37 honest man; a terrible imposer upon both parties, or very moderate to either. Be it as to the judicious reader shall seem good. Sure it is, he is little favoured of certain authors whose wrath is perilous: for one declares he ought to have a price set on his head, and to be hunted down as a wild beast*; another protests that he does not know what may happen; advises him to insure his person; says he has bitter enemies, and expressly declares it will be well if he escapes with his life t. One desires he would cut his own throat, or hang himself. But Pasquin seemed rather inclined it should be done by the government, representing him engaged in grievous designs with a Lord of Parliament then under prosecution. Mr. Dennis himself hath written to a minister, that he is one of the most dangerous persons in this kingdom**; and assureth the Public that he is an open and mortal enemy to his country; a monster that will, one day, shew as daring a soul as a mad Indian, who runs a-muck to kill the first Christian he meets tt. Another gives information of treason discovered in his Poem ‡‡. M. *Theobald, Letter in Mist's Journal, June 22d, 1728. Gulliveriana, p. 332. || Anno 1723. ** Anno 1729. p. 12. and in the last page of that treatise. + 1 Page 6, 7, of the preface, by Concanen, to a book entitled, A Collection of all the Letters, Essays. Verses, and Advertisements, occasioned by Pope and Swift's Miscellanies. Printed for A. Moore, octavo, 1714. Volume IV D Curl boldly supplies an imperfect verse with kings and princesses *; and one Matthew Concanen, yet more impudent, publishes, at length, the two most sacred names in this nation as members of the Dunciad + ! This is prodigious! yet it is almost as strange that, in the midst of these invectives, his greatest enemies have (I know not how) borne testimony to some merit in him. MR. THEOBALD, in censuring his Shakspere, declares, " He has so "great an esteem for Mr. Pope, and so high an opinion of his genius and excellencies, that, notwithstanding he professes a veneration almost "rising to idolatry for the writings of this inimi table Poet, he would be very loath even to do him "justice at the expence of that other gentleman's cha"racter." MR. CHARLES GILDON, after having violently attacked him in many pieces, at last came to wish from his hear:, "That Mr. Pope would be prevailed upon to give us Ovid's Epistles by his hand; for it is certain we see the "original of Sappho to Phaon with much more life and likeness in his version than in that of Sir Car Scrope. And this (he adds) is the more to be wished, because in the English tongue we Key to the Dunciad, 3d edition, p. 18. + A List of Persons, &c. at the end of the fore-mentioned Collection of all the Letters, Essays, &c. Introduction to his Shakspeare Restored, 4to. p. 3. 8v **have scarce any thing truly and naturally written ❝upon love*." He also, in taxing Sir Richard Blackmore for his heterodox opinions of Homer, challenges him to answer what Mr. Pope hath said in his Preface to that poet. MR. OLDMIXON calls him a great master of our tongue; declares "The "purity and perfection of the English language to "be found in his Homer; and, ŝaying there are more "good verses in Dryden's Virgil than in any other "work, except this of our Author only †." The Author of a Letter to MR. CIBBER says Pope was so good a versifier Conce] that " his predecessor Mr. Dryden, and his contempo.. rary Mr. Prior excepted, the harmony of his "numbers is equal to any body's; and that he had "all the merit that a man can have that way." And MR. THOMAS COOKE, after much blemishing our Author's Homer, crieth out, "But in his other works what beauties shine, "These he admir'd, on these he stamp'd his praise, So also one who takes the name of H. STANHOPE, the maker of certain verses to Duncan Campbell, in * Commentary on the Duke of Buckingham's Essay, 8vo. 1721, p. 97, 98. In his prose Essay on Criticism. 40 TES es an imperfect verse with kings that poem, whichd one Matthew Concanen, yet. confesseth, blishes, at length, the two most Tis true, if fines nation as members of the Dun- (Tun'd justly high, "That we should farmeet it is almost as strange "Pope more than we can “For when some giiding rise invectives, his greatest "His lines run smoother than) borne testimony to MIST'S JOURNAL, Jun Although he says, "The smoo "Dunciad are all that recommend "other merit;" yet that same paper hat "He has 50 "The Author, is allowed to be a perfec so high an that, noton almost an easy and elegant versification. In alis inimi<< we find the most happy turns, and natural do him "wonderfully short, and thick sown.", The Essay on the Dunciad, also owns, p. cha is very full of beautiful images. But the paneg. which crowns all that can be said on this Poertes, bestowed by our Laureat, MR. COLLEY CIBBER, 1. an er who "< grants it to be a better Poem of its kind the 66 ever was writ:" but adds, "it was a victory ove 66 a parcel of poor wretches, whom it was almo "cowardice to conquer. A man might as wel "triumph for having killed so many silly flies tha "offended him. Could he have let them alone, by "this time, poor souls! they had all been buried * Printed under the title of The Progress of Dulness, odecimo, 1728. in oblivion." Here we see our excellent Laureat allows the justice of the satire on every man in it but himself, as the great Mr. Dennis did before him. The said MR. DENNIS and MR. GILDON, in the most furious of all their works, (the forecited Character, p. 5.) do in concert † confess," That some "men of good understanding value him for his rhymes." And (p. 17.) "That he has got, like Mr. Bayes, in the "Rehearsal, (that is, like Mr. Dryden) a notable "knack at rhyming, and writing smooth verse." *Cibber's Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9, 21. In concert. Hear how Mr. Dennis hath proved our mistake in this place: "As to my writing in concert with "Mr. Gildon, I declare upon the honour and word of a "gentleman, that I never wrote so much as one line in "concert with any one man whatsoever. And these two "letters from Gildon will plainly shew that we are not "writers in concert with each other. Sir, "The height of my ambition is to please men' "of the best judgment; and finding that I have enter"tained my master agreeably, I have the extent of the "reward of my labour." Sir, "I had not the opportunity ofhearing of your excellent "Pamphlet till this day. am infinitely satisfied and "pleased with it, and hope you will meet with that "encouragement your admirable performance de"serves," &c. Ch. Gilden.' "Now is it not plain that any one who send such com "pliments to another, has not been used to write in part"nership with him to whom he sends them?" Dennis, Remarks on the Dunciad, p. 50. Mr. Dennis is therefore welcome to take this piece to himself. |