Whirlpools and storms his circling arm ihvest,
With all the Might of gravitation bleft.
No crab more active in the dirty dance,
300 Downward to climb, and backward to advance;
He brings up half the bottom on his head,
And boldly claims the Journals and the Lead.
Sudden, a burft of thunder fhook the flood.
Lo Smedley rofe, in majefty of mud!
305 Shaking the horrors of his ample brows,
And each ferocious feature grim with ooze.

REMARK S.

VERSE 314. As Hylas fair.] Who was ravim'd by the water nymphs and drawn into the river. The ftory is told at large by Vale, rius Flaccus, Lib. 3. Argon. See Virg. Eel 6.

VERSE 316, &c. A branch of Styx, &c. Homer I. 2. Catal.
Οι τ ̓ ἀμφ' ἱμεςτὸν Τζαρήσιον εργ ̓ ἐνέμοντο,
Ος ῥ ̓ ἐς Πηνείον προΐει καλλίῤῥοον ύδως
Οὐδ ̓ ὅγε Πηνειῶ συμμίσγεται άργυτοδίνη,
Αλλά τέ μιν καθύπερθεν ἐπιῤῥέει οὔτ ̓ ἔλαιον.
Ορκο γδ δεινά, Στυγὸς ὕδατΘ, ἐσιν ἀποῤῥώξε

Of the land of Dreams in the fame region, he makes mention, Ody 24. See alfo Lucian's true Hiftory. Lethe and the Land of Dreams allegorically reprefent the Stupefaction and vifionary Madness of Poets equally dull and extravagant. Of Alphaus his waters gliding fecretly under the fea of Pifa, to mix with thofe of Arethuse in S.cily, vid, Mofchus Idyl. 8. Virg. Ecl. 10.

Sic tibi, cum fluctus fubter labere Sicanos,
Doris amara fuam non intermifceat undam

And again, Æn. 3.

Greater he looks, and more than mortal stares ; Then thus the wonders of the Deep declares. First he relates, how finking to the chin, 310 Smit with his mien, the Mud-nymphs fuck'd him in How young Lutetia, fofter than the down, Nigrina black, and Merdamante brown, Vy'd for his love in jetty bow'rs below; As Hylas fair was ravifh'd long ago.

215 Then fung, how fhown him by the nutbrown maids, A branch of Styx here rifes from the Shades, That tinctur'd as it runs, with Lethe's ftreams, And wafting Vapours from the Land of Dreams, (As under feas Alphaus' facred fluice 320 Bears Pifa's offerings to his Arethufe)

Pours into Thames: Each city-bowl is full Of the mixt wave, and all who drink grow dull. How to the banks where bards departed doze, They led him foft; how all the bards arose; 325 Taylor, fweet bird of Thames, majestic bows, And Shadwell nods the poppy on his brows;

REMARKS.

VERSE 325 Taylor, fweet bird of Thames.] John Taylor the Water Poet, an honeft man, who owns he learn'd not fo much as his AG sidence: a rare example of modesty in a Poet!

I must confefs I do want eloquence,
And never fcarce did learn my Accidence,
For having got from Poffum to Poffet,

I there was gravell'd, could no farther get.

He wrote fourfcore books in the reign of James T. and Charles I. and afterwards (like Mr. Ward) kept a Publick-house in Long Acre He died in 1654.

IMITATIONS.

VERSE 307. Greater he looks, and more than mortal ftares Virg. of the Sybil.

- majorque videri

Nec mortale fonans

330

While Milbourn there, deputed by the rest,
Gave him the caflock, furcingle, and vest;
And" Take (he faid) these robes which once were
(mine,
"Dulness is facred in a found Divine.
He ceas'd, and show'd the robe; the crowd confefa
The rev'rend Flamen in his lengthen'd dress.

Slow moves the Goddess from the fable flood,
(Her Prieft preceding) thro' the gates of Lud..
335 Her Criticks there fhe fummons, and proclaims
A gentler exercise to close the games.

Hear you! in whofe grave heads, as equal fcales, I weigh what author's heaviness prevails,

Which moft conduce to footh the foul in flumbers, 340 My Henley's periods, or my Blackmore's numbers?

REMARKS.

VERSE 326. And Shadwell nods the poppy.] Shadwell took Optum for many years. and died of too large a Dofe of it, in the year 1692. VERSE 327. While Milbourn.] Luke Milbourn a Clergyman, the faireft of Criticks; who when he wrote against Mr. Dryden's Virgil, did him juftice, in printing at the fame time his own tranflations of him, which were intollerable. His manner of writing has a great refemblance with that of the Gentlemen of the Dunciad against our author, as will be feen in the Parallel of Mr. Dryden and him. Append. VERSE 334. Gates of Lud.] "King Lud repairing the City, call'd it after his own name, Lud's Town; the ftrong gate which "he built in the Weft part, he likewife for his own honour named "Ludgate. In the year 1260, this gate was beautified with images,

of Lud and other Kings. Thofe Images in the reign of Edward VI "had their heads fmitten off, and were otherwife defaced by unad "wifed folks. Queen Mary did fet new heads on their old bodies again. The 28th of Q. Eliz. the fame gate was clean taken down, and newly and beautifully builded with images of Lud and others as afore." STOW's Survey of London.

IMITATIONS.

VERSE 323. How to the banks, &c 1 Virg. Ecl. 6.

Tum canit errantem Permeffi ad flumina Gallum,

Vtque viro Phabi chorus affurexerit omnis ;

Vt Linus hac illi divino carmine paftor,
Floribus atque apio crines ornatus amaro,
Dixerat, Hos tibi dant calamos, en accipe, Mufa
Afcr ao quos ante feni · &c.

Attend the trial we propofe to make :
If there be man who o'er fuch works can wake,
Sleep's all-fubduing charm who dares defy,
And boafts Ulyffes' ear with Argus' eye;
345-To him we grant our ampleft pow'rs to fit
Judge of all present, past, and future wit,
To cavil, cenfure, dictate, right or wrong,
Full, and eternal privilege of tongue.

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[came,

Three Cambridge Sophs and three pert Templars 350 The fame their talents, and their taftes the fame, Each prompt to query, anfwer, and debate, And smit with love of Poefy and Prate. The pond'rous books two gentle readers bring; The heroes fit; the vulgar form a ring. 355 The clam'rous crowd is hufh'd with mugs of Mum, "Till all tun'd equal, fend a gen'ral hum Then mount the clerks; and in one lazy tone, Thro' the long, heavy, painful page, drawl on;

Soft, creeping, words on words, the fenfe compofe, 30 At ev'ry line, they ftretch, they yawn, they doze.

REMARK S.

VERSE 344.3 See Hom. OdyЛf. 12. Ovid.Met. 1.

VERSE 358. Thro' the long, heavy, painful page, &c.] All thefe lines very well imitate the flow drowzinefs with which they proceed. It is impoffible for any one who has a poetical ear to read them, without perceiving the heavinefs that lags in the verfe to imitate the action it defcribes. The Simile of the Pines is very just and well adapted to the fubject. ESSAY on the DUNG, p. 21.

IMITATIONS.

VERSE 350. The fame their talents

Ecl. 7.

Ambo florentes atatibus, Arcades ambo,
Et certare pares, & refpondere parati.

Each prompt, &c.] Virg.

VERSE 354. The heroes fit, the vulgar form a ring.] Ovid M. 3.
Confedere duces, vulgi fante corona.

VERSE 353.3 Smit with the love of sacred fong ·

Milton.

As to foft gales top-heavy pines bow low Their heads, and lift them as they ceafe to blow Thus oft they rear, and oft the head decline, As breathe, or paufe, by fits, the airs divine: 365 And now to this fide, now to that, they nod, As verfe, or profe, infuse the drowzy God. Thrice Budgel aim'd to speak, but thrice fuppreft, By potent Arthur, knock'd his chin and breaft. Toland and Tindal, prompt at Priests to jeer, 3.70 Yet filent bow'd to Chrift's No kingdom here. Who fate the neareft, by the words o'ercome Slept first, the diftant nodded to the hum.

Then down are roll'd the books; ftretch'd o'er 'em lies Each gentle clerk, and mutt'ring feals his eyes. 375 As what a Dutchman plumps into the lakes, One circle first, and then a fecond makes,

REMARK'S.

VERSE 367. Thrice Budgel aim'd to speak.] Famous for his fpeeches On many occations about the South Sea Scheme, &c." He is a very ingenious gentleman, and hath written fome excellent Epilogues to Plays, and one fall piece on Love, which is very pretty," JACOB Lives of Pocts, vol. 2. p. 289. But this Gentleman has fince made himfelf much more eminent, and perfonally well-known to the greateft ftatesmen of all parties, in this nation'

VERSE 369. Toland and Tindal. Two perfons not fo happy as to be obfcure, who writ against the Religion of their Country. The furreptitious editions placed here the name of a Gentleman, who, tho' no great friend to the Clergy, is a perfon of Morals and Ingenuity. Tindal was Author of the Rights of the Chriftian Church: He alfo wrote an abufive pamphlet against Earl Stanhope, which was fuppreffed while yet in manufcript by an eminent Perfon then out of the Miniftry, to whom he fhow'd it expecting his approbation. This Doctor afterwards publish'd the fame piece, mutatis mutandis, againft that very Perfon when he came into the Admin ftration.

VERSE 370. Chrift's No kingdom, &c.] This is fcandalously faid by CURL, Key to Dune, to allude to a Sermon of a reverend Bishop. But the context fhows it to be meant of a famous publick Orator, not more remarkable for his long-winded periods, than his Difaffection to Ecclefiaftical Hierarchy, and to the doctrine that Chrift's King dom is of this world,

L