The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 1Pope, Alexander
General
The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 1
Pope, Alexander
English poetry -- 18th century
[139] 'Tindal:' the infidel, author of 'Christianity as Old as
the Creation.'
[140] 'Anstis:' Garter King-at-Arms.
[141] 'Luckless play:' Young's 'Buseris;' the name of the
spendthrift is not known.
[142] 'Augustus:' referring ironically to George II., then
excessively unpopular for refusing to enter into a war with Spain, which
was supposed to have insulted our commerce.
[143] 'Skelton:' poet laureate to Henry VIII.
[144] 'Christ's Kirk o' the Green:' a ballad made by James I. of
Scotland.
[145] 'The Devil:' the Devil Tavern, where Ben Johnson held his
poetical club.
[146] 'Horse-tail bare:' referring to Sertorius, who told one of
his soldiers to pluck off a horse's tail at one effort. He failed, of
course. Sertorius then told another to pluck it away, hair by hair. He
succeeded; and thus Sertorius taught the lesson of hard-working, patient
perseverance.
[147] 'Gammer Gurton:' one of the first printed plays in English,
and therefore much valued by some antiquaries.
[148] 'All, by the king's example:' a line from Lord Lansdown.
[149] 'Lely:' Sir Peter, who painted Cromwell and all the
celebrities of his day.
[150] 'Ripley:' the government architect who built the Admiralty;
no favourite except with his employers.
[151] 'Van:' Vanbrugh.
[152] 'Astraea:' Miss Bolin, author of obscene, but once popular
novels.
[153] 'Old Edward's armour beams on Cibber's breast:' the
coronation of Henry VIII. and Queen Anne Boleyn, in which the
play-houses vied with each other to represent all the pomp of a
coronation. In this noble contention, the armour of one of the kings of
England was borrowed from the Tower, to dress the champion.--_P_.
[154] 'Bernini:' a great sculptor. He is said to have predicted
Charles the First's melancholy fate from a sight of his bust.
[155] 'Colonel:' Cotterel of Rousham, near Oxford.
[156] 'Blois:' a town where French is spoken with great purity.
[157] 'Sir Godfrey:' Sir Godfrey Kneller.
[158] 'Monroes:' Dr Monroe, physician to Bedlam Hospital.
[159] 'Oldfield, Daitineuf:' two celebrated gluttons mentioned
formerly.
[160] 'Tooting, Earl's Court:' two villages within a few miles of
London.
[161] 'Composing songs:' Burns imitates this in the 'Vision'--
'Stringin' blethers up in rhyme,
For fules to sing.'
[162] 'Stephen:' Mr Stephen Duck.
[163] 'Servile chaplains:' Dr Kenett, who wrote a servile
dedication to the Duke of Devonshire, to whom he was chaplain.
[164] 'Abbs Court:' a farm over against Hampton Court.
[165] 'Townshend's turnips:' Lord Townshend, Secretary of State
to Georges the First and Second. When this great statesman retired from
business, he amused himself in husbandry, and was particularly fond of
the cultivation of turnips; it was the favourite subject of his
conversation.
[166] 'Bu----:' Bubb Doddington.
[167] 'Oglethorpe:' employed in settling the colony of Georgia.
See Boswell's 'Johnson.'
[168] 'Belinda:' in 'The Rape of the Lock.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account