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publifh injuries or misfortunes, which

had never been known unless related by himself, and at which those that hear them will only laugh; for no man fympathifes with the forrows of vanity.

The hiftory of the Dunciad is very minutely related by Pope himself, in a Dedication which he wrote to Lord Middiefex in the name of Savage.

"I will relate the war of the Dunces (for fo it has been commonly called), "which began in the year 1727, and *ended in 1730.

"When Dr. Swift and Mr. Pope thought it proper, for reafons fpeci"fied in the Preface to their Mifcella"nies, to publish fuch little pieces of "theirs as had cafually got abroad,

"there

"there was added to them the Treatife

of the Bathos, or the Art of Sinking in "Poetry. It happened that in one chap"ter of this piece the feveral fpecies of "bad poets were ranged in claffes, to "which were prefixed almost all the "letters of the alphabet (the greatest 66 part of them at random); but such

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was the number of poets eminent in

"that art, that fome one or other took "every letter to himfelf: all fell into "fo violent a fury, that, for half a year "or more, the common newspapers (in “ most of which they had fome proper

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ty, as being hired writers) were filled "with the most abufive falfhoods and "fcurrilities they could poffibly devife. "A liberty no way to be wondered at

in those people, and in those papers,

that for many years, during the un"controuled licenfe of the press, had "afperfed almoft all the great charac"ters of the age; and this with impunity, their own perfons and names "being utterly fecret and obfcure.

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"This gave Mr. Pope the thought, that he had now fome opportunity of

doing good, by detecting and dragging "into light thefe common enemies of "mankind; fince, to invalidate this "univerfal flander, it fufficed to fhew "what contemptible men were the au"thors of it. He was not without "hopes, that, by manifefting the dull"nefs of those who had only malice to "recommend them, either the book

"fellers

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fellers would not find their account in

employing them, or the men them"felves, when difcovered,, want courage "to proceed in fo unlawful an occupa"tion. This it was that gave birth to "the Dunciad; and he thought it an "happiness, that, by the late flood of "flander on himself, he had acquired "fuch a peculiar right over their names as was neceffary to this defign.

66.

"On the 12th of March, 1729, at "St. James's, that poem was prefented "to the King and Queen (who had be"fore been pleafed to read it) by the right honourable Sir Robert Wal

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pole and fome days after the whole

impreffion was taken and difperfed by I 3.

❝ feveral.

"feveral noblemen and perfons of the

"firft diftinction.

"It is certainly a true obfervation, "that no people are fo impatient of "cenfure as thofe who are the greatest "flanderers, which was wonderfully "exemplified on this occafion. On the

day the book was firft vended, a "crowd of authors befieged the shop; "intreaties, advices, threats of law and "battery, nay cries of treafon, were all

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employed to hinder the coming-out

"of the Dunciad: on the other fide, "the bookfellers and hawkers made as

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great efforts to procure it. What

"could a few poor authors do against "fo great a majority as the publick? "There

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