for this our diligence, could never at the distance of a few months appear to the eye of the most curious. Hereby thou may'ft not only receive the delectation of Variety, but also arrive at a more certain judgment, by a grave and circumfpect comparison of the Witneffes with each other, or of each with himself. Hence alfo thou wilt be enabled to draw reflections, not only of a critical, but a moral nature, by being let into many particulars of the Person as well as Genius, and of the Fortune as well as Merit, of our Author: in which if I relate fome things of little concern paradventure to thee, and fome of as little even to him; I entreat thee to confider how minutely all true critics and commentators are wont to infift upon fuch, and how material they feem to themfelves, if to none other. Forgive me, gentle reader, if (following learned example) I ever and anon become tedious: allow me to take the fame pains to find whether my author were good or bad, well or ill-natured, modeft or arrogant; as another, whether his author was fair or brown, short or tall, or whether he wore a coat or a caffock. We proposed to begin with his Life, Parentage, and Education: But as to thefe, even his cotemporaries do exceedingly differ. One faith, he was educated at home; another, that he was bred at Giles Jacob's Lives of Poets, vol. ii. in his Life. St. Omer's by Jesuits; a third, not at St. Omer's, but at Oxford; a fourth, that he had no University education at all. Thofe who allow him to be bred at home, differ as much concerning his Tutor: One faith, he was kept by his father on purpose; a fecond, that he was an itinerant prieft; a third, that he was a parfon; one calleth him a fecular clergyman of the Church of Rome; another, a monk. As little do they agree about his Father, whom one * fuppofeth, like the Father of Hefiod, a tradefman or merchant; another', a husbandman; another", a hatter, &c. Nor has an author been wanting to give our Poet fuch a father as Apuleius hath to Plato, Jamblichus to Pythagoras, and divers to Homer, namely a Dæmon: For thus Mr. Gildon": "Certain it is, that his original is not from "Adam, but the Devil; and that he wanteth nothing "but horns and tail to be the exact resemblance k c Dunciad diffected, p. 4. Lives, &c. vol. ii. and his fon. P. 45. Guardian, N° 40. Dunciad diffected, p. 4. * Jacob's Farmer P. h Dunciad diffected. i Characters of the times, * Female Dunciad, p. ult. 1 Dunciad Diffected, Roome, Paraphrafe on the ivth of Genefis, printed 1729. * Character of Mr. P. and his Writings, in a Letter to a Friend, printed for S. Popping, 1716. p. 10. Curl, in his Key to the Dunciad (firft edit. faid to be printed for A. Dodd) in the roth page, declared Gildon to be author of that libel; though in the fubfequent editions of his Key he left out this affertion, and affirmed (in the Curliad, p. 4. and 8.) that it was written by Dennis only. "of his infernal Father." Finding, therefore, fuch contrariety of opinions, and (whatever be ours of this fort of generation) not being fond to enter into controverfy, we fhall defer writing the life of our Poet, 'till authors can determine among themfelves what Parents or Education he had, or whether he had any Education or Parents at all. Proceed we to what is more certain, his Works, tho' not lefs uncertain the judgments concerning them; beginning with his ESSAY on CRITICISM, of which hear firft the most antient of Critics, Mr. JOHN DENNIS. "His precepts are false or trivial, or both; his thoughts are crude and abortive, his expreffions "abfurd, his numbers harsh and unmufical, his rhymes trivial and common-instead of majesty, 66 we have fomething that is very mean; instead of "gravity, fomething that is very boyish; and instead "of perfpicuity and lucid order, we have but too "often obfcurity and confufion." And in another place: "What rare numbers are here! Would not one fwear that this youngster had efpoufed fome antiquated Mufe, who had fued out a divorce from fome fuperannuated finner, upon account of "impotence, and who, being poxed by her former fpouse, has got the gout in her decrepid age, "which makes her hobble fa damnably。.” • Reflections critical and fatyrical on a Rhapfody, called, Effay on Criticism. Printed for Bernard Lintot, octavo. No lefs peremptory is the cenfure of our hyper critical Hiftorian Mr. OLDM 1 XON. "I dare not fay any thing of the Effay on Criti "cism in verse; but if any more curious reader has "difcovered in it fomething new which is not in "Dryden's prefaces, dedications, and his essay on <dramatic poetry, not to mention the French critics, I should be very glad to have the benefit of the difcovery P. He is followed (as in fame, fo in judgment) by the modeft and fimple-minded Mr. LEONARD WELSTED. Who, out of great refpect to our poet not naming him, doth yet glance at his Effay, together with the Duke of Buckingham's, and the Criticifms of Dryden, and of Horace, which he more openly taxeth : 16. As to the numerous treatises, effays, arts, "&c. both in verfe and profe, that have been "written by the moderns on this ground-work, they do but hackney the fame thoughts over again, making. "them still more trite. Most of their pieces are "nothing but a pert, infipid heap of common place. "Horace has even in his Art of Poetry thrown "out feveral things which plainly fhew, he thought P Effay on Criticism in profe, octavo, 1728. by the author of the Critical Hiftory of England. 4 Preface to his Poems, p. 18, 53 66 an Art of Poetry was of no ufe, even while he was writing one." To all which great authorities, we can only oppose that of 56 Mr. ADDISON. "The Art of Criticism (faith he) which was published fome months fince, is a mafter-piece in "its kind. The obfervations follow one another, "like thofe in Horace's Art of Poetry, without "that methodical regularity which would have been requifite in a profe writer. They are fome of "them uncommon, but fuch as the reader must affent "to, when he sees them explain'd with that ease "and perfpicuity in which they are delivered. As 66 for those which are the most known and the "moft receiv'd, they are placed in fo beautiful a light, and illuftrated with fuch apt allufions, that 66 66 they have in them all the graces of novelty; and "make the reader, who was before aquainted with "them, ftill more convinced of their truth and foli 66 dity. And here give me leave to mention what "Monfieur Boileau has fo well enlarged upon in the "preface to his works: That wit and fine writing doth not confist so much in advancing things that are new, as in giving things that are known an "agreeable turn. It is impoffible for us who live * Spectator, N° 253. |