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More she had spoke, but yawn'd-All Nature nods: What Mortal can refift the Yawn of Gods?

Churches and Chapels inftantly it reach'd : (St. James's first, for leaden G— preach'd)

REMARKS.

Then

Ver. 606. What Mortal can refift the Yawn of Gods?] This verfe is truly Homerical; as is the conclufion of the Action, where the great Mother compofes all, in the fame manner as Minerva at the period of the Odyffey.-It may indeed feem a very fingular Epitafis of a Poem, to end as this does, with a Great Yawn; but we must confider it as the Yawn of a God, and of powerful effects. It is not out of Nature, and moft long and grave counfels concluding in this very manner : Nor without Authority, the incomparable Spenfer having ended one of the most considerable of his works with a Roar; but then it is the Roar of a Lion, the effects whereof are described as the Cataftrophe of the Poem.

Ver. 607. Churches and Chapels, &c.] The Progrefs of this Yawn is judicious, natural, and worthy to be noted. Firft it feizeth the Churches and Chapels; then catcheth the Schools, where, though the boys be unwilling to fleep, the Mafters are not: Next Westminster-hall, much more hard indeed to fubdue, and not totally put to filence even by the Goddess: Then the Convocation, which though extremely defirous to fpeak, yet cannot Even the Houfe of Commons, juftly called the Senfe of the Nation, is loft (that is to fay fufpended) during the Yawn (far be it from our Author to suggest it could be loft any longer!) but it spreadeth at large over all the rest of the Kingdom, to fuch a degree, that Palinurus himself (though as incapable of fleeping as Jupiter) yet noddeth for a moment; the effect of which,

though

Then catch'd the Schools; the Hall scarce kept awake;
The Convocation gap'd, but could not speak :
Loft was the Nation's Senfe, nor could be found,
While the long folemn Unifon went round:
Wide, and more wide, it fpread o'er all the realm;
Ev'n Palinurus nodded at the Helm :

610

The Vapour mild o'er each Committee crept;
Unfinish'd Treaties in each Office slept ;
And Chieflefs Armies doz'd out the Campaign!
And Navies yawn'd for Orders on the Main.
O Mufe! relate (for you can tell alone,

Wits have fhort Memories, and Dunces none)

REMARKS.

615

620

Relate,

though ever fo momentary, could not but caufe fome Relaxation, for the time, in all public affairs. SCRIBL.

Ver. 610. The Convocation gap'd, but could not fpeak;] Implying a great defire fo to do, as the learned Scholiaft on the place rightly obferves. Therefore beware, Reader, left thou take this Gape for a Yawn, which is attended with no defire but to go to rest: by no means the difpofition of the Convocation; whofe melancholy cafe in fhort is this: She was, as is reported, infected with the general influence of the Goddess; and while she was yawning carelessly at her eafe, a wanton Courtier took her at advantage, and in the very nick clap'd a Gag into her chops. Well therefore may we know her meaning by her gaping; and this diftrefsful posture our poet here describes, just as she stands at this day, a fad example of the effects of Dulness and Malice unchecked, and despised.

BENTL.

Ver. 615-618.] Thefe Verfes were written many years ago, and may be found in the State Poems of that time. So that Scriblerus is mistaken, or whoever elfe have imagined this Poem of a fresher date.

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Relate, who first, who laft refign'd to reft;

Whofe Heads the partly, whofe completely bleft;
What charms could Faction, what Ambition lull,

The Venal quiet, and entrance the Dull;

Till drown'd was Senfe, and Shame, and Right, and

Wrong

625

O fing, and hush the Nations with thy Song!

*

In vain, in vain, the all-compofing Hour Refiftlefs falls: the Muse obeys the Power.

She

REMARKS.

Ver. 620. Wits have short Memories,] This seems to be the reafon why the Poets, when they give us a Catalogue, conftantly call for help on the Mufes, who, as the Daughters of Memory, are obliged not to forget any thing. So Homer, Iliad ii.

Πληθὺν δ ̓ ἐκ ἂν μυθήσομαι ἐδ ̓ ὀνομήνω,

Εἰ μὴ Ὀλυμπιάδες Μᾶσαι, Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο
Θυγατέρες, μνησαί θ

And Virgil, Æn. vii.

"Et meminiftis enim, Divæ, et memorare poteftis : "Ad nos vix tenuis famæ perlabitur aura.”

But our Poet had yet another reafon for putting this Talk upon the Mufe, that, all befides being afleep, the only could relate what paffed. SCRIBL. Ver. 624. The Venal quiet, and, &c.] It were a Problem worthy the solution of Mr. Ralph and his Patron, who had lights that we know nothing of, Which

required the greatest effort of our Goddefs's power, to intrance the Dull, or to quiet the Venal. For though the Venal may be more unruly than the Dull, yet, on the other hand, it demands a much greater expence of her Virtue to intrance than barely to quiet. SCRIBL.

She comes! fhe comes! the fable Throne behold

630

Of Night Primæval, and of Chaos old!
Before her, Fancy's gilded clouds decay,
And all its varying Rain-bows die away.
Wit shoots in vain its momentary fires,
The meteor drops, and in a flash expires.
As one by one, at dread Medea's ftrain,

635

The fickening ftars fade off th' ethereal plain;
As Argus' eyes, by Hermes' wand opprest,

Clos'd one by one to everlasting rest ;

Thus at her felt approach, and fecret might,
Art after Art goes out, and all is Night:
See fkulking Truth to her old cavern fled,
Mountains of Cafuiftry heap'd o'er her head!

REMARKS.

640

Philo

Ver. 629. She comes! fhe comes! &c.] Here the Mufe, like Jove's Eagle, after a fudden stoop at ignoble game, foareth again to the fkies. As Prophecy hath ever been one of the chief provinces of Poefy, our Poet here foretells from what we feel, what we are to fear; and in the ftyle of other prophets, hath ufed the future tenfe for the preterit: fince what he fays fhall be, is already to be feen, in the writings of fome even of our moft adored authors, in Divinity, Philofophy, Phyfics, Metaphyfics, &c. who are too good indeed to be named in fuch company.

Ibid. The fable Throne behold] The fable Thrones of Night and Chaos, here reprefented as advancing to extinguish the light of the Sciences, in the first place blot out the Colours of Fancy, and damp the fire of Wit, before they proceed to their work.

Ver. 641. Truth to her old cavern fled.] Alluding ľ to the faying of Democritus, That Truth lay at the bot

S 4

tom

Philofophy, that lean'd on Heaven before,

Shrinks to her fecond caufe, and is no more.

Phyfic of Metaphyfic begs defence,

645

And Metaphyfic calls for aid on Sense !

See Mystery to Mathematics fly!

In vain! they gaze, turn giddy, rave, and die,
Religion blushing veils her facred fires,

And unawares Morality expires.

650

Nor

VARIATIONS.

Ver. 643. in the former Ed. it stood thus,
Philosophy, that reach`d the Heavens before,
Shrinks to her hidden caufe, and is no more.

And this was intended as a cenfure of the Newtonian philofophy. For the poet had been mifled by the prejudices of foreigners, as if that philosophy had recurred to the occult qualities of Aristotle. This was the idea he received of it from a man educated much abroad, who had read every thing, but every thing fuperficially. Had his excellent friend Dr. A. been confulted in this matter, it is certain that fo unjuft a reflection had never difcredited fo noble a fatire. When I hinted to him how he had been impofed upon, he changed the lines with great pleasure into a compliment (as they now ftand) on that divine genius, and a fatire on the folly by which he the Poet himself had been misled.

REMARKS.

tom of a deep well, from whence he had drawn her: Though Butler fays, He first put her in, before he drew her out.

Ver. 649. Religion blushing veils her facred fires,] Blushing as well at the memory of the past overflow of Dulnefs, when the barbarous learning of fo many ages was wholly employed in corrupting the fimplicity, and

defiling

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