He looks upon God's gofpel as a foolish fable, like the Pope, to whom he is a pitiful purveyor f. His very christianity may be queftioned. He ought to expect more feverity than other men, as he is most unmerciful in his own reflections on others ". With as good a right as his Holiness, he fets up for poetical infallibility 1. Mr. DRYDEN only a Verfifier. His whole Libel is all bad matter, beautify'd (which is all that can be faid of it) with good metre. Mr. Dryden's genius did not appear in any thing more than his Verfification, and whether he is to be ennobled for that only, is a queftion'. Mr. DRYDEN'S VIRGIL. Tonfon calls it Dryden's Virgil, to fhew that this is not that Virgil fo admir'd in the Auguftean age; but a Virgil of another ftamp, a filly, impertinent, nonfenfical writer. None but a Bavius, a Mævius, or a Bathyllus carp'd at Virgil; and none but such unthinking Vermin admire his Tranflator. It is true, foft and eafy lines might become Ovid's Epiftles or Art of Love-But Virgil, who is all great and majeftic, &c. requires ftrength of lines, weight of words, and clofenefs of expreffions; not an ambling Mufe running on Carpet-ground, and fhod as lightly as a Newmarket-racer.-He has numberlefs faults in his Author's meaning, and in propriety of expreffion °. Mr. DRYDEN understood no Greek nor Latin. Mr. Dryden was once, I have heard, at Westminster school: Dr. Busby would have whipt him for so childish a Paraphrafe P. The meanest Pedant in England would whip a Lubber of twelve for conftruing so abfurdly. The Tranflator is mad, every line betrays his Stupidity. The faults are innumerable, and convince me that Mr. Dryden did not, or would not understand his He is a Popish Rhymefter, bred up with a contempt of the Sacred Writings. His Religion allows him to destroy Hereticks, not only with his pen, but with fire and fword; and fuch were all thofe unhappy Wits whom he facrificed to his accurfed Popish Principles. It deferved Vengeance to fuggeft, that Mr. Pope had less Infallibility than his Namefake at Rome . Mr. POPE only a Verfifier. The smooth numbers of the Dunciad are all that recommend it, nor has it any other merit *. It must be owned that he hath got a notable knack of rhyming and writing smooth verse1. Mr. POPE'S HOMER. The Homer which Lintot prints, does not talk like Homer, but like Pope; and he who translated him, one would swear, had a Hill in Tipperary for his Parnaffus, and a puddle in fome Bog for his Hippocrene ". He has no Admirers among those that can diftinguish, discern, and judge ". He hath a knack at fmooth verfe, but without either Genius or good fenfe, or any tolerable knowledge of English. The qualities which diftinguish Homer are the beauties of his Diction and the Harmony of his Verfification-But this little Author, who is fo much in vogue, has neither fenfe in his Thoughts nor English in his Expreffions °, Mr. POPE understood no Greek. He hath undertaken to translate Homer from the Greek, of which he knows not one word, into English, of which he understands as little P. I wonder how this Gentleman wou'd look, fhould it be discover'd, that he has not tranflated ten verfes te Author. This fhews how fit Mr. D. may be to tranflate Homer! A miftake in a fingle letter might fall on the Printer well enough, but we for ixwe must be the error of the Author: Nor had he art enough to correct it at the Prefs. Mr.. Dryden writes for the Court Ladics -He writes for the Ladies, and not for use ". The Tranflator puts in a little Butlefque now and then into Virgil, for a Ragout to his cheated Subfcribers". Mr. DRYDEN trick'd his Subfcribers. I wonder that any man, who could not but be conscious of his own unfitness for it, fhould go to amuse the learned world with fuch an undertaking! A man ought to value his Reputation more than Money; and not to hope that those who can read for themselves, will be impofed upon, merely by a partially and unfeasonably celebrated Name. Poetis quidlibet audendi fhall be Mr. Dryden's Motto, tho' it should extend to picking of Pockets o. Names beftow'd on Mr. DRYDEN. An APE] A crafty Ape drest up in a gaudy gown-Whips put into an Ape's paw, to play pranks with-None but Apifh and Papish brats will heed him 2. An Ass.] A Camel will take upon him no more burden than is fufficient for his ftrength, but there is another beast that crouches under all 2. A FROG.] Poet Squab endued with Poet Maro's Spirit! an ugly, croaking kind of Vermin, which would fwell to the bulk of an Oxb. A COWARD] A Clinias or a Damætas, or a man of Mr. Dryden's own Courage c. A KNAVE.] Mr. Dryden has heard of Paul, the Knave of Jefus Chrift: And if I miftake not, I've read somewhere of John Dryden, Servant to his Majesty a. A FOOL.] Had he not been fuch a felf-conceited Fool Some great Poets are pofitive Blockheads f. A THING.] So little a Thing as Mr. Dryden . gether in any book of Homer with juftice to the Poet, and yet he dares reproach his fellow-writers with not understanding Greek . He has ftuck fo little to his Original as to have his knowledge in Greek call'd in queftion'. Ifhould be glad to know which it is of all Homer's Excellencies which has fo delighted the Ladies, and the Gentlemen who judge like Ladies. But he has a notable talent at Burlesque; his genius flides so naturally into it, that he hath burlesqued Homer without defigning it t Mr. POPE trick'd his Subscribers. 'Tis indeed fomewhat bold, and almoft prodigious, for a fingle man to undertake fuch a work: But 'tis too late to diffuade by demonftrating the madnefs of the Project. The Subfcribers expectations have been rais'd in proportion to what their Pockets have been drained of ". Pope has been concern'd in Jobs, and hired out his Name to Bookfellers w: Names beftow'd on Mr. POPE. An APE.] Let us take the initial letter of his Christian name, and the initial and final letters of his furname, viz. APE, and they give you the fame Idea of an Ape as his Face *, &c. An Ass.] It is my duty to pull off the Lion's fkin from this little Afs ". A FROG.] A fquab fhort Gentleman- a little creature that, like the Frog in the Fable, fwells, and is angry that it is not allow'd to be as big as an Ox 2.. A COWARD.] A lurking way-laying coward a. A KNAVE. He is one whom God and nature have mark'd for want of common honefty b. A FooL] Great Fools will be chriften'd by the names of great Poets, and Pope will be call'd Homer c A THING.] A little abject Thing ". INDE X OF Perfons celebrated in this Poem. The firft Number fhews the Book, the fecond the A MBROSE Philips, i. 105. Bruin and Bears, i. 101. iii. 326. Attila, iii. 92. Alaric, iii. 91. Alma Mater, iii. 338. Annius, an Antiquary, iv. 347. B BLACKMORE, Sir Richard, i. Bear and Fiddle, i. 224. Befaleel Morris, ii. 126. iii. 168. Concanen, Matthew, ii. 299. 104. ii. 268. Banks, i. 146. Broome, ibid. Bond, ii. 126. Brown, iii. 28. Bladen, iv. 560. Budgel, Efq. ii. 397. Burmannus, iv. 237. Centlivre, Sufannah, ii. 411. D DE FOE, Daniel, i. 103. ii. 147. De Foe, Norton, ii. 415. Benson, William, Efq. iii. 325. Dunton, John, ii. 144. iy. 110. Burgerfdick, iv. 198. Durfey, iii. 146. Dutchmen, ii. 405. iii. 51, |