evening of a Lord May.'s day, revolving the tong fucceffion of ber Sons, and the glories paft and to come. She fixes her eye on Bays to be the Inftrument of that great Event which is the Subject of the Poem. He is defcribed penfive among his Books, giving up the Caufe, and apprehending the Period of her Empire: After debating whether to betake himself to the Church, or to Gaming, or to Party-writing, he raifes an Altar of proper books, and (making firft his folemn prayer and declaration) purposes thereon to facrifice all bis unsuccessful writings. As the pile is kindled, the Goddess, beholding the flame from her feat, flies and puts it out by cafting upon it the poem of Thulé. She forthwith reveals herself to him, tranfports him to her Temple, unfolds her Arts, and initiates him into her Myfteries; then announcing the death of Eufden the Poet Laureate, anoints bim, carries him to Court, and proclaims him Succeffor. I fing. Say you, her Inftruments the Great! Call'd to this work by Dulness, Jove, and Fate; REMARK S. Letters, the Restorer of Shakespear, conftantly observes the preservation of this very Letter e, in fpelling the Name of his beloved Author, and not like his common carelefs Editors, with the omiffion of one, nay fometimes of two ee's, (as Shakspear) which is utterly unpardonable. "Nor is the neglect of a Single "Letter fo trivial as to fome it may appear; the alteration "whereof in a learned language is an Atchievement that brings "honour to the Critic who advances it; and Dr. Bentley will be "remembered to pofterity for his performances of this fort, as "long as the world fhall have any efteem for the remains of Me"nander and Philemon." THEOBALD. This is furely a flip in the learned author of the foregoing note; there having been fince produced by an accurate Antiquary, an Autograph of Shakspeare himself, whereby it appears that he fpelled his own name without the first e. And upon this authority it was, that thofe moft Critical Curators of his Monument in Westminster Abby erased the former wrong reading, and reftored the true fpelling on a new piece of old Ægyptian Granite. Nor for this only do they deferve our thanks, but for exhibiting on the fame Monument the first Specimen of an Edition of an author in Marble; where (as may be seen on comparing the Tomb with the Book) in the space of five lines, two Words, and a whole Verse are changed, and it is to be hoped will there ftand, and outlaft whatever hath been hitherto done in Paper; as for the future, our learned Sifter University (the other Eye of England) is taking care to perpetuate a Total new Shakespear, at the Clarendon prefs. BENTL. It is to be noted, that this great Critic alfo has omitted one circumftance; which is, that the Inscription with the Name of Shakspeare was intended to be placed on the Marble Scroll to which he points with his hand; inftead of which it is now placed behind his back, and that Specimen of an Edition is put on the Scroll, which indeed Shakspeare hath great reason to point at. ANON You by whofe care, in vain decry'd and curst, Still Dunce the second reigns like Dunce the first; REMARKS 5 Though I have as just a value for the letter E, as any Grammarian living, and the same affection for the Name of this Poem as any Critic for that of his Author; yet cannot it induce me to agree with those who would add yet another e to it, and call it the Dunceiade; which being a French and foreign termination, is no way proper to a word entirely English. and vernacular. One e therefore in this cafe is right, and two e's wrong. Yet upon the whole I shall follow the Manuscript, and print it without any e at all; moved thereto by Authority (at all times, with Critics, equal, if not superior to Reason.) In which method of proceeding, I can never enough praise my good friend, the exact Mr. Tho. Hearne; who, if any word occur, which to him and all mankind is evidently wrong, yet keeps he it in the Text with due reverence, and only remarks in the Margin fic MS. In like manner we shall not amend this error in the Title itself, but only note it obiter, to evince to the learned that it was not our fault, nor any effect of our ignorance or inattention. SCRIBL. This Poem was written in the year 1726. In the next year an imperfect Edition was published at Dublin, and reprinted at London in twelves; another at Dublin, and another at London in Octavo; and three others in twelves the fame year. But there was a perfect Edition before that of London in quarto; which was intended with Notes. We are willing to acquaint Pofterity, that this Poem was prefented to King George the second and his Queen by the hands of Sir Robert Walpole, on the 12th of March, 1728-9. SCHOL. VIT. IMITATIONS. VER. 6. Alluding to a verfe of Mr. Dryden, not in Mac Fleckno (as is faid ignorantly in the Key to the Dunciad, p. x.) but in his verses to Mr. Congreve, And Tom the fecond reigns like Tom the first. |