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Wondering he gaz'd: When lo! a Sage appears, 35 By his broad fhoulders known, and length of ears,

REMARKS.

Known

"bribed by a great Lady,” &c. (to whom this brave, honeft, worthy Gentleman was guilty of no offence but Forgery, proved in open Court.) But it is evident, this verfe could not be meant of him; it being notorious, that no Eggs were thrown at that Gentleman. Perhaps therefore it might be intended of Mr. Edward Ward the Poet, when he ftood there.

Ver. 36. And length of ears,] This is a sophisticated reading. I think I may venture to affirm all the Copyifts are mistaken here: I believe I may fay the fame of the Critics; Dennis, Oldmixon, Welfted, have passed it in filence. I have alfo ftumbled at it, and wondered how an error fo manifeft could efcape fuch accurate perfons. I dare affert, it proceeded originally from the inadvertency of fome Tranfcriber, whofe head ran on the Pillory, mentioned two lines before; it is therefore amazing that Mr. Curl himself should overlook it! Yet that Scholiaft takes not the leaft notice hereof. That the learned Mist also read it thus, is plain from his ranging this paffage among thofe in which our author was blamed for perfonal Satire on a Man's face (whereof doubtless he might take the ear to be a part); fo likewife Concanen, Ralph, the Flying Poft, and all the herd of Commentators.-Tota armenta fequuntur.

A very little fagacity (which all thefe gentlemen therefore wanted) will restore us to the true fenfe of the Poet thus,

By his broad shoulders known, and length of years. See how eafy a change; of one fingle letter! That Mr. Settle was old, is most certain; but he was (happily) a franger to the Pillory. This note partly Mr. THEOBALD'S, partly SCRIBL,

Known by the band and fuit which Settle wore
(His only fuit) for twice three years before :
All as the veft, appear'd the wearer's frame,
Old in new state, another yet the fame.
Bland and familiar as in life, begun
Thus the great Father to the greater Son:

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Oh

REMARKS.

Ver. 37. Settle] Elkanah Settle was once a Writer in vogue as well as Cibber, both for Dramatic Poetry and Politics. Mr. Dennis tells us, that " he was a formid❝able rival to Mr. Dryden, and that in the University "of Cambridge there were thofe who gave him the pre"ference." Mr. Welfted goes yet farther in his behalf: "Poor Settle was formerly the Mighty rival of "Dryden; nay, for many years, bore his reputation "above him." Pref. to his Poems, 8vo. p. 31. And Mr. Milbourne cried out, "How little was Dryden "able, even when his blood run high, to defend him"self against Mr. Settle!” Notes on Dryd. Virg. p. 175. These are comfortable opinions; and no wonder fome authors indulge them.

He was author or publisher of many noted pamphlets in the time of King Charles II. He answered all Dryden's political poems! and being cried up on one fide, fucceeded not a little in his Tragedy of the Emprefs of Morocco [the firft that was ever printed with cuts.] "Upon this he grew infolent, the Wits writ against his "Play, he replied, and the Town judged he had the "better. In fhort, Settle was then thought a very for"midable rival to Mr. Dryden; and not only the "Town but the University of Cambridge was divided "which to prefer; and in both places the younger fort "inclined to Elkanah." Dennis, Pref. to Rem. on Hom.

Oh born to fee what none can fee awake!

Behold the wonders of th' Oblivious Lake.

Thou, yet unborn, haft touch'd this facred shore ;

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The hand of Bavius drench'd thee o'er and o'er.
But blind to former, as to future fate,
What mortal knows his pre-exiftent state?
Who knows how long thy tranfmigrating foul
Might from Boeotian to Boeotian roll?

How many Dutchmen fhe vouchfaf'd to thrid ?
How many stages through old Monks she rid?
And all who fince, in wild benighted days,
Mix'd the Owl's ivy with the Poet's bays.
As man's meanders to the vital spring

Roll all their tides, then back their circles bring;
Or whirligigs, twirl'd round by skilful swain,
Suck the thread in, then yield it out again :
All nonfenfe thus, of old or modern date,
Shall, in the centre, from thee circulate.
For this, our Queen unfolds to vision true
Thy mental eye, for thou haft much to view:
Old fcenes of glory, times long caft behind,
Shall, firft recall'd, rush forward to thy mind:
Then stretch thy fight o'er all her rising reign,
And let the past and future fire thy brain.

REMARKS.

50

55

60

65

Afcend

Ver. 50. Might from Boeotian, &c.] Boeotia lay under the ridicule of the Wits formerly, as Ireland does now; though it produced one of the greatest Poets and one of the greatest Generals of Greece:

"Boeotum craffo jurares aëre natum." VOL. III.

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Horat.

Afcend this hill, whofe cloudy point commands
Her boundless empire over feas and lands.
See, round the Poles where keener spangles fhine,
Where spices fmoke beneath the burning Line,
(Earth's wide extremes) her fable flag display'd,
And all the nations cover'd in her shade!

Far eastward caft thine eye, from whence the Sun
And orient Science their bright course begun :
One god-like Monarch all that pride confounds,
He, whose long Wall the wandering Tartar bounds;
Heavens! what a pile! whole ages perish there,
And one bright blaze turns Learning into air.
Thence to the fouth extend thy gladden'd eyes;

There rival flames with equal glory rife,

From fhelves to fhelves fee greedy Vulcan roll,
And lick up all their Phyfic of the Soul..

VARIATIONS.

Ver. 73. in the former Ed.

Far eastward caft thine eye, from whence the Sun
And orient Science at a birth begun.

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75

80

How

But as this was thought to contradict that Line of the Introduction,

In eldest times, ere Mortals writ or read,

which fuppofes the fun and fcience did not fet out together, it was altered to "their bright courfe begun." But this flip, as ufual, escaped the gentlemen of the Dunciad.

REMARKS.

Ver. 75. Chi Ho-am-ti Emperor of China, the fame who built the great wall between China and Tartary, destroyed all the books and learned men of that empire.

How little, mark! that portion of the ball,
Where, faint at beft, the beams of Science fall:
Soon as they dawn, from Hyperborean skies
Embody'd dark, what clouds of Vandals rife !
Lo! where Mœotis fleeps, and hardly flows
The freezing Tanaïs through a waste of fnows,
The North by myriads pours her mighty fons,
Great nurfe of Goths, of Alans, and of Huns!
See Alaric's ftern port! the martial frame
Of Genferic; and Attila's dread name!
See, the bold Oftrogoths on Latium fall;
See, the fierce Vifigoths on Spain and Gaul!
See, where the morning gilds the palmy shore
(The foil that arts and infant letters bore)
His conquering tribes th' Arabian prophet draws,
And faving Ignorance enthrones by Laws.
See Chriftians, Jews, one heavy Sabbath keep,
And all the Western world believe and fleep.

Lo! Rome herself, proud mistress now no more
Of arts, but thundering against heathen lore;

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REMARKS.

Ver. 81, 82. The Caliph, Omar I. having conquered Egypt, caufed his General to burn the Ptolomæan Library, on the gates of which was this Infcription, ΨΥΧΗΣ ΙΑΤΡΕΙΟΝ, the Phyfic of the Soul.

Ver. 96. (The foil that arts and infant letters bore) Phoenicia, Syria, &c. where Letters are faid to have been invented. In thefe countries Mahomet began his conquefts.

Ver. 102. thundering against heathen lore :] A ftrong inftance of this pious rage is placed to Pope

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Gre

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