the man, who is fo unfeeling as to laugh on occafions which fhould command a blufh, will always find fenfelefs grinners to keep him in countenance, yet he will appear defpicable in the eyes of every one of difcernment and decorum; and his vices and follies will difgrace his memory, while the talents which fhaded and difguised them, are no longer remembered.

Indeed we have too much reafon to conclude, that the good purpose intended by this fatire was, to the herd in general, of lefs efficacy than our poet hoped. For fcriblers have not the common fenfe of other vermin, who ufually abstain from mischief, when they see any of their kind gibbetted or nailed up, as terrible examples.

It will not be immaterial to observe, that Mr., POPE laid the plan of the fourth book at the requeft of the learned editor of his works, who reminded him that it was a pity fo fine a poem as the Dunciad, fhould remain difgraced by the meannefs of its fubject; and that he ought to raise and ennoble it by pointing his fatire against minute philofophers and free-thinkers *.

Such

*The editor of his works obferves, that he imagined it was for the intereft of religion to have it known, that fo great a genius had a due abhorrence of thofe peits of virtue and fociety.

It was to advance the fame ends of virtue and religion, that the editor prevailed on him to alter every thing in his Cc 4

Moral

Such a recommendation does honour to him who gave it; but ftill it is to be wished, that the admirable contents of the fourth book had been totally detached, from the poem of which they constitute a part. The weight and importance of the fubjects treated of in this book, feem to have re→ quired fuch a feparation: and they would perhaps, if poffible, have appeared with still greater dignity, had they not been blended with the levities in other parts of this poem.

*

Moral Writings, that might be fufpected to have the least glance towards Fate or Naturalifm, and to add what was proper to convince the world that he was warmly on the fide of Moral Government and a REVEALED WILL: and the editor affures us, that it would be great injuftice to Mr. POPE'S memory not to declare that he embraced thefe occafions with unfeigned pleasure.

Mr. POPE himself acknowledges the influence of the editor's recommendation, in a letter addreffed to him, the 28th December, 1742, where he fays" The encouragement you gave me to add the fourth book, firft determined me to "do fo; and the approbation you feemed to give it, was "what fingly determined me to print it.??

*Our author himself feems to apologize for the levity of this piece, in the following letter, addressed to the learned

annotator.

"I have just received yours, and as I have no words to exprefs, "farther than you already know, my fincere defire to merit "your friendship, I will not employ any. I thank you for "what you fo freedily have done, and fhall put it to the prefs with all hatte, the reft of the book being ready.

"If any thing more can be done for the Dunciad, it must be to acquaint the public, that you have thought it worth "your care, by beftowing fome notes upon it, to make it more important and ferious."

"This fourth book was published long after "the first three, and the author pleasantly pre"fixed an advertisement to the first edition of "it, which made its appearance feparately in "the year 1742*, intimating that it was by a "different hand from the other, and found in "detached pieces, incorrect and unfinished."

The editor of his works objected to him the affectation of ufing fo unpromising an attempt to mislead his reader. He replied, very fhrewdly, that the editor thought too highly of the public tafte; that, most commonly, it was formed on that of half a dozen people in fashion who took the lead, and fometimes intruded the dulleft performances on the town, for works of wit: while at the fame time, fome true efforts of genius, without name or recommendation, have paffed unobferved or neglected, by the public eye.

*We find, by a letter above quoted from our author to Mr. Bethel, that he expected to raise a form against him by the publication of the fourth book of the Dunciad; and it appears, by the following letter, that his friend entertained apprehenfions on his account, which he thus facetiously

removes.

"To give you ease, in relation to the event of my poem, "which dealing much in general, not particular fatire, has ftirred up little or no refentment, though it be levelled much higher than the former; yet men not being fingled "out from the herd, bear chaftifement better, like galleyflaves, for being all linked in a firing, and on the fame "rank."

He

He added many other juft reflections on this occafion, and the event fhewed that he was not miftaken. The fourth book, the moft ftudied and highly finished of all his poems, was esteemed obfcure t, (a name which, in excess of modesty, the reader gives to what he does not understand) and but a faint imitation, by fome common hand, of the other three. He had himself the malicious pleasure of hearing this judgment paffed on his favourite work, by feveral of his acquaintance; a pleasure more to his tafte than the flatteries they used to entertain him with, and were then intentionally paying him.

The Dunciad, it is faid, was prefented to the King * and Queen, by Sir Robert Walpole, who,

+ To prove, among other inftances, how industriously Lord Bolingbroke concealed his licentious principles from Mr. POPE, and how much he affected before him to diflike Freethinkers, it may be material to obferve, that when the fourth book of the Dunciad was published, Lord Bolingbroke was abroad; but on the change of the miniftry, he returned to England. At his firft interview with Mr. POPE, he faid-" It seems you have written a fourth book; but it "was represented to me as fo cbfcure by every body, that I "had no inclination to read it till the other day, when I "found it to be the best and most finished of all your writ

ings. The fatire on Freethinkers, is most just and useful; "and ennobles a work of wit, which only wanted that ad❝vantage."

When the new edition of the Dunciad was published, with notes, Mr. POPE regained by it the good opinion of the court. The King declared that he was a very boneft man. Perhaps the court efteemed bad Poets a more legitimate object of fatire, than bad Politicians.

8

about

about this time, it is thought, offered to procure him a penfion, which he refufed with the fame noble spirit with which he had formerly declined offers of this nature. This propofal of Sir Robert's, is probably hinted at in a paffage of one of our author's letters to Dean Swift, which the reader may fee in the note underneath t.

Mr. POPE obferved, that he was wholly obliged to the whig miniftry, for thoughts of this nature. His friend Lord Oxford, he affures us, never made fuch a propofal to him: though he often ufed to talk with great kindnefs to him, and frequently expreffed his concern, that he fhould be incapable of a place without giving inquietude to his father and mother Such concern, faid our pious poet, as I would not have given to either, for all the places which the miniftry could have beftowed on me. Lord Oxford, however, never made him any offer of a penfion.

+ "I was once before difpleafed at you for complaining to Mr. of my not having a penfion. I am fo again, "at your naming it to a certain Lord. I have given proof,

in the courfe of my life, from the time that I was in the * friendship of Lord Bolingbroke and Mr. Craggs, even to this time, when I am civilly treated by Sir Robert Walpole, that I never thought myself fo warm in any party's caufe, as to deferve their money, and therefore would "never have accepted it. I defire you to take off any impreffions which that dialogue may have left upon his Lord"thip's mind, as if I ever had any thoughts of being beholden to him, or any other, in that way."

But