Hibernian Politicks, O Swift, thy doom, And Pope's, tranflating three whole years with Broome Proceed great days! till Learning fly the shore, 330 Till Birch shall blush with noble blood no more, Till Thames fee Eton's fons for ever play, Till Weftminster's whole year be holiday; Till Ifis' Elders reel, their Pupils fport; And Alma Mater lye diffolv'd in Port! 335 Signs following figns lead on the Mighty Year; See! the dull ftars roll round and re-appear. REMARK S. Furthermore, it drove out of England the Italian Opera, which had carry'd all before it ten years: That Idol of the Nobility and people, which the great Critick Mr. Dennis by the labours and outcries of a whole life could not overthrow, was demolish'd in one winter by fingle ftroke of this gentleman's pen. This remarkable period happer'd in the year 1728. Yet fo great was his modefty, that he contantly prefixed to all the editions of it this Motto, Nes hac nevimus effe nihil. VERSE 327 Hibernian politicks, O Swift! thy doom.] The Politicks of England and Ireland at this time were thought by fome to be oppofite or interfering with each other. Dr. Swift of courfe was in the interefts of the latter. VERSE 328. And Pope's, tranflating three whole years with Broome.J He concludes his Irony with a ftroke upon himself: For whoever imagines this a farcafm on the other ingenious perfon is greatly mif taken. The opinion our author had of him was fufficiently fhown, by his joining him in the undertaking of the Odyssey: in which Mr. Broome having ingaged without any previous agreement, discharged his part fo much to Mr. Pope's fatisfaction, that he gratified him with the full fum of Five hundred pounds, and a prefent of all thofe books for which his own intereft could procure him Subfcribers, to the value of One hundred more. The author only feems to lament, that he was imploy'd in Tranflation at all. IMITATIONS. VERSE 317. This, this is he, foretold by ancient rhymes; Th' Auguftus, &c.] Virg. Æn. 6. Hic vir, hic eft! tibi quem promitti fapius audis, Augustus Cafar, divum genus; aurea condet Sacula qui rurfus Latio, regnata per arva Saturno quondam!· Saturnian here relates to the age of Lead, mention'd book 1, ver. 26, VERSE 329. Proceed great days] Virg. Ecl. 4. Incipiunt magni procedere menfes. 1 She comes! the Cloud-compelling Pow'r, behold! 345 Thus at her felt approach, and fecret might, REMARKS. VERSE 337. She comes! the Cloud-compelling pow'r, behold! &c.] Here the Mufe, like Jove's Eagle, after a fudden ftoop at ignoble game, foareth again to the skies. As Prophecy hath ever been one of the chief provinces of Poefy, our poet here foretells from what we feel, what we are to fear; and in the ftyle of other Prophets, hath ufed the future tenfe for the preterit: fince what he fays fhall be, isalready to be feen, in the writings of fome even of our most adored authors, in Divinity, Philofophy, Phyfics, Metaphyfics, &c. (who are too good indeed to be named in fuch Company.) Do not gentle reader, reft too fecure in thy contempt of the Instruments for fuch a revolution in learning, or defpife fuch weak agents as have been defcribed in our poem, but remember what the Dutch ftories fomewhere relate, that a great part of their Provinces was once overflow'd, by a fmall opening made in one of their dykes by a fingle Water-Rat. However, that fuch is not feriously the judgment of our Poet, but that he conceiveth better hopes from the diligence of our Schools, from the regularity of our Univerfities, the difcernment of our Great men, the encouragement of our Patrons, and the genius of our Writers in all kinds, (notwithstanding fome few exceptions in each) may plainly be feen from his conclufion, where by caufing all this Vifion to pafs thro' the Ivory Gate, he exprefly in the language of poefy declares all fuch imaginations to be wild, ungrounded, and fictitious. SCRIBLERUS. VERSE 347. Truth in her old cavern lye.] Alludes to the faying of Democritus, that Truth lay at the bottom of a deep well. IMITATIONS. VERSE 343. As Argus eyes by Hermes wand oppreft.3 Et quamvis fopor est oculorum parte receptus. Ovid. Met. Le Philofophy, that touch'd the Heavens before, 350 Shrinks to her hidden cause, and is no more: See Phyfic beg the Stagyrite's defence! See Metaphyfic call for aid on Sence! In vain! they gaze, turn giddy, rave, and die. 355 Thy hand great Dulness! lets the curtain fall, And univerfal Darkness covers all. Enough! enough! the raptur'd Monarch cries; And thro' the Ivory Gate the Vifion flies. IMITATIONS VERSE 358. And thro' the Ivory Gate the Vifion flies.] Sunt gemina jemni porta, quarum altera fertur Virg. En, f INI S. M. SCRIBLERUS Lectori. HE Errata of this Edition we thought (gentle reader) to have Trufted to thy cander and benignity, to correct with thy pen, as accidental Faults efcaped the prefs: But feeing that certain_Cenfors do give to fuch the name of Corruptions of the Text and falje Readings, charge them on the Editor, and judge that correcting the fame is to be called Reftoring, an Achievement that brings Honour to the Critic we have in like manner taken it upon ourselves. Book i. Verfe 8, E'er Pallas iffu'd from the Thund'rers head. E'er is the contraction of ever, but that is by no means the fenfe in this place: Correct it, without the leaft fcruple, E're, the contraction of or-ere, an old English word for before. What Ignorance of our mother tongue! Verfe 6. Still Dunce [] fecond reigns like Dunce the firft. Read infallibly, ftill Dunce the fecond Want of knowledge in the very Measure! Verfe 23, 24. tho' her power retires, Grieve not at ought our fifter realms acquire. Read -our fifter realm acquires. Want of Ear even in Rhime! Verse 38. Lintot's rubric's poft. Read rubric poft. I am aware there is fuch a Subftantive as Rubric, The Rubric, but here (I can affure the Editor) it is an Adje&ive. Verse 189. Remarks. C'eft le mem quem Marc Tulle. Corre& it boldly, le meme que Marc Tulle. Ignorance in the French! Ibid. Verse 167. 'Ev vep← snpiše, ́correct the Accents thus; Εν νέφει ανθρώπων, Cor. ἀνθρωπών Want of underhanding in Greek! Book i. verfe 258. Rem. Tenderness for a bad writer, read the bad writers. Plur. Falfe English: No Relative! Book iii. verfe 167. Remarks for Nafus Amore, pio Pueri. Read Ni fus, a proper Name, Unskilfulnefs in Latin! Verfe 208. Imit. Úc, alegen. Monftrous Divifion! away with that Comma! Book ii. verfe 369. Leave out these words When he came ini 10 the Adminiftration; For thefe Gentlemen never write against any man in power. This betrays great want of knowledge in Authors! After fo fhameful ignorance in Greek, Latin, French, English, Quan tity, Accent, Rhyme, Grammar, we cannot wonder at fuch Errors as the following. Book i. verfe 101. Rem. for 254, read 258. and for 300, read 281. Book ii.verfe 75, for Here r. Hear, Verfe 118. Rem col. 2. for Libel, read filly book, it deferves not the name of a Libel. Verfe 258, for Courts of Chancery r. Offices, for thafe Courts, r. tha Court, and for them r. it. Verfe 319. for facred r. fecret. Book iii. verfe 46. Imit. for bedaram r. hederam. Verle 56. for run forward, 1. rusa forward. We muft alfo obferve the carelefs manner of fpelling fometimes Satyr, fometimes Satire, in the Notes, probably from the different Orthography of the various Annotators; however no excufe for the Editor, who ought conftantly to have fpelled it Satire, In our Prolegomena likewife, pag. 12. line 6. where it is faid, certain Verfes were never made publick till by Curl their own Bookfeller; Correct and ftrengthen the paffage thus, never made publick till in their own Journals, and by Curl their own Bookfeller, . But this gentle reader, be fo candid as to believe the Error only of the Printer Vale & fruere. INDE X OF PERSONS celebrated in this POEM. Α. Dunton, John. ii. 136 Durfey. iii. 138 AMBROSE Philips. i, 103. iii. Dutchmen, iii. 43 Alaric. iii. 83 Ε E. USDEN [Laurence.) i. 102. iii. 319 Eliza, Haywood, ii. 149, and iii. Howard, Edward. i. 250 |