Much the revolves their arts, their ancient praise,
And fure fucceffion down from Heywood's days.
She faw with joy the line. immortal run,
Each fire impreft and glaring in his fon :
So watchful Bruin forms, with plastic care,
Each growing lump, and brings it to a bear.
She faw old Pryn in reftlefs Daniel fhine,

And Eufden eke our Blackmore's endle's line;

She faw flow Philips creep like Tate's poor page, 105 And all the mighty mad in Dennis rage.

In each the marks her image full expreft,

But chief in Bayes's monster-breeding breaft;

REMARKS.

Bayes,

v. 98. John Heywood.] Whofe Interludes were printed in the time of Henry VIII.

v. 103. ------old Pryn in reftiefs Daniel.] The first edition had it,

She faw in Norton all his father thine.

A great mistake! for Daniel De Foe had parts, but Norton de Foe was a wretched writer, and never attempted poetry. Much more justly is Daniel himfelf made fucceffor to W. Pryn, both of whom wrote verfes as well as politics; as appears by the poem De Jure Diving, &c. of De Foe, and by thefe lines in Cowley's Mifcellanies, on the other:

"One lately did not fear

"(Without the Mufes' leave) to plant verfe here.
"But it produc'd fuch bafe, rough, crabbed, hedge.
"Rymes, as e'en fet the hearer's ears on edge;
"Written by William Pryn, Efquire, the
"Year of our Lord fix hundred thirty-three,

"Brave Jerfy Mufe! and he's, for his high ftyle,
"Call'd to this day the Homer of the Ifle."

And both thefe authors had a refemblance in their fates as well as their writings, having been alike fentenced to the pillory.

v. 104. And Eufden eke out, &c.] Laurence Eufden, Poet-laureate. Mr. Jacob gives a catalogue of fome few only of his works, which are very numerous. Mr. Cooke, in his Battle of Poets, faith of him,

"Eufden, a laurel'd bard, by Fortune rais'd,
"By very few was read, by fewer prais'd."

v. 105. Like Tate's poor page.] Nahum Tate was Poet-laureate, a cold writer, of no invention; but fometimes tranflated tolerably when befriended by Mr. Dryden. In his fecond part of Abfalom and Ahithophel are above two hundred admirable lines together of that great hand, which ftrongly fhine through the infipidity of the reft. Something parallel may be obferved of another author here mentioned.

VARIATIONS.

7. 108. But chief in Bayes's, &c.] In the former edition thus:
But chief in Tibbald's moniter-breeding breaft:
Sees gods with dæmons in trange league engage,
And earth, and heav'n, and hell her battles wage,
She ey'd the bard, where fupperlefs he fate,
And pin'd, unconscious of his rifing fate;
Studious he fate with all his books around,
Sinking from thought to thought, &c.------

Bayes, form'd by Nature Stage and Town to blefs,
And act and be a coxcomb with fuccefs.
Dulnefs with transport eyes the lively Dunce,
Remembring the herself was Pertnefs once.
Now (fhame to Fortune!) an ill run at play
Blanck'd his bold vifage, and a thin third day:
Swearing and fupperle's the hero fate,

115

Blafphem'd his gods, the dice, and damn'd his fate;
Then gnaw'd his pen, then dafht it on the ground,
Sinking from thought to thought, a vast profound!
Plung'd for his fenfe, but found no bottom there,
Yet wrote and flounder'd on in mere despair.
Round him much embryo, much abortion lay,
Much future ode, and abdicated play;
Nonfenfe precipitate, like running lead,

120

That flip'd through cracks and zigzags of the head;

All that on Folly Frenzy could beget,
Fruits of dull heat, and footerkins of wit.

125

Next o'er his books his eyes began to roll,

In pleafing memory of all he ftole;

How here he fip'd, how there he plunder'd fnug,

And fuck'd all o'er like an induftrious bug.

130

Here lay poor Fletcher's half-eat fcenes, and here
The frippery of crucify'd Moliere;

There hapless Shakespeare, yet of Tibbald fore,
With'd he had blotted for himfelf before.

REMARKS.

v. 109. Bayes, form'd by Nature, &c.] It is hoped the Poet here hath done full justice to his Hero's character, which it were a great mistake to imagine was wholly funk in ftupidity: he is allowed to have fupported it with a wonderful mixture of vivacity. This character is heightened according to his own defire, in a letter he wrote to our Author:

VARIATIONS.

v. 121. Round him much embryo, &c.] In the former edition thus:
He roll'd his eyes, that witnefs'd huge difmay,
Where yet unpawn'd, much fearned lumber lay;
Volumes, whofe fize the fpace exactly fill'd,
Or which fond authors were fo good to gild,
Or where, by fceptre made for ever known,
The page admires new beauties not its own.
Here fwells the shelf, c.

IMITATIONS.

Tar. He roll'd his eyes, that witness'd huge dismay.]

round he throws his eyes,

"That witnefs'd huge affliction and difmay."

Pert

and

Milt. Book 1,

The progrefs of a bad poet in his thoughts, being (like the progrefs of the Devil in Milton) through a chaos, might probably fuggeft this imitation,

The reft on outfide merit but prefume,

135

140

Or ferve (like other fools) to fill a room;
Such with their fhelves as due proportion hold,
Or their fond parents drefs'd in red and gold;
Or where the pictures for the page atone,
And Quarles is fav'd by beauties not his own.
Here fwells the shelf with Ogilby the Great;
There, ftamp'd with arms, Newcastle fhines complete:
Here all his fuff'ring brotherhood retire,
And 'fcape the martyrdom of jakes and fire:
A Gothic library! of Greece and Rome

145

Well purg'd, and worthy Settle, Banks, and Broome.

REMARKS.

But

"and dull at least you might have allowed me. What! am I only to be dull, "and dull ftill, and again, and for ever?" He then folemnly appealed to his own confcience, that he could not think himself fo, or believe that "our Poet did; but that he spoke worfe of him than he could poffibly "think; and concluded it must be merely to fhew his wit, or for fome "profit or lucre to himfelf." Life of C. C. ch. vii. and Letter to Mr. P. P. 15, 40, 53. And to fhew his claim to what the Poet was fo unwilling to allow him, of being pert as well as dull, he declares he will have the laft word; which occafioned the following epigram:

Quoth Cibber to Pope, though in verfe you foreclofe,
I'll have the laft word; for by G---, I'll write profe.
Poor Colley! thy reas'ning is none of the strongeft,
For know, the laft word is the word that lasts longeft.

v. 141. Ogilby the Great.]" John Ogilby was one who, from a late ini"tiation into literature, made fuch a progrefs as might well style him "the prodigy of his time! fending into the world fo many large volumes! "His tranflations of Homer and Virgil done to the life, and with fuch ex"cellent fculptures: and (what added great grace to his works) he printed "them all on fpecial good paper, and in a very good letter." Winftanley, Lives of Poets.

v. 142. There, ftamp'd with arms, Newcastle fines complete.] "The "Dutchefs of Newcastle was one who bufted herfelf.n the ravishing delights "of poetry; leaving to pofterity in pirnt three ample volumes of her "ftudious endeavours." Winstanley, ilid. Langhaine reckons up eight folios of her Grace's, which were ufually adorned with gilded covers, and had her coat of arms upon them.

v. 146.-worthy Settle, Banks, and Broome.] The Poet has mentioned thefe three authors in particular, as they are parellel to our hero in his three capacities: 1. Settle was his brother Laureate; only indeed upon half-pay, for the City instead of the Court; but equally famous for unintelligible flights in his poems on public occafions, fuch as fhows, birthdays, &c. 2. Banks was his rival in tragedy, (though more fuccefsful,) in one of his tragedies, the Earl of Effex, which is yet alive: Anna Boleyn, the Queen of Scots, and Cyrus the Great, are dead and gone. Thefe

v. 140. In the former edit.

IMITATIONS.

The page admires new beauties not its own.]

Miraturque novas frondes et non fua poma." ----Virg. Georg, H.