"a Whig, and a Tory; a writer (at one and the fame "time) of Guardians and Examiners; an Affertor "of liberty, and of the difpenfing power of Kings; a "Jefuitical professor of truth; a base and a foul pre"tender to candour." So that, upon the whole account, we must conclude him either to have been a great hypocrite, or a very honeft man; a terrible impofer upon both parties, or very moderate to either. Be it as the judicious reader shall seem good. Sure it is, he is little favoured of certain authors, whose wrath is perilous: For one declares he ought to have a price fet on his head, and to be hunted down as a wild beast. Another protests that he does not know what may happen; advises him to ensure his perfon; fays he has bitter enemies, and expressly declares it will be well if he escapes with his life i. One defires he would cut his own throat, or hang himself k. But Pasquin feemed rather inclined it should be done by the Government, reprefenting him engaged in grievous defigns with a Lord of Parliament, then under profecution. Mr. Dennis himself hath written to a Minister, that he is one of the most dangerous perfons in this kingdom "; and affureth the Public, that he is an open and mortal enemy to his country; a monster, that will, one day, fhew as daring a foul as a mad Indian, who runs a muck to kill The Names of two weekly Papers. h Theobald, Letter in Mift's Journal, June 22, 1728. i Smedley, Pref. to Gulliveriana, p. 14. 16. k Gulliveriana, p. 332. Anno 1723. m Anno 1729. the the first Christian he meets ". Another gives information of Treafon discovered in his poem o. Mr. Curll boldly fupplies an imperfect verfe with Kings and Princeffes P. And one Matthew Concanen, yet more im pudent, publishes at length the Two moft SACRED NAMES in this Nation, as members of the Dunciad q ! This is prodigious! yet it is almost as strange, that in the midst of these invectives his greatest Enemies have (I know not how) borne testimony to some merit in him. Mr. THEOBALD, in cenfuring his Shakespeare, declares, “He has so great "an esteem for Mr. Pope, and fo high an opinion of "his genius and excellencies; that, notwithstanding he "profeffes a yeneration almost rising to Idolatry for the "writings of this inimitable poet, he would be very "loth even to do him juftice, at the expence of that "other gentleman's character "." Mr. CHARLES GILDON, after having violently attacked him in many pieces, at laft came to wish from his heart, "That Mr. Pope n Preface to Rem. on the Rape of the Lock, p. 12. and in the last page of that treatise. Page 6, 7. of the Preface, by Concanen, to a book intitled, A Collection of all the Letters, Effays, Verfes, and Advertisements, occafioned by Pope and Swift's Mifcellanies. Printed for A. Moore, octavo, 1712. P Key to the Dunciad, 3d edit. p. 18. 9 A Lift of Perfons, &c. at the end of the forementioned Collection of all the Letters, Effays, &c. r Introduction to his Shakespeare Reftored, in quarto, P. 3. D 4 "would "would be prevailed upon to give us Ovid's Epistles "by his hand, for it is certain we fee the original of "Sappho to Phaon with much more life and likeness "in his verfion, than in that of Sir Car Scrope. And "this (he adds) is the more to be wifhed, because in "the English tongue we have scarcely any thing truly "and naturally written upon Love s." He also, in taxing Sir Richard Blackmore for his heterodox opinions of Homer, challengeth him to answer what Mr. Pope hath faid in his preface to that Poet. Mr. OLDMIXON calls him a great master of our tongue; declares "the 66 purity and perfection of the English language to be "found in his Homer; and, faying there are more " good verfes in Dryden's Virgil than in any other "work, except this of our author only'." The Author of a Letter to Mr. CIBBER, fays, "u Pope was fo good a versifier [once] that, his predeceffor Mr. Dryden, and his contemporary Mr. "Prior excepted, the harmony of his numbers is equal "to any body's. And, that he had all the merit, that a man can have that way." And Mr. THOMAS COOKE, after much blemishing our author's Homer, crieth out, "But in his other works what beauties shine, "While sweetest Mufic dwells in every line! s Commentary on the Duke of Buckingham's Effay, octavo, 1721, p. 97, 98. In his profe Effay on Criticism. u Printed by J. Roberts, 1742, p. 11. "Thefe "These he admir'd, on these he stamp'd his praise, "And bade them live to brighten future days w." So alfo one who takes the name of H. STANHOPE, the maker of certain verfes to Duncan Campbell*, in that poem, which is wholly a fatire upon confeffeth, Mr. Pope, "'Tis true, if finest notes alone could fhow "His lines run smoother than the smoothest stream," &c. MIST'S JOURNAL, June 8, 1728. Although he says, "The smooth numbers of the Dun"ciad are all that recommend it, nor has it any other "merit;" yet that fame paper hath these words: "The author is allowed to be a perfect master of an eafy and elegant verfification. In all his works we "find the most happy turns, and natural fimilies, won"derfully fhort and thick fown." The Effay on the Dunciad also owns, p. 25. it is very full of beautiful images. But the panegyric, which crowns all that can be faid on this Poem, is bestowed by our Laureate, Mr. COLLEY CIBBER, w Battle of the Poets, folio, p. 15. * Printed under the title of the Progress of Dulness, duodecimo, 1728. who who "grants it to be a better Poem of its kind than "ever was writ:" but adds, " it was a victory over a "parcel of poor wretches, whom it was almost cowar❝ dice to conquer.—A man might as well triumph for "having killed fo many filly flies that offended him. "Could he bave let them alone, by this time, poor "fouls! they had all been buried in oblivion y." Here we fee our excellent Laureate allows the justice of the fatire on every man in it, but himself; as the great Mr. Dennis did before him. The faid Mr. DENNIS and Mr. GILDON, in the most furious of all their works (the forecited Character, p. 5.) do in concert confefs, "That some y Cibber's Letter to Mr. Pope, p. 9. 12. "" men 2 in concert] Hear how Mr. Dennis hath proved our miftake in this place, "As to my writing in concert with "Mr. Gildon, I declare upon the honour and word of re a gentleman, that I never wrote fo much as one line in concert with any one man whatsoever. And these two Letters from Gildon will plainly fhew, that we are "not writers in concert with each other. 'Sir, -The height of my Ambition is to please men of the best Judgment; and finding that I have entertained my Mafter agreeably, I have the extent of the Reward ' of my Labour.' Sir, I had not the opportunity of hearing of your excellent pamphlet till this day. I am infinitely fatisfied and pleased with it, and hope you will meet with that encouragement your admirable performance deferves,' CH. GILDON. &c. "Now |