Dulness o'er all poffefs'd her ancient right, REMARKS. 15 VER. 12. Daughter of Chaos &c.] The beauty of the whole Allegory being purely of the poetical kind, we think it not our proper business, as a Scholiaft, to meddle with it: But leave it (as we fhall in general all fuch) to the reader; remarking only that Chaos (according to Hefiod's coyovía) was the Progenitor SCRIBLERUS. of all the Gods. VER. 15. Laborious, heavy, bufy, bold, &c.] I wonder the learned Scriblerus has omitted to advertise the Reader, at the opening of this Poem, that Dulness here is not to be taken contractedly for mere Stupidity, but in the enlarged fenfe of the word, for all Slownefs of Apprehenfion, fhortnefs of Sight, or imperfect Senfe of things. It includes (as we fee by the Poet's own words) Labour, Industry, and fome degrees of activity and Boldness a ruling principle not inert, but turning topfy turvý the Understanding, and inducing an Anarchy or confused State of Mind. This remark ought to be carried along with the reader throughout the work; and without this caution he will be apt to mistake the importance of many of the Characters, as well as of the Defign of the Poet. Hence it is, that fome have complained he chufes too mean a subject, and imagined he employs himself, like Domitian, in killing flies; whereas those who have the true key will find he fports with nobler quarry, and embraces a larger compafs; or (as one faith, on a like occafion) Will fee his Work, like Jacob's ladder, rife, BENTL. VER. 16. She rul'd, in native Anarchy, the mind.] The native Anarchy of the mind is that state which precedes the time of Reason's affuming the rule of the Paffions. But in that state, Still her old Empire to restore she tries, For, born a Goddefs, Dulness never dies. 1 O Thou! whatever title please thine ear, Dean, Drapier, Bickerstaff, or Gulliver! Whether thou chufe Cervantes' serious air, Or laugh and shake in Rab'lais' eafy chair, VARIATIONS. After VER. 22. in the MS. Or in the graver Gown 'inftruct mankind, Or filent let thy morals tell thy mind. 20 But this was to be understood, as the Poet fays, ironicè, like the 23d Verfe. REMARK S. the uncontrolled violence of the Paffions would foon bring things to confufion, were it not for the intervention of DULNESS in this absence of Reason; who, though fhe cannot regulate them like Reason, yet blunts and deadens their Vigour, and, indeed produces fome of the good effects of it: Hence it is that Dulness has often the appearance of Reason. This is the only good the ever did; and the candid Poet is careful to tell it in the very introduction of his Poem. It is to be observed indeed, that this is spoken of the univerfal rule of Dulness in ancient days, but we may form an idea of it from her partial Government in latter times. W. VER. 17. Still her old Empire to restore] This Restoration makes the Completion of the Poem. Vide Book iv. W. VER. 20.-Drapier, Bickerstaff, or Gulliver!] The feveral names and characters he affumed in his ludicrous, his fpleenetic, or his Party-writings; which take in all his works. W. VER. 23. laugh and shake in Rab'lais' eafy chair,] The imagery is exquifite; and the equivoque in the laft words, gives a peculiar elegance to the whole expreffion. The eafy chair fuits his age: Rab’lais' eafy chair marks his character: and he fills and poffefles it a the heir and fucceffor of that original genius, W. Or praise the Court, or magnify mankind, Clofe to those walls where Folly holds her throne, And laughs to think Monroe would take her down, VARIATIONS, VER. 29. Clofe to those walls &c.] In the former Edd. thus, Where wave the tatter'd enfigns of Rag-fair, A yawning ruin hangs and nods in air; Keen hollow winds howl thro' the bleak recefs, Emblem of Mufic caus'd by Emptiness; Here in one bed two shiv'ring Sifters lie, The Cave of Poverty and Poetry. Var. Where wave the tattring enfigns of Rag-fair,] Rag-fair is a place near the Tower of London, where old cloaths and frippery are fold. Var. Ayawning ruin hangs and nods in air ;— Here in one Bed two fhiv'ring Sifters lie, The Cave of Poverty and Poetry.] Hear upon this place the forecited Critic on the Dunciad, "Thefe lines (faith he) have no conftruction, or are nonfenfe. "The two fhivering Sifters must be the fifter-caves of Poverty "and Poetry, or the bed and cave of Poverty and Poetry muft "be the fame, [questionless, if they lie in one bed] and the two "Sifters the Lord knows who." O the construction of grammatical heads! Virgil writeth thus: En. i. Fronte fub adverfa fcopulis pendentibus antrum: ་ Where o'er the gates, by his fam'd father's hand, 31 Great Cibber's brazen brainless brothers stand; VARIATIONS. Intus aquæ dulces, vivoque fedilia faxo; May we not fay in like manner, "The Nymphs must be the waters and the ftores, or the waters and the stones must be "the houses of the Nymphs?" Infulfe! The fecond line Intus aqua, &c. is a parenthefis (as are two lines of our Author, Keen hollow Winds, &c.) and it is the Antrum, and the yawning Ruin, in the line before that parenthefis, which are the Domus and the Cave. Let me again, I befeech thee, Reader, prefent thee with another Conjectural Emendation on Virgil's fcopulis pendentibus: He is here defcribing a place, whither the weary Mariners of Eneas repaired to drefs their dinner.-Feffi-frugefque receptas torrere parant flammis: What has fcopulis pendentibus here to do? Indeed the aquæ dulces and fedilia are fomething; fweet waters to drink, and feats to reft on: the other is furely an error of the Copyifts. Reftore it, without the leaft fcruple, Populis prandentibus. But for this and a thousand more, expect our Virgil Reflor'd. SCRIBLERUS. REMARK S. VER. 24. Or praife the Court, or magnify Mankind,] Ironice, alluding to Gulliver's reprefentations of both.---The next line relates to the papers of the Drapier against the currency of Wood's Copper coin in Ireland, which, upon the great difcontent of the people, his Majefty was graciously pleased to recal. VER. 26. Mourn not, my Swift! at ought our realm acquires.] Ironice iterum. The Politics of England and Ireland were at this time by fome thought to be oppofite, or interfering with each other: Dr. Swift of courfe was in the intereft of the latter, our Author of the former. VER. 28. To batch a new Șaturnian age of Lead.] The ancient Golden Age is by Poets ftyled Saturnian, as being under One Cell there is, conceal'd from vulgar eye, The Cave of Poverty and Poetry. REMARKS. the reign of Saturn: but in the Chemical language Saturn is Lead. She is faid here only to be spreading her wings to hatch this Age; which is not produced completely till the fourth book. VER. 31. By his fam'd father's hand,] Mr. Caius-Gabriel Cibber, father of the Poet-Laureate. The two Statues of the Lunatics over the gates of Bedlam-hospital were done by him, and (as the fon justly says of them) are no ill monuments of his fame as an Artist. VER. 33. One Cell there is.] The cell of poor Poetry is here very properly reprefented as a little unindowed Hall in the neighbourhood of the Magnific College of Bedlam; and as the surest Seminary to fupply those learned Walls with profeffors. For there cannot be a plainer Symptom of Madness than for Men to chufe Poverty and Contempt; to ftarve themselves and of、 fend the public by fcribling, Escape in Monsters, and amaze the Town. when they might have benefited themselves and others in profitable and honeft employments. The Qualities and Productions of the students of this private Academy are afterwards defcribed in this first book; as are alfo their Actions throughout the fecond; by which it appears, how near allied Dulness is to Madness. This naturally prepares us for the subject of the third book, where we find them in union, and acting in conjunction to produce the Catastrophe of the fourth; a mad poetical Sibyl leading our Hero through the Regions of Vifion, to animate him in the prefent undertaking, by a view of the past triumphs of Barbarifm over Science. W VER. 34. Poverty and Poetry.] I cannot here omit a remark that will greatly endear our Author to every one, who shall attentively obferve that Humanity and Candor, which every where appears in him towards thofe unhappy objects of the ridicule of all mankind, the bad Poets. He here imputes all scandalous rhymes, fcurrilous weekly papers, bafe flatteries, wretched ele |