Prudence, whose glass presents th' approaching jail: Poetic Justice, with her lifted scale, Where, in nice balance, truth with gold she weighs And solid pudding against empty praise. Here she beholds the Chaos dark and deep, Where nameless Somethings in their causes sleep, Till genial Jacob, or a warm Third day, Call forth each mass, a Poem, or a Play : 55 that ends well, I am no great Nebuchadnezzar, I have not much skill in grass. Ibid. They are for the flowery way that leads to the broad gate and the great fire, Matt. vii. 13. In Much ado about nothing, All, all, and moreover God saw him when he was hid in the Garden, Gen. iii. 8. (in a very jocose scene.) In Love's Labour Lost, he talks of Samson carrying the gates on his back; in the Merry Wives of Windsor, of Goliah and the weaver's beam; and in Henry IV. Falstaff's soldiers are compared to Lazarus and the prodigal son. -The first part of this note is Mr. CURL'S, the rest is Mr. Theobald's, Appendix to Shakspeare restored, P. 144. " W. It seems to be rather an odd and a weak defence of using a phrase of Scripture lightly and profanely, to say that Shakspeare did so. Ver. 55. beholds the Chaos] This passage, from hence down to verse 78, is an instance of great power and elegance of Style on a subject that with such difficulty admits of either. Ver. 57. Jacob,] A race of booksellers, that did honour to their profession, for integrity and encouragement of authors. Jacob Tonson was admitted to the familiarity and friendship of the most eminent writers of his time; who made him a present of their portraits by good masters. IMITATIONSolo mi garad Ver. 55. Here she beholds the Chaos dark and deep, 2 Where nameless somethings, &c. f That is to say, unformed things, which are either made into Poems or Plays, as the Booksellers or the Players bid most. 60 How hints, like spawn, scarce quick in embryo lie, Here one poor word a hundred clenches makes, She sees a Mob of Metaphors advance, 65 REMARKS. Ver. 63. Here one poor word a hundred clenches makes,] It may not be amiss to give an instance or two of these operations of Dulness out of the Works of her Sons, celebrated in the Poem. A great Critic formerly held these clenches in such abhorrence, that he declared, "he that would pun, would pick a pocket.” Yet Mr. Dennis's works afford us notable examples in this kind; Alexander Pope hath sent abroad into the world as many Bulls as his namesake Pope Alexander.- -Let us take the initial and final letters of his name, viz. A. P--E, and they give you the idea of an Ape.--Pope comes from the Latin word Popa, which signifies a little wart: or from popysma, because he was continu ally popping out squibs of wit, or rather Popysmata or Popysmus.” Dennis on Hom. and Daily Journal, June 11, 1728. P. IMITATIONS. These lines allude to the following in Garth's Dispensary, Cant. vi. T "Within the chambers of the globe they spy Till the glad summons of a genial ray Unbinds the glebe, and calls them out to day." W. Ver. 64. And ductile Dulness, &c.] A parody on a verse in Garth, Cant. i. "How ductile matter hew meanders takes." W. How Tragedy and Comedy embrace; 70 75 All these, and more, the cloud-compelling Queen Beholds through fogs that magnify the scene. 80 REMARKS. Ver. 70, &c. How Farce and Epic-How Time himself, &c.] Allude to the transgressions of the Unities in the Plays of such poets. For the miracles wrought upon Time and Place, and the mixture of Tragedy and Comedy, Farce and Epic, see Pluto and Proserpine, Penelope, &c. if yet extant. W. 1 Ver. 73. Egypt glads with show'rs,] In the Lower Egypt rain, is of no use, the overflowing of the Nile being sufficient to impregnate the soil.-These six verses represent the inconsistencies in the descriptions of poets, who heap together all glittering and gaudy images, though incompatible in one season, or in one scene. See the Guardian, N° 40. parag. 6. See also Eusden's whole works, if to be found. It would not have been unpleasant to have given examples of all these species of bad writing from these Authors, but that it is already done in our Treatise of the Bathos. Scribl. 2 u to exobuts Ver. 79. the cloud-compelling] Gray has left a very fine fragSert went of a hymn to Ignorance, very much in the manner of the Dunciad; "Many of the lines of this fragment (says Mr. Mason) IMITATIONS. Ver. 79. the cloud-compelling Queen] From Homer's Epithet of Jupiter, vepeλnyepáná Zacúç. W. atin attach wol } She tinsel'd o'er in robes of varying hues, maces, 85 Glad chains, warm furs, broad banners, and broad Ver. 85 in the former Editions, "Twas on the day when Thorold, rich and grave. Sir George Thorold, Lord Mayor of London in the year 1720. REMARKS. W. are so strong, and the general cast of the versification so musical, that I believe it will give the generality of readers a higher opinion of his poetical talents, than many of his lyrical productions have done. I speak of the generality: because it is a certain fact, that their taste is founded upon the ten-syllable couplets of Dryden and Pope, and upon these only." P. 176. Ver. 85, 86. 'Twas on the day, when * * rich and grave, Like Cimon, triumph'd] Viz. a Lord Mayor's Day, his name the author had left in blanks, but most certainly could never be that which the Editor foisted in formerly, and which no way agrees with the chronology of the poem. Bentl. The procession of a Lord Mayor is made partly by land, and partly by water.-Cimon, the famous Athenian General, obtained a victory by sea, and another by land, on the same day, over the Persians and Barbarians. Ver. 88. Glad chains,] The ignorance of these Moderns! This was altered in one edition to Gold chains, shewing more regard to the metal of which the chains of Aldermen are made than to the beauty of the Latinism and, Græcism, nay of figurative speech itself: Latas segetes, glad, for making glad, &c. Scribl. ide Now Night descending, the proud scene was o'er, But liv'd, in Settle's numbers, one day more. 90 Now May'rs and Shrieves all hush'd and satiate lay, Yet eat, in dreams, the custard of the day; Much she revolves their arts, their ancient praise, Each sire imprest and glaring in his son: 100 Ver. 90. But liv'd, in Settle's numbers, one day more] beautiful manner of speaking, usual with poets in praise of poetry, in which kind nothing is finer than those lines of Mr. Addison: "Sometimes, misguided by the tuneful throng, V Dumb are their fountains, and their channels dry;ɔnt Ibid. But liv'd, in Settle's numbers, one day more.] Settle was poet to the City of London. His office was to composé yearly panegyrics upon the Lord Mayors, and verses to be spoken în the Pageants: but that part of the shows being at length frugally abolished, the employment of City-poet, ceased; so that upon, Settle's demise there was no successor to that place. W od o Ver. 98. John Heywood, whose Interludes were printed in 'the' time of Henry VIII bri |