Beneath her foot-ftool, Science groans in Chains, And Wit dreads Exile, Penalties and Pains. There foam'd rebellious Logic, gagg'd and bound; There, ftript, fair Rhet'ric languish'd on the ground; His blunted Arms by Sophiftry are born, And fhameless Billing/gate her Robes adorn. Morality, by her falfe Guardians drawn, Chicane in Furs, and Cafuifiry in Lawn, REMARKS. 25 Now if it be certain, that the works of our Poet have owed their fuccefs to this ingenious expedient, we hence derive an unanfwerable Argument, that this Fourth DUNCIAD, as well as the former three, hath had the Author's laft hand, and was by him intended for the Prefs: Or elfe to what purpose hath he crown'd it, as we fee, by this finishing stroke, the profitable Lick at the Laureate? BENT. VER. 21, 22, Beneath her foot-flool, etc.] We are next prefented with the pictures of thofe whom the Goddess leads in Captivity. Science is only depreffed and confined fo as to be rendered useless; but Wit or Genius, as a more dangerous and active enemy, punished, or driven away: Dulness being often reconciled in fome degree with Learning, but never upon any terms with Wit. And accordingly it will be feen that she admits fomething like each Science, as Cafuiftry, Sophistry, etc. but nothing like Wit, Opera alone fupplying its place. P.W. VER. 27. by her falfe Guardians drawn,] Morality is the Daughter of Aftræa. This alludes to the Mythology of the ancient Poets; who tell us that in the Gold and Silver ages, or in the State of Nature, the Go's cohabited with men here on Earth; but when by reafon of human degeneracy men were forced to have recourse to a Magiftrate, and that the Ages of Brafs and Iron came on; (that is, when Laws were wrote on brazen tablets inforced by the Sword of Justice) the Celestials foon retired from Earth, and Aftræa laft of all; and then it Gafps, as they ftraitén at each end the cord, And dies, when Dulness gives her Page the word. Too mad for meer material chains to bind, REMARKS. 29 35 was she left this her Orphan Daughter in the hands of the Guardian aforefaid. SCRIBL. VER. 30. gives her Page the word] There was a Judge of this name, always ready to hang any man that came before him, of which he was fuffered to give a hundred miserable examples during a long life, even to his dotage.--Tho' the can. did Scriblerus imagined Page here to mean no more than a Page or Mute, and to allude to the custom of ftrangling State Criminals in Turkey by Mutes or Pages, A practice more decent than that of our Page, who, before he hanged any one, loaded him with reproachful language. SCRIBL. VER. 31. Mad Máthesis] Alluding to the strange Conclufions fome Mathematicians have deduced from their principles, concerning the real Quantity of Matter, the Reality of Space, etc. VER. 33. pure Space] i e. pure and defecated from Matter -extatic Stare, the action of men who look about with full affurance of feeing what does not exift, fuch as those who expect to find Space a real being. VER. 34. running round the Circle, finds it fquare.] Regards, the wild and fruitlefs attempts of fquaring the Circle. VER. 36. Watch'd both by Envy's and by Flatt'ry's eye] One of the misfortunes falling on Authors, from the A for fubjecting Plays to the power of a Licenfer, being the falle reprefentations to which they were expos'd, from fuch as either gratify'd their Envy to Merit, or made their Court to There to her heart fad Tragedy addreft The dagger wont to pierce the Tyrant's breaft; And promis'd Vengeance on a barb'rous age. 40 There funk Thalia, nervelefs, cold, and dead, Had not her Sifter Satire held her head: Nor could't thou, CHESTERFIELD! a tear refuse, Thou wept'ft, and with thee wept each gentle Mufe. REMARKS. Greatnefs, by perverting general Reflections against Vice into Libels on particular Persons. VER. 39. But fober Hiftory] History attends on Tragedy, Satire on Comedy, as their substitutes in the discharge of their distinct functions; the one in high life, recording the crimes and punishments of the great; the other in low, expofing the vices or follies of the common people. But it may be asked, How came Hiftory and Satire to be admitted with impunity to minifter comfort to the Mufes, even in the presence of the Goddess, and in the midst of all her triumphs? A question, fays Scriblerus, which we thus refolve: Hiflory was brought up in her infancy by Dulnefs herfelf; but being afterwards espoused into a noble house, she forgot (as is usual) the humility of her birth, and the cares of her early friends. This occafioned a long estrangement between her and Dulness. At length, in process of time, they met together, in a Monk's Cell, were reconciled, and became better friends than ever. After this they had a second quarrel, but it held not long, and are now again on reasonable terms, and fo are like to continue. This accounts for the connivance fhewn to History on this occafion. But the boldness of SATIRE fprings from a very different caufe; for the reader ought to know, that she alone of all the fifters is unconquerable, never to be filenced, when truly infpired and animated (as thould feem) from above, for this very purpose, to oppose the kingdom of Dulness to her last breath, VER. 43. Nor could thou, etc.] This Noble Perfon in the When lo! a Harlot form foft fliding by, With mincing ftep, small voice, and languid eye': 45 She tripp'd and laugh'd, too pretty much to stand: Cara! Cara! filence all that train: REMARK $. 51 year 1737.when the A&t aforefaid was brought into the Houfe of Lords oppofed it in an excellent speech (fays Mr. Cibber) "with a lively fpirit, and uncommon eloquence." This fpeech had the honour to be answered by the said Mr. Cibber, with a fively fpirit alfo, and in a manner very uncommon, in the 8th Chapter of his Life and Manners. And here, gentle Reader, would I gladly infert the other speech, whereby thou mighteft judge between them: but I must defer it on account of fome differences not yet adjusted betwen the noble Author, and myself, concerning the True Reading of certain paffages. BENT. Ver. 45. When lo! a Harlot form] The Attitude given to this Phantom represents the nature and genius of the Italian Opera; its affected airs, its effeminate sounds, and the practice of patching up thefe Operas with favourite Songs, incoherently put together. Thefe things were fupported by the fubfcriptions of the Nobility. This circumstance that OPERA fhould prepare for the opening of the grand Seffions, was prophesied of in Book iii. ver. 304. Already Opera prepares the way, The fure fore-runner of her gentle fway. IMITATION S. VER. 54. Joy to great Chaos !] Foy to great Cæfar-The beginning of a famous old Song, Chromatic tortures foon fhall drive them hence, 55 REMARKS. 60 VER. 54. let Division reign:] Alluding to the falfe tafte of playing tricks in Music with numberless divisions, to the neglect of that harmony which conforms to the Sense and applies to the Paffions. Mr. Handel had introduced a great number of Hands, and more variety of Inftruments into the Orchestra, and employed even Drums and Cannon to make a fuller Chorus; which prov'd so much too manly for the fine Gentlemen of his age, that he was obliged to remove his Mufic into Ireland. After which they were reduced, for want of Compofers, to practise the patch-work above-mentioned. VER. 55. Chromatic tortures] That fpecies of the antient mufic called the Chromatic was a variation and embellishment, in odd irregularities, of the Diatonic kind. They say it was invented about the time of Alexander, and that the Spartans forbad the use of it, as languid and effeminate. VER. 58. Wake the dull Church, and lull the ranting Stage; ] i. e. Diffipate the devotion of the one by light and wanton airs; and fubdue the Pathos of the other by recitative and ing fong. VER. 59. Thy own Phoebus reigns,] Tuus jam regnat Apollo. Virg. Not the ancient Phoebus, the God of Harmony, but a modern |