Elfe fure fome Bard, to our eternal praise, REMARK S. 176 VER. 174. that Mafier-piece of Man.] Viz. an Epigram. The famous Dr. Scutb declared a perfect Epigram to be as difficult a performance as an Epic Poem. And the Critics fay, an Epic Poem is the greatest work human nature is capable " of." VER. 175. Ob (cry'd the Goddess) &c.] The matter under debate is how to confine men to Words for life. The inftructors of youth fhew how well they do their parts; but complain that when men come into the world they are apt to forget their Learning, and turn themfelves to useful Knowledge. This was an evil that wanted to be redreffed. And this the Goddess affures them will need a more extensive Tyranny than that of Grammar fchools. She therefore points out to them the remedy, in ber wishes for arbitrary power; whofe intereft it being to keep men from the ftudy of things, will encourage the propagation of words and founds; and, to make all fure, she wishes for another Pedant Monarch. The fooner to obtain fo great a bleffing, she is willing even for once to violate the fundamental principle of her politics, in having her fons taught at least one thing; but that fufficient, the Doctrine of Divine right. Nothing can be juster than the observation here infinuated, that no branch of Learning thrives well under Arbitrary government but the Verbal. The reafons are evident. It is unfafe under fuch Governments to cultivate the study of things, efpe. cially things of importance. Befides, when men have loft their public virtue, they naturally delight in trifles, if their private morals fecure them from being vicious. Hence fo great a Cloud of Scholiafts and Grammarians fo foon overfpread the Light of To flick the Doctor's Chair into the Throne, REMARK S. 180 Greece and Rome, when once thofe famous Communities had loft their Liberties. Another reason is the encouragement which arbitrary governments give to the ftudy of words, in order to busy and amuse active genius's, who might otherwife prove troublesome and inquifitive. So when Cardinal Richelieu had deftroyed the poor remains of his Country's liberties, and made the fupreme Court of Parliament merely minifterial, he instituted the French Academy, for the perfecting their language. What was faid upon that occafion, by a brave Magiftrate, when the letters-patent of its erection came to be verified in the Parliament of Paris, deserves to be remembered: He told the affsembly, that it put him in mind bow an Emperor of Rome once treated Lis Senate ; who when he bad deprived them of the cognizance of Public matters, fent a message to them in form for their opinion about the best Sauce for a Turbot. VER. 176. Some gentle JAMES, &c.] Wilfon tells us that this King, James the first, took upon himself to teach the Latin tongue to Car, Earl of Somerfet; and that Gondomar the Spanish Ambaffador would fpeak falfe Latin to him, on purpofe to give him the pleasure of correcting it, whereby he wrought himself into his good graces. This great prince was the first who affumed the title of Sacred Majefty, which his loyal Clergy transferred from God to Him. "The principles of Paffive Obedience and Non-resistance (says "the Author of the Differtation on Parties, Letter 8.) which "before his time had skulked perhaps in fome old Homily, "were talked, written, and preached into vogue in that inglo❝rious reign." Ver, 181, 182. if Dulness fees a grateful Day, 'Tis in the O! if my fons may learn one earthly thing, That which my Priefts, and mine alone, maintain, 186 May you, may Cam, and Ifis preach it long! "The RIGHT DIVINE of Kings to govern wrong." REMARKS, fhade of Arbitrary Sway.] And grateful it is in Dulness to make this confeffion. I will not fay fhe alludes to that celebrated verfe of Claudian, nunquam Libertas gratior exflat Quam fub Rege pio. But this I will fay, that the words Liberty and Monarchy have been frequently confounded and mistaken one for the other by the graveft authors. I fhould therefore conjecture, that the genuine reading of the forecited verfe was thus, nunquam Libertas gratior exflat Quam fub Lege pia, and that Rege was the reading only of Dulness herself: And therefore the might allude to it. SCRIBL. I judge quite otherwife of this paffage: The genuine reading is Libertas, and Rege: So Claudian gave it. But the error lies in the firft verfe: It fhould be exit, not exftat, and then the meaning will be, that Liberty was never loft, or went away with fo good a grace, as under a good King: it being without doubt a tenfold fhame to lose it under a bad one, This farther leads me to animadvert upon a moft grievous piece of nonsense to be found in all the Editions of the Author of the Dunciad himself. A moft capital one it is, and owing to the confufion above-mentioned by Scriblerus, of the two words Liberty and Monarchy. Effay on Crit. Nature, like Monarchy, is but restrain'd By the fame Laws berfelf at firft ordain'd. Who fees not, it fhould be, Nature, like Liberty? Correct it therefore repugnantibus omnibus (even tho' the Author himself Prompt at the call, around the Goddess roll Broad hats, and hoods, and caps a fable shoal: 190 Thick and more thick the black blockade extends, A hundred head of Ariftotle's friends. REMARKS. fhould oppugn) in all the impreffions which have been, or fhalt be, made of his works. BENTL. VER. 189. Prompt at the call,—Aristotle's Friends.] The Author, with great propriety, hath made thefe, who were so prompt, at the call of Dulness, to become preachers of the divine Right of Kings, to be the friends of Aristotle; for this philofopher, in his politics, hath laid it down as a principle, that fome Men were, by nature, made to serve, and others to command. VER. 192. Ariftotle's friends.] A Satire on SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY, which was founded in a corrupt Peripatetifm, and is the Art of making a great deal from nothing, in Theology; and nothing from a great deal, in Phyfics. Ibid. A hundred bead of Ariftotle's friends.] The Philofophy of Aristotle had suffered a long disgrace in this learned University : being first expelled by the Cartefian, which, in its turn, gave place to the Newtonian. But it had all this while fome faithfu followers in fecret, who never bowed the knee to Baal, nor acknowledged any ftrange God in Philofophy. These, on this new appearance of the Goddefs, come out like Confeffors, and make an open profeffion of the ancient faith, in the ipfe dixit of their Mafter. Thus far SCRIBLERUS. But the learned Mr. Colley Cibber takes the matter quite otherwife; and that this various fortune of Ariftotle relates not to his natural, but his moral Philofophy. For speaking of that Univer fity in his time, he fays, they feemed to have as implicit a Reverence for Shakespear and Johnson, as formerly for the ETHICS of Ariftotle. See his Life, p. 385. One would think this learned profeffor had miftaken Ethics for Phyfics; unless he might ima gine the Morals too were grown into difufe, from the relaxation. they admitted of during the time he mentions, viz. while He and the Players were at Oxford. 195 Nor wert thou, Ifis! wanting to the day, REMARK S. Ibid. A bundred bead, &c.] It appears by this the Goddess had been careful of keeping up a Succeffion, according to the rule, Semper enim refice: ac, ne poft amiffa requiras, Anteveni;& fobolem armento fortire quotannis. It is remarkable with what dignity the Poet here describes the friends of this ancient Philofopher. Horace does not observe the fame decorum with regard to those of another fect, when he fays, Cum ridere voles Epicuri de grege Porcum. But the word Drove, Armentum, here underfood, is a word of honour, as the moft noble Feftus the Grammarian affures us, Armentum id genus pecoris appellatur, quod eft idoneum opus armorum, And alluding to the temper of this warlike breed, our poet very appofitely calls them a bundred head. SCRIBL. VER. 194. [Tho' Chrift-church] This line is doubtless fpurious, and foifted in by the impertinence of the Editor; and accordingly we have put it in between Hooks. for I affirm this College came as early as any other, by its proper Deputies; nor did any College pay homage to Dulness in its whole body. BENTL. VER. 195. fill expelling Locke] In the year 1703 there was a meeting of the heads of the University of Oxford to cenfure Mr. Locke's Effay on Human Underftanding, and, to forbid the reading it. See his Letters in the laft Edit. VER. 198. On German Crouzaz and Dutch Burgersdyck.] There seems to be an improbability that the Doctors and Heads of Houfes fhould ride on horfeback, who of late days, being gouty or unweildy, have kept their coaches. But these are horíes of great ftrength, and fit to carry any weight, as their Cer-' |