it was complained of, and reprefented as a great injury to the public. The loftieft heroics, the loweft ballads, treatises against the state or church, fatires on lords and ladies, raillery on wits and authors, fquabbles with bookfellers, or even full and true accounts of monsters, poifons, and murders; of any hereof was there nothing fo good, nothing fo bad, which hath not at one or other feafon been to him afcribed. If it bore no author's name, then lay he concealed; if he did, he fathered it upon that author to be yet better concealed: If it refembled any of his ftyles, then was it evident; if it did not, then disguifed he it on fet purpose. Yea, even direct oppofitions in religion, principles, and politics, have equally been supposed in him inherent. Surely a moft rare and fingular character! Of which let the reader make what he can.

Doubtless moft Commentators would hence take occafion to turn all to their Author's advantage, and from the teftimony of his very Enemies would affirm, That his Capacity was boundlefs, as well as his Imagination; that he was a perfect master of all Styles; and all Arguments; and that there was in thofe times no other Writer, in any kind, of any degree of excellence,

The London and Mift's Journals, on his undertaking the Odysey.

fave he himself. But as this is not our own fentiment, we shall determine on nothing; but leave thee, gentle reader, to fteer thy judgment equally between various opinions, and to chufe whether thou wilt incline to the Teftimonies of Authors avowed, or of Authors concealed; of thofe who knew him, or of those who knew him not.

P.

MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS,

T

of the POEM.

HIS poem, as it celebrateth the most grave and ancient of things, Chaos, Night, and Dulness; fo is it of the most grave and ancient kind. Homer (faith Ariftotle) was the firft who gave the Form, and (faith Horace) who adapted the Measure, to heroic poefy. But even before this, may be rationally prefumed from what the Ancients have left written, was a piece by Homer compofed, of like nature and matter with this of our Poet. For of Epic fort it appeareth to have been, yet of matter furely not unpleasant, witness what is reported of it by the learned archbishop Euftathius, in Odyff. x. And accordingly Ariftotle, in his poetic, chap. iv. doth further fet forth, that as the Iliad and Odyffey gave example to Tragedy, fo did this poem to Comedy its firft idea.

From these authors also it should feem, that the Hero, or chief perfonage of it was no lefs obfcure, and his understanding and fentiments no lefs quaint

and ftrange (if indeed not more so) than any of the actors of our poem. MARGITES was the name of this perfonage, whom Antiquity 'recordeth to have been Dunce the firft; and furely from what we hear of him, not unworthy to be the root of fo fpreading a tree, and so numerous, a pofterity. The po em therefore celebrating him was properly and ab. folutely a Dunciad; which though now unhappily loft, yet is its nature fufficiently known by the infallible tokens aforefaid. And thus it doth appear, that the firft Dunciad was the first Epic poem, writ ten by Homer himself, and anterior even to the Iliad or Odyffey. 1

Now, forafmuch as our poet hath translated thofe two famous works of Homer which are yet left, he did conceive it in fome fort his duty to imitate that alfo which was loft: and was therefore induced to bestow on it the fame form which Homer's is reported to have had, namely that of Epic poem; with a title alfo framed after the ancient Greek manner, to wit, that of Dunciad.

Wonderful it is, that so few of the moderns have been ftimulated to attempt fome Dunciad! fince in the opinion of the multitude, it might coft lefs pain and oil than an imitation of the greater Epic. Buit poffible it is also, that, on due reflection, the maker might find it easier to paint a Charlemagne, a Brute, or a Godfrey, with just pomp

and dignity heroic, than a Margites, a Codrus, or a Fleckno.

We shall next declare the occafion and the cause which moved our poet to this particular work. He lived in thofe days, when (after Providence had permitted the invention of Printing as a fcourge for the fins of the learned) Paper alfo became fo cheap, and Printers fo numerous, that a deluge of authors co vered the land: Whereby not only the peace of the honest unwriting fubject was daily molested, but unmerciful demands were made of his applause, yea of his money, by fuch as would neither earn the one, nor deserve the other. At the fame time, the licence of the Prefs was fuch, that it grew dangerous to refufe them either: for they would forthwith publish flanders unpunished, the authors being anonymous, and skulking under the wings of publishers, a fet of men who never scrupled to vend either Calumny or Blafphemy, as long as the Town would call for it.

• Now our author, living in those times, did con ceive it an endeavour well worthy an honest Satirist, to diffuade the dull, and punish the wicked, she only way that was left. In that public fpirited view he laid the plan of this poem, as the greateft fervice he was capable (without much hurt, or being flain)

■ Vide Bossu, Du Poeme Epique chap. viii.