VII. A PARALLEL OF THE CHARACTERS OF Mr. POPE and Mr. DRYDEN. As drawn by certain of their Contemporaries. Mr. P O P E. His POLITICKS, RELIGION, MORALS. M R. Pope is an open and mortal enemy to his country, and the commonwealth of learning. Some call him a popish whig, which is directly inconfiftent b. Pope as a papift, must be a tory and a high flyer. He is both a whig and tory d. He hath made it his custom to cackle to more than one party in their own fentiments. In his Miscellanies, the perfons abufed are, The KING, the QUEEN, His late MAJESTY, both Houfes of PARLIAMENT, the Privy-Council, the Bench of BISHOPS, the Eftablish'd CHURCH, the prefent MINISTRY, &c. To make Senfe of fome paffages, they must be conftrued into ROYAL SCANDALF. a Dennis's Rem. on the Rape of the Lock, pref. p. xii. ciad diffected. c Pref. to Gulliveriana. of Mr. P. b Dun d Dennis character e Theobald, Letter in Mift's Journal, June 22, 1728. f Lift at the end of a Collection of Verses, Letters, Advertisements 8vo. Printed for A, Moore, 1728, and the Preface to it, p. 6. VOL. V. He looks upon God's gofpel as a foolish fable, like the Pope, to whom he is a pitiful purveyor. His very Christianity may be queftioned 5. He ought to expect more feverity than other men,as he is most unmercifull in his own reflections on others. With as good a right as his Holiness, he fets up for poetical infallibility. Mr. DRYDEN only a Verfifier. His whole Libel is all bad matter, beautify'd (which is all that can be faid of it) with good metrek. Mr. Dryden's genius did not appear in any thing more than his Verfification, and whether he is to be ennobled for that only, is a question'. Mr. DRYDEN'S VIRGIL. Tonfon calls it Dryden's Virgil, to fhew that this is not that Virgil fo admir'd in the Auguftaan age; but a Virgil of another ftamp, a filly, impertinent, nonfenfical writer. None but a Bavius, a Mævius, or a Bathyllus carp'd at Virgil; and none but fuch unthinking Vermin admire his Tranflator". It is true, foft and eafy lines might become Ovid's Epiftles or Art of Love-But Virgil, who is all great and majeftic, &c. requires ftrength of lines, weight of words, and clofenefs of expreffions; not an ambling Mufe running on Carpet-ground and fhod as lightly as a Newmarket-racer.-He has numberless faults in his Author's meaning, and in propriety of expreffion". Mr. DRYDEN understood no Greek nor Latin. Mr. Dryden was once, I have heard, at Westminsterfchool: Dr. Bufby would have whipt him for fo childish a Paraphrafe P. The meanest Pedant in England would whip a Lubber of twelve for conftruing fo abfurdly 9. The Tranflator is mad, every line betrays his Stupidity". The faults are innumerable, and convince me that Mr. Dryden did not, or would not understand his Author. This g Milbourn, p. 9. k Whip and Key, Pref. f Ibid. 30cifm, p. 84. o Pag. 22, and 192. Pag. 78. m Milbourn, pag. 2. h Ibid. p. 175: q Pag, 203. He is a Popish Rhymefter, bred up with a contempt of the Sacred Writings 5. His Religion allows him to deftroy Hereticks, not only with his pen, but with fire and fword; and fuch were all thofe unhappy Wits whom he facrificed to his accurfed Popish Principles. It deferved Vengeance to fuggeft, that Mr. Pope had lefs infallibility than his Namefake at Rome. Mr. POPE only a Verfifier. The fmooth numbers of the Dunciad are all that recommend it, nor has it any other merit. It maft be owned that he hath got a notable knack of rhyming and writing smooth verfe1. Mr. POPE'S HOMER. The Homer which Lintot prints, does not talk like Homer, but like Pope; and he who tranflated him, one would fwear, had a Hill in Tipperary for his Parnaffus, and a puddle in fome Bog for his Hippocrene ". He has no Admirers among those that can distinguish, discern, and judge ", m He hath a knack at smooth verse, but without either Genius or good fenfe, or any tolerable knowledge of Englifh. The qualities which diftinguish Homer are the beauties of his Diction and the Harmony of his Verfification, -But this little Author, who is fo much in vogue, has neither fenfe in his Thoughts, nor English in his Expreffions °. Mr. POPE underfood no Greek. He hath undertaken to tranflate Homer from the Greek, of which he knows not one word, into English, of which he understands as little P. I wonder how this Gentleman would look, fhould it be discover'd, that he has not tran 8 Dennis's Remarks on Homer, p. 27. veriana, p. 11. &c. p. 9. h Preface to Gullii Dedication to the Collection of Verfes, Letters, k Mift's Journal of June 8, 1728. I Character m Dennis's Remarks on Pope's • Character of Mr. P. of Mr. P. and Dennis on Hom. Homer, p. 12. n Ibid. p. 14. p. 17. and Remarks on Homer, p. 91. on Homer, p. 12. Dennis's Remarks fhews how fit Mr. D. may be to tranflate Homer! A mifake in a fingle letter might fall on the Printer well enough, but xwe for ixwę must be the error of the Author: Nor had he art enough to correct it at the Prefs . Mr. Dryden writes for the Court Ladies.-He writes for the Ladies, and not for use ". The Tranflator puts in a little Burlesque now and then into Virgil, for a Ragout to his cheated Subscribers *. Mr. DRYDEN trick'd his Subscribers. I wonder that any man, who could not but be conscious of his own unfitnefs for it, fhould go to amuse the learned world with fuch an undertaking! A man ought to value his Reputation more than Money; and not to hope that thofe who can read for themfelves, will be impofed upon, merely by a partially and unfeasonably celebrated Name *. Poetis quidlibet audendi fhall be Mr. Dryden's Motto, thơ” it should extend to picking of Pockets Y. Names bestow'd on Mr. DRYDEN. An APE.] A crafty Ape drest up in a gaudy gownWhips put into an Ape's paw, to play pranks with None but Apifh and Papifh brats will heed him ". An Ass.] A Camel will take upon him no more burden than is fufficient for his ftrength, but there is another beast that crouches under all a A FROG.] Poet Squab endued with Poet Maro's Spirit! an ugly, croaking kind of Vermin, which would fwell to the bulk of an Ox b. A COWARD.] A Clinias or a Damœtas, or a man of Mr. Dryden's own Courage. A KNAVE.] Mr. Dryden has heard of Paul, the Knave of Jefus Chrift: And, if I mistake not, I've read fome. where of John Dryden, Servant to his Majefty d. A FOOL.] Had he not been fuch a felf-conceited Fool -Some great Poets are pofitive Blockheads f. A THING.] So little a Thing as Mr. Dryden 5. flated ten verfes together in any book of Homer with juftice to the Poet, and yet he dares reproach his fellowwriters with not understanding Greek 4. He has stuck fo little to his Original as to have his knowledge in Greek call'd in question. I should be glad to know which it is of all Homer's Excellencies which has fo delighted the Ladies, and the Gentlemen who judge like Ladies . But he has a notable talent at Burlesque; his genius flides fo naturally into it, that he hath burlefqued Homer without defigning it. Mr. POPE trick'd his Subfcribers. 'Tis indeed fomewhat bold, and almost prodigious, for a fingle man to undertake such a work: But 'tis too late to diiluade by demonftrating the madness of the Project. The Subscribers expectations have been rais'd in proportion to what their Pockets have been drain'd of Pope has-been concern'd in Jobs, and hired out his Name to Bookfellers W. Names bestowed on Mr. POPE.. An APE.] Let us take the initial letter of his Chriftian name, and the initial and final letters of his furname, viz. AP E, and they give you the fame idea of an Ape as his Face, &c. An Ass.] It is my duty to pull off the Lion's fkin from this little Afs . A FROG.] A fquab fhort Gentleman-a little creature, that, like the Frog in the Fable, fwells, and is angry that it is not allow'd to be as big as an Ox 4. A COWARD.] A lurking, way-laying coward". A KNAVE.] He is one whom God and nature have mark'd for want of common honesty. A FOOL.] Great Fools will be chriften'd by the names of great Poets, and Pope will be call'd Homer c A THING. A little abject Thing d. |
