By the AUTHOR A DECLARATION. WHEKEA certain Haberdashers of Points and Particles, being inftigated by the spirit of Pride, and affuming to themselves the name of Critics and Reftorers, have taken upon them to adulterate the common and current sense of our Glorious Ancestors, Poets of this Realm, by clipping, coining, defacing the images, mixing their own base allay, or otherwife falfifping the fame; which they publish, utter, and vend as genuine; The laid Haberdashers having no right thereto, as neither heirs, executors, adminiftrators, affigns, o in any fort related to fuch Poets, to all or any of them: Now We, having carefully reviled this or Dunciad, beginning with the words The a Read thus confidently, instead of "beginning with the word "Books, and ending with the word flies," as formerly it stood: Read alfo, containing the entire fum of one thousand, Jeven hun"dred, and fifty-fix verses," instead of " one thousand and twelve "lines;" fuch being the initial and final words, and fuch the true and entire contents, of this poem. Mighty Mother, and ending with the words buries All, containing the entire fum_of One thousand seven hundred and fifty-four verses, declare every word, figure, point, and comma of this impreffion to be authentic: And do therefoze Ariæly enjoin and forbid any person or perions whatsoever, to trafe, reverse, put between hooks, or by any other means, direæly or indireæly, change 02 mangle anp of them. And we do hereby earnefly erhört all our brethren to follow this our Example, which we heartily with our great Predeceflors had heretofore fet, as a remedy and prevention of all fuch abules. Provided always, that nothing in this Declaration fhall be conftrued to limit the lawful and vndoubted right of every fubject of this Kealm, to judge, cenfuxe, or condemn, in the whole or in part, any Poem or Poet whatsoever. Given under our hand at London, this third Declarat' cor' me, JOHN BARBER, Mayor. Thou art to know, Reader! that the firft Edition thereof, like that of Milton, was never feen by the Author though living and not blind :) The Editor himself confefied as much in his Preface: And no two poems were ever published in fo arbitrary a manner. The Editor of this, had as boldly fuppreffed whole Paffages, yea the entire last book, as the Editor of Par life Loft, added and augmented. Milton himself gave but ten books, his Editor twelve; this Author gave four books, his Editor only tree. but we have -happily done justice to both; and prefume we fhall live in this our laft labour, as long as in any of our others. BENTL. APPENDIX. I. PREFACE Prefix'd to the five firft imperfect Editions of the DUNCIAD, in three books, printed at DUBLIN and LONDON, in octavo and duodecimo, 1727. I a The PUBLISHER to the READER. T will be found a true obfervation, though fomewhat furprizing, that when any fcandal is vented against a man of the highest diftinction and character, either in the state or literature, the public in general afford it a moft quiet reception; and the larger part accept it as favourably as if it were fome kindness done to themfelves : whereas if a known scoundrel or blockhead but chance to be touch'd upon, a whole legion is up in arms, and it becomes the common caufe of all fcriblers, bookfellers, and printers whatsoever. a The Publisher] Who he was is uncertain; but Edward Ward tells us, in his preface to Durgen, "that most judges are of opi"nion this preface is not of English extraction, but Hibernian," &c. He means it was written by Dr. Swift, who, whether the publisher or not, may be faid in a fort to be author of the Poem. For when he, together with Mr. Pope (for reafons fpecified in the preface to their Mifcellanies) determined to own the most trifling pieces in which they had any hand, and to deftroy all that remained in their power; the first sketch of this poem was fnatch'd from the fire by Dr. Swift, who perfuaded his friend to proceed in it, and to him it was therefore inscribed. But the occafion of printing it was as follows: 4 |