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THE

DUNCIA D:

BOOK the FOURTH.

ARGUMENT.

The Poet being, in this Book, to declare the Completion of the Prophecies mentioned at the end of the former, makes a new Invocation; as the greater Poets are wont, when fome high and worthy matter is to be

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fung. He fhews the Goddefs coming in her Majefty, to deftroy Order and Science, and to fubftitute the Kingdom of the Dull upon earth. How he leads captive the Sciences, and filenceth the Mufes; and what they be who fucceed in their fiead. All her Children, by a wonderful attraction, are drawn VOL. VI.

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about her; and bear along with them divers others, who promote her Empire by connivance, weak refiftance, or difcouragement of Arts; fuch as Half-wits, taftelefs Admirers, vain Pretenders, the Flatterers of Dunces, or the Patrons of them. All these crowd round her one of them offering to approach her, is driven back by a Rival, but she commends and encourages both. The first who speak in form are the Genius's of the Schools, who affure ber of their care to advance her Caufe by confining Youth to Words, and keeping them out of the way of real Knowledge. Their Addrefs, and her gracious Answer ; with her Charge to them and the Universities. The Univerfities appear by their proper Deputies, and affure her that the fame method is obferv'd in the progress of Education. The Speech of Aristarchus on this fubject. They are driven off by a band of young Gentlemen returned from Travel with their Tutors; one of whom delivers to the Goddess, in a polite oration, an account of the whole Conduct and Fruits of their Travels: prefenting to her at the Same time a young Nobleman perfectly accomplished. She receives him graciously, and indues him with the

bappy quality of Want of Shame. She fees loitering about her a number of Indolent Perfons abandoning all bufinefs and duty, and dying with laziness: To thefe approaches the Antiquary Annius, intreating her to make them Virtuofos, and affign them aver to him: But Mummius, another Antiquary, complaining of his fraudulent proceeding, he finds a method to reconcile their difference. Then enter a Troop of people fantastically adorned, offering her frange and exotic prefents: Amongst them, one ftands forth and demands juflice on another, who had deprived him of one of the greatest Curiofities in nature: but he justifies himself so well, that the Goddess gives them both her approbation. She recommends to them to find proper employment for the Indolents before-mentioned, in the study of Butterflies, Shells, Birds-nefts, Mofs, c. but with particular caution, not to proceed beyond Trifles, to any useful or extenfive views of Nature, or of the Author of Nature. Against the last of thefe apprebenfions, he is fecured by a hearty Addrefs from the Minute Philofophers and Free-thinkers, one of whom Speaks in the name of the reft. The Youth thus

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inftructed and principled, are delivered to her in a body, by the hands of Silenus; and then admitted to

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tafte the Cup of the Magus her High Priest, which caufes a total oblivion of all Obligations, divine, civil, moral, or rational. To these her Adepts she Jends Priefts, Attendants, and Comforters, of various kinds; confers on them Orders and Degrees; and then difmiling them with a speech, confirming to each his Privileges, and telling what the expects from each, concludes with a Yawn of extraordinary virtue: The Progress and Effects whereof on all Orders of men, and the Confummation of all, in the Refloration of Night and Chaos, "conclude the

Poem.

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