And who the most in love of dirt excel, Who flings most filth, and wide pollutes around FLEET DITCH. 49 The three chief qualifications of party writers: to stick at nothing, to delight in flinging dirt, and to slander in the dark, by guess. 50 Papers of news and scandal intermixed, on different sides and parties, and frequently shifting from one side to the other, called the London Journal, British Journal, Daily Journal, &c., the concealed writers of which, for some time, were Oldmixon, Roome, Arnall, Concanen, and others: persons never seen by our author. A pig of lead to him who dives the best; Ah why, ye gods! should two and two make four ?" Next Smedley dived; slow circles dimpled o'er * He buoys up instant, and returns to light: He bears no tokens of the sable streams, And mounts far off among the swans of Thames.56 285 290 295 51 Our indulgent poet, whenever he has spoken of any dirty or low work, constantly puts us in mind of the poverty of the offenders, as the only extenuation of such practices. Let any one but remark, when a thief, a pickpocket, a highwayman, or a knight of the post, are spoken of, how much our hate to those characters is lessened, if they add a needy thief, a poor pickpocket, a hungry highwayman, a starving knight of the post, &c. 52 In the first edition, 53 "In naked majesty great Dennis stands." 66 Fletque Milon senior, cum spectat inanes 54 "Alcides wept in vain for Hylas lost, Hylas, in vain, resounds through all the coast." Lord Roscom. Translat. of Virgil's vi. Ecl. 55 [Aaron Hill. See Life of Pope in this edition, and Notes to the Dunciad.] 56 In the first edition followed these: "Far worse unhappy D- -r succeeds: He search'd for coral, but he gather'd weeds." ["Dr" was Diaper, whom Curll calls "a a very modest and ingenious clergyman: he wrote, among other poetical pieces, 'Nereides, or Sea Eclogues,' inscribed to Mr. Congreve, 1712." Instead of Concanen, Young and Newcome were introduced into the early editions, alluding, as Curll says, to Dr. Young's Seven Satires on the Universal Passion, still left unfinished (whence, probably, the phrase "long-winded"), and to the Rev. T. Newcome, of Sussex, who wrote a large folio volume in twelve books, on the True to the bottom, see Concanen creep, A cold, long-winded native of the deep: 300 If perseverance gain the diver's prize, No noise, no stir, no motion canst thou make, The unconscious stream sleeps o'er thee like a lake. 305 310 315 320 Last Judgment. It may be doubted, whether Pope could have aimed his satire at the author of the Night Thoughts; but this constant shifting of characters in the Dunciad certainly weakened the force of his ridicule, and gave some truth to Curll's remark, that the Dunciad seemed to "mimic a weather-glass, and vary every impression, as the author's malice increased to one or abated to another." Johnson makes a somewhat similar observation.] 57 "Nec bonus Eurytion prælato invidit honori," &c.-Virg. Æneid. 58 These were daily papers, a number of which, to lessen the expense, were printed one on the back of another. 59 See the story in Ovid, Met. vii., where the miserable petrifaction of this old lady is pathetically described. Osborne was a name assumed by the eldest and gravest of these writers, who at last, being ashamed of his pupils, gave his paper over, and in his age remained silent. 60 [In the edition of 1729, the unlucky Welsted is the diver. The line stands, "Not Welsted so, drawn endlong by his skull."] The plunging prelate, and his ponderous grace, With holy envy gave one layman place. When lo! a burst of thunder shook the flood, 325 Slow rose a form, in majesty of mud; Shaking the horrors of his sable brows, And each ferocious feature grim with ooze. Greater he looks, and more than mortal stares : 61 Then thus the wonders of the deep declares. 330 First he relates, how sinking to the chin, Smit with his mien, the mud-nymphs suck'd him in: Vied for his love in jetty bowers below, 335 As Hylas fair was ravish'd long ago.62 Then sung, how shown him by the nut-brown maids And wafting vapours from the land of dreams, (As under seas Alpheus' secret sluice 340 Bears Pisa's offerings to his Arethuse) Pours into Thames: and hence the mingled wave 61 Virgil, Æneid vi. of the Sibyl: "Majorque videri, Nec mortale sonans." 62 Who was ravished by the water-nymphs, and drawn into the river. The story is told at large by Valerius Flaccus, lib. iii. Argon. See Virgil, Ecl. vi. 63 “ Οἳ τ ̓ ἀμθ' ἱμερτὸν Τιταρήσιον ἔργ ̓ ἐνέμοντο, Ὃς ῥ ̓ ἐς Πηνειόν προΐει καλλιῤῥόου ὕδωρ, Οὐδ ̓ ὅγε Πηνειῷ συμμίσγεται ἀργυροδίνη, ̓Αλλά τέ μιν καθύπερθεν ἐπιῤῥέει εύτ' ἔλαιον, Ορκου λὰρ δεινοῦ Στυγος ὕδατός ἐστιν ἀποῤῥώξ.”—Hom, I. ii. Catal. Of the Land of Dreams, in the same region, he makes mention Odyss. xxiv. See also Lucian's True History. Lethe and the Land of Dreams allegorically represent the stupefaction and visionary madness of poets, equally dull and extravagant. Of Alpheus's water gliding secretly under the sea of Pisa, to mix with those of the Arethuse in Sicily, see Moschus Idyll. viii., Virgil, Ecl. x. "Sic tibi, cum fluctus subter labere Sicanos, And again, Æneid iii.— 'Alpheum sema est huc, Elidis amnem, Here brisker vapours o'er the Temple creep, "Receive (he said) these robes which once were mine, He ceased, and spread the robe; the crowd confess A low-born, cell-bred, selfish, servile band, 345 350 355 Prompt or to guard or stab, or saint or damn, 360 Through Lud's famed gates, along the well-known Fleet65 "Ye critics! in whose heads, as equal scales, I weigh what author's heaviness prevails; 64"Tum canit errantem Permessi ad flumina Gallum, Utque viro Phoebi chorus assurexerit omnis; Floribus atque apio crines ornatus, amaro, Dixerit Hos tibi dant calomos, en accipe, Muse, Ascraeo quos ante seni," &c.-Virg. Ecl. vi. 365 370 65" King Lud repairing the City, called it after his own name, Lud's Town; the strong gate which he built in the West part, he likewise, for his own honour, named Ludgate. In the year 1260, this gate was beautified with images of Lud and other kings. Those images, in the reign of Edward VI., had their heads smitten off, and were otherwise defaced by unadvised folks. Queen Mary did set new heads upon their old bodies again. The 28th of Queen Elizabeth the same gate was clean taken down, and newly and beautifully builded, with images of Lud and others, as afore."-Stowe's Survey of London. 66 [Bishop Hoadley. See Notes J |