2»a s. NO 44., Nov. 1. '56.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



343 



tioner felt soon after, that some poisonous Drug had been 

 secretly infused therein." 



That this story of the " poisoning " was one 

 by which the town was amused at the time, we 

 now furnish another proof, in a copy of the follow- 

 ing broadside on the subject, which will be best 

 appreciated by those who know the verses ad- 

 dressed by Pope " To the ingenious Mr. Moore, 

 Author of the Celebrated Worm Powder." * 



"mooke' woems. 

 " For the learned Mr. Curll, Bookseller, 



Who, to be reveng'd on Mr. Pope for his' poisonous Erne- 

 tick, gave him a Paper of Worm-Powder, which caused 

 that Gentleman to void a strange sort of Worms. 

 " Oh learned Curll! thy skill excels 

 Ev'n Moore's of Abchurch Lane ; 

 He only genuine worms expels, 

 To crawl in print for gain. 



" From a Wit's brain thou mak'st worms rise, 

 (Unknown in the worm-evil) 

 Fops, silkworms, beaus, and butterflies, 

 With that old worm the Devil. 



" Ev'n Button's book-worms shall, with these, 

 (Like these with dust decay'd) 

 In Grub-Street rubbish rest in peace, 

 Till CuRLLs their peace invade. 



" For booksellers vile vipers are. 

 On brains of Wits they prey : 

 The very worms they will not spare, 

 When Wits to worms decay. 



" Sharpers we caterpillars call. 

 And fatal in their bite : 

 On manors rich they soonest fall. 

 And thousand acres blight. 

 " Grave Cits, as buzzing hornets, swarm ; 

 Their wives, true gadflies, rove : 

 Old College Dons, in fur wrap'd warm. 

 Dull creeping beetles prove. 



" From worms erect proud coquettes rose. 

 Yet are but baits for gudgeons : 

 The rake a stingless drone soon grows. 

 And grub-worms old curmudgeons. 

 " Widows to leaches we compare, 

 Still sucking, yet want more : 

 Sly prudes are catsf, that never spare 

 The cream of human gore. 



* In an article in Gent. Mag., vol. xcvii. part i. p. 29., 

 by Eu. Hood, on Bezaleel Morrice, we have the following 

 note : 



" Curll published the Minor Poems of Pope on single 

 folio leaves, which are now of very rare occurrence. In 

 that manner appeared, in 1719 [_sic^, the lines ' To the 

 ingenious Mr. Moore, author of the celebrated Worm- 

 Powder,' with a stanza, which it may be fitly hoped was 

 never afterwards printed. Splendid 'talents will catch at 

 doubtful wit, notwithstanding the proclamation — 

 ' Want of decency is want of wit.' " 



Eu. Hood is, however, clearly wrong as to the date of 

 the first printing of this translation. It will be seen by a 

 previous note that Burleigh printed it in 1717. — S. N. M. 



t " Among the rarities of Gresham College there is a 

 strange worm with a head like a cat, therefore called by 

 the vevtuosi by that aairaal's name. Travellers report 



" Worm- Quacks are spawn'd by 'potheearies. 

 As flesh-flies maggots breed : 

 The several species of them varies ; 

 But all on mankind feed. 



" Ah, Curll ! * how greedy hast thou fed 

 (E'er worms gave food to thee) 

 Upon the late illustrious dead. 

 With worms of thy degree. 



" Why did the venom of a prude f 

 Allure thy vicious taste? 

 Safer thou'dst feast on maggots crude, 

 Or with Tom D'Urfey fast. 



" For see ! thy meagre looks declare 

 Some poison in thee lurks : 



Let Bl re ease thy restless care, 



Or who shall print his Works ? 



« Printed for E. Smith in Cornhill, 1716." 



The quarrel which arose from this publication 

 was not likely to be made up very shortly, and 

 we will bring this portion of our Notes to a close 

 with two advertisements which the active and 

 implacable bookseller directed against Pope. The 

 following appeared in the Flying Post on the 5th 

 of April, 1716. 



" This day is published, 



The Second Part of Mr. Pope's Popish Translation of 

 Homer.J The subscribers having made great complaint 

 that there were no pictures in the First Part : This is to 

 give notice, that to this Second Part there is added a 

 spacious Map of the Trojan tents and rivers finely de- 

 lineated. Translated into copper from the wooden ori- 

 ginal, as you have it in the learned Dr. Fuller's Fisgah 

 Sight ; being the true travels of Moses and the Children 

 of Israel from the land of Goshen to the land of Canaan. 

 With an exact scale. Sold by E. Curll, at the Dial and 

 Bible against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet- street. 

 Where may be had Mr. Pope's Court Poems, price Gd. 



" Next week will be published. 



An Excellent new Ballad, called The Catholic Poet, or 

 Protestant Bamaby''s Lamentation. To the tune of 

 ' Which nobody can deny.' 



' Tho' of his wit the Catholick has boasted, 

 Lintot and Pope by turns shall both be roasted.' " 



In a few days after, namely, on the 10th of 

 April, the following appeared in the same Journal : 



" To prevent any farther imposition on the public, there 

 is now preparing for the press, by several hands, Homer 

 Defended; being a detection of the many errors com- 

 mitted by Mr. Pope in his pretended Translation of 

 Homer ; wherein is fully proved that he neither under- 

 stands the original, nor the author's meaning, and that in 

 several places he has falsified it on purpose. To which is 

 added, a specimen of a Translation of the First Book of 

 the Odysses, which has lain printed by Mr. Lintott some 

 time, and which he intends to publish, in order to preju- 



many Indians perish by this reptile's venomous sucking 

 their blood." 



* " Famous for printing the Lives and Last Wills of 

 great men." 



t The Court Poems, printed by Mr. Curll. 



X Mr. Pope has translated one verse of Homer thus : 



" The Priest can pardon, and the God appease." 



