2n<iS.No37.,SEFr.l3.'56.] NOTES AND QUERIED. 



201 



Lo:^J}bN, sAfvkiiAY, September h, is.^e. 



POPIANA. 



" The Progress of tfutness." — Sofne time since, 

 wlien suggesting for the consideration of those 

 engaged in the investigation of Pope's Life aind 

 Writings the gfeat probability that tiDO keys to 

 The Dunciad — one friendly and one tlie reverse 

 — were given to the world (P* S. xii. 161.), I 

 promised to call attention to a tract connected 

 with that satire, which, as far as I know, has 

 never been described. 



By the kindness of the gentleman to whoiii it 

 belongs I now fulfil that promise ; though in doing 

 so I fear I shall disappoint those who are interested 

 ih the subject. It has already been shown (ante, 

 P' S. X. 129.) that The Dunciad was originally 

 intended to be called Dulness ; and further that, 

 when The Dunciad was published, there appeared 

 on the vej'so of the last page of the third issue or 

 edition, the following advertisement : " Speedily 

 will be published. The Pnigress of Dnliiess, an 

 Historical Poem. By an Eminent Hand, i'rice 

 1*. 6(1." 



What the Progress of Dulness was has never, I 

 believe, been made out. The tract to which I am 

 about now to call attention is a tract so entitled, 

 and may be the one advertised ; though as I have 

 before suggested the existence of tivo keys to The 

 Dunciad, I am here compelled to admit the doubt 

 whether there may not be two Duln esses, inas- 

 much as this bears on its title-page " Price One 

 Shilling" not " One Shilling and Sixpence," as 

 the advertisement stated. 



The following is a copy of the title : 



" The Progress of Dulness. By an EmiuBnt Hdnd. 

 Which will sene for an Explanation of the Dunciad. 



' Nought but Himself can be his Parallel.' — Theob. 



' Dulness o'er all possess'd her ancient Rights 

 Daughter of Chaos and eternal Night : 

 Fate in their Dotage this fair Ideot gave, 

 Gross as her Sire, and as her Mother grave, 

 Laborious, heavy, busy, bold, and blind, 

 She rul'd, in native Anarchy the Mind.' 



Dune. 

 London : Printed in the Year m.dcc.xxviii. (Price One 

 Shilling.) " 



This is followed by an address frbni " The Pub- 

 lisher to the Reader," which is so short that it 

 may be as well to insert it in this place. 



" TJie Publisher to the Reader. 



" This Poem will (according to the Publick Notice we 

 have given, and to our present Title-Page) fully explain 

 our DuNCiAO. For as all Rivers derive their Source from 

 soine, perhaps imperceptible, Spring, yet here our Reader, 

 by a faithful Clue, will be gradually' led to the Spring- 

 Head of Dulness. And without having Recourse to Dr. 

 Pemberton's Unravelment of the most intricate Philo- 

 sophy, we may now trace the Goddess through all her 



Labyrinthical Mazes froih. iVindsor-Fore^i, to Twicken- 

 Aaw-Highway, and even there perceive the Workings of 

 the subterraneous Conclave. 



" May this Publication be a Tabula Votivd of my Gra- 

 titude : for since, through all the Arts, either of Rising, 

 or Sinking, in Poetry, the Author has ever vouchsafed 

 to Remember Me ; may my Right- Hand forget its Cunning, 

 whenever 1 forget Him. 



"N.B. The following PiecS, as well as the D unclad, 

 was wrote in the late Reign." 



Then follows the poem, which, as it will probably 

 never be reprinted by any editor of Pope, may 

 fairly be added to the illustrations of that poet's 

 writings which have already appeared in the co- 

 lumns of " N. & Q." Unfortunately the verses 

 are disfigured by the same coarseness which dis- 

 tinguishes so many of the writings of this period. 

 •' The Progress of Dulness. 

 " To Duhcaii Campbell. 

 " As Denham Sings, Mysterious 'twas, the same, 

 Should be the Prophet's and the Poet's Name ; * 

 But while the Sons of Genius join to Praise, 

 What Thine presaginj^ dictates to their Lays, 

 The things, they sweetly sing, and You foresliew, 

 Open the Saw^son-Riddle to our View; 

 StMpg are thy Prophecies, their Numbers sweet, 

 Ana with the Lion, Combs of Honey meet. 

 " Late on Fantastic Cabalistic Schemes, 

 Of waking Whimsies, or of Fev'rish Dreams, 

 New Cobweb Threads of Poetry were spun, ") 



In gaudy Snares, like Flies, were Witlings won, > 

 Their Brains entangled, and our Art undone. J 



" Pope first descended from a 3fonkish Race, 

 Cheapens the Charms of Art, and daubs her Face ; 

 From Gabalis,^ his Mushroom Fictions rise, 



Lop off his Sylphs and his Belinda % dies j 



Th' attending Insects hover in the Air, 



No longer, than they're present, is She Fair; 



Some dart those Eye-beams, which the Youths beguile, 



And some sit Conquering in a dimpling Smile. 



Some pinch the Tucker, and some smooth the Smock, ' 



Some guard an Upper, some a Lower Lock ; 



But if these truant Body-Guards escape, 



In whip the Gnomes and strait comriiit a Rape ; 



The curling Honours of her Head they seize, 



Hairs less in Sight, or any Hairs they please ; 



But if to angry Frowns, her Brow She bends. 



Upon her Front some sullen Gnome descends ; 



Whisks thro' the Furrows, with its Airy Form, 



Bristles her Eye-brows, and directs the Storm. 



" As wide from these, are Addisonian Themes, 

 As Angels Thoughts are from distemper'd Dreams; 

 Spenser and He, to Image Nature, knew, 

 Like living Persons, Vice and Virtue drew : ' 

 At once instructed and well-pleas'd we read, 

 While in sweet Morals these two Poets laid, 

 No less to Wisdom, than to Wit, pretence, 

 They led by Music, but they led to Sense. 



" But Pope scarce ever Force to -Fancy joins, "i 

 With Da7ici7ig- Master's Feet equips his Lines, > 

 Plumes empty Fancy, and in Tinsel shines. J 



* ( Votes) See, The Prbgress of Leariiingj by Lord Lans- 



dowfie. 



t See, The History of the Count de Gabalis, from 

 whence He has taken the Machinery of his Rape of the 

 Lock. 



X Mrs Arabella Termor, 



