Here fwells the shelf with Ogilby the great: There, ftamp'd with arms, Newcastle fhines compleat? Here all his fuff'ring brotherhood retire, And 'scape the martyrdom of jakes and fire; REMARK §. and often totally neglects, for the greater improve ment of the other. SCRIBLERU S. V. 117. Volumes, whofe fixe, &c.] This library is divided into two parts; the one (his polite learning) confifts of those books which feem to be the models of his poetry, and are preferr'd for one of these three reafons (ufual with collectors of Libraries) that they fitted the fhelves, or were gilded for fhew, or adorned with pictures: The other clafs our author calls folid Learning; old bodies of Philofophy, old Commentators, old english Printers, or old english Translations; all very voluminous, and fit to erect Altars to Dulnefs. V. 121. Ogilby the great.] John Ogilby was one, who from a late initiation into literature, made fuch a progress as might well ftile him the Prodigy of his time! fending into the world fo many large Volumes! His tranflations of Homer and Virgil, done to the life, and with fuch excellent fculptures! and (what added great grace to his works) he printed them all on fpecial good paper, and in a very good letter. WINSTANLY, Lives of Poets. V. 122. There, ftamp'd with arms, Newcastle fines Compleat.] The Dutchess of Newcastle was one who bufied her self in the ravishing delights of Poetry; leaving to posterity in print three ample Volumes of her ftudious endeavours. WINSTANLY, ibid. Langbaine reckons up eight Folio's of her Grace's; which were ufually adorned with gilded covers, and had her coat of arms upon them. ( 125 A Gothic Vatican! of Greece and Rome REMARK S. V. 126. worthy Withers, Quarles, and Blome.] It was printed in the furreptitious editions, W-ly, W, who were perfons eminent for good life. the one writ the Life of Chrift in verfe, the other fome valuable pieces in the lyrick kind on pious fubjects. The line is here reftor'd according to its original. George Withers was a great pretender to poetical zeal against the vices of the times, and abused the greatest perfonages in power, which brought upon him frequent correction. The Marshalsea and Newgate were no ftrangers to him. WIN STANLY. Quarles was as dull a writer, but an honefter man. Blome's books are remarkable for their cuts. V. 129. Caxton.] A Printer in the time of Edw. 4. Rich. 3. and Henry 7. Wynkin de Word, his fucceffor, in that of Henry 7. and 8. The former tranflated into profe Virgil's Aneis as a hiftory; of which he fpeaks in his Proeme in a very fingular manner, as of a book hardly known. Vid. Append. No 3. Tibbald quotes a rare paffage from him in Mift's Fournal of March 16, 1728. concerning a firaunge and mervaylloufe beafte called Sagittarye, which he would have Shakespear to mean rather than Teucer, the archer celebrated by Homer. 74 De Lyra there a dreadful front extends, And here, the groaning fhelves Philemon bends. Of these twelve volumes, twelve of ampleft fize, 135 Redeem'd from tapers and defrauded pyes, Infpir'd he feizes: Thefe an altar raise : An hecatomb of pure, unfully'd lays That altar crowns: A folio Common-place Founds the whole pyle, of all his works the base; 140 And laft, a little Ajax tips the fpire. Then he. Great tamer of all human art! First in my care, and neareft at my heart: Dulness! whofe good old caufe I yet defend, 145 With whom my Mufe began, with whom fhall end! REMARK S. V. 133. Nich. de Lyra, or Harpsfeld, a very volu minous commentator, whofe works in five vaft folio's were printed in 1472. V. 134. Philemon Holland, Dr. in Phyfick. He tranflated fo many books, that a man would think he had done nothing else, infomuch that he might be call'd Tranflator general of bis age. The books alone of his turning into English, are fufficient to make a Country Gentleman a compleat Library. WINSTANLY. . V. 143. A little Ajax.] In duodecimo, tranflated from Sophocles by Tibbald. IMITATION S. V. 146. With whom my Mufe began, with whom shall md.] Virg. Ecl. 8. A te principium, tibi definet from Theoc. Ἐκ Διὸς ἀρχῶμεθα, καὶ εἰς Δία λήγελε, Μεσσ So Horace, Prima dite mihi, fumma dicende camana. O thou, of business the directing foul, To human heads like byafs to the bowl, O ever gracious to perplex'd mankind! And, left we err by Wit's wild, dancing light, Secure us kindly in our native night. · 150 Ah! ftill o'er Britain ftretch that peaceful wand, 195 Which lulls th' Helvetian and Batavian land; Where rebel to thy throne if Science rife, She does but fhew her coward face and dies: REMARK S. 160 V. 162. Nor fleeps one error Old puns reflore, Joft blunders, &c.] As where he laboured to prove Shakespear guilty of terrible Anachronisms, or low C nundrums, which Time had cover'd; and conversant in fuch authors as Caxton and Wynkin, rather than in Homer or Chaucer. Nay, fo far had he loft his reverence to this incomparable author, as to fay in print, He deferved to be whipt. An infolence which nothing fure can parallel! but that of Dennis, who can be proved to have declared before company, that ShakeSpear was a Rafcal. O tempora! O mores! SCRIBLERUS. V. 164. And crucify poor Shakefpear once a week.] For fome time, once a week or fortnight, he printed For thee I dim these eyes, and ftuff this head, 165 With all fuch reading as was never read; For thee fupplying, in the worst of days, Notes to dull books, and prologues to dull plays; For thee explain a thing till all men doubt it, And write about it, Goddefs, and about it; REMARK S. in Mif's Journal a fingle remark or poor conjecture on fome word or pointing of Shakespear. V. 166. With all fuch reading as was never read.] Such as Caxton above-mentioned, the three deftructions of Troy by Wynkin, and other like clafficks. V. 168. Notes to dull books, and prologues to dull -plays.] As to Cook's Hefiod, where fometimes a note, and fometimes even half a note, are carefully owned by him: And to Moore's Comedy of the Rival Modes, and other authors of the fame rank: Thele were peo ple who writ about the year 1726. |