Not to fearch too deeply into the reason hereof, I will only obferve as a fact, that every week for these two months paft, the town has been perfecuted with b pamphlets, advertisements, letters, and weekly effays, not only against the wit and writings, but against the character and person of Mr. Pope. And that of all those men who have received pleasure from his works, which by modest computation may be about a hundred thousand in these kingdoms of England and Ireland; (not to mention Jersey,

prefixed, for the most part at random. But fuch was the Number of Poets eminent in that art, that fome one or other took every letter to himself. All fell into fo violent a fury, that for half a year, or more, the common News-papers (in moft of which they had fome property, as being hired writers) were filled with the moft abufive falsehoods and fcurrilities they could poffibly devife; a liberty no ways to be wondered at in thofe people, and in thofe papers, that, for many years, during the uncontrolled Licence of the prefs, had afperfed almost all the great characters of the age; and this with impunity, their own perfons and names being utterly fecret and obfcure. This gave Mr. Pope the thought, that he had now fome opportunity of doing good, by detecting and dragging into light these common Enemies of mankind; fince to invalidate this univerfal flander, it fufficed to fhew what contemptible men were the authors of it. He was not without hopes, that by manifefting the dulnefs of those who had only malice to re ommend them; either the book fellers would not find their account in employing them, or the men them felves, when discovered, want courage to proceed in fo unlawful an occupation. This it was that gave birth to the Dunciad; and he thought it an happiness, that by the late flood of flander on himself, he had acquired fuch a peculiar right over their Names as was neceffary to his defign.

pamphlets, advertisements, &c.] See the Lift of those anonymous papers, with their dates and authors annexed, inferted before the

Poem.

c about a hundred thousand] It is furprizing with what stupidity this preface, which is almoft a continued irony, was taken by thofe authors. All fuch paffages as these were understood by Curl, Cook, Cibber, and others, to be ferious. Here the Laureate (Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9.) "Tho' I grant the Dunciad a better poem of its kind than ever was “writ; yet, when I read it with thofe vain-glorious encumbrances of "Notes and Remarks upon it, &c. it is amazing, that you, who "have writ with fuch masterly fpirit upon the ruling Paffion, should "be fo blind a flave to your own, as not to fee how far a low avarice "of Praife," &c. (taking it for granted that the notes of Scriblerus and others, were the author's own.)

3

Guernsey, the Orcades, those in the new world, and foreigners who have translated him into their languages) of all this number not a man hath stood up to say one word in his defence.

The only exception is the author of the following poem, who doubtlefs had either a better infight 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.

Further, 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, some scandal against this gentleman.

e

How I came poffeft of it, is no concern to the reader; but it would have been a wrong to him had I detain❜d the publication; fince those names which are its chief ornaments die off daily fo faft, as must render it too soon 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 ftyle and manner of writing, which can diftinguish or discover him: For if it bears any refemblance to that of Mr. Pope, 'tis not improbable but it might be done on purpose, with a view to have it pafs for his. But by the frequency of his allufions to Virgil, and a labour'd (not to fay affected) Shortnefs in

a The author of the following poem, &c.] A very plain irony, speaking of Mr. Pope himself.

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 fuch; and the exception is only of two or three, whose dulness, impudent fcurrility, or felf-conceit, all mankind agreed to have juftly entitled them to a place in the Dunciad.

f there is certainly nothing in bis ftyle, &c.] This irony had fmall 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,

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 taffe with his friend.

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

Oh mihi biffenos multum vigilata per annos,

Dunciah!

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 Lafiad, 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 best 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

8 the labour of full fix years, &c.] This alfo'was honeftly and ferionfly believed by divers gentlemen of the Dunciad. J. Ralph. pref. to Sawney. "We are told it was the labour of fix years, with the ut"moft affiduity and application: It is no great compliment to the au"thor's fenfe, to have employed fo large a part of his life," &c. So alfo 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 conceive, from either its bulk or beauty, that it could be fo long in hatching, &c. "But the length of time and clofenefs 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.

h The prefacer to Curl's Key, P. 3. took this word to be really in Statius: << By a quibble on the word Duncia, the Dunciad is formed," Mr. Ward alfo follows him in the fame opinion,

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 these 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 he shall have found them out, he will probably know no more of the perfons 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 inftead of one. Had the hero, for inftance, been called Codrus, how many would have affirm'd him to have been Mr. T. Mr. E. Sir R. B. &c. but now all that unjust fcandal 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.

R

EFLECTIONS critical and fatyrical on a late Rhapfody, called An Effay on Criticism. By Mr. Dennis, printed by B. Lintot, price 6 d.

A New Rehearfal, 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 1 s.

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 9 d.

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

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

An Epilogue to a Puppet-thew 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, fupervised 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 3 d.

The Confederates, a Farce. By Jofeph Gay [J. D. Breval] printed for R. Burleigh, 1717, price 1 s.

Remarks upon Mr. Pope's tranflation of Homer; with two letters concerning the Windfor Forest, and the Temple of Fame. By Mr. Dennis, printed for E. Curl, 1717, price 1 s. 6 d.

Satyrs on the tranflators of Homer, Mr. P. and Mr. T. Anon. [Bez. Morris] 1717, price 6 d.

The Triumvirate: or, a Letter from Palæmon to Celia at Bath. Anon. [Leonard Welfted] 1711, Folio, price 1 s. The Battle of Poets, an heroic poem. By Tho. Cooke, printed for J. Roberts, Folio, 1725.

Memoirs of Lilliput. Anon. [Eliza Haywood] octavo, printed in 1727.

An Effay on Criticism, in profe. By the Author of the Critical History of England [J. Oldmixon] octavo, printed 1728.

Gulliveriana and Alexandriana; with an ample preface and critique on Swift and Pope's Mifcellanies. By Jonathan Smedley, printed by J. Roberts, octavo, 1728.