342 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd s. N« 96., Oct. 31. 'o7. 



Amicably inscriVd, by the Author, to those Worthy 

 and Ingenious Gentlemen misrepresented in a late 

 invective Poem, calVd The Dunciad. London: 

 Printed for T. Warner at the Black-Boy in Pater- 

 noster-Row, MDCCXXix. Price Is. 



As the work is not, I believe, very common, I 

 will preface the one or two queries I wish to make 

 on it with a few extracts. I will begin by quoting 

 the writer's statement that he did not attack Pope 

 in the first instance, and that Pope's statement to 

 the contrary is " utterly false : " — 



" The only excuse made in the Preface to the Dunciad, for 

 the scurrilous liberties tahen hy the Author of that inviduous 

 Poem, is, that no Man living is attack'd therein, who had 

 not before Printed and Publish'd against this particular 

 Gentleman, meaning the Author. This Apology, at first 

 sight, may seem to the friendly Reader no less than reason- 

 able ; hut, in short, his unguarded assertion, tho' expressed 

 in positive terms, without the least exception, happens to fall 

 ■under the misfortune of being utterly false ; for the Author 

 of the following Poem, in answer to his general Charge, does 

 solemnly protest, that he never, till now, ever wrote a line 

 that could give to the little Gentleman the minutest Provoca- 

 tion; therefore thinks himself at liberty, without a breach of 

 good Manners, to return him a scratch for his bite, for a 

 Man may love peace and yet be provok'd to enter into a 

 Quarrel [sic]." 



Can this statement — clear and positive as it 

 is — be confirmed or confuted by any of your 

 readers ? 



My next Query is, what is the meaning of the 

 Title of the Poem? "Durgen" is the name 

 given by the writer to Pope, as will be seen by 

 the following extract from p. 3. ; but what does 

 "Durgen" signify ? 



" Durgen, thy proiul ill-natur'd Muse restrain, 

 Reform thy Genius and correct thy Pen, 

 Forbear to pass, with such unguarded heat, 

 Heroick Scandal on the World for Wit, 

 No more with epick SatjTS teaze the Jown, 

 And in false Characters betray thy own ; 

 What Bard, but you, could think'it worth his while, 

 To dress Lampoon in such a lofty style .' 

 As if good language would j'our Malice drown, 

 And make the gilded Pill go glibly down ; 

 Tho' the choice Words you lavishly bestow, "i 



Are too sonif 'rous for a Theme so low, V 



Like Kettle-drums and Trumpets to a Puppit-show." J 



Perhaps, too, some of the readers of " N. & Q." 

 can throw light upon the charges, true or false, 

 which the Satirist makes against Pope in the fol- 

 lowing passages from pp. 11, 12. : — 



"Nor is the T m Bard intirely free 



From mercenary throws of Obloquie ; 



The Lust of Mammon led him once astray. 



And made him tag scun-ility for pay ; 



Jf false, than let him clear up the mistake. 



And to the following Queries answer make. 



" Who, for the lucre of a golden Fee, 

 Broke thro' the Bounds of Christian Charity, 

 To animate the Rabble, to abused • 

 A Worthy, far above so vile a Muse ? 

 Tho', all in vain, for merit kept him free 

 From your intended base severity: 

 What envious Lady brib'd thee to express 

 Her Fury, in the Days of his distress ? 



rools."J 



And caus'd thy Muse to execrate so poor 



A Libel on so brave a Sufferer? 



What Power, but Gold, could stupify thy Brain, 



And make thee act so far below a Man, 



As with inglorious Scandal to pursue 



A gallant Pris'ner, when expos'd to view ? 



A cruel Insult, at so wrong a Time, 



That should by Law be punish'd as a Crime : 



'Tis strange, so wise a Bard should lay aside 



His Senses, and be led by female Pride 



Into a fault, so permanent and great. 



That Man can scarce forgive, or Time foi^et : 



But Gold and Beauty make the wisest Fools, 



For these, the pious Christian breaks his Rules 



And Poets, for the same, we find, turn Womens Fools 



The following allusion to Pope's " initial Types 

 or Hyphens," seems worth extracting : — 



"Nor will initial Types, or Hyphens, skreen 

 A Man, at whom an Author darts his spleen. 

 Without a Name, the Character alone 

 Will speak the Person, if its truly drawn : 

 Then how much more is he that writes to blame, 

 If to false Scandal he applies a Name? 

 Or, by a Capital before a dash, 

 Points out the Object he's about to lash ? 

 What, if in his defence the Poet says. 

 Initials may be constru'd several waj'S, 

 And that a thousand Names, as well as one, 

 May with the same Great-letter be begun. 

 If that's a Plea sufficient, then, I hope, 

 A P may stand for Puppit or for P-pe, 

 Or C that with a dash may pass for Chui'l, 

 Be meant as well for Coxcomb or for C---1 : 

 Poor shifts, t'evade the Law, and only lit 

 To show the Author's Fear, instead of Wit." 



Nor will your readers, I hope, grudge the space 

 occupied by the following allusion to Drydeu : — 



" Unhappy Dryden, tho' superiour far. 

 To all that ever wrong'd his Character, 

 By one ill-tim'd unlucky Poem lost 

 More Fame than any Rival Bard could boast, 

 Was forc'd from Honour, loaded with Disgrace, 

 And to inferiour Wit resign'd his Place. 

 O Durgen ! may thy proud, but peevish Muse, 

 F(md of her strength, and forward to abuse. 

 Escape the like, or worse, impending Fate, 

 Than crush'd the Prince of Poets, once so great ; 

 For he, bless'd Worthy, only stood accus'd 

 Of flatt'ring Pow'rs that you have ev'ly us'd. 

 Which, if resented, and your Dunciad Stars 

 Be constru'd by the Bench- Astrologers, 

 Thej', by your angiy Planets, may foresee 

 You're near some unsuspected Destiuie, 

 Bj' which your Hoiiour may be more defil'd 

 Than his, you so maliciously revil'd, 

 A Label o'er your Head may spread your fame, 

 And what the Hens now lay, compleat your shame. 

 Then, surely, will your own dejected state, 

 Incline you to repent, when 'tis too late, 

 The piiblick Rage j'our malice strove to draw 

 On those beneath the censure of the Law ; 

 A Crime so odious in a Man of Thought, 

 That in one Satj'r, with resentment wrote. 

 It may be twice chastis'd and not be deem'd a fau 



The last passage I will quote contains a curious 

 reference to the six years on which, as the author 

 alleges, Pope was occupied in the composition of 

 The Dunciad. The author in the preface has 



4 



