"have scarce any thing truly and naturally written ¢ upon love *." He also, in taxing Sir Richard Blackmore for his heterodox opinions of Homer, challenges him to answer what Mr. Pope hath said in his Preface to that poet. MR. OLDMIXON calls him a great master of our tongue; declares "The "purity and perfection of the English language to "be found in his Homer; and, saying there are more "good verses in Dryden's Virgil than in any other "work, except this of our Author only †." The Author of a Letter to MR. CIBBER says, "Pope was so good a versifier [once] that "his predecessor Mr. Diyden, and his contempo66 rary Mr. Prior excepted, the harmony of his "numbers is equal to any body's; and that he had "all the merit that a man can have that way." And MR. THOMAS COOKE, after much blemishing our Author's Homer, crieth out, But in his other works what beauties shine, These he admir'd, on these he stamp'd his praise, So also one who takes the name of H. STANHOPE, the maker of certain verses to Duncan Campbell, in * Commentary on the Duke of Buckingham's Essay, 8vo. 1721, p. 97, 98. + In his prose Essay on Criticism. Printed by J. Roberts, 1742, p. 11. that poem*, which is wholly a satire on Mr. Pope, confesseth, Tis true, if finest notes alone could show (Tun'd justly high, or regularly low, "That we should fame to these mere vocals give; "Pope more than we can offer should receive: "For when some gliding river is his theme, "His lines run smoother than the smoothest stream," &c. MIST'S JOURNAL, June 8, 1728. Although he says, "The smooth numbers of the "Dunciad are all that recommend it, nor has it any "other merit;" yet that same paper hath these words: "The Author is allowed to be a perfect master of 66 an easy and elegant versification. In all his works we find the most happy turns, and natural similies, "wonderfully short, and thick sown." 66 The Essay on the Dunciad also owns, p. 25, it is very full of beautiful images. But the panegyric, which crowns all that can be said on this Poem is bestowed by our Laureat, MR. COLLEY CIBBER, who "grants it to be a better Poem of its kind than 66 ever was writ:" but adds, "it was a victory over 66 a parcel of poor wretches, whom it was almost "cowardice to conquer. A man might as well "triumph for having killed so many silly flies that "offended him. Could he have let them alone, by "this time, poor souls! they had all been buried *Printed under the title of The Progress of Dulness, duodecimo, 1728. in oblivion *." Here we see our excellent Laureat allows the justice of the satire on every man in it but himself, as the great Mr. Dennis did before him. The said MR. DENNIS and MR. GILDON, in the most furious of all their works, (the forecited Character, p. 5.) do in concert † confess, "That some "men of good understanding value him for his rhymes.” And (p. 17.) "That he has got, like Mr. Bayes, in the "Rehearsal, (that is, like Mr. Dryden) a notable "knack at rhyming, and writing smooth verse." *C.bber's Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9, 21. In concert. Hear how Mr. Dennis hath proved our mistake in this place: "As to my writing in concert with "Mr. Gildon, declare upon the honour and word of a 66 gentleman, that I never wrote so much as one line in "concert with any one man whatsoever. And these two "letters from Gildon will plainly shew that we are not "writers in concert with each other. Sir, -The height of my ambition is to please men "of the best judgment; and finding that I have enter"tained my master agreeably, I have the extent of the "reward of my labour." Sir, "I had not the opportunity of hearing of your excellent "Pamphlet till this day. I am infinitely satisfied and "pleased with it, and hope you will meet with that "encouragement your admirable performance de"serves," &c. Ch. Gilden." "Now is it not plain that any one who send such com "pliments to another, has not been used to write in part "nership with him to whom he sends them ?" Dennis, Remarks on the Dunciad, p. 50. Mr. Dennis is therefore welcome to take this piece to himself. Of his Essay on man numerous were the praises bestowed by his avowed enemies, in the imagination that the same was not written by him, as it was printed anonymously. Thus sang of it even BEZALEEL MORRIS. Auspicious Bard! while all admire thy strain, "Thy muse sublime, significant, and clear, And MR. LEONARD WELSTED thus wrote to the unknown Author, on the first publication of the said essay; "I must own, after "the reception which the vilest and most immoral "ribaldry hath lately met with, I was surprised to see what I had long despaired, a performance de"serving the name of a Poet, Such, Sir, is your "work. It is, indeed, above all commendation, and "ought to have been published in an age and coun66 try more worthy of it. If my testimony be of weight any where, you are sure to have it in the 66 amplest manner," &c. &c. &c. 66 Thus we see every one of his works hath been extolled by one or other of his most inveterate enemies; and to the success of them all they do unanimously give testimony. But it is sufficient, in * In a letter under his own hand, March 12, 1733. ་་ star omnium, to behold the great critic, Mr. Dennis, sorely lamenting it, even from the Essay on Criticism to this day of the Dunciad! "A most notorious "instance (quoth he) of the depravity of genius "and taste, the approbation this Essay meets with*. "I can safely affirm, that I never attacked any of "these writings, unless they had success infinitely "beyond their merit. This, though an empty, has "been a popular scribbler. The epidemic madness of "the times has given him reputation +.---If, after "the cruel treatment, so many extraordinary men (Spenser, Lord Bacon, Ben Jonson, Milton, "Butler, Otway, and others) have received from "this country for these last hundred years, I should "shift the scene, and shew all that penury changed "at once to riot and profuseness, and more squan"dered away upon one object than would have sa"tisfied the greater part of those extraordinary men; "the reader, to whom this one creature should be "unknown, would fancy him a prodigy of Art and "Nature; would believe that all the great qualities "of these persons were centered in him alone.---But if I should venture to assure him that the people of England had made such a choice---the reader "would either believe me a malicious enemy and "slanderer, or that the reign of the last (Queen Dennis, Preface to his Reflections on the Essay on Criticism. Preface to his Remarks on Homer. |