THE DUNCIA D: то DR. JONATHAN SWIFT. BOOK THE FIRST. ARGUMENT. THE Propofition, the Invocation, and the Infcription. Then the Original of the great Empire of Dulness, and caufe of the continuance thereof. The College of the Goddess in the City, with her private Academy for Poets in particular; the Governors of it, and the four Cardinal Virtues. Then the Poem haftes into the midft of things, prefenting her, on the evening of a Lord Mayor's day, revolving the long fucceffion of her Sons, and the glories paft and to come. She fixes her eye on Bays to be the Inftrument of that great Event which is the Subject of the Poem. He is defcribed penfive among his Books, giving up the Caufe, and apprehending the Period of VARIATION. her In the first editions Tibbald was the Hero of the Poem, which will account for most of the fubfequent variations. her Empire: After debating whether to betake himfelf to the Church, or to Gaming, or to Party-writing, he raises an Altar of proper books, and (making first his folemn prayer and declaration) purposes thereon to facrifice all his unsuccessful writings. As the pile is kindled, the Goddess beholding the flame from her feat, flies and puts it out by cafting upon it the poem of Thulé. She forthwith reveals herself to him, transports him to her Temple, unfolds her Arts, and initiates him into her Mysteries; then announcing the death of Eusden the Poet Laureate, anoints him, carries him to court, and proclaims him Succeffor. BOOK BOOK I. THE mighty Mother, and her Son, who brings The Smithfield Mufes to the ear of Kings, VARIATION. I fing. Ver. 1. The mighty Mother, &c.] In the firft Edit. it was thus, Books and the Man I fing, the first who brings Still. REMARKS. The DUNCIAD, fic MS. It may well be difputed whether this be a right reading: Ought it not rather to be spelled Dunceiad, as the Etymology evidently demands? Dunce with an e, therefore Dunceiad with an e. That accurate and punctual Man of Letters, the Reftorer of Shakespeare, conftantly obferves the prefervation of this very Letter e, in fpelling the Name of his beloved Author, and not like his common careless Editors, with the omiffion of one, nay fometimes of two ee's (as Shakspear) which is utterly unpardonable. "Nor is the neglect of a Single Letter fo trivial as to "fome it may appear; the alteration whereof in a learn"ed language is an Atchievement that brings honour "to the Critic who advances it; and Dr. Bentley will "be remembered to pofterity for his performances of "this fort, as long as the world fhall have any esteem " for the remains of Menander and Philemon." THEOBALD. This is furely a flip in the learned author of the foregoing note; there having been fince produced by an accu I fing. Say you, her Ingruments the Great! Call'd to this work by Dulness, Jove, and Fate; REMARKS. You accurate Antiquary, an Autograph of Shakespeare himfelf, whereby it appears that he spelled his own name without the fift e. And upon this authority it was, that those most Critical Curators of his Monument in Weftminster Abbey erafed the former wrong reading, and reftored the true fpelling on a new piece of old Ægyptian Granite. Nor for this only do they deferve our thanks, but for exhibiting on the fame Monument the firft Specimen of an Edition of an author in Marble; where (as may be feen on comparing the Tomb with the Book) in the fpace of five lines, two Words and a whole Verfe are changed, and it is to be hoped will there ftand, and outlaft whatever hath been hitherto done in Paper; as for the future, our learned Sifter University (the other Eye of England) is taking care to perpetuate a Total new Shakespeare at the Clarendon prefs. BENTL. It is to be noted, that this great Critic alfo has omitted one circumftance; which is, that the Infcription with the Name of Shakespear was intended to be placed on the Marble Scroll to which he points with his hand; instead of which it is now placed behind his back, and that Specimen of an Edition is put on the Scroll, which indeed Shakespear hath great reafon to point at. ANON. Though I have as just a value for the letter E, as any Grammarian living, and the fame affection for the Name of this Poem as any Critic for that of his Author; yet cannot it induce me to agree with those who would add yet another e to it, and call it the Dunceiade; which being a French and foreign termination, is no way proper to a word entirely English, and vernacular. One e therefore in this cafe is right, and two ee's wrong. Yet upon the whole I shall follow the Manufcript, and print it without any e at all; moved thereto by Autho You by whofe care, in vain decry'd and curft, Still Dunce the fecond reigns like Dunce the firft; REMARKS. rity (at all times, with Critics, equal, if not fuperior to Reafon). In which method of proceeding, I can never enough praise my good friend, the exact Mr. Tho. Hearne; who, if any word occur, which to him and all mankind is evidently wrong, yet keeps he it in the Text with due reverence, and only remarks in the Margin, Sic MS. In like manner we shall not amend this error in the Title itself, but only note it obiter, to evince to the learned that it was not our fault, nor any effect of our ignorance or inattention. SCRIBL. : This Poem was written in the year 1726. In the next year an imperfect Edition was published at Dublin, and reprinted at London in twelves; another at Dublin, and another at London in octavo and three others in twelves the fame year. But there was no perfect Edition before that of London in quarto; which was attended with Notes. We are willing to acquaint Posterity, that this Poem was prefented to King George the Second and his Queen by the hands of Sir Robert Walpole, on the 12th of March, 1728-9. SCHOL. VET. It was exprefsly confeffed in the Preface to the first Edition, that this Poem was not published by the Author himself. It was printed originally in a foreign Country. And what foreign Country? Why, one notorious for blunders; where finding blanks only inftead of proper names, these blunderers filled them up at their pleasure. The very Hero of the Poem hath been mistaken to this hour; fo that we are obliged to open our Notes with a difcovery who he really was. We learn from the former Editor, that this Piece was prefented by the hands of Sir Robert Walpole to King George II. Now the author directly tells us, his Hero is the Man wha |