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remarkable promife, that "any thing which any body "should fend as Mr. Pope's or Dr. Swift's, should "be inferted and published as theirs."

Pope Alexander's fupremacy and infallibility examined, &c. By George Ducket, and John Dennis, quarto.

Dean Jonathan's Paraphrafe on the ivth chapter of Genefis. Writ by E. Roome, folio, 1729.

Labeo. A paper of verfes by Leonard Welfted, which after came into One Epiftle, and was published by James Moore, quarto, 1730. Another part of it came out in Welfted's own name, under the just title of Dulnefs and Scandal, folio, 1731.

There have been fince published,

Verfes on the Imitator of Horace. By a Lady [or between a Lady, a Lord, and a Court-'fquire.] Printed for J. Roberts, folio.

An Epiftle from a Nobleman to a Doctor of Divinity, from Hampton-court [Lord H

Printed for J. Roberts also, folio.

-y.]

A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope. Printed

for W. Lewis in Covent-garden, octavo.

III.

ADVERTISEMENT

To the FIRST EDITION with Notes, in Quarto, 1729.

T will be fufficient to fay of this edition, that

complete copy of the DUNCIAD, than has hitherto appeared. I cannot answer but some mistakes may have flipt into it, but a vast number of others will be prevented by the names being now not only fet at length, but juftified by the authorities and reasons given. I make no doubt, the author's own motive to use real rather than feigned names, was his care to preserve the innocent from any false application; whereas in the former editions, which had no more than the initial letters, he was made, by keys printed here, to hurt the inoffenfive; and (what was worse) to abuse his friends, by an impreffion at Dublin,

The commentary which attends this poem was fent me from feveral hands, and confequently must be unequally written; yet will have one advantage over most commentaries, that it is not made upon conjectures, or at a remote distance of time: And the reader cannot but derive one pleasure from the very Obfcurity of the persons it treats of, that it parVOL. VI.

G

takes of the nature of a Secret, which most people love to be let into, tho' the men or the things be ever fo inconfiderable or trivial.

Of the Perfons it was judged proper to give fome account: for fince it is only in this monument that they must expect to furvive (and here furvive they will, as long as the English tongue shall remain fuch as it was in the reigns of Queen ANNE and King GEORGE,) it seemed but humanity to bestow a word or two upon each, juft to tell what he was, what he writ, when he lived, and when he died.

If a word or two more are added upon the chief offenders, 'tis only as a paper pinned upon the breaft, to mark the enormities for which they suffered; left the correction only fhould be remembered, and the crime forgotten.

In fome articles it was thought fufficient, barely to tranfcribe from Jacob, Curl, and other writers of their own rank, who were much better acquainted with them than any of the authors of this comment can pretend to be. Most of them had drawn each other's characters on certain occafions; but the few here inferted are all that could be faved from the general deftruction of fuch works.

Of the part of Scriblerus I need fay nothing; his manner is well enough known, and approved by all but those who are too much concerned to be judges.

The imitations of the Ancients are added, to

have

gratify thofe who either never read, or may forgotten them; together with fome of the Parodies and allufions to the most excellent of the Moderns. If, from the frequency of the former, any man think the poem too much a Cento, our poet will but appear to have done the fame thing in jeft which Boileau did in earneft; and upon which Vida, Fracaftorius, and many of the most eminent Latin poets, profeffedly valued themfelves.

IV.

ADVERTISEMENT

To the FIRST EDITION of

The FOURTH Book of the DUNCIAD, when printed separately in the Year 1742.

WE

E apprehend it can be deemed no injury to the author of the three firft books of the Dunciad, that we publish the Fourth. It was found merely by accident, in taking a furvey of the Library of a late eminent nobleman; but in fo blotted a condition, and in so many detached pieces, as plainly fhewed it to be not only incorrect, but unfinished. That the author of the three first books had a defign

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to extend and complete his poem in this manner, appears from the differtation prefixed to it, where it is faid, that the defign is more extensive, and that we may expect other episodes to complete it: And from the declaration in the argument to the third book, that the accomplishment of the prophefies therein would be the theme bereafter of a greater Dunciad. But whether or no he be the author of this, we declare ourselves ignorant. If he be, we are no more to be blamed for the publication of it, than Tucca and Varius for that of the laft fix books of the Æneid, tho' perhaps inferior to the former.

If any perfon be poffeffed of a more perfect copy of this work, or of any other fragments of it, and will communicate them to the publisher, we shall make the next edition more complete: In which we also promise to infert any Criticisms that fhall be publifhed (if at all to the purpose) with the Names of the Authors; or any letters fent us (tho' not to the purpofe) fhall yet be printed under the title of Epistola Obfcurorum Virorum; which, together with fome others of the fame kind formerly laid by for that end, may make no unpleasant addition to the future impreffions of this poem.

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