only as it anciently belonged to poets in general, but as it is emblematical of the three virtues of a court-poet in particular; it is creeping, dirty, and dangling.

In the next place, a canticle must be composed and fung in laud and praife of the new poet. If Mr CIBBER be laureated, it is my opinion no man can write this but himself; and no man, I am fure, can fing it fo affectingly. But what this canticle fhould be, either in this or the other candidate's cafe, I fhall not pretend to determine.

Thirdly, There ought to be a public show, or entry of the poet: to fettle the order or proceffion of which Mr Anftis and Mr DENNIS ought to have a conference. I apprehend here two difficulties: one, of procuring an elephant; the other, of teaching the poet to ride him. Therefore I fhould imagine the next animal in fize or dignity would do beft; either a mule or a large afs; particularly if that noble one could be had, whofe portraiture makes fo great an ornament of the Dunciad, and which (unless I am misinformed) is yet in the park of a nobleman near this city :----- -Unless Mr CIBBER be the man, who may, with great propriety and beauty, ride on a dragon, if he goes by land; or, if he chufe the water, upon one of his own fwans from Cæfar in Egypt.

We have spoken fufficiently of the ceremony; let us now speak of the qualifications and privileges of the laureate. First, we fee he must be able to make verfes extempore, and to pour forth innumerable, if required. In this I doubt Mr TIBBALD. Secondly, he ought to fing, and intrepidly, patulo ore: Here I confefs the excellency of Mr

I

CIBBER.

CIBBER. Thirdly, he ought to carry a lyre about with him: If a large one be thought too cumberfome, a small one may be contrived to hang about the neck, like an order, and be very much a grace to the perfon. Fourthly, he ought to have a good ftomach, to eat and drink whatever his betters think fit; and therefore it is in this high office, as in many others, no puny constitution can discharge it. I do not think CIBBER OF TIBBALD here fo happy; but rather a ftaunch, vigorous, season'd, and dry'd old gentleman, whom I have in my eye.

I could alfo wifh at this juncture, fuch a perfon as is truly jealous of the honour and dignity of poetry; no joker, no trifler; but a bard in good earneft; nay, not amifs if a critic, and the better if a little obftinate. For when we confider what great privileges have been loft from this office, (as we fee from the forecited authentic record of Jovius), namely, thofe of feeding from the prince's table, drinking out of his own flaggon, becoming even his domestic and companion, it requires a man warm and refolute, to be able to claim and obtain the reftoring of these high honours. I have cause to fear, most of the candidates would be liable, either through the influence of minifters, or for rewards or favours, to give up the glorious rights of the laureate Yet I am not without hopes, there one, from whom a ferious and steady affertion of these privileges may be expected; and if there be fuch a one, I must do him the juftice to say, it is Mr DENNIS the worthy prefident of our foEciety.

is

VOL. V.

K

GUAR

TH

MARCH 16, 1713:

HOUGH most things which are wrong in their own nature are at once confeffed and abfolved in that fingle word, the Custom; yet there are fome, which, as they have a dangerous tendency, a thinking man will the lefs excufe on that very account. Among these I cannot but reckon the common practice of Dedications, which is of fo much the worfe confequence as it is generally ufed by people of politenefs, and whom a learned education for the most part ought to have infpired with nobler and jufter fentiments. This prostitution of praife is not only a deceit upon the grofs of mankind, who take their notion of characters from the learned; but also the better fort must by this means lofe fome part at least of that defire of fame, which is the incentive to generous actions, when they find it promifcuously be ftowed on the meritorious and undeferving. Nay, the author himself, let him be fuppofed to have ever fo true a value for the patron, can find ne terms to exprefs it, but what have been already ufed, and rendered fufpected by flatterers. Ever truth itfelf in a dedication, is like an honeft mar

171 in a difguife or vizor-mask, and will appear a cheat by being dreffed fo like one. Though the merit of the perfon is beyond difpute, I fee no reason, that, because one man is eminent, therefore another has a right to be impertinent, and throw praises in his face. It is juft the reverse of the practice of the ancient Romans, when a perfon was advanced to triumph for his fervices. They hired people to rail at him in that circumftance, to make him as humble as they could; we have fellows to flatter him, and make him as proud as they can. Suppofing the writer not to be mercenary, yet the great man is no more in reafon obliged to thank him for his picture in a dedication; than to thank a painter for that on a fign poft; except it be a lefs injury to touch the most facred part of him, his character, than to make free with his countenance only. I should think nothing juftified me in this point, but the patron's permiffion beforehand, that I fhould draw him as like as I could; whereas moft authors proceed in this affair just as a dawber I have heard of, who, not being able to draw portraits after the life, was ufed to paint faces at random, and look out afterwards for people whom he might perfuade to be like them. To exprefs my notion of the thing in a word: To fay more to a man than one thinks, with a prospect of interest, is dishonest; and with out it, foolish. Add whoever has had fuccefs in fuch an undertaking, muft of neceffity at once think himself in his heart a knave for having done it, and his patron a fool for having believed it.

I have fometimes been entertained with confidering dedications in no very common light. By K: 2 obfer

obferving what qualities our writers think it wil be moft pleafing to others to compliment them with, one may form fome judgment which are most fo to themselves; and, in confequence, what fort of people they are. Without this view one can read very few dedications, but will give us cause to wonder, either how fuch things came to be faid at all, or how they were faid to fuch perfons. I have known an hero complimented upon the decent majefty and state he assumed after a victory; and a nobleman of a different character applauded for his condefcenfion to inferiors. This would have feemed very strange to me, but that I' happened to know the authors: He who made the first compliment was a lofty gentleman, whofe air and gait difcovered when he had published a new book; and the other tippled every night with the fellows who laboured at the prefs while his own writings were working off. It is obfervable of the female poets and ladies dedicatory, that here (as elsewhere) they far exceed us in any ftrain or rant. As beauty is the thing that sex are piqued upon, they speak of it generally in a more elevated ftyle than is used by the men. They adore in the fame manner as they would be adored. So when the authorefs of a famous modern romance begs a young nobleman's permiffion to pay him her kneeling adorations. I am far from cenfuring the expreffion, as some critics would do, as deficient in grammar or fenfe; but I reflect, that adorations paid in that pofture are what a lady might expect herself, and my wonder immediately ceases. These, when they flatter most, do but as they would be done unto; for as none are so much

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