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DENNIS, Remarks on Pr. ARTHUR.

I

Cannot but think it the most reafonable thing

in the world, to diftinguish good writers, by difcouraging the bad. Nor is it an ill-natured thing, in relation even to the very perfons upon whom the reflections are made. It is true, it may deprive them, a little the fooner, of a fort profit and a tranfitory reputation; but then it may have a good effect, and oblige them (before it be too late) to decline that for which they are so very unfit, and to have recourfe to fomething in which they may be more fuccessful.

CHARACTER of Mr. P. 1716.

THE Perfons whom Boileau has attacked in his writings, have been for the moft part Authors, and most of thofe Authors, Poets: And the cenfures he hath paffed upon them have been confirmed by all Europe.

GILDON, Pref. to his NEW REHEARSAL.

IT is the common cry of the Poetafters of the town, and their fautors, that it is an ill-natured thing to expofe the Pretenders to wit and poetry. VOL. V.

B

The Judges and Magistrates may with full as good reafon be reproached with Ill-nature for putting the Laws in execution against a Thief or Impoftor. -The fame will hold in the republic of Letters, if the Critics and Judges will let every ignorant pretender to fcribling pafs on the World.

THEOBALD, Letter to Mist, June 22,1728.

ATTACKS may be levelled, either against Failures in Genius, or against the Pretenfions of writing without one.

CONCANEN, Ded, to the Author of the DUNCIAD.

A Satire upon Dulness is a thing that has been used and allowed in All Ages.

Out of thine own Mouth will I judge thee, wicked Scribler!

TESTIMONIES

O F

AUTHORS

CONCERNING

our POET and his WORK S.

M. SCRIBLERUS Lectori S.

B

EFORE we present thee with our exercitations on this most delectable Poem (drawn from the many volumes of our Adverfaria on modern Authors) we shall here, according to the laudable ufage of editors, collect the various judgments of the Learned concerning our Poet: Various indeed, not only of different authors, but of the fame author at different feasons. Nor fhall we gather only the Testimonies of fuch eminent Wits, as would of course defcend to pofterity, and confequently be read without our collection; but we fhall likewife with incredible labour feek out for divers others, which, but for this our diligence, could never at the diftance of a few months appear to the eye of the most curious. Hereby thou may'st not only receive the delectation of Variety, but also arrive at a more certain judgment, by a grave and circumfpect comparison of the Witneffes with each other, or of each with himself. Hence alfo thou wilt be enabled to draw reflections, not only of a critical, but a moral nature, by being let into many

particulars of the Perfon as well as Genius, and of the Fortune as well as Merit, of our Author: In which if I relate fome things of little concern paradventure to thee, and fome of as little even to him; I entreat thee to confider how minutely all true critics and commentators are wont to infift upon fuch, and how material they seem to themselves, if to none other. Forgive me, gentle reader, if (following learned example) I ever and anon become tedious: allow me to take the fame pains to find whether my author were good or bad, well or ill-natured, modeft or arrogant; as another, whether his author was fair or brown, fhort or tall, or whether he wore a coat or a caflock.

We proposed to begin with his Life, Parentage, and Education: But as to thefe, even his cotemporaries do exceedingly differ. One faith, he was educated at home; another, that he was bred at St. Omer's by Jefuits; a third, not at St. Omer's, but at Oxford; a fourth, that he had no Univerfity education at all. Those who allow him to be bred at home, differ as much concerning his Tutor: One faith, he was kept by his father on purpose; a second f, that he was an itinerant prieft; a third, that he was a parfon; one h calleth him a secular clergyman of the Church of Rome; another, a monk. As little do they agree about his Father, whom one fuppofeth, like the Father of Hefiod, a tradefiman or merchant; another', a husbandman; another ", a hatter, &c. Nor has an author been wanting to give our Poet fuch a father as Apuleius hath to Plato, Jamblichus to Pythagoras, and divers to

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a Giles Jacob's Lives of Poets, vol. ii. in his Life. b Dennis's Reflections on the Effay on Crit. c Dunciad diffected, p. 4. d Guardian, No 40. Jacob's Lives, &c. vol. ii. f Dunciad diffected, p. 4. 8 Farmer P. and his fon. h Dunc. diffect. Characters of the times, p. 45. k Female Dunc. p. ult. Dunc diffect. Roome, Paraphrafe on the ivth of Genefis,

printed 1729.

Homer, namely a Dæmon: For thus Mr. Gildon a : "Certain it is, that his original is not from Adam, but "the Devil; and that he wanteth nothing but horns ❝ and tail to be the exact refemblance of his infernal "Father." Finding, therefore, fuch contrariety of opinions, and (whatever be ours of this fort of generation) not being fond to enter into controverfy, we fhall defer writing the life of our Poet, 'till authors can determine among themselves what Parents or Education he had, or whether he had any Education or Parents at all.

Proceed we to what is more certain, his Works, tho' not lefs uncertain the judgments concerning them; beginning with his ESSAY on CRITICISM, of which hear firft the most antient of Critics,

Mr. JOHN DENNIS.

"His precepts are falfe or trivial, or both; his "thoughts are crude and abortive, his expreffions ab"furd, his numbers harsh and unmusical, his rhymes "trivial and common; -inftead of majesty, we have "fomething that is very mean; inftead of gravity, "fomething that is very boyish; and instead of per

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fpicuity and lucid order, we have but too often obfcurity and confufion." And in another place: "What "rare numbers are here! Would not one fwear that this youngster had espoused fome antiquated Mufe, who "had fued out a divorce from fome fuperannuated fin"ner, upon account of impotence, and who, being "poxed by her former fpoufe, has got the gout in her decrepid age, which makes her bobble fo damnably "

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Character of Mr. P. and his Writings, in a Letter to a Friend, printed for S. Popping, 171, p. 10. Curl, in his Key to the Dunciad (firft edit. faid to be printed for A. Dodd) in the eth page, declared Gildon to be author of that libel; though in the fubfequent editions of his Key he left out this affcrtion, and affirmed (in the Curl:ad, p. 4. and 8.) that it was written by Dennis only

• Reflections critical and fatyrical on a Rhapiody, called, An Effay on Criticifm. Printed for Bernard Lintot, octavo.

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