Schools, courts, and fenates fhall my laws obey, She ceas'd: her owls refponfive clap the wing, REMARK S. which he pleases, two noble Men who lifted themselves with the Gentlemen of the Dunciad, but whether noble Writers may be judged by their works; a paper call'd An Epistle to a Doctor of Divinity from HamptonCourt, and another intitled Dunces out of State, both printed in 1733. [These 6 verses were added in the latter Editions.] V.256. A Nurfing mother.] Some understand this of Alma Mater, (who is faid in lib. 3. to be diffolved in Part) others of Mother Osborne. V. 258. As fings thy great fore-father, Ogilby.] See his Efop. Fab. where this excellent hemyftic is to be found. Our author manifefts here and elsewhere, a prodigious tenderness for the bad writers. We fee he felects the only good paffage perhaps in all that ever Ogylby writ; which fhows how candid and patient a reader he muft have been. What can be more kind and affectionate than these words in the preface to his Poems, 4to. 1717. where he labours to call up all our humanity and forgiveness toward these unlucky men, by the most moderate representation of their cafe that has ever been given by any author? "Much may be "faid to extenuate the fault of bad poets: What we "call a Genius is hard to be diftinguifh'd, by a man Loud thunder to its bottom fhook the bog, REMARK 8. "himself, from a prevalent inclination: And if it be never fo great, he can at firft difcover it no other 86 way than by that ftrong propenfity, which renders "him the more liable to be mistaken. He has no "other method but to make the experiment by wri ting, and fo appealing to the judgment of others: "And if he happens to write ill (which is certainly "no fin in itself) he is immediately made the object "of ridicule! I wish we had the humanity to reflect, that even the worst authors might endeavour to "please us, and in that endeavour, deserve something "at our hands. We have no caufe to quarrel with "them, but for their obftinacy in perfifting, and even "that may admit of alleviating circumstances: For "their particular friends may be either ignorant, or unfincere; and the reft of the world too well-bred "to fhock them with a truth which generally their “booksellers are the first that inform them of." But how much all indulgence is loft upon these people, may appear from the juft reflection made on their conftant conduct, and conftant fate, in the following Epigram. Ye little wits, that gleam'd a while, To compafs Phoebus car about, Each lends his cloud, to put him out Alas! thofe Skies are not your sphere; There, He fball ever burn: The End of the FIRST BOOK. THE THE DUNCIA D. ARGUMENT to Book the SECOND. The King being proclaimed, the folemnity is graced with publick games and sports of varions kinds; not inftituted by the Hero, as by Æneas in Virgil, but for greater honour by the Goddess in perfon (in like man ner as the games Pythia, Ifthmia, &c. were anciently faid to be by the Gods, and as Thetis herself appearing according to Homer Odyff. 24. proposed the prizes in bonour of her fon Achilles.) Hither flock the Poets and Criticks, attended, as is but juft, with their Patrons and Bookfellers. The Goddefs is first pleafed for ber disport to propose games to the Bookfellers, and fetteth up the phantom of a Poet which they contend to overtake. The Races defcribed, with their divers accidents: next, the Game for a Poetefs: then follow the exercises for the Poets, of tickling, vociferating, diving: the firft holds forth the arts and practices of Dedicators, the second of Difputants and fuftian poets, the third of profound, dark, and dirty authors. Lafly, for the Critics, the Goddefs propofes (with great propriety) an exercise not of their parts, but their patience; in bearing the works of two voluminous authors, one in verse and the other in profe, deliberately read, without fleeping: The various effects of which, with the feveral degrees and manners of their operation, are here fet forth: till the whole number, not of critics only, but of Spectators, actors, and all prefent fallfaft afleep, which naturally and necessarily ends the games. H IGH on a gorgeous feat, that far out-fhone REMAKRS on Book the SECOND. Two things there are, upon the fuppofition of which the very bafis of all Verbal criticifm is founded IMITATIONS. V. 1. High on a gorgeous feat.] Parody of Milton, lib. 2. High on a throne of royal ftate, that far |