And now the Queen, to glad her sons, proclaims By herald hawkers, high heroic games. They summon all her race: an endless band Pours forth, and leaves unpeopled half the land. 20 A motley mixture! in long wigs, in bags, In silks, in crapes, in garters, and in rags, From drawing-rooms, from colleges, from garrets, On horse, on foot, in hacks, and gilded chariots; All who true Dunces in her cause appear'd, And all who knew those Dunces to reward. 25 Amid that area wide they took their stand, Where the tall May-pole once o'erlook'd the Strand, But now (so Anne and Piety ordain) A church collects the saints of Drury-lane. With authors, stationers obey'd the call, A poet's form she plac'd before their eyes, 30 35 REMARKS. Pope himself entered into so far, as to cause him to ride on an elephant to the Capitol, and to hold a solemn festival on his coronation; at which, it is recorded, the poet himself was so transported, as to weep for joy*. He was ever after a constant frequenter of the Pope's table, drank abundantly, and poured forth verses without number. Paulus Jorius, Elog. Vir. doct. cap. xxxii. Some idea of his poetry is given by Fam. Strada in his Prolusions. v. 35. IMITATIONS. A poet's form she plac'd before their eyes.] This is what Juno does to deceive Turnus, En. X. *See life of C. C. chap. vi. p. 149. No meagre, muse-rid mope, adust and thin, So like, that critics said, and courtiers swore, All gaze with ardor: some a poet's name, 41 46 This prize is mine, who tempt it are my foes; IMITATIONS. 'Tum Dea nube cava, tenuem sine viribus umbram 'Divini assimilat capitis...... "....Dat inania verba, 'Dat sine mente s.num....? 50 The reader will observe how exactly some of these verses suit with their allegorical application here to a plagiary. There seems to me a great propriety in this episode, where such a one is imagined by a phantom that deludes the grasp of the expecting bookseller. v. 39. But such a bulk as no twelve bards could raise.] 'Qualia nunc hominum producit corpora tellus.' With me began this genius, and shall end' He spoke, and who with Lintot shall contend? 55 Fear held them mute. Alone, untaught to fear, Stood dauntless Curl; Behold that rival here! REMARKS. v. 53. But lofty Lintot.] We enter here upon the Episode of the Booksellers; persons, whose names being more known and famous in the learned world than those of the Authors in this Poem, do therefore need less explanation. The action of Mr. Lintot here, imitates that of Dares in Virgil, rising just in this manner to lay hold on a bull. This eminent Bookseller printed the Rival Modes before mentioned. v. 58. Stood dauntless Cur!.] We come now to a character of much respect, that of Mr. Edmund Curl. As a plain repetition of great actions is the best praise of them, we shall only say of this eminent man, that he carried the trade many lengths beyond what it ever before had arrived at; and that he was the envy and admiration of all his profession. He possessed himself of a command over all authors whatever; he caused them to write what he pleased; they could not call their very names their He was not only famous among these, he was taken notice of by the state, the church, and the law, and received par. ticular marks of distinction from each. own. It will be owned, that he is here introduced with all possible dignity: he speaks like the intrepid Diomede; he runs like the swift-footed Achilles; if he falls, 'tis like the beloved Nisus; and (what Homer makes to be the chief of all praises) he is favoured of the Gods: he says but three words, and his prayer is heard; a goddess conveys it to the seat of Jupiter.-Though ne loses the prize, he gains the victory; the Great Mother herself comforts him, she inspires him with expedients, she honors him with an immortal present (such as Achilles receives from Thetis, and Æneas from Venus) at once instructive and prophetical. After this he is unrivalled and triumphant. The tribute our Author here pays him is a grateful return for several unmerited obligations: many weighty animadversions on the public affairs, and many excellent and diverting pieces on private persons, has he given to his name. If ever he owed two verses to any other, he owed Mr. Curl some thousands. He was every day extending his fame, and enlarging his writings, witness innumerable instances; but it shall suffice only to mention the Court Poems, which he meant to publish as the work of the true writer, a lady of quality; but being first threatened, The race by vigor, not by vaunts, is won; So take the hindmost, Hell!' he said, and run. Swift as a bard the bailiff leaves behind, 61 He left huge Lintot, and outstript the wind. REMARKS. 66 and afterwards punished for it by Mr. Pope, he generously transferred it from her to him, and ever since printed it in his name. The single time that ever he spoke to C. was on that affair, and to that happy incident he owed all the favours since received from him: so true is the saying of Dr. Sydenham, 'That · any one shall be, at some time or other, the better or the worse 'for having but seen or spoken to a good or bad man.' IMITATIONS. . 60. So take the hindmost, Hell.] "Occupet extremum scabies; mihi turpe relinquiest.” Har. de Arte. v. 61, &c.] Something like this is in Hemer, Iliad X. ver. 220, of Diomed. Two different manners of the same author in his similies are also imitated in the two following; the first, of the Bailiff, is short, unadorned (and as the critics well know) from familiar lie; the second, of the Water-fowl, more extended, picturesque, and from rural life. The 59th verse is likewise a literal translation of one in Homer. v. 64, 65. On feet and wings, and flies, and wades, and hops; So lab'ring on, with shoulders, hands, and head.] ...So eagerly the Fiend "O'er bog, o'er steep, thro' streight, rough, dense, or rare, With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way, "And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies.' Milton, Book II. .67,68. With arms expanded, Bernar'd rows his state, And left-legg'd Jacob seems to emulate. 71 Full in the middle way there stood a lake, Hear, Jove! whose name my bards and I adore, As much at least as any god's, or more; 80 REMARKS. v. 70...Curl's Corinna.] This name, it seems, was taken by one Mrs. T......, who procured some private letters of Mr. Pope, while almost a boy, to Mr. Cromwell, and sold them without the consent of either of those gentlemen, to Curl, who printed them in 12mo, 1727. He discovered her to be the publisher, in his Key, p. 11. We only take this opportunity of mentioning the manner in which those letters got abroad, which the author was ashamed of as very trivial things, full not only of levities, but of wrong judgments of men and books, and only excuseable from the youth and inexperience of the writer. IMITATIONS. Milton, of the motion of the swan, ....rows 'His state with oary feet.' And Dryden, of another's.. With two left legs.. 0.73. Here fortun'd Curl to slide.] 'Labitur infelix, caesis ut forte juvencis Fusus humum, viridesque super made feceret herbas, Virg En. V. of Nisus. Virg. Ecl. vi, Ut littus, Hyla! Hyla! omne sonaret.' |