MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS OF THE POEM. T HIS Poem, as it celebrateth the most grave and antient of things, Chaos, Night and Dulnefs, fo is it of the moft grave and antient kind. Homer (faith Ariftotle) was the first who gave the Form, and (faith Horace) who adapted the Measure, to heroic poefy. But even before this, may be rationally prefumed from what the antients have left written, was a piece by Homer compofed, of like nature and matter with this of our Poet. For of Epic fort it appeareth to have been, yet of matter furely not unpleasant, witness what is reported of it by the learned Archbishop Euftathius, in Odyff. K. And accordingly Ariftotle in his poetic, chap. 4. doth further fet forth, that as the Iliad and Odyffey gave example to Tragedy, fo did this poem to Comedy its first Idæa. From these authors also it fhou'd feem, that the Hero or chief perfonage of it was no lefs obfcure, and his understanding and fentiments no lefs quaint and ftrange (if indeed not more fo) than any of the actors in our poem. MARGITES was the name of this perfonage, whom whom Antiquity recordeth to have been Dunce the First; and furely from what we hear of him, not unworthy to be the root of fo fpreading a tree, and fo numerous a pofterity. The poem therefore celebrating him, was properly and abfolutely a Dunciad; which tho' now unhappily loft, yet is its nature fufficiently known by the infallible tokens aforefaid. And thus it doth appear, that the firft Dunciad was the first Epic poem, written by Homer himself, and anterior` even to the Iliad or Odyssey. Now forafmuch as our Poet had translated those two famous works of Homer which are yet left; he did conceive it in fome fort his duty to imitate that also which was loft: And was therefore induced to beftow on it the fame Form which Homer's is reported to have had, namely that of Epic poem, with title alfo framed after the antient Greek manner, to wit, that of Dunciad. Wonderful it is, that fo few of the moderns have been ftimulated to attempt fome Dunciad! Since in the opinion of the multitude, it might coft lefs pain and oil, than an imitation of the greater Epic. But poffible it is also that on due reflection, the maker might find it easier to paint a Charlemagne, a Brute or a Godfry, with juft pomp and dignity heroic, than a Mar gites, a Codrus, a Flecknoe, or a Tibbald. We fhall next declare the occafion and the caufe which moved our Poet to this particular work. He lived in those days, when (after providence had permitted the Invention of Printing as a fcourge for the Sins of the learned) Paper alfo became fo cheap, and printers fo numerous, that a deluge of authors cover'd the land: Whereby not only the peace of the honest unwriting fubject was daily molefted, but unmerciful demands were made of his applaufe, yea of his money, by fuch as would neither earn the one, or deferve the other: At the fame time, the Liberty of the Prefs was fo unlimited, that it grew dangerous to refuse them either; For they would forthwith publifh flan ders unpunish'd, the authors being anonymous; nay the immediate publifhers thereof lay feulking under the the wings of an Act of Parliament, affuredly intended for better purposes. a. Now our author living in those times, did conceive it an endeavour well worthy an honeft fatyrift, to diffuade the dull, and punish the malicious, the only way that was left. In that public-fpirited view he laid the plan of this Poem, as the greatest service he was capable (without much hurt or being flain) to render his dear country. Firft, taking things from their original, he confidereth the Caufes creative of fuch authors, namely Dulness and Poverty; the one born with them, the other contracted, by neglect of their proper talent thro' felf-conceit of great abilities. This truth he wrappeth in an Allegory, b. (as the conftruction of Epic poefy requires) and feigns, that one of thefe Goddeffes had taken up her abcde with the other, and that they jointly infpir'd all fuch writers and fuch works. c. He proceedeth to fhew the qualities they beftow on these authors, and the effects they produce d. Then the materials or stock with which they furnish them, e. and (above all) that felf-opinion f. which caufeth it to feem to themselves vaftly greater than it is, and is the prime motive of their fetting up in this fad and forry merchandize. The great power of these Goddeffes acting in alliance (whereof as the one is the mother of Industry, fo is the other of Plodding) was to be exemplify'd in fome one, great and remarkable action. g. And none cou'd be more fo than that which our poet hath chosen, the introduction of the lowest diverfions of the rabble in Smithfield to be the entertainment of the court and town; or in other words, the Action of the Dunciad is the b. Removal of the Imperial feat of Dulness from the City to the polite world, as that of the Æneid is the Removal of the Empire of Troy to Latium. But as Homer fing a. Vid. Bofu, du poeme Epique, ch. 8. b. Ibid. ch. 7. c. Book 1. Verfe 32, &c. d. Verfe 45 to 52. 8. Verfe 57 to 75. f. Verfe 80. g. Bou, ch. 7, 8. b, Verje 1, 2. ing only the Wrath of Achilles, yet includes in his poem the whole hiftory of the Trojan war, in like manner our author hath drawn into this fingle action the whole history of Dulness and her children. To this end fhe is reprefented at the very i. Opening of the poem, taking a view of her forces, which are diitinguifh'd into these three kinds, Party writers, dull Poets, and wild Criticks. A Perfon muft next be fix'd upon to fupport this Action, who (to agree with the faid defign) must be fnch an one as is capable of being all three. This Phantom in the poet's mind, must have a Name: k. He feeks for one who hath been concerned in the Journals, written bad Plays or Poems, and publifh'd low Criticisms: He finds his name to be Tibbald, and he becomes of courfe the hero of the poem. The Fable being thus according to beft example one and entire, as contain'd in the propofition; the Machinery is a continued chain of Allegories, fetting forth the whole power, miniftry, and empire of Dulnefs, extended thro' her fubordinate inftruments, in all her various operations. This is branched into Epifodes, each of which hath its Moral apart, tho' all conducive to the main end. The crowd affembled in the fecond book demonftrates the defign to be more extenfive than to bad Poets only, and that we may expect other Episodes, of the Patrons, Encouragers, or Paymasters of fuch authors, as occafion fhall bring them forth: And the third book, if well confider'd, feemeth to embrace the whole world. Each of the Games relateth to fome or other vile class of writers: The first concerneth the Plagiary, to whom he giveth the name of More; the fecond the libellous Novellift, whom he ftyleth Eliza; the third the flattering Dedicator, the fourth the bawling Critick or noify Poet, the fifth the dark and dirty Party-writer, and fo of the reft; affigning to each fome proper name or other, fuch as he cou'd find. i. Verfe 95 to 104, k. Bofu, ch. 8. Vide Ari fot. Poetic. c. 9. As for the Characters, the publick hath already acknowledged how juftly they are drawn: The manners are fo depicted, and the fentiments so peculiar to those to whom applied, that furely to transfer them to any other, or wifer, perfonages, wou'd be exceeding difficult: And certain it is, that every perfon concerned, being confulted apart, will readily own the refemblance of every portrait, his own excepted. The Defcriptions are fingular; the Comparisons very quaint; the Narration various, yet of one colour. The purity and chastity of Diction is fo preferved, that in the places moft fufpicious, not the words but only the images have been cenfured, and yet are those images no other than have been fanctified by antient and claffical authority (tho' as was the manner of those good times, not fo curiously wrapped up) yea and commented upon by most grave doctors, and approved criticks. As it beareth the name of Epic, it is thereby fubjected to fuch fevere indispensable rules as are laid on all Neotericks, a strict imitation of the Antient; infomuch that any deviation, accompanied with whatever poetic beauties, hath always been cenfured by the found critick. How exact that Imitation hath been in this piece, appeareth not only by its general structure, but by particular allufions infinite, many whereof have escaped both the commentator and poet himfelf; yea divers by his exceeding diligence are fo alter'd and interwoven with the reft, that feveral have already been and more will be, by the ignorant abufed, as altogether and originally his own. In a word, the whole poem proveth itself to be the work of our Author when his faculties were in full vigour and perfection: at that exact time when years have ripened the judgment, without diminishing the imagination; which by good criticks is held to be punctually at forty. For, at that feafon it was that Virgil finished his Georgics; and Sir Richard Blackmore at the like age compofing his Arthurs, declared the fame to be the very Acme and pitch of life G2 for |