All gaze with ardour: some, a poet's name, Others, a sword-knot and lac'd suit inflame. REMARKS. Pope, the Memoirs of a Parish Clerk, which for two years he kept, and read to the Rev. Dr. Young, F. Billers, esq. and many others, as his own. Being applied to for them, he pretended they were lost; but there happening to be another copy of the latter, it came out in Swift and Pope's Miscellanies. Upon this, it seems, he was so far mistaken as to confess his proceeding by an endeavour to hide it; unguardedly printing (in the Daily Journal of April 3, 1728,) "That the contempt which he and others had for those pieces" (which only himself had shown and handed about as his own)" occasioned their being lost, and for that cause only not returned." A fact, of which as none but he could be conscious, none but he could be the publisher of it. The plagiarisms of this person gave occasion to the following Epigram: "More always smiles whenever he recites; He smiles (you think) approving what he writes. And yet in this no vanity is shown; A modest man may like what's not his own." This young Gentleman's whole misfortune was too inordinate a passion to be thought a wit. Here is a very strong instance attested by Mr. Savage, son of the late Earl Rivers; who having shewn some verses of his in manuscript to Mr. Moore, wherein Mr. Pope was called first of the tuneful train, Mr. Moore the next morning sent to Mr. Savage to desire him to give those verses another turn, to wit, "That Pope might now be the first, because Moore had left him unrivalled in turning his style to Comedy." This was during the rehearsal of the Rival Modes, his first and only work; the Town condemned it in the action, but he printed it in 1726-7, with this modest motto, Hic castus, artemque repono. The smaller pieces which we have heard attributed to this author, are, An Epigram on the Bridge at Blenheim, by Dr. Evans; Cosmelia, by Mr. Pitt, Mr. Jones, &c. The Mock-marriage of a mad Divine, with a Cl- for a Parson, by Dr. W. The Saw-pit, a Simile, by a Friend. Certain Physical works of Sir James Baker ; and But lofty Lintot in the circle rose : 55 "This prize is mine; who tempt it are my foes; "With me began this genius, and shall end!" He spoke and who with Lintot shall contend? Fear held them mute. Alone, untaught to fear, Stood dauntless Curl; "Behold that rival here! REMARKS. and some unowned Letters, Advertisements, and Epigrams against our author in the Daily Journal. Notwithstanding what is here collected of the person imagined by Curl to be meant in this place, we cannot be of that opinion; since our Poet had certainly no need of vindicating half a dozen verses to himself, which every reader had done for him; since the name itself is not spelled Moore but More; and lastly, since the learned Scriblerus has so well proved the contrary. P. Of this note, which is entirely Pope's, from the editions of 1729, Mr. Bowles has attributed the former part to Warburton, and the latter to Warton. Ver. 50. the phantom More.] It appears from hence, that this is not the name of a real person, but fictitious. More from μπρος, stultus, μwgía, stultitia, to represent the folly of a plagiary. Thus Erasmus, Admonuit me Mori cognomen tibi, quod tam ad Moriæ vocabulum accedit quam es ipse a re alienus. Dedication of Moriæ Encomium to Sir Tho. More; the farewell of which may be our author's to his plagiary, Vale, More! et moriam tuam gnaviter defende. Adieu, More! and be sure strongly to defend thy own folly. SCRIBLErus. P. Ver. 53. But lofty Lintot] We enter here upon the Episode of the Booksellers; persons, whose names being more known and famous in the learned world than those of the authors in this poem, do therefore need less explanation. The action of Mr. Lintot here imitates that of Dares in Virgil, rising just in this manner to lay hold on a Bull. This eminent Bookseller printed the Rival Modes before mentioned. P. Ver. 58. Stood dauntless Curl;] We come now to a character of much respect, that of Mr. Edmund Curl. As a plain repetition of great actions is the best praise of them, we shall only say of "The race by vigour, not by vaunts, is won; "So take the hindmost, Hell!" He said, and run. 60 REMARKS. this eminent man, that he carried the Trade many lengths beyond what it ever before had arrived at; and that he was the envy and. admiration of all his profession. He possessed himself of a command over all authors whatever: he caused them to write what he pleased; they could not call their very names their own. He was not only famous among these; he was taken notice of by the State, the Church, and the Law, and received particular marks of distinction from each. It will be owned that he is here introduced with all possible dignity. He speaks like the intrepid Diomed; he runs like the swift-footed Achilles; if he falls, 'tis like the beloved Nisus; and (what Homer makes to be the chief of all praises) he is favoured of the Gods; he says but three words, and his prayer is heard; a Goddess conveys it to the seat of Jupiter. Though he loses the prize, he gains the victory; the great Mother, herself comforts him; she inspires him with expedients; she honours him with an immortal present (such as Achilles receives from Thetis, and Æneas from Venus) at once instructive and prophetical. After this he is unrivalled and triumphant. The tribute our author here pays him is a grateful return for several unmerited obligations. Many weighty animadversions on the public affairs, and many excellent and diverting pieces on private persons, has he given to his name. If ever he owed two verses to any other, he owed Mr. Curl some thousands. He was every day extending his fame, and enlarging his writings: witness innumerable instances! But it shall suffice only to mention the Court Poems, which he meant to publish as the work of the true writer, a Lady of quality; but being first threatened, and afterwards punished for it by Mr. Pope, he generously tranferred it from her to him, and ever since printed it in his name. The single IMITATIONS. Ver. 60. So take the hindmost, Hell!] 66 Occupet extremum scabies; mihi turpe relinqui est." Hor. de Arte. P. Swift as a bard the bailiff leaves behind, He left huge Lintot, and out-stripp'd the wind. As when a dab-chick waddles thro' the copse On feet and wings, and flies, and wades, and hops; With arms expanded Bernard rows his state, REMARKS. single time that ever he spoke to C. was on that affair, and to that happy incident he owed all the favours since received from him. So true is the saying of Dr. Sydenham," that any one shall be, at some time or other, the better or the worse, for having but seen or spoken to a good or bad man." P. Ver. 60. So take the hindmost,] In that eccentric publication called the Life of John Buncle, is an account of Curl, with whom the author professes to have been well acquainted; describing him as "in person very tall and thin, an ungainly, awkward, white-faced man: his eyes were a light-grey, large, projecting, goggle, and purblind. He was splay-footed and bakerkneed." IMITATIONS. Ver. 61. Swift as a bard] Something like this in Homer, Il. x. ver. 220. of Diomed. Two different manners of the same author in his similes are also imitated in the two following; the first, of the bailiff, is short, unadorned, and (as the critics well know) from familiar life; the second, of the water-fowl, more extended, picturesque, and from rural life. The 59th verse is likewise a literal translation of one in Homer. P. Ver. 64, 65. On feet and wings, and flies, and wades, and hops; So lab'ring on with shoulders, hands, and head,] "So eagerly the Fiend O'er bog, o'er steep, thro' strait, rough, dense, or rare, Milton, Book ii. P. Full in the middle way there stood a lake, Which Curl's Corinna chanc'd that morn to make: (Such was her wont, at early dawn to drop Her ev'ning cates before his neighbour's shop ;) Here fortun'd Curl to slide; loud shout the band, And Bernard! Bernard! rings thro' all the Strand. REMARKS. Ver. 67. With arms expanded, &c.] That is, Jacob Tonson; to whom Dryden, on being refused the price asked for his Virgil, sent the following verses: "With leering look, bull-fac'd, and freckled fair, adding to the messenger, "Tell the dog that he who wrote them, can write more." The money was paid accordingly. The couplet before us stood thus in a former edition: With legs expanded Bernard urg'd the race, Wakefield. Ver. 70. Curl's Corinna] This name, it seems, was taken by one Mrs. Thomas, who procured some private letters of Mr. Pope, while almost a boy, to Mr. Cromwell, and sold them, without the consent of either of those Gentlemen, to Curl, who printed them in 12mo, 1727. He discovered her to be the publisher, in his Key, p. 11. We only take this opportunity of mentioning the manner in which those letters got abroad, which the author was ashamed of as very trivial things, full not only of levities, but of wrong judgments of men and books, and only excusable from the youth and inexperience of the writer. IMITATIONS. Ver. 67, 68. With arms expanded, Bernard rows his state, Milton, of the motion of the Swan, 66 rows His state with oary feet." And Dryden, of another's,--With two left legs P. W. |