But whatever perfonal qualities a Hero may have, the examples of Achilles and Æneas fhew us, that all these are of fmall avail, without the conftant affiftance of the GoDs: for the subversion and erection of Empires have never been adjudged the work of Man. How greatly foever then may we esteem of his high talents, we can hardly conceive his perfonal prowess alone fufficient to restore the decayed empire of DUL NESS. So weighty an atchievement must require the particular favour and protection of the GREAT; who being the natural patrons and fupporters of Letters, as the ancient Gods were of Troy, must first be drawn off, and engaged in another Intereft, before the total fubverfion of them can be accomplished. To furmount, therefore, this laft and greateft difficulty, we have, in this excellent man, a profeffed Favourite and Intimado of the GREAT. And look, of what force ancient piety was to draw the Gods into the party of Æneas, that, and much stronger is modern incenfe, to engage the Great in the party of Dulness.

Thus have we effayed to pourtray or shadow out this noble Imp of Fame. But now the impatient reader will be apt to fay, if so many and various graces go to the making up a Hero, what mortal shall fuffice to bear his character? Ill hath he read, who feeth not, in every trace of this picture, that individual, ALL-ACCOMPLISHED PERSON, in whom these rare virtues and lucky circumstances have agreed to meet and concentre, with the strongest luftre and fulleft harmony.

The good Scriblerus indeed, nay the World itself might be impofed on, in the late fpurious editions, by I can't tell what Sham Hero, or Phantom: But it was not fo eafy to impofe on HIM whom this egregious error most of all concerned. For no fooner had the fourth book laid open the high and fwelling fcene, but he recognized his own heroic Acts: And when he came to the words,

Soft on her lap her Laureat fon reclines,

(though Laureat imply no more than one crown'd with laurel, as befitteth any affociate or Confort in Empire) he loudly refented this indignity to violated Majesty. Indeed not without caufe, he being there reprefented as faft afleep; fo mifbefeeming the Eye of Empire, which, like that of jove, should never doze nor flumber. "Hah! "(faith he) faft afleep, it seems! that's a little "too ftrong. Pert and dull at least you might "have allowed me, but as feldom afleep as any "fool'." However, the injured Hero may comfort himself with this reflexion, that tho' it be a fleep, yet it is not the fleep of death, but of immortality. Here he will live at leaft, tho' not awake; and in no worfe condition than many an enchanted Warrior before him. The famous Durandarte, for inftance, was, like him, caft into a long flumber by Merlin the British Bard and Necromancer: and his example for fubmitting to it with a good grace, might be of fervice to our Hero. For that difaftrous knight being

1 Letter, p. 53. VOL. V.

m

Ibid. p. 1.
F

forely preffed or driven to make his answer by feveral perfons of quality, only replied with a figh, Patience, and fouffle the cards".

But now, as nothing in this world, no not the most facred or perfect things either of Religion or Government, can efcape the fting of Envy, methinks I already hear thefe carpers objecting to the clearness of our Hero's title.

It would never (fay they) have been esteemed fufficient to make an Hero for the Iliad or Æneis, that Achilles was brave enough to overturn one Empire, or Æneas pious enough to raise another, had they not been Goddess-born, and Princes bred. What then did this Author mean, by erecting a Player instead of one of his Patrons, (a perfon "never a Hero even on the

ftage" to this dignity of Collegue in the empire of Dulnefs; and Atchiever of a work that neither old Omar, Attila, nor John of Leiden could entirely bring to pafs.

To all this we have, as we conceive, a fufficient answer from the Roman hiftorian, Fabrum effe fuae quemque fortuna: That every man is the Carver of his own fortune. The politic Florentine, Nicholas Machiavel, goeth ftill farther, and affirmeth that a man needeth but to believe bimfelf a Hero to be one of the worthiest that ever lived. "Let him (faith he) but fancy himself capable of the highest things, and he will of "course be able to atchieve them." From this principle it followeth, that nothing can exceed our Hero's prowess; as nothing ever equalDon Quixote, Part ii. Book ii. chap. 22. Life, p. 148.

• See

led the greatnefs of his conceptions. Hear how he conftantly paragons himself; at one time, to ALEXANDER the Great and CHARLES the XII. of Sweden, for the excefs and delicacy of his Ambition; to HENRY the IV. of FRANCE, for honeft Policy; to the first BRUTUS, for love of Liberty'; to Sir ROBERT WALPOLE, for good government while in power': At another time, to the godlike SOCRATES, for his Diversions and Amusements'; to HORACE, MONTAIGNE, and Sir WILLIAM TEMPLE, for an elegant Vanity that maketh them for ever read and admired"; to Two Lotd CHANCELLORS, for Law, from whom, when confederate against him at the bar, he carried away the prize of Eloquence; and, to fay all in a word, to the right reverend the Lord BISHOP of LONDON himself, in the art of writing Paftoral letters *.

y

Nor did his Actions fall fhort of the fublimity of his Conceit. In his early youth, he met the Revolution face to face in Nottingham; at a time when his Betters contented themselves with following her. It was here he got acquainted with Old Battle-array, of whom he hath made fo honourable mention in one of his immortal Odes. But he fhone in Courts as well as Camps: He was called up when the Nation fell in labour

z P. 52.

z" Old BATTLE-ARRAY in confufion is fled;

"And olive-rob'd Peace is come in his ftead," &c.
Birth-day Ode, or New-year's Ode on the Peace.

of this Revolution: and was a goffip at her christening, with the Bishop and the Ladies'.

As to his Birth, it is true he pretendeth to no relation either to heathen God or Goddess; but, what is as good, he was defcended from a Maker of both. And that he did not pass himself on the world for a Hero, as well by birth as education, was his own fault: For, his lineage he bringeth into his life as an Anecdote, and is fenfible he had it in his power to be thought no body's Jon at all: And what is that, I pray you, but coming into the world a Hero?

But be it (the punctilious Laws of Epic Poefy fo requiring) that a Hero of more than mortal birth muft needs be had: Even for this we have a remedy. We can easily derive our Hero's pedigree from a Goddess of no small power and authority amongst men; and legitimate and install him after the right claffical and authentic fashion: For, like as the ancient Sages found a fon of Mars in a mighty Warrior; a fon of Neptune in a fkilful Seaman; a fon of Phoebus in a harmonious Poet; fo have we here, if need be, a fon of FORTUNE in an artful Gamefter. And who fitter than the Offspring of Chance, to affift in reftoring the Empire of Night and Chaos.

There is in truth another objection of greater weight, namely, "That this Hero ftill exifteth, and hath not yet finished his earthly course. For if Solon faid well, that no man could be