectures, or at a remote distance of time: And the reader cannot but derive one pleafure from the very Obfcurity of the perfons it treats of, that it partakes of the nature of a Secret, which moft people love to be let into, tho' the men or the things be ever fo inconfiderable or trivial. Of the Perfons it was judg'd proper to give fome account: For fince it is only in this monument that they must expect to furvive (and here furvive they will, as long as the English tongue fhall remain fuch as it was in the reigns of Queen ANNE and king GEORGE,) it feem'd but humanity to beftow a word or two upon each, juft to tell what he was, what he writ, when he liv'd, and when he died. If a word or two more are added upon the chief offenders, 'tis only as a paper pinn'd upon the breaft, to mark the enormities for which they fuffer'd; left the correction only should be remember'd, and the crime forgotten. In fome articles it was thought fufficient, barely to tranfcribe from Jacob, Curl, and other writers of their own rank, who were much better acquainted with them than any of the authors of this comment can pretend to be. Most of them had drawn each other's characters on certain occafions;, but the few here inferted are all that could be faved from the general destruction of fuch works. Of the part of Scriblerus I need fay nothing; his manner is well enough known, and approv'd by all but thofe who are too much concern'd to be judges. The imitations of the Ancients are added, to gratify those who either never read, or may have forgotten them; together with fome of the parodies and allufions to the most excellent of the Moderns. If, from the frequency of the former, any man think the poem too much a Cento, our poet will but appear to have done the fame thing in jeft which Boileau did in earnest;, and upon which Vida, Fracaftorius, and many of the most eminent Latin poets, profeffedly valued themselves. IV. ADVERTISEMENT To the FIRST EDITION of The FOURTH Вook of the DUNCIAD, when printed feparately in the Year 1742. WE apprchend it can be deemed no injury to the author of the three first books of the Dunciad, that we publish this Fourth. It was found merely by accident, in taking a furvey of the Library of a late eminent nobleman; but in fo blotted a condition, and in fo many detach'd pieces, as plainly fhewed it to be not only incorrect, but unfinished. That the author of the three first books had a defign to extend and complete his poem in this manner, appears from the differtation prefix'd to it, where it is faid, that the defign is more extenfive, and that we may expect other episodes to complete it: And from the declaration in the argument to the third book, that the accomplishment of the prophecies therein would be the theme hereafter of a greater Dunciad. But whether or no he be the author of this, we declares ourselves ignorant. If he be, we are no more to be blamed for the publication of it, than Tucca and Varius for that of the laft fix books of the Æneid, tho' perhaps inferior to the former. If any perfon be poffeffed of a more perfect copy of this work, or of any other fragments of it, and will communicate them to the publisher, we fhall make the next edition more complete: In which we alfo promife to infert any Criticisms that fhall be published (if at all to the purpose) with the Names of the Authors; or any letters fent us (tho' not to the purpose) fhall yet be printed under the title of Epiftola Obfcurorum Virarum; which, together with fome others of the fame kind formerly laid by for that end, may make no unpleasant addition to the future impreffions of this poem. V. ADVERTISEMENT I To the complete EDITION of 1743. HAVE long had a defign of giving fome fort of Notes on the works of this poet. Before I had the happinefs of his acquaintance, I had written a commentary on his Efay on Man, and have fince finifhed another on the Effay on Criticifm. There was one already on the Dunciad, which had met with general approbation: but I ftill thought fome additions were wanting (of a more ferious kind) to the humorous notes of Scriblerus, and even to those written by Mr. Cleland, Dr. Arbuthnot, and others. I had lately the pleafure to pass fome months with the author in the country, where I prevailed upon him to do what I had long defired, and favour me with his explanation of feveral paffages in his works. It happened, that juft at that juncture was published a ridiculous book against him, full of Personal Reflections, which furnished him with a lucky opportunity of improving This Poem, by giving it the only thing it wanted, a more confiderable Hero. He was always fenfible of its defect in that particular, and owned he had let it pass with the Hero it had, purely for want of a better; not entertaining the leaft expectation that fuch an one was reserved for this Poft, as has fince obtained the Laurel: But fince that had happened, he could no longer deny this justice either to him or the Dunciad. And yet I will venture to say, there was another motive which had ftill more weight with our Author: This perfon was one, who from every Folly (not to fay Vice) of which another would be ashamed, has conftantly derived a Vanity; and therefore was the man in the world who would leaft be hurt by it. W. W. VI. ADVERTISEMENT Printed in the JOURNALS, 1730. WH HEREAS, upon occafion of certain Pieces relating to the Gentlemen of the Dunciad, fome have been willing to fuggeft, as if they looked upon them as an abuse: we can do no less than own, it is our opinion, that to call these Gentlemen bad authors is no fort of abuse, but a great truth. We cannot alter this opinion without some reason; but we promise to do it in respect to every perfon who thinks it an injury to be reprefented as no Wit, or Poet, provided he procures a Certificate of his being really fuch, from any three of his companions in the Dunciad, or from Mr. Dennis fingly, who is esteemed equal to any three of the number. VII. A PARALLEL OF THE CHARACTERS O F Mr. DRYDEN and Mr. POPE. As drawn by certain of their Contemporaries. His POLITICS, RELIGION, MORALS. MR R. Dryden is a mere renegado from monarchy, poetry, and good fenfe. A true republican fon of monarchical Church . A republican Atheist . Dryden was from the beginning an orpion, and I doubt not will continue fo to the last 4. In the poem call'd Abfalom and Achitophel are notoriously traduced, the KING, the QUEEN, the LORDS and GENTLEMEN, not only their honourable perfons expos'd, but the whole NATION and its REPRESENTATIVES notorioufly libell'd. It is fcandalum magnatum, yea of MAJESTY itfelfe. |