The clam'rous crowd is hush'd with mugs of mum, REMARKS. v.397. Thrice Budgel aim'd to speak.] Famous for his speeches on many occasions about the South-sea scheme, &c. He is a very ingenious gentleman, and hath written some excellent Epilogues to plays, and one small piece on Love, which is very pretty.' Jacob, Lives of Poets, vol. 1. p. 289. But this gentleman since made himself much more eminent, and personally well known to the greatest statesmen of all parties, as well as to all the courts of law in this nation. v. 399. Toland and Tindal.] Two persons, not so happy as to be obscure, who writ against the religion of their country. Toland, the author of the Atheist's Liturgy, called Pantheisticon, was a spy in pay to Lord Oxford. Tindal was author of the Rights of the Christian Church, and Christianity as oid as the Creation. He also wrote an abusive pamphlet against Earl S→→ VARIATIONS. v. 399. In the first edition it was, Collins and Tindal, prompt at priests to jeer, Who sat the nearest, by the words o'ercome, REMARKS. 409 which was suppressed while yet in MS. by an eminent person, then out of the ministry, to whom he shewed it, expecting his approbation. This Doctor afterwards published the same piece, mutatis mutandis, against that very person. v. 41. Centlivre.] Mrs. Susanna Centlivre, wife to Mr. Centlivre, Yeoman of the Mouth to his Majesty. She writ many Plays, and a song (says Mr. Jacob, vol. 1 p. 32.) before she was seven years old. She also writ a ballad against Mr. Pope's Homer, before he began it. T. 413. Boyer the state, and Law the stage gave o'er.] A. Boyer, a voluminous compiler of annals, political collections, IMITATIONS. v. 410. O'er all the sea of heads.] A waving sea of heads was round me spread, VARIATIONS. Blackm. Job. v. 413. In the first edition it was, T-s and T- the church and state gave o'er, 415 Norton from Daniel and Ostroea sprung, REMARKS. 425 &c. William Law, A M. wrote with great zeal against the stage; Mr. Dennis answered with as great. Their books were printed in 1726. v. 414. Morgan.] A writer against religion, distinguished no otherwise from the rabble of his tribe than by the pompousness of his title; for having stolen his morality from Tindal, and his philosophy from Spinoza, he calls himself by the courtesy of England, a Moral Philosopher. Ibid. Mandeville.] This writer, who prided himself as much in the reputation of a immoral philosopher, was author of a famous book called The Fable of the Bees: written to prove, That moral virtue is the invention of knaves, and Christian virtue the imposition of fools; and that vice is necessary, and alone suffcient to render society flourishing and happy." v. 415. Norton.] Norton de Foe, offspring of the famous Daniel; Fortes creantur fortibus: one of the Authors of the Fly. ing Post, in which well-bred work Mr. P. had sometime the honor to be abused with his betters, and of many hired scurrilities, and daily papers, to which he never set his name. IMITATIONS. .418. And all was hush'd, as Folly's self lay dead.] Alludes to Dryden's verse in the Indian Emperor: All thing's are hush'd, as Nature's self lay dead,' TO DR. JONATHAN SWIFT. BOOK III. The Argument. After the other persons are disposed in their proper places of rest, the Goddess transports the King to her 'Temple, and there lays him to slumber with his head on her lap; a position of marvellous virtue, which causes all the visions of wild enthusiasts, projectors, politicians, inamoratoes, castle-builders, chemists, and poets. He is immediately carried on the wings of Fancy, and led by a mad poetical sibyl to the Elysian shade; where, on the banks of the Lethe, the souls of the dull are dipped by Bavius, before their entrance into this world. There he is met by the ghost of Settle, and by him made acquainted with the wonders of the place, and with those which he himself is destined to perform. He takes him to a Mount of Vi sion, from whence he shews him the past triumphs of the Empire of Dulness, then the present. and lastly the future: how smali a part of the world was ever conquered by Science, how soon those conquests were stopped, and those very nations again reduced to her dominion. Then distinguishing the Island of Great Britain, shews by what aids, by what persons, and by what degrees, it shall be brought to her empire. Some of the persons be causes to pass in review before his eyes, describing each by his proper figure, character, and qualifica 'tions. On a sudden the scene shifts, and a vast number of miracles and prodigies appear, utterly surprizing and unknown to the King himself, till they are explained to be the wonders of his own reign now commencing. On this subject Settle breaks into a congratulation, yet not unmixed with concern that his own times were but the types of these. He prophesies how first the nation shall be over-rnn with Farces, Operas, and Shows; how the throne of Dulness shall be advanced over the Theatres, and set up even at Court; then how her sons shall preside in the seats of Arts and Sciences; giving a glimpse or Pisgah sight, of the future fulness of her glory, the accomplish ment whereof is the subject of the Fourth and last Book." BUT in her Temple's last recess inclos'd, Then raptures high the seat of sense o'erflow, 5 And now, on Fancy's easy wing conveyed, In lofty madness meditating song; 15 (Once swan of Thames, tho' now he sings no more.) REMARKS. v. 19. Taylor.] John Taylor the Water-poet, an honest man, who owns he learned not so much as the Accidence: a rare example of modesty in a poet! IMITATIONS. v. 7, 8. Hence from the straw where Bedlam's prophet nods, He hears loud oracles, and talks with gods.] Et varias audit voces, fruiturque deoram 'Colloquio.'. .... . 15. A slip shod Sibyl, &c.] Conclamat vates .. ......Furens antro se immisit aperto. Virg. Æn. VIII. Finge |