162 



NOTES AND QUEKIES. 



[No. 70. 



whlcli present themselves of already known authors 

 carefully examined, and the variations to the re- 

 ceived text marked. How much this is wanted 

 we experience in the corruptions of Sophocles, 

 iEschylus, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristoteles ! 

 In this way much that is valuable may be reco- 

 vered ; much that is matter of discussion set at 

 rest. Let me instance the Babrian fables, and the 

 discovery of BIr. Harris at Alexandria; who, it 

 was remarked to me, might have discovered the 

 whole, instead of a part, had proper hands un- 

 folded the mummy. 



On the advantages of this search, it were useless 

 to expatiate : every one is sensible of it, and, 

 sooner or later, it must occur. Let us not allow 

 our grandchildren to surpass us in everything, but 

 let us set about this ourselves. Monstrous as the 

 idea seems, it is simple of execution. 



I will not take up the space so kindly afForded 

 me by the Editor of " Notes and Queries " with 

 speculation. The Association should be composed 

 of a Literary Section and a Business Section : the 

 iirst to be under the administration of a President 

 and an efficient Board of Examiners, to look into 

 literary matters, and examine and appoint the 

 proper officers of the Investigation Parties ; which 

 ])arties must be composed of clever, adventurous, 

 hardy, and adroit men, obtaining the assistance of 

 the natives wherever they may be carrying on 

 their researches ; the Second Section to be under 

 tlie direction of a Cliairman and Finance Com- 

 mittee, to which the officers of the subordinate 

 departments render their accounts. 



I know not whether more will be required of 

 me on this subject; very likely not : but I reserve 

 much that I could say, until that time. I have 

 now only iu thank the Editor for inserting this 

 long, but I will not say, wholly uninteresting pro- 

 posal. Kennetu K. H. Mackenzie. 



February ]3. 1851. 



THE ESSAY ON SATIRE. 



Dryden, as sir "Walter Scott observes, left a 

 name in literature " second only to those of Mil- 

 ton and Shakspere" ; but, popular as his writings 

 were, he gave no collective edition of his poetical 

 or dramatic works. The current editions of his 

 poems may therefore be open to censure, both on 

 the score of deficiency and i-edundancy — and such 

 I believe to be the fact. 



An Essay on satire, itself a coarse satire, has 

 been ascribed to him for more than a century on 

 dubious authority, and the correctness of this as- 

 cription has been properly suggested as a question 

 for examination. 



We have to decide on the credibility of two op- 

 posite statements, as made in the publications 

 about to be enumerated : — 



1. " The works of John Sheffield, earl of Mulgrave, 

 marquis of Normanby, and duke of Buckingham. 

 London : printed for John Barber, 1723. 4°. 2 vols." 



2. " The works of John Sheffield, earl of Mulgrave, 

 marquis of Normanby, and duke of Buckingham. 

 Printed for John Barber, alderman of London, 1726. 

 Small 8°. 2 vols." 



a. " Original poems and translations, by John 

 Dryden, Esq. Londqn : printed for J. and II. Tonson, 

 1743. 12°. 2 vols." 



In the two former publications, the poem appears 

 as the entire composition of the noble author, and 

 is said to have been "written in the year 1675." 

 In the latter publication it appears without date, 

 and is said to be "by Mr. Dryden and the earl of 

 Mulgrave." 



The publications were posthumous, and as the 

 editors aiford no explanation of the point in dis- 

 pute, we must consult the reputed authors. 



In the year 1691, as an advertisement to King 

 Ai-thur, a dramatic opera. Dryden printed a cata- 

 logue of his " plays and poems in quarto," in 

 order to prevent future mis-ascriptions. The 

 catalogue comprises ten poems, but no Essay on, 

 satire. The publisher of King Arthur was Mr. 

 Jacob Tonson. 



In 1682, the earl of Mulgrave published, anony- 

 mously, through the agency of Mr. Joseph Hind- 

 marsh, an Essay upon poetry. It contains these 

 lines : — 



" The lanreat here may justly claim our praise, 

 Crown'd by Muc-F/eclmo with immortal bays; 

 Though i>rais'J and punish'd for another's rimes, 

 His own deserve that glorious fate sometimes, 

 Were he not forc'd to carry now dead weight, 

 Rid by some lumpl.eh minister of state." 



In 1717", Mr. Tonson published Poems by the 

 earl of Roscommon ; and added thereto the Essay 

 on poetry, "with the leave and with the correc- 

 tions of the author." The lines shall now be 

 given in their amended state, as they appear in 

 that volume, with the accompanying notes : — 



" The I.aureat* here may justly claim our praise, 

 Crown'd by Mack-F/ecknoj with Immortal bays ; 

 Tho' prais'd and punis/i'd once for other's^ rhimes, 

 His own deserve as great applause sometimes; 

 Yet Pegasus\\, of late, has born dead weight. 

 Rid by some lumpish ministers of state." 



Next to Dryden anl the earl of Mulgrave, as 

 authorities on this question, comes the elder Jacob 

 Tonson. Both writers were contributors to his 

 Poetical miscellanies. In 1701 he published Poem.% 

 on various occasions, etc. By Mr. John Di-yden, 

 The volume has not the Essay on satire. The same 



" * Mr. Dryden. f A famous satyrical poem of his. 

 I A copy of verses called. An essay on satyr, for which 

 Mr Dryden was both applauded and beaten, tho' not 

 only innocent but ignorant, of the whole matter. |{ A 

 poem eall'd, The hind and panther. '^ 



