[448] 'Teach kings to fiddle:' an ancient amusement of sovereign princes, viz. Achilles, Alexander, Nero; though despised by Themistocles, who was a republican. 'Make senates dance:' either after their prince, or to Pontoise, or Siberia.--P. W. [449] 'Gilbert:' Archbishop of York, who had attacked Dr King, of Oxford, a friend of Pope's. [450] Verses 615-618 were written many years ago, and may be found in the state poems of that time. So that Scriblerus is mistaken, or whoever else have imagined this poem of a fresher date.--P. W. [451] 'Truth to her old cavern fled:' alluding to the saying of Democritus, that Truth lay at the bottom of a deep well, from whence he had drawn her; though Butler says, he first put her in, before he drew her out.--W. [452] Read thus confidently, instead of 'beginning with the word books, and ending with the word flies,' as formerly it stood. Read also, 'containing the entire sum of one thousand seven hundred and fifty-four verses,' instead of 'one thousand and twelve lines;' such being the initial and final words, and such the true and entire contents of this poem. Thou art to know, reader! that the first edition thereof, like that of Milton, was never seen by the author (though living and not blind). The editor himself confessed as much in his preface; and no two poems were ever published in so arbitrary a manner. The editor of this had as boldly suppressed whole passages, yea the entire last book, as the editor of Paradise Lost added and augmented. Milton himself gave but ten books, his editor twelve; this author gave four books, his editor only three. But we have happily done justice to both; and presume we shall live, in this our last labour, as long as in any of our others.--Bentl. [453] Milbourn on Dryden's Virgil, 8vo, 1698, p. 6. [454] Ibid. p. 38. [455] Ibid. p. 192. [456] Ibid. p. 8. [457] Whip and Key, 4to, printed for R. Janeway, 1682, preface. [458] Ibid. [459] Milbourn, p. 9. [460] Ibid. p. 176. [461] Ibid. p. 39. [462] Whip and Key, preface. [463] Oldmixon, Essay on Criticism, p. 84. [464] Milbourn, p. 2. [465] Ibid. p. 35. [466] Ibid. pp. 22, 192. [467] Ibid. p. 72. [468] Ibid. p. 203. [469] Ibid, p. 78. [470] Ibid, p. 206. [471] Ibid. p. 19. [472] Ibid. p. 144, 190. [473] Ibid. p. 67. [474] Milbourn, p. 192. [475] Ibid. p. 125. [476] Whip and Key, preface. [477] Milbourn, p. 105. [478] Ibid. p. 11. [479] Ibid. p. 176. [480] Ibid. p. 57. [481] Whip and Key, preface. [482] Milbourn, p. 34. [483] Ibid. p. 35. [484] Dennis's Remarks on the Rape of the Lock, preface, p. xii. [485] Dunciad Dissected. [486] Preface to Gulliveriana. [487] Dennis, Character of Mr P. [488] Theobald, Letter in Mist's Journal, June 22, 1728. [489] List at the end of a Collection of Verses, Letters, Advertisements, 8vo, printed for A. Moore, 1728, and the preface to it, p. 6. [490] Dennis's Remarks on Homer, p. 27. [491] Preface to Gulliveriana, p. 11.