Page images
PDF
EPUB

Grubstreet! thy fall fhould men and Gods confpire, 310 Thy ftage fhall ftand, enfure it but from Fire Another Æfchylus appears! prepare

315

For new Abortions, all ye pregnant Fair! In flames, like Semeles, be brought to bed, While opening Hell spouts wild-fire at your head. Now Bavius, take the poppy from thy brow, And place it here! here all ye Heroes bow! This, this is He, foretold by ancient rhymes, Th' Auguftus born to bring Saturnian times: Beneath his reign, shall Eusden wear the bays, 320 Cibber prefide Lord-Chancellor of Plays,

REMARKS.

VERSE 310. ---- enfure it but from fire.] In Tibbald's Farce of Proferpine a Corn-field was fet on fire; whereupon the other Play houfe had a Barn burnt down for the recreation of the fpectators. They alto rival'd each other in showing the Burnings of Hell-fire, in Dr. Fauftus

VERSE 311. Another Æfchylus appears! &c.] It is reported of Eschylus, that when his Tragedy of the Furies was acted, the audience were fo terrify'd that the children fell into fit, and the big-bellied women mifcarried. Tibbald is tranflating this author: he printed a fpecimen of him many years ago, of which I only remember that the first Note contains fome comparison between Prometheus and Chrift crucify'd.

VERSE 319. E fden wear the bays.] Laurence Eufden, Poet-Laure are: Mr. Jacob gives a catalogue of fome few only of his works, which were very numerous. Mr. Cook in his Battle of Feets faith of him, Eufden a laurel d Bard, by fortune rais'd, By very few was read, by fewer prais'd

[ocr errors]

Mr. Oldmixon in his Ars of Logic and Rhetoric, p. 413, 414. affirms,' That of all the Galimatia's he ever met with, none comes up to fome verfes of this Poet, which have as much of the Ridiculum "and the Fuftian in 'em as can well be jumbled together, and are of "that fort of nonfenfe which fo perfectly confounds all Ideas, that "there is no diftin&t one left in the mind. Further he fays of him, "that he hath pronhefy'd his own Poetry shall be fweeter than Catul lus, Ovid, and Tibullu, but we have little hope of the accompli ment of it from what he hath lately publish'd." Upon which Mr, Oldmixon has not fpar'd a reflection, on the head of one who writ fuch verfes, will give futurity a very That the putting the Laurel "lively idea of the Judgment and Juftice of thofe who beftow'd it." Ibid. p. 417. But the well-known learning of that Noble Perfon who was then Lord Chamberlain, might have fcreen'd him from this unmannerly reflection, Mr. Eufden was made Laureate for the fame rea

[ocr errors]

N 2

[ocr errors]

.B✶✶ fole Judge of Architecture fit,

And Namby Pamby be prefer'd for Wit!

REMARKS.

Fon that Mr. Tibbald was made Hero of This Poem, because there was no better to be had. Nor ought Mr. Oldmixon to complain, fo long after, that the Laurel would better have become his own brows, or any other's: It were decent to acquiefce in the opinion of the Duke of Buckingham upon this matter.

In rufb'd Eufden, and cry'd, Who fhall have it,
But I the true Laureate to whom the King gave it?
Apollo begg'd pardon, and granted his claim,
But vow'd, that till then he ne'er heard of his name.

Seffion of Poets.

VERSE 21. B** fole judge of Architecture fit,] Wm B—~18 late Surveyor of the Buildings to his Majefty King George I.) gave in report to the Lords, that Their Houfe and the Painted Chamber adjoining, were in immediate danger of falling. Whereupon the Lords met in a Committee to appoint fome other place to fit in, while the Houfe should be taken down. But it being propofed to caufe fome Other Builders first to inspect it, they found it in very good condition. The Lords, upon this, were going upon an address to the King against B-nf-n, for fuch a mifreprefentation, but the Earl of Sunderland, then Secretary, gave them an affurance that his Majefty would remove him, which was done accordingly. In favour of this man, the famous Sir Chriftopher Wren, who had been Architect to the Crown for above fifty years, who laid the firft ftone of St. Paul's, and lived to finish it, had been difplac'd from his employment at the age of near ninety years.

[ocr errors]

་་

VERSE 322. And Namby Pamby.] An author whofe eminence in the Infantine ftile obtain'd him this name. "He was (faith Mr. Ja COB) one of the Wits at Button's, and a Juftice of the Peace. But fince he hath met with higher preferment, in Ireland: and a much greater character we have of him in Mr. GILDON's Compleat Art of Foetry, vol. 1. p. 157. Indeed he confeffes, he dares not fet him quite on the fame foot with Virgil, left it would feem Flattery: but he is much mistaken if pofterity does not afford him a greater efteem than he at prefent enjoys." This is faid of his Paftorals, of which fee in the Appendix the: Guardian, at large. He endeavour'd to create Some mif-understanding between our author and Mr. Addison, whom alfo foon after he abufed as much. His conftant cry was, that Mr. P. was an Enemy to the government; and in particular he was the avowed author of a report very induftriously spread, that he had a hand in a Party-paper call'd the Examiner: A falfhood well known to thofe yet living, who had the direction and publication of it.

Qui meprife Cotin, n'eftime point for Roy,

Et n'a, Jelen Cotin,) ni Dieu, ni Foy, ni Loy,

IMITATIONS.

VER SE 313. Like Sameles

•] See Ovid. Met.

While naked mourns the Dormitory wall,

And Jones and Boyle's united labours fall, 325 While Wren with forrow to the grave defcends,Gay dies un-penfion'd with a hundred Friends,

REMARK S.

VERSE 323. Dormitory wall.] The Dormitory in Westminster was a building intended for the lodging of the King's Scholars, toward which a fum was left by Dr. Edw. Hannes, the reft was raised by contributions procured from feveral eminent perfons by the interft of Francis late Bishop of Rechefter, and Dean of Westminster. He requested the Earl of Burlington to be the Architect, who carry'd on the work till the Bill against that learned Prelate was brought in, which ended in his banishment. The thell being finished according to his Lord fhip's defign, the fucceeding Dean and Chapter employ'd a common builder to do the infide, which is perform'd accordingly.

VERSE 324. And Jones and Boyle's united labours falb] At the fame time when this Poem was written, the Banqueting-house of Whitehall, the Church and Piazza of Covent-garden, and the Palace and Chappel of Somerset-house, the works of the famous Inigo Jones had been for many years fo neglected, as to be in danger of ruin. The Portico of Covent-garden Church had been just then restored and beautify'd at the expence of Richard Earl of Burlington, who, at the fame time, by his publication of the defigns of that great Mafter and Palladio, as well as by many noble buildings of his own, revived the true Taste of Architecture in this Kingdom.

VERSE 326. Gav dies un-penfion'd, &c.] See Mr. Gay's Fable of the Hare and Many Friends. This gentleman was early in the friend tip of our author, which has continued many years. He wrote feve ral works of humour with great fuccefs, the Shepherd's Week, Trivia the What d'ye call it, &c. (printed together in 4o, by 7. Tonfon) Fables and laftly, the celebrated Beggars Opera, a piece of Satire which hit all taftes and degrees of men, from those of the highest Quality to the very Rabble: That verfe of Horace

Primores populi arripuit, populumque tributim,

could never be so juftly applied as to this. The vaft fuccefs of it was unprecedented, and almoft incredible: What is related of the wonderful effects of the ancient Mufic or Tragedy hardly came up to it: Sophocles and Euripides were lefs follow'd and famous. It was act ed in London fixty-three days, uninterrupted; and renew'd the next feafon with equal applaufes. It fpread into all the great towns of England, was play'd' in many places to the 30th, and 40th time, at Bath and Bristol so, &c. It made its progrefs into Wates, Scotland, and Ireland, where it was performed 24 days together. The fame of it was not confin'd to the author only, the Ladies carry'd about with 'em the favourite fongs of it in Fans; and houfes were furnish'd with it in Screens. The perfon who acted Polly, till then obfcure, became all at once the favourite of the town; her Pictures were engraved and fold in great numbers, her Life written; books of Letters and Verfes to her publish'd; and pamphlets made even of her Sayings and Jef

Hibernian Politicks, O Swift, thy doom,

And Pope's,tranflating three whole years with BroomeProceed great days! till Learning fly the fhore, 330 Till Birch fhall blush with noble blood no more, Till Thames fee Eton's fons for ever play, Till Westminster'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.

REMARKS.

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 a fingle ftroke of this gentleman's pen. This remarkable period happen'd in the year 1728. Yet fo great was his modefty, that he contantly prefixed to all the editions of it this Motto, Nos hac novimus effe nihil.

VERSE 327. Hibernian politicks, O Swift! thy doom.] The Politicks of England and Ireland at this time were thought by fone 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.] He concludes his Irony with a ftroke upon himfelf: For whoever imagines this a farcafm on the other ingenious perfon is greatly miftaken. The opinion our author had of him was fufficiently shown, by his joining him in the undertaking of the Odyssey: in which Mr. Broome having ingaged without any previous agreement, difcharged 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,

To' Auguftus, &c.] Virg. Æn. 6.

Hic vir, hic eft! tibi quem promitti fæpius audis,

Auguftus Cefar, 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.

2

She comes! the Cloud-compelling Pow'r, behold!
With Night Primeval, and with Chaos old.
Lo! the great Anarch's ancient reign reftor'd,
340 Light dies before her uncreating word:
As one by one, at dread Medæa's ftrain,
The fick'ning Stars fade off the a'thereal plain;
As Argus' eyes, by Hermes wand oppreft,
Clos'd one by one to everlasting reft;

345 Thus at her felt approach, and fecret might,
Art after Art goes out, and all is Night.
See fculking Truth in her old cavern lye,
Secur'd by mountains of heap'd cafuiftry:

REMARKS.

VERSE 337. She comes! the Cloud-compelling power, 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, is already 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 Inftruments 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.]

Et quamvis fopor est oculorum parte receptus.
Vidit Cyllenius omnes,

Parte tamen vigilat

Succubuiffe oculos, &c. ibid.

Ovid. Met.

« PreviousContinue »