Nor public Flame, nor private, dares to shine: Lo! thy dread Empire, CHAOS! is restor❜d, Light dies before thy uncreating word: Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall; 655 REMARKS. defiling the purity of Religion, as at the view of these her falfe fupports in the prefent; of which it would be endless to recount the particulars. However, amidst the extinction of all other Lights, she is faid only to withdraw hers! as hers alone in its own nature is unextinguishable and eternal. Ver. 650. And unawares Morality expires.] It appears from hence that our Poet was of very different fentiments from the Author of the Characteristics, who has written a formal treatise on Virtue, to prove it not only real but durable, without the fupport of Religion. The word Unawares alludes to the confidence of those men, who fuppofe that Morality would flourish beft without it, and confequently to the furprize fuch would be in (if any fuch there are) who indeed love Virtue, and yet do all they can to root out the Religion of their Country. THE END OF THE FOURTH BOOK. WHEREAS certain Haberdashers of Points and Particles, being instigated by the spirit of Pride, and assuming to themfelves the name of Critics and Reftorers, have taken upon them to adulterate the common and current sense of our Glorious Ancestors, Poets of this Realm, by clipping, coining, defacing the images, miring their own bale alloy, or otherwile fallify: ing the lame; which they publish, utter, and vend as genuine: The laid Haberdathers having no right thereto, as neither heirs, executors, administrators, aligns, or in any fort related to fuch Poets, to all or any of them: Now we, having carefully carefully reviled this our Dunciad, a be ginning with the Words The Mighty Mother, and ending with the words buries All, containing the entire sum of One thousand seven hundred and fifty-four verses, declare every wow, figure, point, and comma of this impreffion to be authentic: And do therefoze Arialy enjoin and forbid any perlon 02 persons whatsoever, to erale, reverse, put between hooks, or by a Read thus confidently, inftead of " beginning with the word Books, and ending with the word flies,” as formerly it flood: Read alfo,"containing the entire "fum of one thousand feven hundred and fifty-four "verses," instead of "one thousand and twelve lines;" fuch being the initial and final words, and such the true and entire contents of this poem. Thou art to know, reader! that the firft Edition thereof, like that of Milton, was never feen by the Author (though living and not blind): The Editor himself confeffed as much in his preface: And no two poems were ever published in fo arbitrary a manner. The Editor of this, had as boldly fuppreffed whole Paffages, yea the entire last book, as the Editor of Paradife Loft, added and augmented. Milton himself gave but ten books, his Editor twelve; this Author gave four books, his Editor only three. But we have happily done juftice to both; and prefume we fhall live, in this our last labour, as long as in any of our others. BENTL by any other means, directly or indirealy change o2 mangle any of them. And we do hereby earnestly erhort all our brethren to follow this our example, which we heartily with our great Piedecellors had heretofoze let, as a remedy and prevention of all such abules. Provided always, that nothing in this Declaration Hhall be conArued to limit the lawful and undoubted right of every lubject of this Realm, to judge, cenlure, oz condemn, in the whole or in part, any Poem or Poet whatloever. Given under our hand at London, this third day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand feven hundred thirty and two. Declarat' cor' me, JOHN BARBER, Mayor. APPEN |