drawn into this fingle action the whole hifto ry of Dulnefs and her children. To this end the is represented at the very opening of the poem, taking a view of her forces, which are diftinguish'd into these three kinds, Party writers, dull poets, and wild criticks. A Perfon must be fix'd upon to fupport this action, who (to agree with the said defign) must be fuch an one as is capable of being all three. This phantom in the poet's mind, must have a name: He feeks for one who hath been concerned in the Journals, written bad Plays or Poems, and published low Criticisms: He finds his name to be Tibbald, and he becomes of courfe the Hero of the poem. The Fable being thus according to beft example one and entire, as contain'd in the propofition; the Machinary is a continued chain of Allegories, fetting forth the whole power, miniftry, and empire of Dulnefs, extended thro' her fubordinate inftruments, in all her various operations.. This is branched into Episodes, each of which hath its Moral apart, tho' all conducive to the main end. The crowd affembled in the second book demonftrates the defign to be more extenfive than to bad poets only, and that we may expect other Epifodes, of the Patrons, Encouragers, or Paymasters of fuch authors, as occafion fhall bring them forth. And the third book, if well confider'd, feemeth to embrace the whole world. Each Each of the Games relateth to fome or other vile clafs of writers. The firft concerneth the Plagiary, to whom he giveth the name of More; the fecond the libellous Novellift, whom he styleth Eliza; the third the flattering Dedicator; the fourth the bawling Critick or noify Poet; the fifth the dark. and dirty Party-writer; and fo of the reft, affigning to each fome proper name or other, fuch as he cou'd find. As for the Characters, the publick hath already acknowledged how juftly they are drawn: The manners are fo depicted, and the fentiments fo peculiar to those to whom. applied, that furely to transfer them to any other, or wifer, perfonages, wou'd be exeeeding difficult. And certain it is, that every perfon concerned, being confulted apart, will readily own the refemblance of every portrait, his own excepted. The Defcriptions are fingular, the Com→ parifons very quaint; the Narration various, yet of one colour. The purity and chastity of Diction is fo preferved, that in the places moft fufpicious not the words but only the images have been cenfured, and yet are those images no other than have been fanctified by antient and claffical authority (tho' as was the manner of thofe good times, not fo curiously wrapped up) yea, and commented upon by moft grave doctors, and approved criticks. As it beareth the name of Epic, it is thereby fubjected to fuch fevere indifpenfable rules 1 rules as are laid on all Neotericks, a ftrict imitation of the antient; infomuch that any # deviation accompanied with whatever poetic beauties, hath always been cenfured by the found critick. How exact that Imitation hath been in this piece, appeareth not only by its general structure, but by particular allufions infinite, many whereof have efcaped both the commentator and poet himself; yea divers by his exceeding diligence are fo alter'd and interwoven with the reft, that feveral have already been, and more will be, by the ignorant abused, as altogether and originally his own. In a word, the whole poem proveth itself to be the work of our Author when his faculties were in full vigour and perfection: at that exact time of life when years have ripened the judgment, without diminishing the imagination; which by good criticks is held to be punctually at forty. For, at that feafon it was that Virgil finished his Greorgics; and Sir Richard Blackmore at the like age compofing his Arthurs, declared the fame to be the very Acme and pitch of life for Epic poefy: tho' fince he hath altered it to fixty, (a) the Year in which he published his Alfred. True it is, that the talents for Criticifm, namely fmartnefs, quick cenfure, vivacity of remark, certainty of affeveration, in (a) See his Effay on Heroic poetry. deed deed all but acerbity, feem rather the gifts - of Youth than of riper age: But it is far otherwise in Poetry; witnefs the works of Mr. Rymer and Mr. Dennis, who beginning with criticism, became afterwards fuch Poets as no age hath parallel'd. With good reason therefore did our author chufe to write his Efay on that fubject at twenty, and reserve for his maturer Years, this great and wonderful work of the Dunciad Dunciados (61) Dunciados Periocha: OR, ARGUMENTS TO THE BOOK S. Book the FIRST. HE Propofition of the fubject. The Invocation, and the Infcription. Then the Original of the great empire of Dulness, and caufe of the continuance thereof. The beloved feat of the Goddess is defcribed, with her chief attendants and officers, her functions, operations, and effects. Then the poem hafts into the midft of things, prefenting her on the evening of a Lord Mayor's day, revolving the long fucceffion of her fons, and the glories past, and to come. She fixes her eye on Tibbald to be the inftrument of that great |