English Burlesque Poetry, 1700-1750 [Reprint 2013 ed.] 9780674733329, 9780674730007

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H A R V A R D S T U D I E S IN E N G L I S H VOLUME VI

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY BY

RICHMOND P. BOND

LONDON : H U M P H R E Y MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

ENGLISH BURLESQUE P O E T R Y 1700—1750 BY

R I C H M O N D P. BOND

CAMBRIDGE HARVARD U N I V E R S I T Y PRESS 1932

COPYRIGHT,

I932

BY T H E P R E S I D E N T A N D F E L L O W S O F HARVARD C O L L E G E

P R I N T E D A T T H E HARVARD U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U. S . A .

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In the same chapter there are several notes on parody. It " m u s t be distinguished from every species of ridicule: it enlivens a gay subject by imitating some important incident that is serious: it is ludicrous, and may be risible; but ridicule is not a necessary ingredient" [II, 53], and yet it " n o doubt, may be successfully employ'd to promote ridicule" [II, 55]; ludicrous subjects are much enlivened by the interposition of gods " handled in the form of a parody." [II, 55] The Rape, Dunciad, and Lutrin are quoted or cited. The Newbery-Goldsmith Art of Poetry On a New Plan, 1762, discussed and quoted The Splendid Shilling as an illustration of the "Burlesque kind of p o e t r y " and continued, " But there is another sort of verse and style, which is most frequently made use of in treating a subject in a ludicrous manner, I mean that which is generally called Hudibrastic, from an admirable poem, intitled Hudibras . . . a kind of Burlesque Epic Poem." [II, 141] An article in the Westminster Magazine, March, 1773, " A Defence of Tragi-Comedy, with some Thoughts on the Burlesque," contributed by " K . W . , " combined poetry and drama in its examples of the two species of burlesque. After a discussion of tragedy and comedy and Shakespeare's use of them together, and the "banishment of the vis comica from the stage in general," burlesque is pithily treated : The Burlesque affords an inexhaustible fund of humour. It is yet so little understood by the vulgar, both great and small, as to meet with constant opposition on the stage. It consists of two species; the one, that in which mean and common subjects are ridiculously invested with the trappings of affected dignity, as in the Rape of the Lock of Pope, and the Tom Thumb of Fielding; the other that in which lofty and sublime subjects are cloathed in the garb and stile of the vulgar; as, in Cotton's Travestie of Virgil, and the Midas of O'Hara. It is not, therefore, on account of the meanness of the subject, or the ludicrous vulgarity of its

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dress, that productions of this kind are reprehensible; on the contrary, it is in this disparity between the style and the subject that the ridicule, and consequently the humour, of the piece consists. [I, 194] James Beattie had much to say in the Essay on Laughter and Ludicrous Composition, 1778, "Written in the year 1764." Beattie places the " burlesque" and the mock-heroic in juxtaposition; his is the most important discussion of the time to adopt this parallelism. Though he is thus not in accord with the "majority report" as to phraseology, he offers many acute observations on technique. Things in themselves ludicrous and mean may become more ludicrous, by being compared to such as are serious or great; and that, first, when the serious object alluded to is mentioned in simple terms, without debasement or exaggeration; — secondly, when it is purposely degraded by vulgar language and mean circumstances; — and, thirdly, when it is exhibited in all the pomp of numbers and description. Examples of the two first cases are common in burlesque; the third is peculiar to the mock-heroic style, [pp. 374-375] Beattie discourses on the "jarring coincidence" of a rhyme a part of which is composed of two or three words. Parodies may be ludicrous from the opposition between similarity of phrase, and diversity of meaning. . . . Parodies produce their full effect on those only who can trace the imitation to its original. . . . Hence it is, that writers of the greatest merit are most liable to be parodied: for if the reader perceive not the relation between the copy and its archetype, the humour of the parody is lost; and this relation he will not perceive, unless the original be familiar to him. [pp. 394-395] Beattie's division of the ludicrous style defines the differences between the high and low burlesque well enough, and we need not be confused by his "strict sense" (as he himself calls it, be it noticed) of the word burlesque.

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The Ludicrous Style may be divided into two sorts, the Mockheroic, and (taking the word in a strict sense) the Burlesque. Of the former the Dunciad is a standard, and Hudibras of the latter. A mixture of dignity and meanness is discernible in both. In the first, mean things are made ludicrous by dignity of language and versification; and therefore parodies or imitations of the style and numbers, of sublime poetry, have a very good effect. Thus Homer's Iliad is the prototype of the Batrachomyomachia, Paradise Lost of the Splendid Shilling, and Virgil of the Dunciad. Solemnity is the character assumed by the mock-heroic poet; he considers little things as great, and describes them accordingly. — The burlesque author is a buffoon by profession. Great things, when he has occasion to introduce them, he considers as little; and degrades them by mean words and colloquial phrases, by allusions to the manners and business of low life, and by a peculiar levity or want of dignity in the construction of his numbers. [pp. 39 6 -397] Certain low and mean phrases, constituting the " C a n t style," may be introduced with good effect in "burlesque" but not in works "where elegance is expected," including the mock-heroic. As to "similitudes," the mock-epic takes care to introduce the "pompous comparison, while the principal idea appears in all its native insignificance." Warton might have been interested in Beattie's note that the moderns "have a far greater variety of authors to allude to, in the way of parody and burlesque, than the ancients had; for we have both ancient authors and modern." 1 But this symposium must end, and why not with the Great Cham ? In the Lije of Butler he made an agreeable pronouncement on Hudibras, correcting Dryden on his preference for the heroic measure but pointing out the pitfalls of the Butlerian numbers and diction. Johnson's nature did not permit him to be overfriendly to the disproportioned, incongruous productions of burlesque. ι . P . 475. Chapters I I , I I I , and IV contain other allusions to burlesque of less importance to us.

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Nor even though another Butler should arise, would another Hudibras obtain the same regard. Burlesque consists in a disproportion between the style and the sentiments, or between the adventitious sentiments and the fundamental subject. It therefore, like all bodies compounded of heterogeneous parts, contains in it a principle of corruption. All disproportion is unnatural; and from what is unnatural we can derive only the pleasure which novelty produces. We admire it awhile as a strange thing; but, when it is no longer strange, we perceive its deformity. It is a kind of artifice, which by frequent repetition detects itself; and the reader, learning in time what he is to expect, lays down his book, as the spectator turns away from a second exhibition of those tricks, of which the only use is to shew that they can be played. 1 T h e presence of so m a n y expressions of opinion, long or short, by so m a n y people of importance in the literary sphere, cannot fail to indicate a growing interest in the burlesque poetry that had come to be a definite, recognized class. T h e division of burlesque according to method won recognition as sound literary criticism. T o o m a n y pronouncements using burlesque as an embracing term (or inferring as much) were issued to let the word remain as a mere s y n o n y m for doggerel. T h e burlesque versus mockheroic terminology persisted, Beattie being perhaps the chief conservative on this point, but the words of Ozell, E d m u n d Smith, Addison, Mitchell, Somervile, M u r p h y , K a m e s , W a r t o n , and others in employing burlesque to include mock-heroic or parodie poetry g a v e the better usage and the one that reflected the state of the poetry itself. T h e technique and the function of each of the two kinds of burlesque were carefully studied. T h e best representatives were admired and standards of merit erected. Poems in a language other than English were cited freely. Butler continued in favor, but the mock-heroics succeeded the ordinary low burlesque in general estimation. A new, I. Lives of the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905, I, 218.

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influential, interesting literature had arisen, admirablysuited to several satirical purposes; this genre required analysis and appreciation. A corollary of literary history is that criticism accompanies production, and in the case of burlesque we are not disappointed in the tone, quantity, or insight of the critical expressions.

CHAPTER III

The Rape of the Lock So I, that love the old Augustan Days Of formal Courtesies and formal Phrase; That like along the finished Line to feel The Ruffle's Flutter and the Flash of Steel; That like my Couplet as compact as clear; That like my Satire sparkling tho' severe, Unmix'd with Bathos and unmarr'd by Trope, I fling my Cap for Polish — and for Popel DOBSON.

W

r " H E N a work of art happens to have had as immediate inspiration actual events or personages, such revealing facts have been readily grasped by the genus criticus and thrown for makeweight into prefaces, articles, and lectures. Thus the reading world today knows the occasion and origin of The Rape of the Lock. But is our appreciation of the poem really enhanced by knowledge that one Lord Petre offended his kinswoman, Mistress Arabella Fermor, by cutting off a lock of her hair, that the families accordingly quarreled, and that John Caryll in his desire for peace asked the poet Pope to apply the styptic pencil ? 1 This incident set the muse going, and we may be grateful that the product did not remain merely occasional. A t any rate, the poem was I. Belinda, of course, stands for Miss Fermor; the Baron for Lord Petre; Thalestris for Mrs. Morley, Miss Fermor's friend; Sir Plume for Sir George Brown, Mrs. Morley's brother. Clarissa has not been identified. A detailed account of the personalities involved is given in the introduction (pp. 1 3 - 2 1 ) to George Holden's excellent edition of the poem, Oxford, 1909, reprinted 1924. The circumstances of composition and publication may be gleaned from Elwin's introduction to the Rape, Works of Alexander Pope, ed. by W. Elwin and W. J . Courthope, London, Vol. I I (1871).

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written; its beauties and its reputation have little connection with the original circumstances. "To-day, methinks, we touch The Work too little and the Man too much." In 1712 The Rape of the Locke in only two cantos appeared anonymously in Lintott's Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. By Several Hands. In this form it included the essential narrative: Belinda's awakening and journey to Hampton Court, the rape itself and Belinda's sorrow, the combat, and the fate of the lock. Lacking the machinery of the sylphs, the game of ombre, and many of the finest lines and passages, it might have attracted no great attention, or at any rate we should never have been the wiser and happier had not Pope found some sort of additional inspiration or divine dissatisfaction or playful gleam. He hit upon the scheme of using fairies as guiding divinities, and encouraged by Garth, discouraged by Addison,1 he expanded the poem to five cantos, an improvement of which he was always exceedingly proud. In 1714 the new poem appeared separately and of course immediately won great popularity, two subsequent editions appearing the same year.2 Many times was the poem seen in print again; in total reprintings no poem of the eighteenth century, save Gray's Elegy and The Deserted Village, is a likely rival.3 The cause of good sense and good humor has not often had such a favored champion. 1. Much has been made of Addison's attitude in this matter. Three opinions lie open to us: that Addison's judgment was merely bad; that he was jealous (though such a charge at this date will need undiscovered proof); and that he considered such a "delicious little thing," "merum sal," should be left so, especially when no one could predict whether revision would mar or make a piece of work already well done. Addison had opened Spectator No. 523,October 30, 1 7 1 2 , with a compliment to the compositions of Pope, the " rising Genius," that had appeared in the Lintot miscellany. 2. R . H. Griffith's Alexander Pope: a Bibliography, Austin, Texas, Vol. I, Pt. I, 1922, Pt. II, 1927, furnishes ample data on editions down to 1751. 3. Undoubtedly the best one-volume editions are those by George Holden,

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T h e poem, as befits a good mock-heroic, is not too complicated or overloaded. 1 T h e first canto gives the invocation and proposition in true epic fashion, the awakening of Belinda, Ariel's speech explanatory of the elementary divinities, and the famous description of the toilette. T h e next canto narrates the journey by water to Hampton Court, introduces the lock and the lovesick Baron, and gives Ariel's masterly charge to the sprites. C a n t o I I I presents the best pictures of Society, the exciting game of ombre, and the rape itself. T h e fourth canto is devoted to the trip to the C a v e of Spleen with the resulting anger and lament of Belinda because of the two broken vials, and the last division describes the battle of beaux and belles and the transformation of the lock. T h e whole has the tone of mockery, subdued yet thoroughly apparent, of heroic writing. The Rape of the Lock is a mosaic of quotations, parodies, and allusions, derived from the masters of epic and narrative poetry. Many of the most definite instances are mentioned in the notes, but it would be impossible to name them all. Some are the merest echoes of the bygone music, too faint to identify with certainty. Others are generic; suggestive of a type of expression associated with the great classics. But all help to keep up the sense of the mock-heroic, and in days when a wide reading of the classics formed the foundation and nearly the whole superstructure of education, they must have added a certain piquancy which the average reader of to-day somewhat misses.3

T h e careful construction, the sense of proportion, the grand style, all contribute toward the mock-heroic. Omens and sacrifices, battles and catastrophes, abound in classical literature. Heroes address and heroines lament. A game at ombre may suggest Homeric games, and a description of Oxford; Frederick Ryland, Glasgow [1899] and A. F. Watt, London [190J]. These have been of real service to me. j . I am regarding the 1714 version as the standard, and I have scrupulously used for text the first edition of that year. 2. Ryland, pp. liv-lv.

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coffee-taking the frequent Homeric meals. Belinda's voyage calls to mind that of ^ n e a s up the Tiber, and the trip to the Cave of Spleen various underworld expeditions. Ulysses, Anna, and Dido become the Baron, Thalestris, and Belinda in the opening passage of Canto V. Belinda's petticoat is treated as the shield of A j a x ; the progress of her bodkin imitates that of Agamemnon's sceptre; the moralizing speech of Clarissa (added in 1717) parodies that of Sarpedon to Glaucus. Umbriel perches on a sconce to view the fight as Minerva sits on a beam of the roof to watch Ulysses and the suitors; Umbriel receives a bag from Spleen " L i k e that where once Ulysses held the Winds." The allegorical pictures in the Cave of Spleen find originals in much English and Italian narrative poetry. And the doings and words of the celestial machinery mimic those of the accepted gods and goddesses. Parodies, imitations, and echoes of Homer, Virgil, Statius, Ariosto, Spenser, Milton, as well as of Martial, Catullus, Ovid, and even the Bible, can be traced. 1 Classical narrative, description, and speeches are burlesqued effectively, withal unobtrusively. And what of the stylistic devices? Epigram, anticlimax, antithesis, balance, zeugma, repetition, series of elements similarly introduced (by such words as " O r " , " F o r " , " W h y " , " N o t " ) , apostrophe, hyperbole, personification -— all are instruments to the poet's will. The "poetic diction" of the period helps the heroi-comical tone; the wit and irony sustain the slight subject, while the play and turn of satire shine crystal-clear; the smoothness and regularity of the well-filed verses carry along the most romantic reader to an effect at once graceful and ridiculous. Feminine foibles, the hollowness of the life of ι . T h e Coma Berenices, translated by Catullus out of Callimachus, records the hair of the heroine as taken up to heaven; Pope alludes to Berenice at the conclusion and ends the third c a n t o with an imitation of the Coma. It is interesting to learn (from Holden) that the subject of a recently discovered play b y M e n a n d e r , ϋίρικαρομίνη, is the cutting off of a l a d y ' s hair.

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the bon ton, the luxury and frivolity of well-placed fools of fashion were perhaps Pope's primary target; such a poem would make them laugh at themselves and thus strike home because of its elegant invention and playful tone. 1 Garth and Boileau had proved that satire clothed in mock-heroic may still have a sting, and so Pope's belles and beaux join Garth's physicians and apothecaries and Boileau's churchmen.2 The Rape of the Lock, " compounded of many simples," stands ready to answer the various demands for grace, wit, social satire, fancy, incisiveness, and irony. One and the same poem may be a delightful trifle, a pointed barb, a model of verse, a work of art. The chorus of appreciation and comment began as soon as the poem was published. Sir William Trumbull wrote to Pope March 6, 1713: Y o u have given me the truest satisfaction imaginable, not only making good the just opinion I have ever had of your reach of thought, and my idea of your comprehensive genius, but likewise in that pleasure I take as an Englishman to see the French, even Boileau himself in his Lutrin, outdone in your poem; for you descend, leviore plectro, to all the nicer touches that your own observation and wit furnish on such a subject as requires the finest strokes and the liveliest imagination. B u t I must say no more, though I could a great deal, on what pleases me much; and henceforth, I hope you will never condemn me of partiality, since I only swim with the stream, and approve of what all men of good taste, notwithstanding the jarring of parties, must and do universally applaud. 3 1. I t is this phase that Brie emphasizes in his chapter (V) on the Rape, Englische Rokoko-Epic (syio-zyjo), Munich, 1927. See also the study by Felix Bobertag, " Z u Popes Rape of the Lock," Englische Studien, I (1877), 456-480, II (1879), 204-222. 2. " E r [Pope] hat die gattung des komischen epos selbständig erweitert und verfeinert, zierlicher gemacht; wo er aber einen Vorgänger nachbildet, da est es mehr sein landsmann und freund Garth als wie Boileau!' T . Schenk, Sir Samuel Garth und seine Stellung zum komischen Epos, Heidelberg, 1900, p. 96. 3. Elwin-Courthope, Works of Alexander Pope, V I (1871), 5. The correct date of this letter is most probably 1714.

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D e a n B e r k e l e y w r o t e from L e g h o r n M a y 1, 1 7 1 4 : A s I take ingratitude to be a greater crime than impertinence, I choose rather to run the risk of being thought guilty of the latter, than not to return you my thanks for a very agreeable entertainment you just now gave me. I have accidentally met with your Rape of the Lock here, having never seen it before. Style, painting, judgment, spirit, I had already admired in other of your writings; but in this I am charmed with the magic of your invention, with all those images, allusions, and inexplicable beauties, which you raise so surprisingly, and at the same time so naturally out of a trifle. 1 In G a y ' s 'Trivia, 1 7 1 6 , one of the j o y s of w a l k i n g the streets is reading in the booksellers' stalls : Pleas'd Sempstresses the Lock's fam'd Rape unfold, A n d Squirts read Garth, 'till Apozems grow cold. [p. 49]

P o p e ' s v e r y good friend, T h o m a s P a r n e l l , w r o t e for the 1 7 1 7 edition o f P o p e ' s w o r k s a c o m p l i m e n t a r y p o e m , a b e t t e r one than w a s usual in the e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y . How flame the glories of Belinda s Hair, M a d e by thy Muse the e n v y of the Fair? Less shone the tresses ¿Egypt's Princess wore, W h i c h sweet Callimachus so sung before. Here courtly trifles sets the world at odds; Belles war with Beaus, and Whims descend for Gods. T h e new Machines, in names of ridicule, M o c k the grave frenzy of the Chimick fool. B u t know, ye fair, a point conceal'd with art, T h e Sylphs and Gnomes are but a woman's heart. T h e Graces stand in sight; a Satyr-train, Peeps o'er their head, and laughs behind the scene. [sig. f]

P a r n e l l in his " B o o k - W o r m , " Poems on Several Occasions,2 1722, addressed t h a t creature whose rabid teeth h a d rent Belinda's Locks a w a y , And spoil'd the Blouzelind of G a y .

[p. 136]

ι. Ibid.f I X (1886), ι. 1. In the same miscellany may be found the Latin translation of part of the

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Joseph Thurston dwelt on the glory of a "Virgin's H a i r " in his poem The Toilette, 1730. H o w sure t h e y t e m p t us, and how m u c h excel, L e t fair Belinda s Loss for ever tell.

[p. 11]

Paul Whitehead's State Dunces, 1733, p. 1, commented upon the "ravish'd tendrils of thς. Fair."* One of the " P r i z e Epigrams" printed by the Gentleman's Magazine, February, 1735, was on the Rape. A t length, Belinda, cease to mourn T h y ravish'd hairs in triumph b o r n ; Dan Pope in his embalming p a g e , P r e s e r v ' d from time's destructive rage, T h o s e flaming tresses shall display, W h e n these remaining locks are g r e y . So Midas, w h e n he chose to r o v e , A m i d the blooming, l e a f y g r o v e , M i g h t on some h a p p y branch lay hold, A n d turn to everlasting gold.

[p. 97]

An Ode to the Earl oj Chesterfield, 1737, mentioned, in the fourth stanza, fresh wreaths for Pope's head; " In Humour's frolick Round new Measures tread" compliments the Rape. A poem in Dodsley's Museum, 1746, contained a neat allusion. H e r meanest S u b j e c t s thus the M u s e can d e c k : S u c h was the L o c k , that g r a c ' d Belinda's N e c k ; A poor inglorious C u r l ! t h a t loosely s t r a y ' d , O r u n o b s e r v ' d upon her Shoulder p l a y ' d : T i l l rais'd a S t a r , b y Pope's exalted L a y s , T h r o u g h o u t t h e W o r l d is k n o w n its lasting P r a i s e : first canto of the Rape "into leonine verse, after the manner of the ancient monks," which Parnell used, according to Goldsmith, as a hoax on Pope. ι. In an exchange of complimentary verses between Pope and Lady Winchilsea, the latter referred to the lock that " w o n ' t cost the head." See the ElwinCourthope Works of Alexander Pope, IV (1882), 454, and Poems of Anne Countess of Winchilsea, ed. by Myra Reynolds, Chicago, 1903, pp. 102-103.

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W h e r e ' r e the R a y s of its own L i g h t can pierce; Or w h e r e the F a m e of an immortal Verse. 1

Richard Jago, the friend of Shenstone, prefaced Edge-Hill, 1767, with some remarks on subjects and their management; instances of a subject limited in its nature which " m a y become generally interesting by the Force of good M a n a g e m e n t " are Windsor Forest and the Rape·. " H o w different would the E f f e c t have been, had the same Subj e c t s fallen into the Hands of an ordinary G e n i u s ! " [vii— viii] T h e whimsical philosopher, A b r a h a m T u c k e r , had the pleasure of a vision in which his beloved John Locke appeared: " I exerted all m y strength and cried out O ! with a more violent scream than that wherewith Belinda rent the affrighted skies when the rape was made upon her l o c k . " 2 T h o m a s T y e r s in the Historical Rhapsody on Mr. Pope, id ed., 1782, quoted Voltaire's preference for the Rape over the Lutrin. Voltaire in Letters concerning the English Nation had translated some of Hudibras and the Rape; he himself said, " I never saw so amiable an imagination, so gentle graces, so great variety, so much wit, and so refined knowledge of the world, as is in this little performa n c e . " [p. 68] In the discussion of Longinus's " B o l d n e s s of C o n c e p t i o n " or " a d v e n t u r o u s Imagination," Gilbert Wakefield in his Observations on Pope, 1796, thus praised the poem: This source nearly corresponds with the first qualification, or the ingenium, of Horace: and the entire machinery of the Sylphs, with all the concomitant descriptions of these aerial existences, in the Rape of the Lock, to seek no further exemplification of the point before us, displays a boldness and felicity of Fancy to I. " M r . Addison's Letter to Lord Halifax, travesti'd " [No. 183], I, 187. Another poem in the Museum, " F a n c y , " 1747, III, 207, referred to Pope's "Realm of Spleen." 1. The Light of Nature Pursued by Edward Search, Esq., 1768, Vol. II, Pt. II, p. 131.

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which nothing superiour can be produced from the collective monuments of human wit. [xii] T h e R e v . R i c h a r d P o l w h e l e , a u t h o r o f an Art of Eloquence, h i m s e l f w r o t e a p o e m on a l o c k , in w h i c h he e l o q u e n t l y cried out, What tho' the fam'd B E L I N D A ' S ravish'd hair May add new Glory to the distant Skies. . . ,1 T h o m a s P o w e l l o f M o n m o u t h in Emma, or the Baculiniad (1805?) d i s p l a y e d his l e a r n i n g a n d a c u m e n , c o n c l u d i n g w i t h r e f e r e n c e s to t h e m a c h i n e r y of D r y d e n , G a r t h , a n d Boileau. Pope elicited his elegant Comi-Heroi from a trifle : — " the stealing a lady's curl." A poet's brain, M a d a m , is a fertile soil, and a few minute seeds scattered there have often produced good fruits and fine flowers. M y Lord Orford declared that the Rape of the Lock, the Dispensary, and the Lutrin, were three poems unrivalled for elegance b y any antient or modern productions. E v e r y competent reader must set his seal to that testimony. Pope was most fortunate in hitting on the Compte de Gabalis for his machines; that airy system was to him a new pantheon, and suited his purpose more admirably than any mythology extant; many think he might have made more than he has of his " E l e g a n t e s . " [pp. 4-5] J. A i k i n c a l l e d t h e Rape " t h e first a m o n g similar p r o d u c t i o n s in o u r l a n g u a g e , p e r h a p s in a n y o t h e r . " 2 C r a b b e i n v o k e d t h e M u s e , " t h o u w h o g r a v e l y t r i f l e s t , " a t t h e beg i n n i n g o f t h e l e t t e r on inns in t h e Borough, 1 8 1 0 : And far beyond the rest thou gav'st to shine, Belindas Lock — that deathless work was thine. 1. " T h e Lock Transformed," p. 28, appended to Pictures from Nature, 2d ed., Exeter, n. d. 2. Letters to a Young Lady on a Course of English Poetry, Newburyport,Mass., 1806, p. 70. Aikin's complete opinion is too lengthy to give here.

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The two most important discussions were by Joseph Warton and Johnson, men who for opposite reasons might not be expected to cry up The Rape of the Lock, for Warton had identified himself with the reaction against " t h e men sealed in the tribe of Pope," and the genius of Johnson had little in common with the fairy delicacy of the Rape. Section IV of Warton's Essay on the Writings and Genius of Pope, Vol. I, 1756, deals with the Rape and brings in analyses of the poems by Tassoni, Boileau, and Garth to prepare the way for a proper appreciation of the heroicomical. Warton quotes at length. After an examination of the Comte de Gabalis he "cannot find that Pope has borrowed any particular circumstances relating to these spirits, but merely the general idea of their existence." [p. 222] Pope's machines, Warton thinks, are vastly superior to those of Boileau and Garth, "not only on account of their novelty, but for the exquisite poetry, and oblique satire, which they have given the poet an opportunity to display." [pp. 222-223] Warton has, indeed, great praise for this machinery, and compares Pope favorably with Shakespeare. He also likes the account of the game— " I question whether Hoyle could have played it better than Belinda." [p. 233] The mock-fight is better than that in Boileau or Garth. 1 As to the conclusion, "that celebrated fiction of Ariosto; that all things lost on earth are treasured in the moon" [p. 243] must have figured in Pope's plan. "Upon the whole, I hope it will not be thought an exaggerated panegyric to say, that the Rape of the Lock, is the best satire extant; that it contains the truest and liveliest picture of modern life; and that the subject is of a more elegant nature, as well as more artfully conducted, than that of any other heroi-comical poem." 2 [p. 246] I. But perhaps it should be noted in passing that the mock-fight is often considered the weakest feature of the Rape·, the fight had to be made rather allegorical, and was achieved through puns and double meanings. 1 . In the second volume of the Essay, 1782, p. 408, Warton said that "good sense and judgment were his [Pope's] characteristical excellencies, rather than

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Johnson's Life of Pope has too many excellent sentences on the Rape to be quoted adequately; I am forced to select. Addison's counsel was happily rejected. Pope foresaw the future efflorescence of imagery then budding in his mind, and resolved to spare no art or industry of cultivation. The soft luxuriance of his fancy was already shooting, and all the gay varieties of diction were ready at his hand to colour and embellish it. . . . Those performances, which strike with wonder, are combinations of skilful genius with happy casualty; and it is not likely that any felicity, like the discovery of a new race of preternatural agents, should happen twice to the same man. . . . The employment of allegorical persons always excites conviction of its own absurdity: they may produce effects, but cannot conduct actions; when the phantom is put in motion, it dissolves; thus Discord may raise a meeting, but Discord cannot conduct a march, nor besiege a town. Pope brought into view a new race of Beings, with powers and passions proportionate to their operation. The sylphs and gnomes act at the toilet and the teatable, what more terrifick and more powerful phantoms perform on the stormy ocean or the field of battle; they give their proper help, and do their proper mischief. . . . In this work are exhibited in a very high degree the two most engaging powers of an author: new things are made familiar, and familiar things are made new. A race of aerial people never heard of before is presented to us in a manner so clear and easy, that the reader seeks for no further information, but immediately mingles with his new acquaintance, adopts their interests and attends their pursuits, loves a sylph and detests a gnome. That familiar things are made new every paragraph will prove. The subject of the poem is an event below the common incidents of common life; nothing real is introduced that is not seen so often as to be no longer regarded, yet the whole detail of a female-day is here brought before us invested with so much art of decoration that, though nothing is disguised, every thing is striking, and we feel all the appetite of curiosity for that from which we have a thousand times turned fastidiously away. . . . Perhaps neither Pope fancy and invention" but that the author of the Rape and Eloisa cannot " b e thought to want imagination."

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nor Boileau has made the world much better than he found it; but if they both succeeded, it were easy to tell who would have deserved most from publick gratitude. The freaks, and humours, and spleen, and vanity of women, as they embroil families in discord and fill houses with disquiet, do more to obstruct the happiness of life in a year than the ambition of the clergy in many centuries. It has been well observed that the misery of man proceeds not from any single crush of overwhelming evil, but from small vexations continually repeated. 1 Johnson answers the charge of Dennis that the Rape wants a moral, but admits that the objection as to the superfluity of the sylphs is one not efficaciously answered. The game of ombre might be spared, " b u t if the lady had lost her hair while she was intent upon her cards, it might have been inferred that those who are too fond of play will be in danger of neglecting more important interests. Those perhaps are faults; but what are such faults to so much excellence!" It is only fair to hear the dissenters. Charles Gildon's New Rehearsal, or Bays the Younger, 1 7 1 4 , contains a very interesting " W o r d or T w o upon Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock." Dap. Why, Sir, you must know for getting a Reputation for Poetry, there are some Qualifications absolutely necessary, as a happy Knack at Rhime, and a flowing Versification; but that is so common now that few do want it; then you must chuse some odd out of the way Subject, some Trifle or other that wou'd surprize the Common Reader that any thing cou'd be written upon it, as a Fan, a Lock of Hair, or the like. True. As the Lutrin of Boileau, or the Dispensary of D r . Garth, I suppose. Dap. Ah, Sir, that won't do; Boileau and Garth have treated of little things with Magnificence of Verse, as Homer did of the Frogs; but that is now Old, we must have something New; I. Lives oj the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905, I I I , 103-104, 104, 233, 233-234, 235.

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Heroic Doggrel is but lately found out, where the Verse and the Subject agree, as, . . . My Lord, why what the Devil? Zounds, Damn the Lock, 'foregad you must be Civil; Plague on't 'tis past a Jest; nay prithee, Pox Give her the Hair . . . If a Man wou'd distinguish himself, it must be by something New and Particular. Boileau and Garth had arriv'd to so much Fame and Reputation in the former way, that there was no coming after them in the same Track; we there fore found out the Heroic-Comical way of Writing, that no Man ever thought of before. true. That I dare swear. True, we have heard of Tragicomical, a very preposterous and unnatural Mixture, and now I think pretty well exploded; but for this Heroic-Comical, I confess it is new and more odd than the other, [pp. 42-43]

Dapper goes on to say that "you must make the Ladies speak Bawdy, no matter whether they are Women of Honour or not; and then you must dedicate your Poem to the Ladies themselves." Attention is called to the coarse ending of Canto IV and to the fact that the poem was first published without the machinery, "an extraordinary Method indeed." "Now the Poets of Antiquity, founded their Poems on their Machinary; but I find it is the new way of Writing to invent the Machinary, after the Poem is not only Written but Publish'd." [p. 44] We cannot grieve over the outburst of Sir Plume, and certainly not at the insertion of the machinery, but Gildon did strike true in objecting to the suggestive couplet that concludes the fourth canto.1 John Dennis was ever at war with Pope; thus when, in 1728, angered by The Dunciad and The Art of Sinking, he I. It is not strange that this blot should be noticed. See also Historical Rhapsody on Mr. Pope, by Thomas Tyers, 2d ed., 1782, p. 26, and the Life of Alexander Pope, 1744, pp. 16-17.

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took up a copy of the Rape with chastisement in view, it is no wonder that the Remarks on Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock. In Several Letters to a Friend became an instrument of spite and a weapon of misguided pedantry. In the preface he claimed that the treatise had been held back in terrorem, but at last the time for enlightenment had come. Dennis was not above using hard names, either. I t is necessary to summarize Dennis's attack and to quote fragments. In L e t t e r I the title and dedication of the Rape are dealt with. T h e poem should have been called " H e r o i - T r a g i c a l " " s i n c e it seems there w a s a Necessity for a fantastical W o r d . " [p. 2] Butler's satire on the Rosicrucians is quoted. T h e machinery has no manner of influence on the poem, " n o t in the least promoting, or preventing, or retarding the A c t i o n . " [p. 3] T h e contrast with the Lutrin and Hudibras in the next letter is all to Pope's discredit. N o t i c e the t y p e of reasoning in evidence here: The Rape of the Lock is a very empty Trifle, without any Solidity or sensible Meaning·, whereas the Lutrin is only a Trifle in Appearance, but under that Appearance carries a very grave and very important Instruction: For if that Poem were only what it appears to be, Boileau would run counter to the fam'd Rule which he has prescrib'd to others, [pp. 6-7] As the Rape of the Lock is an empty Trifle, it can have no Fable nor any Moral·, whereas the Lutrin has both Fable and Moral, [p. 8] There is not so much as one [ridiculous incident], nor the Shadow of one, in the Rape of the Lock·. Unless the Author's Friends will object here, That his perpetual Gravity, after the Promise of his Title, makes the whole Poem one continued Jest. [p. 10] I n L e t t e r I I I the characters are remarked. T h e r e is no such thing as a character, it seems, in the Rape, Belinda being only a chimera. A n d she " appears an arrant R a m p and a T o m r i g g " [p. 16] and a termagant and an " e r r a n t Suburbian." Dennis sees nothing in the artifices of the toilette for a beautiful person. L e t t e r I V finds Dennis in

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full flame over Pope's sins against ancient and modern practice in machines. He has not taken his Machines from the Religion of his Country, nor from any Religion, nor from morality. His Machines contradict the Doctrines of the Christian Religion, contradict all sound Morality; there is no allegorical nor sensible Meaning in them; and for these Reasons they give no Instruction, make no Impression at all upon the Mind of a sensible Reader. Instead of making the Action wonderful and delightful, they render it extravagant, absurd, and incredible. T h e y do not in the least influence that Action; they neither prevent the Danger of Belinda, nor promote it, nor retard it, unless, perhaps, it may be said, for one Moment, which is ridiculous. And if here it be objected, that the Author design'd only to entertain and amuse \ T o that I answer, T h a t for that very Reason he ought to have taken the utmost Care to make his Poem probable, according to the important Precept of Horace, [pp. 24-25]

Moreover, the critic finds no opposition of the machines to one another and no just subordination or just proportion between their functions. The machines are much less considerable than the human persons; after Ariel has addressed them on omens and possible disasters to the heroine " these Bugbears dwindle to the breaking of a Piece of China, the staining of a Petticoat, the losing a Necklace, a Fan, or a Bottle of Sal Volatile." [p. 27] There is a mix-up of benign and malignant spirits, for the sylphs really promote female vanity. Another defect is that the machines are taken from a quadruple system: Rosicrucian spirits, fairies and genii and demons, Spleen and the phantom, and Fate and Jove in the last canto. In the next section the sentiments are condemned as trivial and extravagant. Dennis pecks at various passages, insisting on a literal interpretation. As to the conclusion of the third canto, he exclaims, " W h y , who the Devil, besides this Bard, ever made a Wonder of it? W h a t ! before Troy Town, and triumphal Arches were built, was the cutting off a Lock of Hair a miraculous

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T h i n g ? " [p. 38] Letter V I continues the quibbles against the sentiments. Over a trick of style Dennis rises to unsuspected heights: he objects to "those numerous Banters in Rhyme, which are to be found throughout this Poem, which are so uniform, and so much of a piece, that one would swear the Author were giving a Receipt for dry Joking: For by placing something important in the Beginning of a Period, and making something very trifling follow it, he seems to take pains to bring something into a Conjunction Copulative with nothings in order to beget nothing." [p. 49] The final letter deals with the expressions, criticises grammar, and haggles over various details. But Dennis unconsciously says two good things here: he calls the Rape a rhapsody " w r i t for the Amusement of Boys, and Men like B o y s " [p. 51]; and he says his own Remarks " m a y be made by the most ordinary Reader, without any Penetration or any Sagacity." [p. 56] Courthope answers that even the gods in Homer cannot avoid the inevitable. " B u t in point of fact Pope did not introduce his machines with a view to influence the action of the poem, which was complete without them, but partly in order to point the satire by adding fresh dignity to the trifling details of which it was composed, and partly to heighten the beauty and brilliancy of the general effect." 1 However, the delightful exercise of answering all of Dennis's points is unnecessary. The worshipper of Le Bossu and Boileau set forth to kill Pope's poem, and it was not the huntsman's pleasure that kept him from being in at the death. Dennis simply did not or could not understand the finesse of the work under his hand. He tried to apply rules which the Rape was deliberately mocking, and when that failed he descended to some of the most absurd quibbles on record. It is hard to speak temperately of this sort of criticism, so replete is it with bigotry, misapplied scraps of I. Life of Alexander Pope in Works of Alexander E l w i n ' s rebuttal to Dennis, see II (1871), 129-133.

Pope, V (1889), 109.

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learning, and obtuseness. Johnson fortunately said the attack had "little force" and " n o effect," but he was mildly disturbed at the criticism of the machinery. On this score the answer is not far to seek. The machines of the Rape are not in strict accord with those accepted as orthodox, nor are they entirely consistent with themselves; the sylphs and gnomes do not move like the regular gods and goddesses, for such a thorough conjunction might quickly have sapped the satiric spirit of the whole and rendered vain the deliberate lightness and grace of a poem that did not rely at all on a complete, detailed coordination with traditional machines. T h e sylphs are used to shadow forth celestial machinery, and they are successful, for success in a mock-heroic that smiles at the life of Society would not demand completeness of identification with spirits destined for serious rôles. Granted, then, that Pope's machinery cannot claim exact parallelism, we see at a first reading that the parallelism is sufficient for the humorous purpose in hand. And Dennis, sitting on the other side of the road up Parnassus, has been the only critic to lay tremendous stress on following heroic procedure to the last letter; thus two centuries in their genuine and sometimes very intelligent appreciation have passed him by. Pope himself tarried only long enough to annotate his copy of the Remarks. This copy has been cropped too closely, but some of his comments can be deciphered. 1 A t the beginning of Letter I Pope wrote, " P r o v i n g that Boileau did not call his Lutrin poeme Heroicomique, 2 that 1. Elwin mentions and quotes from this, but gives no reference. T h e copy [B. M . pressmark, 1421^.7(6)] once belonged to Croker; there is absolutely no doubt that the notes are in Pope's hand. A large number of underlinings may usually be interpreted as showing Pope's disagreement. I am not quoting all the legible notes, many of which merely repeat or amplify the criticism written at the beginning of the section. 2. When Dennis considered the subtitle of the Lutrin, "Heroick Poem," superior to "Heroi-comical," he was apparently unaware that Boileau had in a

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Bossu dos not say (anything of) the Machines and that Butler (wrote) y e Notes to his own Hudibras." On Letter II Pope wrote, " M r . Dennis's positive word that the Rape of y e Lock can be nothing but a trifle and that the Lutrin cannot be so, however it may appear." Pope indicated the object of his satire by writing "femalesex" opposite Dennis's "Popish Clergy" as the object of Boileau's scorn. By the statement that Boileau gave hints as to his real meaning Pope wrote "Clarissas Speech." Dennis had found the moral of the Lutrin to be " T h a t when Christians, and especially the Clergy, run into great Heats about religious Trifles, their Animosity proceeds from the Want of that Religion which is the Pretence of their Quarrel," and Pope substituted "Ladies" for "Clergy" and "Sense" for "Religion." Dennis had cited Boileau's battle in the bookshop as a ridiculous incident; Pope wrote in defence "Of Men and Women for y e Loss of a Lock." Letter I I I was thus summarized: "Where it appears to Demonstration that no handsome Lady ought to dress herself, and no modest one to cry out or be angry." To Dennis's complaint that Spleen and the phantoms are a separate system Pope answered "allegorical"; the sentence that Fate and Jove "belong to the Heathen Religion" Pope amended to " a n d to Poetry." Under Letter V this retort was made, "Sheweth, that the Rosicrucian Doctrine is not the Christian, and that Callimachus and Catullus were a couple of fools." It will be seen that many of Pope's notes are apt (despite Elwin) and not to be disregarded. He pointed out some of Dennis's errors and explained his own purpose to a small degree. There is some quibbling and perhaps deliberate misunderstanding, but the captious tone of these few notes, written as they are in the poet's private copy, does not by any means exceed later edition designated his poem "héroï-comique." Indeed, Dennis's scholarly armor had many holes.

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what one might expect from a personality such as his, irritated by such an attack. Of later critics, the opinion of the distinguished Taine is also adverse. He thinks Pope had insufficient genuine passion or taste to make even a poet of the boudoir. He is not worldly enough, he is too biting. " A chaque instant une moquerie dure efface les gracieuses images qu'il commençait à éveiller. Prenez l'ensemble du poëme; c'est une bouffonnerie en style noble . . . la solennité du style contraste avec la petitesse des événements; on rit de ces tracasseries, comme d'une querelle d'insectes." But, like an Englishman, Pope really has scorn for all this pretty social life. There is no real politeness and no badinage, as a Frenchman would see it. In fact, there is no wit. " C e t esprit n'est pas de l'esprit; tout y est calculé, combiné, artificieusement préparé; on attend un petillement d'éclairs, et au dernier instant le coup rate." The age of Pope was insensible to French refinement and " P o p e est de son pays en dépit de sa politesse classique et de ses élégances voulues, et . . . sa fantaisie désagréable et vigoureuse est parente de celle de Swift." 1 Taine was reasoning, one is afraid, a priori from a theory that no Englishman could be a master of the sort of thing in which Frenchmen are supposed to excel — delicacy, urbanity, elegance, brilliance. And, what is more, Taine apparently either misunderstood the nature of the heroi-comical type or was incapable of appreciating it, for some of his observations and criticisms are simply too obvious or misguided. Pope himself may have lacked taste by modern standards, but the Rape cannot be said for that reason to lack wit or gaiety. T o answer a Frenchman with a Frenchman, the essay of Emile Montégut may be used. Instead of lack of refinement Montégut sees exquisite intuition and nice perception. Adaptation of the mock-heroic genre to the immediate I. Histoire de la littérature anglaise, Paris, 2d ed., 1866, IV, 192, 194, 195.

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purpose without buffoonery is the sign manual of Pope's power. Avec un tact admirable, il comprit que les lois ordinaires du genre n'étaient pas applicables à cette aventure, dont les deux héros étaient jeunes, beaux, élégants et amoureux. La bouffonnerie, la parodie, sont l'essence de ce genre, qui appelle nécessairement pour héros des personnages à qui le ridicule est légitimement dû. Mais tel n'était pas ici le cas. Il n'y a rien de ridicule dans le fait d'être jeune, rien de comique dans le fait d'être beau, rien de burlesque dans le fait d'être amoureux, lorsqu'on réunit toutes les conditions requises pour l'être; ce serait perdre ses peines que de vouloir se moquer de ces privilèges divins,et il n'y aurait en tout cela de risible que le rieur malavisé.1 Hazlitt it is who has furnished the mot célebre. It is the most exquisite specimen of fillagree work ever invented. It is admirable in proportion as it is made of nothing. . . . It is made of gauze and silver spangles. The most glittering appearance is given to every thing, to paste, pomatum, billetdoux, and patches. Airs, languid airs, breathe around; — the atmosphere is perfumed with affectation. A toilette is described with the solemnity of an altar raised to the Goddess of vanity, and the history of a silver bodkin is given with all the pomp of heraldry. No pains are spared, no profusion of ornament, no splendour of poetic diction, to set off the meanest things. The balance between the concealed irony and the assumed gravity, is as nicely trimmed as the balance of power in Europe. The little is made great, and the great little. You hardly know whether to laugh or weep. It is the triumph of insignificance, the apothesis of foppery and folly. It is the perfection of the mockheroic! 2 I. " P o p e , " Heures de lecture d'un critique, Paris, 1891, p. n o . Montégut's pages on the Rape should really be quoted in extenso. F o r the trail to M o n t é g u t I am indebted to R y l a n d , who uses also the A b b é Resnel d u Bellay to c o m b a t Taine. 1. " O n D r y d e n and P o p e , " Lectures on the English Poets, Collected Works, ed. b y Waller and Glover, 1902, V , 72. F o r more general but pertinent criticism, see " O n the Question W h e t h e r P o p e was a P o e t " and " P o p e , Lord B y r o n , and Mr. Bowles."

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John Conington made a necessary point in the matter of artificiality. Here, indeed, Pope was on his own ground, and his progress from first to last is a continued triumph. His marvellous polish of language and metre, his exuberant liveliness of fancy, his fondness for classical imitations, which are too often only parodies, may occasionally appear unseasonable elsewhere; but here they are thoroughly in place. The air of studied stiffness, which is apt to spoil the effect of his prose compliments to his female correspondents, is carried off and disappears in the atmosphere of a poem the metre and conduct of which proclaim it to be designedly artificial. Where no warmth is expected or desired, we do not feel frigidity; where there is no work for imagination to do, we do not complain that her place should be supplied by fancy. 1 Courthope, the biographer of Pope, concluded thus the chapter on the Rape: A slight incident of social life has been made the basis of a well-connected epic narrative; the sayings and doings of persons belonging to existing society are invested with heroic dignity; the whole delicate creation breathes a justly diffused moral air, which saves it from the reproach of triviality, without making it obtrusively didactic. Pope has succeeded in embalming a fleeting episode of fashionable manners in a form which can perish only with the English language. 2 One more selection of criticism on the poem that "stands forward, in the classes of literature, as the most exquisite example of ludicrous p o e t r y " •— from Elwin, the "standard" editor of the Rape. Johnson says of the sylphs that they are " a new race of beings," and that there is nothing " b u t the names of his agents which Pope has not invented." This is an exaggeration. The 1. " T h e Poetry of P o p e , " Oxford Essays, Contributed by Members of the University, London, 1858, p. 23. 2. Works of Alexander Pope, V (1889), 1 1 5 .

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names were a considerable part of the novelty; for, in the fundamental conception, the sylphs in the Rape of the Lock were the time-honoured fairies of English literature. Their immediate prototypes are the elves of Shakespeare. T h e sprites of Pope belong to the same family with the diminutive, joyous, ethereal creatures which anciently crept into acorn cups, couched in the bells of cowslips, or lived under blossoms; who sported in air, rode on the curled clouds, and flitted with the swiftness of thought over land and sea; who hung dew-drops on flowers, fetched jewels from the deep, shaded sleeping eyes from moonbeams with wings plucked from painted butterflies, and who mingled, benignly or maliciously, in all but the graver varieties of human affairs. . . . T h e vividness with which they are described, the novel offices they fulfil, the poetic beauty with which they are invested, even when engaged in employments not in their nature poetic, constitute them a distinct variety, and they rise up before our minds like a fresh creation, and not as the reflection of antecedent familiar forms. T h e remark is true of the work throughout. W h a t Pope borrowed he varied, embellished, and combined in a manner which leaves the poem unique. Some of the parts m a y be traced to earlier sources, but few masterpieces have more originality in the aggregate. . . . T h e Rape of the Lock greatly surpasses in execution the Essay on Criticism; and austere, indeed, must be the taste which could condemn it. T h e "position of w o r d s " is not always "faultless," for Pope admitted too many of his usual inversions, but the phraseology is beautiful in itself, and exquisitely adapted to the subject. T h e language, simple in its units, is rich in combination, without ever being florid or profuse. T h e poet had to depict empty glories made up of outward pageantry, and as rainbows cannot be painted with grey, so Pope dipped his pen in the glowing colours which represented the things. He could not have employed his radiant tints with greater delicacy and power. Few as are the details, the scenic effect is complete. He displayed his judgment in eschewing minuteness which would have been tedious and prosaic; the frail, superficial show could only be imposing in a general view. 1 ι . I n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e Rape·, ibid., I I ( 1 8 7 1 ) , 1 2 7 , 128, 134. E l w i n d o e s n o t fail t o find flaws in t h e p o e m ; his criticism is r e a d a b l e a n d u s u a l l y s o u n d .

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Estimates, chiefly enthusiastic, could be multiplied to satiety. 1 The Rape is a favorite topic with critics: those who regard Augustan poetry as a barren waste call this poem an oasis, and those who read more poems than textbooks or who possess a turn for the neo-classic see the Rape as the crown of several worthy and characteristic elements in eighteenth-century literature. It is agreed that the introduction of the sylphs was the master stroke, but too often it is merely supposed that Pope took over in toto the spirit-philosophy of Le Comte de Gabalis, ou Entretiens sur les sciences secretes. This rather readable volume was written by the Abbé de Montfaucon de Villars and first published in 1670. The first of the five discourses is introductory; the dialogue (with meager setting) is between the Count and the author, the latter making short objections and queries. The Count explains that the elementary spirits are disciples of the cabalists, to be made happiest by instruction and communion with the philosopher. The four orders of spirits are gnomes, salamanders, sylphs, and nymphs, composed of the finest parts of the elements earth, fire, air, and water. Their souls are mortal, and though they live long because of the purity of their parts, they cannot partake of immortality except by alliance with man. The major part of the discussion deals with the union of human beings and spirits; the latter are defended against the charge of being devils (the gnomes alone have a sort of contract with the Devil because they are neighbors), and their beauty and felicities are lauded. There is no failure to use authority from Plato and Pythagoras to Paracelsus and Fludd, and numerous figures ι . I do not relish the necessity of space that forces relegation to a footnote on such citations as: Gosse, History of Eighteenth Century Literature, 1899 (ist ed., 1889), p. 1 1 3 ; L. Stephen, English Literature and Society in the Eighteenth Century, New York and London, 1904, pp. 82-83; (Legouis and) L. Cazamian, History of English Literature, New York, 1927, II, 85; O. Elton, Survey of English Literature, IJ30-IJ80, New York, 1928, I, 335 ("The melody is like that of the silver bell that woke Belinda . . . a fragment of Iris on a dullish s k y " ) .

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of history, m y t h o l o g y , and Scripture are explained by means of these alliances. In fact, A d a m ' s crime is held to be his failure to be content with the beauties of n y m p h s and sylphids. T h e author is not converted to cabalistic doctrines; though inquisitive, he regards the Count as mad but interesting, " s o Strong, and so W e a k ; so Admirable, and so Ridiculous." T h i s story was regarded as attractive and slightly naughty, and, as Pope said in his introductory letter to the 1714 Rape, it had by mistake been read by m a n y of the fair sex as a novel. T h e A b b é suffered for his authorship, about which there was some discussion on account of the similar " C h y m i c a l L e t t e r s " by the Italian Borri. T w o English translations appeared in the year 1680, by Philip A y r e s and Archibald Lovell, but no more until the Rape itself awakened sufficient interest. In 1714 T'he Count de Gabalis: Being a Diverting History of the Rosicrucian Doctrine of Spirits, viz. Sylphs, Salamanders, Gnomes, and Dœmons: Shewing their Various Influence upon Human Bodies was brought out b y L i n t o t t and Curii for a shilling, to take advantage of the great popularity of Pope's poem and to follow up his allusion to the Comte in his dedication. T h i s translation claimed to be a new one from the Paris edition and recommended itself to the public as a revival occasioned by the Rape.1 T h u s , in a manner, the Rape affected the Comte de Gabalis. T h o u g h fairies had been common enough in English literature, and Pope knew his Shakespeare and Spenser, the idea of using machines in a mock-heroic poem he most probably obtained from Boileau or Garth. 2 It was the ι . See the " T r a n s l a t o r ' s P r e f a c e . " T h i s r e v i v a l v e n t u r e , " V e r y Necessary for the Readers of M r . Pope's R a p e of the L o c k , " was justified, for a second edition came out in the same year, at an advance of sixpence. It was advertised in the Post Boy, S e p t e m b e r 2. " M o n s i e u r B a y l e ' s A c c o u n t of this W o r k : A n d of the Sect of the R o s i c r u c i a n s " is prefixed. 2. A . F . B . C l a r k , Boileau and the French Classical Critics in England, 1925, pp. 198-202, shows particularly that the passage on the allegorical figures in the

88

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

kind of machinery that he owed to the Rosicrucian book.1 He admittedly took over the doctrine of the four orders of spirits, but with that the debt ends. In the Rape there is very little of the scandalous matter of union between humans and sylphs (I, 67-70), and the salamanders and nymphs are merely mentioned in the speech of Ariel that outlines the guardianship of the spirits.2 Pope adopts the classical belief that the spirits of the dead retain the interests they had in life, and the idea of the "ruling passion"; this subtle and delicate departure from Rosicrucianism occurs early (I, 47) •—• the four kinds of spirits are results of a "soft Transition" "From earthly Vehicles to these of Air." 5 For when the Fair in all their Pride expire, T o their first Elements the Souls retire: T h e Sprights of fiery Termagants in Flame M o u n t up, and take a Salamander s Name. Soft yielding Minds to Water glide a w a y , A n d sip with Nymphs, their Elemental T e a . T h e graver Prude sinks downward to a Gnome, In search of Mischief still on E a r t h to roam. T h e light Coquettes in Sylphs aloft repair, A n d sport and flutter in the Fields of Air.

[I, 5 7 - 6 6 ]

Thus it is the spiritualized coquettes that guard the honor of maidens and the precious lock the Baron desires. And it is the fiery gnome Umbriel who secures the vials of reproaches and sighs after the rape. Cave of Spleen owes more to Garth than to Boileau, that the address of Umbriel to Spleen is modelled on that of Sidrac to Chicane in Le Lutrin, and that Thalestris's goading blends speeches by Chicane and the Chanter. ι. Budgell, Spectator No. 379, May 1 ζ, i j i i , wrote the story of the sepulchre of Rosicrucius and the breaking of the ever-burning lamp of the ancients. Perhaps this aroused Pope's interest. It is worth remarking that the Comte de Gabalis provided the germ for Undine, that most romantic story by the Baron de la Motte Fouqué. 1. The assumption of shapes and sexes as they please (I, 70) is a departure from the Rosicrucian theory. Elwin thinks there is here the influence of Milton (Paradise Lost, I, 423). 3. See also III, 35-36.

THE

RAPE

OF

THE

T h i s f a i r y m a c h i n e r y o f t h e Rape of casual allusions.

89

LOCK

b r o u g h t forth its share

N o t e the passage in W i l l i a m

s o n ' s p o e m , Sickness,

Thomp-

1745:

B u t whence those peals of laughter shake the sides O f decent mirth? A m I in fairy-land? Y o u n g , evanescent forms, before m y eyes, Or skim, or seem to skim; thin essences O f fluid light; Zilphs, Zilphids, E l v e s and Gnomes; Genij of Rosicruce, and Ladies' Gods ! A n d , lo, in shining trails, Belinda's hair, Bespangling with dishevel'd beams the skies, Flames o'er the night. Behind, a satyr grins A n d , jocund, holds a glass, reflecting, fair, Hoops, crosses, mattadores; beaux, shocks, and belles, Promiscuously whimsical and g a y . [p. 57] Tyers wrote

thus:

T h e S y l p h s a n d G n o m e s w e r e as m u c h t h e t a l k o f t h e t o w n (I m a y a d d , t h e y w e r e t h e D e i t i e s o f t h e d a y ) as t h e m o n s t e r s in G u l l i v e r ' s T r a v e l s , so v a s t l y l i t t l e a n d so v a s t l y b i g , as a c e r t a i n c l a s s o f r e a d e r s d e n o m i n a t e t h e m . A S y l p h is a m o r e u s e f u l a n d benevolent being than even Swift's favourite H o u y h n h n m s . 1 T . J. M a t h i a s t h o u g h t of P o p e as s a y i n g : For their best task my Sylphs are all unfit, While more than Gnomes along the meadows flit. N o more m y fabled phantoms haunt the plains, Where Moloch now, in right of Umbriel, reigns. 2 Clarinda: several

or the good

Fair

passages

Libertine, on

the

1729 [No. sylphs.

101],

Pope's

contains system

is

copied (even to the idea of " the departed Shades O f buried 1. Historical Rhapsody on Mr. Pope, ad ed., 1782, p. 58. 2. The Shade of Alexander Pope on the Banks of the Thames. A Satirical Poem, 1799, p. 22. T h e r e is a reference to sylphs in J. D . Breval's Art of Dress, 1 7 1 7 , p. 15; to the " R o s i - c r u c i a n T r a d e " in William M e s t o n ' s The Knight, 1723 [ N o . 7 1 ] , p. 61; to the watchfulness of " h o n e s t S y l p h s and S y l p h i d s " in The Kenrickad (signed " A r i e l " ) , 1772, p. 3. F o r the sake o f the rhyme, S w i f t used the " f a i r sylphid M o m e n t i l l a , " the guardian o f Belinda's w a t c h , in his Bouts Rimez.

GO

ENGLISH BURLESQUE

POETRY

Belles") with acknowledgment, but the spirits do not play so important a rôle as those in the Rape. Clarinda is told not to grieve: The Sylphs, and Sylphids, that around you fly, As Pope has sung, and sure he scorns to Lye, The Sylphs and Sylphids, Women chang'd to Men, In other Worlds, and apt to change again; Those little, busy, flutt'ring, airy Things, That show such various Colours on their Wings; Dear, pretty Creatures, with a foreign Name, Those dwarfish Angels half compos'd of Flame, Will speed his Toil, and all their Pinions spread, In glad Conjunction, o'er a Lover's Head; Will seal, in thoughtless Sleep, each hostile Eye, And draw a deeper Darkness o'er the Sky; Inspire your Soul with what shall next be done, And make your Freedom ever more our own. [pp. 23-24]

Mary Chandler, shopkeeper of Bath, adopted the fairy machinery of her idol in her metrical "Letter to Lady F—•—·. From the Other World," acknowledging the debt with "These tuneful POPE calls Gnomes and Sylphs." 1 For his Economy of Vegetation, 1791, Erasmus Darwin considered the Rosicrucian doctrine of salamanders, gnomes, nymphs, and sylphs a proper machinery for a botanic poem; the sprites are addressed at length by the goddess in each of the four cantos, which are devoted to the four elements of fire, earth, water, and air. Darwin had made use of gnomes and sylphs in Îhe Loves of the Plants, 1789. The game of ombre in Canto III of the Rape deserves some consideration; the "gem within a gem" 2 is often regarded as the best part of the poem. There seems little doubt that Vida's battle of chessmen, Scacchiae Ludus, I. Description 0/ Bath, 7th ed., 1755, p. 46. The title poem in this volume contains an allusion to "fav'rite Ombre, sweetly sung by POPE," p. 14. 1. De Quincey, " P o e t r y of Pope," Collected Writings, ed. by D . Masson, X I (1890), p. 91.

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91

suggested to Pope the possibility of writing a burlesque account of a conflict of cards. 1 Pope was under the necessity of disguising the progress of an actual game in terms of high battle. Belinda becomes engrossed in her fortune and excited in her winning. In fact, she might have lost her lock at that time, but the catastrophe is reserved for the coffee-drinking scenes a few lines later, when Belinda's j o y becomes woe. Sudden these Honours shall be snatch'd away, And curs'd for ever this Victorious D a y . [ I l l , 103-104]

T h e account is extremely well done, w h a t with the clarity of presentation, the exciting nature of the game, and the heroic atmosphere. Enough information is given for a person possessing a knowledge of ombre to play out the hand card for card. 2 T h e poet obviously knew the game well, for he was guilty of only one minor mistake. 3 A n d there is no reason w h y Pope should not have known well a game that for some years had been immensely popular with the smart set. *Ìhe Royal Game of Ombre, 1660, ι . Vida's poem is in Selecta Poemata Italorum, edited by Pope in 1740. 2. H . H . G i b b s , The Game of Ombre, 1874, (ad ed., 1878; and 3d ed., 1902, as Baron Aldenham) quotes the passage from the Rape which " c o n t a i n s a perfectly accurate account of the g a m e , and shows t h a t , in its main features at least, it was precisely the same in England in the reign of Queen A n n e as it is now in Spain in the reign of K i n g M o b . It is also interesting to see from P o p e ' s description that the C o a t [Court] cards of his time were figured precisely as are those which are at present in use in E n g l a n d , or rather which were in use until the ugly b u t convenient fashion of double-headed K i n g s , Queens, and K n a v e s c a m e u p . " [p. 16] Gibbs adds to his excellent book on the g a m e a chapter in which he plays out Belinda's g a m e in great detail, borrowing the idea from an article, " P o p e ' s G a m e of O m b r e , " in Macmillan's Magazine, J a n u a r y , 1874, X X I X , 262-269. T h e editions of the Rape b y R y l a n d and Holden have appendices on the g a m e , which h a v e been of value to me. I have myself, like L a m b ' s Mrs. B a t t l e , taken pleasure in playing the cards as P o p e directed, especially since ombre resembles the old and complicated g a m e of skat. 3. T h e expression " s w e p t the B o a r d " ( I I I , 50) is inaccurate. If the ombre won the first five tricks and was successful in a declared determination to win the remaining four, he " s w e p t the b o a r d . "

92

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

was merely a political tract, but it proves some general acquaintance with the game. The growth of ombre is neatly exemplified by the fact that the second edition of Wits Interpreter, by John Cotgrave, 1662, had a section on games, including ombre, which did not appear in the first edition of 1655. 1 Cotton's Compleat Gamester, 1674, 1680, contained a chapter on ombre, which Pope may have read. Richard Seymour's Court Gamester (later Compleat Gamester), 1720, also gave the laws for ombre, and at the end of the section Seymour said that he could not "conclude this Article, without transcribing from Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock, the beautiful Description he has given, of the Manner of playing this game, in the following excellent Lines," 2 and proceeded to reproduce the whole passage. In a 1721 miscellany the game passage was isolated as "Description of the Game at Ombre. B y Mr. Pope." 3 In 1754 a tract called Serious Reflections on the Dangerous 'Tendency of the Common Practice of Card-playing (probably by the estimable William Hawkins) criticized especially the game of all-fours as played at Oxford. It opens with the facetious observation that the "Devil's books" (cards) are more perused than good books. 1. W. A. Chatto, Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards, 1848, p. 145 n., thought ombre well known at the Restoration. However, he did not see the real point connected with the Wits Interpreter and, in fact, misdated it. D. Barrington thought Catherine of Portugal, queen of Charles II, introduced the game, and cited Waller's "On a card torn at Ombre by the queen." He also said, " I t likewise continued to be in vogue for some time in the present century, for it is Belinda's game in the Rape of the Lock, where every incident in the whole deal is so described, that when ombre is forgotten (and it is almost so already), it may be revived with posterity from that most admirable poem." "Observations on the Antiquity of Card-playing in England," Archaeologia, Society of Antiquaries, 1787, VIII, 144. 2. 2d ed., 1720, p. 67. Other editions, 1 7 2 2 , 1 7 2 8 , 1 7 3 2 , 1 7 3 4 , 1 7 3 9 , 1 7 5 0 , each with Belinda's game quoted. 3. A Miscellaneous Collection of Poems, Songs and Epigrams. By several Hands. Publish'd by T. M. Gent., Dublin, I, 99-102.

T H E R A P E OF T H E L O C K

93

Mr. Pope too, most certainly has his Merit; yet the Generality of polite Men heed him little more than a Pack-horse upon the Road; they hear the Jingle of his Bells and pass on, without thinking of the Treasure he carries. I have frequently thought it odd, that in all the good Company I have kept, I never heard a Line quoted from any Part of him, unless, now and then, an accidental one, from his beautiful and accurate Description of the Game of Ombre, [p. 5] Allusions to ombre in eighteenth-century poems are by no means scarce. 1 G a m e s of chance and skill for drawing-room and study were apparently as much in evidence in the life of Augustan Society as in that of the present. Poets did not have finical notions about " u n p o e t i c a l " subjects for serious treatment, and the mock-heroic handling of a game was of course apposite. W e must not credit Pope's popular lines w i t h the total responsibility for game-poems, but it is against reason and definite facts (as shown by allusions) to suppose that Belinda's ombre was without real influence. Quadrille and tredille developed from ombre, but whist was soon a serious competitor, with chess always a favorite among the more serious. T h e Short treatise On the Game of Whist b y the famous E d m u n d H o y l e was first issued in 1742, and did much towards popularization of card games and more skilful play. 2 Alexander T h o m s o n , the author of Whist, 1791, addressed V i d a and Pope. O r him w h o soars on far sublimer wings, B e l i n d a ' s b a r d , w h o t a u g h t his l iq uid l a y A t O m b r e ' s studious g a m e so well to p l a y . I. T w o interesting references to the clutch of the g a m e on the town m a y be seen in " A L e t t e r to a Friend in the C o u n t r y , " in Joseph T h u r s t o n ' s Poems on Several Occasions, 1729, p. 35, and The Woman of Taste. In a Second Epistle, from Clelia in Town to Sappho in the Country, 1733, p. 7. 1. H o y l e also wrote a book on quadrille. T . S w i f t , The Gamblers, 1 7 7 7 , p. 2, calls him " g r e a t F a t h e r of the Shuffling C r e w . "

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Casino; a Mock-Heroic Poem, 1793, contained in the opening passage a tribute to the Rape, " I n Pope's gay Verse immortal Ombre lives." Charles Dibdin's Chessiad, 1825, used a burlesque battle to convey the principles of play, and for machinery availed itself of "Hoyle's Games." 1 We may now proceed to some of the most interesting results of the Rape of the Lock, starting with Pope himself. The year after the publication of the five-canto form there appeared A Key to the Lock. Or, A Treatise proving, beyond all Contradiction, the Dangerous Tendency of a late Poem, entituled, The Rape of the Lock, to Government and Religion. By Esdras Barnivelt, Apoth. It was dedicated to Pope to help the fiction that he was not the author.2 Pernicious treatises with political motives are condemned, and the public is warned against the Rape.3 The poet and the people concerned in the poem are Papists. The deadly allegory, with some substitution of dashes for letters, is then explained. The Lock itself represents the Barrier Treaty; Belinda, Great Britain; the Baron, the Earl of Oxford; Clarissa, Lady Masham; Thalestris, the Duchess of Marlborough; Sir Plume, Prince Eugene; the Sylphs and Gnomes, the High and Low Parties, at first sight, but really the Heads of the Parties; Ariel, the late Treasurer; Umbriel, " a vile and malicious Suggestion against some grave and worthy Minister"; Zephyretta and her fellows, the Queen's Ladies; and Shock (best of all!), Dr. Sacheverell. "The Game at Ombre is a mystical Representation 1. Two somewhat playful descriptions of chessmen were "Chess," Poems on Several Occasions, by Joseph Thurston, 1729, and " T h e Game of Chess Versify'd, From the Craftsman," Norfolk Gamester, 1734. The former has this comparison of the pawns: Like Sons of Lilliput, so small, so bold, As We believe, and Gulliver has told. [p. 72] 2. Subsequent editions (with commendatory verses) appeared in 1 7 1 5 , 1 7 1 8 ,

1723·

3. The examples of " a Story of John Bull and his Wife" and " a Tale of Count Tarif' are given on the first page.

THE RAPE OF THE LOCK

95

of the late War, which is hinted by his making Spades the Trump; Spade in Spanish signifying a Sword," and Pam is the Duke of Marlborough. The Tea-Table is a satirical representation of the Council-Table, Dapperwit is President of the Council, the Bodkin is the British Sceptre, and the Sylph who reunites is Lord Townshend. The Seal Rings allude to the three Kingdoms, and the transformation of the lock to the new Peace. Thus the story ridicules " t h e late Transactions in general" and the machinery " t h e Ministers of State in particular." Taken in the light of Popery, the Sylphs act as guardian angels and patron saints (their functions given under nine heads), the Toilette is " an artful Recommendation of the Mass, and pompous Ceremonies of the Church of Rome" Belinda "represents the Popish Religion, or the Whore of Babylon," and the lunar sphere where the lock, lost on earth, will be cherished, is Purgatory. The galaxy of ironies closes with the suggestion that this Key be compared with the " k e y s " of other pieces believed to be state satires, and also the supposition that the government will be interested in the designs of the poet and his publisher. For over a score of pages, studded with illustrative quotations, Pope keeps up the farce. Why he thus indulged his wit we do not know, but to one versed at all in the doings of that day the pamphlet makes rollicking reading. What is more, the great satirist has provided an adequate caveat for subsequent enthusiasts, not excluding scholars, who delight in seeing real plots in those of the stage, and in breaking down the fence between fact and fiction. This is not the place to do more than mention the huge influence of The Rape of the Lock on the type of poem which it founded, the heroi-comical of the lighter variety. 1 The ι . For similar activity in Germany see E . Petzet, " D i e deutschen Nachahmungen der Popeschen 'Lockenraubes,'" Zeilschrift jür Vergleichende Litteraturgeschichte und Renaissance-Litteratur, 1891, N. F . 4, 409-433.

φ

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

most prominent followers 1 are Jacob's Rape of the Smock, 1717 [No. 54], which perhaps pokes some fun at Pope; Bacon's Kite, ιηιι [No. 69], which contains many evidences of the author's studying the Rape, and which Pope himself read; Hauksbee's Patch, 1723 (?) [No. 74]; Barford's Assembly, 1726 [No. 91], in the preface to which both the Rape and the Comte de Gabalis are cited; Ralph's Clarinda, 1729 [No. 101]; Thurston's Fall, 1732 [No. 120]; Whistler's Shuttlecock, 1736 [No. 153]; Hawkins's Thimble, 1744 [No. 187]; The Hoop-Petticoat, 1748 [No. 211], " B y a Gentleman of Oxford." Tea, 1743 [No. 182], though not heroi-comical, is indebted to the Rape, and in Pamela, 1744 [No. 186], sylphs and gnomes are abundantly used. Richard Graves complained that the imitators of the Rape "copied from books, and not from real l i f e " ; 2 he cited as imitations The Diamond and The Snuff-box by his friend Shenstone,3 The Kite, The Shuttlecock, The Thimble, and The Saddle.4 William Hayley greatly admired the Rape and thought to write a poem that would "delineate the more engaging feature of Female Excellence" rather than rail at female foibles.5 The result was the strange Triumphs of Temper, 1781, in which mock-heroic elements are hard to find. The scenes alternate between the real and the visionary to "afford a strong relief to each other"; Sophrosyne guards and guides the heroine Serena so that she does not lose her calm in any situation. Even the title that Pope used had successors, most of 1. For the relation to Gay's Fan, see below, pp. 160-161. 2. Recollection of Some Particulars In the Lije of the late William Shenstone, 1788, p. go. 3. See below, p. 162. 4. I have failed in all efforts to see a copy of The Saddle. 5. Preface, I X . Saintsbury calls the poem silly, CHEL, X I , 195. The portraits of Serena's father and aunt are about all that can interest a modern reader. However, Edward Gardner, Miscellanies, in Prose and Verse, Bristol, 1798, I , 105, tells how the Triumphs of Temper and Darwin's Loves of the Plants, as " r i v a l s " (!) to the Rape, " t h e most finished poem in our language," "must yield the palm of excellence, as a finished whole."

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97

which were presumably imitations. Besides The Rape of the Smock, there were The Rape of the Bride, 1723 [No. 76]; " R a p e of the Lawn," London Magazine, April, 1739; " R a p e of the Snuff-Box," Gentleman's Magazine, August, 1749, which in the prefatory letter says, " F o r whatever has the name of The Rape affixed to it will unavoidably call to view the beauties of a poem, that does the greatest honour to our language"; Rape of the Vineyard, 1757; " R a p e of the Trap," by Shenstone, Dodsley's Collection, 1765, Vol. V; Female Kidnappers; or, The Rape of the Infant, 1782; Rape of the Faro-Bank, 1800. All of these pieces are more or less light in tone. The rape suffered by the lady whose face launched a thousand ships (there was a mock-opera on the rape of Helen in 1737) seems to be the only rival in literature to that perpetrated on the immortal Belinda. The last evidence in my thesis that this heroi-comical poem has a place in English poetry second to none among satires of its length consists of two plays founded on the Rape. John Oxenford's prose burletta with the same title was first acted March 27, 1837, at the Royal Olympic Theatre and was printed in Dick's series of "Standard Plays." 1 A very few lines from Pope are included with several songs. Of the characters, the Mortals are Lord Moonbeam, Sir Theophilus Plume, Frank Cecil, Black Boy, Dapperwit (a poor poet who is the creature of Lord Moonbeam), Belinda, Clarissa, Thalestris, and Betty; and the Immortals are Ariel, Umbriel, Spleen, 111 Nature, and Affectation. The dialogue attempts to be smart and worldly; the machinery tries to give a light, whimsical atmosphere. Clarissa and Dapperwit pair off, as do Thalestris and Sir Theophilus. The manly Frank (a nonI. I have seen the playbill for the forty-fourth performance, May 20, 1837, produced by Madame Vestris, who took the part of Belinda. The other burlettas that night were A Peculiar Position, A Gentleman in Difficulties, and He Would Be an Actor!

98

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Popean character, of course) rescues the lock from his coxcomb brother after Lord Moonbeam and Sir Theophilus have drawn swords, and thereby wins Belinda. Ariel asks the lock as a present for the sylphs to bear off, and Belinda consents, truthfully saying: Thus in new form an antique tale is told Without the grace, the wit, it bore of old, M y lock arose to heaven, if Pope spoke true.

Perhaps the piece provided an entertaining seventyminute representation in 1837, but our present interest is confined to its parentage. Considerably more entertaining is the "Heroical Comedy in R h y m e " by Clotilde Graves, The Lovers' Battle, 1902. Founded ostensibly on the Rape, it borrowed n o lines. Characters not in the original include Colonel Poyntz, Lady Topinott as Belinda's aunt, the Marquess of Foptown, Lucinda, Sacharissa, Tassellio the sprite, a valet, a French hairdresser, a negro page, and Mr. Pope and Dr. Swift; some of Pope's characters are dropped. The action of the four acts has to do chiefly with letters between Belinda and Petre, and her revenge by cropping his hair. It is odd to see Pope tagging Sir Plume's lines and writing letters for Belinda. It is still stranger to hear him give the real meaning of love to the two lovers. He is the guiding figure in the whole play, and as the lovers are reconciled, the sylphs propose that he write the story of the quarrel. Ariel. A masterpiece for this, and every Time. Brilliante. A wondrous broidery of cunning rhyme! Ariel. Jewelled with sparkling wit . . . Brilliante. Yet showing here And there the pearly glimmer of a tear.

[pp. 223-224]

The curtain descends with Mr. Pope the poet deep in composition.

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99

The Lovers' Battle approaches the subject with commendable respect for the masterpiece that suggested it and at the same time with a facetious spirit. The beaux and belles act as they should, and the air of the days of Anne is not far off. Though it was daring to introduce Pope and Swift, the reader has no particular reason to feel offense. The fairy machinery is greatly reduced. 1 Indeed, Miss Graves meant to write around a familiar story a pleasing play of high life — a bold stroke for a poetess, but successful. 2 Lest we "explain a thing 'till all men doubt it, And write about it and about it," we must leave The Rape of the Lock to enjoy its own reputation. Belinda's lock is verily become a star. Or perhaps Thomas Cooke (who was no friend to Pope) was right in his description of the mighty general advancing to the battle of the poets: A pond'rous Helm he wore, adorn'd with Care, And for the Plume Belinda s ravish'd Hair. 3

But another and much later poet thought not of martial matters: after the trumpets of Garth's poem — Y e t peace — new music floats in /Ether's wings; Say, is it Harmony herself who sings? N o ! while enraptur'd Sylphs the Song inspire, 'Tis Pope who sweetly wakes the silver lyre T o melting notes, more musically clear Than Ariel whisper'd in Belinda's ear. 4 ι . P o m p e y , the black b o y , is amusingly transformed into U m b r i e l , and the sylphs astonishingly step out of a W a t t e a u during the last scene. 1. Another bold stroke is the use of M r . Pope and his poem in Virginia W o o l f ' s Orlando, 1928, p. 209. 3. The Battle of the Poets, 1725, p. 5. C o o k e occupied a niche in The Dunciad. 4. William H a y l e y , An Essay on Epic Poetry, 1781, p. 67.

C H A P T E R

IV

The Other Famous Burlesques L a période classique est l'âge d'or de la parodie. L.

CAZAMIAN.

EXT to The Rape of the Lock in importance, skill, and influence, half a dozen burlesques demand special consideration. They are Philips's The Splendid Shilling, Gay's The Shepherd's Week, Carey's Namby-Pamby, Pope's The Dunciad, Browne's A Pipe of Tobacco, and Shenstone's The SchoolMistress,1

N

A.

THE

SPLENDID

SHILLING

One of the first signs of the abundant reputation and imitation of Milton in the eighteenth century was the work of John Philips. His short poem, The Splendid Shilling [No. 7], first published in 1701, was his initial manifestation of a discipleship that he never threw off.2 Bleinheim, Cyder, and Cerealia [No. 15] carried on the mimicry of the Miltonic style.3 No better proof of the statement that burlesque may ι . The brief account in the Register should be read in conjunction with the present discussion of each of these poems. 1. For various references in my treatment of The Splendid Shilling I am indebted to that mine of the Miltonic, R . D. Havens's Influence of Milton, 1922, pp. 96-100, 315-317, and to M . G. Lloyd Thomas's edition, The Poems oj John Philips, 1927, Intro. The chief defects in the latter are the lack of an index and an ignorance of Havens. The inevitable German dissertation is by Alexander Harrach, John Philips (ιύγ6-ιγο8), Kreuznach, 1906. 3. T h e Poem on the Memorable Fall of Chloe's Ρ—s Pot, 1713 [No. 34], may be by Philips. Of The Splendid Shilling Gildon said the author " n e v e r did any thing else worth looking on," Laws of Poetry, 1721, p. 321.

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be born of admiration can be adduced than The Splendid Shilling. Philips knew and loved his Milton, and he saw nothing amiss in applying Miltonic traits to verse on nonMiltonic themes. The motto and the opening immediately indicate the purpose. Sing, Heavenly Muse, Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime, A Shilling, Breeches, and Chimera's Dire. HAPPY the Man, who void of Cares and Strife, In Silken, or in Leathern Purse retains A Splendid Shilling·. He nor hears with Pain New Oysters cry'd, nor sighs for chearful Ale; But with his Friends, when nightly Mists arise, To Juniper s, Magpye, or Town-Hall repairs: Where, mindful of the Nymph, whose wanton Eye Transfix'd his Soul, and kindled Amorous Flames, Chloe, or Phillis·, he each Circling Glass Wisheth her Health, and Joy, and equal Love.

The poor poet proceeds to lament his own penury and hunger. The lack of splendid shillings necessitates lowly fare and weak liquor and vile tobacco. Thus while my joyless Minutes tedious flow With Looks demure, and soient Pace, a Dunn, Horrible Monster! hated by Gods and Men, To my aerial Citadel ascends.

This creature and his effect on the author are described, as well as that awful monster, the catchpole. The wiles by which debtors are entrapped suggest those of Grimalkin the cat and Arachne the spider. The poet passes his days and nights uncomfortable, discontented. Only in sleep may he get respite from the ills of poverty, for then he "Tipples Imaginary Pots of Ale" in his dreams. The poem ends with the wail over his dilapidated clothing: My Galligaskins that have long withstood The Winter's Fury, and Encroaching Frosts, By Time subdu'd, (what will not Time subdue!)

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY An horrid Chasm disclose, with Orifice Wide, Discontinuous; at which the Winds Eurus and Auster, and the dreadful Force O f Boreas, that congeals the Cronian W a v e s , Tumultous enter with dire chilling Blasts, Portending Agues . . . .

and the epic figure of a ship dashed on the rocks, " found'ring in the vast Abyss," to illustrate the way the winds wreck the author's trousers. The Splendid Shilling does not attempt imitation of the heroic on a large scale: there is no action or dialogue or characterization, but only description of the needy existence suffered by the poet who is without funds. Most of the prominent stylistic characteristics of Paradise Lost, such as abundant inversion, introduction of many proper names, use of one part of speech for another, and parenthesis, combine with stately diction and sonorous roll to produce the Miltonic effect. The reader is left with no diminished respect for Milton after smiling at the application of his verse to such a subject, which, though far from ridiculous when isolated, is surely not a fitting one for embodiment in high blank verse. Philips died in 1709, and his best friend, Edmund Smith, wrote a poem in his honor. O h ! various Bard, you all our Pow'rs control, Y o u now disturb, and now divert the Soul: Milton and Butler in thy M u s e combine, A b o v e the last thy manly Beauties shine; For as l ' v e seen when R i v a l W i t s contend, One g a y l y charge, one gravely wise defend; T h i s on quick Turns and Points in vain relies, This with a L o o k demure, and steddy E y e s , W i t h dry Rebukes, or sneering Praise replies. So thy grave Lines extort a juster Smile, Reach Butler % F a n c y , but surpass his Style; H e speaks Scarron's low Phrase in humble Strains, In Thee the solemn Air of great Cervantes reigns.

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What sounding Lines his abject Themes express, What shining Words the pompous Shilling dress ? There, there my Cell, immortal made, outvies The frailer Piles which o'er its Ruins rise. In her best Light the comick Muse appears, When she, with borrow'd Pride, the Buskin wears.1 F o r t h e Tatler A d d i s o n w r o t e a r e v e r i e o f t h i s v e r y shilling, which declared it had h a d t w o adventures. "The F i r s t w a s , m y b e i n g in a P o e t ' s P o c k e t , w h o w a s so t a k e n with the Brightness and N o v e l t y of m y A p p e a r a n c e , that it g a v e O c c a s i o n t o t h e finest B u r l e s q u e P o e m in t h e British L a n g u a g e , E n t i t l e d f r o m m e , The Splendid Shilling,," 2 G e o r g e S e w e l l , t h e first b i o g r a p h e r o f P h i l i p s , quoted Addison and added some good criticism. . . . N o r was it only the finest of that kind in our T o n g u e , b u t handled in a manner quite different from what had been made use of by any A u t h o r of our own, or other Nations, the Sentiments and Style being in this both new; whereas in those the Jest lies more in Allusions to the T h o u g h t s and Fables of the Ancients, than in the P o m p of the Expression. T h e same H u m o u r is continued thro' the whole, and not unnaturally diversified, as most Poems of that N a t u r e have been before. O a t of that V a r i e t y of Circumstances, which his fruitful Invention must suggest to him on such a Subject, he has not chosen any but w h a t are diverting to every Reader, and some, that none but his inimitable Dress could have made diverting to any. W h e n we read it, we are betray'd into a Pleasure that we could not expect; tho' at the same time, the Sublimity of the Style, and G r a v i t y of the Phrase, seem to chastise that Laughter which they provoke. 3 ι . Λ Poem On the Death of Mr. John Philips [ 1 7 1 0 ] , pp. 3-4. S m i t h w a s also e n g a g e d upon w r i t i n g a " P r e f a t o r y D i s c o u r s e " to his p o e m , in w h i c h Philips's life w a s to be treated. Johnson used a B o d l e i a n m a n u s c r i p t o f S m i t h ' s w o r k ( R a w l . D . 35); see a b o v e , pp. 39-40, and below, p. 105. 2. N o . 249, N o v e m b e r 9 - 1 1 , 1710. M y q u o t a t i o n is from the original sheet. 3. Life and Character of Mr. John Philips, 1 7 1 2 , p p . 13-14.

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John Lockman thus prefaced his blank-verse translation of Voltaire's Henriade, Canto I, 1732: We do not in this Translation nor in that of the Art of Poetry, find any of those Flatus's and Swellings which are mistaken for Milton's Sublime, and often made use of mal a propos and very unnaturally. In Philips's Burlesque Poem, The Splendid Shilling the Miltonick Manner succeeded, because the Tumidity or false Pomp of the Verse increased the Ridiculum, which was the Subject of the Poem; but in serious Pieces such Affectation does really produce the Ridiculum, where the Sublime was intended.1

Joseph Warton denominated the poem "that admirable copy of the solemn irony of Cervantes; who is the father and unrivaled model of the true mock-heroic." 2 In the Newbery-Goldsmith Art of Poetry On a New Plan, 1762, The Splendid Shilling was chosen to represent the burlesque kind of writing. " I n this poem the author has handled a low subject in the lofty stile and numbers of Milton·, in which way of writing Mr. Philips has been imitated by several, but none have come up to the humour & happy turn of the original." [II, 137] Sewell was then quoted without acknowledgment. Johnson, as usual, had something to say worth heeding. In his Life of Philips he wrote: The Splendid Shilling has the uncommon merit of an original design, unless it may be thought precluded by the ancient Centos. To degrade the sounding words and stately construction of Milton, by an application to the lowest and most trivial 1. Other interesting references in minor literature of the half-century are: The Scrutiny, 1708, p. 7; Thomas Newcomb, Bibliotheca, 1712, p. 44; Lady Winchilsea, " A Tale of the Miser, and the Poet," Miscellany Poems, on Several Occasions, 1713, p. 148; Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics and Forming a Just Style, 1753 (ist ed., 1713), pp. 224-225; John Oldmixon, Essay on Criticism, 1728, p. 59; William King, The Toast, 1732, p. 22. 2. Essay on the Writings and Genius of Pope, 1756, p. 247. Warton included The Splendid Shilling among the "pieces of humour which antiquity cannot equal, much less excel," Adventurer, No. 133, February 12, 1754, p. 377.

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things, gratifies the mind with a momentary triumph over that grandeur which hitherto held its captives in admiration; the words and things are presented with a new appearance, and novelty is always grateful where it gives no pain. B u t the merit of such performances begins and ends with the first author. He that should again adapt Milton's phrase to the gross incidents of common life, and even adapt it with more art, which would not be difficult, must yet expect but a small part of the praise which Philips has obtained; he can only hope to be considered as the repeater of a jest. 1

Johnson quoted from Edmund Smith's unpublished fragment. T h e contrariety of style to the subject pleases the more strongly, because it is more surprising; the expectation of the reader is pleasantly deceived, who expects an humble style from thesubject, or a great subject from the style. It pleases the more universally, because it is agreeable to the taste both of the grave and merry: but more particularly so to those who have a relish of the best writers, and the noblest sort of poetry. 2

Of Somervile's choice of blank verse for Rural Sports Johnson said that " familiar images in laboured language have nothing to recommend them but absurd novelty which, wanting the attractions of Nature, cannot please long. One excellence of the Splendid Shilling is that it is short. Disguise can gratify no longer than it deceives." 3 Commendations of this "lucky thought happily executed," in Hazlitt's phrase,4 came from other illustrious men.5 However, the hymn of compliment was not without 1. 2. 3. 4.

Lives oj the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905,1, 316-317. Ibid., 1,324. Ibid., II, 320. Select British Poets, Collected Works, ed. by Waller and Glover, V (1902),

373· 5. Cowper, 'Task, III, 455-456; Goldsmith, History oj England, Works, ed. by J. W. M. Gibbs, V (1886), 344, and Beauties oj English Poesy, ibid., V, 158; Crabbe, Borough, 1810, p. 149; Campbell, Specimens oj the British Poets, 1841, p. 318; Hunt, Wit and Humour, 1846, p. 274.

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notes of discord. Blackmore advised "Milton's Imitator" no more to "Torture our Language to torment the Ear." 1 Philips's Cyder was the occasion of "Philo-Milton's" defense in and of blank verse, Milton's Sublimity Asserted, 1709. This lover of Milton was apparently not blessed with much humor: he took Philips to task for presumption in choosing "Verse Too exquisite, for such an abject Theme." [p. 19] A n d whilst in moving N u m b e r s , he excites T h e Vig'rous Soul to the sublimest T h o u g h t s ; T h o u like a Bankrupt Wit, with Cheerful Ale, A n d Voice; dull as a Bag-pipes Drone, dost B u z z Incessant, T h y self pleasing Madrigal; Of Shilling, Breeches, and Chimera's Dire.

[p. 2 1 ]

At Pope's death the Rev. John Brown deplored the state of satire before that satirist and accused The Splendid Shilling of immorality.2 The influence of The Splendid Shilling on eighteenthcentury poetry is too great and too various to admit of many dogmatic statements. The poem certainly pointed the way to Miltonic burlesque by providing a short, clever, and fair parody of the sublime style in blank verse. Its very title was attractive. It was widely read and very often reprinted,3 and it suggested several themes congenial to mock-heroic or parodie treatment. Though Miltonic imi1. Adaice to the Poets, 1706, p. 1 1 . An answer to Blackmore's " Incomparable, Incomprehensible" poem appeared in the same year, A Panegyrick Epistle, but like the Advice it contained no specific reference to the Splendid Shilling. As to the possibility of Philips's authorship of the counterblast, see Lloyd Thomas, p. xxvii n. I. 2. " A n Essay on Satire," Dodsley's Collection, 1748, I I I , 1 1 3 . An unquotable reference to Philips's poem occurs in A Sequel to the Dunciad, 1729, p. 19, a poem which has few rivals for sheer obscenity. 3. There were three Latin translations: Thomas Tyrwhitt, "Splendens Solidus" (dated 1J47), Translations in Verse, Oxford, 1752; Nummus Splendidus, Cambridge, 1777; Thomas Holland, Bodl. MS. Rawl. J . fol. 4, ff. 215-216 (Lloyd Thomas gives the wrong reference here). It was even turned into rhyme and thus inserted in the Lover's Miscellany, 1719.

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tation before Philips was rare and Miltonic burlesque unknown, it would be extravagant to assign to The Splendid Shilling, or to the total output of Philips, the honor of more than a considerable influence in the first half of the eighteenth century. 1 Over two dozen definite burlesques in blank verse may be recorded in those fifty years, the degree of influence from The Splendid Shilling on these items fluctuating from close imitation to entirely independent creation. The general influence of the famous parody is, of course, difficult of measurement, but it may be safely assumed that Philips's poem was the most powerful force in burlesque blank verse of the first half, or of the whole, of the eighteenth century. Avowed imitations were Armour, 1724 [No. 77], Buck's Geneva, 1734 [No. 139], Bramston's Crooked Six-Pence, 1743 [No. 179], which is the closest possible follower of The Splendid Shilling (the preface attempting to perpetrate the joke that Katherine Philips was the real author), and Poverty, 1748 [No. 198]. The author of Bartholomew Fair, 1729 [No. 99], believed his poem "the only Imitation of Mr. Philips's Splendid Shilling, which is so great a Masterpiece in its kind." An Epistle from Oxon, 1731 [No. i n ] , was a most servile follower. Brown's Fire, 1724 [No. 78], and Mitchell's Shoe-Heel, 1727 [No. 94], and Sick-Bed Soliloquy to An Empty Purse, 1735 (?) [No. 144], also had imitative features, the Shoe-Heel containing in the preface the note that " M r . John Philips is the most considerable of Those who have attempted to add Importance and Dignity to small and trifling Subjects." Somervile invoked the spirit of Philips for his Hobbinol, 1740 [No. 172], " T o raise ignoble Themes with Strains sublime," and mentioned him in his thoughtful preface.2 A Bacchanalian ι . One of the most valuable features of Havens's work is his bibliography of poems influenced by Paradise Lost, to which I have been able to add only a few items. 2. Somervile also wrote a short, peculiar poem, Hudibras and Milton Recon-

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Rhapsody, 1746 [No. 188], closed with a compliment to Philips. Money was the most obvious theme for the poet who sought to write a poem reminiscent of The Splendid Shilling. Thus the gamut of coins was run: Crooked Six-Pence; Birmingham Halfpenny, 1757; Mrs. Pennington's Copper Farthing, 1763; Soliloquy on the Last Shilling, 1773; A SickBed Soliloquy to An Empty Purse; Empty Purse, a Poem in Miltonics, 1750. However, the four poems about to be mentioned are not burlesques. John Fowler in the preface to his poem, The Last Guinea, 1720, explained that he feared censure because his subject too nearly resembled that of Philips's Splendid Shilling, to which he was an entire stranger. "The Last Penny, humbly inscribed to the Author of the Last Guinea" mentioned the famous burlesque.1 Mitchell, who seemed fond of Philips, wrote in "Verses, On Sight of an Half-Penny, found in Mr. Kenneth Campbell's Pocket, after his Death" compliments to Butler, "the Prince of Pleasantry and Wit," and to Philips, whose name would last "while Cyder's drunk, and while One splendid Shilling's found in Britain's Isle." 3 The first stanza of "On Half a Crown" runs: If you have Sense, at least of Feeling, A Theme like mine will surely win ye, This Parent of a Splendid Shilling, A n d younger Brother of a Guinea.'

The shilling-lacking poet was fond of liquor (and dreamed of it) ; various kinds of drink were naturally good subjects for ludicrous poems.4 Gay wrote Wine> 1708 ciVd\ the beginning and the end are in octosyllabic couplet, the middle in blank verse. It had a place in Occasional Poems, Translations, Fables, tales, 1727, pp. 93-96. ι. E.-P. Rich, Original Poems on Several Occasions, 1720, p. 20. 2. Poems on Several Occasions, 1729, pp. 294, 296. 3. Miscellaneous Poems, By Several Hands. Publish'd by Mr. Ralph, 1729,

p· 134·

4. A scholarly study of the place of alcohol in English literature remains to be done. Perhaps the time is ripe.

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[No. 22], and Philips himself Cerealia, 1706 [No. 15], and Cyder, 1708. Lady Winchilsea's Miltonic burlesque, Fanscomb Barn, 1713 [No. 33], dealt partly with drinking. Geneva, 1729 [No. 104], the anonymous Gin, 1734 [No. 140], A Bacchanalian Rhapsody, and Small-Beer, 1746 [No. 191], followed.1 To go no further down the century that celebrated porter and punch and even corkscrews and gout in Miltonics, Thomas Warton in Panegyric on Oxford Ale, which appeared in 1750, claimed to be a "Mean follower" of the bard who "pin'd for cheerful Ale." 2 The theme of penury inspired the author of Poverty, 1748 [No. 198].5 Though The Splendid Shilling said nothing directly of college life, a similar tone was suitable for a description of the student's world. An Epistle from Oxon, The Copper Farthing, and Thomas Maurice's School-hoy, 1775, used Philips as a model.4 The passage on smoking, Havens thinks, may have suggested the Verses on the Death of Capt. Weekley, 1738 [No. 167]. The Splendid Shilling spoke only a word about food, but this was sufficient hint to several poets after the turn of the half-century. In 1. Thomson's description of the orgy in Autumn must have been indebted to Philips. Those verses were isolated from the rest of the poem in Lyttleton's 1750 edition of Thomson's works and called The Return from the Fox-chace, A Burlesque Poem, in the Manner of Mr. Philips, with the note, "being of a different character and stile from the rest, and rather belonging to the Mock Heroick, or Burlesque way of writing, it has been judged proper to leave them out there in the present edition, and insert them here, by themselves," II, 239 n. The blank verse "Lisy's Parting with her C a t , " with burlesque elements, was written early by Thomson but not published until long after his death. 2. Warton, Companion to the Guide, and a Guide to the Companion: being a Complete Supplement to all the Accounts of Oxford hitherto published, ìd ed. [1762?], p. 15, referred to a "Pennyless-Bench": " T o this Seat of the Muses, we are most probably indebted for that celebrated Poem, the Splendid Shilling." 3. " T h e Poet: or, A Muse in Distress; in Imitation of the Splendid Shilling," Delights of the Muses, 1738, pp. 1 - 7 , is a description of the life of an indigent poet. Several phrases are from Philips, but the tone is very different and the poem is not a burlesque. 4. A Day in Vacation at College, 1751, by the "Macaronic Parson," William Dodd, and Maurice's Oxonian, 1778, both in blank verse, did not follow 'the Splendid Shilling so closely.

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fact, the method of utilizing distinctly low objects or actions as burlesque topics owed something to Philips. This "exquisite example" 1 of mean thoughts in pompous language, this Miltonic diablerie, as to sway and execution is a justified claimant for first place among contemporary pieces of its kind and length. B.

T H E SHEPHERD'S W E E K

Pope's revenge for the success of Ambrose Philips's pastorals inspired both his own celebrated essay in the Guardian ironically praising the pastorals of Addison's friend and the series of mock-eclogues written by Gay. In The Shepherd's Week, 1714 [No. 39], the original intent was the ridicule of the realism affected by Philips, but G a y did not imitate Philips closely enough for parody. Little did G a y know that so successfully would his pictures give the atmosphere of shepherds and shepherdesses that they would be praised for their inherent beauty and faithfulness, with no recourse to the occasion of their composition. " T h e Proeme T o the Courteous R e a d e r " is a mixture of truth and fun. Perhaps G a y was facetious when he wrote, "Other Poet travailing in this plain high-way of Pastoral know I none. Y e t , certes, such it behoveth a Pastoral to be, as nature in the country affordeth; and the manners also meetly copied from the rustical folk therein." A t any rate, he proposed to show his rural folk in their proper milieu, but he admitted that their language as he presented it was fit for no place or time. G a y used the stock motifs of the pastoral type as it had been received and conventionalized from the hands of Theocritus and Virgil. The writing of pastorals in England had not been slight, and the type was as thoroughly fixed by Gay's time as other literary forms borrowed and modiI. James Beattic, Essay on Laughter and Ludicrous Composition, 1778, p. 384.

THE SHEPHERD'S W E E K

III

fied from ancient usage. Indeed, so stereotyped and divorced from actual country life had the form become that G a y ' s idea that a faithful representation of the rural would burlesque the eclogue mould was quite natural. 1 H e accordingly drew upon his observation of and contact with actual rustic conditions and filled his six poems with the details of farm life, keeping the while such recognized conventions as the contest, the love complaint, the elegy. Spenser and Pope furnished the plan of a time cycle (the former used months, the latter seasons), and The Shepheardes Calender provided proper names. Virgil's influence is to be seen in the third, fifth, and sixth of G a y ' s poems, and that of Theocritus in the fourth. A s much as we m a y rejoice in the free realism and the natural simplicity of the manners displayed, we should not neglect an appreciation of the delicate ridicule of the eclogue type as practised b y English poets and even somewhat b y Virgil himself. " M o n d a y ; or, the S q u a b b l e " is a song contest between C u d d y and Lobbin Clout with Cloddipole acting as umpire. T h e subjects of the outbursts are of course their respective sweethearts, B u x o m a and Blouzelinda, who are described as such bumpkins would describe them. T h e poem ends not with the awarding of the prizes but with Cloddipole's advice to forbear, Y o u r herds for w a n t of w a t e r s t a n d a d r y , T h e y ' r e w e a r y of y o u r songs — and so a m I.

" T u e s d a y ; or, the D i t t y " is Marian's love-lay for Colin Clout, who has felt attracted to C i c ' l y . H o m e l y details are recalled by the forsaken farm-girl, and the poem concludes on a distinctly bovine incident. " W e d n e s d a y ; or, the D u m p s " is another maiden's lament, Sparabella's for ι. Cf. L. M . Watt, " t h e humbug of bunkum shepherds and shepherdesses, such as moved so much through the pinchbeck pastoralism of the eighteenth century," Scottish Lije and Poetry, London, 1912, p. 268.

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Bumkinet. Sparabella disparages the fortunate Clumsilis and recalls her own experience with the squire. The comic is enhanced by her indecision as to the best mode of suicide; night comes and T h e prudent maiden deems it now too late, A n d 'till to-morrow comes defers her fate.

" T h u r s d a y ; or, the Spell" recounts the superstitions and incantations of Hobnelia; at length Lubberkin approaches and the girl is happy. In " F r i d a y ; or the D i r g e " Bumkinet and Grubbinol sing the excellencies of the departed Blouzelinda. T h u s wail'd the louts in melancholy strain, 'Till bonny Susan sped a-cross the plain; T h e y seiz'd the lass in apron clean array'd, A n d to the ale-house forc'd the willing maid; In ale and kisses they forget their cares, A n d Susan Blouzelinda s loss repairs.

" S a t u r d a y ; or, the F l i g h t s " tells of the awakening by Susan of Bowzybeus, the vagrant singer, and of his entertaining the maids and swains with ballads. Finally he falls asleep again. T h e pow'r that guards the drunk, his sleep attends, 'Till, ruddy, like his face, the sun descends.

B y sly strokes, touches of the coarse, emphasis on human frailty, and unmistakably ludicrous endings G a y has adroitly burlesqued the eclogue that made its characters talk in stilted, urban, tiresome couplets. His half-dozen poems have the charm of the fields in them and the fun of incongruity. T o be sure, an eclogue should depict the natural existence of herds and milkmaids, but the form had come to G a y after a long evolution which made it an artificial type of writing. T h e trick was not easy and few examples of the real bur-

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lesque eclogue can be found, most of which are pretty dull. [See Nos. 128, 135, 137, 159.] Pattison's Jealous Shepherd, 1728 [No. 97], and Shenstone's Colemira, 1737 [No. 156], are more worthy successors. The so-called "town eclogue" probably owes little to Gay, but is rather a case of a recognized form used for satiric purposes. In 1710 Swift wrote the first, and those by Pope, Gay, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu are well known to students of the period. In these town eclogues satire on the life of the town was developed; the dialogue form and the conventional situations merely proved convenient. "The town eclogue is a short dramatic scene, modeled upon Virgil's Bucolics and depicting city life and manners in a greater or less satirical manner. This age, with its keen sense of form and love of the classics, saw the possibilities in the structure of the eclogue, itself in large part individualized by this structure, and poured into the mould the material in which they were interested." 1 At first the town eclogue may have suggested a burlesque purpose, but it soon was a definite satiric type. The eclogue genre was greatly extended,2 but these ramifications were not in the main burlesque in nature. The burlesque eclogue as such was in fact rather scarce, and Gay's series was by odds the best and foremost. Criticism of 'The Shepherd's Week has not been particularly original or brilliant. Two passages will suffice to give 1. R . F. Jones, "Eclogue Types in English Poetry of the Eighteenth Century," "Journal of English and Germanic Philology, January, 1925, X X I V , 44. I am in substantial agreement with Jones about the town eclogue, but certainly not with his definitions of a "burlesque poem" and a "mock poem." The former, he thinks, is interested in satire of form, the latter in satire of content, Sir Thopas and The Rape of the Lock being examples respectively, and among eclogues The Shepherd's IVeek and the town eclogue. The thesis by Marion K. Bragg, The Formal Eclogue in Eighteenth Century England, "Univ. of Maine Studies," S e r . I I , N o . 6,June, 1926, suffers from little discrimination and narrowness of scope. 2. There were piscatory, military, naval, and even sacred eclogues. In the London Magazine, February, 1736, there appeared "Lunny, Lightwit, and Common Sense. A Stage Eclogue."

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the estimate usually made. Art of Poetry,

POETRY

In the Newbery-Goldsmith

1762:

T o these Pastorals, which are written agreeably to the taste of antiquity, and the rules above prescrib'd, we shall beg leave to subjoin another that may be called a burlesque Pastoral, wherein the ingenious author, the late Mr. Gay, has ventur'd to deviate from the beaten road, and described the shepherds and ploughmen of our own time and country, instead of those of the Golden Age, to which the modern Critics confine the pastoral. His six Pastorals, which he calls the Shepherd's Week, are a beautiful and lively representation of the manners, customs, and notions of our rusticks. 1

And the sensible John Aikin wrote : G a y entered the field as an auxiliary to Pope and by way of exaggerating the ridicule thrown upon vulgar pastoral, undertook to write a set of pieces in which the real manners of country clowns should be painted, without any fictitious softening. B u t the result was probably very different from what either he or his friends expected; for these burlesque pastorals became the most popular compositions of that class in the language. The ridicule in them is, indeed sufficiently obvious to a cultivated reader; but such is the charm of reality, and so grateful to the general feelings are the images drawn from rural scenes, that they afforded amusement to all ranks of readers; and they who did not comprehend the jest enjoyed them as faithful copies of nature. . . . Thus, [because of G a y ' s power of observation] in the pastorals before us, while he pursues his primary design of burlesque parody, he paints rural scenes with a truth of pencil scarcely elsewhere to be met with; and even pathetic circumstances are intermixed with strokes of sportive humour. 2

John Gay, that " f a t and feckless fabulist," could write ι . I , 104. See also Goldsmith's Beauties of English Poesy, 1 7 6 7 , 1 , 133. 2. Letters to a Young Lady on a Course of English Poetry, 1806, pp. 49-50. Dr. H u g h Blair in his popular Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres called G a y ' s work " an ingenious burlesque of Pastoral Writing, w h e n it rises no higher than the manners of modern clowns and rustics," 6th ed., 1796, I I I , 124.

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115

this sort of burlesque supremely well. The accurate observation, the happy turn of phrase, the ironic smile, and the simple grace made up his genius. The Shepherd's Week is a central pillar in his house of fame. C.

NAMBY-PAMBY

To Ambrose Philips must be granted the distinction of having called forth two of the prominent Augustan burlesques. For reasons of his own he issued several poems of compliment dressed in the " Infantine " 1 style. There were odes to Signora Cuzzoni, the Misses Margaret and Charlotte Pulteney, and Miss Georgiana Carteret (daughter of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland), and a Supplication for Miss Carteret in the Small-Pox, but the one to provoke most attention was To the Honourable Miss Carteret. These effusions seem to have centered around the year 1725. 2 They were in trochaic couplets of seven or eight syllables, monotonous in tone, filled with repetition, longrunning periods, extravagant praise, and soft sentiment. Miss Carteret is called Bloom of beauty, earthly flower Of the blissful bridal bower.

The poet asks, indeed without waiting for an answer: H o w shall I, or shall the Muse, Language of resemblance chuse ? Language like thy mien and face, Full of sweetness, full of grace. 1. In Chap. X I of the Art of Sinking Pope treated "Diminishing Figures" and included the " I n f a n t i n e " with quotations from Philips. Other allusions occur in the Dunciad, Bk. IV, in a couplet in the Prologue to the Satires not in the regular text, and in a letter to Swift; Elwin-Courthope, Works, IV (1882), 183; I I I (1881), 255; V I I (1891), 67. 2. In the 1748 edition of Philips's Pastorals, Epistles, Odes, and other Poems, the poems to Signora Cuzzoni and Miss Charlotte Pulteney are superscribed 1724 and the one to Miss Margaret Pulteney 1727, but the year when the greatest notice was taken of Philips's "little flams" was most probably 1725.

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After remarks on her growth and maidenly blossoming, her charms are catalogued. H a p p y thrice, and thrice again, H a p p i e s t he of h a p p y men, W h o , in courtship g r e a t l y sped, W i n s the damsel to his bed.

Philips has been praised for a "simplicity of versification and a genuine play of fancy which are now recognised as rare gifts in the artificial school of Addison in which he was trained." 1 But the fancy did not appear so genuine or else the versification seemed too simple to a wit of that day, without doubt Henry Carey. Carey's claim to authorship of Namby-Pamby [No. 83], though quite generally accepted now, has the negation of a broadside of the poem with Captain Gordon named as the author. Carey's work in dramatic burlesque shows him capable of Namby-Pamby, and he included it in the 1729 edition of his Poems on several OccasionsIf he took what was not his, he was a bold thief, for in an epistle to Chesterfield entitled Of Stage Tyrants, 1735,3 he complained that others had fathered his compositions, including Sally. T h e n P r e j u d i c e w i t h E n v y did combine, Because ' t w a s G o o d , 'twas t h o u g h t too good for mine. So common F a m e did various A u t h o r s chuse T o N a m b y P a m b y , Offspring of m y M u s e .

[p. 6]

T h e parody in Namby-Pamby is thorough, savage, and ridiculous. It opens: I. Gosse, Ward's English Poets, III (1884), 130. Johnson had said: " T h e numbers are smooth and spritely, and the diction is seldom faulty. They are not loaded with much thought, yet if they had been written by Addison they would have had admirers: little things are not valued but when they are done by those who can do greater." Lives of the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905, III, 324. 1. From which my quotations are taken. The poem, of course, does not occur in the 1713 or 1720 editions. 3. Also printed in Grub-street 'Journal, August 26, 1736, No. 348. Carey made a similar but less definite complaint in the preface to the 1729 Poems.

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All ye Poets of the Age! All ye Witlings of the Stage! Learn your Jingles to reform! Crop your Numbers and Conform! Let your little Verses flow Gently, Sweetly, Row by Row: Let the Verse the Subject fit; Little Subject, Little Wit.

Philips's purpose and subject are lampooned: That her Father's Gracy-Grace Might give him a Placy-Place. . . . N o w the venal Poet sings Baby Clouts, and Baby Things; Baby Dolls, and Baby Houses, Little Misses, Little Spouses; Little Play-Things, little Toys, Little Girls, and little Boys.

Namby is represented as singing children's songs, the jingles of which nimbly fit into the puerile lines. N o w he sings of Jacky Horner, Sitting in the Chimney-Corner; Eating of a Christmas-Pie, Putting in his Thumb, Oh, fie! Putting in, Oh, fie! his Thumb, Pulling out, Oh, strange! a Plumb.

He is "Once a Man, and twice a Child," What must second Childhood be, In a Child so bright as he?

A few coarse lines (perhaps intended to satirize Philips's unnecessary intimacy) do not greatly mar this exceedingly clever burlesque. All of the faults in the "Infantine style" are discerned and ridiculed. An especially happy stroke is the phrase " N a m b y Pamby," a child's version of "Ambrose Philips," which has stuck to the offending poetaster and even become a descriptive term for the choppy, singsong short couplet.

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POETRY

It is one thing to be a good parodist, another to mimic him. A flood of verses at once poured from the presses, and several imitations followed a few years later. [Nos. 8o, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 129, 142, 143.] But none had the power or wit of the original Namby.1 It was not so simple as it looked. D.

T H E DUNCIAD

The genesis of the Dunciad, 1728 [No. 96], with the fog of mystifications and complications surrounding its appearance, is not so germane to the present study as the fact that when Pope wished to lash his enemies he chose the medium of a mock epic. Theobald, who had made the mistake of impeaching Pope's Shakespearean scholarship, was to be the King of the Dunces; when the poem was altered and the extra book added in 1743, Cibber took his place. 2 T h e general subject is the "restoration of the reign of Chaos and Night by the ministry of Dulness their daughter, in the removal of her imperial seat from the city to the polite world." 3 After proposition, invocation, and inscription in heroic style, the initial book describes Dulness and Theobald, who raises an altar of books to the goddess. Dulness selects him as monarch, and cries: 1. S w i f t certainly wrote one of these parodies [No. 88]; and perhaps another [ N o . 80]; Heiter Skelter is somewhat similar in form. T h e r e is a reference to " m a d r i g a l N a m b y " in Bettesworth's Exultation. Satiric passages occur in Miller's Harlequin Horace, 1 7 3 1 , p. 12, and in A Satyr on the Poets of the Town, c. 1725. 2. A third monarch w a s W a r b u r t o n , enthroned b y William D o d d in A New Book of the Dunciad, 1 7 5 1 . 3. E l w i n - C o u r t h o p e , Works of Alexander Pope, I V (1882), 21. T h i s introduction to the Dunciad contains sufficient information for an understanding of the purpose of the poem and the conditions of its publication. A n y o n e interested in the poem should consult the facsimile edition of the Dunciad Variorum, Princeton, 1929, with the introductory essay by R . K . R o o t , and also the compact discussion in Professor Sherburn's Selections from Alexander Pope, N e w Y o r k , 1929, pp. 450-458.

119

THE DUNCIAD I see a K i n g ! w h o leads m y chosen sons T o l a n d s t h a t flow w i t h c l e n c h e s a n d w i t h p u n s : 'Till each fam'd theatre m y empire own, T i l l Albion, I see!

as Hibernia,

bless m y throne.

I see! — T h e n r a p t , she s p o k e n o more.

God save King

Tibbald!

Grubstreet

alleys roar.

In the second book the goddess institutes games and sports in celebration. Booksellers, poets, critics, the whole literary fraternity participate. The games are ended by a general sleep, induced by public reading. In Book III the head of the anointed one rests in the lap of Dulness and becomes filled with glories of the past, present, and future triumphs of the Empire of Dulness. The great prophecies made by the ghost of Settle to the King as to the coming of the Kingdom of Dulness and the thrall in which she holds science and education form the fourth book. The numerous opportunities for a "Line's Malignity from P o p e " in such a framework are apparent and indeed constitute the chief reason for the selection of a mockheroic form. 1 The King of the Dunces is not a proper hero in that he is seldom before the eye or engaged in the actions so essential to heroic poetry; Theobald's sins would hardly provide material for lengthy and complicated mockheroic. 2 This very deficiency in action is the great flaw in the poem as a burlesque, nor was John Dennis, " i n a perpetual reciprocation of malevolence," tardy in seizing his chance to score the point. In Remarks upon Several Passages in the Preliminaries to the Ounciad he elaborated his objection that despite the proposition of the poem, it did 1. T o be sure, Pope was h a v i n g a huge j e s t in his employment of the epic form; in the Martinus Scriblerus of the Poem and Receipt to Make an Epic Poem he was also showing his impatience with excessive systematizing of the epic. O n the basis o f Pope's prose and verse it would be difficult to argue that he thought lightly of the serious epic. See the interesting criticism by Austin Warren, Alexander Pope as Critic and Humanist, Princeton, 1919, pp. 67-69. 2. T h e r e is, moreover, the f a c t that the poem was under w a y before the appearance of T h e o b a l d ' s offending Shakespeare Restored.

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE P O E T R Y

not sing an action or have the probability necessary to mock-heroics. Dennis substantiated his fervent arguments by the examples of Butler and Boileau. There is no answer to Dennis — the action of The Dunciad is insufficient for a poem professedly written on the heroic scale. A series of episodes is formed without any real unity other than the spirit of satire. The epic styles of Homer and Virgil and Milton are frequently parodied, but as a thoroughgoing mock-heroic the poem is a failure. We must call it, then, not a complete burlesque but rather a combination of burlesque and straight satire. T h a t was what Pope evidently intended to write. He had some bitter lines to fling at the instigators of his scorn, and he decided on a satire of sufficient magnitude to warrant some sort of structure. T h e frame of a mock-heroic was the natural choice even though the poet could not or would not carry through all the requirements of that type. T h e machinery also was designed to serve the call of satire. Dulness as a goddess is a felicitous creation, but the speech of Bayes to the goddess is not consonant with the irony desired in a mock poem. He admits his own dulness and thus transgresses the rule of propriety. This is a weakness inherent in the double method of direct satire and indirect burlesque that Pope adopted. 1 The Dunciad obviously owes much to Mac Flecknoe and The Dispensary,2 both of which are mock-heroics with strong satirical motives and allegorical machinery. The idea of an induction and the literary nature of the satire tie The Dunciad to Dryden's poem rather closely, a debt observed as soon as the poem was printed. 3 In fact, there is no cause to doubt 1. C o u r t h o p e discusses this and quotes the opinion of W a r t o n and R o s c o e , Works of Alexander Pope, I V (1882), 22-23. 2. T . Schenk thinks t h a t these two poems are the works with the g r e a t e s t influence on 7"Af Dunciad. Sir Samuel Garth und seine Stellung zum komischen Epos, 1900, pp. 96-107. I t is possible that P o p e was influenced by Brereton's mock-heroic [ N o . 32]. 3. " T h e Piece t h a t it can shew most R e s e m b l a n c e to, is, the Mac Fleckno of

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that Pope's model was the work of his great predecessor in the field of verse satire. T h e Lutrin was apparently too different in nature to be of service. 1 Despite the immortality granted nonentities by their inclusion in the poem, the unavailing coarseness, and the obscurity of several passages, no reader of The Dunciad can fail to feel its great power. T h e couplets march boldly along, each carrying a lethal blow for some offender, until the mighty conclusion is reached. T h e scheme was too ambitious for much imitation, but the tone and the technique of the stinging lines left a large impress on English satire. Probably the most interesting and enduring product of The Dunciad is the huge vogue that it set in motion of using the suffix -tad to manufacture a title. 2 F i v e burlesques before 1750 illustrate this: Dulcinead, 1729 [No. 103], a poor Hudibrastic poem; Beeriad, 1736 [No. 146], a mockheroic whose author imitated the first book of The Dunciad v e r y closely and claimed to have considered Aleiad as a title; Fielding's Vernoniad, 1741 [No. 174], a mock-heroic satire; Sarah-ad, 1742 [No. 177], a t r a v e s t y ; and Whitehead's Gymnasiad, 1744 [No. 185], a mock-heroic which referred to The Dunciad in the preface. B u t m a n y later burlesques had the -tad in their titles, and the first use of it sprang from a mock-heroic intent. Inasmuch as this fashion in literature had its origin in burlesque of the classDryden·, but how far inferior to its Original, the World m a y j u d g e upon taking a View of that excellent P e r f o r m a n c e , " A Compleat Collection of all the Verses, Essays, Letters and Advertisements, which Have been occasioned by the Publication of Three Volumes of Miscellanies, by Pope and Company. To which is added an Exact List of the Lords, Ladies, Gentlemen and others, who have been abused in those Volumes. With a large Dedication to the Author of the Dunciad, containing some Animadversions upon that Extraordinary Performance, 1728, pp. x - x i . C f . Gulliveriana, 1728, p. 312. ι . A . F . B . C l a r k points out a few possible imitations of Boileau's lines, Boileau and the French Classical Critics in England, 1925, pp. 204-205. 2. A m o n g D r a y t o n ' s Odes " A S k e l t o n i a d , " in thirty-six lines of Skeltonic metre, is in all probability the only instance before P o p e .

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ical example, particularly of the Iliad, and as The Dunciad was the prime mover in the fixation of the mode, 1 investigation into this matter has been pursued sufficiently to assert that here is the most popular title vogue in English literature, 2 with the exception of the " A r t o f " type, which is perhaps less interesting. The presence of this suffix (-iad or -ead, -ad, -ade) denotes that the work deals with the subject suggested by the name to which those final letters are affixed. The NED gives the English suffix -ad as representing the Greek -άδ-α, forming feminine patronymics and hence used in names of poems. 3 T h e mere -ad did not often appear but yielded to the more euphonious -iad and sometimes -ead; the -ade was the French spelling. 4 In " T h e Publisher to the R e a d e r " of the 1728 Dunciad Pope had great sport with a verse from Statius and cited the Iliad, ¿Eneid, Lusiad, and Henriade.s T h e initial notes in the 1729 Dunciad Variorum constituted a mock-critical discussion of the etymology and spelling of the title; " Dunceiad" and " D u n c e i a d e " were both discarded. And in ι . T h e classical example itself and French custom of the seventeenth century must h a v e aided, but the ancient and foreign influences were merely preparatory and contributory. 1. M y full list of titles of poems, prose pieces, and miscellaneous items with this distinctive suifix extends to the y e a r 1928, and has grown without systematic research to more than 250 in number. See an article b y R i c h m o n d P . B o n d , "-IAD-. A P r o g e n y of the Dunciad," P. M. L. Α., December, 1929, X L I V , 10991105; the present discussion has certain resemblances to parts of this article. 3. C f . Δηλιάδα, Aristotle, Poetics, ii, 5. 4. F o r different kinds of title-endings compare D r a y t o n ' s Mortimeriados, 1596, C o w l e y ' s Davideis, 1656, E d w a r d H o w a r d ' s Caroloides, 1689, John L a c y ' s Steeleids, 1 7 1 4 , and Glover's Athenaid, 1787. 5. T h e first authorized edition o f the Henriade appeared in L o n d o n , 1728, and must h a v e influenced P o p e . P o p e wrote to S w i f t on M a r c h 23 that his Dulness w a s to be called b y the " m o r e pompous n a m e " of Dunciad. R . H . Griffith says, " T h e m o n t h of M a r c h saw, also, at least one alteration in the Dunciad, and that a capital one. T h e vision of a book lettered on the b a c k , Pope's Dulness, w a s too m u c h for the poet's sense of humor; so the title was c h a n g e d , " " T h e Dunciad of 1 7 2 8 , " Modern Philology, M a y , 1915, X I I I , 5.

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"Martinus Scriblerus of the Poem" Pope called the work about Margites "properly and absolutely a Dunciad. " "Now forasmuch as our Poet had translated those two famous works of Homer which are yet left; he did conceive it in some sort his duty to imitate that also which was lost: And was therefore induced to bestow on it the same Form which Homer's is reported to have had, namely that of Epic poem, with a title also framed after the antient Greek manner, to wit, that of Dunciad." [p. 23] A few of the -iad authors made some critical reference to the suffix and cited Pope. Several -iads appeared on the heels of "The Dunciad, and in the seventeen-forties at least eighteen such works were printed. Thereafter for sixty years an average of a score appeared in each decade, but the eighties saw the greatest popularity, the year 1785 containing more than a dozen. After about 1810 the -iads decreased in number, until today we regard it as a bygone mode. This habit of title-forming, however, did not wane before it spread to America. Nine-tenths of the total number were in verse. No one will suppose that each author of these -iads deliberately copied Pope: the progeny of The Dunciad was the vogue itself, though hardly each item in that vogue. It is true that the fashion grew by example and that the conspicuous -iad poems, like Churchill's Rosciad, 1761, lent power. "Dunciad" itself was commandeered a dozen times and "Rosciad" a score; several other titles were used twice. The next landmark was the excellent Criticisms on the Rolliad, 1784-85, which adopted the plan of criticism of and quotation from a "discovered" poem, a device copied at least four times. Three types of poetry monopolized the -iad title —• mock-heroic, satire, and epic. Of the first sort The Scribleriad by R. O. Cambridge, 1751, is of most importance. There were satires galore, and among the literary kind GifFord's Baviad, 1791, and Maeviad, 1795, are still re-

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membered. The epics were the longest and dullest. Such a popular use of a neat suffix naturally was extended to non-poetic productions, as periodicals or departments therein, miscellanies, and prose works. In length the -tads ranged from the Heraldiad, 1730, and Cowper's Colubriad, 1815, each under a hundred lines, to the Fredoniad, 1827, in forty cantos and four volumes. The favorite verse form was the heroic couplet, with blank verse a poor second. All sorts of words were used as a basis for these titles: geography, history, figures of antiquity, soubriquets, classes of people, Greek and Latin nouns, games, and extremely common nouns such as " l o u s e " or "flea." Among the prominent folk with names thus embalmed were Smart, Burns, Sarah Churchill, Admirals Keppel and Vernon, Viscount Melville. Thus our forefathers perpetuated a usage convenient, indicative, and authoritative, long after the Wasp of Twickenham ceased to have happy moments of mischief. E.

A

PIPE

OF

TOBACCO

Isaac Hawkins Browne, wit and M.P., friend of Johnson and author of a Latin essay on the immortality of the soul, is in some respects the father of modern parody. His series of imitations of contemporary poets, A Pipe of Tobacco, 1736 [No. 151], was the initial attempt to present the styles of several authors on a common subject of no elevation. Not until the Rejected Addresses do we find the idea of the collection of literary parodies on a single topic again successfully carried out, and then not by a single author. The puffs of this Pipe of 'Tobacco were not blown in the faces of the halfdozen imitated authors — the parodies are without malice and yet acute. John Philips, to be sure, had admired the object of his burlesque, but The Splendid Shilling differs greatly from Browne's work in other ways. Here is a careful and withal impersonal parading of the

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125

faults of six poets, all prominent, with no interest or motive other than literary. In a few lines (the total is only eight score) various poetic traits of Cibber, Ambrose Philips, Thomson, Young, Pope, and Swift are mimicked in verse that sings the joys of smoking. Thus the gentle and purely literary spirit, the multiple imitation, and the real skill of the Pipe of "Tobacco make it a sheaf of importance in the history of English burlesque. This, the first of its kind, was a master that few pupils have surpassed. The inclusion of one or more of the six poems in several twentiethcentury anthologies is some proof of approximation towards the "pure criticism" later parody was to effect. 1 Taking the poems in the order of appearance and not in that of arrangement in the 1736 volume,2 we find " Namby Pamby" Philips the first bard whose style was imitated by Browne.3 The short lines in honor of Miss Carteret and Signora Cuzzoni, pervaded by easy compliment and childish repetition, are aped in the manner taken by Carey some years sooner and carried on by frequent lampooners.4 The pipe is described in the same terms which Philips had applied to feminine charms, the parody being no better or worse than the other facile satires on Philips's puerile verses. The parody of Thomson was based on his Antient and Modern Italy compared: Being the First Part of Liberty, a ι. In the Oxford Book 0} Eighteenth Century Verse, chosen by David Nichol Smith, Oxford, 1926, Nos. 201 and 202 are the parodies of Young and Pope. J . A. S. Adam and B. C. White include those of Pope, Thomson, and Young, Parodies and Imitations, Old and New, 1912. The parodies on Pope and Thomson appear in Arthur Symons's Book of Parodies, London [1908]. 2. The details of publication are given in the Register under the Pipe [No. i j i ] , 3. There is no reason here to treat the question of John Hoadly's authorship of the poem on Philips; Browne very likely was chiefly responsible, though Hoadly may have planted the seed. See Brett-Smith's edition of the Pipe, Oxford, 1923, pp. 9-10. 4. This subject is handled in more detail under Namby-Pamby, Section C of this chapter.

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Poem. The bombast, the ultra-Miltonic word formation, and the tortured order of the words are reproduced along with Thomson's very phrases. An address is made to Tobacco, for Thomson rejoiced in apostrophes. T h e poem on Liberty was turgid enough to be meat for parody, and Browne adequately seized the prey. Of a higher order is the imitation of Young's style. T h e satirical Love of Fame, The Universal Passion, with its vigorous and moral tone, portrayal of types, epigrammatic turns, and crispness of line, is exceedingly well burlesqued. The attitude towards tobacco of certain recognizable town-types is given, and the poem cleverly concludes on the topic dear to Y o u n g — Fame. Y e t Crowds remain, who still its Worth proclaim, While some for Pleasure smoke, and some for Fame·. Fame, of our Actions universal Spring, For which we drink, eat, sleep, smoke, — ev'ry Thing.

T h e parody of Pope is equally good, for Browne was able to catch so securely the neat, antithetical, balanced flow of coupled lines that we should at once know Pope as the author mimed. A note on the title at first publication reveals the Ethick Epistles as the original, and there are touches of satire in the score of chiseled lines in Browne's eulogy of the Leaf. Whether the number would have remained at four we cannot know, but it is worth pointing out for the first time that Browne had definite inspiration for proceeding. One "Gabriel J o h n " sent an ode in burlesque of Cibber entitled Tobacco [No. 145] to the Grub-street Journal; this was published December 18, 1735. T h e accompanying letter says that the four poems in the styles of great figures in poetry have been agreeable entertainment. It is a pity that the "same ingenious gentleman" has not given a specimen of the Laureate's lyric way, and " J o h n " seeks to provide such a specimen.

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Browne must have noticed this suggestion, and it is probable that it had an effect on him. T o be sure, parodies of Cibber were common enough during the first years of his laureateship. Harmonious Cibber entertains T h e court with annual birthday strains. 1

A t any rate, Browne did add two more poems — on Cibber and Swift. In a " N e w - Y e a r ' s O d e " Tobacco replaces George and Caroline in the celebration; recitativo and air alternate to promote the Cibberian emptiness of adulation. The poem really sounds like one of Cibber's semi-annual duties, indeed it is superior. The imitation of the great Dean of St. Patrick's is a bit better. The movement of the Drapier's octosyllabics, with the boldness of tone and frankness of diction, recalls the sort of thing Swift did so frequently and effectively. 2 Even the attitude Swift would conceivably have taken is presented. This, the last of the series, required real talent for the making, though hardly so much as the Popean skit exacted. Too often the notes written by Browne on his six Latin mottoes have escaped the person who has delighted in the poems. These few sentences, witty and yet full of keen criticism, appeared in " T h e Publisher to the R e a d e r " in the third edition, 1744. If Pope was not displeased, we wonder how anyone else could have been.3 But some ill-natured verses called " T h e Smoaker S m o a k ' d " appeared in the December Gentleman's 1. " O n P o e t r y , a R h a p s o d y , " 1733, Poems of Jonathan Swift, ed. b y W . E . B r o w n i n g , 1 9 1 0 , 1 , 2 7 3 . Some years later P a u l W h i t e h e a d hit Cibber's " B i r t h - d a y s o n n e t s " in the satire Manners, 1739, p. 17. 2. H a v e n s , Influence of Milton on English Poetry, 1922, pp. 450-451, thinks the slight e m p l o y m e n t by Browne o f the Allegro-Penseroso structure d u e to an association in his mind with the octosyllabic metre. S w i f t used this Miltonism only in his Ode on Science. 3. See Spence's Anecdotes, ed. by Singer, 1820, pp. 168, 204.

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Magazine, 1736; they were promptly answered the next month by " T h e Judgment of T r u t h , " which decided that the attack was inspired by E n v y and executed by Dullness. Moreover, in the same periodical only two months after the final parodies appeared, there was printed a poem, " M r I. Brown's Patent." W h e r e a s t h a t curious artist, Isaac Brown, W i t h pipe of rare device has c h a r m ' d y e t o w n ; A pipe w o r t h fifty butts, a pipe of w i t Fill'd b y the M u s e s , b y Apollo li't; I n which n o squeamish prude, in fashion stiff, N e e d scruple to e n j o y a fragrant w h i f f : Phoebus ordains, his councellors among, ( B e it proclaim'd b y solemn voice of Young) T h a t Isaac s craft, no s u b j e c t of Apollo, W i t h o u t Parnassian license, dare to follow. N o bard w i t h o u t his faculty presume T o imitate his pipe in times to come. T h e muses in the grant, w i t h Phoebus j o i n , Swift, Pope, and "Thomson, in successive line, Namby, t h y m a r k let Cibber s — under sign.

[ V I , 224]

Exactly two years later Browne's poems occasioned a serious tribute to "Virginia," " O n Tobacco," again in the Gentleman's Magazine. Thy And Nor Nor

virtues, fair enchantress, I rehearse, sing t h y praises in no m i m i c k verse. Pope's nor Thomson's M u s e m y breast inspires, all the N i n e exceed t h y genuine fires. [ V I I I , 211]

R. O. Cambridge wrote " T o b a c c o ; a T a l e , " which he addressed to Browne. 1 In 1755 Robert Lloyd paid an excellent compliment to the poet who "sweetly trod In Imitation's dangerous road." 2 Indeed, so sweetly did Browne 1. Cambridge's Works, ed. by G. O. Cambridge, 1803, pp. 30-32. " M y Pipe and I , " Scots Magazine, August, 1741, p. 354, apparently owes nothing to A Pipe of Tobacco. 2. Poems, 1762, p. 27. Brett-Smith makes much of the Lloyd passage but does not even mention the three preceding references.

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tread this road that followers were chary of comparison; A Little Wish, 1735 [No. 142], and Of the Praise of Tobacco, 1736 [No. 150], parodies of Ambrose Philips and Aaron Hill, are probably the only immediate imitations. Goldsmith remarked that Browne " h a d no good original manner of his own, yet we see how well he succeeds when he turns an imitator." 1 If Hawkins Browne was a born parodist, what more need he be ? Here we have no quarrel with Nature's economy. F.

THE

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It would be hard to name a poem more thoroughly delightful, more satisfying for a moment of ease, than the Spenserian parody by Shenstone. The School-Mistress, 1742 [No. 178], is a burlesque cast in a rare mould of which subsequent poets have been unable to find the pieces. After the introduction of the subject the scene of the schoolhouse is set for us near a patch of green and a birch tree, which is not to the pupils' tastes. The schoolmistress, with a cap " f a r whiter than the driven Snow," a gown of russet, and a "punctilious Nicety in the Ceremonious Assertion" of her simple titles, is to these children " t h e greatest Wight on Ground." One antient Hen she took delight to feed, The plodding Pattern of this busy Dame! Which, ever and anon, as she had need, Into her School, begirt with Chickens, came; Such Favour did her past Deportment claim: And if Neglect had lavish'd on the Ground Fragment of Bread, she still did hoard the same: For well she knew, and quaintly cou'd expound The Chicken-feeding Pow'r of ev'ry Crumb she found.

The " I n d e x " describes this stanza thus: " A Digression concerning her Hen's presumptuous Behaviour, with a I. Beauties of English Poesy, Works, ed. by J. W . M . Gibbs, V (1886), 158.

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Circumstance tending to give the cautious Reader a more accurate Idea of the officious Diligence and Oeconomy of an old Woman." Then there is " A view of this rural Potentate as seated in her Chair of State, conferring Honours, distributing Bounties, and dispersing Proclamations" and a statement of her policy. The daily tasks begin, but one unlucky urchin must be chastised; the intercession of his sister, his reception of the birching and subsequent sulking, and the dame's pedagogical acuteness in clearing the air with sweetmeats are accompanied by reflections on the early characteristics and the future of the " simple Vassals." A little Bench of heedless Bishops here, A n d there a Chancellor in E m b r y o .

" B u t see, the Hour of Pleasaunce draweth near," and the children troop forth to play or visit a neighboring huckster. The poem ends praising fruits and Shrewsbury. Much of the intended humor will be lost if the ludicrous " I n d e x " is neglected. Fortunately Shenstone in his letters was not silent concerning the poem. 1 Letter X X I I I , to his friend Graves, written during the closing days of 1741, reveals the poet's attitude towards the "poet's poet." Some time ago, I read Spenser's Fairy Queen; and, when I had finished, thought it a proper time to make some additions and corrections in my trifling imitation of him, the Schoolmistress. — His subject is certainly bad, and his action inexpressibly confused; but there are some particulars in him that charm one. Those which afford the greatest scope for a ludicrous imitation are, his simplicity and obsolete phrase; and yet these are what give one a very singular pleasure in the perusal. T h e burlesque which they occasion is of quite a different kind to that I. Works, in Verse and Prose, I I I (1769). Corrections in the dating o f some of the letters h a v e been made by J. E . Wells, " D a t i n g of Shenstone's L e t t e r s , " Anglia, X X X V (1912), 429-452. I am using the new order established b y Wells.

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of Philips's Shilling, Cotton's Travestie, Hudibras, or Swift's works; but I need not t&\\ you this. 1 [pp. 63-64]

A letter ( X X I I ) several weeks later says more about the poem then under revision. T h e true burlesque of Spenser (whose characteristic is simplicity) seems to consist of a simple representation of such things as one laughs to see or to observe one's self, rather than in any monstrous contrast betwixt the thoughts and words. I cannot help thinking that my added stanzas have more of his manner than what you saw before, which you are not a judge of, till you have read him. [pp. 61-62]

A letter of M a y , 1742 ( X X V ) , the month of publication, certainly shows a burlesque intention and a knowledge of dramatic burlesque. I dare say it must be very incorrect; for I have added eight or ten stanzas within this fortnight. But inaccuracy is more excusable in ludicrous poetry than in any other. If it strikes any, it must be merely people of taste; for people of wit without taste (which comprehends the larger part of the critical tribe) will unavoidably despise it. I have been at some pains to secure myself from A . Philips's misfortune, of mere childishness, "little charm of placid mien, & c . " I have added a ludicrous index, purely to shew (fools) that I am in jest: — and my motto " O quà sol habitabiles illustrât oras, maxime principum," is calculated for the same purpose. Y o u cannot conceive how large the number is of those that mistake burlesque for the very foolishness it exposes (which observation I made once at the Rehearsal, at T o m T h u m b , at Chrononhotonthologos; all which are pieces of elegant humour). I have some mind to pursue this caution further; and advertize it, " T h e School-mistress, & c . " A very childish performance every body knows (novorum more). But if a person seriously calls this, or rather, burlesque, a childish or low species of poetry, he says wrong. For the most regular and formal I. N o t e Shenstone's use of burlesque as a generic term in these letters.

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p o e t r y m a y be called trifling, f o l l y , a n d w e a k n e s s , in c o m p a r i s o n o f w h a t is w r i t t e n w i t h a m o r e manly s p i r i t in ridicule o f i t . [pp. 6 9 - 7 0 ]

And shortly after publication a fourth letter ( X X I V ) to Graves is highly important. 1 I a m g l a d y o u are r e a d i n g S p e n s e r : t h o u g h his p l a n is d e t e s t a b l e , a n d his invention less w o n d e r f u l t h a n m o s t p e o p l e i m a g i n e , w h o do n o t m u c h consider t h e o b v i o u s n e s s o f a l l e g o r y ; y e t , I t h i n k , a person o f y o u r disposition m u s t t a k e g r e a t d e l i g h t in his simplicity, his g o o d - n a t u r e , & c . D i d y o u o b s e r v e a s t a n z a that begins a canto somewhere, Nought is there under heav'n's wide hollowness T h a t breeds, &c. W h e n I b o u g h t h i m first, I r e a d a p a g e or t w o o f t h e F a i r y Queen, and cared not to proceed. A f t e r that, Pope's A l l e y m a d e m e consider h i m l u d i c r o u s l y ; a n d in t h a t l i g h t , I t h i n k , o n e m a y r e a d h i m w i t h p l e a s u r e . I a m n o w (as C h — m l e y w i t h ), f r o m trifling a n d l a u g h i n g a t h i m , r e a l l y in l o v e w i t h h i m . I t h i n k e v e n t h e m e t r e p r e t t y ( t h o u g h I shall n e v e r u s e it in e a r n e s t ) ; a n d t h a t t h e last A l e x a n d r i n e has an e x t r e m e m a j e s t y . — D o e s n o t this line s t r i k e y o u (I do n o t j u s t l y r e m e m b e r w h a t c a n t o it is i n ) ; Brave thoughts and noble deeds did evermore inspire. P e r h a p s it is m y f a n c y o n l y t h a t is e n c h a n t e d w i t h t h e r u n n i n g o f it. [pp. 6 6 - 6 7 ]

What is the gist of these expressions? The " s i m p l i c i t y " of Spenser is reiterated, and Shenstone makes it perfectly clear that he is writing a comic poem in imitation of Spenser. There is no intimation that the burlesque element is less in the expanded poem than it was in the shorter version. Shenstone is as well aware as anyone that the burI. J. E. Fullington, " T h e Dating of Shenstone's Letters," P. M. L. Α., December, 1931, X L V I , 1129, dates this letter between January and August, 1742.

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lesque tone is different from that found in other burlesques. He is writing to a friend who has apparently read little of 'The Faerie Shieene and so needs guidance. Pope's Alley first made the ludicrous consideration of Spenser possible, 1 but as Shenstone read more of Spenser his liking for the older poet quite naturally increased. It is the " i n love with h i m " phrase of Letter X X I V that has helped critics see phantoms. It has been assumed that Shenstone was "charmed in spite of himself," that he had a "much deeper appreciation of Spenser than [he] dared to show." 2 One critic has gone so far as to see in Shenstone's letters " t h e half-conscious struggle between an actual taste for what we call Romantic things, and the deference due such autocratic oracles of ' authority ' as Pope." Shenstone and others thus "wavered between the calls of taste and of authority, and often ended by admitting the rule of authority — but kept their likings." 3 A triple neglect has here vitiated criticism. First, the personality of Shenstone himself must be considered: his mildness, his love of nature and adornment, and his playfulness all have a part in his burlesque of Spenser. Second, almost any young writer, upon reading a rather low parody written by the foremost poet of the time on a poet removed from that age, might upon more extended reading of the older poet come to admire him more. And third, an evolution from raillery to worship would in the usual course proceed in later years, an evolution not borne out by subsequent letters. In 1745 ι . Pope's vulgar parody apparently had little specific influence on even the first version of the School-Mistress, which had only one coarse stanza ( I X ) ; it was only the part of good taste and maturity to excise this passage in the next version. 1. W . L . Phelps, Beginnings of the English Romantic Movement, Boston, 1893, pp. 67, 68, valiantly seeks to see something dramatic in Shenstone's words. " A s he did not dare to consider Spenser seriously, he tries to point out certain characteristics to explain the charm he felt in the Fairy Queen without seeing t h a t the real source of the fascination lay in the b e a u t y of the p o e t r y , " p. 67. 3. E . P . M o r t o n , " S p e n s e r i a n S t a n z a in the E i g h t e e n t h C e n t u r y , " Modern Philology, J a n u a r y , 1 9 1 3 , X , 379.

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(three years after the second version) Shenstone wrote (Letter X L ) , " I have read Spenser once more, and I have added full as much more to my Schoolmistress, in regard to number of lines; something in point of matter (or manner rather) which does not displease me." [p. 120] Another letter (XLI) the next year mentions new stanzas "more in Spenser's way, yet more independent on the antique phrase." [p. ι α ι ] 1 I wish to make clear merely that Shenstone's attitude towards burlesquing Spenser has been distorted. Undoubtedly he did come to admire Spenser more after further acquaintance (as anyone might), but in the last important statements that we have he still sees faults in Spenser and intends The School-Mistress as a gentle parody of style. There was (from the evidence of letters and texts) no weaning away from burlesque by the power of Spenser and also the Zeitgeist, no pretty progress from parody to pilgrimage, no half-conscious or subconscious struggle that illustrates in striking fashion the dawn of a new day. A graceful poet writes a mild parody of another poet who has some qualities which can upon further examination be agreeable, and the nature of the revised parody does not become extraordinarily different for the improved knowledge — all a reasonable process in the mind of any poet. Inasmuch as there are three versions of the poem, 1737, 1742, 1748, any large alteration of attitude or purpose would be apparent upon comparison of the three texts. A challenge, therefore, may well be offered the critic enamored of the idea that here is a case of a poet struggling to be a romantic — with the odds greatly against the possibility of an analysis that would disassociate on the basis of style the stanzas peculiar to the three versions. The second and third versions do exhibit more picturesque ornaI. There are references to the School-Mistress in Letters X L I X , L I V (saying that the Castle of Indolence had amused him greatly), and L X I I , all of 1748, but not once did Shenstone seize the chance to say more of his "conversion."

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ment than the first,1 but Spenser was assuredly not without ornament, and there was nothing particularly to add to the action of the poem. The changes in the last form do not show any diminution of playfulness, though they are liable, as Shenstone feared, to "render the work too diffuse and flimsy, and seem rather excrescences than essential parts of it." (Letter X L I , p. 122.) A poet who omits the stanza beginning " S o f t sleep" and who adds stanzas X I X and X X I X is still having his fun, even at the expense of the original. Over a period of more than ten years he was polishing a poem that remained to the end a burlesque. 2 The School-Mistress has a very important place among Spenserian imitations of the first half of the eighteenth century. It is sometimes thought that the appreciation of Spenser arose from a ludicrous treatment of his style, but of the three dozen imitations written before 1750 only a half-dozen were deliberately comic. 3 Nothing could be more natural than that the diction of Spenser should attract some burlesque treatment, which played its proper rôle in the Spenserian renaissance. " T o say that the Augustans of the eighteenth century did not take Spenser seriously, and that he only served as an object of burlesque, I. See H . G . de M a a r , History

oj Modern

English

Romanticism,

London,

19*4,1, 53-

1. T h e School-Mistress was not Shenstone's only effort at burlesque; cf. 'The Snuff-box, a mock-heroic [see below, p. 162], and Colemira, J737 [No. 156]. 3. I refer to P o p e ' s Alley, 1728 [ N o . 95], Akenside's Virtuoso, 1737 [No. 163], The School-Mistress, C a m b r i d g e ' s Archimage, P i t t ' s Jordan, 1747 (?) [No. 192], and T h o m s o n ' s Castle oj Indolence, 1748. T h e list of imitations given b y Phelps as A p p . I in his Beginnings of the English Romantic Movement, 1893, is v e r y nearly complete. The Castle oj Indolence is not predominantly burlesque. Oliver Elton has an interesting suggestion as to Prior's Ode to Queen Anne and Colin's Mistakes·. " B u t these pieces, however unlike the real Spenser, set the example of using him for purposes of pleasantry. T h i s is a different thing from burlesquing Spenser; it is an effort to copy his light and more sportive style. B u t the two processes shade off into each other, owing to the notion that Spenser, however much to be respected, was essentially a ' s i m p l e ' and naïf old p o e t , whose dead language was mildly f u n n y . " Survey oj English Literature, 1730-1780,

1928, I, 361-362.

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is wrong, unless indeed all literary imitation must be regarded as the sincerest form of travesty." 1 The SchoolMistress was of course the best and most applauded of the light imitations, but its very delicacy and inimitable humor forestalled much direct imitation. Gray in a letter to Walpole called the poem "excellent in its kind, and masterly," 2 and Walpole in a letter to Mason said that Shenstone "never wrote anything good but his Schoolmistress."3 T h e poem had overcome Goldsmith's prejudice: " T h i s poem is one of those happinesses in which a poet excels himself, as there is nothing in all Shenstone which any way approaches it in merit; and though I dislike the imitations of our old English poets in general, yet, on this minute subject, the antiquity of the style produces a very ludicrous effect." 4 Beattie used The School-Mistress as an example of the good effect obsolete words may have " i n subjects approaching the ludicrous." 5 Johnson thought it the most pleasing of the poet's performances: " T h e adoption of a particular style in light and short compositions contributes much to the increase of pleasure: we are entertained at once with two imitations, of nature in the sentiments, of the original author in the style, and between them the mind is kept in perpetual employment." 6 Crabbe's comic Muse was thus invoked: B y thee the M i s t r e s s of a V i l l a g e - S c h o o l B e c a m e a Q u e e n , e n t h r o n ' d u p o n h e r Stool. 7

Hazlitt twice paid compliment by calling it " a perfect piece of writing" and " t h e perfection of naïve description, 1. de Maar, op. cit., I, 45. 2. Correspondence of Gray, Walpole, West and Ashton, ed. by Paget Toynbee, Oxford, 1915, II, 91. 3. Letters, ed. by Mrs. Paget Toynbee, Oxford, X (1904), 222. 4. Beauties of English Poesy, Works, ed. by J. W. M . Gibbs, V (1886), 155. 5. Essay on Poetry and Music, 1778, p. 244. 6. Lives of the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905, III, 358-359. 7. Borough, 1810, Letter X I , p. 149.

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and of that mixture of pathos and humour, than which nothing is more delightful or rare." 1 But no sentence, however happy, can quite disclose the secret. Like many other treasures of literature The SchoolMistress must be read, twice or thrice. Though Sarah Lloyd "sleeps with her fathers; and is buried with her fathers; and — Thomas her son reigneth in her stead," 1 she is still alive, with her cakes and her birch, her pupils and her chickens, in an immortality all her own. 1. Lectures on the English Poets and Select British Poets, Works, ed. by Waller and Glover, V (1902), 1 1 9 , 375. 2. Shenstone's Works, I I I (1769), 53, Letter X X .

CHAPTER V

T h e Travesty and the Hudibrastic A n d would sometimes in mirthful moments use A style too flippant for a well-bred muse. FITZPATRICK, " P r o l o g u e , " The Critic.

T

HE great vogue of travesty in France is one of the well known facts in the literary history of the seventeenth century. The origin of the method of turning respected works into a light, irreverent form seems to have been Italian, but for students of English literature the result is far more important than the source. Lalli probably influenced Scarron, but it was Scarron who influenced England. 1 The Typhon of Scarron, 1642, is not strictly a travesty, as it has no model, but the disrespect for classical antiquity, the burlesque technique, and the tone are closely related to the qualities of the Virgile travesti. From 1648 to 1652 the books of the Virgile travesti appeared and at once be-

I. T h e Eneide travestita appeared in 1633. " I l semble certain que Scarron a pour le moins songé à Lalli, quand il a composé son Virgile . . . il est impossible de trouver le moindre rapport de détail entre la prétendu original et la c o p i e , " P a u l M o r i l l o t , Scarron et le genre burlesque, Paris, 1888, p. 191. Morillot m a y be profitably studied for information on the " b u r l e s q u e " t y p e and its greatest practitioner. F . Brunetière's " L a maladie d u b u r l e s q u e , " Études critiques sur l'histoire de la littérature française, 3e série, Paris, 1907, m a y also be consulted. T h e French regularly use the word burlesque for the Scarronesque t y p e : see Littré's Dictionnaire de la langue française, 1863, and O c t a v e Delepierre's " E s s a i sur la p a r o d i e , " Miscellanies of the Philobiblon Society, 1868-69, X I I , IO-II. M o n t a g u e Summers in the introduction to the Nonesuch edition of W y c h e r ley, L o n d o n , 1 9 2 4 , 1 , 2 1 - 2 2 , considers the Italian macaronic poetry as the antecedent of the French burlesque.

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139 1

came the great example of a popular literary type. Scarron was read not merely by the admirers of low literature in France but by the cultivated classes. All sorts of books adopted the Scarronesque style, but Scarron the popularizer of the method remained its best practitioner.2 With such a flame in France it is small wonder that the land across the Channel should feel the glow. But before Scarron's Anglicization a slight effort towards travesty was made in England. The Loves of Hero and Leander. A mock poem, a smutty rendering of the famous love story treated by Musseus and Marlowe, appeared as early as 1651, and gained great popularity.3 James Smith's Innovation of Penelope and Vlysses, A Mock-Poem, 1658, is modelled on no particular work but in attitude and form reads like a travesty.4 Flecknoe evidently knew Scarron's poem, for he mentioned him in the prologue to his Diarium, or Journall, 1656, and imitated the Virgile travesti in one of the "jornadas." Charles Cotton introduced the French travesty to the Restoration audience. Scarronides: or, Virgile Travestie. A Mock-Poem. Being the First Book of Virgils ALneis in English, Burlèsque, 1664, is not a translation of Scarron, but it most assuredly owes its being to the famous French prototype and possesses striking similarities.5 It at once 1. Bks. I X - X I I were by Moreau de Brasei. A. Tasset's La Suite du Virgile travesti de Scarron was issued in 1865. 2. An interesting " Discours sur le style burlesque en general, et sur celui de Mr. Scarron en particulier," by A. A. Bruzen de la Martinière, is to be found in the first volume of the 1737 edition of Scarron. 3. This travesty antedates all other efforts, so far as I can determine; it has received insufficient recognition as a forerunner of a type. The author's prologue seems to refer to Mennes and Smith, though only their Witts Recreations, 1640, had appeared. The Loves was reprinted in 1653, 1662, 1667, 1672, 1677, 1705, sometimes with a translation of Ovid's Ars Amatoria. 4. This poem forms part of the volume Wit Restar d In severall Select Poems Not formerly publish't. 5. The part played by Scarron in the English travesties is well assigned by S. E . Leavitt, "Paul Scarron and English Travesty," Studies in Philology, January, 1919, X V I , 108-120, which is a part of his Harvard doctoral thesis,

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became a favorite, and the long line of reprintings began. 1 Cotton was encouraged to favor the fourth book of the JEneid with the same familiar, coarse, anachronistic treatment; this appeared in 1665, and the two were printed together in 1667. The original story in general remains, but the personages are divested of all dignity of action, speech, or sentiment, and are made to talk the cant of Restoration low life. 2 Virgil thus arrayed provided material for versifiers who were willing to take advantage of an evident demand. There followed R. Monsey's Scarronides: or, Virgile Travestie, A Mock-Poem. Being The Second Book of, Virgils JEneis, Translated into English Burlesq; Being a Continuation of the former Story, 1665; Cataplus: or, ¿Eneas his Descent to Hell. A Mock Poem, In Imitation of the Sixth Book of Virgil's JEneis, in English Burlesque, 1672; John Phillips's Maronides or Virgil Travestie: Being a new Paraphrase Upon the Fifth Book of Virgil's JEneids in Burlesque Verse, 1672, and a similar rendering of the sixth book of Virgil the next year, both of which were really translations of Scarron; and John Smyth's Scarronides, a poor travesty of the second book, 1692. As the result of this activity Books I, II (twice), IV, V , and V I (twice) were in the hands of English readers. James Farewell's Irish Hudibras, or Fingallian Prince proposed to adapt Book V I " to the Present T i m e s " ; this was a design to capitalize the popularity of both Hudibras and Scarronides, for the Virgilian narrative was utilized only as a skeleton. Virgil naturally suggested Homer. John Scudamore produced Homer A la Mode. A Mock Poem upon the First, Scarron in England, l6j6-/Soo, 1917. Leavitt is careful in his survey of travesties; he thinks of burlesque as a broad term. "Travesties of Homer, Virgil, and O v i d , " Times Literary Supplement, September 15, 1921, p. 600, is of no value. I. Pepys noted on March 2, 1664, that he "looked upon a pretty burlesque poem, called 'Scarronides or Virgil's Travesty,' extraordinary good." 1. Cotton and many of his successors supplied footnotes containing the original text.

T R A V E S T Y A N D HUDIBRASTIC

I4I

and Second Books of Homer s Iliads in 1664. It appeared again the following year in two issues. Oxford was the place of publication, a fact that may have some relation to the next travesty of Homer. Homer Alamode, the Second Part, in English Burlesque: Or, A Mock-Poem upon the Ninth Book of Iliads. . . . Invented for the Meridian of Cambridge, where the Pole of Wit is elevated by several Degrees 1 and Deuteripideuteron: the Second Part of the Second Part of Homer Alamode. Or, A Mock-Poem on the Ninth Book of the Odysses saw light in 1681. The Epistles of Ovid were popular enough to warrant mocking. Ovidius Exulans by " N a s o Scarronnomimus," 1673,2 burlesqued five epistles. Alexander Radcliffe's Ovid 'Travestie, 1680, also included five epistles in heroic couplets; in 1705 the "fourth edition" improved these and increased the total to fifteen. Ovid's Epistles were translated by prominent men, including Dryden, in 1680; this occasioned The Wits Paraphrased: or, Paraphrase upon Paraphrase. In a Burlesque on the Several late Translations of Ovids Epistles, 1680, a collection of fifteen travesties, with the dedicatory epistle signed " M . T . " 3 Twelve fables from the Metamorphoses formed a mild travesty in 1672, Chaucer s Ghoast; and the accounts of Acteon and of OrI. T h e introductory letter is signed " P h i l l i p o - H u d i b r a n t i o - L o v e - W i t t o " and dated " Scarronv-ottonia, A n n o Risûs inventi, 5 6 7 7 " ; the first lines are: Scarron's a F o o l , and Hudibras H e is, w h a t is he? W h y an Ass. A n d so's Leander's b a w d y P o e m , A n d Maronides, if you k n o w 'urn. A n d o t h e r Folio's I ne'er s a w , W r i t t e n b y L o v e r s of h a - h a w . 1. O n e of the prefatory complimentary poems predicted Hudibras as the only rival. 3. Radcliffe in the preface, " T o the R e a d e r , " of his travesty denounced the author of ïhe Wits Paraphras'd and accused him of having " n o other A u t h o r i t y for his Paraphrase (as he calls it) then the T r a n s l a t i o n . " [ ' 3 ]

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pheus underwent transformation in the Gentleman's Journal, 169 2. 1 Lucían did not escape a dress he might have appreciated. Cotton himself " f o r the Consolation of those who had rather Laugh and be Merry, then be Merry and W i s e " put some of the Dialogues " i n t o English F u s t i a n " in 1 6 7 5 ; the 1687 edition, Burlesque upon Burlesque: or, the Scoffer Scoft, appeared with the author's name. This probably inspired Part of Luciarìs Dialogues, (Not) from the Original Greek, done into Rhyme, 1684, with a Second Part the same year. 2 Scarron's 'Typhon, ou la gigantomachie was made English in 1665, perhaps by John Phillips, under the sub-title of The Gyants War with the Gods. Another translation appeared in 1704. 3 Wycherley's Hero and Leander in Burlesque, 1669, a travesty of the Musseus story in decasyllabics, is often amusing and is better than the common run of travesties. A superior text appeared in Wycherley's Posthumous Works, 1729. 4 In 1674 John Wright produced a strange volume, Thy estes A Tragedy, Translated out of Seneca. To which is Added Mock-Thyestes, in Burlesque. The travesty is only 1. February, pp. 22-25, and June, pp. 8-10. Both pieces were printed in the Oxjord and Cambridge Miscellany Poems, 1708, pp. 1 6 5 - 1 7 1 , 160-165. The Orpheus opens, Orpheus a One-ey'd limping Thracian, Top-Crowder of the barbarous Nation, Was Ballad-Singer by Vocation. " A Description of the Kingdom of Poetry" in the Gentleman's Journal, January, 1692, contains this allegorical criticism: "Low Poetry is much like the Low Countries, and very full of Bogs and Marshes. Burlesque is its capital City, and is scituated in a very muddy Morass. Princes speak there like Men of nothing, and all its Inhabitants are Jack Puddings born," p. 17. 2. Lucian s Ghost, 1684, consists of satirical prose dialogues. 3. See below, p. 225. 4. Summers, op. cit., I, α ϊ , thinks Wycherley probably had in mind the puppet-show in Bartholomew Fair and also Scarron's H èro et Léandre, 1656. Leavitt, op. cit., p. 116 n. 25, sees no indication of knowledge of Scarron's poem.

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half the length of the original. The epilogue to the presentation of Îhyestes " Both as a History, and a J e s t " asks the reader: Which Diet likes ye best, as 'tis before y e ? Or which of these you think the truest S t o r y ? Whether Heroique Fustian drest in Meeter, Or Mimmick F a r e in Jingling R h i m e sounds s w e e t e r ? 1

The travesty contained within itself the seeds of decay. Its extreme diction and "modernization" of the classics were destined to tire an age growing in general culture. The rise of the opposing burlesque, which adopted the heroic method for small themes, contributed in a large way to the waning of the travesty vogue. All classical material, to be sure, had not been turned into doggerel, but the field had received sufficient cultivation. Hudibras was a powerful rival among readers receptive to the diminishing burlesque, and the Hudibrastic in its expanding function must also have cut into the popularity of the travesty. The travesty did not die, but it did decline. In the years from 1700 to 1750 Homer and Ovid received attention from waggish poets. Homer in a Nut-Shell, 1715 [No. 43], burlesqued the first three books of the Iliad·,2 Homerides, 1716 [No. 46], by Burnet and Duckett, and A New and Accurate translation of the First Book of Homer s Iliad, 1749 [No. 202], burlesqued the first book only. Books of ι. Sig. K7. Complimentary verses by one O. Salusbury begin: Pleasant Scarron, whose Mock-JEneas made Virgil himself smile at the Masquerade·, Too much beyond his power, did justly fear Would prove the Works of our Tragdian here.

[A6]

2. The preface to the 1720 edition calls Homer a ballad-singer. "Now if such Songs as these, sung by such a Person, can be call'd Heroic, I leave to the Critics: They were like our modern Smithfield Ballads, of great Use, and of high Delight to a 'Squire, Cookmaid, or Footman. How ridiculous then is it to translate Homer in pompous English Verse? The true Dress of him is like his own old patch'd Cloaths, modern Doggrel." [A2-A20]

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the Metamorphoses, in part or whole, were used by William King, Orpheus and Euridice, 1704 [No. 11]; Swift, Baucis and Philemon, 1709 [No. 23]; Breval, Ovid in Masquerade, 1719 [No. 57]; Meston, Phaeton, 1720 [No. 64]; an anonymous poet, Story of Cinyras and Myrrha, 1720 [No. 66]; and Forbes, Ajax his Speech to the Grecian Knabbs, 1742 [No. 175]. 1 The Baucis and Philemon departs from the depths of the Restoration travesty and is excellent reading; the Orpheus and Euridice contains surprising passages that would do credit to poems of an entirely different nature. The Art of Love was travestied in 1701 [No. 5]. The outstanding development of the travesty in the first half of the eighteenth century, apart from its gradual falling off, was the application of a jocular style to prose pieces for the satisfaction of the satirist. Examples of this method range from the satire on Asgill's tract arguing for translation without death, The Way to Heaven in a String, 1700 [No. 4], to the burlesque of the apologia of the Duchess of Marlborough, The Sarah-ad, 1742 [No. 177], and include The Priest turn'd Poet, 1710 [No. 26], a travesty of a sermon by Sacheverell; The Saints Congratulatory Address, 1718 [No. 56], on a pamphlet by Thomas Bradbury; A Paraphrastical, Hudibrastical, Versification of instructions given burgesses from Nottingham, 1739 [No. 169]; a travesty of a political letter resulting from the defeat of the Pretender, 1747 [No. 193]; and several inversions of addresses, by Swift [Nos. 14, 29, 47, 204, 206].2 The weakness of such 1. This last item is noteworthy because of the use of the Scottish dialect as a medium. In 1690 there had appeared Λ Ο Γ Ο Μ Α Χ Ι Α : or, The Conquest of Eloquence, signed " P . K . , " which had gently burlesqued the speeches of Ajax and Ulysses, " V e r y Delectable and Necessary for Statesmen, Judges, Magistrates, Officers of War &c. to Read; and know how wrong Information guilded with Eloquence may pervert Justice, and so learn to avoid the giving of rash Sentence, in any Case or Cause." 2. Swift's Parody on a Character of Dean Smedley written in Latin by Himself is perhaps more a direct satire on Smedley than a travesty.

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attacks lay in their topical and hence ephemeral nature, but they constitute an interesting expansion of the former function of the travesty. A few examples will serve to dispose of the idea that the travesty was unknown after 1750. John Ellis rendered the thirteenth book added by Maphseus to Virgil's JEneid " f r o m the original Bombastic, done into English Hudibrastic" in the year 1758. " C o t t o n , junior," or Thomas Bridges, wrote Homer "Travestie in 1762 on Books I - I V . Later he cast the whole of the Iliad into jogging couplets, thus rounding out the century after the introducton of the type with a travesty of an entire classical work. 1 Bridges's Battle of the Genii,2 1765, utilized parts of Paradise Lost. Bridges probably prompted Roland Rugeley, who travestied the fourth book of the ALneid in 1774. a *

*

*

Travesty had its archetype in Scarron or Cotton; the Hudibrastic, in Samuel Butler. Hudibras is so diverse in nature and stamped with the marks of genius that it must remain sui generis. When Butler sought to lash the Puritan parties by exposing their pretensions and ignominies, he enhanced the ridicule by building a romance framework which he could develop from the great stores of his wit and learning. T h e poem runs for more than eleven thousand lines and is divided into parts and cantos. 4 T h e narrative ι . Bridges's poem sold very well. It was purified and issued by G. H. Smith, Philadelphia, 1889. 2. " T a k e n from an ancient Erse Manuscript, Supposed to be written by Caithbat, the Grandfather of Cuchullin. From the Plan of this Poem it is highly probable Our great Milton took the Hint of his Battle of the Fallen Angels." 3. Printed in Charleston, S. C. 4. The three parts appeared in 1663, 1664, and 1678. There is no doubt that Hudibras is more quoted than read (or read in entirety) today. "Notwithstanding the merit, the wit and drollery with which it is filled, and the comic humours of many of the characters and situations, it is truly said that no one ever reads Hudibras through. This may arise partly from offended prejudices, partly from the coarseness of style we have mentioned preventing it from being a book for a

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thread is exceedingly thin, description and dialogue going to vast lengths. Hudibras is victorious over Crowdero and Sidrophel, and not over Trulla; but discussion and counter-discussion carry the couplets for hundreds of lines at a time. The pithiness of the wit, the profusion of brilliant fooleries, the extravagance of the inimitable drollery have become commonplaces of criticism. 1 The glory of the poem is the character of the verse. The octosyllabic couplets move smoothly or jerkily as the poet wishes. Many of the rhymes are double and even triple. The broken rhyme, 2 one part of which is composed of two or three words, frequently appears with ludicrous effect. 3 There is occasional use of the other type of broken rhyme, in which half of the rhyme is formed by the first part of the word, the remainder being carried over to the next line.4 Many of the rhymes are startling because of their incongruous juxtaposition, and require a facetious wrenching of proper pronunciation. 5 Any part of speech may close a line, and words not usually bearing accents easily assume them. Figures of speech provide much merriment by their drawing-room table, partly from the fatigue occasioned to the mind by the incessant scintillations of the author's wit, but chiefly, we believe, from the uninteresting and disconnected nature of the plot." Alexander Ramsay, Samuel Butler, and his Hudibras and Other Works, 1846, p. 25. ι. A few references to excellent unexploited critical expressions may be given: "Of Originals and Writing," Gentleman s Magazine, September, 1741, X I , 488; Philip Neve, Cursory Remarks on Some of the Ancient English Poets, 1789, pp. 82-83; "Butler's Genuine and Spurious Remains," Retrospective Review, 1820, I I , 257-258; Miss Dickin, "Samuel Butler and his 'Hudibras,'" Proc. oj the Lit. and Phil. S oc. of Liverpool, r 900, L I V, 182. Edmund Blunden wishes " that a general allegory like Cervantes' or Bunyan's had captured his energetic mind," " Some Remarks on Hudibras," London Mercury, June, 1928, X V I I I , 172. 2. See J . Schipper, History of English Versification, Oxford, 1910, Bk. I I , Pt. I, Chap. I. 3. The best known examples are "drum ecclesiastick, instead of a stick" and "philosopher, Ross over." 4. As "upper-(Hand), crupper." 5. Compare "whiskers, discourse"; "function, sun-shine"; "o'th'day, Algebra"; "drum beat, combat;" "prophet, come of i t " ; "squabble, abominable."

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excessive pomposity or sudden use of the bathetic. Epigrams are abundant. The mingling of the direct and indirect methods prevents an easy classification of Hudibras. Characters and doctrines are condemned in a straightforward way in one line and are ironically satirized in another. Uncomplimentary immediate reference combines with lampoon once removed from the plane of invective. The actions and ideas of the characters are purposely debased and then described in learned terms set in merry jingles. The knight and the squire do not have adventures befitting those of romance, but they are carrying through a pseudo-romantic existence. They represent Puritan ideals and are therefore a fit subject for serious treatment, be it sympathetic or satiric. Their deeds are given an unnatural degree of greatness but are recognized as essentially trifling; high words and low images are joined. As varied as the poem is in its method and procedure, the most prominent characteristic is the amusing quality of the verse itself, which is capable of arousing enough laughter to excite scorn for almost any subject. It is the mockery of the Hudibrastic style which we relish after the peril of the Roundheads has waned and which the poetasters of Butler's generation soon seized as a mighty sword of satire.1 Various predecessors in the use of the flippant octosyllabic couplet have been noticed: Martin Lluelyn's MenMiracles,2 1646; Marchamont Nedham's "Epitaph upon James Duke of Hamilton," Digitus Dei, 1649; the Musarum Delicice, 1655, and Wit Restar d, 1658, by Sir John 1. Hudibras is discussed above, pp. 5-7. 2. Particularly the " T w o and Twentieth Miracle. Of Pigmies." In the same year appeared the Poems of John Hall of Durham, the first of which, " A Satire," has some Butlerian tricks, but is in decasyllabic couplets; see R . Quintana, Modern Language Notes, March, 1929, X L I V , 176-179. Robert Speed's CounterScuffle, 1623, and Counter-Rail, are in octosyllabic triplets (with interspersed trisyllables) given to doggerel devices; cf. Samuel Speed's Fragmenta Carcaris: or, The Kings-Bench Scuffle, 1675.

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Mennes and James Smith; Richard Flecknoe's Diarium, 1656. 1 How extensive was the influence of Scarron on Butler is a matter of debate, but it seems probable that Butler owed to him certain tricks of style, such as the method of digressing and the whimsical citing of authority. Their aims were, broadly speaking, the same in rendering a subject laughable through a comic medium.2 The shortened couplet, ornamented with strange rhymes and comparisons, existed in England before Butler; he vastly improved the instrument which he found ready to his hand. The genius of his performance won the acclaim of popular reading, allusion, and imitation.3 I t is the curse of original a n d successful writers to be dogged at the heels b y a c r o w d of servile imitators, w h o c o p y and e x a g gerate their defects, caricature their peculiarities of thought and style, and force their own base m e t a l into circulation b y s t a m p ing it w i t h the counterfeit impress of genius. A w o r k at once so novel and so powerful as Hudibras·, so calculated to a t t r a c t the 1. Wild's Iter Boreale, i66o, has a few Hudibrastic tricks, but it is not in the shorter couplet. Wild wrote an ironical poem on Calamy's imprisonment in 1663. The following broadsides appeared in the course of the controversy: Hudibras On Calamy's Imprisonment, and Wild's Poetry, by George Sacheverell [1663]; Hudibras Answered by true de Case In his own Poem and Language [1674] (in quatrains); Your Servant Sir, or Ralpho to Hudibras Descanting on Wilds Poetry [1674?]. As to Butler's debt to Cleveland, J . M. Berdan says: " T h e tricks, used but rarely by Cleveland in his formal satire, were emphasized by Butler for his burlesque effect. They used the same whimsical exaggeration and the same sharp epigrammatic wit to ridicule the same things; but with this difference, Butler could afford to laugh. In reading 'Hudibras' one is constantly reminded of Cleveland. Butler's characteristic artifices are the use of double rhymes . . . and the rhetorical zeugma." Poems of John Cleveland, New York, 1903, p. 60. 2. Albert H. West, U Influence française dans la poésie burlesque en Angleterre entre 1660 et 1700, 1931, pp. 124 ff-, minimizes the influence of Scarron on Butler. West's study appeared too late for full consideration here. 3. For the amusing attitude of Pepys, who could not see the wit but tried hard enough because of the world's applause, compare the entries under December 26, 1662, February 6, November 28, December 10, 1663. The mere citation of references to Hudibras in the eighteenth century would fill many pages. One of the recurring ideas concerned the lack of profitable recognition given Butler and his final poverty.

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admiration of the multitude by its oddity, of the courtier by its wit, and of the scholar by its sense and learning; falling in with the politics of the prevailing party, and extolled and quoted by the reigning sovereign; could hardly escape the martyrdom of imitation.1 T h e first of the bevy of imitations seems to be Hudibras. The Second Part, 1663, which is a counterfeit continuation. 2 Butler's Ghost: or, Hudibras. The Fourth Part? 1682, in two cantos, by Durfey, treats Hudibras's wedding, which is immediately followed by cuckoldom. Hogan-Moganides: ory the Dutch Hudibras, 1674, is a n account of the origin and education of Hogan and is national in its satire. Samuel Colvin's Mock Poem, Or Whiggs Supplication, in two parts, appeared in 1681 as a satire on the Covenanters; in 1692 it became The Scotch Hudibras* The Irish Hudibras by James Farewell, 1689, follows the story of Virgil's sixth book but otherwise imitates Hudibras. Pendragon; or, the Carpet Knight his Kalendar, 1698, is a satire on Roger L'Estrange. s Mercurius Menippeus. The Loyal Satyrist, or, Hudibras in Prose, 1682, is perhaps by Butler himself. 6 T h e prose Jacobites Hudibras, containing The late King's Declaration in Travesty, 1692, is a scarce and interesting piece. Hudi1. " I m i t a t i o n s of H u d i b r a s , " Retrospective Review, 1821, I I I , 319. T h i s article is the first serious a t t e m p t to list the members of the Hudibrastic type. See also R . B . Johnson's introduction to his edition of Butler, 1893, and chapters in the H a r v a r d doctoral theses by V . L . Jones and S. E . L e a v i t t , 1911 and 1917. 2. " I n the spurious second part occur j u s t the adventures which Sidrophel attributes to the k n i g h t , and by the falsity of which he exposes himself as a cheat. So Butler, with consummate skill and humour, has put his plagiarizing imitator into the position of a vendor of false news, who thereby brings to grief another impostor who relies on h i m . " Milnes, quoted b y R . B. Johnson, ibid., I, xlv. 3. See a b o v e , p . 28, for a lampoon on this in the preface to Lucian's Dialogues, (not) From the Greek . . . Second Part, 1684. 4. R a l p h o is introduced as a character; his words draw heavily on Hudibras. T h e poem was reprinted in E d i n b u r g h , 1 6 8 7 , 1 6 9 5 , 1 7 1 1 , and in L o n d o n , 1710. 5. T h e twelve cantos are named for the months. A love affair plays a large part in the narrative. T h e preface is quoted elsewhere, pp. 34-36. 6. I t is so regarded b y R . L a m a r in his recent edition of Butler's Satires and Miscellaneous Poetry and Prose, C a m b r i d g e , 1928.

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bras in a Snare, 1667, by Richard Green, and Dildoides, 1706, I have not seen. One product of Hudibras was the poem that described the adventures and scenes encountered on a journey; the progress of a hero from place to place was of course a recognized subject in epic and romance. People and things could be satirically represented as the poet or his creature wandered among streets and taverns. 1 Alexander Radcliffe's Ramble: an Anti-tíeroick Poem, 1682, Cotton's " V o y a g e to Ireland in Burlesque," 1689, and Durfey's Collin s Walk through London and Westminster, 1690, followed this method, 2 which was later used by Ned Ward. Dennis's Poems in Burlesque appeared in 1692, and Miscellanies in Verse and Prose, containing ten fables in doggerel, the next year. The Hudibrastic poem continued in abundance during the first four decades of the eighteenth century. Seldom possessing strong narrative elements, it became a bludgeon of general satire on political and religious enemies. Personalities and incidents were the occasions for attacks made more amusing by virtue of the jocular verse. Ned Ward combined the offices of poet and publican with little gain to posterity. His " appetite for satire" was chiefly satisfied by holding the Whigs responsible for all evils. Hudibras Redivivus, 1705-07 [No. 12], is the worst from the standpoint of length, but the Vulgus Britannicus, 1710 [No. 27], Republican Procession, 1714 [No. 38], St. Paul's Church, 1716 [No. 49], British Wonders, 1717 1. Flecknoe's Diarium, 1656, is a sort of j o u r n a l of observations and experiences that result from sallies forth, sometimes to other towns. B u t the hint for later poems of this t y p e seems to have come from the popular adventures of Butler's knight and squire. 2. Radcliffe's poem is in octosyllabic triplets with a three-syllable tag connecting stanzas; most of the attention is given to a session in a tavern. C o t t o n ' s poem, in long couplets, occurs in his Poems On several Occasions, which also contains " Burlesque. U p o n the G r e a t Frost " in epistle form. D u r f e y has Collin attend Parliament House in C a n t o I I I and a playhouse in C a n t o I V ; there is some religious satire.

TRAVESTY AND HUDIBRASTIC [No. 51], and Parish Gutt'lers, 1722 [No. 70], flowed from his facile pen. Ward did not worry about a story to tell: he was content to observe and write. The principal virtue is this observation, which the historian sometimes finds of value. Ward was answered in a poem called the Hudibrastick Brewer, 1714 [No. 36]. The Dissertator, 1701 [No. 6], indulged in a wholesale exposé of political, literary, and religious evils. The Rodfor Tunbridge Beaus, 1701 [No. 8], was meant for fops. The Dissenting Hypocrite, 1704 [No. 9] " I n Imitation of Hudibras" lashed Defoe and Tutchin. On a Mineral, 1705 [No. 13], describes a cure and its patrons. Hickeringill's Burlesque Poem In Praise of Ignorance, 1708 [No. 18], is a rather peculiar satire on various abuses. The Servttour, 1709 [No. 24], concerns the life of a certain type of undergraduate. Thomas Ward defended Catholicism in a burlesque of history, Englands Reformation, 1710 [No. 25]. The Court Burlesqued, 1715 [No. 41], and Hudibras at Court, 1715 [No. 44], were directed against the court of Charles. Four Hudibrastick Canto's, 1715 [No. 42], has no value. The Br—d-street Patriots, 1717 [No. 52], satirized the Tories, and Pettifoggers, 1723 [No. 75], the lawyers. Prior's Alma, 1718 [No. 55], containing graceful and witty burlesque philosophy, and Meston's Knight, 1723 [No. 71], facetiously and learnedly lampooning the Presbyter, are very likely the most readable Hudibrastics of the period.1 The Rape of the Bride, 17 23 [No. 76], contains some not unamusing passages on learning. A Trip to Dunkirk, 1708 [No. 205], and The Strolling Hero, 1744 [No. 210], satirized expeditions by the Pretenders. The Sot-weed Factor, 1708 [No. 21], was meant to reveal conditions in one of the American colonies. Hesperi-nesographia, 1724 [No. 79], is the Irish Hudibras. The Progress ι. Archibald Pitcairne's Hudibrastic Babeli, satirical of the proceedings of the General Assembly of 1692, was apparently not published until 1830, by the Maitland Club.

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of Patriotism, 1729 (?) [No. 106], is a political satire, and Sir Robert Brass, 1731 [No. 118], represents Walpole. The Free-thinkers, 1 7 1 1 [No. 28], Mitre, 1731 [No. 114], Mob contra Mob, 1731 [No. 115], War with Priestcraft, 1732 [No. 127], and The Methodists, 1739 [No. 168], concern religious or ecclesiastical matters. The Hyp, 1731 [No. 113], imitates Hudibras with small success. Tauronomachia, 1719 [No. 59], The Dulcinead, 1729 [No. 103], and The Litchfield Squabble, 1747 [No. 194], evidently had special events to celebrate. The Toast, by William King, 1732 [No. 126], is an ambitious and vile attack in anapaestic tetrameters on the Countess of Newburgh; Phino-Godol, 1732 [No. 124], concerns the smashing of a wax figure of Congreve. The epistles in Hudibras constituted a very good precedent for the short verse-letters Epistle from Cambridge, 1735 [No. 141], Letter from an Apothecary's 'Prentice, 1737 [No. 158], and The renowned Quack Doctor s Advice to his Poetaster in Ordinary, 1739 [No. 170].1 An interesting debt to Hudibras is a burlesque opera of 1741 entitled Hudibrasso? Five of the six characters and a bit of plot are the relics of Butler's masterpiece. Hudibrasso, a Prince of Orpheus-Land, in the end proclaims fidelity to Trulla, and the musical enchanter Crowdero to Ironia, who is a new character. A Hudibras for America was written by Joseph Peart in 1778: in this Hudibras emigrates with friends across the Atlantic to the colonies, where their descendants are the cause of the Revolution.3 John Trumbull's M'Fingal, 1776, reflected the patriotism on the other side of the 1. "Hudibras Imitated. Written in the year 1 7 1 0 , " by John Hughes, was apparently first published in John Duncombe's Letters by Several Eminent Persons Deceased, 1 7 7 2 , 1 , 277-279. The poem is short and satirically describes the general favor enjoyed by High Church. 2. " A s it is Acted with great Applause, at the Theatre-Royal at Voluptuaria." 3. A Continuation 0/ Hudibras in Two Cantos. Written in the time of the Unhappy Contest between Great Britain and America, In iyjy and 1778.

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ocean. Notus Notarius, 1762, is the story of a clever crook; The Levellers, 1793, by "Hugh Hudibras, Esq.," is political. Edward Montague's Citizen, 1806; William Combe's Lije of Napoleon, 1817, with characteristic engravings by Cruikshank; Hudibras in Ireland; A Burlesque on the Late Holy Wars in the Sister Kingdom 1 [1820?]; and the Modern Hudibras, 1831, are later examples of the type.2 It is plain that the Hudibrastic in the first half of the eighteenth century flourished as an effective instrument of satire. Many of the poems have not escaped the oblivion of letters because of their local, transient subjects. Some sought to copy Butler carefully, but most were content to apply his general manner of playful verse without attaining the pyrotechnics of his wit or the largeness of his satire. A few, like Gay's fabled goat, " affected singularity." Two types of poems have a relationship to the Hudibrastic through the use of undignified octosyllabics: the tale in verse the primary motive of which was the telling of a story in merry form,3 and the "humours" poem which frequently descended too low in subject to permit the incongruity of burlesque.4 The octosyllabic itself was undergoing transformation in the hands of Swift 5 and Prior; an 1. The hero, inspired by the speeches made at a London Bible society, determines on a spiritual conquest of Ireland; his squire is Captain Dash, a Scot and a friend to the Scriptures. When the holy mission fails, they travel the country in quest of adventure. 2. Compare also Sultan Sham, and his Seven Wives: An Historical, Romantic, Heroic Poem, in three cantos. By Hudibras, the Younger, 1820, on George IV, and the New Inferno. By Junius Hudibras, New York [1888?], a satire on lawyers which was suppressed. 3. Prior made use of light octosyllabics for narrative. John Ellis's Surprize, or the Gentleman turn'd Apothecarie, 1739, is an excellent example of the tale. 4. The Harlot's Progress and Progress oj the Rake, 1 7 3 1 , by J . D. Breval, illustrate the Hogarthian subject handled in low verse. 5. Swift's style is and was occasionally thought of as burlesque: for instance, when Pope made his list of authorities for poetical language he included Butler and Swift, but "only for the burlesque style," Spence's Anecdotes, ed. by Singer, 1820, pp. 3 1 0 - 3 1 1 . Swift without doubt was indebted to Butler, but in his hands "that same paltry, burlesque style" was in the process of development into what is more properly called familiar verse. Most of Swift's satires have too

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increase in smoothness and a decrease in whimsicality and extravagance were the new elements. 1 Neither the travesty nor the Hudibrastic produced a truly remarkable poem. Hudibras, of course, stands apart, but its imitators were comparatively shallow and tend to justify Wotton's theory that " C o p y i n g nauseates more in Poetry, than any thing." T h e utter freedom of diction in these two types of diminishing burlesque, particularly the travesty, is not accompanied by a compensating strength. Though it is not necessarily ill j u d g ' d , in F o u r - F o o t R h i m e , T o handle M a t t e r s so Sublime,

real genius is needed to overcome the limitations of the occasional and ephemeral. As to final values, the Hudibrastic and the travesty contributed correctives to literary, political, social, and religious abuses, some of which doubtless required satirical attention; they helped to open up an important medium in English verse, the octosyllabic couplet, which went through various natural permutations to become a standard form; they provided abundant amusement for more than one class of readers; they reflected many contemporary matters in a way that will be of interest to the historian as long as the thoughts and manners of our ancestors are regarded as worthy of consideration. debased a theme or not a frolicsome enough medium or insufficient disparity between m a t t e r and manner to be considered as Hudibrastics, though some of them border on t h a t t y p e . I. See Saintsbury's History of English Prosody, L o n d o n , I I (1908), 418, 427-428.

CHAPTER

VI

The Mock-Heroic and the Parody Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. HORACE.

T

HE mock-heroic spirit was not entirely absent from English poetry before the Restoration. Chaucer's Nonnes Preestes T'aie and Rime of Sir "Thopas contained strong elements of satire on heroic writing. The latter had its fun with the romance, and in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries a few efforts were made to write mock-romances, of which the Turnament of Tottenham, by Pilkington (?), is probably the best. 1 John Heywood's Spider and the Flie, Spenser's Muiopotmos,2 Drayton's Nymphidia, and Waller's Baiteli of the Summer Islands cannot be classified as undiluted mockheroics: a burlesque tone merely lends whimsicality.

The greatest single event in the early history of English mock-heroic was Boileau's Le Lutrin, the first poem in western Europe that was deliberately and predominantly an attempt to magnify a trivial subject on an ambitious scale.3 Crowne used the satire on the clergy for his adaptation of the Lutrin, called the Dœneids, 1692, and unsuccessfully essayed a mock-heroic rendering of the Dido I. C o m p a r e the Felon Sew, Hunting of the Hare, D u n b a r ' s Turnament and Of Sir Thomas Norray, L y n d s a y ' s Justing betuix James Watsoun and Jhone Barbour, and A l e x a n d e r Scott's Justing and Debait up at the Drum betuix fVa. Adamsone and Johine Sym, which D i f f e n b a u g h calls mock-romances. 1. See T . W . N a d a l , " S p e n s e r ' s Muiopotmos in Relation to C h a u c e r ' s Sir Thopas and The Nun's Priest's Tale" P. M. L. Α., X X V (1910), 640-656. 3· Le Lutrin in England is discussed at length in C h a p t e r V I I , Section C.

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story in the History of the Famous and Passionate Love,1 1692. Mac Flecknoe, or a Satyr upon the True-Blew-Protestant Poet, T. S., 1682, is the best-known mock-heroic before the eighteenth century; after Flecknoe has selected Shadwell as monarch over the realm of nonsense and given Shadwell's characteristics, there is a procession to Drury Lane and the coronation. As a mock-heroic Mac Flecknoe is not complete, for straight satire is prominent throughout; Dryden considered the succession of one poor poet to another as a regal character a good satiric device for obtaining a desirable irony. He knew Boileau's mock-epic, but the indebtedness is not detailed; it is rather one of spirit.2 Mac Flecknoe had some effect on The Dispensary and The Rape of the Lock, chiefly in providing mock-heroic precedent, and served as a model for The Ounciad in the ironic crowning of a poet-king. Though Garth had the purpose of satirizing the dispensary quarrel, The Dispensary, 1699, is essentially a mockheroic, indeed the first in English possessing magnitude and thoroughness. It leans on the Lutrin, as Garth and everyone else knew, but is not simply an imitation.3 The action of the poem is hardly excessive; the combat of Stentor and Querpo with the interposition of Apollo is the most amusing incident. The allegorical machinery is uninteresting, and the settlement of the dispute and the concluding panegyric on the King mar the burlesque. Today The Dispensary is doubly dull because of the forgotten ι. There are elements parodie of Virgil, but the poem is too serious for real burlesque. See above, pp. 28-29. A. F. White discusses the Daneids and the History in John Crowne: His Life and Dramatic Works, Western Reserve Univ. Bulletin, July, 1922, X X I I I , No. 7, pp. 42-46. See also Grosse's John Crownes Komödien und burleske Dichtung, Lucka, 1903. 2. See Α. F. Β. Clark, Boileau and the French Classical Critics in England, 1925, pp. 156-158. 3. Clark, pp. 158-168, traces in some detail the general and particular resemblances. T. Schenk's Sir Samuel Garth und seine Stellung zum komischen Epos, 1900, leaves much to be desired.

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background and the large amount of personal reference, but it was immensely popular in its own day (the third edition appearing the same year as the first) and gained for Garth an enviable reputation. 1 William King's short mock-heroic, The Furmetary, 1699, drew its inspiration from Garth's poem. The Dispensary Transvers'd, 1701, is a satire on the ignorance and hypocrisy of consulting physicians. The disputes between the fellows and licentiates of the London College of Physicans occasioned Bonnell Thornton's Battle of the Wigs, 1768, which claimed to be an "additional canto" to The Dispensary.2 Samuel Wesley's Maggots: or, Poems on Several Occasions, Never before Handled, 1685, contains several mockheroic poems, including a fairly good burlesque on a battle between mice and a snake,3 and " A Pindaricque, On the Grunting of a Hog." 4 Samuel Butler amusingly mocked the manner of the heroic plays in "Repartees between Cat and Puss at a Caterwalling In the Modern Heroic W a y , " 5 and wrote several mock-odes.6 The famous "Elephant in 1. Dr. Harvey Cushing discusses the actual quarrel and the poem in interesting fashion, Dr. Garth the Kit-Kat Poet, Baltimore, 1906, pp. 5 - 1 7 . As factors in the popularity of 'the Dispensary he gives the popularity of the author, the unusual form of versification as showing the influence of Boileau, and the curiosity aroused by the presence in the poem of so many public figures. Johnson's estimate is as follows: " I t appears, however, to want something of poetical ardour, and something of general delectation; and therefore, since it has been no longer supported by accidental and extrinsick popularity, it has been scarcely able to support itself." Lives of the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905, I I , 64. 2. Blackmore's Kit-Cats, 1708 [No. 20], contains echoes of Mac Flecknoe and 1'he Dispensary. 3. The Famous Battel of the Calls, probably by John Denham, 1668, and T I T A N T O M A X I A . Or Λ Full and True Relation Of the Great and Bloody Fight, between Three Pagan Knights, and a Christian Gyant, 1682, are political, satirical ballads in octosyllabic triplets. Pyrgomachia, vel polius Pygomachia, The Castle Combat, by John Gower, M.A., 1635, resembles Sir Thopas in metre. 4. Mr. J . C. Squire is fond of this mock-pindaric. It has a place in his anthologies, The Comic Muse, London [1925], and Apes and Parrots, London, 1928. 5. Genuine Remains in Verse and Prose, 1759, I, 91-97. 6. "Upon anHypocriticalNonconformist,"í'¿;'¿.,pp. 122-138; "UponModern

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the M o o n " " m a y be looked upon as a Curiosity in its K i n d " because of its double form, octosyllabic and decasyllabic couplets. 1 But the difference in treatment is not clear enough to illustrate in striking fashion the opposing methods of low and high burlesque, because in the attempt " i n Long V e r s e " the rhymes remain the same, the mere insertion of two syllables or the substitution of a longer word in each line bringing up the total to the standard of the heroic. T h e poem has pseudo-scientists discuss an elephant they have seen in the moon through their telescope; the beast happens to be a mouse imprisoned in the lens. T h e mock-heroic in the first half of the eighteenth century took divers shapes. A battle that would " i n Epic sumptuous mould appear" was a favorite subject in the longer mock-heroic poems, and even constituted the only theme in such shorter productions as the allegorical Battle of the Mice and Frogs, 1712 [No. 207], The Battle between the Rats and the Weazles, by Lady Winchilsea, 1713 [No. 31], and The Battle of the Hoops, 1749 [No. 201]. The Battle of the Sugar-Plumbs, 1732 [No. 119], is an episode in the poem Scarborough. Noble precedents for conflicts were abundant in heroic poetry. T h e Batrachomyomachia and Addison's Battle of the Pygmies and Cranes had sung of fights among animals, 2 the Secchia rapita was full of martial exploits, and the Lutrin contained a battle with books. The mêlées in The Dispensary and The Rape of the Lock were also well known. 3 Little Preston, 1717 [No. 53], had an actual military incident as a basis, and The Vernon-iad, 1741 [No. 174], used a Critics," ibid., pp. 139-144; " T o the Happy Memory Of the most Renown'd Du-Val," ibid., pp. 145-154, published separately in 1671, and included in the Posthumous Works, 1715, pp. 1-15. 1. Genuine Remains, I, 1-25, 26-53. 2. A late example is Woty's Pediculaiad, 1770, on a battle between a louse and a flea. 3. Wesley's Battle of the Sexes, 1723, and Cooke's Battle of the Poets, 1725, are too serious for burlesque.

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naval episode in the war with Spain. Blackmore's KitCats, 1708 [No. 20], castigated the wits of the day with mock-heroic force. Brereton's Charnock's Remains, 1713 [No. 32], is a strict follower of Mac Flecknoe with Sacheverell as the treasonable hero. The Dunciad enthroned another contemporary, Theobald, in a mock-serious manner. 1 A game is essentially a battle, and Vida in his Scacchiae Ludus and Pope in his Rape had described the progress of a match at chess and one at ombre. Moreover, the games of celebration were part of the epic formula; Pope used this device in "The Dunciad. Back-Gammon, by Daniel Bellamy, 1734 [No. 136], carried on this tradition, and other poets wrote mock-heroic poems on outdoor contests. These were Concanen's Match at Foot-Ball,2 1720 [No. 63], a tedious account in which Pan figures; Somervile's BowlingGreen, 1727 [No. 92], a skilful narration of a match; Mathison's Goff, 1743 [No. 180], a rather readable poem in which Pan appears again; Love's Cricket, 1744 (?) [No. 184]; and Whitehead's Gymnasiad, 1744 [No. 185], a lively description of a boxing match. T h e subject of The Baffled Hero, 1746 [No. 189], is an eating match, and that of Cynegetica, 1720 [No. 61], the chase. The heroi-comical poems as a group undoubtedly form the most important contribution of the period to mockheroic art. Neglected by literary historians, the type provides a highly readable variety of burlesque. T h e atmosphere of the beau monde pervades the heroi-comical poem, and the emphasis on the feminine is indispensable. The love element is naturally powerful, the struggle being between the belle and the beau or between the belle and jealous deities. Machinery heightens the mock-heroic effect; sylphs or the recognized celestials, usually Venus and Cupid, either govern or influence the action. T h e action 1. F o r fuller treatment see C h a p t e r I V , Section D. 2. C o m p a r e " F o o t - B a l l , " London Magazine, M a r c h , 1735, I V , 151, a rather serious description of a match.

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itself is never extremely great and often consists of an invention of a trivial social object or a plot to aid the languishing swain. T h e characterization is conventional; a Celia is very little different from a Chloe, or a Damon from an Endymion. The heroine is always a paragon of beauty though not of virtue. Her toilette is a legitimate subject for description; the display of luxury and the predilection for ornament reflect a delight in the easy life of pleasure, of which patches, lap dogs, snuff-boxes, and fans are concomitants. 1 Satire on the life of Society is prominent, but it is a satire tempered by grace and charm. T h e fifth canto usually completes the poem, and the heroic couplet is the inevitable form. T h e heroi-comical poem pleases by a tone of delicious inconsequence. Gay's Fan, 1714 [No. 35], in only three cantos, deals with the invention of a device for the fair which Venus instructs her little Loves to manufacture and on which the gods depict the proper scenes.2 T h e lover gives the fan to his Corinna and thereby wins her. G a y preceded Pope in description of some of the details of the toilette; Pope was probably indebted for a few phrases. 3 The Fan is important as a poem of invention, 4 and had a powerful influence on the heroi-comical poems that contained the motif of winning a belle through the gift of an article that would amuse her or prove useful to her vanity. T h e place occupied by Venus in some of the heroi-comical poems probably owes more to G a y than to Pope. In common with The Fan, The Rape of the Lock has a I. Breval's Art of Dress, 1 7 1 7 , and T h u r s t o n ' s toilette, 1730, illustrate the abundant interest in dress. 1. C o m p a r e the workshop of Vulcan. 3. See F . Brie, Englische Rokoko-Epik, 1927, pp. 64-65. 4. T h e episode of the p a t t e n in Trivia, 1 7 1 6 , concerns the m a n u f a c t u r e b y Vulcan of proper protection against m u d for the rustic P a t t y . T h e s e few lines were probably known b y most subsequent poets of invention poems. Holdsworth's Muscipula, 1709, narrates the m a k i n g of the mouse-trap b u t in an entirely different setting.

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beautiful heroine and a conflict between beau and belle, luxuriant description of feminine dress, and a supernatural machinery. But in Pope's poem the social satire is very prominent while Gay hardly stresses it at all; the milieu of high life receives little attention in The Fan; the fairy machinery of the Rape makes up its most artistic element. Such motifs as a rape, a final transformation of an object, a trip to a cave, and the five-canto length, which are utilized by the Rape and not by The Fan, are employed by various heroi-comical followers. Thus the heroi-comical poem has a double allegiance, but the influence of Pope, whose reputation greatly overshadowed Gay's, is the more significant. The Fan, though graceful and provocative, possessed insufficient variety and wit and finality of phrase to set in motion a mode so prominent, varied, and prolonged as that of the heroi-comical poem. It is itself strictly not a member of the type, for its chief interest lies not in the social life but in the description of the proposed pictures for the fan and the corresponding mythology. Even the invention of the fan is subordinated to the deliberation as to its ornamentation; there is much more space given to deities and mythological figures than to the belle and beau. Allan Ramsay's Battel, generally called The MorningInterview, 1716 [No. 45], deals with the victory of Damon over Celia through the aid of Cupid in the guise of Shock. The Petticoat, by "Joseph Gay," 1716 [No. 48], claims the inspiration of John Gay in his invention of the fan and the patten; Chloe's generosity results in pregnancy, and she, out of her own wit, the aid of Venus being denied, invents the protecting petticoat. Jacob's Rape of the Smock, 1717 [No. 54], is a story of the theft of a garment by Philemon and its recovery. The Kite, by Phanuel Bacon, 1722 [No. 69], recounts the making of a kite from the belle's copybook by Cupid and his Loves. In The Patch, 1723 (?) [No. 74], by Hauksbee, Cupid and the jealous Belinda con-

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spire against Chloe; a gnat raises a pimple, which is hidden by a patch designed by Juno and perfected by Venus. Barford's Assembly, 1726 [No. 91], treats a contest of belles, protected by sylphs and gnomes, for a handkerchief. Ralph's Clarinda, 1729 [No. 101], has a thoroughgoing fairy machinery, but the surrender of the heroine to her lover causes a serious ending. In The Fall, by James Thurston, 1732 [No. 120], Fate brings about the capitulation of Florella notwithstanding the debates and desires of the gods. Whistler's Shuttlecock, 1736 [No. 153], combines the invention of an object with that of a game; Cupid aids Endymion in his love. 'The Petty coat, 1738 [No. 165], is written around the entanglement of Strephon's spur in Emilia's petticoat; Cupid and Vulcan have important rôles. Pamela, 1744 [No. 186], relates the wiles of an ambitious girl, whose corruption becomes complete; the machinery of sprites and the social satire are the chief heroicomical elements. The Thimble, by William Hawkins, 1744 [No. 187], is the best of the type; Fannia wounds her finger and the gift of the thimble, made by Vulcan for the Powers of Love and presented to Cynthio as an aid in courtship, is the result. The Hoop-Petticoat, 1748 [No. 211], is another invention poem that owes much to Pope; gods and sylphs are both used. The Snuff-box, by Shenstone, which was written in 1735 and apparently never published, concerns the invention of that receptacle by the gods in order that Melissa may be overcome. 1 All but three of the items just mentioned imitate Pope's sub-title of "heroi-comical." ι . T h e manuscript of this poem Is in the British M u s e u m , Addit. M S . 15,913, in Shenstone's own handwriting. Richard G r a v e s alluded to it in his Recollection of Some Particulars In the Life of the late William Shenstone, 1788, p. 90, as an imitation of the Rape, " t h o u g h , I think, as it has some merit, it m i g h t , as a curiosity, be an agreeable present to the m a n y admirers of M r . Shenstone." The Snuff-box is in six cantos and should not be confused with a short poem with the same title in Shenstone's Poems upon Various Occasions, 1737, pp. 56-57. Shenstone referred to his heroi-comical effort in a letter to L a d y L u x b o r o u g h :

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O f these poems nearly every one has a machinery of sprites or gods, which seem to have been equally matched rivals for acceptance by the poets. T h e little L o v e s of Cupid often give an effect similar to that produced by sylphs. T h e invention of the petticoat, the kite, the patch, the shuttlecock, the thimble, and the snuff-box is recited; the kite and the shuttlecock undergo transformation. Clarinda and Pamela alone h a v e an ending that is not distinctly happy. T h e Rape is at times followed closely, and its various motifs are adopted liberally. Stirbitch Fair, 1736 [No. 154], is akin to the heroi-comical; the slight given b y a maid to an admirer causes her discomfiture. Panacea, b y the berated T a t e , 1700 [No. 3], tells the story of the origin of tea, and the efforts of the goddesses to become its patron. Arbuckle's poem called Snuff, 1719 [No. 58], prefers to lay the scene of Society rather than give a narrative; the place held b y snuff is well shown. 1 Tea, 1743 [No. 182], also spurns a story and is valuable for the social picture; there is some indebtedness to the Rape, especially in the use of sylphs and a battle of belles and beaux. T h e life and characters of an order of society lower than Belinda's provide the subject for Tom K ~ — g ' s , 1738 [No. 1 6 6 y see Select Leiters between the ¡ate Duchess of Somerset, Lady Luxborough . . . William Shenstone . . . , by T h o m a s H u l l , 1778, I , 1 1 6 - 1 1 7 , and B . M . A d d i t . M S . 28,958 f. 110, and Bodl. M S . M o n t a g u d. 18, f. 97. G r a v e s also mentioned (p. 88) another poem of this t y p e b y Shenstone, The Diamond, the only printing of which seems to be that by H u l l , I I , 193-212. The Diamond has only three cantos and was composed before The Snuff-box, which incorporated large portions o f it. For a more detailed account of these two poems see R i c h m o n d P . B o n d , " S h e n s t o n e ' s Heroi-Comical P o e m , " Studies in Philology, October, 1931, X X V I I I , 744-749· 1. Samuel W e s l e y ' s " S n u f f : A S a t y r , " Poems on Several Occasions, 1736, pp. 1 5 7 - 1 6 2 , is not a burlesque; it merely treats the power o f snuff satirically. 2. I h a v e not been able to find a copy of T h o m a s P u r n e y ' s The Chevalier de St. George, an Heroi-comical Poem in 6 Cantos, 1719. See H . O. W h i t e , " T h o m a s P u r n e y : A Forgotten P o e t and Critic of the Eighteenth C e n t u r y , " Essays and Studies by Members of the English Association, X V (1929), 73.

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An invention was too attractive a subject for mockheroic to be confined to poems written in the nimbus of the beau monde. "The Bottle-Scrue, by Nicholas Amhurst, 1 1720 [No. 60], combines the mock-heroic invention type with the tale. The Louse-Trap, 1723 [No. 72], is modelled on Holdsworth's Mouse-Trap ,2 with the making of the comb as a theme. Drink was a natural selection for incongruous treatment. Some of the burlesques on liquor are Miltonic parodies; others are Buck's Geneva, 1734 [No. 139], The Beeriad, 1736 [No. 146], Brandy, 1738 [No. 164], and Small-Beer, 1746 [No. 191]. Animals are elevated by burlesque treatment in King's Mully of Mountown, 1704 [No. 10], the Comical Panegyrick on . . . a Louse, ιηοη [No. 16], and Wesley's Dog, 1736 [No. 148]; the triumph of the oyster over the mouse is told in Μ Υ Ο - Ο Σ Τ Ρ Ε Ι Ο Ν , 1736 [No. 149]. Joseph Mitchell's Shoe-Heel, 1727 [No. 94], is tedious, and his Cudgel, 1729 [No. 102], obscure. 3 An extravagant tone of adulation creates the mock-heroic character of Doctor Anthony s Poem in Praise of the Pox, 1725 (?) [No. 81], Mitchell's Charms of Indolence, 1729 [No. 100], and the Panegyrick on Cuckoldom, 1732 [No. 123]. T h e Sick-Bed Soliloquy to An Empty Purse, by Mitchell, 1735 (?) [No. 144], and Poverty, 1748 [No. 198], bewail lack of funds. Armour, 1724 [No. 77], The Prophetic Physician, 1737 [No. 162], The Machine, 1740 (?) [No. 173], and The T—d, I. In the opening passage the poet alludes to the poems on the origin of the p a t t e n , f a n , petticoat, and mouse-trap. 1. See below, p. 215. 3. Mitchell's poem called " P e t e r : an Heroi-Comical P o e m , " Poems on Several Occasions, 1 7 2 9 , 1 , 373-383, is a most curious piece, but not to be classed as a real mock-heroic. C o w p e r ' s verses on finding the heel of a shoe are parodical of M i l t o n ; they were written in 1748 but published at a much later date. See also the burlesque at the beginning of The Task and the cucumber passage in the third book; the latter passage contains references to The Splendid Shilling and The Battle of the Frogs and Mice.

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1748 [No. 200], illustrate the tendency to choose very low subjects. 1 In volume the mock-heroic triumphed over the other divisions of burlesque. The Rape of the Lock easily tops the list in merit, but several of the heroi-comical variety, such as Hawkins's Thimble, Ramsay's Battel, Bacon's Kite, and Whistler's Shuttlecock, have real merit, and all of the longer heroi-comical productions repay a reading. The shorter mock-heroics and the longer poems that do not deal with the sphere of Society are less interesting. In general, the mock-heroics point to a growing reaction against the monstrous vogue of heroic writing and to a satisfaction with unheroic subjects. The heroi-comical fashion did not survive but should be regarded as a characteristic development of the age that produced the social world mirrored by the Rape and its followers. After the beginning of the second half of the eighteenth century the mock-heroic continued to grow but became closely allied to the cause of controversy.2 Ulterior motives grew stronger, and a style higher than the subject was deemed fitting to convey satire on men and ideas. The "epic in little" written for the drawing-room and its special Society had its day in the three decades following the Rape; the changed conditions of life and the new issues of interest diverted the heroi-comical type into other channels. Not only did graceful, indirect social satire give way to a more forcible, direct censure, but the technique and spirit of mock-heroic were commandeered by the growing parody. Particularization seemed to be more and more appropriate for literary persiflage. The medley poem, in which Frere and Byron worked so fruitfully, also sapped some of the strength of the mock-heroic. 1. The frankness of the eighteenth century should be recognized as being more extreme than that of today, but the exceedingly low theme for burlesque is not so much in evidence as one might expect. 2. T h e subject of this type of burlesque after 1750 is much too complicated to permit minute analysis here.

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Cambridge's Scribleriad, 1751, was an unavailing effort to write a pure mock-heroic. Goldsmith once designed an heroi-comical poem, of which he wrote a few lines; this fragment, on the plight of a poor poet in an alehouse, found a place in Letter X X X of the Citizen of the World. William Hayley's "Triumphs of Temper, 1781, was a lamentable attempt at the heroi-comical. The Rod, by Henry Layng, 1754, Patriotism, by Richard Bentley, 1763, and The Consultation, by James Thistlethwaite, 1775, are worthy of mention. The most illustrious mock-heroic of the period is The Rolliad, a "discovered" epic used for satire on the Tories. The work in magnifying burlesque by William Woty and by John Wolcot, especially The Lousiad, is of importance. The unpublished Charliad, by Joseph Spence, is a strange performance not without grossness and some excellent nonsense lines; the interesting preface takes the form of a dream allegory, in which the poet is conveyed to the house of wits ancient and modern.1 The other forms of the mock poem proved sorry rivals for the mock-heroic. The elegy had a place in poetry sufficient to warrant a few burlesques, the first of which appears to be Gay's Elegy on a Lap-Dog, 1720 [No. 62]. The loss of the lap dog provided the natural theme on which to exercise a mock-elegiac tone. Smedley wrote On the Death of Ranter, 1721 [No. 68], and On the Death of a Lap-Dog, 1713 [No. 73]; On the Death of a young Lady's Squirrel [No. 134] appeared in 1723, an Elegy upon Tiger [No. 208] (perhaps by Swift) in 1727, an Epitaph on a Lap-Dog [No. 138] in 1734, and A Sorrowful Ditty [No. 199] on the ι . Β . M . Addit. M S . 25,897. Butler had had a visit from Cromwell, who laughed with him " a t an old Knight who had formerly been a great Admirer of his." [p. 9] Cervantes and Rabelais are the chiefs, and a seat is being reserved for Swift. " T h e Spanish Chief is for Natural Ridicule; the Frenchman puts on a ridiculous Face, in things that are serious: and your countryman [Swift] puts on a serious F a c e , in things that are ridiculous. H e is the last to laugh at his own jest; and by that Method perhaps has excell'd both the others." [p. 1 3 ]

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death of a cat in 1748. The Verses on the Death of Capt. Weekley, 1738 [No. 167], really concern tobacco, and an Elegy in 1740 [No. 1 7 1 ] laments the death of the potatoes in Ireland. 1 Mockery of the irregular ode is represented by Gray's Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, 1748 [No. 197], and Thornton's Ode on Saint Cœcilia's Day, Adapted to the Ancient British Mustek, 1749 [No. 203]. 2 Swift's Love Song, In the Modern Toaste, 1735 [No. 209], is a mock-song.3 The odes parodical of Cibber must not be forgotten here. The mock-eclogue drew its original inspiration from Gay's Shepherd's IVeek, 1 7 1 4 [No. 39]/ but because of the town eclogue it did not thrive. Pattison's Jealous Shepherd, 1728 [No. 97], and Shenstone's Colemira, 1737 [No. 156] are the most readable; "The Contest, 1733 [No. 128], Warbietta, 1733 [No. 135], and The Billingsgate Contest, 1734 [No. 137], are poor. There were too many conflicting motives for the bona fide mock-eclogue to obtain a substantial niche, the chief being the desire to use the pastoral poem for purposes of satire with little attention to mockery of the form. Didactic poems in the eighteenth century waxed healthy and dull, and the excessive length of the technical treatise compelled the satirist to adopt the type merely to carry along his observations and precepts, without much real ι. In Ramsay's Elegy on Lucky JVood and similar pieces there is hardly a sufficient incongruity between style and subject for burlesque. 2. Compare A New Historical, Political, Satyrical, Burlesque Ode, on that most Famous Expedition, oj all Expeditions, commonly called, The Grand Secret Expedition, 1757; George Keate's Burlesque Ode, on the Author s clearing a new House of Workmen, written in 1771; A Grand Burlesque Ode for the late Memorable Regatta in the Temple oj Neptune, 1775. Smollett parodied Lyttleton's monody To the Memory oj a Lady lately Deceased and published it in Peregrine Pickle, 1 7 5 1 . The Bostonian Prophet. AnHeroi-Comico-Serious-Parodical-Pindaric Ode, 1779, is an interesting parody of Gray's Bard with the American Revolution as the setting. 3. The mock-songs in Tatler No. 163 and Guardian No. 124 did not appear in regular poetry-printing magazines and are not included in the Register. 4. For fuller treatment see Chapter IV, Section B .

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burlesque. 1 King's Art of Cookery, 1708 [No. 17], ApplePye, 1713 [No. 30], and Miller's Harlequin Horace, 1731 [No. 112], however, fulfill the requirements for a poem that somewhat satirizes the didactic mode, though it is often dangerous to try to say what was the poet's chief purpose. Wesley's poem entitled The Descriptive, 1736 [No. 147], mocks the formless, discursive nature poem. *

*

*

The travesty and the Hudibrastic during the first half of the eighteenth century were, broadly speaking, looking backward; the mock-heroic was enjoying its greatest period; the parody was looking forward. Despite the presence of four skilful, outstanding productions, The Splendid Shilling, Namby-Pamby, A Pipe of Tobacco, and The School-Mistress,2 the most important developments of the age in parody were the acquisition of a technique and the diffusion of the parodie spirit among poets and readers. Parodie verses in the satire and drama of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries may be traced after a diligent search, but definite and thorough attempts at this type of burlesque before the close of William's reign are not numerous. The best-known are Jonson's "Shall I mine affections slack" and Ralegh's "Shall I, like a hermit, dwell" in answer to Wither's "Shall I, wasting in despair"; Cleveland's excellent self-parody, " T h e Author's MockSong to Mark A n t h o n y " ; 3 Montagu and Prior's Hind and 1. Philips's Cyder, 1708, G a y ' s Trivia, 1 7 1 6 , Spmervile's Chace, 1735, and John Armstrong's (Economy of Love, 1736, are not properly called burlesques. Despite the invocation in Trivia, the character of m a n y of the similes, the episode of the patten, and the conclusion, G a y departed from w h a t e v e r m o c k heroic or mock-didactic intention he had and became more interested in writing a poem on London and the art of walking its streets. 2. Sections A, C, Ε, and F of C h a p t e r I V deal with these poems and should be consulted in connection with this discussion. 3. A p p e a r e d in fourth edition of his works, 1647.

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the Panther transversa To the Story of the Country-Mouse and the City-Mouse,1 1687, which hit the white by changing phrases in a small minority of the lines of Dryden's Hind and the Panther, and used the framework of The Rehearsal; and Prior's English Ballad: In Answer to Mr. Despreaux's Pindarique Ode On the Taking of Namure, 1695, which is more of a criticism than a parody. 2 As Milton's fame gained considerable proportions, parody of his verse accompanied serious imitations. The Miltonic characteristics were rarely attained with much success by his imitators; the second-rate quality of such poems and the prominent tricks of the "sublime style" opened the way for amusing imitation. John Philips's Splendid Shilling, 1701 [No. 7], was the first, perhaps the best, and certainly the most influential Miltonic burlesque. Gay's Wine, 1708 [No. 22], Lady Winchilsea's Fanscomb Barn, 1 7 1 3 [No. 33], Gin, 1734 [No. 140], and Somervile's Hobbinol, 1740 [No. 172], are Miltonic parodies written with adroitness. Cerealia, 1706 [No. 15]; Brown's Fire, 1724 [No. 78]; Bartholomew Fair, 1729 [No. 99]; Geneva, 1729 [No. 104]; Lucifer s Defeat, 1729 [No. 105], on the invention of the mantle-chimney; Brice's long, atrocious, incomprehensible Freedom, 1730 [No. 108]; Epistle from Oxon, 1731 [No. h i ] ; Panegyric on a Louse, 1737 [No. 161]; Bramston's Crooked Six-Pence, 1743 I. There is an interesting reference in Ned Ward's Ourgen, 1729, p. 37: So Prior, in the Mouse, took all the Pains, But M—ntag—e made bold with Prior's Brains, Rais'd himself high, by what the other pen'd, Not only Honour, but Preferment gain'd, And to the care of Fortune left his starving Friend. 1. W. A. Neilson shows that the borrowing of sacred formulae, such as the litany, to give spice to secular matters rather than to ridicule sacred things, was common in Middle English and Old French literature. "Origins and Sources of the Court of Love," Studies and Notes in Phil, and Lit., VI (1889), 220 ff. There are numerous litanies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries which poured political hot lead into a convenient mould.

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[No. 179]; and A Bacchanalian Rhapsody, 1746 [No. 188], are less interesting but indicate the habit of writing burlesque in Milton's blank verse. The Poem on the Memorable Fall of Chloe's Ρ—s Pot, possibly by Philips, 1713 [No. 34], and the Description, 1721 [No. 67], illustrate a particularly low descent in choice of subject. Some of the Miltonic parodies follow The Splendid Shilling closely, but various mock-heroics employ blank verse without seeming to parody Milton.1 Ambrose Philips had been too easily "Pleas'd with the Toil of coupling ready Rhimes." His facile complimentary poems, using three trochees and an extra syllable, replete with repetition, were of course not difficult to deride in similar verse, but Namby-Pamby, 1725 [No. 83], is the only really successful burlesque of the style. The poets who followed in the wake either parodied Philips's infantine style or picked a particular poem, usually the one to Miss Carteret. The folio sheet was adopted by this group of anonymous wits. The following can be resurrected: A Christmas Box for Namby Pamby [No. 80], A Lady's Answer to Mr. Ambrose Philips's Poem [No. 82], Namby Pamby s Answer to Captain Gordon [No. 84], Namby Pamby s Lamentation [No. 85], A New Poem Ascrib'd to the Lady who wrote the Answer [No. 86], A Poem by Doctor Young [No. 87], Swift's Poem Upon R—r a Lady's Spaniel [No. 88], A Satyr on Miss Ga—fny [No. 89], all presumably of 1725; Advice from Fairy-Land, 1726 [No. 90], The Flea, 1733 [No. 129], A Little Wish, 1735 [No. 142], On a young Lady's favourite Cat, 1735 [No. 143], Ode to Daphnis a Puppy, 1737 [No. 160]. Browne's imitation in A Pipe of "Tobacco, 1736 [No. 151], ranks next to Carey's. Cibber was elevated to the laureateship in 1730 and in the fulfillment of his new duties became a butt for wags. His semi-annual odes ("the Muses most unruly Horse") were inflated enough to inspire many parodies, but ι. See Nos. 71, 87, ii6, 1 3 2 , 1 3 7 , 140, 141, 184, 191, 193, 207.

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Browne's imitation in A Pipe of "Tobacco, partly because of its association with the other members of the series, is the only one generally known today. Indeed, no Cibberian parody was extremely good. Stephen Duck, an unsuccessful candidate for the position of Laureate, did not hesitate to burlesque Cibber's first offering in Ode humbly inscribed to the Poet Laureat, 1731 [No. 116]. Other lashes for the Laureate were An Ode on Twelfth Day, 1731 [No. 117], in the same issue of the Gentleman s Magazine with Duck's; Ode, 1732 [No. 12i], on Cibber's first birthday ode; Ode for the new year, 1732 [No. 122], purported to be " faithfully translated in English, for the use of Readers unskilled in the Cibberine style; and, consequently, not able to interpret the figurative sublime of the original"; The Poet Laureai s Ode for New-Years-Day burlesqued, 1732 [No. 125] ; An Ode or Ballad supposed to be written by C—•— C ·, 1733 [No. 132]; Ode to the Poet Laureat, 1733 [No. 133]; Tobacco,1 1725 [No. 145]; Parody on Mr. Cibbers Ode, 1742 [No. 176]; Odefor the New Year, 1743 [No. 181]. In the prose, poetry, and drama of the day many were the hard hits directed at the official wearer of the bays; these parodies were a specific item in the town's indictment of the King's Poet. There were several obscure parodies of contemporary poets. Blackmore's Satyr against Wit was parodied in Tom Brown's Epitome, 1700 [No. 1], and his "Arthurical, Jobical, Elizabethical Style and Phrase" in The Flight of the Pretender, 1708 [No. 19]. Tutchin's Foreigners inspired Defoe's True-Born Englishman and a parody called the Natives, 1700 (?) [No. 2]. Aaron Hill's "Actor's Epitome" was the original of Of the praise of Tobacco, 1736 [No. 150], and The Player s Epitome, 1736 [No. 152]. Pope's Temple of Fame was used by " M r . Preston" for JEsop at the BearGarden, 1715 [No. 40]; part of Addison's Letter from Italy suffered a close substitution of the realistic in a parody printed in Dodsley's Museum, 1746 [No. 190]; Young's ι . See above, p. 126, for possible influence on Browne.

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traits were most cleverly mimicked in New Night-Thoughts on Death, 1747 [No. 195], by William Whitehead. Pope's parody of the first Psalm appeared in 1716 [No. 50]. His imitation of Chaucer, 1728 [No. 98], illustrates the conception of his day that Dan Geoffrey was a teller of spicy tales in an antique diction. T h e most famous soliloquy in Hamlet was twice useful as a form for debates on less serious topics: A Batchelors Soliloquy, 1744 [No. 183], " T o wed," and the Soliloquy . . . Travestied, 1747 [No. 196], " T o drink." The burlesques of Spenser show the slowly growing knowledge and appreciation of that poet; his obsolete phrase and stanza form were considered agreeable for amusing imitation. Pope's Alley, 1728 [No. 95], and Pitt's Imitation, 1747 (?) [No. 192], have vulgar subjects; Akenside's Virtuoso, 1737 [No. 163], uses Spenser's archaic manner for satire on a much ridiculed class; Shenstone's School-Mistress, 1742 [No. 178], a burlesque délicat et bien tourné of the "sweet Spenserian, gathering as it flows," has outlasted all the other products of its author's pen. A few parodies of Spenser's style may be expected from an age that naturally regarded the older poet as somewhat odd. 1 Imitation of the ancients was rife but parody scarce; the extreme difficulty of mimicking the phrase or style of a poet removed by the barrier of a language is the reason for the small number of real parodies of the Roman poets. Horace's Ars Poetica, by way of Roscommon's translation, was carefully burlesqued in The Art of Beauing, 1730 [No. 107], and one of his odes in Horace's Integer Vitae, 1733 [No. 130]. Virgil's fifth eclogue was very closely followed in Mother Gin, 1737 [No. 159]. Occasionally a short poem of no importance obtained a parodie reception. A " S o n g " was "burlesqued" in 1720 [No. 65], and the compliments in a short piece called ι. Cambridge's Archimage seems to have been written but not published before 1750.

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" C h l o e " were "inverted" in 1737 [No. 155]. Two parodies of political poems appeared in 1 7 3 1 , Academicus to Qldcastle. Travesti [No. 109] and Answer to the Craftsman's Ballad [No. n o ] . The Country Curate, 1737 [No. 157], tends to verbal burlesque of "The Country Parson." The broadside ballad was too light in both form and subject to warrant burlesque; there were many "answers" but no real parodies. And the traditional ballad had not sufficiently established itself as a definite literary form. However, the famous Chevy Chase was parodied by the Duke of Wharton's Drinking Match, 1727 [No. 93], in really readable fashion. 1 Parody in the years 1700 to 1750 is distinctive for three things: the presence of four first-rate productions, The Splendid Shilling, Namby-Pamby, A Pipe of Tobacco, and The School-Mistress, two of which instituted vogues; the number of burlesques on the styles of Milton, Ambrose Philips, and Cibber; and the lessons in technique that were later to bear fine fruit. The qualities of a poet's manner were often discerned and perpetuated cleverly; many times a verbal rendering was thought sufficient to turn the necessary trick. Occasionally an idea was developed along the lines which the original poet might possibly have followed. The activity of the mock-heroic had created a cordial reception for magnifying burlesque. After 1750 parody became much more frequent. Shakespeare,2 Milton, 3 and Gray 4 received considerable amusing imitation. A unique instance of combined burlesque is I. The political tinge of S—s and J—1, 1743, and of Scelus Ghost, 1748, is too deep to make them legitimate parodies of William and Margaret. 1. Parodies of single passages are to be found in abundance in the magazines. 3. Bibliography A in Havens's Influence of Milton on English Poetry, 1922, will reveal many illustrative titles. 4. John Duncombe's Evening Contemplation in a College, 1753, and An Elegy Wrote under a Gallows, by Hugh Downman, 1770 (?), are interesting. See C. S. Northup, Bibliography of 'Thomas Gray, New Haven, 1917. R . O. Cambridge's Elegy written in an Empty Assembly-Room, 1756, is a parody of the "epistle" from Eloisa to Abelard.

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William Kenrick's Old Woman's Dunciad, 1751 : the regular text in Miltonics is accompanied by an "Interpretation" in Hudibrastic form and footnotes burlesquing pedantic annotation.1 Two odes, To Obscurity and To Oblivion, by George Colman and Robert Lloyd, 1759, parodied Gray and Mason. The Probationary Odes by the Rolliad group are clever; but the poems of the Anti-Jacobin, especially " T h e Needy Knife-grinder," " T h e Loves of the Triangles," and " T h e Progress of Man," parodying Southey, Darwin, and Payne Knight, respectively, are more justly famous. The Rejected Addresses by the brothers Smith, 1812, is a real monument of parodie wit. Leaves of Laurel; or New Probationary Odes. Collected and edited by and W. IV., with skits on the major poets, followed the next year. Horace Twiss's Posthumous Parodies, 1814, are certainly amusing. The parodies by Moore, Hogg, Hood, Aytoun, Bayard Taylor, Swinburne, Calverley, J . K. Stephen,2 and very many others provide an ample record of burlesque achievement in the nineteenth century.3 The not uncommon exercise of self-parody is an excellent index to a catholicity that is possible after the long development of a 1. See Richmond P. Bond, " A Triple Burlesque," Modern Language Notes, May, 1928, X L I I I , 3 1 2 - 3 1 4 . 2. Such a tribute from one parodist to another as Stephen's to Calverley merits attention: The wit of smooth delicious Matthew Prior, The rhythmic grace which Hookham Frere displayed, The summer lightning wreathing Byron's lyre, The neat inevitable turns of Praed. Rhymes to which Hudibras could scarce aspire, Such metric pranks as Gilbert oft has played, All these good gifts and others far sublimer Are found in thee, beloved Cambridge rhymer. Lapsus Calami, 1896, p. 1. 3. The six-volume collection by Walter Hamilton, Parodies of the Works oj English and American Authors, London, 1884-89, is valuable for obscure productions. See also J . Postma's Tennyson as Seen by his Parodists, Amsterdam, 1926.

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1

type. Mr. J . C. Squire and Sir Owen Seaman are the most dexterous and popular parodists of the present century. This form of burlesque poetry — the high, particular imitation — has a place in modern English literature that would be difficult to measure with exactitude. Parody bids fair to remain a type wherein cleverness, acumen, and imitative talent may unite to create criticism for the pleasure of congenial minds. In the age of Pope parody began the race it was to run. I. Horace Smith, Taylor, Coleridge, L a m b , Hogg, Thackeray, and Swinburne all indulged in burlesque of the first person.

C H A P T E R VII

The Non-English Burlesque in England M a n kann nicht stets das Fremden meiden, Das G u t e liegt uns o f t so fern. Ein echter deutscher M a n n mag keinen Frenzen leiden, Doch ihre Weine trinkt er gern. GOETHE.

NE of the virtues of English literature is its receptivity to forces from without. Poetry, prose, and drama have been constantly enriched by the supplement of foreign influence, by works written in another tongue. But despite Italianate Englishmen, Gallophiles, and victories for the ancients over the moderns, the non-English in form, method, or material has in time usually become English with debatable loss or gain. And here burlesque proves itself a child of the day in its welcome attitude toward poems in a language other than English. In the period under investigation five poems played a part large enough to warrant special consideration: one an ancient Greek product, another the work of an Italian romancer, the third a famous mock-heroic by a noted French critic and satirist, the fourth the early Latin effort of an Englishman destined to become perhaps the foremost critic of his time, and the fifth by another Englishman also in Latin. Thus the Homeric BATPAXOMTOMAXIA, Tassoni's La Secchia rapita, Boileau's Le Lutrin, Addison's Prcelium inter Pygmœos & Grues Commissum, and Holdsworth's Muscìpula represent two ancient lan-

O

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guages and two modern, three foreign nationalities and two Englishmen using the instrument of scholars, one work in the distant past, one in our period, and three in the preceding century. The first three in point of time are far too well known to require exhaustive discussion or analysis here, for a thorough history of each could be a volume in itself; 1 the present purpose calls for comment on their places in burlesque poetry of the first half of the eighteenth century, and this influence can best be ascertained by noticing various allusions and all attempts at rendering into English verse. Addison's Latin mock-heroic appeared prior to the beginning of the century and Holdsworth's popular poem in the first decade; thus they represent burlesque conceptions by contemporary Englishmen but not in English. A.

BATPAXOMTOMAXIA

The Battle of the Frogs and Mice was for long assigned to the author of the Iliad and generally included among the works of Homer, 2 but this burlesque of ancient heroic poetry represents rather a later imitation of the Homeric style. As fond as the Greeks were of the indirect method of burlesque, they did not produce a more consummate satire on the epic.3 The substitution of small animals for human potentates and warriors was the great stroke; the thorough use of the high style and the intervention of Zeus carried through the humorous purpose. Mankind thus discovered many centuries ago the efficacy of animals as 1 . M a n y passages in criticism of these poems have been used in previous sections (particularly Chapter II) when it has seemed more advisable not to sacrifice the integrity of important critical utterances. 2. Joshua Barnes included the Batrachomyomachia in his edition of Homer, Cambridge, 1 7 1 1 . 3. The Margites, the mock-epic mentioned as Homer's by Aristotle, is too fragmentary to permit more than conjecture. The burlesque in the Battle seems to be more general than particular; the poem may thus be entitled a mock-heroic rather than a parody.

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pointing a contrast with men to the discomfort or discredit of the latter, or as opening the door to humor through a sense of incongruity. Physignathus, the frog of royal lineage, the Aesopian beasts, Reynard, Chaunticleer, Brer Rabbit, and Felix the Cat all testify to the popularity of the animal as a character illustrating the actions and natures of men. T h e story is a simple and acute burlesque of epic action. A fugitive mouse is accosted by King Frog: What art thou, Stranger? what the Line you boast? W h a t Chance hath cast thee panting on our Coast? With strictest T r u t h let all thy Words agree, Nor let me find a faithless Mouse in thee. 1 This Silver Realm extends beneath my Sway, And me, their Monarch, all its Frogs obey. Great Physignathus I, from Peleus' Race, Begot in fair Hydromeduse Embrace.

[p. 2]

[p. 3]

The mouse replies in kind : Known to the Gods, the Men, the Birds that fly Thro' wild Expanses of the midway S k y , M y Name resounds; and if unknown to thee, T h e Soul of Great Psycarpax lives in me. Of brave Troxartes* Line, whose sleeky Down In Love compress'd Lychomile the brown.

[p. 3]

The Frog offers to convey the Mouse to the marshy court; no sooner is Psycarpax on the back of his new friend than he regrets the ride, for a water-hydra appears and Physignathus dives. But before he drowns, the Prince of the Mice predicts vengeance. Cat and trap have taken two sons of the Monarch-Mouse: the loss of a third son is an inspiration to war, with the first skirmish going to the Frogs. Jove calls a council, but Pallas gives her reasons for I. These quotations are from Parnell's translation, 1717. Physignathus means "One who swells his Cheeks"; Peleus, " A Name from Mud"; Hydromeduse, " A Ruler in the Waters;" Psycarpax, "One who plunders Granaries"; Troixartes, " A Bread-eater"; Lychomile, " A Licker of Meal"; Meridarpax, "One who plunders his Share."

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refusing to take sides. The battle waxes furious, and the sesquipedalian names of the combatants aid in the tumult. The Ajax of the Mice, Meridarpax, arouses Jove, who finally is forced to forestall complete destruction of the Frogs by sending an army of Crabs against the Nibblers. A n d a w h o l e W a r (so Jove

ordain'd) begun,

Was fought, and ceas'd, in one revolving Sun.

[p. 30]

The popularity of this well modulated mock-heroic is a matter of common knowledge; there have been numerous editions and translations into the languages of Europe. 1 It seemed to be a favorite exercise on which the classical scholar and wit could sharpen his dexterity, for it had the advantages of brevity, humor, and familiarity. Spondanus in 1583 provided a convenient text, and we find translations into Latin by Christopher Johnson in 1580 and Huntington Plumptre in 1629, into English by William Fowldes in 1603 and George Chapman (The Crowne of all Homer's Workes) in 1624 (?).2 The first year of the eighteenth century saw the rendering by Samuel Parker: Homer in a Nutshell: or, his War between the Frogs and Mice, Paraphrastically Translated* Parker (who also wrote The Cartesian Idea of God) is playful in his preface, and in explanation of Homer's purpose says he does not believe " that Homer compos'd it only for the Diversion and Exercise of School-Boys; the Design appears to have been more momentous, it carries a Face of Instruction upon the Matter of Civil Government, and the 1. The work of Friedrich Wild, Die Batrachomyomachia in England, Vienna and Leipzig, 1918, carefully traces the history of the poem in English. 2. In the Stationers' Register, Arber, I, 177b, during the period, 22 July, 1 5 6 8 — 2 2 July, 1569, there is this entry: "Recevyd of Thomas e[a]st for his lycense for the pryntinge of [a] ballett intituled a batteil betwene the myce and the ffrougges. iiij d . " 3 . Not to be confused with the travesty of the same title, 1 7 1 5 ; see No. 43. The author, " Nickydemus Ninnyhammer, F . G . , " in " T o the Reader," threatened a translation of the Batrachomyomachia " t o the tune of Chivy-Chase, so justly applauded by the Spectator." [A6t>]

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Moral is plainly Political." [Bp] The Greek names are gayly translated into such formations as Snapcrust, Pilgarlick, Tallowlick, Lapcustard, Carrotscoop, Gobbletart, Gristlebite, Scramblefare. Parker takes liberties with his original; the spirit moving him is more irreverent or rollicking and less mock-heroic than that of the succeeding translators. The Mouse replies thus to King Frog: T o him Illustrious Nibble·. For your Sense, I say no more; but your Intelligence Imperfect is, or none; else at first view Y o u must have seen both whence I am and who.

[p. 3]

Wild comments as follows: "Eine Benützung der früheren Ubersetzungen von Fowldes und Chapman ist nicht direkt nachweisbar, doch weisen manche Episoden in den grosssprecherischen Reden Nibbles und Bogrills bei Parker und Fowldes eine gewisse Ähnlichkeit auf. Es ist nicht ausgeschlossen, dass Parker seine beiden Vorgänger und vielleicht auch Plumptres lateinische Ubersetzung kannte. Die Dichtung atmet aber auch Drydenschen Geist, entfernt sich jedoch von Drydens feiner Sprache durch oft burschikose oder doch volkstümliche Ausdrucksweise." 1 The most famous Englishing of the Battle is that of Thomas Parnell, in which Pope had a helping hand. This was published in 1717, Parnell's only volume issued during his lifetime: Homer s Battle of the Frogs and Mice. With the Remarks of Zoilus. To which is Prefix'd, The Life of the said Zoilus. The Zoilus parts were intended as satires on pedantic critics (probably with Dennis and Theobald in mind), but the preface to the poem is so pertinent to our study that excerpts must be reproduced. Parnell claims to have gone to the translator of the Iliad for advice. A Success, says he, founded on the Ignorance of others, may bring a temporary Advantage, but neither a conscious Satisfaction, nor future Fame to the Author. Men of Sense despise ι. P. 48.

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the Affectation which they easily see through, and even they who were dazzled with it at first, are no sooner inform'd of its being an Affectation, but they imagine it also a Veil to cover Imperfection. [A4] [As to verse form] We see (however he [Milton] be deservedly successful) that the Ridicule of his Manner succeeds better than the Imitation of it; because Transpositions, which are unnatural to a Language, are to be fairly derided, if they ruin it by being frequently introduced; and because Hyperboles, which outrage every lesser Subject where they are seriously us'd, are often beautiful in Ridicule. [A4-A41.'] [On literalness] These Errors are to be avoided on either Hand, by adhering not only to the Word, but the Spirit and Genius of an Author; by considering what he means, with what beautiful Manner he has express'd his Meaning in his own Tongue, and how he would have express'd himself, had it been in ours. [A5] The Poem itself is of the Epick Kind; the Time of its Action the Duration of two Days; the Subject (however in its Nature frivolous, or ridiculous) rais'd, by having the most shining Words and Deeds of Gods and Heroes accommodated to it: And while other Poems often compare the illustrious Exploits of great Men to those of Brutes, this always heightens the Subject by Comparisons drawn from Things above it. [A5»] The poem, without prose material, was printed in Dublin in the same year, and of course included in the Poems on Several Occasions, which was published by Pope in December, 1 7 2 1 , and became one of the popular miscellanies of the century. The faithfulness and skill of Parnell's translation have never been severely criticized, but his judgment in retaining the Greek names of the frogs and the mice was first questioned by Goldsmith. The Battle of the Frogs and Mice, which follows, is done as well as the subject would admit; but there is a defect in the translation, which sinks it below the original, and which it was impossible to remedy. I mean the names of the combatants, which in the Greek bear a ridiculous allusion to their natures, have no force to the English reader. A Bacon Eater was a good name for a mouse, and Pternotractas in Greek, was a very good sounding

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word, that conveyed that meaning. Puff-cheek would sound odiously as a name for a frog, and yet Physignathos does admirably well in the original.1 John Mitford made the same objection but thought Parnell had "preserved the mock dignity of the original; without ever stepping beyond the limits of a just propriety." a A recent critic says of this " f r e e translation," " I n some respects it is Parnell's best performance, displaying as it does a lightness of touch and a sense of humour." Though not " a s correct as Jebb would have made it, . . . any one who will read the poem will agree that it is not unsuccessful in reproducing the mock-heroic 'colour' of the original." 3 Parnell evidently used Parker and Chapman, and there is a not unexpected similarity in style to Pope's Iliad; the diction is dignified, poetic, and grave; though free in places, the rendering by Pope's friend is true enough for his day. 4 The use of the original names of the characters is hardly a major stumbling block to amusement because these double-jointed appellations can enliven for us the sense of incongruity bred of inappropriate bombast. The next translation in point of time is by Samuel Wesley, 1726, The Iliad in a Nutshell, the dedication of which proclaims the original "perhaps the best as well as the oldest Burlesque in the World." [A30] T h e most remarkable thing about this version of the Batrachomyomachia is the stanza form, which seems to be striving after i . Life of Or. Parnell, prefixed to the 1770 Poems on Several Occasions, pp. xxx-xxxi. 1. Life of Parnell, in the Aldine edition of his poetical works, 1833, p. 56. See also J. Aikin, Letters to a Young Lady on a Course of English Poetry, 1806, P- 45· 3. A. H. Cruickshank, "Thomas Parnell," Essays and Studies by Members of the English Association, 1921, V I I , 67, 69. 4. Parnell's poem had strange company in 1797, when it was printed with the Latin of Bergler, which was translated " m o t pour mot . . . par M . François Cohen de Kentish-Town, âgé de huit ans." The opinion of François on the burlesque would doubtless charm us more than his linguistic exercise.

BATPAXOMTOMAXIA

the Spenserian; there are seventy-five stanzas, the first of which is as follows: Your Aid, ye Heav'n-born Muses, hither bring, Who sung the wandring Greek and Ilium's Wars, H a r d Argument for mortal Bard I sing T h e Sport tumultuous of Revenger Mars. How Mice renown'd with Frogs a W a r maintain'd For Fame, for Vengeance, and for Empire strove While each side sternly sought, yet neither gain'd T h e hard-fought field; Mean-time sky-ruling Jove In equal Ballance pois'd their Fortunes long; Dire Arms, and Wounds, and Deaths shall fill th' advent'rous Song.

The " N u t s h e l l " of the title doubtless came from Parker, but in the translation itself there is a dependence on Parnell and some claim on the Iliad and Matt Prior. " Die Sprache ist aber viel würdevoller als die oft burschikose Ausdrucksweise Parkers." 1 Wesley's effort was included in his Poems on Several Occasions, \ηj6, 1743> but did not get the plaudits accorded its predecessor. The fourth attempt at presenting the old burlesque in English form was made by one H. Price, 2 " A Land-Waiter in the Port of Poole." His Batrachomuomachia: or, The Battle of the Frogs and Mice appeared in 1735, dedicated to Lord Hinton. Its somewhat mediocre quality may be gathered from the opening passage: O M a y the Nine from Helicon inspire M y kindling Breast with their celestial Fire; While to the World I write of War, and sing W h a t endless Labours from Contention spring; W h a t mov'd the Mice (undaunted as the Pow'rs T h a t scal'd the Heav'ns, and shook their lofty Tow'rs) T o fill the frighted Fields with loud Alarms, And dare the croaking Race to Deeds of Arms. ι . Wild, p. 72. Wild suggests that the occasion for this translation was Maittaire's edition of 1 7 2 1 . 1 . Price is an obscure figure, but verses by him appeared in the London

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Wild finds that Price's poem " i s t . . . als eine Umarbeitung des Parnellschen Ubersetzung anzusehen, in der er die meisten Zusätze ausscheidet und einige Stellen, die Parnell nicht übersetzte, nachträgt." 1 Such was the activity in presenting a superb work of fun to a half-century that would be doubly interested in mockheroic poetry taken from the respected Greek. T o be sure, the original text in none of these four cases greatly hampers the English poet; smoothness of verse was considered important. But all the translations are readable though not brilliant, and Parnell's was able to achieve some prominence. Four complete translations in fifty years are indication enough of the general attitude toward the most venerable of burlesques. Among the later translations Cowper's, in blank verse, is by far the most important; it appeared with the Iliad and Odyssey in 1791. Others, in part or whole, were done by Edward, Lord Thurlow, 1810, W . J. Blew, 1831, T . A. Buckley (prose), 1851 (with a parody of this in the same year by " T h e Singing M o u s e " ) , T . S. Norgate in blank verse, 1863, H. Morgan-Brown, 1890, Jane Barlow, 1894, a n d Ronald Smith, 1878, in aversion for children. N o better sign of the importance of the Batrachomyomachia can be given than its connection with each of the four other non-English burlesques of this chapter. Tassoni referred to it in the fifth canto of his La Secchia rapita : M u s e ! thou w h o sung of the memorable deeds O f the mouse-king, and gallant frogs of y o r e ; So t h a t they still through Heliconian m e a d s , Bloom w i t h the same fresh b e a u t y as before. 3 Magazine, 1736-1738, and the Scots Magazine, 1748. A poem to him was printed in the former, March, 1744. ι. P. 73. 2. James Atkinson's translation, 1825, I, 136.

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Boileau in Le Lutrin similarly invoked the ancient B a r d : Oh Thou who guided by the Delphic God Sung, On the Margin of a drowsy Flood, Obstinate chiefs inur'd to deadly Wars; 'Twixt Hostile Frogs and Mice immortal Jars. 1 Addison in his Battle of the Pygmies and Cranes more realistically and artistically paid homage: Less Tumults from less noble Causes sprung, The Grecian Bard of old sublimely sung. While Thund'ring Arms, and meeting Hosts around, Mix in one Noise, and all the Lake confound. Here scatter'd o'er the bloody Plains are laid Expiring Mice, by Bulrush-Spears destroy'd: There limping Frogs, distain'd with gen'rous Gore, In deep hoarse Plaints their absent Limbs deplore: Unactive now, forget their springing Bound, And hardly trail their sluggish Weight along the Ground.' Holdsworth took as a motto from the Batrachomyomachia the reference to the death of the second Mouse-Prince in a trap, which might be taken as a point of departure for the Muscipula.3 In his American translation of the Muscipula, 1728, R . Lewis said in the first note that the MouseTrap was written in imitation of the old poem, and in the preface he used the example of Parnell as excuse for employing time with "Performances of a mirthful Sort." "The Battle of the Frogs and Mice was thus recognized by its descendants. ι. Ozell's translation, 1708, p. 62. This passage was calmly appropriated by the author of Tom Κ g s, 1738; see No. 166. 2. Newcomb's translation, 1719, pp. 36-37. Another use of the battle by way of comparison was made in John Trumbull's popular American burlesque, M'Finga!, 1776, p. 30. 3. Lines 115-117 of the Teubner edition, which Cobb translated for his titlepage. There is an earlier allusion to the trap — in the speech of Psycarpax on the dangers of the mouse's life.

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Indeed, it was just in this relationship of father to the mock-heroic that we have found the critics of the eighteenth century frequently discussing and citing the Greek achievement. A few of the more interesting out-of-theway references may be given here to indicate even further the general diffusion of knowledge and appreciation of the "Iliad, work Divine! rais'd from a Day's Campaign." Edward Guilpin's Skialetheia, 1598, contains a defense of Markham's want of plot. A s Homer writ his F r o g s - f r a y learnedly, A n d Virgil his G n a t s v n k i n d t r a g e d y : So though his plot be poore, his Subiect's rich, A n d his M u s e soares a Falcons gallant pitch. 1

The same coupling 2 of the two great epic writers is made by Robert Speed in his Counter-Rattf and in the poem by " A . S . " to John Quincy, prefixed to his translation of the Muscipulaj 2d ed., 1714: N o r was it t h o u g h t such little T h e m e s to chuse, B e n e a t h great Homer's or the Mantuan Muse. I n Homer's V e r s e the Frogs to B a t t e l R a n , A n d Virgil sung "The Gnat, w h o sung The Man.

Samuel Wesley the elder wrote a readable mock-heroic on a tame snake "devoured by Mice after a great B a t t l e " in which Moustapha, king of the mice, exhorts his soldiers: W e l l m a y the R e b e l Frogs r e j o y c e to see H o w their brave Conqu'rers poorly conquer'd be W e l l m a y t h e y rise against us, well m a y t h e y C h a s e their poor low-soul'd, little Lords away.* I. Satyre VI, sig. E. 1. Parnell in the preface to his translation said that the Batrachomyomachia "bears a nearer Resemblance to his Iliad, than Culex does to the ¿Eneid of Virgil." [A5] The Virgilian Gnat is not purely mock-heroic. 3. " And those who tell of Mice and Frogges" occurs in the opening passage of Speed's Counter-Scuffle, 1623. 4. Maggots: or, Poems on Several Subjects, Never before Handled, 1685, pp. 18-19.

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In that neglected though important critical poem by Dr. William Coward, Licentia Poetica discuss d: or, the 'True Test of Poetry, 1709, there is a more than ordinarily interesting passage. The subject for the nonce is the nobility of the heroic poem and the necessity for shunning "varnish'd Ware." Homer, if true, a Noble Song essay'd, Of Frogs and Mice, in Martial Bands array'd; Eager as Bravely to maintain a Fight, As Carthaginian Chief, or Roman Knight. Till with extended Beak, and threatning Claws, A Kite, assuming to decide the Cause, Born on Impendant Wing, such Terror struck, T h a t each contending Warrior Arms forsook. B u t whether Homer did that Subject chuse, Or 'twas the Labour of some later Muse, T h e Learn'd, as yet, their Sentiments suspend, A l t h o the Poem justly they commend. T h e Subject low is by the Dress refin'd, Like Pictures painted well, which are but ill design'd. [pp. 1 1 - 1 2 ]

T h e burlesque poem Tauronomachia, such a passage as one could predict.

1719 [No. 59] has

T h o ' the fam'd errant Bard of old In Epic strain Troy's downfall told; Where Peleus' Warlike Son does shine, A n d gild the Blinkard's lofty Line: A n d tho' this noble Genius sings In mighty Numbers mighty Things; Y e t , to divert his lazy Time, And keep his L y r e in tune to chime; H e did not (we are told) despise T h e humble T a l e of Frogs and Mice.

[p. 3]

The comment of " N e d R h y m e r " in the third of the Letters oj the Critical Club, Edinburgh, 1738,1s not without wisdom. In fine, I believe the Ground of the Esteem a great many People express for the Ancients, which I deny is my Case, is just

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because they are Ancients, any Thing that is ancient seeming to them venerable and requiring Respect; so that I believe, had such a Piece as torn 'Thumb been written in Hesiod's Time, and handed down to us, a great many would have looked upon it, as a fine Fable and Allegory, tho' the Author never designed it as such; and really, What is Homer's Battle of the Frogs and Mice, but a Poem very well penned upon as trivial a Subject? And, finally, a word from the man Oldham called the " G l o r y and the Scandal of the A g e " — Samuel Butler. In verses subjoined to his "Elephant in the Moon. In Long V e r s e " he compliments the mouse who obstructed the vision of science: A Mouse,

w h o s e martial V a l o u r has so long-

A g o b e e n t r y ' d , a n d b y o l d Homer

sung,

A n d purchas'd him more everlasting

Glory

T h a n all h i s Grecian,

Story.1

B.

LA

a n d h i s Trojan

SECCHIA

RAPITA

T h e Secchia rapita may be understood only as a product of the Italian school of medley poets. T h e tales of chivalry centering about the court of Charlemagne had been, after importation into Italy, "reduced to the level of the bourgeois population." 2 Pulci's Morgante maggiore was not burlesquing the old romancers; his own personality merely enforced the odd mixture of grave and gay that his material provided. T h e popularization of elevated themes, already inherent in Italian romance, was advanced by Pulci, who dealt with romantic knights and incredible 1. Genuine Remains, 1 7 5 9 , 1 , 52 n. In the line, " I n bloody c y n a r c t o m a c h y , " Hudibras, I , i , 752, b y compounding the Greek words for " d o g " and " b e a r " and " b a t t l e " Butler was imitating the title of the Homeric burlesque. 2. R . D . Waller's introduction on the Italian medley poets and their English imitators in his edition of Frere's Monks and the Giants, Manchester, 1926, p. 3. His critical insight and investigation have produced a most excellent discussion of a difficult subject; I am greatly indebted to him for clearing up the confusion connected with the Italian romances.

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giants and monstrous fools in a style and verse now comic, now serious. Form and substance were both full of the low and the high. T h e flexible ottava rima, with its "homestriking" final couplet standing ready for humorous uses, was the best possible metre for medley poetry; epigrams, quick bathos, bizarre rhymes, ludicrous figures of speech, dialect, and Billingsgate were tricks of the style. 1 In the Orlando innamorato of Boiardo much irony appeared, and this was refined in its continuation, the Orlando Furioso of Ariosto. Berni's Rifacimento was more polished and sophisticated than the work of Boiardo and emphasized the air of frivolity. 2 " T h e reaction against romance in Italy lay implicit in its greatest writers. T h e strenuous world of the Chanson de Roland lost its outline under the lively buffoonery of Pulci, changed its nature with Boiardo, broke up finally under the continuous irony of Ariosto." 3 This reaction we see in Teofilo Folengo, "Merlinus Cocaius," author of the Moschaea and the Orlandino 4 and the Baldus, the last of ι . Shaftesbury in his Sensus Communis, 1709, p. 20, said, " F o r the greatest of Buffoons are the Italians·, and in their Writings, in their freer sort of C o n v e r sations, on their T h e a t r e s , and in their Streets, B u f f o o n e r y and Burlesque are in the highest v o g u e . " William K i n g ' s enlarged preface to the 1736 edition of his strange poem The Toast [No. 126] has this criticism: " T h e modern Italians, w h o have written more in Burlesque P o e t r y , than all the N a t i o n s of Europe besides, affect a mixture of L a n g u a g e s , and the U s e of odd T e r m s . T h e y h a v e m a n y Words peculiar to their P o e t r y , and which are never introduced into their Prose-Writings: A n d their Burlesque P o e t r y is a L a n g u a g e different from both the o t h e r . " [xliii-xliv] 2. " It does not appear that Berni had a n y intention of parodying the Orlando Innamorato in his rifacimento-, he simply wished to bring i t , in his conception, nearer to the literary level of the continuation which had superseded it, and deemed that this could best be effected b y an infusion of humour and satire. I t would be a still greater error to assume, with some modern Italian critics, an intention on the part of Boiardo and Ariosto of parodying the old chivalric romance. T h e y merely desired to a d a p t it to the spirit of their own age. . . . " Richard G a r n e t t , History of Italian Literature, L o n d o n , 1898, p. 207. 3. Waller, p. 16. 4. " I n the Orlandino, Ariosto's irony is degraded to buffoonery. The prosaic details he mingled w i t h his p o e t r y are m a d e the material of a new and vulgar comedy of manners. T h e satire he veiled in allegory or polite discussion,

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which was a masterpiece in macaronics and a medley of its kind. "Folengo's are macaronic Muses who sit on a great Helicon of cheese, down which run streams of sauce and gravy." 1 The macaronic style made popular the poema giocoso. At this point in the evolution La Secchia, poema eroicomico, by Alessandro Tassoni, appeared in Paris, 1622, under the name of Androvinci Melisone; in the next edition, Rome, 1624, the word "rapita" was added to the title. The number of editions in the next century and a half bespeaks its popularity. In the eighteenth century Forteguerri's Ricciardetto, an interesting medley poem, merely kicked the dead donkey of the old romance. " In adapting itself to other ages than its own, romance had lost its true nature. Finding itself in alien circles, it had paid them the tribute of a laugh, and the laugh grew. Yet, while taking in the new elements, it did still hang in part to its origins, and so became, not one thing, but many things, not a distinct type so much as a distinct amalgamation of types. In a word, it became a medley poem, and such it remained even in the hands of the burlesquer." 2 The serio-comic poem of Italian origin did not become Anglicized until the nineteenth century, when the efforts of William Tennant, W. S. Rose, Hookham Frere, and John Merivale show the presence of a movement that culminated in Beppo and the incomparable Don Juan.3 The bursts into open virulence. His licentiousness yields to gross obscenity. The chivalrous epic, as employed for purposes of art in Italy, contained within itself the germs of this burlesque. It was only necessary to develop certain motives at the expense of general harmony, to suppress the noble and pathetic elements, and to lower the literary key of utterance, in order to produce a parody. Ariosto had strained the semi-seriousness of romance to the utmost limits of endurance. For his successors nothing was left but imitation, caricature, or divergence upon a different track. Of these alternatives, Folengo and Berni, Aretino and Fortiguerra, chose the second; Tasso took the third, and provided Tassoni with the occasion of a new burlesque." John Addington Symonds, Renaissance in Italy, London, 1881, II, 326. ι. Waller, p. 18. 1. Waller, p. αι. j . The second half of Waller's essay is devoted to the Italian romance in

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vagaries of the medley poem thus do n o t concern the period of this essay except through Tassoni. T h e Secchia rapita deals with a war between M o d e n a a n d Bolonia in t h e middle of the t h i r t e e n t h century. T h e Bolonians insult the people of M o d e n a , who repulse them and drive t h e m back to the very gates of Bolonia. T h i s a d v a n c e p a r t y of Modenese drink at a well outside the city, thereby calling forth a fresh onslaught. R a d a l d o seizes t h e bucket a n d there is a h e a v y mêlée, b u t t h e M o denese carry h o m e the trophy. T h e Bolonians m a k e diplom a t i c a t t e m p t s to regain the bucket, b u t war follows. J o v e calls a council of the gods, at which M a r s and Vulcan quarrel; Venus comes to E a r t h with her lovers Bacchus a n d M a r s and aids the Modenese, whereas Pallas and P h o e b u s declare for Bolonia. T h e King of Sardinia becomes an ally of M o d e n a b u t is at length c a p t u r e d . T h e war drags on with various episodes until a peace is p a t c h e d up. Tassoni was anxious to h a v e his claim recognized as the originator of t h e mock-heroic way of writing. H o w e v e r , in his preface he anticipated criticism as to t h e u n i t y of his design. " A n d 'tis now plain, t h a t the Actions of Many are more diverting t h a n those of One alone; and t h a t a Pitch'd Battle is more curious to behold t h a n a n y Duel whatever. For, the Pleasure of Epic P o e t r y does not arise from seeing one M a n alone in Action, b u t from a probable Representation of Miraculous Exploits; of which the more they are in n u m b e r , the more they recreate." Ariosto was therefore more agreeable t h a n H o m e r . An i m p o r t a n t u t t e r a n c e on the style follows: However it be; when the Author compos'd this Poem (which was one Summer in his Youth) it was not to acquire Fame in Poetry, but to pass away the time, and out of a Curiosity to see how a Mixture of the Grave and Burlesque Stiles wou'd succeed : England; it is the best available study of the type that produced such entertain, ing fruit in Frere and Byron.

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POETRY

fancying that if they pleas'd, asunder, they might do the like in conjunction; especially if blended with such Artifice, that from their reciprocal Variety, as well the Wise as those that were Otherwise, might receive Entertainment. The Learned commonly read Poetry for their Amusement, and are more delighted with Pleasantrys, when they are well told, than with Things of a Serious nature: And as for the Unlearned, besides the Relish they have for Burlesque, they are likewise ravish'd with the Miracles which Heroic Actions are us'd to produce. 1

There can be little doubt that Tassoni's first purpose was personal satire. He had the idea of writing a poem "in which, while he permitted his vein of wit and humour to flow freely, he might indulge in the virulence of invective against the open and secret enemies of his literary reputation." 2 Political squabbles of the time also came within his castigation. The style has many resemblances to that of the medley poem, sudden turns and anticlimaxes (especially in the final couplet of the stanza), invective and the "thredbare Talk of Billingsgate and Stews," pointed epigrams and strokes of wit, serious narrative and description. Inasmuch as the poet himself desired the honor of inventing a new type, and as that honor has often been allowed him, it is suitable that some testimony should be heard. This matter naturally concerns the debt to Tassoni of two later poems, the Lutrin and The Rape of the Lock, which were undoubted mock-heroics and many times linked with the Secchia rapita. Dryden was discussing, in his famous essay prefixed to the translated satires of Juvenal and Persius, the advantages of the line of ten syllables over that of eight as an instrument of satire. His opinion must have had an effect on later critics. Tassone and Boileau have left us the best Examples of this ι . Ozell's translation, 1 7 1 0 , pp. 1 2 , 1 3 . 2. J . C. Walker, Memoirs of Alessandro Tassoni, 1 8 1 5 , p. 42.

edited by Samuel Walker,

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way, in the Secchia Rapita, and the Lutrin. And next them Merlin Coccajus in his Baldus. I will speak only of the two former, because the last is written in Latin Verse. The Secchia Rapita, is an Italian Poem; a Satire of the Farronian kind. 'Tis written in the Stanza of Eight, which is their Measure for Heroique Verse. The Words are stately, the Numbers smooth, the Turn both of Thoughts and Words is happy. The first six lines of the Stanza seem Majestical and Severe: but the two last turn them all, into a pleasant Ridicule. Boileau, if I am not much deceiv'd, has model'd from hence, his famous Lutrin. He had read the Burlesque Poetry of Scarron, with some kind of Indignation, as witty as it was, and found nothing in France that was worthy of his Imitation. But he Copy'd the Italian so well, that his own may pass for an Original. He writes it in the French Heroique Verse, and calls it an Heroique Poem: His Subject is Trivial, but his Verse is Noble. I doubt not but he had Virgil in his Eye, for we find many admirable Imitations of him, and some Parodies,1 W a r t o n treated in the famous essay on Pope, 1756, the poems b y Tassoni, Boileau, and G a r t h in order as the foremost representatives of the heroi-comic. Walter H a r t e ' s Essay on Satire, 1730, reviewed classical and modern satirists: T h e n all was N i g h t — B u t Satire rose once more W h e r e Medici and Leo A r t s restore. Tassoni shone fantastic, but sublime: A n d H e , w h o form'd the Macaronique-Rhime.

[p. i8]

W a r m ' d Boileau's Sense with Britain's genuine Fire, A n d added Softness to Tassone s L y r e .

[p. 21]

Pope

William T h o m p s o n ended a passage on the Rape thus: Tassoni, hiding his diminished head, D r o o p s o'er the laughing p a g e : while Boileau skulks, W i t h blushes cover'd, low beneath the desk. 2 1. Discourse concerning the Original and Progress of Satire, 1693, xlix. 2. Sickness, 1745, pp. 57—58. A note conveys the information that the poets

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POETRY

William Hayley's Essay on Epic Poetry, 1782, paid tribute to Tassoni, and then to Boileau and Tassoni together: N o r , tho' j u s t F a m e her richer palm d e v o t e T o the high-sounding lyre of serious note, Shall g a y Tassoni w a n t his festive crown, W h o banish'd from the M u s e her aweful frown, A n d , tuning to light themes her l o f t y style, O ' e r her g r a v e features spread a comic smile.

[p. 54]

H e archly w a v i n g his satiric rod T h r o ' the new p a t h which first Ί"assoni trod, P u r s u e d his sportive march in h a p p y hour, A n d p l u c k ' d from Satire's thorn a festive flower. H i s sacerdotal W a r shall w a k e delight, A n d smiles in G r a v i t y herself excite, W h i l e C a n o n s live to quarrel or to feast, A n d gall can tinge the spirit of a Priest. [pp. 59-60]

Whatever the connection between the satiric poems by Tassoni and Boileau, the eighteenth century certainly considered it a close and apparent one. But later criticism has been more discerning in detecting the real nature of The Rape of the Bucket. Foscolo thought that Tassoni had merely given the hint to Boileau and Pope, that his main object in satire was the civil wars of the Italians. Pope and Boileau have inlaid their little epics with happy imitations of the most celebrated passages of the ancient classics. Tassoni imitates them with less ostentation. His irony blends almost insensibly with the character and plan of the Iliad and the /Eneid, and the Gerusalemme Liberata. His personages were of less importance to him than his subject. For the purposes of his satire, he has borrowed the general colouring of epic poetry, whilst parodies of particular passages were more useftil to Pope and Boileau, to whom the fables of their poems only served as vehicles for their sarcasms upon peculiar classes of society. referred to "were reckoned the most celebrated Mock-Heroic Poets amongst the moderns, before the Rape oj the Lock" For Karnes's grouping of the Virgile travesti and the Secchia rapita, see above, P· 57·

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If the characteristic humour of the Secchia Rapita be compared with the satire of the Animali Parlanti, and the burlesque drollery of Ricciardetto, it will appear that Tassoni thought fit to designate his production as an heroic-comic poem, because he did not intend, like Casti, to make a mockery of things really important in themselves, but to ridicule the false importance which it gives to trifling matters. As he did not seek, like Forteguerri, to raise a laugh at all events, by introducing coarse drollery and indecency, and by giving a vulgar travestie of the characters and style of epic poetry; but he sported with the follies of individuals and of nations, and he chose the solemn march of heroic poetry, in order to obtain the contrasted effect which a painter would produce by arraying an Adonis in the mail of Achilles, and arming him with the club of Hercules. 1 Even Atkinson in the preface to his translation of Tassoni, 1825, saw the difference in spirit and execution between the Secchia rapita and the works of Pope and Boileau; he suggested the Batrachomyomachia as the more legitimate ancestor of this family of writing. Henry Hallam said of Tassoni's claim to originality, " I t must be in a very limited view of the execution of the Poem." He has certainly more of parody than Pulci could have attempted; the great poems of Ariosto and Tasso, especially the latter, supply him with abundant opportunities for this ingenious and lively, but not spiteful, exercise of wit, and he has adroitly seized the ridiculous side of his contemporary Marini. The combat of the cities, it may be observed, is serious enough, however trifling the cause, and has its due proportion of slaughter; but Tassoni, very much in the manner of the Morgante Maggiore, throws an air of ridicule over the whole. The episodes are generally in a still more comic style. A graceful facility and a light humour, which must have been incomparably better understood by his countrymen and contemporaries, make this a very amusing poem.2 ι . "Narrative and Romantic Poems of the Italians," Quarterly Review, April, 1819, X X I , 508. 1. Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, Paris, 1839, I I I , 264-265.

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E N G L I S H BURLESQUE P O E T R Y

B u t it is Courthope who proves the most astute. Tassoni differs from his predecessors in this single respect, which is indeed of the essence of a genuine mock-heroic poem, that he perceives the necessity of showing 'what dire events from trivial causes spring.' Treating history with some poetical licence, he pretends that the real cause of the war between Modena and Bologna was the carrying off of a bucket, still preserved among the antiquities of the former city, and relates with true comic humour the incidents of the midnight raid that led to the capture of this trophy, the solemn embassy of the Bolognese for its recovery, and the council of the Gods convened to deliberate on the approaching war. The description of the deities of Olympus with the costumes and manners of the magnates of the poet's own period is admirably vivacious, and is the best part of the work. Unfortunately at this point Tassoni had exhausted all the elements of mock-heroic which were really comprised within his subject. The war between the two cities was a serious business, and to amuse his readers through the remaining ten cantos the poet was obliged to ridicule his own contemporaries.1 Courthope also has an excellent comparison of Le Lutrin and La Secchia rapita, which have in common " t h e celebration of a trivial action that produced consequences out •of all proportion to its importance." In almost every other respect the conception of mock-heroic formed by the two poets is completely different. Tassoni took his subject from the remote past: Boileau celebrated an incident that was in everybody's recollection. The former to some extent follows the course of history; he is exact in his geographical descriptions; minute in his topography; while many of his stanzas make no attempt at the ludicrous, Boileau is ironical in every verse of his first five cantos. The Italian poet has but crude conceptions of the functions of parody whereby he simply strives to make the great little, travestying Homer, for instance, in his description of the Council of the Gods, and the ludicrous anatI. Life of Alexander Pope in Works of Alexander Pope, V (1889), 99-100.

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omy of his battle-pieces; Boiardo in the extravagance of his romantic episodes; and Marino in the affectations of his language. Boileau on the other hand constructed his poem with the greatest elaboration, so as to give it, in point of action, character, machinery, and language, a superficial resemblance to a real epic poem. 1

Professor Clark, anxious to show that the Lutrin started the mock-heroic vogue in England, thinks that after the trivial incident of the bucket Tassoni's poem is not a mockheroic at all; he uses its length and diffuseness as differentiae and argues that "this revolving-stage of contrasts has nothing in common with the ironic smile suffusing every word of the Lutrin, not concentrated in a line from time to time." 2 These necessarily liberal quotations should show that the Secchia rapita presents a unique situation: the acceptance as a mock-heroic of a poem not predominantly mockheroic. A glance at the production itself in what is probably the only English translation of the eighteenth century will emphasize the particular qualities peculiar to itself.3 John Ozell did this translation in less than a month "besides some Avocations of a very different nature"; it saw light in 1710 as La Secchia Rapita: the Trophy-Bucket. A Mock-Heroic Poem, The First of the Kind, By Signior Alessandro Tassoni. Upon an Accident that happen d between the two Parties of the Guelphs and the Gibellines in Italy, in their Contention about who shou'd be Uppermost, the Emperor or the Pope. Only two cantos appeared, with the beginning of the third " T o let the Reader a little further into the Humour of this Poem." The original and Salviani's notes were given. This Part I did not receive sufficient encouragement to make more necessary, but in 1715 ι. Ibid., V , 1 0 2 - 1 0 3 . 2. Boileau and the French Classical Critics in England, 1 9 2 5 , p. 1 5 5 . 3 . Atkinson produced a full translation in ottava rima, 1827. H e had seen a stanza by M . M . Clifford, but I have been unable to trace such a version.

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Curii issued a second edition under the title fihe Rape of the Bucket. An Heroi-Comical Poem Ozell was a translator of much experience and fair ability; he had done the Lutrin acceptably, and notwithstanding the unwise but natural choice of the heroic couplet, it would be unfair to postulate that he was deliberately falsifying the material before him. Specimens of his translation, however, will easily show that it is not an ordinary mock-heroic. Soft Zephyr only breathing o'er the Meads, Kiss'd the young Grass, and wav'd the tender Reeds: The Nightingales were heard at peep of Day, And Asses singing am'rous Roundelay. [p· 17] Justly Panaro may in Gerard pride! Gerard Did more than Cursio ever Ly'd.

[p- 23]

Him Bruno met: Bruno whose fertile Thought Your long small Sausage to perfection brought. Fortune awhile stood Neuter to the Strife, The Thrummy Sconce rebates the Chopping Knife·. A t length Min' Host, unperiwig'd i' th' Fray, A t once lost both his Scull-Cap and the Day.

[p· 24]

Radaldo, Spinamont, Griffoni fierce, (And other Names too obstinate for Verse)

[p· 27]

Forwards the Potta takes a full Career, And kissing him, You're welcome home, my Dear! Then num'rous Questions ask'd, too long to tell, Gad take my Soul— and so •— and how — and well — But pray how chance you was not kill'd Γ th' Scrape, Or taken Pris'ner? Gor, a strange Escape!

[p. 33]

The ambassadors stop at an inn and ask " W h a t Wine the House affords, and what per F l a s k " ; they are taken " T o th' Hall where now his Highness stows his H a y . " T h e gods ι . O n l y the title-page differs from the 1710 issue; the 1 7 1 5 " e d i t i o n " apparently a m o v e to dispose of unsold copies. M o r e o v e r , an advertisement peared in the Post Boy, June 4, 1713; and from the Memoirs of Literature, 2d 1722, V I I , 28-29, ' t appears t h a t in 1713 Curii issued La Secchia Rapita with " J u d g m e n t of M r . D r y d e n , and other Learned M e n " prefixed.

was aped., the

LA SECCHIA RAPITA

199

are treated with some of the familiarity of travesty; for instance, the "Thund'rer's Counterpart" cannot appear, for " N o D a y but that wou'd serve to cut her Hair." Such touches are obviously of the "diminishing" variety of burlesque; they help to build up the comic side of the seriocomic poem and to destroy the effects gained by a purely mock-heroic treatment. T o sum up the intricate matter of Tassoni's poem, both its subject and its style make it nearer akin to the Italian serio-comic work from which it sprang than to the type of mock-heroic well represented by Le Lutrin and The Rape of the Lock. The " M i x t u r e of the Grave and Burlesque Stiles" involves a combination incompatible with the sustained elevation of a trivial subject that constitutes the very heart of true mock-heroic. T h a t the poet perhaps sincerely thought he was breaking new paths, and that his work should get such credit may be principally explained by the facts that the poem did diverge somewhat from most of the medley poems and that critics often repeat each other. Boileau of course knew the Secchia and invoked its author; 1 he was disgusted with Scarron and probably welcomed the new kind of burlesque, but his debt to Tassoni can be reckoned as small.2 Dryden apparently knew the poem too, if we may trust Dean Lockier, 3 but Mac Flecknoe (together with The Dispensary) shows rather the leadership of Boileau. The Rape of the Lock was in all likelihood influenced by The Rape of the Bucket only in title. Indeed, the Secchia rapita by reason of a nature I. In C h a n t I : Qui par les traits hardis d'un bizarre pinceau M i s l ' I t a l i e en feu pour la perte d ' u n Sceau. I t is interesting to see Ozell in his 1708 translation of Le Lutrin adding an invocation to G a r t h , w h o was a lad when the Lutrin w a s written. 1 . Boileau influenced Tassoni's reception in that four years after the first appearance of the Lutrin Perrault brought out a prose translation of the Secchia rapita. 3. T h e oft-quoted incident is given by Spence, Anecdotes, 1820, p. 60.

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alien to that of the typical English mock-epic has been without great influence. T h e Italian tide was destined to break over English poetry a century after the hack translator Ozell had given Tassoni his chance. C.

LE

LUTRIN

T h e history of Le Lutrin in England has been adequately traced by Professor Clark, who successfully demonstrates that Boileau's mock-heroic exerted a most powerful influence; translations and imitations show this poem to be the most popular in the canon of the revered critic-satirist. 1 There is hardly need to summarize a poem so well known to all readers of French and English literature. T h e whole to-do concerns the position of a lectern, the parties of the Prelate and the Chanter conspiring and conflicting. Discord hovers over all the proceedings and inspires the war, which is settled by Piety and Aristus (the latter standing for Boileau's friend Lamoignon). T h e satire, up to the fifth canto, is subservient to the mock-heroic. T h e gluttony, indolence, selfishness, and lack of dignity of the ecclesiastics play some part, but form more of the background of a tapestry in which is conspicuously woven this ridiculous action in high-blown diction. However, the passage at the end of Canto V , with the battle of the books and the delicious episode of the Prelate's blessing his enemies to the ground, approaches pure satire. T h e last canto has almost no mock-heroic but is given over to Piety's lament on the Church and a eulogy of Aristus. Some of the best passages are the speech of Barberissa and the preparations of the competitors in Canto II, the incident of the owl in Canto I I I , the exhortations of Allen the pedant and Everard the I. It is with pleasure and confidence that I summarize in this section some of Clark's findings in his Boileau and the French Classical Critics in England, 1925; I am indebted to this book for many ideas and items concerning Boileau. For more detail than is necessary in my study the student is referred to Bk. I, passim; Bk. II, Chap. II, C, Chap. I l l , Chap. IV, C.

LE LUTRIN

201

scorner of books in Canto IV. The sixth canto, though necessary to the rounding out of the action, is uninteresting, but from the viewpoint of burlesque the poem by no means gains materially by the addition of the fifth and sixth cantos. T h e action as far as the fight between the canons is well sustained, and the characters are justly differentiated. " T h o u g h the machinery is the weakest part of the construction, the supernatural agents being mere abstractions, the figure of Discord at least is painted with much vividness and power." 1 The deities do not enter into the action convincingly; the episode of the owl has no real effect; the conclusion of the poem is entirely out of keeping. Four cantos appeared in 1674 with the other two added in 1683.2 The first translation (of Canto I) seems to be one by Oldham in 1678, never published. 3 In 1682 the Lutrin was " Made English by N. O . " ; nothing seems to be known of this person.4 John Crowne's Oœneids appeared in 1692; it is free enough to be called an imitation, and was evidently written for the ecclesiastical satire, which at that hour was entirely welcome. 5 But the principal event in the history of the Lutrin in English is the translation made 1. C o u r t h o p e , op. cit., V , 103. 2. T h e compliment of parody took the form of Lutrigot: Poème herotcomìque, ι686, b y Balthazar de Bonnecorse, whose Montre d'amour Boileau had mentioned in the fifth canto. 3. See P . L . Babington, " D r y d e n not the A u t h o r of M a c F l e c k n o e , " Modern Language Review, J a n u a r y , 1918, X I I I , 25-34. 4. I have come across w h a t m a y be a clue to " N . O . ' s " identity or to still another translation. A poem of 1688, To Poet Bavius; occasion d by his Satyr He Writ in his Verses to the King upon the Queens being Deliver'd of a Son, contains these lines, p. 10: W e are content thou shouldst in Scoundrel Verse, P u t into French the F a m o u s Hudebras·, O r nobler Boileau into English turn, A n d m o v e at once our L a u g h t e r and our Scorn. 5. T h i s was reprinted as the Church Scuffle (along with the Counter-Scuffle) in D r y d e n ' s Miscellany Poems, P a r t I I I , 1716. T h e Dœneids is of course discussed in W . Grosse's John Crownes Komödien und burleske Dichtung, 1903.

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chiefly by John Ozell, who did his task skilfully. 1 Lutrin: a Mock-Heroic Poem. In Six Canto's. into English Verse, 1708, begins:

Boileaus Renderà

A R M S and the P R I E S T I sing, whose Martial Soul No Toil cou'd terrify, no Fear controul; Active it urg'd his Outward Man to dare The num'rous Hazards of a Pious War·. Nor did th' Immortal Prelates Labours cease, Till Victory had Crown'd 'em with Success; Till his gay Eyes sparkling with fluid Fire, Beheld the Desk reflourish in the Choir. In Vain the Chanter and the Chapter strove; Twice they essay'd the fatal Desk to move: As oft the Prelate with unweary'd Pain, Fix'd it to his proud Rival's Seat again. [pp. 1-2]

There is a final appeal to the Muse. Speak Thou these Miracles; I've done my Part, And spun out Eighteen Hundred Lines by Art. Nor let the Man's Attempt be rashly damn'd, Who from a Simple Desk a Second Iliad fram'd.

[p. 120]

In the dedication to Lord Halifax, Ozell proclaims his theory of translation: he dislikes an "Idolatrous Translation" and thinks "every minute Circumstance of a Thought cannot be preserv'd with any tolerable Grace, nor indeed is it necessary; provided the Translator makes amends for his Neglect of what is less important, by improving, and if possible by refining upon Essentials." [*2v] Ozell's work was and is thoroughly acceptable; bui there is no "refining upon Essentials." Two critical passages in this 1708 edition are important. Ozell in the dedication distinguished between the two kinds I. In an advertisement at the end of the 3d edition, 1 7 1 4 , " i n justice to the memory of M r . C o b b , " Ozell owns that Cobb " w r o t e many of the brightest Lines of the preceding Piece; part whereof was likewise done by M r . Johnson·.the rest, perhaps the dullest part, as well as the greatest, was done by himself the said Ozell."

LE LUTRIN of burlesque with the Lutrin and Hudibras as examples (quoted in Chapter II). Nicholas Rowe wrote for the volume Some Account of Boileau's Writings, and this Translation·, 1 he commented on Boileau's debt to Virgil and objected to Ozell's mixture of French and English books and authors. I won't pretend to give you a Critical Account of this Kind of Mock-Heroic Poetry, if it can be call'd a Kind, that is so new in the World, and of which we have had so few Instances. I call it new because I take La Secchia Rapita of Tassoni to be the first of this Sort that was ever written, or at least that ever I heard of : As for Homer's Battle of the Frogs and Mice, I take that only to be a Tale or Fable, like those of Msop, amongst which it is to be found, and ought rather to be rank'd among the Writings of the Mythologists than those of the Poets. Whatever Name or Title the Criticks may be pleas'd to dignify or distinguish this Sort of Writing with, I am sure it has had the good Fortune to be very well receiv'd: The Reputation of the Lutrin in France, and the Dispensary in England, are two of the best Modern Instances of Success in Poetry that can be given. [A5-A51/] The complete works of Boileau in translation were issued in three volumes, 1 7 1 2 , 1 7 1 1 , 1 7 1 3 . The first volume includes the second edition of Le Lutrin, with the date 1 7 1 1 on the title-page, and the Lije of Boileau written by Des Maizeaux and Englished by Ozell. This biography prints the advertisement to the first edition of the Lutrin, which fortunately recounts the friendly discussion that inspired the poem and presents Boileau's own criticism of the burlesque. 'Tis a new Burlesque which I was willing to make a Tryal of in our Tongue. For whereas, in the other Burlesque, Dido and Mneas talk like Oyster-Women and Porters; in this, a Watchmaker and his Wife speak like Dido and Mneas. I know not i. A. T. Bartholomew, CHEL, V I I , 223, as Clark notes, gives the translation to Rowe. Gosse, History of Eighteenth Century Literature, 1889, p. 1 1 2 , makes the same error.

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therefore, whether my Poem will have the Qualities requisite to please a Reader : But I dare flatter my self, it will have at least the Agreeableness of Novelty, since I do not think there is any Work of this Nature in our Tongue: Sarazin's Defeat of the Bouts rimez, being rather a meer Allegory than a Poem, as this is. [xliv] A third edition of the Lutrin was published in 1 7 1 4 , a fourth at Dublin in 1730, and another at Glasgow in 1752. The Works were reprinted in 1736 and 1752. Robert Thomson's translation, "The Lutrin, or, Reading Desk. A Comi-heroic Poem, Paris, 1 8 1 1 , though accurate, did not prove popular. Ozell had reason to be proud of his product and its reception; a blatant echo of this pride we catch in an advertisement in the IVeekly Medley of September 20, 1729. 1 As for Genius, if there's any in translating of and in Verse, (and Mr. Pope pretends to no more) let Mr. Cleland shew better Verses in Pope's Works than Ozell's, Version of Boileau's Lutrin, which the late Lord Hallifax was so pleas'd with in the Manuscript, that he complimented him with Leave to dedicate it to Him, &c. &c. let him shew better and truer Poetry in "The Rape of the Lock than in Ozell's Rape of the Bucket {la Secchia Rapita) which, because an ingenious Author happen'd to mention in the ι. The DNB article on Ozell gives the date as September 5 and the quotations with errors; Clark follows this. However, the Elwin-Courthope Pope gives September 20. This passage occurs in an advertisement for No. 1 of Herculean Labour, taking shots at Bundy, who had translated Catrou and Rouillé's Roman History, and at Pope, who had slurred Ozell in The Dunciad (I, 286) and had written in an epigram on the translator of the Lutrin, Nor had the toothless Satyr caus'd complaining, Had not sage Rowe pronounc'd it Entertaining. This poem, " T h e Translator," appeared as Pope's in Miscellanea, 1727, p. 132, but Montague Summers has included it in his edition of Wycherley, 1924, IV, 70-71. Moreover, Wycherley was referring to Ozell in the couplet from " T h e Bill of Fare," Compar'd De Foe's Burlesque with Dryden's Satire, And Butler with the Lutrin's dull Translator. (Summers, IV, 226 and 70)

LE

LUTRIN

205

same Breath with Pope's, viz. Let Ozell sing the Bucket, Pope the Lock, the little Gentleman had like to run mad. 1

Adverse criticisms of the Lutrin were rare, that by Kames in his Elements of Criticism, 1761, being the most severe and sustained. 2 But an occasional writer was so illguided in his judgment as to prefer Boileau's mock-heroic to Pope's: Dennis, of course, claimed that the Lutrin was superior to the Rape, but Dennis could see no good in the W a s p ; 3 a writer in the British Magazine for August, 1760, ventured to say that the Lutrin might be considered superior to the Rape or the Dunciad on the score of priority and inspiration. 4 Lord Hervey wrote to L a d y M a r y Wortley Montagu, October 28, 1728, "Boileau can write upon a Lutrin what one can read with pleasure a thousand times, and Blackmore cannot write upon the Creation anything that one shall not yawn ten times over, before one had read it once." 5 Walter Harte in 1730 placed the Lutrin with The Dunciad as an admirable epic satire, "compleat, And one in action; ludicrously great." 6 Lyttleton in Dialogues oj the Dead had Pope say to Boileau, " But, if I may believe the best Critics with whom I have talked, my Rape oj the Lock is not inferior to your Lutrin." 7 Horace WalI. The line quoted by Ozell as rousing Pope occurred in Jacob's Rape of the Smock, 1717 [No. 54]. 1. Tom Brown in his Letters from the Dead to the Living made Juvenal tell Boileau that he preferred Scarron's travesty to the Lutrin. 3. When Clark says (p. 10) that Dennis's Remarks on the Rape of the Lock "consists almost entirely of a running comparison between Le Lutrin and The Rape," he is guilty of an error; such a statement can apply only to Letter II, though the Lutrin is mentioned elsewhere. T h e next year, 1729, Dennis again complimented Boileau's poem, in Remarks upon Several Passages in the Preliminaries to the Dunciad. 4. I, 467. Letters and Works oj Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, ed. by W. M . Thomas, London, 1898, II, 18. 6. Essay on Satire, p. 7. 7. 1760, Dialogue X I V , p. 114. Boileau himself is made to express much the same opinion in a poem " O n Mr. Pope," London Magazine, August, 1745, X I V , 409: M y Lutrin, ye know, when ye read, ye all prais'd; But, I own, 'tis out-done by the Rape oj the Lock.

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE P O E T R Y

pole wrote to John Pinkerton his opinion that the Lutrin, The Dispensary, and the Rape " are standards of grace and elegance not to be paralleled by antiquity." 1 One of the most significant results of Boileau's mockheroic was an influence upon Mac Flecknoe, The Dispensary, and The Rape of the Lock. Clark, discounting Tassoni's influence, makes clear his contention that it was Le Lutrin "which introduced the mock-heroic genre into England as a model for writers." 2 In the case of the first, merely the general method of that mock-epic was apparently used by Dryden, who was writing a personal satire primarily; as to The Dispensary, particular passages and the general scheme of Le Lutrin were in Garth's mind; and the Rape contained a few passages reminiscent of Boileau (the debt here being both direct and through Garth), with the Bolevian mock-heroic form and tone here carried to the edge of perfection. In general, the imprint left by the Lutrin on English burlesque poetry was a beneficent one — in organic form and sustained irony, in smoothness of style and temperance of tone. Boileau showed the way toward a blending of the heroic and the satiric; and though the road that he opened was not perfect, it was plain. 1. June 26, 1785. Letters oj Horace Walpole, ed. by Mrs. Paget Toynbee, 1905, X I I I , p. 283. 2. Clark, p. 155; for influence on Mac Flecknoe, see pp. 156-158, on The Dispensary, pp. 158-168, on the Rape, pp. 197-204. The relation of The Dispensary to the Lutrin is discussed in T . Schenk's Sir Samuel Garth und seine Stellung zum komischen Epos, 1900, pp. 52-85. An interesting expression occurs in " A New Session of Poets," by Dr. Kenrick, Theobald's Miscellany of Original Poems, translations, iäc, 1732, part of which may be quoted: T h e jolly Muse, attended by the Nine, Came reading into Court, Boileau's Lutrin·. Whil'st to our Wonder, (how good Wits agree!) 'Twas strait transform'd to the Dispensary.

[p. 141]

" What must the World to thy great Genius owe, Who not translate, but thus improve Boileaui T h y beauteous Turns his wondrous Sense express, Whilst all thy Thoughts appear in Dryden's Dress."

[p. 142]

PR^ELIUM

D.

PR^ELIUM

INTER

I N T E R

PYGM^EOS

P Y G M J E O S

&

GRUES

207

COMMISSUM

Joseph Addison was not always a Secretary or a Cato or a Spectator. Although his poetry is not noted for humor, one of his youthful efforts (and by no means the poorest) was a playful poem in Latin on the legendary war between the pygmies and the cranes. In the volume Examen Poeticutn Duplex, 1698, the mock heroic appeared as "Prselium inter Pygmaeos & grues commissum," and in Musarum Anglicanarum Analecta, Oxford, 1699, Vol. I I , with the repetition of the title in Greek, Π Τ Γ Μ Α Ι Ο - Γ Ε Ρ Α Ν Ο Μ Α Χ Ι Α . Herodotus (II, 32) mentioned pygmies as living near the sources of the Nile; with the migrations of the cranes toward Ethiopia there could well have been many encounters. A Crane-fight, together with other comic battlepieces, seems to have existed once in ancient Greek literature 1 and even to have been considered as Homer's.2 The opening of Book I I I of the Iliad, however, was most probably Addison's starting point.3 Amàp éireì κόσμηθΐν

α μ ' η^ίμονίσσιν 'ίκαστοι μίν κλαγτπ r' evovrj τ' ϊσαν, opvides ώ$, ήϋτ€ πep K.\ayyr¡ yepávoiv ττέλίΐ ούρανόθι προ, αΐ τ' kxei ουν χΐιμωνα φύ-γον και άθίσφατον δμβρον, kXayyfj ταί ye πίτονται e-π' 'iìneavoio ροάων, άνδράσι ΐlυyμaίoισι φόνον καΐ κηρα φίρουσαι ήίριαι δ' apa ταί ye κακήν ί ρ ι δ α ιτροφίρονται. Τ peles

In the first canto of Le Lutrin Boileau used the incident as the basis for a comparison to the rallying of the Prelate's partisans.

ι . See Gilbert Murray, History of Ancient Greek Literature, 1897, p. 52. 2. Joshua Barnes in his edition of Homer, 1 7 1 1 , I I , 8 (2d pagin.), merely said, " Suidas etiam inter Homert Opera ponit Άραχνομαχίαν, & Γίρανομαχίαν, necno ψαρομαχία»." Cf. Suidoe Lexicon, s. ν. "Ομηρος, Kuster's edition, Cambridge, 17 I I , 685, 686 (misnumbered 683, 684), and Pauly-Wissowa, Real-encyclopädie, V I I I , coll. 2 1 4 5 ff., s. v. Homeridai (article by Rzach). 3 . Cf. the passage on cranes in Martin Lluelyn's " O f Pigmies," Men Mira-

cles, 1646, pp. 22 ff.

2o8

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY C o m m e 1 'on v o i t marcher les bataillons de gruës, Q u a n d le P y g m é e altier redoublant ses efforts, D e l ' H e b r e ou d u S t r y m o n v i e n t d'occuper les bords.

Garth in The Dispensary evidently knew Boileau's simile when he wrote his own : So w h e n the Pigmies marshal'd on the Plains, W a g e p u n y W a r against t h ' invading C r a n e s ; T h e P o p p e t s to their B o d k i n Spears repair, A n d scatter'd Feathers flutter in the A i r . B u t soon as e'er t h ' Imperial Bird of J o v e Stoops on his sounding Pinions from a b o v e , A m o n g the B r a k e s , the F a i r y N a t i o n crowds, A n d the Strimonian Squadron seeks the Clouds. 1

A most interesting voyage imaginaire that may have influenced Swift was Gerania: a new Discovery of a Little Sort of People Anciently Discoursed of, called Pygmies, 1675, by Joshua Barnes. It is possible that Addison also used this book, which several times mentioned the cranes as enemies of the pygmies. 2 T h e poem is not long (159 lines) and certainly not tiresome. T h e pygmies have for long had the upper hand; ι. ist ed., 1699, ΡΡ· 68-69. A poem of 1710, Don Francisco Sutorioso, made this allusion, p. 6, On which they bore away the Foe, As Cranes with Pigmies use to doe. Allusions to the war of the cranes and pygmies are not uncommon in seventeenth-century literature; cf. Browne's Pseudodoxia Epidemica, IV, xi, Paradise Lost, I, 575—576, and Oldham's Poems and "Translations, 1683, p. 40. 2. See particularly pp. 70 ff. A son of the governor of the pygmies was slain in battle with the cranes, p. 73, and Homer himself counselled the small people against the cranes, p. 59. Indeed, Barnes had Homer leave his Margites in the land of the pygmies, p. 64. For the influence of Addison's poem on Swift, see W. A. Eddy, Gulliver's Travels: A Critical Study, Princeton, 1923, p. 82. Addison appears to be "the only writer to associate the pygmies with the fairies of folk-lore." Eddy also calls attention (pp. 81-82) to Edward Tyson's Philological Essay Concerning the Pygmies . . . 1699; the Prœlium "seems to have added fuel to Tyson's wrathful fire." Tyson frequently alludes to the war with the cranes; see particularly pp. 4, 7, II, 14, reprint by B. C. A. Windle, Bibliothèque de Carabas, 1894, Vol. I X .

PR^ELIUM I N T E R PYGM^EOS birds and eggs they have destroyed. the spring, and the hosts gather.

209

B u t war comes with

And now the M O N A R C H of the Pygmy Throng, Advancing, stalks with ample strides along; Slowly he moves, Majestically tall; Tow'rs o'er his Subjects, and o'erlooks 'em all. A Giant-Pygmy, whose high Spirits swell, Elated with the Size of half an Ell.1

[p. 40]

This Lilliputian monarch is a very demon in the fight. Oft, as his Sword its Edge in Battel shows, To lop a Pinion, and retard his Foes, What Heaps of Dead, what Mountains of the slain, What Slaughter reddens all the slipp'ry Plain ? While sighing o'er Strymonian Lakes alone, Sad Widows languish, and sad Orphans moan.

[p. 41]

T h e ferocity of the battle rivals that of the fiercest human conflicts. Both Hosts engage — dire deaf'ning Murmurs rise, And Clouds of Feathers floating fill the Skies.

[p. 43]

T h e climax is the capture of the p y g m y king; this demoralizes his forces and they retire. But the cranes pursue and " i n one Battle end the faithless R a c e . " Like unto Assyria and Persia and Rome the p y g m y nation resigns its fame and is to be seen now only in the " U n b o d y ' d F o r m s " of fairies. T h e delicate conclusion enforces the pleasant artistry of the whole poem and prevents any sadness at the destrucWith Schemes of War no more their Bosoms glow, Forget their Labours, and their Feather'd Foe. But sportive now in wanton Dances round, With narrow Tracks they mark the flow'ry Ground: A greener Turf the verdant Ring supplies, And in the Fairy-Name the Pygmy dies.

[p. 50]

ι. Newcomb's translation, 1719. Those of Newcomb, Warburton, and Beattie are reproduced in the Bohn Addison, VI (1856), pp. 558-572.

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tion of the little folk. Addison's tone, though mock-heroic, is not strident or extreme; the gentle but effective satirist of the datier and Spectator was learning his lessons early. A s to translations, the first (hitherto unnoticed) seems to be Pygmaïogeranomachia, printed by J. Roberts in 1715. I Sing a winged Army, and the Train Of Pygmies in the fatal Battel slain. In the next year another anonymous rendering was included in Miscellaneous Translations from Bion, Ovid, Moschus, and Mr. Addison. Pygmean Wars, tremendous Wars I sing, And feather'd Heroes stretch'd upon the Wing. In 1719 Curii brought out Poems on Several Occasions. With a Dissertation upon the Roman Poets. By Mr. Addison, in which Thomas N e w c o m b included his translation of the Battle,1 The Feather'd Warriors, and the Pigmy-State, Record, Oh Muse! their Battels, and their Fate. T h e preface to the miscellany (unsigned, but by George Sewell) contains a sensible distinction. The Battel of the Pygmies and Cranes, The Puppet-Show, and The Bowling-Green, are of the Mock-Heroic kind, the Subjects mean and trivial, seemingly incapable of Poetical Ornaments, but are rais'd to the Heroic, by a splendid Boldness of Expression, a Pomp of Verse, by Metaphors, Allusions, and Similitudes drawn from Things of a higher Class, and such as are suited by ι . T h e same version had a place in Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, D u b l i n , 1 7 2 1 , and in the second edition of Poems on Several Occasions, 1724, with the preface signed b y Sewell. T h i s second edition was bound with other pieces b y Curii in 1725 for Miscellanies, in Verse and Prose, which had a dedication to Lord Walpole b y John H e n l e y containing an allusion to the Battle, "Pigmies are Heroes at her strong C o m m a n d . " In the prefatory letter of two Poems, printed b y Curii in 1718, the translator promises the Battle " w i t h all convenient S p e e d . "

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N a t u r e to c o n v e y Ideas of Greatness and Magnificence to the M i n d . VIRGIL, in his Georgicks, is the great M a s t e r in this w a y , with this Difference o n l y , t h a t his is a serious G e a n d e u r [JÍV], this a M i m i c one, his produces A d m i r a t i o n , this L a u g h t e r , [xii]

The next translation was written by Warburton in Miscellaneous Translations, in Prose and Verse, from Roman Poets, Orators, and Historians, 1724, " I n Imitation of Milton's Style." 1 I sing the Crane and Pygmy up in Arms, And brandish'd Tucks oppose to pointed Beaks.

James Beattie offered an " i m i t a t i o n " in his Poems on Several Subjects, 1766, which was the result of an avowed endeavor to preserve the spirit and humor of the original without too many scruples for exactness. The Pygmy people, and the feather'd train, In combat mingling on th' ensanguin'd plain.

Sir William Forbes, biographer of Beattie, praised the work, "which certainly is equal to, if it does not surpass the original. Of this piece he was himself more than usually fond. ' I t is written,' says he, in a letter to a friend, 'in Ovid's manner. I have affected a greater solemnity of style and versification, and have bestowed a few heightening touches on all the images.'" 2 Addison himself referred to the matter of his poem in another gentle mock-heroic, The Puppet-Show. Of the puppet-hero: Huge, manly, tall, he frights the Pygmy-Court, Who fly and wonder at his Giant-Port.1

[p. 69]

ι. Raymond D. Havens can see little merit in Warburton's " h e a v y humor"; he points out borrowings from Paradise Lost in his Influence of Milton, 1922, p. 318. The piece was reprinted in 1789 by Dr. Samuel Parr in Tracts by Warburton. 1. Account of the Life and Writings of fames Beattie, 1806, p. 57. 3. Sewell's translation, 1719. It would be interesting to learn the order of

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE P O E T R Y The pleas'd Spectator, as these Scenes he views, The Pygmy-Nation in his Mind renews: He fancies now the Cranes Invasions cease; Their warlike Souls are soften'd by a Peace, And now secure in guiltless Sports they play, Laugh down the Sun, and dance away the Day.

[p. 72]

T i c k e l l , " t h e little senator," when he came to write Kensington Garden, 1722, with its fairy lore, m u s t h a v e recalled the conclusion of the poem on the pygmies, for he cried, O for thy Muse, great Bard, whose lofty strains

In battle join'd the Pygmies and the Cranesl1

[p. 19]

E d w a r d Cobden respectfully wrote a poem on Addison the year after the great m a n ' s death and did not forget the early skit. Or are Imaginary Kingdoms sought, And mighty Wars by little Champions fought; When Men in Miniature, Pigmean Crowds, Engag'd a Foe descending from the Clouds. 2

N o better contemporary criticism of Addison's mockheroic can be found than that in the seldom noticed essay by R . Y o u n g . Then briefly thus; The Battle between the Pigmies and the Cranes, The Puppet-Show, and the Bowling Green, appear to be Themes of so low and grovling a Nature; that we may reasonably presume it an Impossibility, that they should not be incapable, and void of all the Ornaments of Poetry. But in every small Copy of Verses (as he says of Virgil's Georgicks) he treats composition o f the two poems so that w e might know w h e t h e r these references in The Puppet-Show are backward or forward; I suspect the former. T h e r e is in the Puppet-Show also a passage in the " F a i r y Train." ι . In passing w e m a y observe that in this poem Albion cuts off Azuriel's arm, whereupon the poet remarks, B u t E m p y r e a l forms, howe'er in fight Gash'd and dismember'd, easily unite. W a s T i c k e l l here recalling Milton's S a t a n or P o p e ' s sylph? 2. A Poem on the Death oj the Right Honourable Joseph Addison,

[p. 23] 1720, p. 5.

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of the most light and trivial Things, with an Inimitable Elegancy of Style; But above all we are most delighted with his first Copy of Verses concerning the Fight of the Pigmies and the Cranes, where, in a Poem on so inconsiderable a Subject, our Author purposely affects a peculiarly solemn and pompous Style. In this Piece he compares the Arms of the Cranes and Pigmies to the Arms of Jupiter and Age on ; and Recounts the Skirmishes of these mere Nothings (as I may call them) among themselves, in the same lofty Numbers as he does the mighty Battles fought by Nassau, or, by the most invincible Duke of Marlborough. Throughout all the Three Poems, what mostly raises our Admiration, is, that, seemingly depressed with the meanness of his Subject, he never sinks into a Plebeian Stile. For the little Empire of Punch and his Puppet-Heroes and Heroines round about him, exercised within the narrow limits of a Booth, is described with an inexpressible Beauty and Magnificence. And who has ever been upon a Green, that would not, when he read the Poem, on this Subject, imagine he had the most eager Bowler, before his Eyes, following up his Cast ? But in a Work of this Nature, no other parts of Poetry could be displayed, except an Elegance of Stile and Description. In both these Ways (if we except Virgil) Mr. Addison has this peculiar to himself, that he captivates the Soul with his wonderful sweetness, and his Descriptions are as lively, as if we had the Object before our Eyes. 1

The voice of Johnson has a different echo. Three of his Latin poems are upon subjects on which perhaps he would not have ventured to have written in his own language: The Battle of the Pigmies and Cranes, The Barometer, and A Bowling-green. When the matter is low or scanty a dead language, in which nothing is mean because nothing is familiar, affords great conveniences; and by the sonorous magnificence of Roman syllables the writer conceals penury of thought and want of novelty, often from the reader, and often from himself. 5 ι. An Essay upon Mr. Addison's Writings, 1721, pp. 17, 19, 21. The piece, in Latin and English, is the last of several items brought together by Curii, Miscellanies, in Verse and Prose, 1725. 2. Lives of the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905, II, 82-83.

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Macaulay admitted the Battle to be his favorite among Addison's Latin poems, " f o r in that piece we discern a gleam of the fancy and humour which many years later enlivened thousands of breakfast tables." Macaulay suspected Swift of borrowing the happy touch about the superiority of the Lilliputian Emperor over any of his court by virtue of being "taller by about the breadth of my nail." 1 Finally, the words of Addison's biographers require attention. Lucy Aikin claimed to see the sweetness and majesty of Virgil and great originality and imagination. " H e must indeed be master of a dead language who ventures to sport in it, and it is therefore a conclusive proof of the force of his scholarship, as well as a very remarkable circumstance in itself, that the vein of humour which, though unquestionably native to the mind of Addison, is nowhere perceptible in his vernacular poetry, discloses itself very happily in several of his Latin pieces." 2 Courthope found the Battle "interesting as showing traces of that rich vein of humour" in the famous periodicals to come. " T h e mock-heroic style in prose and verse was sedulously cultivated in England throughout the eighteenth century. Swift, Pope, Arbuthnot, and Fielding, developed it in various forms; but Addison's Latin poem is perhaps the first composition in which the fine fancy and invention, afterwards shown in the Rape of the Lock and Gulliver s "Travels, conspicuously displayed itself." 3 T h e other two Latin poems with mock-heroic elements, Sphceristerium and Machina Gesticulantes,4 appeared with I. Review of Aikin's biography of Addison, Edinburgh Review, July, 1843, p. 200. 1. Life of Joseph Addison, 1843,1, 63. 3. Addison, "English Men of Letters," London, 1911 (ist ed., 1884), p. 39. 4. Translations of both appeared in the 1716 Miscellaneous Translations, in the 1719 Poems on Several Occasions by Nicholas Amhurst and Sewell, and in Miscellanea, by "J. G . , " 1818. The Puppet-Show was also translated in Miscellaneous Poems, by Several Hands. Published by D. Lewis, 1726 (reprinted in

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the Prœlium but rightly did not win such a reputation. T h e former describes the green and the progress of a game at bowls, the latter the presentation of a puppet-show. Commonplace subjects and everyday scenes treated in stately Latin here give off a mildly humorous glow but not a brilliant sparkle of mockery; the attribute of grace cannot be denied to Addison's treatment of admiranda levium spectacula rerum. E.

MUSCIPULA

The only one of the five important non-English burlesques to be written in the years 1700-1750 was Edward Holdsworth's Latin mock-heroic Muscipula, 1709. Perhaps it was inspired by Sacheverell as a satire against Wales, but in the dedication to Robert Lloyd (also in Latin) Holdsworth explained that he meant no aspersion on that nation, that the poem was of too light a nature to cast the least cloud over the glories of the true-born Briton, and also that the Welsh tongue would have been the proper one for a serious commemoration of the heroic deeds of Welshmen. Holdsworth used for a motto the lines from the Batrachomyomachia about the death of the brother of Psycarpax in a trap, and in the dedication declared that Homer had wrongly given the Greeks the credit for the invention of the mouse-trap. T h e story starts with the rat-infested condition of Cambro-Britain, the efforts of Grimalkin being of no benefit. Each Cambro-Briton repairs to the mountains, and the usual council is called. T h o m a s Fitzgerald's Poems on Several Occasions, 1733) and in Dodsley's Museum, N o . I l l , April 26, 1746. John Ferriar translated The Puppet-Shaw in 1788; see Illustrations of Sterne: with other Essays and Verses, 1812 ( i s t ed., 1798), I I , I49159. W . A . E d d y , Gulliver s Travels: A Critical Study, 1923, p. 108, says: " W h a t ever particular philosophy m a y have suggested the ridicule of mankind found in the Voyage to Lilliput, it was the Machinae Gesticulantes of Addison that first combined the p y g m y legend with a Lilliputian parody of the human r a c e . "

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY W h e n strait a Senator with C o n i c k B e a r d , In L e n g t h prodigious, Philosophick, and W i t h H a n d s b y foul Disease s c a b ' d o're, all rough, T o Sight u n g r a t e f u l ; stammering in his Speech, ' M i d s t of the Grand Audience thus began. " ' T i s n ' t 'cause Open W a r , or Foreign P o w ' r Infests us, t h a t w e ' r e here in C o u n c i l m e t ; B u t w h a t ' s more dangerous, a D o m e s t i c k F o e . " 1

[p. 7]

B u t one Y c l y p e d T a f f y soon u p rose, G r e a t Cambria's Chiefest Pride, w h o seem'd alone F o r D i g n i t y compos'd, and high E x p l o i t ; B o t h Vulcan, and a Senator, whose T o n g u e D r o p p i n g d o w n Manna, c h a r m i n g to the E a r , W i t h soft, perswasive accent thus began.

[p. 8]

T a f f y promises to devise means of remedy, and upon being pressed for his solution relates how he once caught a mouse between his teeth on its return journey in search of cheese. So with this hint T a f f y erects the "Artificial Fabrick, Godlike Work." He baits it, and in the night the chieftain of the mice is caught. A n d with c o n t r a c t e d B r o w a t t a c k s the W i r e , Implacable, and impotent to bear H i s m i g h t y Grief.

[p. 13]

The Cambrians rejoice, and T a f f y addresses his captive in high, insulting words, comparing the promised woes to those of Sisyphus, Ixion, Prometheus, Tityus. Grimalkin finally kills the mouse, and T a f f y ' s fame is pronounced eternal. Such is the outline of an excellent burlesque, sustained and clever. T h e incident recalled by the hero is not palatable, but no grossness or meanness mars the general playful tone. T h e satire on the Welsh is by no means offensive, and, best of all, the poem is not too long. Milton's epic probably called out the passages on the council and its ι. Bellamy's translation, 1709, which, incidentally, contains a line, "And knew no Danger; for she knew no Gin," p. 3, lifted from the well-known parody of The Hind and the Panther by Prior and Montagu.

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deliberation and on the plight of the oppressed; translations into Milton's metre (especially Bellamy's) naturally recall Paradise Lost. T h e eighteenth century liked this poem immensely if we m a y j u d g e from editions and translations. T h e British M u s e u m and the Bodleian contain at least five editions of the year of publication. Curii included it in his Musœ Britannica, 1 7 1 1 , and Collection of Original Poems, 'Translations, and Imitations, 1714, as did E d w a r d P o p h a m in the second volume of Selecta Poemata Anglorum, B a t h , 1774. A " n e w e d i t i o n " appeared with Holdsworth's Dissertation upon Eight Verses in the Second Book of Virgil's Georgics, 1749, and his Remarks and Dissertations on Virgil, 1768. T h e L a t i n text was often printed along with the English translations. B u t it is these translations that chiefly concern us, with the result that a full list is here offered, 1 and in each case the first lines are given for the sake of identification and also of showing w h a t different translators can m a k e of the same passage. Holdsworth begins thus: Monticolam Britonem, qui primus Vincula Muri Finxit, & ingenioso occlusit Carcere Furem, Lethalesque Dolos, & inextricabile F a t u m , M u s a refer.

I t is indicative that in the year 1709 itself there appeared no less than four translations of the Muscipula: The Welsh Mouse-Trap. Translated from the Latin. By F. T. Muse Sing the Brittain, who in Mountains liv'd, A n d first a Mouse-Trap wittily contriv'd.

Taffi's Master-Piece: or, the Cambro-British A Mock Poem. Being the Muscipula Oxoniensis into Burlesque Verse. By a Cantab.

Invention. Translated

I. The information on the Muscipula in the DNB (W. P. Courtney) is not sufficient.

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE P O E T R Y Muse, sing the Mountaineer, the Briton, W h o first the sly Invention hit on, T h a t useful Engine, fam'd Device, A Prison for the tiny M i c e ; In Hudibrasian Rhime relate Destructive Gins, ensnaring F a t e , T h e lucky Products of his Pate.

The Mouse-Trap: or, the Welsh Engagement with the Mice [John Quincy] (with Latin). Muse sing the British Mountaineer, who told How first the hostile Mouse in Bonds to hold, W h o first the fatal Artifice design'd, A n d in a Trap the little Thief confin'd.

Taffy's Triumph: or Λ New Translation of the Cambromuo-maxia: in Imitation of Milton. By a Gentleman of Oxford [Daniel Bellamy the elder]. Sing, H e a v ' n l y Muse, T h e Cambro-Britain, whose prolifick Brain First form'd an Engine, to the Jovial Mice Ill-boding, menacing Destruction dire.

T h e work of the Cantab, who sings " i n little Numbers, little Things," has obviously too much of the "diminishi n g " kind of burlesque to make good mock-heroic or preserve the character of the original. Quincy, stung by Cobb's tendency to bring in things not in the Latin and inability to express the original " i n as few Words as is consistent with Perspicuity," revised his work and brought out a second edition under his name in 1714. Bellamy's highly Miltonic and not unamusing rendering has the distinction of possessing four different titles: Taffy's Triumph, 1709; The Cambro-Britannic Engineer: or the Original Mouse-Trapp-Maker. A Mock-Heroic-Poem, In Commemoration of St. David's Day, 1722; The Mouse-Trap; or, the

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Cambrian Patriot, in his Dramatic Pieces, And other Miscellaneous Works in Prose and Verse, 1 7 3 9 ; The projector, an heroi-comical poem, in the volume revised by his son, Ethic Amusements, 1768. Samuel Cobb's Mouse-Trap appeared in 1 7 1 2 , with a second edition in 1 7 2 0 and a " n e w " one in 1 7 7 2 ; it was included in the various editions of John T o r b u c k ' s Collection of Welsh Travels, and Memoirs of Wales (first appearance, 1 7 3 8 ) , and evidently had more popularity than it deserved. Its opening passage illustrates Cobb's attitude toward literalness. Sing M U S E , the BRITON, w h o , 011 M o u n t a i n s bred,

And, like Saturnian JOVE, with Goats-milk fed, In the close Prison of a wiry House, By Magic Cunning, first incag'd a Mouse, Notorious Felon, the dire Charms relate Which hurry'd on inextricable Fate.

Other translations were soon to follow: The Mouse-Trap, a Poem, Done from the Original in Milton's Stile, 1 7 1 5 .

Latin

The British Mountaineer, who first uprear'd A Mouse-Trap, and engoal'd the little Thief, The deadly Wiles, and Fate inextricable, Rehearse, my Muse. Muscipula: or, the Mouse-Trap. Burlesque, 1 7 2 5 (with Latin). 1

Attempted

in

English

Come sing, my Muse, that ancient Briton, That Mountaineer, who first did hit on The Knack of making Mouse-traps, shutting The Thief in Goal, to Death did put him. I. Advertised in the Post-Man, February 27-March 2, 1725, "one Page in Latin, the other in English, that the Reader may compare the English with the Original."

22θ

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The Mouse-Trap, or the Battle of the Cambrians and Mice, by R. Lewis, Annapolis, 1728 (with Latin). 1 T h e M O U N T A I N - D W E L L I N G B R I T O N who design'd A M O U S E - T R A P first, and safe in J a i l confine'd His thievish F o e ; — th' inextricable fate T h ' ingenious deathful wiles, O Muse relate!

This was an "Attempt to cultivate polite Literature, in MARYLAND." Three translations by better known men followed. When Holdsworth in 1749 issued the corrected edition, it was accompanied by a translation from the pen of John Hoadly, which Dodsley included in his Collection, 1758, V, 258-268, with the date 1737 and with the note that Holdsworth considered this translation exceedingly well done. T h e Mountain Briton, first of men who fram'd Bonds for the Mouse, first who the Thief restrain'd In T r a p insidious, (Engin'ry of F a t e , Inextricable Fate,) sing, heav'nly Muse.

Edward Cobden in his Poems on Several Occasions, 1748, and Discourses and Essays, 1757, gave a translation " o f the Year 1 7 1 8 " with the Latin at the bottom of the page. I sing the Welshman, whose ingenious H a n d In Bondage first the wanton Mouse detain'd; A n d the small Thief, in artful Cage enclos'd, Unpitied to relentless F a t e expos'd.

And Richard Graves in the Reveries of Solitude, 1793, essayed a task he regarded as difficult, for he says in the preface that the original "depends so much on the ingenious application of expressions from the Classicks, that I. Lewis's poem, "the first literary production been edited for the Maryland Historical Society by land Poetry, Fund Publication No. 36, Baltimore, Lewis see the note by George Sherburn in American ton, New York, 1918, pp. 600-602.

of Maryland's press," has B. C. Steiner, Early Mary1900. For information on Poetry, ed. by P. H. Boyn-

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no translation can do it j u s t i c e " and that Hoadly's gives the sense " but not the least idea of the spirit and force of the original." T h a t British Mountaineer, whose shrewd advice First forg'd coercive bonds for pilfering mice; T h ' insidious T r a p ' s inextricable fate, And all its various wiles, oh Muse, relate!

Of these eleven renderings of the story of T a f f y and his trap six were in the heroic couplet, three in blank verse, two in octosyllabic couplets. One poet would strive for faithfulness, another for smoothness, another for accentuation of the mock-heroic (the blank verse translations seem to have achieved this best); and two at least sought the lighter style of the Hudibrastic. This poem, which, as Warton said in an oft-quoted phrase, was "written with the purity of Virgil, whom the author so perfectly understood, and with the pleasantry of Lucian," 1 had a dissemination which was large in the Latin version and in the English translation. Surely the classical scholar of Oxford must be content that T h e Mouse-trap in sonorous lays Transmits thro' ages Taffy's praise. 2

However, the influence of the Muscipula did not end with reprintings or translators: two poems were written in imitation. The Louse-Trap, 1723 [No. 72] merely used it as an avowed model for a mock-heroic dealing with another invention, but a rebuttal appeared in 1709 called ΧΟΙΡΟΧΩΡΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ: sive, Hoglandice Descriptio, the work of T . Richards of Jesus College. 3 A translation was not 1. Essay on the Writings and Genius of Pope, 1756, p. 247. 2. Nicholas A m h u r s t , " T h e B o t t l e - S c r u e , " Poems on Several Occasions, 1720, p. 105. 3. Richard G o u g h , British topography, 1780, I, 401, records the Hoglandia as appearing in 1 7 1 9 and the translation in 1728; the same information is given b y H . M . Gilbert and G . N . G o d w i n , Bibliotheca Hantoniensis, Southampton,

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long in coming: The (Latin) Description of Hogland, 1711. Both Latin and English pamphlets show an eloquent boar on the title-page, and the preface makes it plain that this production is an answer to the honor paid T a f f y . T h e poem begins in no uncertain tones: The M A N ' S Auspicious Conduct, that Subdud A Savage B O A R , without th' Expence of Blood·. HOGS of Prodigious Size, and Corpulent·. And Gammons of Bulk, Figure, and E X T E N T ; [B. L.] And the First Rise of P U D D I N G S , B L A C K and Long, Shall be the 'Theme of my Advent'rous Song. . . . H — D S W O R T H ! Attend! Whether Thou be Employ d In gnawing Pork at some Old Hag's Abode, Or Writing what Thou'rt Bid by Haughty Sack Thou Vile A M E N U E N S E S of the Wretch ! [B. L.] I say, Prick up thy Puritannick Ears, And List' to what I write of thy great Ancestors. [pp. 1-2]

William I employed the Hantonians to make a new forest, but Jove punished this sacrilege by causing the death oí his son and transforming the people into hogs. He metamorphosed them to stinking HOGS: And Hence it is, that Hog-driving was made Their Grand Employ, and Universal Trade.

[p. 5]

A further token of wrath he sent in the form of a great boar. A t the great council Bogo (Bevis), skilled in swinish lore, promises a way out and at length manufactures the buckle-ring. T h e dreaded beast is drugged, the ring is inserted, and the joyous Hoglanders celebrate by invent1891, p. 56. A claim for E d w a r d L l w y d in laying the plan and having a large hand in the composition m a y be found in the Memoirs of the Life of Edward Llwyd, affixed to Nicholas Owen's British Remains, 1777, p. 173. C f . Hearne's Remarks and Collections, O x f o r d , II (1886), 229, 242: A u g u s t 1, 1709, " N u p e r prodijt carmen lepidum & ingeniosum, a j u v e n e q u o d a m è collegio Jesu, ut fertur, concinnatum, cui titulus Hoglandiœ Descriptio"; A u g u s t 28, " G . Pole to H . . . . I have read your P o e m call'd Hoglandiae Descriptio, b u t can find nothing in it except that the A u t h o r would perswade us that Hampshire B a c o n is as good as Welsh C h e e s e . "

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ing black-pudding. The original story thus utilized is clad in much harsher phrases; Holdsworth knew that the attack was planned, but he seemingly did not anticipate such an undignified foray on himself and his native county of Hampshire.1 Indeed, excuse for the bitter tone cannot be allowed even with the plea of saeva indignado. F.

MISCELLANEOUS

The Latin poem on chess by Marcus Hieronymus Vida, Scacchìce Ludus, ΐξ2ζ and (authorized) 1527, is by nature and reputation hardly so interesting or important as the five poems already treated. At his marriage Oceanus shows the game to the assembled gods and explains the pieces and their moves. "Of war in little on this field of night" — all is in terms of court and field, with the Monarch, Queen, Elephants, Archers, Horse, and Infantry imbued with life in no far-fetched manner. The progress of a match between Mercury and Apollo is given, along with the feelings and tricks of the combatants and the spectators. Mercury wins, teaches the game to mortals, and bestows the "boxen Warriors" on Scacchis, "The brightest of the Serian Sisters," " A Present to her wrongs and beauty due." The battle is keen and close, and can amuse a devotee. The compromise between mock-heroic and didactic is neatly made. A translation by " G . B.," Ludus Scacchice: Ches se-playy was printed in 1597.2 The growth of game-playing in the 1 . He wrote to Lloyd on Whitsunday, 1709: " I am told that a young fellow of Jesus, whose fingers for a long time have itched to be at me, has undertaken to answer my poem in heroic verse. I cannot learn how he attacks me, but I suppose he has endeavoured to prove from musty old authors, and ancient records, that my history of Mouse-traps is not authentic. I would not willingly enter into so learned a controversy, but if I should be obliged to fight it out with brimstone and matches, I hope, Dear Robin, you will still patronize m e . " John Aubrey, Letters from Eminent Persons, 1 8 1 3 , I, 189-190. 2. Middleton's satirical play, A Game at Chesse, 1624, is not apropos here.

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first decades of the eighteenth century must h a v e given an impetus to translating such a poem (by an author of an Art of Poetry), for in 1736 translations by George Jeffreys 1 and b y W . Erskine 2 were issued, in 1750 b y the R e v . Samuel Pullein at Dublin, in 1769 at E t o n and in 1778 at Oxford by anonymous poets. Goldsmith's is generally the favorite; it was first presented b y his biographer Forster, who comments as follows on V i d a ' s skill. With all this, Vida has combined in a yet greater degree the subtle play of satire implied in the elevation of his theme to the epic rank. The machinery employed, the similes used, are those in which the epic poets claim a peculiar property. Yet, at the same time, so closely are the most intricate and masterly moves of chess expressed in the various fortunes of the combatants, in the penalties that await their rashness or the success that attends their stratagem, that Pope Leo thought the ignorant might derive a knowledge of the game from Vida's hexameters alone.3 Caissa: or, the Game of Chess, written in 1763, a juvenile work b y Sir William Jones the Orientalist, was indebted to both V i d a and Marini. I t remains to mention several minor L a t i n burlesques and translations of non-English works. 4 In Joshua T h e Chessiad, b y Charles Dibdin the younger, 1825, also imparts the principles of play through a mock-heroic battle. C f . " U p o n C h e s s e - p l a y " in M e n n e s and Smith's Musarum Delicia, 1655, pp. 4 1 - 4 5 . ι . A p p e a r e d with Father Francis and Sister Constance, which according to the preface had been improved by the aid of P o p e . W . P . C o u r t n e y in the article on Jeffreys in the DNB misreads the plain statement and assigns P o p e ' s help to the translation of V i d a ' s p o e m , " u p o n a Subject to w h i c h , " in the words of the preface, " h e is a S t r a n g e r . " 2. T h e hope was expressed in the preface that Pope would sometime translate it. T w i s s , Chess, I (1787), 120, thought Erskine's translation the first in English. 3. Life and Times of Oliver Goldsmith, L o n d o n , 1854, I I , 266-267. 4. "ΙΑΤΡΟ-ΧΕΙΡΟΪΡΓΟΜΑΧΙΑ, CARMEN. Auctoribus Rhetorices alumnis in R e g i a N a v a r r a " is to be found in the London Magazine, F e b r u a r y , 1744. John Gilbert Cooper's translation of Ver-Vert, t h e amusing mock-heroic poem on the n a u g h t y parrot of the nunnery b y Gresset, was printed in 1759.

MISCELLANEOUS

225

Barnes's edition of Anacreon, 1705, there is a list of his own writings " t a m Editorum, quàm Ineditorum," which includes: Άλεκτρυομαχία, sive Gallor. Pugna. 1673. Σπΐΐ,δηρίάδος, Ludicrum Poema, Carmine Grseco Macaronico, de Duello inter Araneum & Rubetam. 1673. Φληιάδοί, sive Supplementum ad Poema Vetus Ludicrum istius Nominis, ex Domo Trinitonensi, Cantabr. D e Pugnâ inter Pulices & Cambrum. 'Technethyrambeia, by William Dunkin, was a Latin mock-heroic; English versions appeared in 1728 and 1730, the Latin text in the Tribune of 1729, and in 1730, and versions in Latin and English (as The Art of Gate-Passing) in editions of Dunkin's works, 1769-70, 1774. T h e subject is Paddy Murphy, under-porter of Trinity College, August Descendant of Hibernian Kings! Second in Porter's Pension, as in Place, Proud of his Post, but prouder of his Race.

[p. 4]

Paddy's appearance and behavior are pompously described, and a trick played upon him by a freshman. Some suggestions are offered for running Paddy's gauntlet. Such a mock-heroic is pretty dull stuff; The Art of GatePassing has died without mourners. Typhon: or the Wars Between the Gods and Giants: A Burlesque Poem In Imitation of the Comical Möns. S carrón, 1704, by " Β. M . " (perhaps Bernard Mandeville), was a free use of the famous Frenchman's Typhon, Chant I, with the natural omission of the dedication to Mazarin; it is veritably a "Ragow of Gods, Giants, Pins, Speeches, Stars, Mealtubs, and other Nick-nacks all jumbled together a la Fancoise." Ned Ward, " w h o writes six Books a-year," read Cervantes in translation and admitted that he "could not forbear thinking it an excellent Subject for a Hudibrastick Poem, well worthy of a Butler's Genius." This inspiration

226

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

he acted upon, with the product issued in parts, 1 7 1 1 - 1 2 , The Life and Adventures of that Renowned Knight, Don Quixote De La Mancha. Merrily Translated into Hudibrastick Verse. Such a burlesque of the backstairs hardly improved upon or faithfully presented the work of the master ironist.

CHAPTER

Vili

The Relation of Burlesque Poetry to the Age That so canst turnen ernest in-to game. CHAUCER.

I

N THE first half of the eighteenth century the English satiric spirit expressed itself abundantly and diversely. The analytical, argumentative, critical, polemical, and didactic quality of a considerable body of Augustan poetry was congenial to the great satiric ferment. A classical impetus from Horace and Juvenal had been instrumental in the cultivation of beauty and strength in satire. Never since then has the jester Wit stood nearer the throne of Poetry. Invective was by no means dead in Pope's day, but irony and urbanity were steadily superseding the pamphleteering heat of the Commonwealth and the reactionary boldness of the Restoration. An increasing sophistication, aided by good sense and good taste, contributed to improve the general tone and enhance the effectiveness of the satiric product. 1 The addition of the indirect attack was a gain to the technique of satire, for sophistication abhors the direct and abrupt. Burlesque was a satiric weapon that did its work by the indirect method of joining a style and a subject essentially out of harmony with each other; " the concord of this discord" was effective because this method was one remove I. Sophistication may be extended to include the realistic, sometimes cynical, attitude that was common in the age. Realism has always loved to pull the ideal from the pedestal.

228

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

from the straight and direct attack. Creation plus criticism was the motto of burlesque, as of all satire. Of the majority of burlesque poets it can be affirmed that "their poetry is conceived and composed in their wits"; it is not ecstatic, sublime, subjective, or romantic poetry. The critical theory and the practice of the neo-classical era were seriously concerned with the subject of imitation. Aside from the Aristotelian imitation and the theory of writing "in the spirit o f " the masters, there was a large quantity of imitation in a more strictly derivative sense: a mimicry of the material or manner of an author or type, with exactness or with some freedom, was frequently exercised. It is here that burlesque enters, when the motive for this imitation of a derivative character combines with comic intention. Since considerable eighteenth-century imitation had in mind the classics, there was a tendency to burlesque the classical and the types and technique favored by antiquity. Moreover, the classical emphasis on form was powerful in the building of burlesque. The use of a dissimilarity between form and content necessitated attention to the nature of form; thus the Augustan interest in form lent something to the rise of burlesque. Also, when any age has rather conventional forms, it is not unnatural that burlesque should flourish, if other conditions are propitious. And the neo-classical quality of restraint, the determination not to attempt too high a flight, is consonant with the adoption of a genre that always keeps at least one foot on the earth. Burlesque is ever an antidote to exaltation. Burlesque poetry well illustrates the recurrent adjustment that literature makes — convention and revolt. The eighteenth century affords many evidences of this balance, this battle, of which burlesque has its own variety. The conservative attitude compelled an adherence to trusted subjects and recognized moulds and acknowledged forms, but the natural swing of the artistic pendulum

BURLESQUE POETRY AND THE AGE

229

caused a simultaneous reaction against the accepted. If a poet's mind took an attitude of revolt, he might readily accept the conventions of the mode which he sought to combat. A new spirit can easily consent to an old form. T h i s combination of acceptance and rejection lies at the foundation of burlesque incongruity. " A s often happens at this epoch, the aspiration after a big subject, not being sustained b y a strong creative mood, stops half-way at the compromise of a mock-heroic intention; the classical period is the golden age of parody. T h e rational attitude of the writer tends to make him critical, and of a modern turn of mind, while on the other hand, his doctrinal principles force upon him the imitation of ancient models, the gravity of an aesthetic cult; this forced respect, this obsession of the past, imply a constraint, and the spirit of the time finds a subterfuge in imitating antiquity in the vein of mockery. T h e abundance of the mock-heroic type of literature betrays an instinctive effort in the world of letters to reconcile a little independence with a dogmatic orthodoxy, and to introduce an element of novelty into an imitative a r t . " 1 Burlesque is a characteristic product of a time which glorified the social arts; a poem of mockery could be enj o y e d and approved in coffee-house and assembly. W h e n people communicate frequently and rationally with one another, the smile is seldom out of place, more particularly that civilized smile which follows a recognition of deliberate poetic inconsistency. Perhaps the efforts of certain social reformers, such as the essayists of the Ta tier and I. (Legouis and) C a z a m i a n , History of English Literature, 1927, I I , 85. C f . C o u r t h o p e : " B e y o n d this tendency to use verse as an instrument for dialectic, another s y m p t o m of the advance of the philosophic spirit in English society, and of the more subtle refinement in taste, is afforded by the rapidly increasing popularity of mock-heroic, as a distinct species of poetical composition." History of English Poetry, V (1905), J i . A l l burlesques do not revolt from the genre victimized. M o r e o v e r , m a n y burlesque poems proved as conventional as their b u t t s ; witness the traditions established by The Splendid Shilling, The Rape of the Lock, and Namby-Pamby.

230

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Spectator, have some analogy in the development of burlesque. Through them the extreme and the foolish were with irony smiled into submission, and the tone of life and letters was subtly elevated; the burlesque sought to apply the indirect method to abuses within and without the realm of books, though to be sure many burlesques failed of gentleness and delicacy. The ruling world of the Augustan period was that of fashion and wit. Such an atmosphere was best created under conditions of prosperity and comparative security. England then had her moments of excitement both martial and ecclesiastical, there was strong party warfare, but the Pretenders could cause no permanent anxiety and the Revolution had put an end to real disturbance. There was no Armada, no beheading or exiling of a king, no cataclysm across the Channel, and no industrial revolution to disturb the "peace of the Augustans." There was enough heat to engender controversy (in which burlesque had its share) but not enough to smother the sophistication that makes the age unique. The polished burlesque could not easily have emerged in a time lacking in self-assurance. Synchronous with the cultivation of a complacent literature were the growth of the mercantile classes and the increase of luxury. Love of finery and adornment, stimulated by the accessories of fashion brought to England by a developing commerce, found expression in poetry. While admiration for the trappings of the beau monde appeared abundantly, there was the counterbalance of a stricter bourgeois conscience that could not reconcile the frivolous with the economical or the eternal. Such a struggle between approval and disapproval bred satiric representation. 1 The large amount of burlesque poetry in these fifty I. F o r the relation of luxury and the mercantile attitude to the heroicomical poem and kindred types, I am indebted to the interesting work o f Friedrich Brie, Englische Rokoko-Epic, 1927.

BURLESQUE POETRY AND THE AGE

231

years is apparent; the quantity became larger down to the fifth decade. M a n y of these poems are inconsequential, some are not savory; the worth of the pieces naturally varies with the skill of the individual poet. The types are not always pure and occasionally shade into other categories of poetry, a habit common to any kind of writing. Apart from the excellence of certain poems, the most enduring accomplishment of burlesque poetry was a critical insight expressed through comic imitation. Of the diminishing burlesque, the older vulgar travesty ran its main course; the Hudibrastic poem extended its domain and had a lively existence, mirroring the topical controversies of the time. The magnifying burlesque won its way through superior technique and more acceptable qualities. T h e parody produced several exercises of consummate merit and initiated its development into an important branch of literature. The mock poem, which was chiefly the mock-heroic, led by the matchless Rape of the Lock, attained an enviable position. One may engage in the interesting speculation as to the responsibility of burlesque, particularly mock-heroic, in the collapse of the formal epic. Considerable heroic poetry, counted by pages, appeared in the eighteenth century, but in the next century narrative poetry escaped from the epic and never returned. Many reasons may be assigned for this decline of the epic, but there is no gainsaying the fact that the heroic suffered from the assault of the mock-heroic. The mimicry of Harlequin Homer could make clear the flaws in the pseudo-Homer, and England was rearing no real Homer. Was it partly as a result of the burlesque movement that the poets of the nineteenth century spent little of their narrative power on the strictly heroic poem ? Burlesque prose was not so prominent as burlesque drama or poetry. Satirical prose, allegorical or direct, savage or mild, ornamented or simple, abounded in the first half of the eighteenth century and greatly affected the

232

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

satiric spirit; but the lack of an outstanding body of burlesque prose may be attributed partly to the inability to distinguish forms so readily as in the case of poetry, to the high quality of much of the prose, and to its rapid, recent development. T h e relation of burlesque drama to burlesque poetry is extremely difficult to trace in detail, for farce and ballad-opera and burlesque were interwoven in the dramatic pattern. However, it is safe to say that such productions as are represented by those of Gay, Carey, and Fielding were animated by a spirit somewhat similar to t h a t which inspired many contemporaneous poems. The literary forces of the day, abetted by the favorable circumstances in life and manners, prompted comic imitation. Burlesque poetry prospered in all degrees of merit and in various modes of approach. I t is hazardous to attempt a separation between burlesque and the period in which it flourished. T h e gods of Poetry had set the scene for Momus to act out his comic interlude.

PART II

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

THE purpose of the Register is the presentation of the necessary and interesting d a t a pertaining to the burlesque p o e t r y t h a t was printed from 1700 to 1750. T h e facts of each poem are marshalled in a particular manner, the better to hold the " e e l o f science b y the T a i l . " T h e order o f procedure is chronological, and alphabetical within each y e a r (articles disregarded). T o facilitate reference each item bears a serial number. T h e first edition of the poem has generally been used. In a v e r y few instances later versions h a v e necessarily been the basis: in these cases the poem is entered under the d a t e of first publication. D o u b t as to first appearance is reflected b y question marks. In the field of the periodical only the more important p o e t r y printing magazines h a v e been included in the s u r v e y . I t should be borne in mind that this Register is not technically a bibliography. Line divisions, ornaments, size, signatures, colophons, and so forth, are indispensable for items a b o u t which there m a y be some dispute as to editions, b u t the facts given in the Register are usually sufficient for identification. T h e present Register merely aims to be a thorough instrument b y which the burlesque a c t i v i t y in the poetry of the half-century m a y be measured. T h e d a t a given are arranged as follows: Date and serial number. Title-page, usually omitting mottoes and lists of contents. Printers, booksellers, shops, and prices are retained. If the poem appeared in a miscellany or magazine, the title is first given and then the title-page of the miscellany or the name of the magazine. If the eighteenth-century piece as given can be found in the Harvard College Library, no note is made; but if it cannot be found there, the symbol [B.M.] signifies that there is a copy in the British Museum; failing that, the symbol [Bodl.] refers to the Bodleian as containing the item.

236

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Authorship, if possible of determination. Length in pages or lines. A symbol to indicate the verse form: h.c. represents heroic couplets; o.e., octosyllabic couplets; I.e., couplets of lines exceeding in syllables, and thus longer than, the decasyllabic; s.c., couplets of lines shorter than the octosyllabic; b.v., blank verse; Spen. st., Spenserian stanza. T y p e of burlesque. Prefatory material, such as dedications, prefaces, accompanying letters, or even signed initials. Selection of apt passages has been necessary. Summary of contents and illustrative quotations. Frequently the opening passage best gives the tone of the piece, and often the extracts aid in the summary. Statement of merit or general significance. This estimate is sometimes incorporated in the summary. Miscellaneous facts, such as subsequent editions, advertisements, pertinent references, and so forth. No responsibility is assumed for completeness as to editions or advertisements, and such data after 1750 may not be regarded as strictly relevant. No distinction is made between advertisement and announcement.

In short, the facts of each item are arranged thus : date and number; title (and locus, if in a larger unit); author; length; form; type of burlesque; accompanying matter; summary and quotations; general analysis; miscellanea.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1700

No. ι

An Epitome of a Poem, truly call'd, A Satyr against Wit; done for the Undeceiving of some Readers, who have mistaken the Panegyrick in that Immortal Work for the Satyr, and the Satyr for the Panegyrick. [in] Commendatory Verses, on the Author of the Two Arthurs, and the Satyr against Wit; By some of his particular Friends. [Two mottoes] Mart. London: Printed in the Year MDCC. Thomas Brown. 90 lines, h.c. pp. 26-28. Parody of Blackmore's Satyr against Wit. The parodist has changed various words in the original and added entire lines in order to point a lampoon at Blackmore. The new elements are italicized. To show his "epitome" he has been careful to place in the margin line and page references to the Satyr against Wit. The satire is vicious, but the "transversions" are not without ingenuity. Who can forbear and tamely silent sit, And see his Native Land as void of Wit As every Piece the City-Knight has writ?

1. 1, p. 3. 1. 2. [p. 26]

Later appeared in Brown's works. Cf. 1720 ed., I, 141-143. 1700 (?)

No.

1

The Natives: art Answer to the Foreigners. Note, That the Author has taken Care to follow the Method of the Foreigner as near as reasonably he could, by which Means this Poem wants the Coherence that otherwise it might have had. And the Reader may likewise observe, that every Line of this Poem is clos'd with the very same Word the Foreigner has made use of. London: Sold by John Nutt near Stationers-Hall. pp. 2-18, even pages only. h.c. Parody of Tutchin's The Foreigners, 1700, reprinted on odd pages. This anonymous political parody is simply a defense of King William, his policies, and his Dutch assistants, particularly " B e n t i r " (William Bentinck, Earl of Portland) and " Keppech " (Arnold Joost van Keppel,

238

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Earl of Albemarle). Tutchin's poem is transformed at every point merely by changing most of the words in each line, but always retaining the rhyming word, and by making the sentiment the reverse of that of the original; the drawback mentioned on the title-page is unavoidable. BENTIR

in the Inglorious Roll the

first

[p. 11]

becomes BENTIR,

among the Foreigners the First.

[P·

10]

None of it is especially clever, but it is interesting to note that The Foreigners also called forth Defoe's very clever "The True-Born Englishman.

1700

No. 3

Panacea: a Poem upon Tea: In Two Canto s. By N. Tate, Servant to His Majesty. [Two mottoes] Thor, de Pœt. London: Printed by and for J. Roberts, ιγοο. Nahum Tate. pp. 1-34. h.c. Mock-heroic. Preceded by a dedication to Charles Montagu, preface, complimentary poems by " R . B . " and " T . W.," and introduction, and succeeded by a poem " T h e Tea-Table" and a postscript. Palsemon lived the life of a secluded bard until he resolved to roam; no people pleased him "Like the Refin'd and Civiliz'd Chinese." He shows his trinkets to his friends on his return and regales them with tea, and this causes him to tell the tale of its origin. I shall the Charming History unfold, How this rare Plant at first Divinely sprung, Nor shall its Sov'raign Virtues rest unsung, For which our Phœbus oft his Harp has strung.

[p. 4]

In the reign of Ki " T h e Government into a Farce was chang'd." Various Chinese nobles protest at the lack of wisdom and the presence of prodigality, but they are thanked with death. Under the sway of Amira the monarch builds a great mansion and plunges deeper into licentiousness. At last a revolution is born and a new emperor chosen, but the realm is full of disease and suffering. In devotion the court goes to the cell of Confucius, where there was no relief of plant or herb. But how Surpriz'd to find the Desart Ground, With new-sprung Plants of lovely Verdure Crown'd;

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

239

There bloom'd the S O U M B L O , there Imperial T E A , (Names then unknown) and Sanative B O H E ; All deem'd, in Honour to the Prophet's Shrine, Produc'd, with Virtues, like their Birth, Divine, A n d sent a timely Cure of Publick Grief; Experience soon Confirming that Belief. [p· 16] Canto I I is concerned with the competition among the goddesses " W h o should its Patroness and Guardian b e " after Apollo had introduced T e a among the celestial bowers. Juno, Minerva, Venus, Cynthia, Thetis, and Salus present their reasons in order before the council; Fiend Alecto throws fresh discord among the goddesses, and the convention draws into parties. Somnus tells of the wonderful effects of T e a on sleep and dreams. T h e Thunderer finally rules that T e a has merited the patronage of all and to no single goddess will the lot fall. And strait gives Orders for the T r u m p of Fame T o sound aloud, T h a t * GODDESS was its Name. *

[p. 34]

Oeà.

T a t e ' s effort is half complimentary to a highly esteemed beverage and half mock-heroic. T h e two cantos obviously have small connection; tea alone is common to both. There is little burlesque merit in either canto, the surprise ending of the first and the punning ending of the second being the best strokes. T h e first canto is much too serious for good mock-heroic, and in the second the conventional contest of the immortals is dull.

1700 The Way to Heaven in a String: or, Mr. A A Poem. Canto I. Re-printed in the Year, pp. 5-16. o.e.

No. 's Argument

4

Burlesqu'd.

ijoi.

T r a v e s t y of John AsgilPs tract (see below). In " T o the R e a d e r , " " W e have of late been entertain'd with many pretty Whims in D i v i n i t y ; but this the finest of them all; A Religious Piece of Knight-Errantry, to which if I said any thing at all, I thought it must be in Burlesque; for the Humour is comical enough . . . " [A2] There are some things are counted real, In which we Mortals do agree all: Things form'd by cunning Allegories, W e do account to be meer Stories.

24o

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Some write of Fights of M i c e and Froggs, A n d others prate of Mastiff Dogs: One has the Fairy Shieen espy'd, And told the Tale, as if he ly'd, O f Tib and 'Tom, and Mib and Mab, Names ne'er attain'd b y Poet Squab. B u t while such Fools do please Mens Fancies W i t h idle Canto's of Romances, I'll tell you of a greater K n i g h t T h a n e'er made Love, or mov'd in Fight. [Opening, p. i]

T h i s knight was not priest or soldier but a lawyer, who by a " d e e p insight in Religion " and study of the translations of M a h o m e t and Enoch and Elijah determined with the aid of his printer to set man free from the bondage of death. Sir knight gets him a squire and begins to " d o the business by E p i s t l e " in London, a veritable forcing bed of new sects. Pardon, good Reader, I digress. 'Tis common in Pindarick Verse, A n d eke in this it must be too, I f I but please to make it so; A n d I, without a Reason for't, Will make 'em long or cut 'em short. Poets are Princes in their station, Although they Govern not the N a t i o n ; N o man their P o w ' r did yet dispute, B u t always held 'em absolute.

[p. 10]

T h e knight and the squire argue the merits of Asgillism, and the latter warns the reformer that he m a y be courting trouble. T h e squire has somewhat the better of the argument, though neither goes into finespun theories. T h e knight ends the poem thus: All m y Disciples must be airy, And dance as nimble as a Fairy. M u s t never think of sordid D y i n g , B u t practice must the A r t of Flying.

[p. 16]

T h e knight of course stands for Asgill himself, and the structure of knight-squire dialogue shows clearly enough that this short satire had in mind Butler's long attack on other sects. T h e burlesque is a bit entertaining to one who is acquainted with the original religious situation, but there is no great skill manifested in hunting such easy prey. T h e full title of Asgill's pamphlet is An Argument Proving, Τhat ac-

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

241

cording to the Covenant of Eternal Lije revealed, in the Scriptures, Man may be translated from, hence into that Eternal Life, without passing through Death, altho the Humane Nature of Christ himself could not be thus translated till he had passed through Death. IJOO. A d v e r . in Flying Post: or The Post-Master, Sept. 24, 1700.

170I The Art of Love. Paraphrasedfrom the Year ijoi. pp. 1-48. o.e.

No. 5

Ovid. [Motto] London, Printed in [B.M.]

T r a v e s t y of Ovid's Art of Love, Book I. T o all the Lovers in the C i t y , W e humbly Dedicate this D i t t y : Design'd the Project to impart, O f helping N a t u r e out by Art.

[Opening, p. 1]

There is a fairly close following of Ovid's precepts and method, but of course with a more familiar tone and less dignity. N o w Volunteer to set you right, Before you can Besiege or Fight, Y o u r first Adventure out must be T o find a Noble E n e m y ; T h e next to Conquer and Subdue; T h e last to hold Her tightly to.

[p. 3]

One maxim or illustration flows into another while a contemporary setting is assumed. W h a t need of number all the shows, T h a t j o y n the Belfa's to the Beausi A n d w h a t from drinking Waters kept some, A t Tunbridge, Richmond, Bath, or Epsom? ' T w a s very pretty here to see A Patient taking R e m e d y , All suddenly transform'd to guise O f L o v e r in Roman tick-wise.

[p. 19]

O f letters there is this advice: A n d what is powerful as this, L e t Promises adorn the Piece: These Presents are as Rich as any, Tho* cheaper than nine Eggs a Penny.

[p. 31]

242

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Glimpses of social conditions are caught, as in the description of the "modern" rakes and the admonition to be different. Their Wit in chalking Peoples Doors; Or rubbing out the Milkmaids Scores; Or wringing Knockers off, and Latches; Or singing of Lampoons, and Catches; Or when all sober People Sleep; The publick Watch and Ward to keep. They scoure the Streets of all Disturbance, That might a Nights befal Suburbians. And that all Trades alive may flourish, They Windows break, and Signs demolish.

[p. 3 5]

This travesty is strangely free from excessive vulgarity, considering the possibilities of the subject. Though long, it is well sustained and shows much sense and observation. The pictures of the conditions of the day are interesting to one who is not concerned with the art of love according to Ovid or this anonymous poet. Here is not a devastating travesty; the cynicism of the author is felt, and his abundant common sense and acquaintance with people and facts, but he seems to be adapting Ovid's subject to his own day rather than deliberately taking a fall out of the ancient poet. However, there are many classical allusions. There is little real gaiety, but the piece is not boring. Examples of the verse are difficult to select; it is Hudibrastic in nature though not extreme. The next year a slightly revised edition appeared as The Poet Banter'd: or, Ovid in a Fisor. A Burlesque Poem on his Art of Love. The Second Edition with Additions.

1701

No. 6

The Dissertator in Burlesque. London, Printed for Bernard Lintott, at the Post-house in the Middle-Tempie Gate, Fleet-street. M.DCCI. [Bodl.] pp. 4-47, excl. of prologue and epilogue, o.e. Hudibrastic. The dedicatory epistle " T o All and Singular, the Masters of the Houses of Correction, &c." claims a reforming motive, " N o t only Sermons, and serious Religious Discourses, to terrifie and persuade Men from doing Mischief to themselves, or others: But Tragedy, Comedy, Satyr, and Burlesque, should all tend to the same End, (viz.) to fright, expose, chide, or laugh Man out of his Vanities, and all the Varieties of his Fooleries and Rogueries." [pp. A30-A4]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

243

The "Argument" is as follows: The Dog rei Dissertator shews us, How Modern Poets fool their Muses. How Criticks swarm and how they Puzzle Each other with impertinent Fuzzle. How Whigg and Tory's Sons and Heirs, Behave themselves these latter Years: And Jack with Lanthorn and false Light, Misleads the Grumbletonian Wight.

[p. 1]

And the prologue contains this passage: Tho' Bays his Reasoning in Verse Was all in soft Pentameters; Yet the rough Dog'rel Tetrastich ; Claims equal priviledge of Speech; And stutters things as well worth while, As others in a polish't Style.

[p. 3]

After satirizing various literary foibles the author directs his attack to political matters. The history of Jacobitism is given at length: in fact, the major part of the poem is concerned with pillorying " J a c . " The fault-finding, dissatisfied Whig is also scored; as " G r e e n " he talks agreeably with " J a c " until " R o l a n d " reproves them both and prophesies failure to sedition. One unusual trick of verse is seen on p. 37 when a rhyme separates a word from its apostrophe: To bear an Everlasting Grudge, 's Uncharitable, and Uncivil. The lines on the popular and not long issued Dispensary warrant quotation. When flowing numbers, Verse Polite, Is labour'd to describe a fight, Betwixt Apothecaries Boys Engaging with Heroic Noise; Their Colours, Aprons blue display'd, Their Ammunition, Drugs decay'd; With Phyal broke, and Gally-pot, Instead of Gunpowder and Shot: Are the dire Warlike Arms they carry, So sung in famous Dispensary, Which in the Canto following Sings, The praises of the best of Kings.

244

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Epic Burlesque, and Satyr keen Dancing i' th' same Heroic mein, Laughter at once affords, and loathing, Like Shakespeare Tincture in Lord's cloathing. [pp. 7-8]

In this rather rare piece the poet has chosen to belabor certain literary, political, and religious qualities, and he has adopted doggerel verse without narrative form. It is tiresome, certainly, and not worth reading. It would have been better if this writer had not known the Butlerian tradition. His uses of the word "burlesque" are interesting: in the passage on Garth he seems to mean mock-heroic, and in his title he evidently means the kind of verse utilized. Adver. in Post Boy, July 3-5, 1701, and in Examen Miscellaneum, 1702.

1701

No. 7

In Imitation of Milton [in] A Collection of Poems: viz. The Temple of Death: By the Marquis of Normanby. An Epistle to the Earl of Dorset: By Charles Montague, Lord Halifax. The Duel of the Stags: By Sir Robert Howard. With Several Original Poems, Never before Printed, London: Printedfor Daniel Brown, at the Black Swan and Bible without Temple-Bar; And Benjamin Tooke at the Middle-Temple-Gate in Fleetstreet, 1701. [B.M.] John Philips. 141 lines, b.v. pp. 393-400. Parody of Milton's style. The standard edition of Philips's poetry is that edited by M. G. Lloyd Thomas, Oxford, 1927, "Percy Reprint X . " The introductory and bibliographical material furnished is, on the whole, excellent. Miss Thomas shows from advertisements that the first appearance of The Splendid Shilling was in the miscellany printed by Brown and Tooke and that the next appearance was in A New Miscellany of Original Poems, On Several Occasions (which has generally been regarded as containing the first edition of the poem), printed by Peter Buck and George Strahan a few months later. Miss Thomas has neglected the next two appearances: in the second edition of A Collection of Poems, "Printed for Ralph Smith at the Bible," 1702, pp. 393-400, and in Apollo's Feast: or, Wits Entertainment. . . . All Collectedfrom the most Ingenious of the Age, and now Published by the Author of the Pills to purge Melancholy, 1703, pp. 147-150. The first use of the title Splendid Shilling-was

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in the separate folio publications of 1705: The Splendid Shilling. A Poem, In Imitation of Milton. By the Author of Blenheim, B. Bragg, and The Splendid Shilling. An Imitation of Milton. Now First Correctly Publish'd, Tho. Bennet. The poem was quite frequently reprinted during the eighteenth century. Miss Thomas reprints the Bennet 1705 text, and my quotations follow that. For fuller treatment see Chapter IV, Section A.

1701

No. 8

A Rod for Tunbridge Beaus, Bundl'd up at the Request of the Tunbridge Ladies, To Jirk Fools into more Wit, And Clowns into more Manners. A Burlesque Poem. To be Publish'd every Summer, as long as the Rakes continue their Rudeness, and the Gentry their Vertue. London, Printed, and are to be Sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster, iyoi. pp. 1-30. o.e. Hudibrastic. Introduced in the Hudibrastic fashion of dating the action "in the time when," the poem starts innocently enough with descriptions of Tunbridge society and characters. Sir Harry Querk losing at gaming, Doc his victor makes dishonorable remarks at his departure, but a friend of Sir Harry's comes to his defense. The next day there is a public duel, which ends with Sir Harry's tumbling upon an apple. The next episode is that of Beau Cursitor, who goes drunk to a tavern and finds his doxy in the arms of a fiddler. The fop becomes violent but quiets down when the tavern clowns threaten to make a eunuch of him. Both the fiddler and the girl have interceded for him, but the beau shows his gratitude by thrashing the musician. However, the latter's brother next day returns the attention, only to be mauled by a mob of beaux. The poem ends with descriptions of various beaux, Archway, Poutmouth, Cherry, Catch-fart, Lucifer, Finikin, and Humpty-dumpty, the last of whom is the subject of a most unsavory incident. This burlesque has qualities of the smutty tale and the verse character as well as those of the followers of Hudibras. The object was satirical and perhaps originally sincere, but the extremity of the tavern brawl and the filth of the conclusion rather negate the author's motto of commending the good and scourging the evil, and tend to take the poem away from the incongruity of burlesque. However, the quarrel scene and the analyses of the fops are handled in lively though not gen-

246

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

teel fashion. A passage in which the poet speaks forth on rhyme is worth noting: But long-leg'd Beau Original, Who we, to make the Rhime concur, Do sometimes call Beau Cursitor, For Rhime delights some Readers better By half, than Reason does in Metor; Besides, 'twill tickle these my Rakes, And cure the Wounds my Satyr makes. Yet has it a tormenting Force, And makes 'em, tho' it heals, smart worse.

[p. 16]

Adver. in Post Boy, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 1701.

1704

No. 9

In Imitation of Hudibras. The Dissenting Hypocrite, or Occasional Conformist; with Reflections On Two of the Ring-Leaders, ÖV· Viz. I. Their Works and Writings. II. Their Professions and Principles. III. Their Qualifications and Parts. IV. Their Persons and Practices. — Ne pars Syncera trahatur. London, Printed in the Year 1704. Edward Ward. pp. 1-78. o.e. Hudibrastic. " T o the Reader, Whose Heart is entirely English," followed by very full table of contents. When Scribes to Reason said good Night, And those that scarce could Read would Write, A Man with Hebrew Prophet's Name, Shut up his Shop in Search of Fame, Who thought the Shortest Way to be [B.L.] Promoted to the PILLORY, Was first to make a mere blind Widgeon Of all Established Religion. [Opening, p. 1] Defoe's various prominent works are anathematized. So much for his Notorious Works, F i t for Jews, Infidels, and Turks-, To sow Division among Christians, And make 'em think us all Philistins. Rather than stop Division's Gap, Daniel would sure turn Anabap·,

[B.L.] [B.L.] [p. 6] [B.L.]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS Or th' Anabap. turn Independent, T o get o'er England the Ascendant. Dan's Fustian Zeal and zealous Fustian Glows with such rapid fierce Combustion; Sure this false furious fiery Prophet Came from the burning Valley Τophet.

247 [p-19] [B.L.] [B.L.] [p. 24]

All the sins and evil intents imaginable are attributed to the Whigs, Defoe and Tutchin being the chief devils. This Tutchin is the Calves-Head-Poet, T h ' inspiring Devil needs must know it; W h o at that Feast, for lofty strains, Rebellious Poetry, and Pains, Deserves the Honour of the Brains.

[B.L.]

[p- 54]

T h e Hudibrastic mode of characterization (that is, calling attention to the worst traits and practices through a rollicking medium) is here utilized for purely political and ecclesiastical ends. The poet in this case was not without talent, but the poem far outlasts the reader's patience. T h e main interest has to do with Defoe as an object of attack.

1704

No.

10

Mully of Mountown. A Poem. ' [in] Some Remarks on the "Tale of a Tub. To which are Annexed Mully of Mountown, and Orpheus and Euridice. By the Author of the Journey to London. London: Printed for A. Baldwin in Warwick-lane, 1704. William King (1663-1712). pp. 21-29. h.c. Mock-heroic. MOUNTOWN! Thou sweet Retreat from Dublin Cares, Be famous for thy Apples and thy Pears. [p. 21] T h e first section deals with the glorious foods of Mountown, and in the second directions are given to Peggy for making ale. B u t this great Maxim must be understood, Be sure; nay very sure, thy Cork be good. Then future Ages shall of Peggy tell, T h a t N y m p h that Brew'd and Bottled Ale so well. T h e last section is on Mully, slain, alas, for her beef.

[p. 24]

248

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY MULLY a Cow sprung from a Beauteous Race With spreading Front, did Mountowns Pastures grace. Gentle she was, and with a gentle Stream, Each Morn and Night gave Milk that equall'd Cream. Offending None, of None she stood in Dread, Much less of Persons which she daily Fed·. But Innocence cannot it self Defend 'Gainst treacherous Arts, veil'd with the Name of Friend. [pp. 25-26]

There very easily might have been some genuine feeling for Mountown, where King stayed for a while with his friend Upton, but the tone of facetiousness is present. A man may like his dairy products and lament the passing of the giver and at the same time be gently mockheroical. Cf. the octosyllabic "Letter from a young Parson to an old one on the Death of his favourite Cow," Gent. Mag., Nov., 1733, III, 604. Reprinted (with No. n ) in King's Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, 1705

(Οι 704

Orpheus and Euridice. A Poem. [in same miscellany as No. 10] William King (1663-1712). pp. 33-63.

No. il o.e.

Travesty of Orpheus-Eurydice story in Ovid's Book X . As Poets say, one Orpheus went To Hell upon an odd Intent. First, tell the Story, then let's know, If any one will do so now.

Metamorphoses,

[Opening, p. 33]

Orpheus the ballad-singer upon the loss of his wife receives from Linus advice to let well enough alone. Then rest Content, as Widdow'rs sho'ud The Gods best know what's for our good.

[p. 38]

He goes to Urganda, who informs him of " D i c e ' s " whereabouts. E'en go to Hell your self and try, Th' Effects of Musick's Harmony.

[p· 41]

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249

She bids him go to the cave of the fairies; there he is forced to play his tunes. The fairy supper is described in ultra-lilliputian terms: A drop of Water newly torn Fresh from the Rosie Finger'd Morn. A Pearl of Milk that's gently prest From blooming Hebe s early Breast; With half a one of Cupid's Tears, When he in Embrio first appears; And Honey from an Infant Bee Makes Liquor for the Gods and Me.

[p. 49]

The fairy feast and all the fairy atmosphere receive a consideration unknown in travesty; there is a delicate felicity inherently valuable, but the drollery of burlesque is never very far away. The Bed where Orpheus was to lie, Was all stuff'd full of Harmony; Purling of Streams and Amorous Rills, Dying Sounds that never kills: Zephyrus breathing, Love delighting, Joy to Slumber soft Inviting: Trembling Sounds that make no Noise, And Songs to please without a Voice: Were mixt with Down that fell from Jove, When he became a Swan for Love. 'Twas Night, and Nature's self lay dead, Nodding upon a Feather-bed; The Mountains seem'd to bend their Tops, And Shutters clos'd the Mill'ners Shops, Excluded both the Punks and Fops. No ruffl'd Streams to Mill did come, The silent Fish were still more dumb; Look in the Chimney, not a spark there, And Darkness did it self grow darker.

[pp. 51-52]

Prince Prim escorts Orpheus to Purgatory, where Bocai makes satirical remarks and gives the minstrel some disastrous seeds to scatter in the world above. Orpheus moves even Bocai to tears when he plays a tune before passing on. The Stile and Passion both as good, 'Tis the Three Children in the Wood.

[p. 63]

2ζθ

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Such a travesty is easily unique, for, while the O v i d story is utilized and a burlesque attitude well maintained, there is a great addition to the regular story, and the account of Orpheus' stay in F a i r y L a n d (especially the feast) is a strange medley of droll and pure poetry. K i n g ' s offering should be read to be appreciated, if not understood. In the same year a folio version entitled The Fairy Feast was issued which ends before Orpheus gets out of the realm of the fays. T h e preface to the present volume states that the first version was printed without the author's knowledge.

1705-7

No. 12

Hudibras Redivivus: or, a Burlesque Poem on the Times. Part the First. London, Printed: And Sold by B. Bragge, in Ave-Mary-Lane, 1705. Price 6d. E d w a r d W a r d . pp. 1 - 2 4 . o.e. Hudibras tic. T w e n t y - t h r e e subsequent monthly parts issued at sixpence, of 2 7 28 pages. T h e second twelve (Vol. I I ) h a v e the subtitle " A Burlesque Poem On the various H u m o u r s of T o w n and C o u n t r y . " Preface — " T h o ' I h a v e made bold to borrow a T i t l e from one of the best Poems that ever was publish'd in the English T o n g u e ; y e t I would not h a v e the World expect me such a W i z a r d , as to be able to conjure up the Spirit of the inimitable Butler, who has left behind him too noble an Original for the greatest H a n d now living to exactly copy. Therefore, I hope, after an humble Acknowledgment of his unparallel'd Performances, and m y own weak Endeavours to remind the World of them, no B o d y will condemn me barely for couching a Design in the like N a t u r e under the same T i t l e , since the I n v e t e r a c y of over-zealous Partizans, and the present Violence of a Head-strong Faction, give the like O p p o r t u n i t y for the like Chastisement. Besides, it has ever been thought allowable in the most critical Ages, for the most deficient Painters to improve their Hands by copying the best Originals of the greatest M a s t e r s . " [A2] " T h e r e f o r e , (tho' I am too sensible of my w a n t of Butler's Pen,) y e t I have presum'd to borrow something of his M e t h o d ; and since serious Reproof is of no Efficacy, have taken upon me to shew the H e a t and Madness of our pious Incendiaries after a jesting M a n ner." [A2í>] A n " A p o l o g y " was added to the second edition. In Pious T i m e s , when Soul-Physicians Were zealous to promote Divisions, A n d warm Disputes Ecclesiastick, Bred foreign W a r s and Jars D o m e s t i c k ;

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That Conscience, under no Restriction, Became a perfect Contradiction, And only serv'd to make Men squabble When maudlin round a Tavern-Table. [Opening, pp. 1-2] The author merely wanders about and observes the follies of men, particularly of course Whigs and Low Churchmen. In the last parts the Rump and events of 1640 are satirized. There is a sort of epic strain obtained from the very length and effort of these hundreds of pages, though the narrative element is nil. I quote from the article on imitations of Hudibras in the Retrospective Review, I I I (1821), 326: "Hudibras Redivivus is a violent satire on the Low Church party, and obtained for its author an elevation to the pillory. It is a desultory and unconnected work, and is made up of the author's meditations in his rambles about town, and of descriptions of the scenes of low mirth, hypocrisy, and profaneness, which he witnessed in his perambulations. Books, and booksellers' shops; Daniel Defoe; astrologers; meeting-houses of puritans and quakers, with their sermons and speeches; taverns, and tavern disputes; Bartholomew-fair; the lord mayor's show; the fifth of November; and calves-head day; form the motley subjects of the twentyfour cantos, connected only by the spirit of party abuse, to which they are all made subservient. Ward, however, possesses a vein of low humour, and his descriptions of scenes and manners, though tediously diffuse, indicate considerable shrewdness of observation, and a strong appearance of truth and reality." Reprinted 1708, 1709, 1715.

1705

No. 13

On a Mineral in the North of Ireland, to which People come from Scotland and other Places, to be Cured of Diseases. [in] Thalia: or the Spritely Muse. Poems on Several Occasions. Translations from Martial. Paraphrases on Ovid and Tibullus; and Burlesque Verse on Diverting Subjects. By a Nobleman of Fifteen, who designs shortly to Appear in Print. London: Printed by R. Tookey, and are to be Sold by S. Malthus in London-House-yard, near the West End of St. Paul's Cathedral. MDCCV. [B.M.] William Luckyn, Viscount Grimston (?). pp. 20-26. o.e. Hudibrastic.

ΊζΊ

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY For Introduction, not to stay, I sing, as Poets use to say, T h e Virtues, Cures, Effects, and Nature, Of a rare Spring of Min'ral Water. I beg'd the Muses to Inspire And fill me with Poetick Fire: Clio, Quoth I, I do presume For Kindling to your Well to come; For it m a y Wonders do as easily A s Athamas, that Brook of Thessaly, Which, as some Authors Warrant cou'd, W i t h its own Billows Burn a W o o d : Upon m y Word you shan't lose by T h e Kindness done your Friend, for I Will as a Bellows, Wind draw in Rapture to give it you again.

[p. 20]

T h i s poem is a rather digressive, boresome treatment of the mineral and the patrons of the resort. There is no narrative element and little skill in description or burlesque. Vulgarity and comment on immorality are not absent.

1705 (?) Parody on the Recorder of Blessington's Jonathan Swift. 42 lines. I.e.

No. 14 Address to Queen

Anne.

T r a v e s t y of the address b y William Crowne, Recorder of Blessington, made to the Queen. T h e expression of loyalty and congratulation on Marlborough's victories is burlesqued by a lowering of diction and acceleration of metre. T h e anapaestic tetrameter well suits the purpose of imparting irony without straying far from the original matter. Forgive us, good madam, that we did not as soon A s the rest of the cities and towns of this nation Wish your majesty j o y on this glorious occasion. N o t that w e ' r e less hearty or loyal than others, B u t having a great many sisters and brothers, Our borough in riches and years far exceeding, W e let them speak first, to show our good breeding.

[p. 128]

I have used W . E . Browning's edition of the Poems of Jonathan London, 1910, I I , 128-129.

Swift,

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1706

253

No. 15

Cerealia: An Imitation of Milton: [Motto] Petronius. London, Printed for Thomas Bennet, at the Half-Moon in St. Paul's Church-yard.

1706.

John Philips,

pp. 1-10.

b.v.

Parody of Milton's style. Of English *Tipple, and the potent Grain, Which in the Conclave of Celestial Pow'rs Bred fell Debate, Sing Nymph of heav'nly Stem Who on the hoary Top of Pen-main-maur MERLIN the Seer didst visit, whilst he sate With Astrolabe prophetic, to foresee Young Actions issuing from the Fates Divan. Full of thy Pow'r infus'd by Nappy A L E , Darkling He watch'd the Planetary Orbs, In their obscure Sojourn o'er Heav'ns high Cope. Nor ceas'd till the gray Dawn with orient Dew Impearl'd his large Mustachoes, deep ensconc'd Beneath his overshadowing Orb of Hat, And ample Fence of Elephantin Nose. [Opening, pp. 1-2] The gods are gathered to celebrate Churchill's great triumph at Blenheim; wine will be the drink. But Ceres objects and offers the beverage made from good English barley as a more appropriate one. It is this, she says, to which the British armies owe their force. So at each Glass the harrast Warriour feels Vigour renate, his horrent Arms he takes, And Rusting Fauchion, on whose ample Hilt Long Victory sate dormant: soon she shakes Her drowsie Wings, and follows to the War With speed succinct, where soon his Martial Port She Recognizes whilst he Haughty stands On the rough Edge of Battel, and bestows Wide Torment on the Serried Files so us'd, Frequent in bold Emprise, to work sad Rout, And Havoc dire. [pp. 5-6] She unnecessarily tells of an undergraduate drinking party broken up by a proctor. After her plea the gods decide on ale instead of wine and "Bacchus murm'ring left th' Assembl'd Pow'rs." Some one has said that bibulous poems are seldom interesting or

254

ENGLISH BURLESQUE

POETRY

amusing: Cerealia can hardly be called amusing, and it is interesting only for the thorough fashion in which the well-known traits of the Miltonic style are mimicked. Perhaps the patriotic thread is responsible for the lack of enthusiasm any reader may have. The eighteenth century itself did not find the poem excellent, for it seems not to have been reprinted until 1780, in Nichols's Select Collection, IV, 274-281. Adver. in Daily Courant, April i8, 1706. 1707

No. 16

A Comical Panegyrick on that jamiliar Animal, by the Vulgar call'd a Louse: By Mr. Willis, of St. Mary-hall, Oxon; with some Additions by Mr. Tho. Brown. [in] The Works of Mr. Thomas Brown, In Prose and Verse; Serious, Moral, and Comical. In Two Volumes . . . [Contents] London, Printedfor Sam. Briscoe, and Sold bv B. Bragg, at the Raven in Pater-noster-Row. 170J. [B.M.] Thomas Brown & John Willis (?). 72 lines, h.c. I, 18-21 (2d pag.) Mock-heroic. Tremendous Louse, who can withstand thy Power, Since Fear, at first, taught Mortals to adore? What mighty Disproportion do we see In Adam's Glory, when compar'd with thee? [Opening, p. 18] The louse has power over all kinds and conditions of men: this is the theme elaborated in uninteresting fashion. Who can thy Power describe, thy Glories scan, Thou Lord of Nature, since thou'rt Lord of Matti In these we may thy wond'rous value see, The World was made for Man, and Man for thee. 1708

[p. 21] No. 17

The Art of Cookery: a Poem. In Imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry. By the Author of a Tale of a Tub. [Motto] Juuen. London: Printed, and are to be sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster. ιγο8. William King (1663-1712). pp. 1-22. h.c. Mock-didactic.

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Ingenious Lister\ were a Picture drawn With Cynthia's Face, but with a Neck like Brawn, With Wings of Turkey, and with Feet of Calf, Tho drawn by Kneller, it would make you laugh. [Opening, p. i j Or wou'd perhaps some hasty Supper give, To shew the splendid State in which you live. Pursuant to that Interest you propose, Must all your Wines, and all your Meats be chose. Let Men and Manners every Dish adapt, Who'd force his Pepper, where his Guests are clapt. A Cauldron of Fat Beef, and Stoupe of Ale, On a Huzzaing Mob shall more prevail, Than if you gave them, with the nicest Art, Ragousts of Peacocks Brains, or Filberd Tart.

[p. 16]

We must submit our Treats to Criticks View, And every prudent Cook should read Bossu.

[p. 21]

The poem is thus a mosaic of suggestions and directions; it is not without national and historical and town allusions. Not all the couplets are facetious, some of the advice is wise, but there is an indubitable jollity throughout. King must have enjoyed this putting into treatise form of material below it in importance. The poem is partly satirical of Dr. Martin Lister's work on cookery; formerly King had run foul of Lister's Journey to Paris and had ridiculed it in his Journey to London. Another edition the following year.

1708

No. 18

A Burlesque Poem In Praise of Ignorance. The greatest part thereof Composed Eight and Fifty Years ago By Edmund Hickeringill. London: Printed; and Sold by Benj. Bragge at the Raven in Pater-noster-Row. 1708. [B.M.] Edmund Hickeringill. pp. 1-62. o.e. Hudibrastic. " T o the Reader": "This following Ode (which at first Blush seems to be a Paradox, if not a Satyr against Knowledge, at least, it seems to Burlesque our two great Lamps or Light-Houses of this Island, called Universities) . . . " [A2]

Ίζβ

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Can any Knowledge Wisemen please, If Knowledge does Sorrows increase? (In Holy Writ taught to believe) The more we know the more we grieve.

[Opening, p. i]

There are twenty-three short, jerky cantos satirizing knowledge, law, and religion as they sin against the natural and good. Religion thus they do enhance, Blest only by their Ignorance, Which, if our Popes say not amiss, The Mother of Devotion is: Therefore all Knowledge some suppress, Except the Priest's Fist ope' the Press; And thereby sweetly do advance Their Priestcraft and our Ignorance: Bigots adore them, as the most do, For who, indeed, dares say, What dost thou ?

[p. 17]

And as the Statesmens Humours vary, Like Spaniel, he must fetch and carry, And hurry through the Universe, Crafty State-Policies to disperse, The Trade of Nations to ballarne, Whilst Fools are blest with Ignorance. Let other Men then fight that will, I '11 neither plow the Seas, nor kill.

[p. 26]

Types of knaves are thus hit hard; the canto (XXII) on the virtuoso is one of the strongest. Though the poem has no form and though there is often difficulty in following the elliptical style, the sincerity and the vigor of the author are positive. As an oddity it is a fitting product of the pen of an eccentric disputant. His attitude is partly in sight in the following passages: Thus Ignorance you justify In earnest·, and not (now) as I, But in Burlesque and Irony.

[p. 44]

Whilst some the greatest Knaves advance, Let us prize harmless Ignorance·, Whose lustre thus set off I have, By its most proper Shade — a Knave.

[p. 61]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1708

257 No.

19

The Flight of the Pretender, with Advice to the Poets. A Poem, in the Arthurical, — Jobical, — Elizabethecal Style and Phrase of the sublime Poet MAURUS. [Motto] London: Printed for Bernard Lintott, at the Cross-Keys between the Two Temple Gates in Fleet-street. Price 2d. pp. 1-8. h.c. Parody of Blackmore's style. Preface. "Upon this extraordinary Subject, it was proper some Poem should be writ, and the Design being Roman tick, it was fitting the Poem should be Epical, at least if not Heroical; and no Persons Enthusiastick Genious and blustring Expressions coming up to such a high Undertaking, (except those of Maurus) it was thought fit to make use of his noble Flights and Expressions to despirit the egregious Flight of this Pretender." [A3-A3»] Oh! thou Pretender stop thy swift Career, A while the Fleet, a while the Poet spare. What Muse can follow with an equal Pace, Thro' the Green Stages of thy rapid Race ? [Opening, p. 1] The historical event (so prominent in the history of Jacobitism) is celebrated; directions are given to poets to sing of it, with quips at Blackmore of course. Perhaps the best part is the pseudo-exalted conclusion. Also in the same year "Printed and Sold by H. Hills, in Black-Fry ars, near the Water-side."

1708

No. ao

The Kit-Cats. A Poem. [Motto] London: Printed and Sold by H. Hills, in Black-Fryars, near the Water-side. 1708. Richard Blackmore. pp. 3-16. h.c. Mock-heroic. I sing the Assembly's Rise, Encrease and Fame, That condescends to honour Kit-Cat's Name, Whose Pride, like thine, O Rome, from small Beginnings came. [Opening, p. 3]

2ζ$

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY D o thou, great Bocai smooth thy spacious Brow, And one kind Smile on m y A t t e m p t bestow: For thou, whose fertile Genius does abound W i t h noble Projects, didst this Order found.

[pp. 3-4]

Bocai (Jacob Tonson) is the moving spirit of the club. T h e meeting place of the assembly is described, as well as the sessions. Hence did th' Assembly's Title first arise, And Kit-Cat Wits sprung first from Kit-Cat's Pyes.

[p. 6J

T h e rise in power and fame of the club is acclaimed; the foes of wit take umbrage but their plots are in vain. In fam'd Hibernia in the Northern Main, Where W i t ' s unknown, and Schools are built in vain. Between two Hills, that rise with equal Pride, And with their Tops the floating Clouds divide; A lazy Lake, as Lethe, black and deep, Secure from Storms, extended lies asleep.

[p. 9]

T h e temple of the God of Dulness stands " O n the dark Margin of the Stagnant Flood." Hither the various complicated Foes, T h a t all enrag'd against the Kit-Cats rose, Sworn Enemies to BOCAJ, and to Wit, Sent Deputies for their Employment

fit.

[p. 11]

These representatives protest that the Kit-Cats design the subversion of Dulness's throne, and they ask for help. This Pray'r disturb'd the dozy God's Repose, W h o with Reluctance from his Seat arose, H e stretch'd a while, and half awake did stand, Rubbing his heavy Eye-lids with his Hand.

[p. 14]

T h e god predicts that dissension will see the downfall of Bocai and the waning of K i t - C a t power. Bocai depos'd, the Sect with Faction rent, Embroil'd in Feuds and sow'r with Discontent, Shall into various Warring Parties split, Which brings the Downfall of Imperious Wit. [pp. 15-16] Some of the lines here are rather good, particularly those dealing with the god Dulness and his abode. There is much contemporary satire;

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

259

names are thinly disguised. The reminiscences of Mac Flecknoe and The Dispensary are especially interesting. Thus the mighty Blackmore was not always gravely singing "Heroic poems without number, Long, lifeless, leaden, lulling lumber." Comparable to The Kit-Cats is Blackmore's Satyr against Wit, 1700. There were two other issues the same year, by Hills and a folio by Sanger and Curii.

1708

No. 21

The Sot-weed Factor: Or, a Voyage to Maryland. A Satyr. In which is described, The Laws, Government, Courts and Constitutions of the Country.,· and also the Buildings, Feasts, Frolicks, Entertainments and Drunken Humours of the Inhabitants of that Part of America. In Burlesque Ferse. By Eben. Cook, Gent. London: Printed and Sold by B. Bragg, at the Raven in Pater-Noster-Row. 1J08. (Price 6d.) Ebenezer Cook. pp. 1 - 2 1 . o.e. Hudibrastic. The narrator comes to America and is surprised at most of the people and things he encounters. He describes thoroughly and even vividly, and frequently interprets a strange word or custom in a footnote. The general crudeness and barbarousness of the country is the burden of this refrain. Finally the trader is cheated: I met a Quaker, Yea or Nay; A pious Conscientious Rogue, As e'er woar Bonnet or a Brogue, •Who neither Swore nor kept his Word, But cheated in the Fear of God; And when his Debts he would not pay, By Light within he ran away. With this sly Zealot soon I struck A Bargain for my English Truck, Agreeing for ten thousand weight, Of Sot-weed good and fit for freight, Broad Oronooko bright and sound, The growth and product of his ground.

[p. 18]

To try the case he goes to Annapolis, which "Resembles much our Southwark F a i r " ; with disgust he embarks for home, leaving a "dreadful Curse behind." The poem has more historical value than poetic. Twenty-two years later in Annapolis there appeared Sotweed Redivivus: Or the Planters Looking-Glass. In Burlesque Verse. Calculated for the Meridian of Maryland. By E. C. Gent., which in three cantos dis-

2,6ο

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

cusses political and economic affairs. The poem has been edited, along with The Sot-weed Factor, for the Maryland Historical Society by B. C. Steiner in Early Maryland Poetry, Fund Publication No. 36, Baltimore, 1900. Not included in this reprint is another Hudibrastic poem by Cook, The History of Colonel Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia, published in The Maryland Muse, Annapolis, 1731. See J . T . Pole, "Ebenezer Cook and The Maryland Muse," American Literature, November, 1931, III, 296-302.

1708

No.

22

Wine A Poem. [Motto] Epist. iç Lib. I Hor. London: Printed for William Keble, at the Black-Spread-Eagle in Westminster-Hall, MDCCFIII. John Gay. pp. 3-14. b.v. Parody of Milton's style. Of Happiness Terrestrial, and the Source Whence human pleasures flow, sing Heavenly Muse, Of sparkling juices, of th' enliv'ning Grape, Whose quickning tast adds vigour to the Soul, Whose sov'raign pow'r revives decaying nature, And thaws the frozen Blood of hoary Age A kindly warmth diffusing, Youthful fires Gild his dim Eyes, and paint with ruddy hue His wrizzled Visage, ghastly wan before: Cordial restorative, to mortal Man With copious Hand by bounteous Gods bestow'd. BACCHUS Divine, aid my adventrous Song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Inspir'd, Sublime on Pegasean Wing By thee upborn, I draw Miltonic Air. [Opening, p. 3] Wine is excellent in cases of physical and amatory sorrows. The British mariner pays homage in bringing the product home. The bards have found their flagging numbers inspired by wine. A drinking scene is described with skill and gusto; after many toasts, to statesmen and belles, the company retire "of Cares and Coin bereft." The picture of the bar is worth reproducing here: Nigh to the Stairs Ascent, in regal Port Sits a Majestic Dame, whose looks denounce Command and Sov'reignty, with haughty Air, And Studied Mien, in Semicirclar Throne Enclos'd, she deals around her dread Commands;

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS Behind her (Dazling sight) in order R a n g ' d , Pile above Pile Chrystallin Vessels shine; A t t e n d a n t Slaves with eager stride advance, A n d after Homage paid, bawl out aloud Words Unintelligible, noise confus'd: She knows the Jargon Sound, and strait describes In Characters Mysterious Words obscure; M o r e legible are Algebraic Signs, Or Mystic Figures by Magicians drawn, When they Invoke aid Diabolical. [pp. 9-10] T h e cleverness with which G a y has caught the various characteristics of Milton will not surprise the student of eighteenth-century poetry, for John G a y had a distinct flair for amusing composition. Wine would have been better if the complimentary passages had been left out, for the sake of both brevity and unanimity of burlesque tone. T h e poems b y Philips in Miltonic metre on the subject of drink must have played a part in G a y ' s background. For all matters of text and bibliography of G a y ' s poems it is safe to go to the Oxford edition, edited in 1926 b y G. C. Faber.

1709

No. 23

Baucis and Philemon: Imitated from Ovid. [in] Poetical Miscellanies: the Sixth Part. Containing a Collection of Original Poems, With Several New Translations. By the most Eminent Hands. London, Printed for Jacob Tonson, within Grays-Inn Gate, next Grays-Inn Lane. J jog. Where you may have the Five former Parts. Jonathan Swift, pp. 237-248. o.e. T r a v e s t y of Baucis-Philemon Book V I I I .

incident in O v i d ' s

Metamorphoses,

In antient Times, as Story tells, T h e Saints would often leave their Cells, A n d strole about, but hide their Quality, T o try good Peoples Hospitality. [Opening, p. 237] T h u s two immortals, T a k i n g their T o u r in Masquerade; Disguis'd in tatter'd Habits, went T o a small Village down in Kent.

[p. 237]

2Ö2

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

They are poorly received in the neighborhood, but the good Baucis and Philemon take them in; their reward is a glorious transformation of themselves and their dwelling. In the end they become yew trees. In one of Swift's most admirable poetic efforts and one of the most popular poems of that day we see the spirit and method of travesty wonderfully toned down but still manifesting a satiric intent. The verse is smooth, but there are sufficient evidences of droll versification. Swift very likely had no intention to ridicule Ovid's story, though he could use it to point a lesson against uncharitable humanity. The original version of 230 lines, upon which at Addison's suggestion Swift made changes, is printed in W. E. Browning's edition of Swift's poems, 1 9 1 0 , 1 , 62-68; the chief difference is a more detailed account of the saints' reception in the village. The following estimate by Henry Craik, Life of "Jonathan Swift, 1 ed., 1894, I, 175, suffers from the not unnatural enthusiasm of a biographer: "Unlike his later style, it contains from first to last scarcely a touch of satire: the whole piece depends simply and entirely on its grace, and facility, and marvellous deftness of description. The old story of mythology, adapted from Ovid, is translated into a modern dress, but with skilful avoidance of all appearance of mere burlesque." It were a profitless task to try to trace every reprinting of this poem, which seems to have been exceedingly popular. A recent tribute is its inclusion in D. Nichol Smith's Oxford Book of Eighteenth Century Verse, 1926.

1709

No.

24

The Servitour: a Poem. Written by a Servitour of the University of Oxford, and Faithfully taken from his Own Original Copy, London, Printed, and Sold by H. Hills in Black-Fry ars, near the fVater-side, 170Ç. pp. 5-16. o.e. Hudibrastic. A visitor in Oxford asks his friend about a vile person who comes across their path. The friend describes the life and nature of a servitor, who is usually dirty, unacceptable, low-born. A Clever Servitour's a Fiction, The Words imply a Contradiction: For think of all you can in Fools, Meer Bumpkins, and the meanest Souls; Ridiculous, and 'twill concur, In this its Center, Servitour. [Ending, p. 16]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

263

This satire is extreme and scurrilous. The rhymes are distinctly Hudibrastic. The only good stroke is the description of the servitor's peasant father, who speaks to his son's schoolmaster in dialect.

171O

No. 25

Englands Reformation From the time of King Henry The VIIIth To the End of Oates's Plot. By Thomas Ward. Printed at Hambourgh 1710. Thomas Ward. pp. 1 - 1 1 0 . o.e. Hudibrastic. " T h e Publisher to the Reader." When Old King Harry Youthful grew, As Eagles do, or Hawks in Mew, And did in spite of Pope and Fate, Behead, Ripp, and Repudiate Those too-too long liv'd things his Wives, With Axes, Bills, and Midwives Knives: When he the Papal Power rejected, And from the Church the Realm Dissected And in the great St. PETERS stead Proclaim'd himself the Churches Head. When he his Ancient Shteen forsook, And Buxom Anna Bollen took, Then in the Noddle of the Nation He bred the Maggot Reformation. [Opening, pp. ι-α] Any similar characteristic excerpt will suggest Ward's Catholic point of view and the not unreadable quality of his burlesque history. The dullness of mere narrated fact is lessened considerably by the irreverent form and treatment. Historical annotations decorate many of the margins, but this use of authority is not definite or complete enough to warrant calling Englands Reformation a travesty of historical accounts. However, the poem is particularly interesting on account of its peculiar type, its lasting power, and its spirit and verve. History thus written proved to be popular. There were editions in London in 1 7 1 5 , 1716, 1719, 1747, and 1804, and at Liverpool and Dublin in 1782 and 1814 respectively.

1710

No. 26

The Priest turn'd Poet: or, The Best Way of Answering Dr. Sacheverel's Sermon,preached at St. Paul's, Nov. the j'h- IJOQ. Before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London. Being His Dis-

264

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

course paraphras'd in Burlesque Rhime. — Ridenti dicere verum ¡¿uis Vetat. Answer a Fool according to his Folly, lest he be Wise in his own Conceit. Prov. xxvi. J. London, Printedfor the Booksellers of London and Westminster. Price id. pp. 4-14. I.e. Travesty of Sacheverell's sermon, printed as "The Perils of False Brethren, both in Church and State. Dedication " To , a Member of P A R L I A M E N T , " signed " J. P . " " Y o u know, that you and I us'd to divert our selves now and then over a Glass with a little Burlesque, but we never chose any thing for a Subject which had the least similitude of Religion, being mindful of the Saying of the great Poet, Non licet Ludere Sacris. I hope you won't take me to have transgrest that Rule in what I now send you. Had I thought Dr. Sacheverel's Performance to have deserv'd the Name of a Sermon, I should have been far from treating it in this manner; but since, in my Opinion, he has burlesqu'd the Text, and all that Men of Sense account sacred and valuable, I conceive my self to have transgrest no Rule of Decency or Good Manners, by exposing his Ridiculous Prose in Bantering Verse. I only do that which he ought to have done himself, viz. to make it Rhime, since it had no Reason; that it might be Something at last. I do believe that such a piece of malicious, incoherent, and selfcontradictory Stuff, was never obtruded upon the World, under the Notion of a Sermon." [p. 1] After the dedication the satire on the famous preacher consists of passages purporting to be his sentiments, with the page number of the sermon given for guidance. It is of course an exposé of the Tory High Church point of view, and uninteresting reading. For the most part the method is not subtle: the preacher is speaking frankly and truthfully and thus laying bare his own rascality and the weakness of his party. The lines are long, but there are many plural rhymes, and the whole has a jingling motion. The following passage illustrates as well as any how the discourse was "paraphras'd in Burlesque Rhime." We owe Fealty to St. Germains but none to the Queen, For our Church teaches thus, I will swear and depone That those must be damn'd who K. James did dethrone, Whoe're says the contrary's a Fool and a Knave, Be he bred up at Rome or be taught at Geneve. Let no Man object here the late Revolution, Our Church must determine what's true Constitution.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

265

'Tis a plain Proposition which here I lay down, We owe as much to the Church as we do to the Crown. She is Mistress of Conscience as well as of Reason, And the Soveraign Judge of Rebellion and Treason.

[p. 7]

171O

No. 27

Vulgus Britannicus. Or, the British Hudibrass. [Motto] London: Printed for James Woodward, in St. Christopher1 s Church-Yard, near the Royal Exchange; and John Morphew, near Stationers-Hall, ijio. Edward Ward. pp. 1-180. o.e. Hudibrastic. Preface. There are five parts, each with title-page, and fifteen cantos. " A Burlesque Poem" is the subtitle on the first page. In Spiteful Times when Humane Folly, Discourag'd all that's Good and Holy; When Peace and Truth were out of Season, And Zeal had got the start of Reason; When Knaves by dint of Inspiration DifFus'd their Nonsense thro' the Nation; And when Ill-Nature and Grimace Were outward Signs of Inward Grace, When Atheists Preach'd, and Blockheads Writ, And Scandal only pass'd for Wit. [Opening, pp. 1-2] The disorders of the rabble are subjected to rollicking censure. The mob proceeds to tear down Burgess's chapel and make a huge bonfire of it. The guards clash with the mob, and there is much clamor and dissatisfaction with the warding and trainbanding. The various persons and divisions of people are shown realistically; the pretensions of the Whigs, including Defoe and the Review, are exposed. Observations on men and manners abound, at times with no small touch of wisdom of the worldly variety. And tho' we only walk erect, Look upwards and are Heav'ns Elect; And boast our standing on no more Than two Legs, yet when arm'd with Pow'r, We prove worse Brutes than those with Four.

[p. 13]

266

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY So those who for one side declare, That they the Publick Wealth may share; And such abusive Frauds commit, That put the Nation in a Heat·, When once they've largely made their Fortune, B y Secret means behind the Curtain·, They always then espouse that cause, And give that Party most applause, That best can skreen 'em from the Laws.

[p. 91]

Ward intended to lash the Whigs of his time as Butler had a party of another day. Treading the heels of a Hudibras is, however, dangerous, but jolly Ned does not fail on all counts. This work is certainly difficult to swallow at one gulp, but no one can gainsay a certain strength of attack or a not unrare efficacy of medium. Ward was not Butler, though he was able to trail a few clouds of his glory and not always in the dust at that.

1711

No. 28

Free-Thinkers. A Poem in Dialogue. As Atheism is in all Respects hatefull, so in this, that it depriveth Human Nature of the means to exalt it self above Human Frailty. Sir Fra. Bacon's Essay XVI. of Atheism. London, Printed and Sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster, iyii. Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (?). pp. 3-28. o.e. Hudibrastic. In a dialogue between Jack and Tom, who are ribald freethinkers, and Sir Plyant, who is just up from the country, freethinking is held responsible for various kinds of loose living and thinking. To hear all Beings, prov'd Mechanick, And Nature, rescu'd from the Panick.

[p. 4]

'Tis hop'd you'll pardon, we F R E E - T H I N K E R S Are unconfined, and lawless Drinkers, And whatsoever suits, or pleases, Or for our Profit, or our Ease is, We never baulk it, nor ill breeding Is now esteem'd, this Frank proceeding. [p. 5]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

267

Sir Plyant answers the arguments and suggestions: Why then, what you, F R E E - T H I N K I N G call, I find, is not to Think at all; And Savages, through want of Breeding, Are what you grow, by dint of reading.

[p. 18]

But at last he is made drunk and is fleeced. There are references to Hobbes, Toland, and Shaftesbury's " L e t ter of Enthusiasm," against which the poem was levelled. The interest of the piece lies in the gulling of the squire and in the supposed exposé of freethinking. Attributed to Lady Winchilsea in the revised Halkett and Laing Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudonymous English Literature.

1711

No. 29

Parody on the Recorder's Speech. Jonathan Swift. 37 lines. I.e. Travesty of speech by Recorder of Dublin to the Duke of Ormonde. We cannot omit this occasion to tell, That we love the Queen's person and government well; Then next, to your Grace we this compliment make, That our worships regard you, but 'tis for her sake: Though our mouth be a Whig, and our head a Dissenter, Yet salute you we must, 'cause you represent her. [p· 143] The material of the original speech is retained, but the form and tone bring out the irony. Gratitude and loyalty are not the qualities in the hearts of the Dubliners according to this version. I have used W. E. Browning's edition of the Poems of Jonathan Swift, 1910, II, 143-144. For the broadside see Ball's Swift's Verse, 1929, p.

151.

1713

No. 30

Apple-Pye. [in] The Northern Atalantis: or, York Spy. Displaying The Secret Intrigues and Adventures of the Yorkshire Gentry; more particularly the Amours of Melissa. With A Description of the Ancient and Famous City

268

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

of York. . . . The whole Interspersd with several Diverting Poetical Amusements, among which is Apple-Pye: Or, Instructions to Nelly, A Poem. Being a Nice and Perfect Account of the Origin, Progress, Art, and Method, of that Incomparable Viand. In Imitation of Virgil's Georgicks. Written by the late Ingenious Dr. William King. The Second Edition Corrected. London: Printed for A. Baldwin in Warwick-Lane. 1713· Price is. Stitcht. is. 6.d. Bound. [B.M.] William King (1663-1712). pp. 1 5 - 1 7 . h.c. Mock-didactic. Of all the Delicates which Britons try To please the Palate, and delight the Eye, Of all the several Kinds of sumptuous Fare, There's none that can with Apple-pye compare, For costly Flavour, or substantial Paste, For outward Beauty, or for inward Taste. [Opening, p. 15] Most of the poem is given over to friendly instructions to Nelly, couched in dignified verse and making good but not ostentatious burlesque. But here, the nicety of Art is such, There must not be too little, nor too much: If with Discretion you these Costs employ, They quicken Appetite, if not, they cloy. Next in your Mind this Maxim firmly root, Never o'ercharge your Pye with costly Fruit; Oft let your Bodkin through the Lid be sent, To give the kind Imprison'd Treasure vent; Lest the fomenting Liquor closely prest, Insensibly by constant fretting waste, And o'er inform the Tenement of Paste. [pp. 16-17]

•1713

No. 31

The Battle between the Rats and the Weazles.

[in]

Miscellany Poems, on Several Occasions. Written by the Right Honhl° Anne, Countess of Winchilsea. London: Printed for J . B. and Sold by Benj. Tooke at the Middle-Temple-Gate, William Taylor in Pater-NosterRow, and James Round in Exchange-Alley, Cornhil. i j i j . Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea. 19 lines, h.c. pp. 283-284. Mock-heroic.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

269

In dire Contest the Rats and Weazles met, And Foot to Foot, and Point to Point was set: An ancient Quarrel had such Hatred wrought, That for Revenge, as for Renown, they fought. [Opening, p. 283] This mock-military incident concerns a fatal error ("Nor Valour always ballanc'd is by Wit") made by some of the rodent officers, whose lofty plumage became a hindrance when the rats To slender Crannies all repair'd in haste, Where easily the undress'd Vulgar past: But when the Rats of Figure wou'd have fled, So wide those branching Marks of Honour spread, The Feather in the Cap was fatal to the Head. [p. 284]

1713

No. 3 2

Charnock's Remains: or S L his Coronation. A Satyr: Being a Parody upon Dryden's Mac-Fleckno. History of the Lije of K. William. —After the Expulsion of the Fellows, most of the Demys were likewise turrid out of Maudlin-College by the Bishop of Oxford and Mr. Charnock their Vice-President, and Roman Catholicks put in their Places. — London: Printed for J. Baker, at the Black Boy in Pater-Noster-Row. 1713. Price 3d. ' [B.M.] Thomas Brereton. pp. 3-23. h.c. Mock-heroic. Though Charnock's Remains is longer than Mac Flecknoe by one-half, Dryden's theme is followed exactly and his phrases are preserved whenever possible. Charnock, who had been active for Popery in the time of James II and had finally been hanged for the Assassination Plot, here selects Sacheverell as his successor because of the preacher's High Church doctrines and supposed Romish leanings. Upon arrival at Tyburn the coronation takes place; Charnock's speeches occupy a major portion of this copy of a very famous and effective satire. To show how close the copy is (not parody despite the title-page), the couplets corresponding to the best known section in Mac Flecknoe are good illustrations. Charnock is speaking, at the beginning: 'Tis Resolved; for Nature has decreed, Who most resemble me shou'd next succeed. «S1—ver—I my perfect Image fears, Mature in Faction from his greenest Years:

ΐηο

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY S—ver—I of all m y Sons is He, W h o stands confirm'd in finish'd Villany. T h e rest some faint Remains of Conscience have; S—v'r—/ ne'er e'en deviates into K n a v e : Some Streaks of Guilt on other Rogues m a y fall, Pierce thro', and make an honest Interval; S—v'r—l's Nighted H e a r t admits no R a y , His Inmate Hell shuts out th' intruding D a y : . . . Maniu ring and Sibthorp were but types of thee, T h o u Arch-Apostle of bless'd T y r a n n y ! E ' e n I a Villain of more N o t e than they, W a s sent before but to prepare thy W a y : A n d with m y courser Schemes of Treason came T o rouze our Friends in thy more Hellish N a m e .

[pp· 4-5] Comparison with its great original is obviously unfair; however much below Dryden this satire stands, we must congratulate the poet on his decision to follow good example. N o r does he do his j o b badly. A revision over Brereton's name, Charnock Junior: or, The Coronation, appeared in three cantos in 1719. There are changes in the personalities and various additions, including a passage on Oxford and the creation as Prince-Royal of Higgins (Francis Higgins, the " I r i s h Sacheverell"). I

Fanscomb Barn.

In Imitation

7I3

of

N o . 33

Milton.

[in same miscellany as N o . 31] Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea.

pp. 58-65.

b.v.

Parody of Milton's style. Fanscomb Barn is a notorious retreat for scamps and beggars. Strolepedon and Budgeta have sought its shelter; they recall their amours as the swarthy Bowl appears, Replete with Liquor, globulous to sight, A n d threat'ning Inundation o'er the Brim. T h e male tramp assumes his proper shape: When Strolepedon (late distorted W i g h t , Limb-wanting to the View, and all mis-shap'd) Permits a pinion'd Arm to fill the Sleeve,

[p. 59]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

271

Erst pendant, void, and waving with the Wind, The Timber-Leg obsequiously withdraws, And gives to that of Bone precedence due.

[p. 61]

He addresses Budgeta on the locality, hunting, poets — but she at the sound of the word "sleepy," considering that her lover " a Sympathy confest," Sunk affable and easy to that Rest, Which Straw affords to Minds, unvex'd with Cares. [p. 65] The value of this Miltonic exercise lies in the lazy picture of the beggars, contented with their straw and alcohol, painted in terms beyond their reach. The descriptive power of the Countess is not to be despised, and the burlesque of blank verse is cleverly and moderately handled. Myra Reynolds, in her edition of Lady Winchilsea's poems, 1903, p. cxiii, stresses the freedom from moral censorship to be seen here before Ramsay or Burns.

1713

No. 34

A Poem on the Memorable Fall of Chloe's Ρ—s Pot, Attempted in Blank Verse [Motto] London, Printed and Sold by A. Baldwin in Warwick-lane, and W. Chetwood, at the Sign of the Sword and Cross, over against Exeter-Exchange in the Strand, 1713. Price T'hree Pence. [B.M.] John Philips (?). 114 lines, b.v. Parody of Milton's style. Of wasteful Havock, and destructive Fate, I sing the Tragick Scene, a mournful Tale! Yet call no slaughtering Hero to my Aid, To strew my bloodless Verse with mangled Foes. A lower Theme befits my humble Pen, A Torrent spilt, but not of human Gore, Ruin'd, deform'd, but not of Man erect. Oh Heaven born Muse! (for Muse I must invoke. Or Mistress Fair, for Fashion or for Need) Deign to describe the memorable Fall Of Chloe's Ρ—s Pot, so by mortals height, The Vessel was, howe'er uncouth the Sound, And veil'd by modest Maids in gentler Terms. [Opening, p. 1]

ΐηΐ

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

As such a passage forebodes, the poem is extremely vulgar and suggestive. There are classical characters and events not infrequently referred to, but the burlesque is not clever enough to atone for the choice of subject. The couplet on mice is as extravagantly Miltonic as any in the poem: The Race exiguous, uninur'd to wet, Their Mansions quit, and other Countries seek. [p. 4] Because Philips nowhere seems to have sanctioned its publication and might have deprecated it, M. G. Lloyd Thomas in her edition of Philips's poems, 1927, does not reprint this item, though it is similar in treatment to The Splendid Shilling and was included as Philips's in The Poetical Calendar, 2d ed., 1764. Reprinted in London Magazine, February, 1754, X X I I I , 85-86. Adver. in Pax, Pax; or, a Pacifick Post Boy, Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 1713.

1714

No. 35

!The Fan. A Poem. In Three Books. By Mr. Gay. [Motto] Homer. Iliad. 14. London: Printed for J. Tonson, at Shakespear's-Head overagainst Catherine-street in the Strand. 1714. John Gay. pp. 3-32. h.c. Mock-heroic. I Sing that graceful Toy, whose waving Play With gentle Gales relieves the sultry Day. Not the wide Fan by Persian Dames display'd, Which o'er their Beauty casts a grateful Shade; Nor That long known in China's artful Land, Which, while it cools the Face, fatigues the Hand: Nor shall the Muse in Asian Climates rove, To seek in Indostan some spicy Grove, Where stretch'd at Ease the panting Lady lies, To shun the Fervor of Meridian Skies, While sweating Slaves catch ev'ry Breeze of Air, And with wide spreading Fans refresh the Fair; No busie Gnats her pleasing Dreams molest, Inflame her Cheek, or ravage o'er her Breast, But artificial Zephyrs round her fly, And mitigate the Feaver of the Sky. [Opening, pp. 3-4] Strephon implores Venus to help his suit; she approves his passion and goes to Cythera, where her busy Cupids have a workshop.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

2,73

A different Toil another Forge employs; Here the loud Hammer fashions Female Toys, Hence is the Fair with Ornaments supply'd, Hence sprung the glitt'ring Implements of Pride; Each Trinket that adorns the modern Dame, First to these little Artists ow'd its Frame. Here an unfinish'd Di'mond Crosslet lay, T o which soft Lovers Adoration pay; There was the polish'd Crystal Bottle seen, That with quick Scents revives the modish Spleen: Here the yet rude unjointed Snuff-Box lyes, Which serves the railly'd Fop for smart Replies; There Piles of Paper rose in gilded Reams, The tender Records of the Lover's Flames; Here clouded Canes 'midst heaps of Toys are found, And inlaid Tweezer-Cases strow the Ground. There stands the Toilette, Nursery of Charms, Compleatly furnish'd with bright Beauty's Arms; The Patch, the Powder-Box, Pulville, Perfumes, Pins, Paint, a flattr'ing Glass, and Black-lead Combs. [pp. 7-8] The fan, which will be of great service to the fair in the eternal war of love, Venus takes to Olympus. Book I I is taken up with the suggestions of Diana and Momus for the scenes that should be painted on the fan. B u t the Powers applaud the figures that Minerva designs. Strephon receives the machine from Venus, and Corinna from Strephon. The stories of Niobe, Procris, Camilla, and Narcissus as given on the fan turn the belle's heart towards her true lover. Gay's major purpose apparently was the treatment of the stories of mythology; the pictures that are to go on the fan occupy more of the poet's attention than the creation of the instrument or the situation of the mundane lovers. The verse is pleasant; the mythological scenes are well given. But the chief interest for the student is the use of the motif of the invention of an object of social importance and the description of articles necessary to the beau monde. Pope's Rape of the Lock, especially in the closing passage of the first canto, is very likely indebted to several couplets in the Fan. For discussion as to the relation of Gay's very mild burlesque to the heroi-comical type see above, pp. 1 6 0 - 1 6 1 . In the same year the poem appeared at Dublin and a second edition in London.

274

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY 1714

No. 36

The Hudribrastick [sic] Brewer: or, a Preposterous Union between Malt and Meter. A Satyr Upon the suppos'd Author of the Republican Procession; or, the 'Tumultuous Cavalcade. London: Printed for John Morphem near Stationers-Hall, 1714. (Price Six-Pence.) PP· 3 - 3 6 · o-cHudibrastic. I Sing the Bard, whose merry Strains Their Spirit draw from Hops and Grains; Apollo's first degen'rate Son, That e'er left Bacchus and his Tun, To make dull, heavy Ale agree With more aspiring Poetry, And by the Help of Malt and Rhyme, To brew and gingie at a time. [Opening, pp. 3-4] The "Hudibrastick Brewer" is, of course, Ned Ward, poet and publican. Why therefore, tho' 'tis somewhat new, Mayn't W. . d both poetize and brew? Since all Men know that Malt and Meter Begin with one and the same Letter, And therefore should agree the better.

[p. 4]

The relation between drinking and writing is fully treated in this sprightly fashion. Ward's career even suggests Cromwell's. Ironically commending Ned, who " T h e Mash-Tub with the Muses join'd," the poet makes both general and particular comments. This on the instability of parties is worth quoting: So St—/, when Whigs shall re-obtain The Rule, shall be a Wit again, And Sw—t a Dunce; but not till then.

[p. 17]

The satire on Ward is not particularly violent or low, and we must prefer a genuine attempt at making the famous and infamous Scribbling Brewer somewhat ridiculous to the ordinary direct attack. For Men of Sense must own 'tis better To live by Malt, than starve by Meter.

[p· 36]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1714

275 No.

37

The Rape of the Lock. An Heroi-comical Poem. In Five Canto's. Written by Mr. Pope. A tonso est hoc nomen adepta capillo. Ovid. London: Printed for Bernard Lintott, at the Cross-Keys tn Fleetstreet. 1714. Alexander Pope.

pp. 1-48.

h.c.

Mock-heroic. " T o Mrs. Arabella Fermor." In Lintott's miscellany called Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. By Several Hands, issued in 1712, The Rape of the Locke in only two cantos occupied pp. 355-376. The second and third editions appeared in 1714, the fourth in 1715, the fifth in 1718. Further bibliographical data may be obtained from R . H. Griffith's Alexander Pope: a Bibliography, Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, Vol. I, Pt. I, 1922, Pt. II, 1927. For fuller treatment see Chapter III. I7I4

No.

38

The Republican Procession; or, the Tumultuous Cavalcade. A Merry Poem. The Second Impression, with Additional Characters. Printed in the Year MOCCXIV. Edward Ward. pp. 3-43. o.e. Hudibrastic. Merely a description of the procession made by the Duke of Marlborough's friends and adherents on his return to London after the death of Queen Anne. The characters and classes unfriendly to the Tory side are thus lampooned. When this ill-favour'd Troop was past, Brought up by one who rode the last, And did like Mr. FINIS look, At th' End of an old tatter'd Book; Next these ill-mounted Scare-crow Warriors, That mov'd like Northern Pack-Horse Carriers, Advanc'd the Southwark Grenadiers, With Rats-Tails tuck'd behind their Ears.

[p. 28]

Churchill's sin, in Ward's eyes, was ambition amounting even to a Protectorship. But it is hardly likely that the present poem helped the

276

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Tory cause a great deal with people of literary taste: it is practically without merit other than that of depicting some of the types of the day. Reprinted in 1727.

1714

No. 3 9

the Shepherd's Week. In Six Pastorals. By Mr. J. Gay. [Motto] Virg. London, Printed: And Sold by Ferd. Burleigh in Amen Corner. MDCCXIV. John Gay. pp. 3-60. h.c. Mock-eclogues. "The Proeme To the Courteous Reader," "Prologue To the Right Honourable the L d Viscount Bolingbroke." At end " A n Alphabetical Catalogue of Names, Plants, Flowers, Fruits, Birds, Beasts, Insects and other material Things mentioned by this Author." The edition by R. Burleigh has been reprinted, with an introduction by H. F. B. Brett-Smith, Oxford, 1924. For fuller treatment see Chapter IV, Section B.

1715

No. 40

JEsop at the Bear-Garden: a Vision. By Mr. Preston. In Imitation of the temple of Fame, a Vision, By Mr. Pope. London: Sold by John Morphew near Stationers-Hall. 1715. pp· 9-3 2 · h - c · Parody of Pope's temple of Fame. "Advertisement" — " M r . Pope owns he took his Hint from Chaucer, and I own I took mine from Mr. Pope. What his Design may be, I cannot say; but mine, I must acknowledge, is to get Money from the Bookseller. For the particular Thoughts, I further acknowledge I consulted Hudibras, who I take to be the greatest Master of Bear-baiting that ever the World produc'd. Whether Mr. Pope consulted him or not, 'tis hard to judge; but he that will look into Hudibras, Pag. 113. I. 45. and compare his Description of Fame with Mr. Pope's Temple of Fame, will be apt to conclude, that never Two good Wits jump'd more exactly. This is an Acknowledgment I could not omit, because a Concealment of this Nature, as Mr. Pope very excellently expresses it, I look upon to be utterly below the Dignity of an Author." [A3-A3 y ; These sentences read very much like Pope's own Advertisement to the tempie of Fame.

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In that soft season when each Hedge and Field, The Violet, Cowslip, and the Primrose yield; When the Sun's Heat the Ground so dry had made, That we might safely sleep beneath a Shade. [Opening, p. 9] The author has a vision and finds himself in a bear-garden, which he describes. Crowds fill the yard and are addressed by Preston, " Marshal to the Champion Bear." A quarrel arises between two rival butcher's boys with bear-dogs, the mob takes part in the mêlée, and the escaping bear completes the rout. Outstanding figures in the mob are described. The poet is then snatched away and beholds a fair structure, where he sees Homer, Virgil, Pindar, Horace, Ovid. The poem lamely concludes with a satire on an unnamed candidate for glory and an admonition to poets to be honest and true. It is not difficult to see the parallelisms with Pope's poem, both of phrase and idea. Many lines or parts of lines are taken over whole or only slightly altered. The poet has caught the echo of Pope's style fairly well; the value of the piece is just high enough to make one wish it were higher. Several times the series device is used to advantage. Some of the phrasal resemblances to The Temple of Fame are pointed out in the notes, in which we also find two admissions that certain lines were "filtch'd" from Hudibras, which is alluded to once in the poem itself. 1715 No. 4 1 The Court Burlesqued. Written in the Year i6j8. Butler. London: Printed in the Year MDCCXIV.

By Mr. Samuel

[in]

Posthumous Works In Prose and Verse, Written in the time of the Civil Wars and Reign of K. Charles II. by Mr. Samuel Butler, Author of Hudibras. From Original MSS. and Scarce and Valuable Pieces formerly printed. With A Key to Hudibras, by Sir Roger L'Estrange. London, Printedfor R. Smith and G. Strahan at the Royal Exchange, Jonas Brown without "Temple-bar; and Sold by J. Morphew near Stationers-hall. 1715. pp. 19-68. o.e. [B.M.] Hudibras tic. I Sing a merry Monarch's Fame, Whose Co ece no Advice can tame; Nor can the Pow'r of Both the Houses Keep it from gaping at their 'Spouses. No Wonder, since all Living Creatures Will still pursue their diff'rent Natures.

[Opening, p. 19]

278

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

This sample will convince the reader of the theme and tone of this satire on the court of Charles and the King's own lechery. The debauchery of Charles, the atmosphere of the royal circles, the various high or low courtesans (particularly Nell Gwynn), the male favorites (Buckingham and Rochester seem to be shadowed forth) — all are given us with nothing withheld. Such are the Ladies, such the Lords, That merry C s alone regards; So Tame a Ρ e, so L d a Court, Whose Vices are each others Sport; Cuckolds so Cow'rdly and so base, Lascivious Wives so void of Grace; Rebels so daring and so bold, Cullies so foolish, tho' so old; Knaves so successful and secure, Merit so slighted and so poor; A factious undermining Crew, So Pious and Rebellious too.

[p. 67]

It is hard to understand how anyone could ever mistake such a poem for the work of Samuel Butler, though it does possess an occasional humor and force and certainly a positive acquaintance with the subject. Hardly a page is without its obscenity; one begins to suspect that the natural reforming purpose of the satirist was less powerful than his wish to please through vulgarity.

1715

No.

42

Four Hudibrastick Canto's, Being Poems on Four the greatest Heroes T"hat livd in any Age since Nero's, Don Juan Hoivlet, Hudibras, Dickoba-nes and Bonniface. London, Printed for J. Roberts in IVarmick-lane. IJ15. Price 6d. pp. 3-36. o.e. Hudibrastic. The argument of the first canto runs thus: Sir Hudibras in this first Canto Pretends to bring a Quo Warrento, Against the House of Commons Charter, And takes great Pains to catch a Tartar. With Arguments irrefragable, He lays about among the Rabble;

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2.79

And proves the Wisdom of the Nation A Pack of Knaves by Demonstration. Shows who were in the French Cabal Hatching a Plot t' undo us all: Points out the Men that wou'd enslave us; And tells us who they are must save us.

[p. 3]

The action is slight and the invective great in these worthless, unentertaining, almost unintelligible pages.

171 5

No. 43

Homer in a Nut-Shell: or, the Iliad of Homer in Immortal Doggrel. By Nickydemus Ninnyhammer, F. G. [Motto] Hor. London, Printed for JV. Sparkes over against the Golden Lyon in Fetter-lane in Fleet-street. 1715· [B.M.] pp. 2-68. o.e. Travesty of first three books of the Iliad. Dedication to the "late Pious Β ρ of 5 m." In " T o the Reader" mention is made of Pope's work as translator and of "the Odysseis design'd to be infinitely better Translated by Mr. Tickell, alias Jo. Addison." [A6] I sing the rancour of a Knight, And how the Greeks got nothing by't, What sturdy Souls, as strong as Steel, He sent before him to the De'el: Their Bodies left for Dogs, or Vermin, Or Crows; as Jove should best determin. Now this Achilles, being a ranter, Would often Agamemnon banter: The reason was, the Flesh and Bone Of Jupiter, and eke Latone, Apollo, hated King Atreides, For which he plagu'd his ^νηνημίδΐΐ, For the bold King had spit his Fury at The good Old Man Chryses, his Curate.

[p. 2]

Such a passage is sufficient to show the sort of thing Homer could be "in a nutshell." The diction is that of the contemporary low-life, often coarse and vituperative. Each book has a burlesque "argument," and occasionally there are Greek lines and phrases as footnotes. Five years later appeared Homer "Travestie: Being a New Translation of that Great Poet. With a Critical Preface and Learned Notes. Shewing

28ο

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

How this Translation excells Chapman, Hobbes, Ogilby, Dryden, Pope, and all other Pretenders. The preface is different. This edition was advertised in the "Daily Post, Nov. 16, 1720.

1715

No.

44

Hudibras at Court. Written 165g. By Mr. Samuel Butler. Printed in the Year 1715. [in] The Second Volume of the Posthumous Works of Mr. Samuel Butler, Author of Hudibras. Written in the Time of the Grand Rebellion, and at the Beginning of the Restoration. Being a Collection of Satyrs, Speeches and Reflections upon those Times. With a Key to the II. and III. Parts of Hudibras, By Sir Roger L'Estrange. London, Printedfor Sam. Briscoe, and Sold by R. Smith and G. Strahan at the Royal-Exchange; J . Browne without Temple-bar; J . Graves in St. James's Street, and J . Morphew near Stationers-Hall. 1715. pp. 205-238. o.e. Hudibrastic. Preface. "Hudibras at Court, was without Doubt intended for a fourth Part, as is very obvious to any Person that compares that with the other Three. How he came to drop the Design, and to conclude the first Canto with a severe Satyr upon the Court, is differently reported; but the most general and probable Conjecture is, that after a long and fruitless Dépendance upon the Promises of the King and great Courtiers, full of Resentment, he resolves to leave the Court, to which he could never again be reconcil'd to the D a y of his Death." [A7-A7Î;] T h e Argument: Adventures ceasing, Knight and Squire T'wards their respective Homes retire: The Manner how they lodge their Arms, And how fore'd back by fresh Alarms: Their Resolution to repair T o Court, and what succeeded there.

[p. 205]

After a time of much turmoil, when both Sides had took such Pains, T o knock out One another's Brains. And after they had fought so long For Dame Religion till they'd none; A lucky Hit brought things about, That they fell in as they fell out.

[p. 206]

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281

Hudibras and Ralph discuss quitting war; the former counsels selfpreservation. If Presbyter and Indépendant Fall out and fight, then there's an E n d on't, Down goes the Rump, and Restoration Will be the only Word in Fashion.

[p· 209]

T h e y dispose of their horses and put their arms in a tree. A certain landlord tells them the situation. Hudibras reports a vision he has had of favor at court. T h e y seek the prince, and Hudibras obtains favor in a dissolute court where the cavaliers are shamefully forgotten. He discloses to Ralph the presence of a design between his concubine and himself for reward. Ralph replies that he despises a court " Where none but Whores and Villains rise." H e proposes a life of retirement and tells Hudibras to go his own w a y . There are references to other Butler figures; Ralph is also called " S a n c h o " twice and his horse " R o s e n a n t e " once. T h i s is one of the imitations bred in the Hudibrastic atmosphere. T h o u g h spurious as far as Butler himself is concerned and though not comparable to Hudibras, the poem is not the worst of its class. Some of the satire appears to be double-edged; there is very little action; many of the verses have a Butlerian twist. T h a t a poem on such a subj e c t could find an audience at this time is another proof of the strength of the Hudibrastic tradition.

1716

No.

45

"The Battel: or, Morning-Interview. An Heroi-Comical Poem. Edinburgh: Printed for George Stewart, at the Book and Angel in the Parliament-Close.

MDCCXFI.

Allan R a m s a y ,

pp. 5-24.

[B.M.]

h.c.

Mock-heroic. "Advertisement." T h e beau Damon rises as " T h e sun began to sip the M o r n i n g - D e w . " His valet aids in making his toilet. T w o hours are pass'd, and Damon is equipt, Pensive he stalks, and mediates the Fight: A r m ' d Cap-a-pie, in Dress a killing Beau, Thrice view'd his Glass, and then resolv'd to go, Flush'd full of Hope to overcome his Foe.

[p. 9]

28α

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Celia is still abed. While softest Dreams seal'd up fair Celia's Eyes, She dreams of Damon, and forgets to rise. A sportive Sylph does lay the subtile Snare, Such know the charming Baits which catch the Fair; She shows him handsome, brawny, rich, and young, With Snuff-Box, Cane, and Sword-Knot finely hung, Well skill'd in Airs of Dangle, Toss, and Rap; Those Graces which do tender Hearts entrap. [pp. I O - I I ]

Damon is admitted by mistake to Celia's boudoir and the battle of charms begins. He said, then threw a Bomb lay hid within Love's Mortar-Piece, the Dimple of his Chin. It miss'd for once, she lifted up her Head, And blush'd a Smile, that almost struck him dead. [p· 13] There follows a glorified description of Celia's garments, "her dreadful Arms," " the Implements of Death." When Damon prays to the Powers of Love, the Mother Goddess instructs her son to assume the shape of Shock in order to "make young Damon Conqueror to Day." Cupid plays his part and wounds Celia with a dart of gold, for she cannot resist the force of wealth. Thus Celia fell, or rather thus did rise: Thus Damon made, or else was made a Prize: For both were Conquerors, and both did yield; First she, now he, is Master of the Field. [pp. 19-20] Damon of course is very happy. A sumptuous Treat does crown the ended War, And all rich Requisites are brought from far.

[p. 22]

The banquet articles are lauded and geographized. O happiest of Herbs! Who wou'd not be Pythagoriz'd into the Form of thee, And with high Transports act the Part of Tea.

[p. 23]

The short Epilogue lightly criticises the critics. Sure here is Plot, Place, Character, and Time, All smoothly wrought in good firm English Rhime. [p· 24]

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283

Ramsay's poem (from the title of which " T h e Battel" was dropped after this first appearance) is thus set happily in the atmosphere of the beau monde and appeals to the same sensibility that is satisfied by the Rape, which the Scotch poet was well acquainted with. The use of the battle, the intervention of the gods, the presence of the sylphs, the apostrophe to the garter and petticoat, the function of the lapdog, the series of " N o t " lines (p. 20), and the mock serious tone mingled with the slight satire on Society are delightful burlesque elements. However, there is not the conventional mock-heroic opening or the division into cantos. It need hardly be added that the poem is well worth a reading. In a complimentary poem to Ramsay by J . Burchet in the 1720 edition of the Poems there is this couplet: Thy Morning Interview throughout is fraught With tuneful numbers and majestic thought.

[iii]

Lord Woodhouselee, in the 1800 edition, says that this poem "displays a facility of numbers, and a command of poetical expression, which are rarely to be seen in first attempts. The Morning Interview is written with ease and sprightliness, on a trifling subject, a morning visit of a beau to his mistress." [lxxi] Oliphant Smeaton takes a harsher view: " . . . there are incongruous images introduced, for the purpose of relieving the piece by humorous comparisons, which offend the taste even of the most cursory reader," Allan Ramsay, Edinburgh and London, 1896, p. 145. Ramsay's sally into the field of the heroi-comical was popular enough. The bibliography of Ramsay's works has been compiled by Burns Martin; see The Records of the Glasgow Bibliographical Society, 1931, Vol. X . For a study of the poet's life and works see the same author's Allan Ramsay, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1931.

1716

No. 46

Homerides: or, Homer's First Book Modernized. By Sir Iliad Doggrell. Nostra Poetantes producunt saecula. Anon. London, Printed for R. Burleigh in Amen-Corner. M.DCC.XVI. Price 6d. [B.M.] Thomas Burnet and George Duckett. pp. 7-45. o.e. Travesty of first book of Iliad. Preface, signed "Veleas," mentions first Homerides (see below).

284

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY O GODDESS! sing Achilles' Choler, Which gave the Greeks most doleful Dolour; And sent to Pluto many Souls, Leaving their Flesh to Dogs and Fowls. So did Great Jove, the King of Gods, Make Aggy, King of Men, at odds With Peleus' Son, and make them roar And rant and rave about a Whore. [Opening, p. 7]

As a travesty it is quite as good as those of the Restoration period. There are footnotes, mostly in Greek, throughout the text. The speech of Chryses the Irishman to St. Antony (which the preface assures us is the Christian name for Apollo) shows the anachronistic method: O Hone! O Hone! O Hone! OHony! O thou who often shoot'st in Long-bow, Which is a silver and a strong Bow; And if not better, quite as good As the fam'd Bow of Robin Hood·. Thou who are Patron to our Pigs, And each one who in Padua ligs; Hear me, O Saint, if e'er I made you a Prayer worth Antony of Padua, Ev'n give the Grecian Rascals battel, And send a Murrain 'mong their Cattel.

[p. 10]

In the previous year the same authors had produced Homerides: or, a Letter to Mr. Pope, Occasion'd by his intended Translation of Homer, which should not be confused with the straightforward travesty treated above. This first Homerides had two editions; my quotations are taken from the second. " Sir Iliad " says that two things are to be considered in every heroic poem; how to write it and how to sell it. The use of a puppet show on the siege of Troy and of the enclosed epilogue will help the sale; and these six lines he wishes a place for: The Trojan Horse, as Homer notes, Was fed with Men, instead of Oats; And when for Provender he seeks, They bring him strait a Peck of Greeks. But would it not amaze a Stranger, To see an Army in his Manger.

[p. 7]

As to the translation itself, there is need of a pattern. "Now I would not have Mr. Pope imitate Dryden, nor Ogilby, nor any of those Trans-

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285

lators, that pin themselves down to the Sense of their A u t h o r ; but follow the glorious Example of M r . Cotton, who in his Heroi-Comical Translation of Virgil has never baulk'd a Jest, because it was not in the Original. A n d your T a s k , in this Case, will be exceedingly easy; for any Translation must of it self be a Burlesque of Homer." [p. 8] There is a proposal to modernize the whole story " in such a Manner, that every C o u n t r y Milk-maid m a y understand the Iliad as well as you or I . " [p. 8] Specimens from eight different books of the Iliad are submitted; the burlesques of passages in the first book become in the 1716 Homerides the following lines: 51-56, 259-270, 303. Attention is called to the version of "Agamemnon's Scepter s Pedigree, which you have so curiously mimicked in your Rape of the Lock, under the Personage of the Bodkin." [p. 10] One of the burlesque " s t u n t s " is the substitution of members of the House of Commons for the Grecian leaders in the list in Book II. T h e mock-serious tone of offered help is sustained well enough; and prose and verse are about equal in amount in this odd performance. T h e first Homerides, with its directions and specimens, naturally prompted the second, the text of which is entirely in verse. T h o u g h Burnet and D u c k e t t had equal shares in the first Homerides, it seems that in the second (so very different) Burnet's part was chiefly providing the preface and seeing the burlesque through the press. Such information is obtained from a letter from Burnet to his collaborator, of June I, 1716, which is Letter L V I in The Letters of Thomas Burnet to George Duckett, Ifi2-ij22, edited for the Roxburghe Club by D . Nichol Smith, Oxford, 1914, with his usual care and grace. See particularly pp. xii and xl, and Letters L I I I , L I V , and L V I I . These letters are highly important for the great light they throw on several problems of the period.

1716 Parody on the Speech of Or. Benjamin Pratt, Provost of Trinity to the Prince of Wales. Jonathan Swift (?). 84 lines, aabccb, 443443.

No.

47

College,

T r a v e s t y of Dr. Pratt's speech to the Prince of Wales, the new Chancellor of Dublin University. In lines of varying length but constant jollity, the fulsome speech of compliment and loyalty is perverted to mean j u s t the opposite. A m bition and scheming are made apparent, but the contents of the original are augmented. Thus, sir, you see how much affection, N o t interest, sways in this election, But sense of loyal duty.

286

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY For you surpass all princes far, As glow-worms do exceed a star, In goodness, wit, and beauty.

[p. 190]

I have used W. E. Browning's edition of the Poems of Jonathan Swift, 1910, II, 189-192.

1716

No. 48

The Petticoat: an Heroi-Comical Poem. In Two Books. By Mr. Gay. Dux Fœmina Facti. Virg. London: Printed for R. Burleigh in Amen Corner, MDCCXVI. Francis Chute or J . D. Breval. pp. 1-39. h.c. Mock-heroic. Dedication " T o the Ladies," in which the invention of the fan and the patten in poems by his cousin-german (John Gay — this dedication is signed "Joseph G a y " ) is said to have been the inspiration of the present poem. Begin my Muse, and sing in Epick Strain The Petticoat; (nor shalt thou sing in vain, The Petticoat will sure reward thy Pain!) Proceed its various Beauties to display, And set its Circling Charms in full Array; Say whence its wond'rous Origin it drew, Then spread the Wide-stretch'd Petticoat to view. [p· 2] Thyrsis and Chloe are engaged in an affair; Cupid aids the man, and Chloe succumbs. But in time she has reason for grief; her shame becomes visible and arouses unwelcome talk. Thyrsis's prayer to Venus is unavailing, so his mistress relies upon her own wit and therefrom evolves the idea of the petticoat. This "machine" she displays before an assembly of women, who finally applaud it as an invention welcome to nymphs who wish to conceal the fruits of excessive amorous generosity. Scandal no more shall blast the Damsel's Name, Safe in this Covert, shall remain her Fame, And Yield, or not, for ever be the same. [p. 36] Representing a lowering of the tone of the heroi-comical type, "The Petticoat can hardly be of intense interest to any but the specialist in the erotic and salacious.

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287

Second edition the same year; third, called The Hoop-Petticoat, 1720; fourth, in The School of Venus, 1739. Post Boy, Feb. 15-18, 1718, advertised Hoop-Petticoat as in The Ladies Miscellany. "Joseph G a y " has generally been regarded as the pen name of J. D . Breval. However, it may be that Ralph Straus is right in thinking that Chute is the author here, The Unspeakable Curii, London, 1927, pp. 78, 133. On pp. 241-242 Mr. Straus cites the assignment of Chute in the Upcott MSS. but gives no more specific reference; the document is to be found in B . M . M S . Addit. 38,728 f. 41. However, the fact that Chute in 1716 received £6, 6s from Curii and Hooke for The Petticoat was recorded (without Mr. Straus's knowledge) in an article on William Upcott and his great collection, " T h e Father of a Fashion," in Temple Bar, M a y , 1876, X L V I I , 103.

1716

No. 49

St. Paul's Church; or, the Protestant Ambulators. A Burlesque Poem. [Motto] London: Printedfor John Morphew, near Stationers-Hall, IJ16. Price is. Edward Ward (?). pp. 3-47.

o.e.

Hudibrastic. A satire on the types frequenting the vicinity of the great church. After hard words about the Puritans, who used St. Paul's for common purposes, the poet describes the "mottley T r a i n , " T h a t crowd Saint Paul's without a Grain Of true Religion, or Devotion, B u t walk to keep their Heels in Motion. [p. 8] Whetters, Brewesites, music-lovers, the curious, beggars, and flirters receive their due. The verse is fairly clean and ostensibly reformative. The poem ends with " T h e Moral Application": When they who in their Hearts dissent, Shall carelesly the Church frequent, And others who pretend to own her, Bring Scandal and Disgrace upon her; 'Tis time for you that love her truly T o exercise her Worship duly, T h a t by your diligent Promotion Of True Religion and Devotion, T h e y who at present only trample The Pavement of God's holy Temple, M a y follow your devout Example.

[p. 47]

288

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Despite the sub-title, which may refer merely to the type of couplets used, such a production comes dangerously near falling out of the type truly called burlesque.

1716

No. 50

A Version of the First Psalm. For the Use oj a Young Lady. tin]

Court Poems. Part II. Viz, I. The Dream: Or, Melesindas Lamentation on the Burning of her Smock. II. The Hyde-Park Ramble. With some other Pieces. Written by a Lady. To which are added, I. The Worms a Satire. II. A Version of the First Psalm: For the Use of a Young Lady. London: Printed for J. Roberts, near the Oxford Arms in Warwick-Lane. 77/7. Price is. [B.M.] Alexander Pope. 20 lines, abab, 8686. p. 8. Parody of the First Psalm. The Maid is Blest that will not hear Of Masquerading Tricks, Nor lends to Wanton Songs an Ear, Nor sighs for Coach and Six.

[Opening]

She shall be fortunate in husband and offspring, but the wicked whore will have no joy "With Mercury and Pills." The last stanza combines the two types of women : For why? the Pure and Cleanly Maids Shall All, good Husbands gain; But Filthy and Uncleanly Jades Shall Rot in Drury-Lœne. The contrast of good and evil women parodies that of good and evil men in the First Psalm, the burlesque being one chiefly of idea. A reader may be surprised at the current idea that this poem is a terribly vile production; there are suggestive points, but many, many pieces of the period are morally much worse. Pope's not too blasphemous parody fails of the cleverness that his genius should have demanded.

1717

No. 51

British Wonders: or, A Poetical Description of the several Prodigies and most Remarkable Accidents That have happen'd in Britain since the Death

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS oj Queen Anne. London: Printed and Sold by John Stationer's-Hall MOCCXVII. Edward Ward. pp. 1-38. o.e.

289

Morphew

near

Hudibrastic. In wretched Times, when Men were given T o mock the Church and spurn at Heaven, And Pious Saints, like Sinners, sold Their tender Consciences for Gold, N a y , even when our Guides could take Or break an Oath for Int'rest sake, As if no other God but Mammon, Was worship'd both by Priest and Layman, And that alike they'd no regard T o future Torment or Reward, Excepting some, the very best, Who liv'd despis'd by all the rest, And bore their Sufferings in the face Of E n v y , with a Comly Grace, Dreading no Party Threats nor Pow'rs, But copy'd old Philosophers, And in contempt of Knaves and Fools, Kept wisely up to Vertue's Rules. [Opening, p. 1] The wonders here versified are as follows: a great plague among cattle with bad results to beef, milk, butter, and milkmaids; the fall of a scaffold at the coronation; a "destructive Conflagration" with great loss of commodities; an eclipse of the sun; the Scotch rebellion of ' 1 5 ; a severe cold and unusual freezing of the Thames; "Celestial Fireworks" in the Northern heavens with various interpretations; a battle of monstrous fish off Ireland; the receding of the Thames; a terrific wind; an invasion and fight of " A num'rous Flight of Foreign Birds." The major interest of the poem rests in this reflection of actual events. Ward is here not so scurrilous as usual, and he has done the historian of English life a service once the Hudibrastic attitude is discounted.

1717

No. 52

The Br d-street Patriots: or, the Impartial Judge. A Canto, In Imitation of Hudibras. Qui capit ille facit. London, Printed in the Year MDCCXFII. pp. 3-22. o.e. Hudibrastic.

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The argument is: The Br d-street Judge's passing Worth, His Parentage and Noble Birth, His Loyal Crew of firm Adherents, His Common Council, and Vice-gerents, Are here set out in their True Light, That honest Men may shun 'em by't; As Sailors set up Warning-Blocks, To save Ships splitting on the Rocks.

[p. 3]

This is sufficient summary for an anti-Tory satire of no worth or interest.

1717

No. 53

Little Preston: an Heroi-Comick Poem, upon The late Action at Holywell. To which is added The Chester Lady's Congratulation to the Hero Ashy. [Motto] Dispensary. London: Printed, and Sold by J. Roberts in Warwick-Lane. MDCCXVII. [B.M.] pp. 5 - 1 7 . h.c. Mock-heroic. I Sing the Doughty Blades of dauntless Might, Who late sustain'd a fierce unequal Fight: Who ventur'd all in Jemmy's ruin'd Cause, And soundly kick'd and cuff'd, escap'd the Laws. [Opening, p. 5] Ashy, with his companions, attempts to raise a Jacobite rebellion; a brief but trifling success is theirs. After much haranguing and little bravery on their part they are subdued. However, they are in the end freed. Thus we have another burlesque treatment of an incident in the political merry-go-round with the interest largely dependent on the actual circumstances and very slightly on cleverness of handling.

1717

No. 54

The Rape of the Smock. An Heroi-Comical Poem. In Two Books. London: Printedfor R. Burleigh, in Amen-Corner. 77/7. (Price is.) Giles Jacob, pp. 1-26. h.c. Mock-heroic.

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291

Preface. I sing a Virgin's Smock, the direful Cause O f horrid Bloodshed, and of Breach of Laws; T h a t Linnen Veil, which pendent Ruffles grace, O f Indian Muslin, or of Flanders L a c e ; W i d e stretch'd, and falling down in many a Plait, From the fair Bosom, to the snowy Feet; W h i t e as the Lilly, or the Skin it hides, Where charming N a t u r e shines, and L o v e resides. L e t Ozell sing the Bucket, Pope the Lock, M y daring Muse prefers the Rape of Smock. [Opening, pp. 1-2] Caelia has two lovers, the attractive Philemon and the wealthy A m brosio; she prefers the former. While the lady is disrobing, Philemon enters her boudoir and snatches her smock. She begs for its restoration, but the thief rushes away. Book II (beginning " N o w had the Morn unbarr'd the Gates of L i g h t , " which a footnote ascribes to the Lutrin, chant 5) shows us Caelia sending her maid N a n c y to Ambrosio, who quickly responds by fighting, and losing, a duel with the bold Philemon. T h e n N a n c y is sent to Philemon and worries him with a threat of legal proceedings. A t length he promises to bring the disputed article. Caelia adorns herself wonderfully against his coming. A t her Toilet she puts on ev'ry T o y , T h a t Ladies use, when eager to destroy.

[p. 22]

T h e lover arrives, and the blushing, demure, beautiful, and clever lady addresses him. T h o u base Usurper of a Maiden's Shift, 0 tell me what could be thy impious D r i f t ? So lewd an Action can admit no Plea; 1 little could expect all this from T h e e ! H a d you m y Snuff-box, or m y Fan purloin'd, Or on m y Gloves, or Mask, your T h e f t design'd; Or stole away, w h a t 's worse, m y Darling Shock, Or any Moveable, besides m y Smock·, I could forgive, and with the Crime dispense: B u t who can pardon such a rude Offence?

[p. 24]

Philemon promises to make no boast in coffee-house; he will restore the prize if she will yield to him. A n d this she does without great protest. N o t an unpleasant poem Jacob has produced, for one gets a delicious

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POETRY

sense of the inconsequential throughout. Pope's great heroi-comical poem was in the offing; The Rape of the Lock is of course on a higher scale, morally and artistically, but in The Rape of the Smock there is an occasional phrasal echo, a similarity in general outline, or a feeling of some parodical intent, ever in the reader's reception. At any rate, the poem is neither long nor dull enough to preclude one honest reading, but there is hardly excuse for much further attention. Second edition, 1727; third, 1736. Included in those miscellanies of spice, The Ladies Miscellany, 1718, and The Altar of Love, 1727. 1718

N o . 55

Alma: or, the Progress of the Mind. In Three Cantos. [Motto] Inceri, ap. Stobœum. [in] Poems on Several Occasions. London: Printed for Jacob Tonson at Shakespears-Head over against Katherine-Street in the Strand, and John Barber upon Lambeth-Hill. MDCCXVIII. Matthew Prior, pp. 319-381. o.e. Hudibrastic. A summary of Alma (which its author called a "loose and hasty scribble, to relieve the hours of my imprisonment") is here a needless undertaking because the poem is highly discursive in nature and also rather well known. The subject is the activity and location of Alma (Mind); the poet attempts to reconcile two views, that Alma "Sits Cock-horse on Her Throne, the Brain " and that she is " Extend'd thro' the whole Machine" by suggesting her progress upward from the very toes with the natural effects on life at different ages and stages. My simple System shall suppose, That Alma enters at the Toes; That then She mounts by just Degrees Up to the Ancles, Legs, and Knees: Next, as the Sap of Life does rise, She lends her Vigor to the Thighs: And, all these under-Regions past, She nestles somewhere near the Waste: Gives Pain or Pleasure, Grief or Laughter; As We shall show at large hereafter. Mature, if not improv'd, by Time Up to the Heart She loves to climb: From thence, compell'd by Craft and Age, She makes the Head her latest Stage. [pp. 328-329]

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293

In dialogue form, between M a t t and Richard (Shelton) with the former holding up more than his end, such a progress is traced, but digressions are many. T h e style is, for the greater part, smooth and pleasant. Hudibras was of course in mind, and some of its characteristics shine forth, though Prior's burlesque philosophizings have not the jerk and twist of Butler. T h e opening of the second canto is good, though modest, criticism: B u t shall we take the Muse abroad, T o drop her idly on the Road? A n d leave our Subject in the middle; A s Butler did his Bear and Fiddle ? Y e t He, consummate Master, knew W h e n to recede, and where pursue: His noble Negligences teach, W h a t Others Toils despair to reach. H e , perfect Dancer, climbs the Rope, A n d balances your Fear and H o p e : I f after some distinguish'd Leap, H e drops his Pole, and seems to slip; Straight gath'ring all his active Strength, H e rises higher half his Length. W i t h Wonder Y o u approve his Slight; A n d owe your Pleasure to your Flight. B u t , like poor Andrew, I advance, False Mimic of m y Master's D a n c e : Α-round the Cord a while I sprawl; A n d thence, tho' low, in earnest fall.

[p. 339]

T h e charge of obscurity has been rightly brought against this remarkable effort, nor can we say a good word for Prior's organizing ability. B u t the abundant wit and ever present facility make it an item not to be excluded from the roll of important eighteenth-century verse. There were few Hudibrastics like this one, but there were no other M a t t Priors. Critics have been usually interesting in their appraisals. Goldsmith in his Beauties of English Poesy (Cunningham's ed. of Goldsmith, I I I , 439) wrote: " W h a t Prior meant by this poem I cannot understand: by the Greek motto to it, one would think it was either to laugh at the subject or the reader. There are some parts of it very fine; and let them save the badness of the rest." Johnson's pronouncement has often been cited: "Alma is written in professed imitation of Hudibras, and has at least one accidental resemblance: Hudibras wants a plan, because it is left imperfect; Alma is imperfect, because it seems never to have had a

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plan. Prior appears not to have proposed to himself any drift or design, but to have written the causal dictates of the present moment. What Horace said when he imitated Lucilius might be said of Butler by Prior, his numbers were not smooth or neat; Prior excelled him in versification, but he was, like Horace, 'inventore minor': he had not Butler's exuberance of matter and variety of illustration. The spangles of wit which he could afford he knew how to polish; but he wanted the bullion of his master. Butler pours out a negligent profusion, certain of the weight, but careless of the stamp. Prior has comparatively little, but with that little he makes a fine shew. Alma has many admirers, and was the only piece among Prior's works of which Pope said that he should wish to be the author." (Lives of the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905, II, 205. For other views, including that of Cowper, who could not see the relation to Hudibras, see Hill's notes, ibid.) Two moderns may be quoted, Austin Dobson and Francis Bickley: " B u t it is not to be read for its argument, or for that meaning which Goldsmith failed to grasp, but for its delightfully-wayward digressions, its humour and its good-humour, its profusion of epigram and happy illustration. Butler, though Cowper doubted it, is plainly Prior's model, the difference being in the men and not in the measure" (Selected Poems of Matthew Prior, 1889, p. lvii) ; and " Hudibrastics make easy reading and Prior manages them well; but burlesque metaphysics are an acquired taste. It is true that the poem is not to be read for its theme . . . [quotes Dobson] But those qualities are all to be found in a more compact and unalloyed form in many of the shorter poems. We can sympathise with Goldsmith's complaint that Alma is unintelligible, though we do not trace that fault to the subtlety of its philosophy. Matt, especially when writing the octosyllabic couplet, is often obscure through sheer carelessness: he expresses a slipshod thought in slatternly English." (Life of Matthew Prior, London, 1914, pp. 252-253.) For a detailed treatment of Prior's relation to Butler see E. Frey's Oer Einfluss der englischen, französischen, italienischen und lateinischen Literatur auf die Dichtungen Matthew Priors, Strassburg, 1915, pp. 28-32.

.1718

No. 56

The Saints Congratulatory Address: or, Îh s Β dbury's Speech, In the Name of all the Pro nt Diss rs, to the Β ρ of Β r's Jesuit; With that R d Father s Answer. In Hudibrastick Verse. Humbly Dedicated to the Right Worshipful Sir Rich—d Steele, Knt.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

295

London, Printed for J. Cuxon, and Sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster. 1718. Price 6d. [B.M.] pp. 1 - 3 1 , o.e. Travesty of Thomas Bradbury's pamphlet, The Primitive Tories: or, Three Precedents, of Persecution, Rebellion, and Priestcraft, consider d. In a Sermon Preach'd November 5. 1717, of which there were several editions. And turn our Metre to express The Substance of that shrewd Address, Deliver'd by the WIGHT, who glories In L I B E L , call'd The Primitive Tories.

[B.L.]

[B.L.] [p. 3]

No one can possibly obtain much joy from such a dreary exposure. Some of Bradbury's phrases are used and his arguments twisted so as to seem wrong, but the whole of this misguided poetic effort is really an attack on Whigs and Dissenters. There are a few notations in reference to passages in the well-known minister's Primitive Tories, and there is a large amount of contemporary byplay that makes the poem doubly tiresome to a modern reader. The reply of the Jesuit is happily brief.

1719

No. 57 h

Ovid in Masquerade. Being, A Burlesque upon the xiii' Book of His Metamorphoses, containing the Celebrated Speeches of Ajax and Ulysses. Designed for the Entertainment of those who had rather Laugh and be Merry, than be Merry and Wise. [Mottoes] Hor. [and English unsigned] By Mr. Joseph Gay. London: Printed for E. Curii, in Fleetstreet. 17 iç. Price One Shilling. John Durant Breval. pp. 1-48. o.e. Travesty of about first four hundred lines of Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book X I I I . Preface contains: " A s for the Subject, perhaps I was unfortunate in chusing this Part of Ovid above all others, for in my Mind 'tis much more difficult to keep up the Spirit and Mirth of Burlesque in long uninterrupted set Speeches, such as Ovid's, than in most other Parts, (which I have hitherto observ'd) of other Authors." [A3] An argument summarizes the war before these speeches.

296

ENGLISH BURLESQUE

POETRY

The soaring Dons of Greece sat down Like Cross-leg'd Taylors on the Ground, Whilst paultry Ragamuffins stand, With Bodies bow'd, and Caps in Hand: Ajax, mean-while, in Fight well skill'd, When aided with old Basket-hilt, Like a great Tun, came tumbling thither, See'ng Folks engag'd by th' Ears together; And rolling round his glaring Saucers, 'Twixt Hawk and Buzzard, bellows, Oh Sirs! [Opening, p. 1] For over a thousand lines the coarsening procedure has sway. The original is amplified considerably, and numerous anachronisms are used. Though the poet was by no means an ignorant man, this travesty is not easy to read through. Several footnotes on each page give the lines from Ovid that formed the basis for the burlesque. Adver. in Post Boy, Dec. 18-20, 1718, and a second edition in Daily Post, Feb. 6, 1721, as "the Force of Eloquence illustrated . . . Merrily translated into Burlesque Verse. 1719

N o . 58

Snuff A Poem, By Mr. James Arbuekle. Non indecoro pulvere sórdidas. Hör. Edinburgh, Printed by Mr. James McEuen and Company for the Author, and to be sold by Mr. James M'Euen Bookseller in Edinburgh, and by the Booksellers in Glasgow, 171g. [Β.M.] James Arbuckle. pp. 1-32. h.c. Mock-heroic. Dedication " T o His Grace John Duke of Roxburgh." To Snuff the Muse her grateful Homage brings, And feels that Inspiration which she sings. Nor let the humble Theme be thought profane, Too low a Trifle for the Poet's Strain. [Opening, p. 1] O Snuff, do thou my Box abundant fill, And so supply thy Poet's Want of Skill; Largely thy pungent Particles dispense, And set a keener Edge upon his Sense, Brisk Seeds of Life through all his Nerves diffuse, And to thy Bard at once be Theme and Muse [p. 2]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

297

Snuff aids the poet's "sleeping Mind," The foundring Muse revives, she mounts on high, Frisks in the Air, and curvets in the Sky, With Ease the Bard rings round the sounding Chimes, Pleas'd with the Toil of coupling ready Rhimes, And does not longer wildly foam and puff, Champing the Jingle — He's relieved by Snuff. What tuneful Odes to thee, O Snuff belong, To whom he owes the Musick of his Song! [pp. 5-6] The parson also benefits because " ' T i s Snuff that keeps the suffering Flock awake." The citizen interested in politics At proper Intervals his Snuff-box draws, Sucks up a Pinch, and makes a solemn Pause.

[p. S]

And it helps the belle. With Snuff the beauteous Celia shades her Face, And adds a Foil to ev'ry obvious Grace. Her Lips o 'erspread with dusky Figo, speak The brighter Colours on her lovely Cheek; Nay, underneath the tawny Shade they wear, The Lips themselves more beautiful appear.

[pp. 9-10]

The velvet mask was once the article of artifice which the ladies used to hide their native charms; the vizor gave place to patches, which became symbols of party. Now snuff supplants patches. To grant a short Recess from Talk and 1"ea, And help the tedious live-long Hours away, To give the thoughtless Sex a thoughtful Look, By Chance at Work, or poring on a Book: For this alone, were this its only Use, The gentle Belles the modish Dust should choose.

[p. 15]

The receptacle for snuff claims attention — its material, its use in Society, and the designs artfully traced on it. The snuff-box greatly aids the beau and reinforces his cane: His Hand so well supply'd with proper Means, At every Period, to recruite his Brains.

[p. 17]

The power of the divine dust over brave and strong people is marvellous, and its place in commerce is considerable. In short, snuff is one of life's

2g8

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

greatest comforts, and the poet wishes to be linked with it even in death. A n d when to death shall yield this mortal Frame, (For die it must, tho' never shall m y Fame;) Where the blest Plant in native B e a u t y grows, Commit m y B o d y to its long Repose: There as it moulders, shall it kindly feed, A n d with its Substance cloath the embryo Seed. T h e earthly Parts shall to the Stem adhere, T h e rest exhale in aromatick Air. [pp. 31-32] T h e extravagant tone of adulation and the unqualified praise given such an article as snuff dispel any idea that our poet was serious. Snuff did have a very important place in the life of the day, but this author had a sense of irony. His comparisons and descriptions are on a large scale, entirely too large for the subject unless a burlesque intention be granted. T h e poem is too long by one-third at least, but it is not unskilful. Some passages, particularly the one on vizors and patches, should be welcome to the social historian. Reprinted with minor changes and without the author's name in London, 1732; this was adver. in Gent. Mag. and Lon. Mag., N o v . , 1732. T h e article on Arbuckle in the DNB calls attention to Snuff as " containing some curious information respecting the snuff-taking and snuffboxes of the time."

1719

No. 59

Tauronomachia: or a Description of a Bloody and Terrible Fight Between two Champions, Taurus and Onos, at Gresham-College. [Motto] Mart. lib. Sped. London: Printed for Tho. Bickerton, at the Crown in Pater-Noster-Row. 17iç. Price three Pence. pp. 3-6. o.e. Hudibrastic. T h e poet cites the example of Homer in " T h e Humble T a l e of Frogs and M i c e " (quoted above, p. 187). Therefore I beg, Oh darling M u s e ! B u t once thy kindly W a r m t h infuse; Whilst I describe a bloody Fight Betwixt an J ss and Bull of M i g h t : Assist with thy Poetic Vein T h i s Once·. A n d hang me if I write again.

[p. 3]

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299

Onos makes claims to science and sets up as physician. He and Taurus meet to talk of matters of physic. An encounter develops in which all handy missiles are used and from which Taurus emerges the generous victor. This short poem is devoid of merit. Its interest when written and printed must have been partly due to the personalities involved. The verse is no better than the ordinary Hudibrastic couplet, and there is nothing amusing in incident or character.

1720

No. 60

The Bottle-Scrue. A Τale. [in] Poems on Several Occasions. Dedicated to the Reverend Dr. Delaune, President of St. John's College in Oxford. By N. Amhurst, sometime of the same College, facta est Alea. London: Printedfor R. Francklin, at the Sun in Fleet-street. M.DCC.XX. Price Τwo Shillings. Nicholas Amhurst. pp. 1 0 5 - 1 1 8 . o.e. Mock-heroic with Hudibrastic elements. The Patten, Fan, and Petticoat, Three modern Themes of special note, In parlous rhimes immortal live, If rhimes immortal life can give; The Mouse-trap in sonorous lays Transmits thro' ages Taffy's praise; While still unsung in pompous strains, Oh! shame! the Bottle-scrue remains, The Bottle-scrue, whose worth, whose use All men confess, that love the juice; Forgotten sleeps the man, to whom We owe th' invention, in his tomb, No publick honours grace his name, N o pious Bard records his fame, Elate with pride and joy I see The deathless task reserv'd for me. [Opening, pp. 105-106] Roger, the jolly country vicar, at a party gets his thumb caught in a bottle when he tries to force the cork down. It is necessary to break the bottle, much to the churchman's chagrin and the laughter of the spectators. That night in a dream Bacchus appears to Roger and shows

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

him a corkscrew and the way to use it. Bacchus and Roger partake of a bottle opened with this excellent tool until His Deity reel'd home to heav'n, And master Roger wak'd — at sev'ti.

[p. 115]

Roger sets about producing the wonderful instrument that has been thus divinely revealed. The poem ends on a note of mock grandeur. By me shall Birmingham become In future days, more fam'd than Rome, Shall owe to me her reputation, And serve with Bottle-scrues the nation.

[p. 118]

The burlesque type in the present case is especially hard to determine. The short couplet, with feminine rhymes and some lowness and lewdness, is a vote for calling the poem a Hudibrastic. But the declaration in the first paragraph, the nature of the subject, the intervention of a god, the absence of more pronounced Hudibrastic features — these are seemingly sufficient to throw this piece into the class called mock-heroic. The poet cites poems of a more or less mock-heroic character that concern inventions and was probably trying to follow the lead of the famous Mouse-Trap·, perhaps it was through the influence of the tale, so often cast in octosyllabic couplets, that the present form was used. Thus this poem is a curious mixture. A second edition of the Poems on Several Occasions appeared three years later. The Bottle-Scrue, "London, Printed, and Dublin, Reprinted," was separately published in 1732.

1720

No. 61

Cynegetica; or, The Force and Pleasure of Hunting: An Heroi-Comical Poem, In Τwo Canto's. Containing several comical Incidents, and diverting Episodes. The Second Edition, with Additions. By H. Morgan, of the Inner-Tempie, Gent. [Motto] Pooly's Transi, of the 18th Epist. of Horace. London: Printed for W. Chetwood, at Cato's Head in Russelstreet, Covent-Garden. 1720. [See below] H. Morgan, pp. 7-46. h.c. Mock-heroic. Preface. After discarding themes of love and war the poet proclaims, " L e t Hunting then . . . The chosen Subject be." Nor will the object of the hunt be buck or fox,

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS But we're for Hares, and only Hares in Search, Strong lusty Hares, such Hares as are in March,

[p. 1 1 ]

Say then, my Muse, in Epic Numbers show, What Praise, what Glory to that Hare is due! That lusty Hare, which kept for one whole Day The fam'd Sir Roger and his Dogs in P l a y : Say too, what prompting Impulse did excite Into the glorious Chace the worthy Knight?

[p. 12]

The story is composed of two episodes: the killing of poultry by Rogue, the dog kept by Bess, one of Sir Roger's tenants, and the hunting of the hare, in which many people join and out of which much excitement and exercise grow. The chase is described at some length and Sir Roger's enthusiasm played up throughout. Notwithstanding the declaration of epic numbers, the division into cantos, the sub-title of "Heroi-Comical," and the occasional use of epic comparisons and classical allusions, the mock-heroic character is not so pronounced as it might be. The poem, on the whole, smacks a great deal of the tale type and has a slight resemblance to the " A r t o f " type. The verse is smooth enough and the story interesting enough (though a trifle long-winded), but the air of incongruity is not present sufficiently to make this a thoroughgoing burlesque. I am indebted to Mr. J . B. Keogh for the use of his copy.

1720

No. 62

An Elegy on a Lap-Dog. [in] Poems on Several Occasions. By Mr. John Gay. Volume the Second. London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, at Shakespear's-Head in the Strand, and Bernard Lintot, between the Temple-Gates in Fleetstreet. MDCCXX. John Gay. 32 lines, h.c. pp. 397-398. Mock-elegy. Shock's fate I mourn; poor Shock is now no more, Y e Muses mourn, ye chamber-maids deplore. Unhappy Shockl yet more unhappy Fair, Doom'd to survive thy joy and only care! [Opening, p. 397]

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Celia is asked to find comfort in a lover; the poem ends on a note of praise for Shock. The tone of playful grief is rather well created. He's dead. Oh lay him gently in the ground! And may his tomb be by this verse renown'd. Here Shock, the pride of all his kind, is laid; Whofawn'â like man, but ne'er like man betray'à. [ρ· 398]

1720

No. 63

A Match at Foot-Ball: a Poem. In Three Cantos. [Motto] Vida. Dublin: Printed for the Author, I γ20. Matthew Concanen. pp. 9-42. h.c. Mock-heroic. I Sing the Pleasures of the Rural Throng, And Mimick Wars, as yet unknown to Song, Whilst on Weak Wings uncommon flights I Soar, And lead the Muse thro' Tracts untry'd before, Y e Sylvan Maids, be present to my Lays, Inspire my Numbers, and my fancy raise. [Opening, p. 9] The first canto is taken up with descriptions of the members of the two teams, the six men of Soards and those of Lusk. In the second old Hobbinol starts the game, which is treated in all its vigor and rapidity. Flora takes a hand and enlists the aid of the Zephyrs on the side oj Lusk. Daniel despairing of his promis'd Prize, Jumps up, and strives to stop it as it flyes; They to avoid his Fury, upward soar; Till past the Goal, their pond'rous load they bore: At this advantage all the Forces pause, And the Field eccho's with the loud applause. [p. 26] Pan becomes indignant at this and reprimands Flora; after she protests Pan determines to have his sad story repeated. He has had experience in the game of football. In the last canto the story is told at some length; it is about the love of a satyr for a country lass, who is turned into a tree from which Pan wears a wreath. At this tale Flora melts in pity and allows the game to proceed with chance or merit the deciding factor. Paddy and Terence have a mix-up, then "between them all,

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS Flies to and fro the repercussive ball." Pan.

303

But Terence wisely prays to

The God consents — One kick he softly stole, And with the other drove it thro' the Goal.

[p. 40]

With the victory of Soards Terence claims Norah as his bride. As a mock-heroic this offering by Concanen is for the most part a failure. The spirit of irony, broad or light, is faint; the poem is much too serious. T h e description of the players and the recital of Pan's sad love affair are conventional and tedious. The account of the game in progress is the most interesting part. There is no particular point in the story: Pan is just as guilty of unfairness as Flora. The selection of such a subject, the character of several passages, and the deliberate denomination of the poem as "mock-heroic" may lead one to include it in this type. It would be permissible to call it merely a description of a game and its players and a narration of two love tales. Printed in London the next year as A Match at Foot-Ball; or the Irish Champions. A Mock-Heroic Poem. Included in Poems, upon Several Occasions. By the Author of, The Match at Foot-Ball, Dublin, 1722, and Miscellaneous Poems, Original and Τranslated, By Several Hands. Published by Mr. Concanen, 1724.

1720

No.

64

Phaeton: Or the First Fable Of the Second Book of Ovid's Metamorphoses Burlesqud. Edinburgh: Printed in the Year M.DCC.XX. [B.M.j William Meston. pp. 3 - 3 2 . o.e. Travesty of Phoebus-Phaeton incident in Ovid's Book I I .

Metamorphoses,

Sol's Mannor was a pretty good House, But meaner far than Haly-rood-house; The Walls rear'd up of Lath and Plaister; 'Tis good Gear that contents the Master. [Opening, p. 3] Phaeton asks if his mother is honest.

Phoebus

pulling off his H a t , Said, " B y my Soul, believe't who list, A better Wench yet never pist Than was thy Mother."

[p. 7J

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

To put Phaeton out of doubt his father tells him to ask for anything he likes. Quoth Phaeton, " I love to ride, Then Father only let me guide Your Hackney-Jades, and until Night About the World drive Day-light."

[p. 8]

Phoebus of course dissents and wishes he "had a Toleration To swear with mental Reservation." He tells his son the difficulties involved and even accuses him of thinking of stopping at taverns. On all the Road thou cannot dine, Unless thou eat a heavenly Sign; The Crab, the Lobster, or the Piscis, Or some such paultry Stuff as this is.

[p. II]

The coach is mentioned, and circumstances attending its making are described. Phoebus had discovered the infidelity of Venus and Vulcan had rewarded him. Aurora is painted as the mistress of Phoebus. The Sun-God smears oil on Phaeton's face "'Gainst all Sun-burning" and gives him instructions not to drive too high for fear of burning the "Sign-posts of the S k y " and thereby disturbing the astrologers, or too low for fear of tanning the ladies' faces.· The boy starts, but the lack of weight in the chariot causes the steeds to run away. The "heavenly Cattle," the Bull and Lion and Dog and Serpent, are greatly disturbed. The Fish then swam away with speed, I cannot say but they had need, Nor could Aquarius relieve them, His boiling Water more did grieve them; Parboil'd they lay now in the Gutter, They'd made good Sawce had there been Butter. Phaeton is "in a sad Pickle," In this perplexing Firie-farrie, And unexpressible Quandarie.

[p· 23]

[p· 24]

He wishes he had dared To prove his Genealogy By dangerous Astrology.

[p· 24]

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305

He drops the reins and the team plunges through the universe so that " N o w the Earth begins to fry." Mother Earth upbraids him, and Jupiter smites him. So here's an End of this fine Story, Judge ye if Phcebus was not sorry.

[p. 32]

This travesty is really rather interesting. No opportunity is lost to make the well-known story appear in familiar dress, and the vulgar spots are not too frequent. Utilized as the ninth tale in Old Mother Grim's Tales in Wm. Meston's collected works of 1767.

1720

No. 65

A Song. Burlesqued. [in] The New Miscellany: Consisting of Poems and Translations from Ovid and Horace; with a Song, Most humbly Inscribed to an Old Woman. Scribere Jussit Amor. London: Printedfor T. Bickerton, at the Crown, in Pater-Noster-Row. ιγ20. (Pr. 6d.) 12 lines, h.c. pp. 6-7. Parody of "Song," pp. 5-6. The song, addressed to Sylvia, advocates worship of love and disdain of the world's opinion. The parody, addressed to Ned, upholds instead wine and scorns women and society; some of the phrases of the original immediately strike the eye. The ending is thus: Leave them with their amorous Fables to forge, But fail not to meet thy old Friend at the George. [p· 7]

1720

No. 66

The Story of Cinyras and Mvrrha, in Burlesque. [in] A New Miscellany of Original Poems, Translations and Imitatiom. By the most Eminent Hands, Viz. Mr. Prior, Mr. Pope, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Harcourt, Lady M. W. M. — Mrs. Manley. &c. Now first Publishedfrom their Respective Manuscripts. With some Familiar Letters by the late Earl of Rochester, never before Printed. London, Printed for T. Jauncy at the Angel without Temple Bar. Iγ20. Price Js. pp. 39-54. o.e.

3O6

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Travesty of Myrrha-Cinyras story in Ovid's Metamorphoses,

Book X.

For shame be gone, Maids, young and stale, IΊ1 up and tell a frightful Tale, I would not for a Bag of Gold, It should be said, ye heard it told. Myrrha is treated as if she were a modern harlot. The 'Versal World ne'er saw before, So odd a Humour in a Whore. Why, certainly the Devil's in ye: Your Stomach. Myrrha, sure is queazy, If none, nor all of these can please ye.

[Opening, p. 39]

[p. 40]

[p. 41]

One of her arguments is that of the practice of some nations where daughters and fathers " L a y Higgledee Piggledee all together"; this idea she got from "A Book that in the Parlour lay." Her attempted suicide is by means of her garters, but they break and thus frustrate her hanging. The Nurse suspects her of pregnancy. The narrative ends with the translation of Myrrha into a tree. A Tree whose Tears lament her Shame, And from our Myrrha takes its Name.

[p. 54]

The whole unfortunate incident of misguided passion, which in Ovid is dealt with in so restrained and sympathetic a fashion, is here twisted and debased at every turn. The classical version is carefully followed, but the tone is completely altered and the result is a disgusting, unconvincing narrative.

1721

No. 67

A Description. In Imitation of Milton. Humbly Inserii'd to the late Translator of Virgil. [Motto] Hor. [in] A Miscellaneous Collection of Poems, Songs and Epigrams. By several Hands. Publish'd by T. M. Gent. Vol. II. [Motto] Mart. Dublin: Printed by A. Rhames, IJ21. pp. 54-58. b.v. Parody of Milton's style.

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307

Of Man's important Business, and his Work Of Nature, late and early, ev'ry Day, Sing, my Pierian Muse; in Numbers sweet As is my Subject, voiding all thy Wit Uncostive, flowing forth in happiest Strains. [Opening, p. 54] The lowest possible subject, a description of a toilet and the process of purging, is clothed in high diction with some Miltonic tricks. Very seldom does the poet lapse into a plain word; he has been successful in putting his subject in high-flown form but not in writing an amusing burlesque. " T . M . " is probably T. Mosse, who may have merely edited the volume. The piece was called The Bog-House and added to Serious and Cleanly Meditation upon a House of Office, 1723, and was included in Miscellaneous Poems, Original and Translated, By Several Hands . . . Published by Mr. Concanen, 1724, pp. 198-204.

1721

No. 68

On the Death of Ranter. A Mock-Poem. In Imitation of a Certain Modern Elegy On the Death of [Motto! Virg. [in] Poems on Several Occasions. [Motto] Hor. London: Printed by S. Richardson for the Author. MDCCXXI. Jonathan Smedley. 38 lines, h.c. pp. 165-167. Mock-elegy. Mourn! all ye Fields, and change your native Green; Spring Rosemary, where Roses, once, were seen. Mourn! all ye Woods; mourn every shady Grove; Grief be your Scene, as, once, your Scene was Love. Hist! noisy Birds! Y e rougher Blasts, too, cease, And only fan the melancholy Place. Hist! Eccho; or else gentlest Murmurs learn, And in soft Breezes, smoothest Sighs return. Let every Tree bow down his drooping Head; Ranter\ alas! your dearest Ranter, 's Dead! [Opening, pp. 165-166]

3O8

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

The death of the dog is celebrated in this extravagant, emotional manner. The following well catches the best mock-elegiac tone: No more you'll hear the Dog's delicious Cry! No more you '11 eccho't thro' the gladden'd Sky. No more the Chace, so swiftly, run you '11 see; No more you '11 sport in seeing Ranter flee; He's gone! the Joy of every Stream and Tree! He's gone Where-e'er he ran, beloved of the Place; He's gone! of all the Pack the only Grace! [p. i66j Also in Smedley's Poems on Several Occasions, 1730, pp. 165-167.

1722

No. 69

The Kite. An Heroi-Comical Poem. In Three Canto's. [Motto] Hor. de Art. Poetic. Oxford: Printed by L. Lichfield, I J 2 2 . Phanuel Bacon, pp. 1-31. h.c. Mock-heroic. Dedication. Cupid is jealous of Dian's powerful beauty. In her boudoir he finds her copy-book, That taught Her Words a Sable Hue to wear, And bid 'em Please the Eye, as well as Ear. In Virgin Order the Coy Letters move, Nor Modest know the closer Ties of Love; Yet not the Chief, that boasts a flourish'd Train, (The Rolling Beauties of a Hasty Pen) With all His gaudy Ornaments cou'd Please More than the simple Elegance of These. [pp. 5-6] Various letters of the alphabet, led by A "Sirnam'd the Great" are gracefully described. The canto ends with the discovery of the lady at the lyre singing, and the subject of her song is given in a series of "Why's," ending What certain Ills succeed, if Crickets call, Why States, and Saltsellars together fall.

[p. 8]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

309

Cupid offers to exchange his bow and quiver for her book. Upon her consent a Thousand Loves descend, And round the Fair with busy Zeal attend; Amongst 'em ONE, whom long Experience blest With a Mechanick Head above the Rest. [p. 1 1 ] This gifted spirit is the occasion for a series on " H e " and begs Cupid's bow of Dian for a kite to trail her "Labours thro' the wond'ring Skies." The Little Loves, not Idle by her Side, For various Works the Manuscript divide.

[p. 14]

But the " Volume fails," and Hermes in a dark full-bottomed wig appears with Parliament Acts to serve as a tail for the machine. Thus "on the BIRD Decrees of Nations hung" and Dian adds a lanthorn. Then Cupid institutes the game of leaping over the candle. The story of the vestal Nancy is briefly told. The last canto opens with Cupid's sentiment about the necessity for a favorable wind. A Love departs for the cave of winds; description in terms of love follows. To ¿Eoi he addresses a plea and discloses the power of the gift. "When future Passions shall thy Breast invade, Be this the Present to the Fav'rite Maid; It's Sheet unfurl'd, reveals a Scene of Gold, And Love in Ambush lies in ev'ry Fold; Soon as Her Hand these fainted Altars raise, The Nymph, not vainly, with my Arrows plays; This ever shall new Thoughts of Thee suggest, And bear Thee to Her Lips, and waft Thee to Her Breast." [p. 26] The messenger's request is granted, and Cupid directs the operation of flying the kite. Alas! Juno " S a w CUPID's Bird, saw CUPID's Joy with Pain! " and sends Iris, who "reach'd the String, and clos'd the fatal Sheers!" Thrice was the baleful Raven heard to croak, And Hollow Groans from Heavy Echo's broke! Schreech-Owls around the dire Event foreshew, And Cynthia from the Mournful Scene withdrew! NIGHT, silent, bore It Blazing thro' the Air, And deck'd Her Mantle with the Rising STAR. [p. 31]

3io

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

There are many points here in common with The Rape of the Lock·. the atmosphere of the feminine world, the attendant sprites, the trip to the cave, the fatal use of the shears, and the final transfiguration into a star. The Kite is by no means a servile or idle imitation; we have here one more case of a masterpiece that shows the way and brings forth inferior but not unworthy successors. Bacon's poem shows much skill and is most pleasant reading. Given the rules of this game in versifying, he has produced a rather charming piece. It is not prolix and does not suffer from unwelcome digressions. There of course is no profound characterization, and the social satire is at a minimum. The Kite is all it hoped to be — a delightful heroi-comical poem of compliment, full of ingenuity and ease. Reprinted in 1729, in the miscellany edited by Concanen, The FlowerPiece, 1731, as the first item, and in the Gentleman's Magazine, May, June, July, 1756. I have been unable to locate a copy under date of 1719; the authorities for that year as the date of first publication are Watt, DNB, and Gent. Mag., June, 1756, X X V I , 303. Halkett and Laing give 1729 with DNB as source! Bacon was born in 1700, and I am inclined to believe that the date 1719 is an error (perhaps through confusion with the edition of 1729) which once made has been repeated. This assumption gains strength from the following manuscript note, which is also valuable for its suggestion of a connection with no less a person than Alexander Pope. Against y® South Wall is γ", following Epitaph, composed by y®. Rev"? Phanuel Bacon. M.A. Fellow of Magd. Coll. & Son to M r . Bacon, Minister of St. Laurence's in Reading, Berks. N B . This P. Bacon publish'd from Leonard Lichfield's Press, Oxford, in 1722, 8 vo — The Kite. An Heroi-Comical Poem. In 3 Canto's; For wch he rece'd in a Letter M r Pope's Thanks, his Alteration of some Lines — [Bodl. MS. Rawl. D.682 f.34] Richard Graves, Recollection of Some Particulars In the Life of the late William Shenstone, 1788, p. 89, mentioned The Kite as one of the imitations of The Rape of the Lock·, it "in its day, was much admired," "written in smooth rhyme, and well conducted." A. F. B. Clark, Boileau and the French Classical Critics in England, 1925, p. 227, points out an unacknowledged debt in The Kite, p. 4, to Le Lutrin, I, 57-68.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1722

No. 70

The Parish Gutt'lers: or, The Humours of a Select Vestry. [Motto] London: Printed in the Year MDCCXXII. Edward Ward. pp. 3-64. o.e. Hudibrastic. As Nations oft by cunning Knaves, Are made consenting Fools and Slaves, And tempted by delusive Arts, T o wrong themselves, with willing Hearts, Till Poverty creeps on at last, And minds them of their Follies past, Who then too late behold the Craft And Fraud of those they 've rais'd aloft. [Opening, p. 3] So "Select Vestries" oppress the poor and humble, and misuse for selfish purposes the money in their trust. They take in as one of their number such a spirited, keen objector as Demetrius. The practices and characters of each of the vestry are given at length, with several illustrative episodes. But those that take the Rule upon 'em, O' th' Parish, till they 've half undone 'em, From Satyr must expect no more Kind Usage than they give the Poor: Such selfish, surly, greedy Sots, Whose craving Guts and thirsty Throats Swallow one half of what's collected T o ease the Wants of the dejected.

[p. 63]

This poem illustrates the movement of the Hudibrastic poem away from the indirectness of burlesque towards the " humours " type. But the nature of the verse greatly aids in the ridicule directed at the offending vestrymen.

1723 The Knight. [Motto] Persius. William Meston. pp. 1 - 1 1 1 .

Printed in the Year o.e.

No. 71 MDCCXXIII.

Hudibrastic. Dedication " T o Somebody" signed "Quidam." Preface: " A n d since the Follies of Mankind are to be encountred, as well as their grosser Vices; they have not been deficient nor unsuccessful in this, but have

312

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

shew'd themselves both wise and lucky, in combating these with the proper Weapons of Burlesque and Ridicule." [*2] " I f M e n will be ridiculous, w h y should they deny the World the Freedom of Laughing at them? A n d if deaf to Reason, w h a t other M e t h o d remains but Ridicule? M r . Butler excels in this w a y , in his immortal Hudibrass; whom it can be no greater Crime to imitate (tho' 'tis in vain to expect to come up to the Pattern) than it was in Virgil to copy afte [ w ] Homer, and our Modern Poets, to propose the Ancients for their E x a m p l e . " \_*iv\ In the invocation to a " winesome " M u s e there is a passage on rhym e : Help me to Sense and to a Crambo, T h o u know'st good Latin still in ambo, T h o ' m a n y of our Readers think T h e Rhime is good if it but clink; F o r as a Ship, when under Sail, Is manag'd by the Helm her Tail, Just so the Rudder of a Verse, Is the last Syllable in its A — e . Which makes some for a clink dispense, W i t h w a n t of T h o u g h t , and want of Sense, A n d rather than abuse the Meter, Fall out with T r u t h , and even maltreat her.

[p. 2]

T h e invocation ends thus: C o m e buy m y Epick I assure y o u O f Spleen and Vapours it will cure you, A n Epick, say you? that's too vain, Y e a Sir I mock a lower Strain.

fp. 3]

A t the end of the proposition the poet tells us that a second canto (which is definitely proposed also at the end of the poem) will narrate the destruction of churches b y the knight's roisterers. T h e name and pedigree of the Presbyter are given; a long description of his attire is followed b y sections on his learning, qualities, abilities, activities, beliefs, all of which satirize this pillar of the K i r k and the K i r k itself. T h e knight has a squire and a sister, but there is practically no action in the poem until another character is introduced. H e had a strange amphibious W i g h t , A L a y , or Ruling-elder height, W h o was his Valet, Groom and D r a y m a n , B u t neither Clergyman nor L a y m a n ;

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS A sort of K i r k Hermaphrodite, In whom two genders did so meet, H e seem'd to have them both, or rather, For many Y e a r s , the Reformation O f old Shoes was his Occupation.

313

[p. 89]

T h e knight and Roger quarrel over the former's power, and the dispute culminates in a lively exchange of compliments. T h e closeness of Meston's work to Butler's is fairly obvious: the object of the satire is a pedantic, hypocritical pulpiteer; description and dialogue far outweigh the action; there are many borrowings from Hudibras, including the famous " E c c l e s i a s t i c k " couplet, and one mention of Hudibras himself. M u c h learning is on display (some of it in footnotes, fortunately), but it is fairly well fused with the rollicking style. T h o u g h without the strokes of genius that create real Butlerians, The Knight is jolly reading and death to the Scotch Puritans. There are many shrewd hits, often indelicate to be sure; on the whole, the poem is barely good enough tc warrant a fleeting comparison with its model, which is higher praise than can be offered the average Hudibrastic of the period. T h e writer of the article on imitations of Hudibras in the Retrospective Review, 1821, Vol. I l l , dwells on Meston's indebtedness to Butler and says: " T h e author of Hudibras certainly did not bequeath him his mantle, but he has managed to pilfer some scraps of it, with which he has patched his thread-bare plaid. Meston, however, is decidedly superior to the common herd of Hudibrastic writers, and his propensity to plagiarism is the more to be regretted, as he possessed wherewithal to subsist respectably without it." [pp. 329-330] William Walker, The Bards of Bon-Accord 1325-1860, Aberdeen, 1886, p. 140, sums up: ' " T h e K n i g h t ' is a somewhat incoherent, fragmentary mélange, without apparent plan or story: a string of j e r k y , flippant, witty abuse, directed at the head of Presbyterianism as seen through the distorted optics of the ultra-Tory and Jacobite poet." Walker, however, quotes liberally to prove the wit. Reprinted in The Poetical Works of the Ingenious and Learned William Meston, Edinburgh, 1767; this version claimed to be the sixth edition, with the title, The Knight of the Kirk: or, the Ecclesiastical Adventures of Sir John Presbyter. T h e B . M . copy has a note on the titlepage stating that there was an edition with this title in 1728, and Curii advertised it in that year in the Compleat Key to the Dunciad. T h e editor of Pitcairne's Babeli, a Hudibrastic satire on the General

314

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BURLESQUE

POETRY

Assembly of 1692, thinks that Meston appropriated large portions for The Knight·, see the edition of Babeli for the Maitland Club, Edinburgh, 1830, xiii n. 1723

N o . 72

The Louse-Trap: a Poem. In Imitation of the Mouse-Trap. Sequiturque Patrem non possibus aquis. Virg. London: Printed for T. Warner, at the Black-boy in Pater-noster-Row. 172J. (Price Four-Pence) pp. 3 - 1 2 . h.c. Mock-heroic. Long have I wish'd renowned Heroe's Praise T o sing, and thence immortal Glory raise; Such as to them is due who celebrate, In lofty Numbers, Actions truly great; Whose grateful Lines let future Ages see T h e Worth of those, who did from Monsters free T h e harras'd World, and g a v e it Liberty. N o w is the time! ye Muses all descend, A n d to an Irish Bard your aid extend; T h e Subject of his Verse, not less than that, Which heretofore, ye grac'd in Virgil's G n a t ; Such as has Oldsworth's N a m e (to Cambria dear) M a d e famous, for her best beloved Cheer: Cheese, rescued from the Jaws of hungry Mice, A n d Taffy's Glory taking thence it's rise. [Opening, pp. 3-4] A description of the louse and its activities on the body (including the head of the tailor) is well given. T h i s many footed Monster now to quell, T h ' assembl'd Taylors met, their Seat is Hell; A Place so term'd by Wags, because the Store Therein conceal'd must come to light no more. There ragged Cloaks, and Breeches thread-bare worn, Wastcoats, and Doublets, all to tatters torn; Into the stolen H e a p are tumbled b y , A n d Scraps of various Cloath in strange Disorder lye. Where as they cross-leg'd sat, each scratch'd his H e a d , W i t h looks expressive of his Smart and Dread.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

315

At length arose a Man of shrew'd Device, Filch-Cloth by name, Filch-Cloth who in a trice Could steal a Snip; none better skill'd than he To save a Remnant; none so dextrously Could pilfer, for as common Fame does tell, Where others stole an Inch, he stole an Ell.

[p. 6]

This tailor addresses the company on the theme of exterminating the vermin. Thus when he, like an Orator, had said, A Louse abruptly came and nip'd the Thread Of his Discourse;

[p. 8]

but the creature is captured. Filch-Cloth recounts how his wife pulled him by the hair and so gathered a host of lice; he proposes to contrive some sort of trap. He is of course applauded. The meeting adjourns. Now Filch-Cloth, mindful of his great Intent, Sat down to make the promis'd Instrument. (He could not well forget, for at his Ear There sat, and prick'd him on to persevere A faithful Monitor) with anxious Care And studious Pains he brought at last to bear, His well weigh'd Project, finishing what some In scorn a Louse-Trap call, but more a Comb. [pp. 1 0 - 1 1 ] The tailors are jubilant and change Filch-Cloth's name to "PrickLouse." Many a reader would estimate this imitation as fully as enjoyable as the poem imitated. The louse on the bodies of tailors is of less importance (except to the tailors) than a national scourge of rodents and is a less dignified subject, but the manner of the actual invention of the mouse trap is considerably more revolting than anything in The LouseTrap. The anonymous poet closed his work before his wit ran dry, a lesson not learned by all his brethren in rhyme. (For The Mouse-Trap, see Chapter VII, Section E.) Adver. in Daily Journal, Feb. 8, 1723.

3I6

ENGLISH BURLESQUE

POETRY

1723

N o . 73

On The Death of a Lap-Dog. [in] Poems on Several Occasions. [Motto] Hor. London; Printed in the Year M.DCC.XXIII. [B.M.] Jonathan Smedley. 40 lines, o.e. pp. 1 2 1 - 1 2 3 . Mock-elegy. Erigone, Celestial Maid! Kindly impart thy Virgin Aid: And Mara, Star! so burning bright! (Her Favourite once, her Lap-delight) To Dony due, accept the Verse, And help to grace my Dony's Hearse. [Opening, p. 121] Dony the dog is greatly favored, and his death constitutes a major calamity. His Eyes so large: His Ears so long! His Manner Beau; and Belle his Air: Mottled and curl'd his lovely Hair. . . . Bred Tip-Top: free from odious Flea; Cou'd take a Pinch; or relish Tea. [p. 122] Despite the eight-syllabled couplet, which here has no Hudibrastic tricks, the mock serious tone is indubitable. The "Dear, Melittean Animal" was after all only a lapdog. In Smedley's Poems on Several Occasions, 1730, pp. 1 2 1 - 1 2 3 , and Miscellaneous Poems . . . Published by Mr. Ralph, 1729, p. 256. I 7 2 3 (?)

N o . 74

The Patch. An Heroi-ComicalPoem. In Three Cantos. [Motto] Hor. By Mr. Hauksbee. The Second Edition. [in] The School of Venus: or, the Lady's Miscellany. Being, A Collection of Original Poems and Novels relating to Love and Gallantry. [Motto] Dryden. The Second Edition. London: Printed for E. Curii, at Pope's Head in Rose-Street Covent-Garden. MDCCXXXIX. Price 6s. [B.M.] Francis Hauksbee the younger, pp. 23-40. h.c. Mock-heroic. The signed dedication is to "Mrs. Mary Richers. An Oxford Lady," "Queen's Coll: Oxon. 1724."

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

317

Say, gentle Muse, whence all this mighty Care, To form the Silken-Orb, and blot the Fair\ Say, why a Cupid with a Cloe strove, And why a Cloe with a God of Love. [Opening, p. 23] Cupid complains to his mother of Cloe's usurpation of his power. In vain, Mamma, shall all my Arrows fly? Shall all receive their Fate from Cloe's eye?

[p. 24]

Cupid then invades the belle's boudoir only to be repulsed. To ^ o l u s he goes and asks the God of the Winds for a boon. Do Thou, for once, a Cloe's Neck assail, Rude on her Breast, compel her to conceal, The Iv'ry there, beneath the Linnen Veil.

[p. 29]

This mission unsuccessful, the Boy next goes to Apollo and requests in vain: Make her from sultry Heat defend her Face, And shut the Blush within the Sable Case.* Cloe eclips'd, the World shall own my Nod, And while her Beauty's hid, Obey the God. * The

[p. 30]

Mask.

Canto I I : at Oxford Cloe reigns, much to the disgust of Belinda, who conspires with Cupid against this queen of love and beauty. She gives him a gnat and receives rewards. Cloe has premonitions, but the dreadful deed is done. Y e slender Beings, that delight in Air, And made the Goddess from her Birth, your Care, With melting Force the God of Love asswage; Shall Cloe sleep, and Cupid wake to Rage, Shall Innocence like Her si — It is decreed, And Visions speak the meditated Deed. Between the Finger and the Thumb of Love Confin'd, the Fly, for glorious Freedom strove: Then go, he cry'd, thy Liberty regain, But fix in Cloe first the tingling Pain. The flutt'ring Insect panted for the Food, Grew to her Cheek, and surfeited on Blood. [p. 35]

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Canto I I : Cloe awakes. Something she felt, but ignorant what Ail, What sawcy thing provok'd her forward Nail. The Pimple grew, she rose, she saw, she swoon'd, But Lucy's Aid preserv'd her from the Ground, [p. 36] She indulges in a loud wail of distress and despair for the loss of her beauty. The gods give ear and Cupid relents. The patch, designed by Juno and improved by Venus, is the cure. The Frame was finish'd by the God of Day, H e taught it how to heal, and how to slay.

[p. 38]

The world is now happy, and the poem concludes with directions about wearing patches. This graceful burlesque reminds the student at once of the Rape in the employment of supernatural beings, the power and calamity and salvation of the heroine, the gentle air of whimsicality, and the general interest in feminine adornment, and of the invention genre, which was so amply represented in that day. As a mock-heroic trifle (the last two cantos occupy only ten pages) it is an excellent example of the sort of thing that could be done with a deliciously small subject in a charming setting, with deities and beauties dominating a realm of love and gallantry, with a catastrophe that is not one and a hatred which by way of "conceit" is really love and compliment, and with a great pother over — patches and the bite of a gnat! Adver. in Even. Post, Aug. 29, 1723, as issued with The Wild Wedding. Adver. in Curll's Miscellanea, 1727.

1723

No. 75

The Pettifoggers. A Satire. In Hudibrastick Verse. Displaying the various Frauds, Deceits, and Knavish Practices, of the Pettifogging Counsellors, Attornies, Solicitors and Clerks, in and about London and Westminster, and all Market Towns in England. With Characters of the Chief of Them. [Motto] Hudib. London: Printed for A. Dodd at the Peacock without Temple-Bar. MDCCXXIII. (.Price Six Pence.) PP· 3~3°· Hudibrastic.

o.e.

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319

In ancient Days, when Times were good, And Men lov'd Peace and Neighborhood, When all with one another bore, None were deem'd either Rogue or Whore; No Frauds, Deceits, nor Under-dealing, Nor Publick Thefts, no Private Stealing, No Jars, nor Discords, e'er were known, In City, or in Country Town; Then was Old England free, at least, From Lawyers as from Rav'nous Beast. But since those Times, the Case is alter'd, (Tho' Pettifoggers none are Halter'd) For now in ev'ry Town and Village, Where Plowmen only Dwell for Tillage, There Ply alas! a Baker's dozen Of Pettifoggers, all to Cozen. [Opening, pp. 3-4] The attack on the lawyers of various degrees of knavery is direct and not bad Hudibrastic stuff. The pamphlet is also valuable for light on the day.

1723

No. 76

The Rape of the Bride; or, Marriage and Hanging go by Destiny. Containing A Poetical Flight upon Rapes, the Story of Rogeria, with the Humours of a Fortune-Teller, giving Proofs how Old Women become Young Ones; describing the Passions, and Uneasiness of Lovers, the Marriage Ceremony, and subsequent Diversions: Also setting forth the whole Plot, and by whom concerted and contriv'd: Together with a certain Declaration at Length, the Manner of the Trial, and the learned Arguments us'd pro and con, by the Council, explaining how far Evidence ought to be credited, and upon what Account Men wou'd be hang'd as soon as marry'd. A Poem Hudibrastick, in 4 Canto's. With an Epistle Dedicatory to the Fair Sex. Nuda Veritas, nec erubescit. London Printed, and Sold by J. Peele at Locke's Head in Pater-noster Row, 1723. Price 6d. pp. 7-48. o.e. Hudibrastic. In the " E p i s t l e " : " I f they find any Unevenness in the Lines, it is by Reason of their coming out of a Hudibrastick Loom. The Thread of the Poem is interwoven in a Burlesque Manner; but carries a Softness at the same Time; which Way of Workmanship will (for the Ladies Com-

J20

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

fort) never be out of Fashion." [iv-v] Each canto is prefaced by an Argument. I Sing the Rape of an Old Woman, The Story's true, the Thing's Uncommon. [Opening, p. 8] The full title serves as a summary. The Belle-Dame, though old, has youthful thoughts and goes to a conjurer, who foretells matrimony. She finds a lover, but he tries to divert love's malady by books, wine, and company. Betrothal and marriage follow; the bride is, however, the next morning spirited away. The plot to find the husband guilty of rape is unsuccessful; the trial concludes the story. Such topics as necromancy (Canto I), the scholar (Canto II), and lawyers and courts (Canto IV), are the most important serious matters burlesqued. Madam, says he, l've bent my Fancy To studying of Necromancy, 'Tis in my Power to discover The Thing you want so much — your Lover: I '11 turn my Books o'er all, at Leisure, And study how to do you Pleasure. These Words so work'd upon her Temper, She dropt a Curt'sy, with a Simper. The first Experiment, I '11 try To calculate Nativity·, The next Experiments shall be Physiognomy, and Palmestry·, Then, tell the Meaning of your Moles, From Tip of Head, down to your Soles. Next, I shall give you some short Schemes, How to interpret certain Dreams. Madam, at this, began to twitter, For nothing cou'd more patly hit her. [p. 12] The passages on the scholar-lover are clever. Had conn'd all Lessons, learnt all Rules. Cou'd tell what's Latin (on a sudden) For bak'd in Pan, or Bag-boil'd Pudding. Cou'd toast a Health, and bring it pat in, Sentences interlard with Latin·, Cou'd cook up, out of hand, Disputes, With nice Greek Phrase, or Hebrew Roots.

[p. 18]

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OF BURLESQUE POEMS

321

In softest Laies his Muse cou'd smile, Or joke in Hudibrastick Style. After his liberal Education, He thought of Wife, for Conversation; Then, Scholar-like, intense he stood, And, being in a merry Mood, Wou'd conjugate himself, — he wou'd! Quo' he, t'himself (upon Reflection) There's no declining Inter-jection, Nor a Conjunction·, so, I'll place you, With Feminine Gender, gignendi casu.

[p. 19]

T h e Hudibrastic quality of the verse is clearly shown by the type of couplets, the many feminine and some split rhymes. There are frequent Latin lines and phrases, and allusions to figures of mythology. T h e last canto is the dullest, but some of the burlesque is not badly done and is of course reminiscent of Butler. A certain amount of snap and turn will carry along a fairly sympathetic reader. Despite the title no debt to The Rape of the Lock can be found.

1724

No. 77

Armour. An Imitation of the Splendid Shilling. [Motto] Virg. By the Reverend Mr. Kennet, Son of the late Bishop of Peterborough. [in] The Potent Ally: or, Succours from Merryland. With Three Essays in Praise of the Cloathing of That Country ; and the Story of Pandora's Box. [Motto] Hor. To which is added, Ε Ρ Ω Τ Ο ' Π Ο Λ Ι Σ . The Present State of Bettyland. [Motto] Fishbourne. The Second Edition. Paris, Printed by Direction of the Author, and sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster. ι J41. [B.M.] White Kennett the younger (?). pp. 1-8. b.v. Mock-heroic. After an admonition or invitation to loose women to attend, and the invocation to Venus, and the declaration of the subject, which is that of a contraceptive device, the imitation of The Splendid Shilling becomes apparent. Happy the Man, who in his Pocket keeps, Whether with Green or Scarlet Ribbon bound, A well made C m.

[p· 3]

2,11

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

The miseries of the man with social diseases are stressed, and the inventor of the "armour" is extolled. Philips's poem is followed closely, but of course the chief object was to write a salacious poem. However, there is some adroitness. Philips was much more in mind than Milton, though it is possible to call this poem a Miltonic parody. Adver. in Even. Post, Nov. 10, 1724.

1724

No. 78

The Fire. By the Same. Focus perennis esto. [in] Miscellaneous Poems, Original and Translated, By Several Hands. Viz. [List of names] Published by Mr. Concanen. Sparsa eoegi. London: Printed for J. Peele, at Locke' s-Head in Pater-noster-Row. MDCCXXIV. N. Brown, pp. 16-21. b.v. Parody of Milton's style. Happy the man, who void of Care and Strife, In Chamber well adorn'd, or Garret vile, Enjoys the Rays of a consoling Fire. [Opening, p. 16] But the poet, "depriv'd of all the Joys of Life," " I n Coverlet involv'd," does not enjoy the cheer and comfort of a fire or of beer. Sometimes he goes to a neighboring room and beguiles the time with talk and antics. At length heat and liquor bid his fancy soar and he sings "in great P H I L I P S ' pleasing Stile." But the "short-liv'd Bliss decays," and the poor poet "must again ascend The frigid Regions of my bleak Abode." The poem ends with a comparison: the prisoner just set free on parole drowns his former cares with his friends until the time when he is returned to his cell and his woes. This is perhaps more of an imitation of Philips's poem than a parody of Milton at first hand. In such cases it is difficult to tell whether Paradise Lost or The Splendid Shilling was supreme as the poet's inspiration. The best passage here is probably the one that describes the unwelcome wind: Benumb'd by bitter Hyperborean Blasts; Blasts, which with bold Intrusion dare invade Th' aerial Limits of my high Abode:

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323

Here, as in fam'd Molían Caves of old, They rustle dreadful, and with sweepy Sway, Bear off the Tegument; whilst tortur'd thus, With Imprecations dire, Loud as their Mouths, and blust'ring as their Blasts, With Shirt, or Doublet, I repair the Breach. [pp. 17-18]

1724

No. 79

Hesperi-neso-graphia: or, a Description of the Western Isle In Eight Canto's. By W. M. [Motto] Juvenalis Sat. Pri. Dublin: Printed by andfot [sic] J. Carson, and W. Smith, at the Dutchess's-Head, in DamesStreet, 1724. [B.M.] William Moffet or Walter Jones, pp. 3-52. o.e. Hudibrastic. In Western Isle renown'd for Bogs, For Tories, and for great Wolf-Dogs, For drawing Hobbies by the Tail; And threshing Corn with fiery Flail. Where Beer, and Curds, for Truth I tell it, Are made without a Pot, or Skellet, And without Pan, and Kettle, Or anything that's made of Mettle. [Opening, p. 3] Gillo the hero is thoroughly described and his descent dealt with ludicrously. I could as well trace out the Blood Of Gillo up to Noah's Flood, As British Authors who pretend That they from "Trojans did descend; But that would be a tedious Task, Therefore your Pardon I must ask, And leave't, to be perform'd by Some Tracer of Antiquity. [p. 6] A feast is held at the home of Gillo and Shuan; a free-for-all fight is the logical terminus. The descriptions have at times considerable spirit. The hero's Jacobitism is of course a matter of satire. Reprinted Dublin (1750?), London, 1755, Monaghan, 1814. The poem is sometimes known as The Irish Hudibras because the 1755 edi-

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tion had this for a leading title. D . J. O'Donoghue in his biographical dictionary, "The Poets of Ireland, Dublin, 1912, cites issues in London of 1735 and in Dublin of 1791. H e is, moreover, practically convinced of Jones's authorship. 1 7 2 5 (?)

N o . 80

A Christmas Box for Namby Pamby, or, A second part to the same Tune. [Motto] Hör. [B.M.] Jonathan Swift (?) 66 lines, s.c. single sheet. Parody of A . Philips's style. N o w the D a y is almost peeping, W h a t ! is N a m b y yet a sleeping? Prince of all harmonious Jingle, Whether double, whether single, A n d of soft bewitching Numbers, Gently causing gentle slumbers.

[Opening]

N a m b y is asked to compose a Christmas carol with food as the subject. Several of Philips's lines are used. Those and other themes we meet, D a i l y passing thro' the Street; Gently tag'd with gentle Rhimes M u s t Amuse the Gentle times, A n d make up a Deal of Verse, F i t for N a m b y to Rehearse. Adequate criticism in parodie form. Attributed to Swift b y F. Elrington Ball, and reprinted as A p p . X V I in his Swift's Ferse, 1929. 1 7 2 5 c?) Doctor Anthony's Poem in Praise of the Pox. 40 lines, h.c. single sheet.

N o . 81 [B.M.]

Mock-heroic. Great POX, thou noble Sire of the Gout T h a t lurks in Holes from whence M a n k i n d came out Greatness to thee, but Justly is assign'd, Since thou rules that which governs all Mankind. [Opening]

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325

The sovereignty of the terrible disease is lauded, and its moral effect is not slighted. There is little doubt that the poet was not serious, but the effort is vile and worthless from any point of view.

1725 (?) A Lady's Answer to Mr. Ambrose Philips's Poem. [Motto] 80 lines, s.c. single sheet.

No. 82 [B.M.]

Parody of A. Philips's To the Honourable Miss Carteret. Bloom of Wit, and choicest Flow'r Of the Muses Blissful Bow'r; Thou, of Jove the fond Delight, Brightest Offspring of the Bright.

[Opening]

E're, in the Poetick Strain, Thou exert thy Manly-Reign, Readers absolute to keep A wake, or kindly Lull a sleep . . . And the Smoothness of the Numbers, Witchingly inviting Slumbers; And the Sense that finely shews, Thin as thinnest Blossom blows. The ideas and phrases in the original are very adroitly turned against the poet himself, and the echo of the offending strain enhances the amusement.

1725 Namby-Pamby:

No. 83

or, A Panegyric on the New Versification. Nauty Pauty Jack-a-Dandy, Stole a Piece of Sugar-Candy, From the Grocer's Shoppy-shop, And away did hoppy-hop.

tin]

Poems on several Occasions. By H. Carey. The Third Edition, much enlarged. London: Printed by E. Say, MDCCXXIX. Henry Carey. 98 lines, s.c. pp. 55-61. Parody of A. Philips's style. A broadside of the poem [B.M. pressmark, 839. m. 23 (186)], perhaps of 1725, has " B y Capt. Gordon, Author of the Apology for Parson

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Alberony, and the Humourist." Cf. Namby Pamby's Answer to Captain Gordon, No. 84. Namby was appended to A Learned Oissertation on Dumpling, 5th ed., 1726, 7th ed., 1727, without hint of authorship. See 'Times Literary Supplement, 1930, pp. 166, 298, 318, 352, 394, 434, for correspondence by F. T. Wood, Mary G. Segar, and A. E . Case concerning Namby-Pamby and A Christmas Box [No. 80]. For fuller treatment see Chapter IV, Section C.

1725 (?) Namby Pamby's Answer to Captain Gordon. 45 lines, s.c. single sheet.

No. 84 [B.M.]

Parody of A. Philips's style. Nymphlings three, and three, and three, Daughters of Mnemosynee, thrice and thrice, and thrice again, I invoke your Virgin Train; As ye make up Nine in all, Just so often do I call Haste and help me, fly with Speed, Namby never had more need, Ev'ry Bardling now throws Dirt On my Numbers quaint and curt.

[Opening]

This is an ironical answer to the broadside of Namby-Pamby issued over Gordon's name. Philips is exposed by his own complaint and a characterization of his own style — a clever mode of attack. See how many Scriblers teize me! Scriblers Irish, Scriblers English, Rhyming rough, and chyming jinglish, Lev'ling all at me their BUT, Cut, and cut, and cut, and cut, All because my verses are, Witty, pretty, debonaire. . . . Little Subjects I will chuse, Fairy Words, and fairy Muse. Ands and of s and thats and its, Forming verse in little Bits.

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327

Minced. Poems I will make Criticks then their hearts will break, That they may the more be vext Flies and Fleas shall be my next.

I725 (?)

No. 85

Namby Pamby's Lamentation, For the Departure of Mr, No-body. 56 lines, s.c. single sheet. [B.M.] Parody of A. Philips's style. Must He then alas depart, I shall surely break my heart, He goes, he goes, behold him going, With his Scullers all-a rowing Brushing Neptune's hoary whiskers, Than a Sunday Cobler brisker. A satire on Philips's attentions to Lord Carteret and a mock lamentation on the departure of the Carterets and Namby's resultant grief. The last seven couplets are entitled "Chorus of Poetasters." One of the least clever of the sheets that took up Philips's refrain.

1725 (?)

No. 86

A New Poem Ascrib'd to the Lady who wrote the Answer to Mr. Philips' s Poem on Miss C 1 [Motto] [B.M.] 62 lines, s.c. single sheet. Parody of A. Philips's To the Honourable Miss Carteret. The Witling of the witty Race Painter with thy Colours grace, Draw her Forhead round & high Imitate her lovely Eye.

[Opening]

The praise of a young lady is turned into a lascivious picture. Many of Philips's words are lifted. The parody is poor.

1725 (?)

No. 87

A Poem by Doctor Young, on Miss Harvey a Child of a Day old, in Imitation of Mr. Philips's Poem on Miss C——t. [B.M.] 28 lines, s.c. single sheet.

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Parody of A. Philips's To the Honourable Miss Carteret. Little Girl in Swadling Cloaths, Mother's Eye and Father's Nose; Little Mouth whereon a Row, White and Even Teeth, will grow, And the dimple in the Chin, Just beginning to begin. . . . And the Taper leg and Thigh, And what is and will be by For which a Thousand Swains will dye. . . . May her Days be peace and rest Like her happy Parents blest. And may they my Cares to drown Give the Poet half a Crown. A clever take-off marred by several instances of coarseness. Appeared in a miscellany, The Flower-Piece, 1731, pp. 183-184. 1 7 2 5 (?) A Poem Upon R Jonathan Swift.

r a Lady's Spaniel. 54 lines,

s.c.

No. 88 [B.M.]

single sheet.

Parody of A. Philips's To the Honourable Miss Carteret. Happiest of the Spaniel-Race Painter with thy colours Grace, Draw his Forehead large and high Draw his Blew and humid Eye. [Opening] Similar to No. 86, but the spaniel is the subject and there is less of the sexual. This parody is more skilful than many of those on Philips's little flam.

1725 (?)

No. 89

A Satyr on Miss Ga -fny by The Little Beau, in Imitation of Mr. Philips. [B.M.] 48 lines, s.c. single sheet. Parody of A. Philips's style. Signed " B . W." Proper, slender, not too Tall, Beautiful and fair withall,

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS W i t h Black E y e s so clear and bright Pleasing each Beholders sight. A lustful description without parodie merit.

1726

No.

90

Advice from Fairy-Land. An Imitation of our Present Irish-Poetry. Inscrit'd to the Poetasters of Dublin. But more Particulary, several Reptiles of Ί". C. Being K. Obérons Declaration. [Motto] Varrò Oper. Deperd. Dublin: Printed by G. N. and R. D. in Dame-Street. 1726. 78 lines, s.c. single sheet. [B.M.] Parody of A . Philips's style. Little Lads of Dublin T o w n , Dangling in a D i r t y Gown On your short iambick Feet T h r o ' each Lane and thro each Street.

[Opening]

A f t e r some satire on the petty poets of the day Oberon issues a command that this small scribbling cease. T o you, ye pigmy Poets I Prince of the Pigmyest P y g m y ' s fly, A n d Command you quite to quit T h i s Laconick fit of W i t , For to me without Dispute Appertain all things Minute. Minute, Metre, Dapper W i t T i n y Thoughts! which bit b y bit, Fuming from a Nutshell Brain, Form the Genuine Fairy strain? A n d I warn ye o're and o're In Epitome to write no more W i t h o u t Knowledge, without Reading, W i t h o u t Sense, and without Breeding, N o u g h t amusing, nothing Pleasing, N o , no, no, nothing but Teising. T h e "Prohibition " (in decasyllabic couplets) and the " P e n a l t y " follow. T h e poem is perhaps as much a burlesque on a vogue as on the poetry of Philips, who started the vogue; it is impossible to know the author's minute intention. T h e parody is interesting for its ideas rather than for its skill.

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Appeared as " K i n g Oberon's Edict" in Alexanderiana, added to Gulliveriana: or, a Fourth Volume of Miscellanies, 1728, pp. 337-340.

1726

No. 91

The Assembly. An Heroi-Comical Poem. In Five Cantos. By Mr. Richard Barford. London: Printed for B. Lintot at the Cross-Keys between the Temple-Gates in Fleet-street. 1726. (Price One Shilling.) Richard Barford. pp. 1-54. H.c. Mock-heroic. The preface gives a good explanation of the source and purpose. " T h e following was occasioned by the Loss of a Lady's Handkerchief, and is true only in that particular, and in the description of the Ladies. As to the Machinery, I cou'd not imagine any more suitable to the Subject than that which is used by Mr. Pope, in his Rape of the Lock. In this, and in the conduct of the whole Poem, the Reader will easily see how much I am obliged to that ingenious Gentleman." [A3] Barford quotes from the Comte de Gabalis on the four kinds of spirits of the elements and sensibly adds, " In the Episodes, Descriptions and Speeches, I have endeavour'd to keep up to the design of my subject, and the characters of the persons; and as there are a great many things that must appear trivial to a great many Readers without this consideration, and particularly the Speech of Ariel in the third Canto, of the Fairies, I beg the Reader to judge of those parts by the scope and design of the whole, as also to observe this maxim, which Mr. Pope gives us in his Essay on Criticism: In every Work regard the writer's end, Since none can compass what they ne'er intend."

[A4-A4P] Say, ye recording nine! blest Maids that rove Thro' Pindus' shades, or Windsor's vocal grove, What mighty cause, what secret pow'r in fate, Cou'd join two Ladies in the bands of hate. Say what event the fatal contest crown'd, When Beaus engag'd, and Ladies conquer'd round; For you best know the rage without controul, And all the sallies of the female soul. [Opening, pp. 1-2]

Whilst others are happy at ombre and tea, guarded and helped by their sylphs, Flavilla sits pensive; her vapors are inspired by the gnomes, who are led and addressed by Umbretto. This chief of the gnomes and gnomids explains to Flavilla his powers and deeds. He alludes to

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS The silver bodkin fam'd Belinda wore, And the bright for/ex that 'fhalestris bore.

331 [p. 7]

And it was he who with the fatal Scissars arm'd the fair, And urg'd the Chief to seize Belinda's hair.

[p. 8]

He warns her " t o beware this night, Nor slight the dictates of thy guardian sprite." In the second canto Euphelia is described, and she is addressed by her guardian nymphs. The next canto concerns the fair assembly itself; Ariel discourses to his sylphs and recounts the history of the handkerchief from which Flavilla gets her power of conquest. Inspir'd by this she ev'ry heart beguiles, Kills with her frowns, and ruins with her smiles. Sacred to Pride, no strength its pow'r withstands, Sacred, and safe from sacrilegious hands.

[p. 26]

Ariel sends a sylph to the Temple of Pride. The airy Queen, and each attending Pow'r, To bid Melinda s charms yet higher rise, And crown her beauty with the glorious prize.

[p. 26]

In the fourth canto this sprite ascends to the "gilded Dome of Pride" (one is reminded somewhat of Chaucer's Hous of Fame), which is well described. The Queen grants the request and " E'en now Flavilla feels the future wound." Euphelia compliments Melinda on her beauty, but the latter declares in favor of love. The last canto opens with a pleasing picture of the dance. The various gnomes and sylphs assemble for the battle. Euphelia captures the prize, and Flavilla rages at the great loss of the handkerchief. A general mêlée follows, which is of course partly allegorical. Ariel captures the trophy " Sacred by fate to fair Melinda's praise." The poem ends on a repetition of the subject, From the least cause what num'rous ills may spring! What cares, what tumults from the slightest thing! [p· 53] This is as close an imitation of Pope's masterpiece as it could well be without becoming servile. There are the five cantos and a striking similarity in length; the machinery is even more prominent than in the Rape but not different; the very names are reminiscent, "Belinda" becoming "Melinda" and "Umbriel" "Umbretto"; the trip to the region of Pride recalls that to the Cave of Spleen; the battle scene is happily imitative; the rape of the handkerchief is not emphasized, but it is the

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central incident; the speeches of Ariel and of Umbretto play a large rôle. But the differences between the Rape and this successor are easily remarked: men are hardly considered in the plot; the rape itself is somewhat subordinated to the theme of Pride versus Love; there is no account of a game such as ombre; the story is different in many ways and is handled differently and far less logically and lucidly. Some social satire is present here, but the bold strokes of Pope, particularly his anticlimaxes and antitheses, are lacking. Barford has caught not a few of Pope's stylistic tricks and has captured some of the charming atmosphere so necessary to a production of this type, but in every particular The Assembly, though not bad in itself, can be only a feeble rival to its famous progenitor. For Pope's displeasure at Barford's adoption of the sylph machinery, see Elwin-Courthope Pope, I I I (1881), 246 n.

1727 The

No. 92

Bowling-Green.

[in]

Occasional Poems, Translations, Fables, Tales, &c. By William Somervile, Esq; [Motto] Ρ heed. London; Printed for Bernard Lintot, at the Cross-Keys between the Τemple-Gates, Fleet-street. M.DCC.XXVII. William Somervile. pp. 67-80. h.c. Mock-heroic. The green is carefully prepared for play. Now when each craving Stomach was well-store'd, And Church and King, had travell'd round the Board, Hither at Fortune's Shrine to pay their Court, With eager Hopes the motly Tribe resort; Attorneys spruce, in their Plate-button'd Frocks, And rosy Parsons, Fat, and Orthodox: Of ev'ry Sect, Whigs, Papists, and High-flyers, Cornu ted Aldermen, and Hen-peck'd Squires: Fox-hunters, Quacks, Scriblers in Verse and Prose, And Half-pay Captains, and Half-witted Beaux; On the Green Cirque the ready Racers stand, Dispos'd in Pairs, and tempt the Bowler's Hand: Each polish'd Sphere, does his round Brother own, The Twins distinguish'd, by their Marks are known. As the strong Rein guides the well-manag'd Horse, Here weighty Lead infus'd directs their Course.

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333

These in the ready Road drive on with speed, But those in crooked Paths more artfully succeed. So the tall Ship that makes some dang'rous Bay, With a side Wind obliquely slopes her way. [pp. 68-69] The physician Bendo, "More dang'rous than the Porcupine's his Quill," plays against Zadoc, "imperious Priest, Still late at Church, but early at a Feast." The lawyer Griper (" tho' he lost his Cause, he sav'd his Fee") engages the sportsman Nimrod, who wins in dramatic fashion. Details of the game are carefully given. This poem has the qualities of both a gentle burlesque and a facetious description. The ordinary reader may well become interested in the progress of the match and in the "characters" of the protagonists. There are some excellent satiric strokes. An interesting comparison might be made between Somervile's Bowling-Green and his other poems on sport, and also Addison's Sphceristerium.

\ηιη

No. 93

The Drinking Match. An Imitation of Chevy-Chace. By the Duke of Wharton. [in] Whartoniana: or, Miscellanies, in Verse and Prose. By the Wharton Family, and Several other Persons of Distinction. Never before Published. Volume I. London: Printed in the year, IJ2J. {Price Ss.) [Β.M.] Philip Duke of Wharton. 116 lines. abab,8686. pp. 19-26. Parody of Chevy Chase. God prosper long our noble King, And likewise Eden-hall, A doleful Drinking-Bout, I sing, There lately did befal. To chase the Spleen with Cup and Can, Duke Philip took his Way; Babes yet unborn shall never see, Such Drinking as that Day. [Opening, p. 19] The Duke and Sir Musgrave vow to spend three nights in drinking; Earl Harold is offended that he was not invited and challenges Wharton to settle the affair with bumpers. Many a pint goes round and many a gallant gentleman falls. At the last Harold is worsted, and his opponent bemoans such a fate. Beloved retainers take up the struggle; when they succumb, their lords receive the bad tidings.

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Forgetting all contemporary references and what may have been intended as satire on drinking, any reader who knows the older ballad may enjoy such a clever parody. Though shorter than its original, The Drinking Match parodies very closely in places, and is indeed clever. It was, of course, necessary to change the matter of the kings of England and Scotland at the end. The strong swing of Chevy Chase is neatly used to further the robustiousness of a drinking bout. Printed separately in Edinburgh and in Dublin, 1728 and 1729.

1727

No. 94

'The Shoe-Heel: a Rhapsody. By Mr. Mitchell. [Motto] Hor. London: Printed for Tho. Astley, at the Dolphin and Crown in St. Paul's ChurchYard. 1727. [Bodl.] Joseph Mitchell, pp. 1-56. b.v. Mock-heroic. Dedication " T o the Right Honourable The Lord Viscount Killmorey." For passage in " T h e Bookseller to the Readers," see pp. 43-44. The poet curses styles in shoes: For, (wonderful to tell !) as stradling o'er A Log, that high above its Fellows rais'd Its Head inglorious, sudden slipp'd my Foot, And, from my Shoe, its Heel attendant forc'd, Deplorable! A Step of Danger full!

[p. 2]

Then comes a tribute to Killmorey. Yet stop, my Fancy — the Idea pains: 'Tis better far, that I the Danger 'scap'd, Exulting: Ev'n my Ancle is unsprain'd! Only, like a lame Traveller, o'er the Fields, Darkling, I hopp'd.

[p. 7]

The cobbler Killingsworth mends the shoe, and here the poet digresses in favor of the cobbler who was on familiar terms with Henry VIII. Hadst thou, O P H I L I P S , Bard prodigious! found A Taylor, dextrous as my Cobler, ne'er Had* Verse of thine the horrid Chasm confess'd Of Galligaskins; at which Winds alternate With chilling Blasts, tumultuous, enter'd in. *See The Splendid Shilling.

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335

Oft, as I read thy live Description, Tears My Cheeks bedew; and oft, I curse the Times, And Taste of Men, who suffer'd Thee to sing Thy Woes so rueful. [pp. 13-14] ne'er may my leathern Bag, Or silken Purse, a splendid Shilling want.

[p. 14]

After a panegyric on Killingsworth and the art of the cobbler there is lengthy poetizing on the poet's own situation and preferences. Not satisfied with discussing how he would live, he writes about how he would die. Finally he admits: Thus in continu'd Rhapsody, l ' v e sung, Philipian Verse, unknowing ev'ry Line What next wou'd follow: Inspiration strange! Thus holy Men, in early Christian Times, Careless of a To-morrow, took no Thought What then shou'd happen, and were bless'd of Heav'n. [pp. 55-56] This last passage does seem to express Mitchell's design. The digressions and repetitions were probably part of his scheme, but the selfexaltation throughout must have been characteristic. There is ample evidence, besides the prefatory prose matter, to show that Philips was the model and not Milton, except in spots perhaps. The mock-heroic character of the blank verse is passable, but the poem is much too long and over-padded. Nor is it particularly amusing. Reprinted in Mitchell's Poems on several Occasions, 1729, II, 79-118.

1728

N o . 95

The Alky. An Imitation of Spenser. [in] Miscellanies in Verse. London: Printed for Benjamin Motte, at the Middle-Temple Gate in Fleet-Street. M.DCC.XXVII. [in] Miscellanies. The Last Volume. London: Printed for B. Motte, at the Middle Τempie Gate Fleet-Street. 1727. Alexander Pope. 54 lines. Spen. st. pp. 46-50. Parody of Spenser's style. The descriptive and allegorizing traits in Spenser are seized and embodied in a description of the vilest district and characters (Obloquy,

336

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Slander, Envy, Malice, as fishwives) in any city. The picture is realistic and firmly drawn. Spenserian characteristics of style are not prominent, but that stanza is employed. Warton's objection that Spenser does not abound in filthy images or excel in painting low scenes and that therefore this is not a " true representation of him" has been well answered in the Elwin-Courthope edition of Pope (IV, 425 n.): "Warton's criticisms are strangely beside the mark. This Imitation is merely so called in the sense in which the parodies of the 'Dunciad' are imitations — that is, in fact, a broad burlesque. Pope meant to turn the style of Spenser upside down; and as the Elizabethan poet excelled in describing abstractions with so much 'circumstantial imagery' as to make them resemble paintings, so the eighteenth century satirist gives a mock elevation to the basest realities of life by gravely associating them with allegorical figures, drawn with all the breadth and vigour of Hogarth, and exhibiting their deformity the more plainly under the transparently antique disguise in which they are presented." Beers, History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century, New York, 1899, p. 80, calls the poem " a not overclever burlesque of the famous description of the Bower of Bliss." Elton, Survey of English Literature, 1730-1780, 1928, I, 362, says that this piece shows "the streak of the guttersnipe" in Pope's nature.

1728 The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. In Three Books. Dublin, London Reprinted for A. Dodd. 1728. Alexander Pope. pp. 1 - 5 1 . h.c.

No. 96 Printed,

Mock-heroic. " T h e Publisher to the Reader." The exceedingly complicated bibliography of the poem is treated in R. H. Griffith's " T h e 'Dunciad' of 1728," Modern Philology, May, 1915, X I I I , 1 - 1 8 , in his Alexander Pope: a Bibliography, Vol. I, Pt. I, 1922, and in the Elwin-Courthope edition of Pope's works, IV (1882), 299-311. The fourth book, called "The New Dunciad, appeared in 1742; in the next year the four books were published together. The Clarendon Press issued a bicentenary reprint of the first edition in 1928. The Dunciad Variorum of 1729 was reproduced in facsimile by the Princeton University Press in 1929; the introductory essay is by Professor R. K. Root. For fuller treatment see Chapter IV, Section D.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1728

337 No.

97

The Jealous Shepherd; a Pastoral. [in] The Poetical Works of Mr. William Pattison, late Of Sidney College Cambridge. [Mottoes] Virg. Harte. London: Printed in the Year M.DCC.XXVIII. For H. Curii in the Strand. (Price Six Shillings.) William Pattison. pp. 8-16. h.c. Mock-eclogue. A love-complaint by Bootyslub for Dolly. Ah, Dolly! Dolly! can you be so dull, To leave your Lover for a foppish Fool ? A Butterfly the Cabbages destroys, On you a Butterfly his Breath employs — I say no m o r e — M y Meaning you may guess — Perhaps you had been pleas'd, had I said less.

[p. 9]

He recalls days when he made her jealous, but now he has been superseded in her affections. He has seen his rival winning. Ah Dolly! Dolly! where were all your Vows, When Cheese-Cakes lur'd you to the Tavern-House; Your Vows were as your Cheese-cakes sweet, yet weak ! And can you both alike together break? But if you do s o — You, with equal Ease, Can make new Vows, and Cheese-cakes, when you please. [p. 12] Bootyslub rehearses their courtship. He concludes by determining to go to Cecily and thus make Dolly herself jealous. There is some of the spirit of The Shepherd's Week here, but the poem on the whole would have been better if a few more realistic, anticlimactic, burlesque touches had been allowed. 1728

No.

98

A Tale of Chaucer. Lately found in an old Manuscript. [in same miscellany as No. 95] Alexander Pope. 26 lines, o.e. pp. 44-45. Parody of Chaucer's style. The incident of the clerk hiding the duck which acts ungraciously and prompts the amusing query of the watchful miss, is the subject of one

338

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of the best known pieces of bawdry in the language. Chaucer's reception in the eighteenth century indicates that he stood for the jolly in subject, rough in metre, and obsolete in phrase. Here Pope the young versifier uses a very low situation and adopts a form and diction generally regarded as Chaucerian. The superiority of the Tale of Chaucer over the usual coarse item of the day lies in the really humorous conclusion. I72.9

N o . 99

Bartholomew-Fair: or, a Ramble to Smithfield. A Poem In Imitation of Milton. London: Printed for J. Roberts in Warwick-Lane, and A. Dodd without Temple-Bar. MDCCXXIX. (Price Three Pence.) pp. 3-6. b.v. Parody of Milton's style. " T o the Publisher" signed " J . Β . " : " I believe this is the only Imitation of Mr. Philips' s Splendid Shilling, which is so great a Masterpiece in its kind." Three clerks, Scrowler, Hackero, and Scriblero, take a pleasure trip to Smithfield, where their chief pleasure seems to be a performance of Gay's Beggar's Opera. The scene of the devils in Hell is faintly recalled, but the Miltonic character of the verse is none too clear. 1729

N o . IOO

The Charms of Indolence. Dedicated to A certain Lazy Peer. [in] Poems on Several Occasions. The First Volume. London: Printed for the Author, And sold by L. Gilliver at Homer's Head against St. Dunstan's Church, Fleetstreet, 1729. Joseph Mitchell, pp. 55-66. h.c. Mock-heroic. Thy Charms, O sacred Indolence, I sing, Droop, yawning Muse, and moult thy sleepy Wing. Ye lolling Pow'rs, (if any Powers there be, Who loll supine) to you I bend my Knee: O'er my lean Labour, shed a vapoury Breath, And clog my Numbers, with a Weight, like Death. I feel th' arrested Wheels of Meaning stand: With Poppy ting'd, see! see! yon waving Wand. Morpheus, I own the Influence of thy Reign; A drowsy Sloth creeps, cold, thro' every Vein. [Opening, pp. 55-56]

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339

In an address or encomium the poet proclaims the antiquity of Indolence, who reigned before " the Almighty Fiat waken'd L i f e . " Happy is the man who retreats to her circling arms, and cursed is he whose "Mill-Horse Soul forms one eternal Round." When wiser Beasts lie lost, in needful Rest, He, Madman! wakes, to war on his own Breast. Thoughts dash on Thoughts, as Waves on Waves increase, And Storms, of his own raising, wreck his Peace. [p. 59] Indolence is the best physician, and it can " t h e Sulphur find, That dries this Itch of Action on the Mind." B y Thee, O sacred Indolence, the Sons Of honest Levi, loll, like lazy Drones. . . . From Thee, innumerable Blessings flow! What Coffee-man does not thy Virtues know? 'Tobacconists and News-mongers revere T h y lordly Influence, with religious Fear. Chairs, Coaches, Games, the Glory of a Land, Are all the Labours of thy Lazy Hand. Who does not taste the Pleasures of thy Reign ? Princes, themselves, are Servants in thy Train.

[p. 61] [p. 62]

Diogenes, Alexander, Adam, and Solomon are mentioned. O how I pity those deluded Fools, Who drudge their Days out in bewild'ring Schools! Who, seeking Knowledge, with assiduous Strife, Lose their long Toil, and make a Hell of Life.

[p. 64]

Of course there is a certain amount of satiric purpose behind this poem, personal and general, but the mock tone of praise is ever present. It might be mistaken for a work in praise of a state of mind and body in all seriousness were it not for the many perverted sentiments that give away the author's foolery. The verse is not clogged "with a Weight, like D e a t h " (as the poet besought), and the mock-encomium is pleasantly carried through without a yielding to the temptation of vulgarity, as many another poetaster would have yielded.

1729

No. 101

Clarinda: or the Fair Libertine. A Poem. In Four Cantos. [Motto] Garth's Disp. London: Printed for John Gray, at the Cross-Keys in the Poultry. 172g (Price is.) [B.M.] James Ralph, pp. 1-64. h.c.

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Mock-heroic. After a description of Richmond Hill the death of Clarinda's father is recorded. She is put in the care of a guardian, and finally discovered and wooed by one Raymond. Of course she has never known the joys of a belle's life. A neighb'ring Bard (for ever bloom his Rays) When fair Belinda s Charms adorn'd his Lays, Amid the Pomp of Life describ'd the Maid, Far from the sunny Field, or chequer'd Shade, Plac'd her amid bright Circles of the Fair, And bid a Crowd of Beaux attend her there; Peopled the Air, for her, with Guardians bright, Their fluid Bodies half dissolvd in Light, Sylphs, Sylphids, Genii, the departed Shades Of buried Belles, and long-forgotten Maids, Hover'd around her in the Blaze of Day, Inspir'd her Dreams, as slumb'ring soft she lay, Warm'd ev'ry Blush, improv'd each blooming Grace, And heighten'd all the Beauties of her Face. [pp. 7-8] The poet calls on "an equal Train" to attend Clarinda. With you they roam abroad, your Footstep lead To the cool Fountain, o'er the flow'ry Mead; Pois'd on the Breeze exult in airy Rings, Collect the Sweets from Zephyr's spicy Wings; The mingled Odours of the Spring exhale, And on your Bosom breath the balmy Gale; Perch on the Morning Flow'rs, impearl'd with Dew, And give the trembling Lustre to the Gem below; When, scorch'd at Noon, beneath the verdant Trees, You court the Favour of the absent Breeze, With busy Wing they o'er your Bosom fly, Their busy Wings the absent Breeze supply; Ev'n now the friendly Pow'rs, unseen in Air, Waft all the Lover's Passion to your Ear: Love joins their Labour, and inspires the Strain, Oh! let not love and Raymond plead in vain.

[p. 9]

The lovers' meetings are discovered, and Clarinda's guardian has her watched thereafter. Raymond tries to drown his sorrow. Canto II: There are demons who act as messengers of state; they traverse the world on public matters and dwell at Ρ 1 Η e. They deal in

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341

private tidings too; thus the lovers exchange thoughts. One day as Clarinda walks in the garden she looks toward Augusta and sighs out Raymond's name. Suddenly there appears " t h e 'Semblance of a M a i d , " who advises her to leave off grieving. T h e fairy machinery of Pope is mentioned approvingly; Clarinda calls her suitor but their embraces are brief. T h e mansion " o f Gothick F r a m e " is said to be haunted and certainly has a spectral atmosphere. T h e miser guardian sees the ghost of Clarinda's father, who warns him that she is unhappy. A sylph presents to Clarinda's eye the fraud in the shape of R a y m o n d ; the frightened old man promises her freedom. C a n t o I I I : Winter comes and ushers in the season of Society. Clarinda enjoys being a belle. O f course her wardrobe is luxurious and gay. Nature, and A r t , with amicable Care, Combine to make the Fairest look more fair, Give e v ' r y L i m b a Grace, improve the Mien, T h r o ' all the Sex, from F i f t y to Fifteen.

[p. 37]

T h e countries of the world serve her toilet. Gloves, Ribbands, Patches, Combs, and Jewels lye A n H e a p of g a y Confusion to the E y e ! A b o v e the Glass appears a won'drous Frame O f matchless Virtues, tho' of humble N a m e . [pp. 38-39] T h i s mirror had been shaped by Merlin that his mistress's charms might seem enhanced. Clarinda arrayed is lovely and even haughty. She Seem'd to disdain the Ground, and long to know Some brighter Scene than this dull World below; F a n c y ' d the busy Sylphs around her flew T o heighten ev'ry Charm, at ev'ry View, T ' adjust each random Curl, each straggling Hair, And whisper Praises in her tingling Ear.

[p. 42]

She spurns the crowd of fops, " T h e smooth-tongu'd Flatt'rer, and the whining B e a u , " but when R a y m o n d approaches, her love is evident. ' T w a s Raymond first convinc'd her she was Fair, ' T w a s Raymond freed her from her Guardian's Care; ' T w a s Raymond led her to the gladsome T o w n , ' T w a s Raymond made its various Pleasures known, ' T w a s Raymond gave a Relish to the Scene; Without him all was Tastless, Dull, and Vain. [pp. 44-45]

342

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

" T h e pompous Chariot to the G a t e is r o l l ' d " ; the paintings on it are described, including the love stories of Solomon, Eloisa, Iphigenia, and A d a m . C a n t o I V : T h e Passions are discussed as attendant sprites who hold their empire deep in man's heart. Clarinda gives them free play — Honor, Justice, Virtue, Religion are clogs and burdens. T h i s seen; at once she urg'd her Course along, ' T w a s right to sin, and Fashion to be wrong; Around her fly the little tempting Train, Quicken her Speed, and urge her on amain; T o ev'ry H a u n t of Joy their Pinions spread, B y Sorrow follow'd, and by F a n c y led.

[p. 55]

T h e theatre fails to melt Clarinda, but the concert puts her in a soft mood; whereupon R a y m o n d pleads his case strongly. T h e masquerade in its gaudiness and wickedness is thoroughly described. A trifling, toying, gaming, swearing Throng, T h e Representative of all t h a t ' s W r o n g ! Creatures that shade their Persons, and their N a m e , T ' e n j o y the Sweets of Vice, without the Shame.

[p. 61]

Clarinda in this throng — B y Passion prompted, and by Pleasure led, B y Musick soften'd, and by Flattery m o v ' d —

[p. 64]

blesses R a y m o n d with all her charms, only to be forsaken b y both R a y m o n d and the sylphs. T h e n fled the Sylphs, the little, flutt'ring Throng, T h a t g a y l y led her Virgin Hours along, T h e n fled the Sylphs, and left the sighing Fair, All gloom'd with Sorrow, and distress'd with Care: While Innocence was hers, around they flew, A n d skreen'd her Charms from e v ' r y Gale that blew, Bid e v ' r y M o m e n t , some new B e a u t y rise, Crimson'd her Cheeks, and sparkled in her E y e s ; B u t now no more —· 'Tis Innocence alone T h a t makes their Being, and their Graces known; When Innocence is lost, away they fly, L i k e Guardian Angels to their N a t i v e S k y . [p. 64] Obviously The Rape of the Lock was considerably in the mind of this author as he wrote such a poem on the beau monde. T h e sylphs are

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343

particularly interesting here because of several outstanding passages (for one not given in summary see above, p. 90). This machinery is deliberately light and fanciful and indeed is the best feature of the poem. The poet can be skilful at description, as in that of the masquerade, and some of the couplets are well turned. Toward the end the character of the heroine becomes unconvincing: we are not prepared to see her abandon herself so irretrievably to vice. We sympathize with her and we don't. The ghost trickery is an amusing stroke, and this use of a specter in " the Mansion-House, of Gothick Frame" is early enough to be significant. The social picture is one to be valued. On the whole, Clorinda will repay the casual reader far more than the average production of the day.

1729

No. 102

The Cudgel: An Heroic Poem. In Six Canto's. Inscribed to Sir Robert Montgomery, Bart. [in same miscellany as No. 100] Joseph Mitchell, pp. 66-79. h.c. Mock-heroic. Wake! Wake! my slumb'ring Muse, and soar sublime; No vulgar Subject now demands thy Rhyme: Empire and Arms, those beaten Themes! disdain, And dare be Great in an unrival'd Strain! Cudgel! a Theme unsung by mortal Bard, Whose Form, mysterious, claims no mean Regard, Commands thy Flight, and, partial for thy sake, Will pay kind Criticks for the Pains they take. [Opening, pp. 67-68] Dennis is asked (of all people!) to inspire the lays. So shall Pope's ravish'd Locke its Pride resign, And Hill's bright Star confess a brighter Shine; Cudgel, alone, shall be the Muses' Care, And I, even I ! th' immortal Laurel wear.

[pp. 68-69]

The Muse is invoked to tell whence Cudgel sprang. Some maintain it was "Aaron's budding Rod, By Miracle preserv'd"; another suggestion has it that the staff "was perfect Man, in Days of Yore," But as, according to a noted Sage, Things got new Beings, in a new-born Age,

344

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Our Man, who some three thousand Years lay dead, Came forth a Staff, but with his old-world Head; And Heaven this wooden Punishment assign'd, For his dull Dryness, when of human Kind.

[p. 71]

Sir Robert Montgomery, to whom the poem is dedicated, on his couch bewails " G y a n t Credit sunk to Pigmy Size." He seeks comfort in his nymph and tells her of a precious jewel imbedded in the head of an old staff. He proposes to burst the cudgel's head but is finally lulled to sleep. Cudgel hears this and To the Beds Foot the one-legg'd Mover came: Sullen it stood, and looking, glary, round, Thrice knock'd, with wooden Heel, the trembling Ground. Swift flew ten thousand Sylpheids thro' the Air, From the strange Sight, to skreen their sleeping Care. [p- 76] Cudgel wakes the knight and says that there is no treasure lodged in the wood, Yet wealth, more precious, you possess in me, Than the proud Wish of boasted Alchemy! [p. 77] But what Cudgel wishes to tell the knight "of its wond'rous F a t e " will be told in the sequel after the spirits have taken a short respite. The canto ends with the tag "Hiatus ad Finem usque deflendus," and the other five promised parts are not given. Mitchell's present offering is most strange, perhaps chiefly because it is not self-explanatory. Notwithstanding the obscurity the mockheroic air and subject are obvious, and the references to Pope's poem are interesting.

1729

No. 103

The Dulcinead Variorum: a Satyrical Poem, in Hudibrastick Verse. [Motto] Hudibras. London: Printedfor A. Moore, near St. Paul's. 172Ç {Price Six Pence.) [B.M.] pp. 1-9. o.e. Hudibrastic. Dedication " T o Th s J ge, E s q " ; and a preface containing this statement as to this new kind of title, " T h e extraordinary Success of the Dunciad, Popeiad, &c. makes the Editor think the Dulcinead will be no ways unacceptable to the Publick." [iii]

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345

Several beaux fall in love with a belle of the town, Dulcinea. Their friendship gives way to jealousy, and they suffer lampooning. Some use is made by the satirist of contemporary personalities. The verse is tiresome, and the " R e m a r k s " as footnotes lack sufficient irony to be interesting. One note says that to add a luster a few lines have been lifted from the admired Hudibras. On page 1 the device of the selfconscious rhymester is utilized: " (I want a Rhime)." The opening and closing passages are here quoted: Near Τ b r, as Stories tell us, There liv'd Four clever genteel Fellows Who for one Lady had Affection, But knew not how to make a Section.

[p. 1]

And now l ' v e done, again, if proper, I '11 them attack, but now I '11 stop here, And ease my wearied Muse a while, Who's fully tired with the Toil.

[p. 9]

1729

No. 104

Geneva: a Poem. Address'd To the Right Honourable Sir R W . By Alexander Blunt, Distiller. London: Printedfor T. Payne, in LovellsCourt, Pater-Noster-Rovo; and sold by the Booksellesr [sic] of London and Westminster, IJ2Ç. Price 6d. pp. 15-32. b.v. Parody of Milton's style. The preface makes it clear that the presentment by the Grand Jury of Middlesex against gin was the inspiration of this defense. Thy virtues O Geneva! yet unsung, By antient or by modern bard, the muse, In verse sublime shall celebrate. And thou OW ! statesman most profound! vouchsafe To lend a gracious ear; for fame reports That thou, with zeal assiduous, dost attempt, Superior to Canary or Champaigne, Geneva salutiferous to enhance. [Opening, pp. 15-16] A court of justice is called to decide the quarrel between the brewers and the distillers on the merits of ale and gin, the Genius of the former being Feculento, of the latter Clara. The gathering is a motley one; among others are courtesans and fishwives,

346

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY And youth bare footed, sable vested, who, Hood-wink'd, intrepid, chimney foul ascends, With knees & shoulders climbing, & with brush Uplifted, particles fuliginous Precipitates.

[p. 18]

The demerits and then the merits of Geneva are recited, Clara's appeal taking up the major part of the poem. The ending is a bit abrupt: She spoke. Her golden scales Astrcea, then Uprais'd; in one, Geneva s merits plac'd: The merits of Malt Liquor, t'other held: ' The latter, quick flew up, and kick'd the beam! '

[p. 32]

The imaginary trial may hark back to the Miltonic council of fallen angels, but be that as it may, the subject here is certainly placed in a setting and style much above it. Notwithstanding the fact that the author was making a protest, he could hardly help realizing that he was writing a bombastic blank verse, which at times burlesques the Miltonic rather well. "Alexander Blunt" sounds more like a pseudonym than an actual name. C. A. Moore in "Miltoniana (1679-1741)," Modern Philology, February, 1927, X X I V , 337, calls attention to this piece.

1729

No. 105

Lucifer s Defeat: or, the Mantle-Chimney. A Miltonic. Occasion d by His Majesty's Grant of Letters Patent to Messieurs Fabenê and Campbell, for the sole Use and Benefit of their new and effectual Method of curing Smoky Chimneys: And Dedicated to His Grace the Duke of Devonshire. [Motto] Hor. London: Printed for Lawton Gilliver, at Homer's-Head, over-against St. Dunstan's-Church in FleetStreet. M.DCCXXIX. [Bodl.] pp. 1-8. b.v. Parody of Milton's style. The preface tells us that the triumph of the two patentees at Odsey is to be compared with that of Gabriel and his brethren over Lucifer on the plains of Heaven. "Or, should it seem presumptuous to say so much, (though great Things have been compar'd to small, by Maro as well as me,) I will nevertheless be bold to liken my self to others, who are my Contemporaries, excepting this Difference between us, viz. whereas they generally make Nothing of great Subjects, I endeavour to make Something of Small Ones." The imitators of Milton "present us

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347

with such antique, affected, and forc'd Expressions and Phrases, as make us alledge their Brains are as Smoky as our Chimneys, and stand in no less need of being clean'd." [A20]. Kings, Arms, and Empire, common Themes! the Muse, Transcendent, leaves to Bards of Vulgar Wit, And Fame inglorious. Flights, unknown before, She meditates, Sublime; and, first, attempts The trackless Path of smoaky Chimneys, cur'd By Campbell and Fabené, Artists rare, And deathless Fame deserving! Nor in vain The bold Essay, since their new Method frees The World of Plagues, more direful than the Woes, Which erst, as Poets fable, issued forth, Contagious, from Pandora s Box, accurs'd. [Opening, pp. 1-2] Lucifer expounds to his cohorts the ills he can bring on the world with smoky chimneys. And he has been successful until the heroic invention was tested at Odsey. The names of Campbell and Fabené will be eternal. In spots the Miltonic parody is clever. On the whole, a readable piece.

1729 (?)

No. 106

The Progress of Patriotism. A Tale. [in] Robin's Panegyrick. Or, the Norfolk Miscellany. [Motto] London: Printed for T. Tims, and sold by the Booksellers of London and fVestminster. (Price Two Shillings.) [B.M.] pp. 99-103. o.e. Hudibrastic. Sir Ralph, a simple rural Knight, Could just distinguish Wrong from Right, When he receiv'd a Quarter's Rent, And almost half in Taxes went: He sail'd at Places, Bribes, and Pensions, And Secret Service, new Inventions; Preach'd up the true old English Spirit.

[Opening, p. 99]

Sir Ralph makes a reputation as a reformer and anti-administration man and is sent to Parliament, where he is favored by the Great Man of Power. Sir Ralph shows his smallness by becoming a supporter and

348

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

apologist of "so wise a Ministration." The progress of a plain country girl to a harlot is cited as a parallel. This short satire on wavering humanity and political vanity probably had a direct contemporary application, but the references that are particular are very slight. The Norfolk Miscellany was of course directed against Walpole; it had at least two later parts. The Progress of Patriotism is an example of the Hudibrastic style, softened to be sure, and utilized for short satiric purposes. Poem adver. in Gent. Mag., Feb., 1731.

1730

No. 107

The Art of Beauing: in Imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry. Addres'd To a Certain Lord. By Martinus Gulliverianus. — Risum teneatis Amici? The Third Edition. London Printed, And Dublin: Reprinted by J. Watts, and W. S. Anburey, in Caple-Street; and sold by J. Thompson on CorkHill. M,DCC,XXX. [B.M.] pp. 1 - 1 7 . h.c. Parody of Horace's Ars Poetica in Roscommon's translation. " T o Martin on his Art of Beauing" in twelve lines, signed " C . W." Suppose Belinda painted to a Hair, With her own Face, but with a Neck of Mare, With Wings of ——·, and with a Tail of Ling, Who could help smiling at so odd a Thing ? Such is, my Lord, the Figure of a Beau, Tost out by Fancy, and Valet, for Shew. [Opening, p. 1] Beaux and belles are substituted for poets and poetry with a close following of Roscommon in places. Homer first taught the world in epic verse To write of great commanders, and of kings becomes An Officer first taught the World to swear, From whence we got that pretty modern Air. Why is he honour'd with a poet's name, Who neither knows, nor would observe a rule; And chooses to be ignorant and proud, Rather than own his ignorance, and learn?

[p. 4]

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349

becomes Why is he honour'd with the Name of Beau, That neither would, or does one Fashion know; And chuses to be ignorantly gay, Rather than own he wears an old Τup ee ?

[p. 5]

Consider well the Greek originals, Read them by day, and think of them by night becomes Read Men, as well as Books, by Women bright; Read them all Day, and dream of them all Night.

[Ρ·9] Of course it was not possible to alter every passage, but a surprising number of lines in the burlesque have either the words or the tone of Roscommon's version. Occasionally the change of one word is sufficient to make the sense ridiculous. This treatise on the life of men of mode has a strong satiric element, and it is very likely that the poet had nothing against Horace but rather wished to poke fun at didactic poems, and so chose this " A r t " poem. At any rate, it is a mild burlesque, even though it closely imitates a well-known work with much less dignified material. Moreover, it is a valuable document for its social revelations.

173O

N o . 108

Freedom; a Poem, Written in Time of Recess from the rapacious Claws of Bailiffs, and devouring Fangs of Gaolers, By undrew Brice, Printer. To which is annexed The Author s Case. [Motto] Ovid. At Exon Printed by and for the Author, at his Printing-Office opposite to St. Stephen s Church, in the High-street. 1730. {Price 2s. 6d.) [B.M.] Andrew Brice, pp. 1-120. b.v. Parody of Milton's style. Dedication " T o the Honourable Edw. Hughes, Esq; Judge-Advocate General, & c . " ; " T o the Reader"; "Preface By a Friend"; two complimentary poems to Brice signed Edmund Pearse. Rich Freedom s Joys I sing; unparallel'd Distress and wail of Wretch in dismal Hole For Debt absconding, who perpetual dreads Close Vestigation of Sh'rifFs Blood-hound Cry. [Opening, p. 1]

35o

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

It is impossible to summarize this jumbled mass of bombast; it is permissible to wonder whether well-informed readers two centuries ago could have followed whatever lines of thought the eccentric Andrew Brice could have had. He wanders from one subject to another, but his verse is so insufferably tangled (the exaggerated Miltonic touches help in the confusion) that the reader may quickly be pardoned for not being able even to determine when the subject has been changed. Any specimen will show the madness: Yea, while Celestial Mad-Dog Sirius foams Ignivomous, febrific Breath and sheds, To Phoebus' rather or Medea's Sons And Sextons (Health from Maladies, and Life From Tombs extracting) grateful, he assays Successive Pleasures, Rounds of Mirth, and Change Of recreative and salubrious Toil. [p. 29] Adver. in Brice's Weekly Journal, March 6, 1730, as a poem on the model of The Splendid Shilling (quoted in T. N. Brushfield's Life and Bibliography of Andrew Brice, Exeter, 1888, privately printed, p. 27). Philips was happily dead at this time.

1731

N o . 109

Academicus to Oldcastle. Travesti. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, August, 1731, I, 347-348. 1 1 2 lines, h.c. Parody of "Academicus to Oldcastle. On the Works of the Craftsman" in opposite columns. In the original, compliment is paid to one political viewpoint by way of honoring Oldcastle. The parody, which keeps practically every rhyme, merely perverts each sentiment and contradicts each idea. Thus very close parody serves the ends of political zeal. Whoe'er thou art that in a borrow'd name, Asserts thy country's rights, thy country's fame, The cause of virtue, liberty and truth, Whether made wise by age, or warm'd with youth, Accept this tribute from a bard unknown, Whose breast exults with freedom like thy own

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351

is made into this: Whoe'er thou art, that in a borrow'd name, Miscall'st wrong, right, and infamy,fair fame; Who tak'st the cause of Vice for honest Truth, Whether with age thou doat'st, or err'st by youth; Accept correction from a friend unknown, Who scorns Abuse of freedom, like thy own. [Opening]

1731

No. n o

Answer to the Craftsman's Ballad. From Read's Journal Oct. 2j. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, October, 1731, I, 444. 42 lines, ballad, aabccb. Parody of " Foreign Affairs, A new Court Ballad. Tune of, There was a Bonny Blade," in opposite column. A political attack on " C a l e b " ; the original made the point of the impatience of the country on the subject of foreign affairs. The parody is not strict throughout in form or subject. The Country and the Town Are all impatient grown, Of our "Treaties to know what will come, come, come is perverted into The Country and the Town, Are all so weary grown Of old Caleb's Ribaldry, and Scum, Scum, Scum.

1731

[Opening]

No. I l l

An Epistle from Oxon To the Same. [in] A Miscellany of Poems By several Hands. Publish'd by J. Husbands, A.M. Fellow of Pembroke-College, Oxon. [Motto] Juv. Oxford: Printed by Leon. Lichfield, near the East-Gate, In the Year MDC'CXXXI. pp. 121-128. b.v. Parody of Milton's style.

352

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Whilst You enjoy, near chrystal Isis' Stream, The chearing Converse of delightful Friends, I sigh penurious, solitary, sad, Pensive, of human Solace quite debarr'd. On Thee ten thousand Thousand Joys attend, And bless thy flowing Hours and crown thy Days With Mirth, and Happiness, and endless Peace. [Opening, p. 121]

A description of the joyless life the author lives at Oxford, devoid of physical and amorous comforts. He tells his friend that he is without money and friends. No coins embossed with face of monarch, " N e w Beauties from the Splendid Shilling's rays," jingle in his pocket. This anonymous poet is a slavish imitator of The Splendid Shilling: the same topics are treated, many phrases are incorporated, and the ending is similar except that the simile (of a dog at a turnspit) is much less dignified. The charm of Philips's poem, however, is absent.

1731

No. 112

Harlequin-Horace: or, the Art of Modern Poetry. Tempora mutantur, iß nos mutamur in Ulis. London: Printedfor Lawton Gilliver at Homer's Head against St. Dunstan's Church, in Fleetstreet, MDCCXXXI. Price is. James Miller, pp. 1-59. h.c. Mock-didactic. Preface " t o the Courteous and Ingenious J — η R—h, Esq." " A s Aristotle compil'd his Art of Antient Poetry from the Writings of that then renown'd Ballad-maker Homer." [by] The poem opens with the regular Horatian figure: If some great Artist in whose Works conspire The Grace of Raphael, and a Titian's Fire, Should toil to draw the Portrait of a Fair With Shaftsb'ry s Mien, and Harvey's pleasing Air\ A Shape that might with lovely ^ueenb'rough's Vie, The Smile of Vanbrugh, and a Hartford's Eye, 'Till the whole Piece shou'd like a Richmond shine, One finish'd Form, in ev'ry Part divine. Tho' thus with all that's Justly pleasing fraught, Our modern Connoisseurs would scorn· the Draught. [Opening, pp. 1-2]

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353

T h e poet proceeds to give ironical advice on most of the current literary questions of that day. B y counselling in a fashion opposed to what he really means, he satirizes the faults and hypocrisies of unworthy authors. Horace is given in liberal footnotes, but this inverted Art of Poetry does not satirize him; the burlesque is, then, not so much a parody as a general mocking use of the didactic mould. T h e tone is not always indirect, and thus the poem becomes in places direct satire. Various writers and literary incidents are referred to and sometimes dealt with too lengthily. T h e admonitions are so similar in character that selection is hard, but one passage on the " r o m a n t i c k " merits quotation. Most Readers like romantick Flights alone, And scorn a Poem where Design is shewn; N o r think that any M a n can be a Poet, Unless his frantick Looks, and Actions shew it. I f therefore you would gain the sacred N a m e , A n d with the Mob immortalize your F a m e ; B e sure that like mere Men you ne're be seen, Good natur'd, cheerful, mannerly, or clean; B u t slovenly, and thoughtful walk the Street, T a l k to your self, and know no Friend you meet.

[p· 39] On the whole, this literary satire is not uninteresting; the burlesque element lies in the parading of sentiments that are not serious or accepted, in a form that is serious and accepted. Adver. in Gent. Mag., Feb., 1 7 3 1 . In A Collection of Pieces in Ferse and Prose, Which have been -publish'd on Occasion of the Dunciad, 1 7 3 2 . 3d ed., 1 7 3 5 .

173I

No. 113

The Hyp, a Burlesque Poem In Five Canto's. Including the Adventures of Sir Valetude Whim, And his Retinue. With some Prefatory Reflections upon Discontent, Natural, and Political; humbly Inscrib'd, for their Consolation, to some certain great Men who are at present out of Place. Crede quod habes iß habes — [Motto] Anon. London: Printed for J . Batley, at the Dove in Pater-Noster-Row. M.DCC.XXXI. (Price is.) pp. 1 - 8 2 . o.e. [B.M.] Hudibrastic. Preface. " T h e r e is something in our Natures which makes us choose rather to be thought vicious than foolish; hence it comes to pass, that when we cannot be reasoned out of an Absurdity, we may sometimes

354

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

be laught out of it. I t was upon this Principle that the following Poem was undertaken, being a C o p y from private History, decorated and embellished with some Variation; the Basis of which was v e r y little better than w h a t Monsieur Boileau tells us was the Foundation of his Lutrin·. T h e Author having a d r y Adventure of twenty-four Hours laid before him, and essentially to which he was obligated to keep, was under a necessity of strengthening it with all the Force of Colouring it was capable of; his Business being only to hold the Mirrour, so as to convince M e n of their Follies, b y giving a Sight of them: For part of his principal Character h e ' s beholden to that of the Valetudinarian in the Spectator, N u m b . XXV. and m a n y of the Instances of Melancholy in the Third Canto are taken from Burton." [vii] " I have not therefore made use of the Burlesque Style and Manner, as agreeable to m y own T a s t e , but as most suitable to H i s , for whose Use purposely it was writ; and as I have endeavoured to be clear in m y Expressions, and as musical in m y N u m bers as possible, so I have frequently run into the Use of Double Lines, which with great Submission to M r . Addison's Authority, I cannot think unnatural to this kind of W r i t i n g . " [viii-ix] On Addison's point that doggerel rhymes do not make a poor thought better, the author wishes he had favored us with his judgment how far they " can be said to make a good T h o u g h t worse." [x] A f t e r referring to Cervantes the poet broaches his subject. I bring a Heroe into view, A Subject unto Dogrel new, A n d promise from the following Pages, T o Squire him down to after Ages, T h e like for Mirth, and T r u t h of N u m b e r , W a s never seen 'twixt Trent and Humber, Sir Valetude; for that's the N a m e B y which the Knight atchiev'd his Fame.

[p. 2]

His combat with venereal disease occupies the knight's attention. H e makes some pretense to learning and keeps in his retinue a surgeon and Liricka, a poet. O f the latter it is said: H e could mechanical apply Authors to give themselves the L y e , W i t h Dacier, Aristotle, Rapin, P l a y Hocus-pocus Tricks like Scapin; U n i t y , Action, Time, and Place, Plot, Language, Manner, Diction, Grace, T h e Film, and out-side of w h a t ' s good, H e talkt as though he understood.

[p. 8]

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355

Summary of the talk and few actions of Causticus and Lyricka and the knight would be unfruitful as well as difficult; however, the references to the uprising of 1 7 1 5 (p. 22), to a "Gothick building bleak and r a w " (p. 3 1 ) , and to Don Quixote (p. 62) are interesting. There are two inset stories. The poem is hugely disappointing after the natural interest aroused by the preface. The versifier is learned and bent upon imitating Butler, but ability to write intelligible or powerful or amusing poetry is entirely absent. Adver. in Gent. Mag., March, 1 7 3 1 .

1731

No.

114

The Mitre. A Tale in Hudibrastick Verse. Describing three B-sh-ps in Lawn-Sleeves Rowing to Lambeth for a See. [Motto] London: Printed for E. Rayner, and sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster. {Price 6d.) [B.M.] pp. 3-6. o.e. Hudibrastic. Three Mariners from diff'rent Sees, Who understood both Waves and Breeze, Could hold the Helm, or try the Oar, And sail by various Winds to Shoar; In London met, and held Dispute, In which they all were resolute. [Opening, p. 3] They decide to compete for the place although it is not yet vacant. This leads the poet into a long passage on ambition and professional jealousies. He comes back to his story only to stray again; in fact, there are more observations in this " t a l e " than anything else. I t ' s strange no Man was ever born, But if he sees another yawn, Will yawn again, 'till all about, Set up a Y a w n , and some a Shout.

[p. 6]

If this attempt at facetiousness at the expense of mankind were longer, it would be much poorer. The poet has no story to narrate, his determination to tell a tale is well burlesqued. The quality of verse is not very Butlerian; indeed, the verse is only slightly below level of the subject. Adver. in Gent. Mag., M a y , * 73 * ·

any but the the

3ξ6

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY 1731

No. 115

Mob contra Mob, or, the Rabbiers rabbled. [Motto] Hawthornden, Pol. Middin. Edinburgh Printed in the Year MDCCXXXI. [B.M.] William Meston. pp. 3-32. o.e. Hudibrastic. These six short cantos are based on a well-known incident of 1 7 1 1 , called the "Rabbling o' Deer." The Presbytery, against the desire of the church and parish of Deer, called John Gordon to be the incumbent. This unpopular move made necessary the use of several score men from Aberdeen to assist in the installation of Gordon. The poem describes the situation, from the Episcopalian viewpoint, and the rabble of the Kirk. The rabble meet with an early rebuff and lose their stores, and upon attempting to force the gate of the churchyard are soundly thrashed and sent home. Now of all Wars the Ecclesiastick Is certainly the most Fantastick·. And none ly oftner in the Lurch Then Janizaries of the Church. And so it hapned in this Battle, Where Kirk-Men ran like Buchan Cattle: Nor durst Kirk Errant Knights adventure, With Sword in hand the Kirk to enter; The Passes were so stoutly guarded, And all the Crowd with Stones bombarded; They could no longer keep their Station, But studying Self-Preservation, The stoutest, who the Legions headed, And who at first no danger dreaded, No sooner met with Opposition, But, losing Heart and Resolution, They thought it safest to be trudging Backward in haste unto their Lodging.

[pp. 31-32]

Such a satirical and droll account must have been amusing to a person who could remember well the actual happening. And if the modern reader "will excuse The Lawless Freedom of my Muse," he will find a lively Hudibrastic poem rapidly reading itself through, but some introduction as to the events and temper of that day is indispensable. One interesting throw-back to Hudibras is the long " when " passage that introduces the poem. Another edition in 1738, and in Meston's Poetical Works, 1767.

R E G I S T E R OF B U R L E S Q U E POEMS 1731

357 No. 1 1 6

Ode humbly inscrib'd to the Poet Laureat, taken from London Evening Post, Jan. 7. as there said, by Steph. Duck, Esq; [Motto] [in] Gentleman's Magazine, January, 1731, I, 20. Stephen Duck. 45 lines, ode. Parody of Cibber's "Ode for New-Years D a y " in opposite column. The attack of the unsuccessful candidate on the successful is not at all a close burlesque despite the preservation of many of the rhymes. One of the closer parodies is as follows: Behold in ev'ry Face imperial Graces shine All native to the Race of George and Caroline: In each young Hero we admire The blooming Virtues of his Sire; In each maturing fair we find Maternal Charms of softer kind. Thro'out the whole what matchless Graces shine Paraphonalia sparkles in each Line; Native to Cibber, we admire The Style and Fancy, Wit and Fire; In each maturing Word we find Something soft for Thought design'd. There is the oft-repeated quip, Then truly are we great when we can shew The Way his own out doings to out-do. 173 I

No. 1 1 7

An Ode on Twelfth Day. In Imitation of an Ode on New-Year s Day. Past Two o'clock, and a Frosty Morning. From Fog's Journal, January ç. [in] Gentleman s Magazine, January, 1731, I, 21. 53 lines, ode. Parody of Cibber's "Ode for New-Years D a y " on p. 20. Once more the Bell-man bids us wake, With Prophecy of Ale and Cake; Tells us before we sleep again, Tom shall be King, and Nanny Queen.

[Opening]

358

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Instead of singing the felicity of England under George and Caroline the parodist gives us seven airs and recitatives in celebration of a scene of kitchen merriment presided over b y a footman and a cookmaid. T h e parody is rather close in phraseology and mockery of sense; its quality m a y be paid the doubtful compliment of being called superior to that of the original.

1731

No.

118

Sir Robert Brass: or, the Knight of the Blazing Star. A Poem. After the Manner of Hudibrass. Canto I. A Wight he was, whose very Sight wou'd, Intitle Him Mirror of Knighthood. Hudibrass. London: Printed for A. Moore, near St. Paul's; and Sold by the Booksellers in Ί'own and Country. M.DCC.XXXI. pp. 3-23. o.e. Hudibrastic. Here is a severe and rather clever satire on Sir Robert Walpole. His intrigues, political and amatory, are broadly delineated; several incidents constitute the sole narrative elements of the poem. " L y i n g B o b " is disguised under this character that might have been mistaken for the brother of Sir Hudibras, but everyone knew the original in an instant. T h e verse has few Hudibrastic tricks though the author mentions, Butler and perhaps strove to emulate him in his " h o m e l y Epic." O Muse! who gave that poignant Rage, T h a t makes immortal, Butler s P a g e ! W i t h equal Force, m y Verse inflame, T o brand with equal D a t e of Shame, A n d lasting Infamy prolong, A s Hudibras's

from his Song.

Leaving Reflexions in the Middle, A s Butler does his Bear and Fiddle.

[p. 4] [p. 13]

T h e same solitary canto appeared the same year under title of Sir Robert Brass: or,the Intriegues, Serious and Amorous, of the Knight of the Blazing Star, adver. in Gent. Mag., Feb., 1731. I t is difficult to be positive as to which is the first issue.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1732

359 No. 119

The Battle of the Sugar-Plumbs. [in] Scarborough. A Poem. [in] The Scarborough Miscellany. An Original Collection of Poems, Odes, Tales, Songs, Epigrams, &c. None of which ever appear d in Print before. Particularly, [Contents] With many other curious and entertaining Pieces, on a great Variety of Subjects. London: Printedfor J. Roberts, in WarwickLane, and sold by the Booksellers in Town and Country, 1732. (Price One Shilling.) 56 lines, h.c. pp. 9-12. Mock-heroic. The fight that is the subject of this episode, tucked away in the middle of "Scarborough," is one between two coquettes, Mazzaville and Mira, about whom " the Beau Monde in diff'rent Parties drew." In this battle, reminiscent of that in Pope's Rape, all sorts of condiments are used as ammunition — almonds, custards, jam, jellies, sillabubs, sugar-plumbs. The description is rather spirited and the situation amusing. Apropos of the damage: But most lamented, as the most of note, Was the Embroidery of Sir H A R R Y ' s Coat. Oh! curs'd Disaster, not to be repair'd! Had he not come at all, — or come prepar'd! Among the wounded, were six Indian Fans, Three Female-Ruffles, — and two China Cans·, A Toupee Wigg, — a Necklace burst with Spleen, Nine Curls disorder'd, — four thick Insteps seen. A Modesty was mist, — Canes broken lay: Such was the Slaughter of this fatal Day! [pp. 1 1 - 1 2 ] And the reference to the card game and the use of the series construction remind one of the Rape. See wrangling at Quadrille, the anxious Fair: What ardent Hope to see Spadille appear? Propitious Card! on thee the Fair depends: For thee, neglects her Family and Friends: For thee, she breaks thro' Nature's strictest Ties; For thee, she quits Love's softest tender Joys:

3ÓO

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Her Peace she forfeits, and her Rest destroys. For thee·, the fatal knot poor Β—dd—k tied, For thee, the baneful Drug sad L—re try'd: How dear has Love of thee, the Fair-ones cost ? What Beauty spoil'd, — what Reputation lost!

[p. 13]

(Though this last passage is not in the mock-heroic episode, it illustrates the tone.)

1732 The Fall. In Four Books. By Mr. Thurston. [Motto] Hor. Printed for B. Motte, at the Middle-Tempie-Gate, Fleet-street. XXXII. {Price One Shilling.) Joseph Thurston, pp. 3-61. h.c.

No. 1 2 0 London: MDCC-

Mock-heroic. Nor wars alarms, nor falling states I sing; Nor strain with notes sublime the jarring string; Patient attend, ye loyal lovers all, While soft I chant a gallant lady's fall. [Opening, p. 3] Florella is the pet of the town, but she is fated to yield. At a ball a strong hero, Clodio, falls in love with her and declares himself. That night before retiring she confesses to her maid, Phillis, that she is smitten. In Book I I Jove calls a council of the gods, at which Diana and Venus take characteristic attitudes concerning Florella and her love. The belle awakes and tells Phillis about a disconcerting dream; Phillis replies with a soothing account of another dream. Then a beau's message arrives and the belle prepares to dress. In the next book a phantom in the form of a hag encourages Clodio and says his lady is bewitched. Other beaux call on Florella, but Clodio's appearance and conversation make the best impression. He woos her violently but is interrupted by the advent of her maiden aunt. The last book opens on the desire of Jove to save the fair; however, he must consult the Book of Fate. Diana and Venus debate again. Meanwhile Clodio bribes Phillis. "She sigh'd; she took; she told." The girl aids him in gaining the boudoir of Florella, and the poem judiciously ends: The destin'd youth approach'd. With fruitless aid, Her guardian gods a while prolong'd the maid; Untouch'd of mortals rang the Toilette bell, (Ye present credit, and ye future tell) But fate at last prevail'd — I can no more; And conscious Phillis barr'd the guilty door. [p. 61]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

361

The emphasis on the force of Fate is well played up, and in fact the mock-heroic tone is evenly maintained throughout. The passages concluding Book II, on Florella's toilette articles (of course reminiscent of The Rape of the Lock), and on the brave qualities of Clodio in Book I I I seem particularly good. The smoothness of the verse and the technique of the poem entitle it to rank a bit above the mediocre items of this type. In Thurston's Poems on Several Occasions, 2d ed., 1737, pp. 105-143, but not in the edition of 1729.

1732

No. 121

Ode.

[in] Grub-street Journal, No. 150, Nov. 9, 1732. 51 lines, ode. Parody of Cibber's "Ode for his majesty's birth d a y " in preceding number. The contributor prefaces his poem with a protest against Cibber's impious use of the Almighty's words " L e t there be Light," which, he says, is worthy of a puppet show. Let there be light! Such was th' Almighty's, such the Laureat's phrase; When, from the void of his unthinking head, Free Dullness (Pallas-like) with native lead, Arose to glad his heavy, labour'd lays. [Opening] The familiar method of changing certain words and phrases is here adopted to point darts at Cibber's literary weakness. Also in Gent. Mag., Nov., 1732, I I , 1073.

I732

No. 122

Ode for the new year; faithfully translated into English, for the use of Readers unskilled in the Cibberine style; and, consequently, not able to interpret the figurative sublime of the original. [in] Grub-street Journal, No. 106, Jan. 13, 1731 (O.S.). [B.M.] 48 lines, ode. Parody of Cibber's "Ode to His Majesty, on New-year's day, 1 7 3 2 " in preceding number.

362

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Awake, with Songs, the opening day, That calls for general cheer·. Since nothing good can live too long, Let Augustus have a song·, And, hay, for gambols, and strong beer!

[Opening]

B y changing one or two words in each line the poet writes good journalistic satire on both Cibber and his theme. Several facetious notes accompany the piece. Also in Gent. Mag., Jan., 1732, I I , 581.

1732

No. 123

A Panegyrick on Cuckoldom. From a MS. [in] London Magazine, July, 1732, I, 202. 71 lines, b.v. Mock-heroic. Mysterious cuckoldom! almighty pow'r! To thee all nations bow, all ages join In adoration, and proclaim thy reign. Ev'n sceptred monarchs bend the neck to thee, Nor's deign thy branching ensigns, interwove With lauréat wreaths and starry crowns, to bear. [Opening] The benefits of cuckoldom (even to Hymen) are named, and the mortal and immortal perpetrators. The irony is pleasantly handled. After the great example of their sire, Kings, Jove's viceregents, propagate thy race; From hence the fathers of their people styl'd. Nor less the glory from these acts of peace, Than that by warriors reap'd in fields of blood. Better to scatter plenty thro* a realm, And multiply a nation, than consume On shores remote, and thin a desart land.

1732

No. 124

Phino-Godol. A Poem. In Hudibrastick Verse. In "Two Canto s. We hear that the Effigies of the late ingenious William Congreve, Esq; done in Wax-Work, at the Expence of 200 I. and which was kept at a Person of

REGISTER

OF BURLESQUE

POEMS

363

Quality's in St. James's, was broke to Pieces by the Carelessness of a Servant in bringing u down Stairs last Monday night. Daily-Post. Numb. 39P7· London: Printed for J . Towers, near Charing-Cross; and Sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster. MDCCXXXII. (Price One Shilling.) pp. 3 - 1 6 . o.e. Hudibrastic. How oft from Trifles, Hints we take, That truly Noble Subjects make!

[p· 3]

Various examples, serious and facetious, are given that illustrate this theme; such is the poet's way of introducing the statement that a paragraph in the Post called forth this poem. After a passage on the ways of keeping fresh the memories of the departed, we get to the creation of the waxwork of Conny by Hotonta. She now, judicious, gives the Plan T o raise in Wax the God-like Man. She shews his Statue, how't must be; Assigns the Limbs their Symmetry.

[p. 9]

The second canto concerns the breaking of the statue by Tom, his distress and attempt not to lose his place, Hotonta's anger and sorrow and dismissal of Tom. Thus we have an example of the versifying of an incident with the intention of derision by means of a jolly treatment. There are some vulgar lines, and the memory of Congreve naturally does not profit. The mock-elegiac tone of the conclusion is the best part of the whole, and several clever strokes elsewhere help to redeem a mediocre and entirely unnecessary poem. Adver. in Lon. Mag., Aug., 1732, and Gent. Mag., Aug.-Sept., 1732. 1732

No. 125

The Poet Laureat's Ode for New-Year's-Dav burlesqued. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, J a n u a r y , 1732, I I , 580. 48 lines, ode. Parody of "Ode for New-Year's-Day, 1732. Poet L a u r e a t " in opposite column.

B y C. Cibber, E s q ;

Awake, with Grub-street Odes, the D a y That leads the op'ning Y e a r ;

364

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY The Year advancing to prolong Great C—bb—r s Fame, demands a Song, Inspir'd by Gin, or by Small Beer.

[Opening]

This very literal burlesque turns all the points on Cibber himself. It is in places vulgar and throughout dull.

1732

No. 126

The Toast, An Epic Poem, In Four Books. Written in Latin by Frederick Schef er, Done into English by Peregrine O Donald, Esq; Vol. I. [Motto] Hor. Dublin: Printed in the Year, MDCCXXXII. William King, Principal of St. Mary Hall, Oxford, pp. 17-81. I.e. Hudibrastic. In the "Translator's Preface" the pretense is made that this is a translation of a Latin poem, Phœbus Noctwagator, seu Hermaphroditus, by Scheffer, a Laplander. "Another objection, as I have heard, has been made to the characters and persons which our Author has introduced as being far beneath the dignity of an Epic Poem, and only fit to appear in a Dutch Music-house or a Smithfield Droll." [Bîd] "Tyrants and Fools have had their Poets and Panegyrists, their real or pretended Admirers: and the Best and Wittiest men have sometimes employ'd their talents in celebrating the actions of the very Worst. Don Quixote was a Madman, Sir Hudibras was a Coward and a Knave, and the Devil himself is the Hero of the best Poem that is extant in the English tongue." [B2P-B3J (For another passage, from the enlarged version, see p. 189 n.) " T h e Author's Preface" is succeeded by three complimentary poems. Sing, O Muse, Phœbus' Wrath, say what Cause could perswade So polite a young God his own Toast to degrade. In old Myra say how a new Furor began, Who extended her Figure, and stretch'd it to Man. [Opening, p. 17] Vulcan and Mars are invoked: O! my Captain, Arch-Collier, or thee shall I call Vitriarious Volcan, or only plain Vol!

[p. 21]

And O thou! whether most thou delightest to hear Colo-nel or chief Huntsman, or Mars Chevalier, Leave thy Doxies and Dogs, to attend to my Verse, And protect me, while I thy own Battles rehearse. [p· 23]

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Phoebus "in modern dress" comes to town; he sees the sights and exhibits his finery. He is particularly interested in the street-lighting system of Dublin. At court he encounters Vulcan and Mars; the three retire to drink and talk. The canto is concluded with the exchange of undignified comments on the experiences and habitats of the three gods and with Phoebus demanding a toast. Many toasts are made: Thus the merry Gods quaff'd, much commending the Wine: And debating with Freedom of Females divine. Till at length having number'd high Dames of this Sort all, They vouchsafe to descend unto Toasts who are Mortal.

[p· 5°]

Phoebus proposes one to Myra, but this excites his companions greatly. Mars proceeds to give a coarse, detailed account of his married life with Myra, and the ruin of his fortune and fame through her lust and extravagance. Mars has become a great huntsman. Phoebus recants his toast and promises assistance. There are more drinks and toasts. So the God took his leave, flying strait to Parnassus; To his Lodge drove Sir Mars, and Vol trudg'd to his GlassHouse. [p. 81] The expanded version, printed in London four years later, picks up the story (if such it can be rightly called) with the doubts of Phoebus concerning the report given by Mars. Determined to see for himself, he is convinced of the perverted character of Myra. He interdicts Myra all commerce with men. Mercury visits Phoebus; they discourse on Vol's banishment and talk of his money-making gridiron. The fourth book opens with an assembly of the gods; after some wrangling Venus changes Myra into an hermaphrodite, whereupon Mars resolves to attack the creature. The combat is described in most revolting terms; Mars is the victor. The huge amount of labor spent on this work (extensive footnotes, prefactory poems, two prefaces, and in the 1736 edition a large appendix) is almost a total loss. The contemporary satire might have put the poem across and called forth the expansion; names are appended in the Harvard copy of the second edition, and in the Bodleian copy of the first there is a MS. key to the characters, Myra representing the Countess of Newburgh, whose third husband was King's uncle, Sir Thomas Smyth. (This is the "heavenly Mire" of Pope's Windsor Forest.) There is so much smut and so little real cleverness that it is a tour de force to read the entire four books or even the two of 1732. The twelve-syllable couplet serves as a jingling metre and is tagged with many double and

366

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some split rhymes. T h e gods are debased and their histories misinterpreted; one wishes the poet knew not his mythology so well. H e has burlesqued no particular classical work but has used his knowledge of antiquity. I t is possible thus to call such a burlesque a Hudibrastic (with elements of the travesty) because the general movement of the verse, though not octosyllabic, and the jollity of the rhymes and the berating attitude give the same effect, or nearly so, as the usual follower of Butler. Such a performance is very rare, especially this long tumbling line that differs from the heroic couplet far more than from the shorter couplet. Footnotes are h e a v y throughout, and the " o r i g i n a l " Latin text is carefully given. All in all, The "Toast constitutes one of the strangest and certainly one of the most unpleasant pieces of the period. There was a reissue in 1747.

1732

No. 127

War with Priestcraft: or, the Free-Thinker s Iliad. A Burlesque Poem, In Three Canto's. [Summary in fourteen lines] Dedicated to the Celebrated Author of Christianity as Old as the Creation. London: Printedfor J. Roberts in Warwick-Lane; and Sold by the Booksellers in Town and Country. 1732. pp. 1-42. o.e. Hudibrastic. Dedication signed " D i a g o r a s . " Preface " B y Another H a n d . " T h e first canto deals with the power of verse and promises to tell o f the freethinkers and their rights to fame. T h e next canto starts tracing the history of the sect: India, E g y p t , Greece, Democritus, Epicurus, Lucretius, Petronius. In the last canto the moderns are taken up, their principles and actions: Toland, Collins, Creech, Tindal, Blount, and others. T h e irony is at times subtle; the satirical hits are well executed. T h e poet was without doubt well read in deistic literature. Butler was certainly in the author's mind, as is shown b y several footnotes and the following passages. Our future Canto's shall relate, In Numbers which m a y emulate, T h a t T a l e , which shall thro' Ages pass O f Knight 'yclept Sir Hudibrass.

[p. 9]

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Or was the Task reserv'd to be In daffer Rhimes perform'd by me, As Hudibrass, immortal Story! From Butler's short Lines took his Glory.

[p. 12]

As Butlei Homer in Burlesque Describes — in Language picturesque, His Errant Knight and trusty 'Squire So warm with their Phanatic Fire; They squabble still, and yet we see They who in no Point else agree Were yet unanimous in One T o pull the Church Establish'd down.

[p. 30]

Adver. in Scarborough Miscellany,

1732.

17 33

No. 128

The Contest. A London Eclogue., in Imitation of the seventh Pastoral of Virgil. [in] ( Gentleman's Magazine, September, 1733, I I I , 486. 105 lines, h.c. Mock-eclogue. Beneath a Tun, whose vast capacious Sides, Glitt'ring with Gold the drunken God bestrides, Beneath this Tun two jolly Songsters lay, And with a Genial Bowl chas'd Care away. [Opening] Chauntclear and Raucus appoint Tom Piper the umpire for their singing bout; the former is romantic and pompous in his delivery and diction, the latter realistic and merry. Raucus wins. A use of the favorite song-contest motif of the eclogue for low purposes. Tedious and without skill. Also in Lon. Mag., the same month, II, 469. 1733 The Flea. Inscribed to Namby Pamby. [in] Grub-street Journal, No. 183, June 28, 1733. 14 lines, s.c.

No.

129

[B.M.]

368

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Parody of A. Philips's To Signora Cuzzoni here reprinted. Signed "Ironicus." Little hind'rer of my rest, Thus I tear thee from my breast: Bosom traytor! pinching harm! Wounding me, who kept thee warm!

[Opening]

This rather well takes off, Little Syren of the Stage, Charmer of an idle age; Empty warbler, breathing lyre, Wanton gale of fond desire. Not a hard task, but adequately done. Also in Lon. Mag., June, 1733, II, 301, "Being a Ridicule on Sound without Sense."

1733

No. 130

Horace s Integer Vitae, &c. Imitated {Or, rather, Burlesqu'd.) [in] Poems on Several Occasions. By the Late Matthew Prior, Esq; Volume the Third, and Last. The Third Edition. To which is Prefixed The Life of Mr. Prior, By Samuel Humphreys, Esq; Adorned with Cuts. London, Printed: And sold by S. Birt in Ave-Maria-Lane, and IV. Feales without Temple-Bar. MDCCXXXIII. [B.M.] Matthew Prior (?). 36 lines, h.c. pp. 1 1 2 - 1 1 4 . Parody of Horace, Book I, Ode xx. The Man that is Drunk, is Void of all Care; He needs neither Parthian Quiver, or Spear, The Moor's poison'd Dart he scorns for to wield, His Bottle alone is his Weapon and Shield. Undaunted he goes among Bullies and Whores, Demolishes Windows, and breaks open Doors, He revels all Night, is afraid of no Evil, And boldly defies both the Proctor and Devil. [Opening, p. 112] This is rather a close parody of Horace's ode in material and phraseology. The last three stanzas depart from the subject as Horace has it, but not from the general subject of drink and its attraction. It is next

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369

to impossible to say whether the poet used a Latin original or an English. The transference from an ode on the pure life and attachment to Zalage to a eulogy of the bottle is clever and readable. The probability of Prior's authorship seems remote. The publication of this volume was unauthorized; the piece is not included in R . B . Johnson's edition of Prior, London, 1892, or A. R . Waller's Poems on Several Occasions, Cambridge, 1905.

1733

No. 131

The Modern Goliah; or, The Heroe of Heroes. A Panegyric, address'd to the venerable and worthy set 0/ Free-thinkers. [in] Grub-street Journal, No. 196, Sept. 27, 1733. 56 lines. I.e.

humbly

[B.M.]

Mock-heroic. Sing the Heroe in strains so sublime, O my muse, That my patrons the song may, attentive, peruse; The Heroe, who, fir'd with a generous disdain, Of a mind that's enslaved, bravely shakes off the chain: So elate are his thoughts, and so high his desires, He abhors the low hopes, which C H R l S T ' s gospel inspires. [Opening] The satirist with slashing irony hits the methods and mentality of religious liberals. " S u c h inverted heroics" (as he calls these lines) are burlesque in that the poet considers his subject below the level of real dignity and is using a deliberately mocking tone as a part of his satirical equipment. This sort of burlesque, however, is not a great way from straight satire.

17 33 An Ode or Ballad supposed to be written by C Laureat. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, February, 1733, I I I , 93. 3 2 lines, octosyllabic quatrains.

No. 132 C

, Esq;

Poet

Parody of Cibber's "Ode for New-Year's-Day " in preceding issue,

pp. 39-40.

Cibber is made to declare that there will be no murmurs against the excise on wine and tobacco. This is one of the least exact of the Cib-

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

berian parodies: a few phrases only are lifted and the verse form is not the same. Without the poetical madness With which your old bards are elate, Who but I, in down-right sober sadness, Could laurel from nothing create? Like a cricket each winter I sing, Sing, sing, in the same tuneful strain; Nor touch on excise, jarring strain; But leave that to the Jacobite train. Also in Lon. Mag., the same month, II, 90-91.

1733

N o

·

m

Ode to the Poet Laureat.

[in]

Grub-street Journal, No. 203, Nov. 15, 1733. 55 lines, ode.

[B.M.]

Parody of Cibber's "Ode for the King's birth-day 1 7 3 3 " in preceding number. Signed "Maevius." The Birth-day Ode again To Dullness sacred strain, (O many such may rolling years supply,) With ample nonsense past, Fulfills the promise of the last, Compleat and fast, As heavy nonsense wing'd with verse can fly.

[Opening]

Here is the regular sort of Cibberian parody — perversion of phrase with the Laureate as the butt. His son also suffers here.

17 33 On the Death of a young Lady's Squirrel call'd Pug. [in] London Magazine, July, 1733, II, 364. 59 lines, h.c. Mock-elegy.

No. 134

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS Shall Pug, the blooming nymph's peculiar care, Resign to fate, without one decent tear? Without one pitying muse t'attend the herse, And celebrate her praise in grateful verse.

371

[Opening]

Most of the poem is taken up with praise of the animal's grace and agility, indoors and out. The verse is undoubtedly above the subject, no matter how sincere the praise may have been. But I describe with vain successless strife, What was perpetual motion and all life. I'm with variety of action crost, And in unnumber'd prettinesses lost . . . Pug in immortal lines shou'd yet survive, What brandy cou'd not, Helicon shou'd give.

17 33

No. 135

Warbletta: A Suburbian Eclogue. By a Gentleman of Parnassus. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, July, 1733, III, 369-370. 1 1 0 lines, h.c. Mock-eclogue. Warbletta — sweetest of the throng that squalls Melodious ballads — at the end of Paul's; She, whose love-sonnets with persuasive strain, Cou'd maids, 'tis said, and prentice-boys detain; Who on Excise, the ever-famous song, Cou'd sing so loudly — and yet sing so long; Alluring a wide-gaping motley band, Whilst in their pockets div'd some nimble hand: No more her vocal pow'r in publick tries, But weeping to a neighb'ring gin-shop flies; There pensive on a runlet sits alone, And, blending gin with tears, thus makes her moan. [p· 37°] She wails for her rascal lover Tom and pleads for his return. At the end of her lament she falls over intoxicated. By no means a good burlesque pastoral. Appeared also in Lon. Mag., July, 1733, II, 359.

372

ENGLISH BURLESQUE

POETRY

1734

No. 136

Back-Gammon: or, the Battle of the Friars. A Tragi-Comic Tale. To which is added, A Short Essay on the Folly of Gaming, By Way of Application. [Motto] H or. London: Printed for J. Wiford, at the Three Flower-de-Luces, behind the Chapter-House, in St. Paul's Church-Yard. 1734·

(•Ρ™ 6d.)

Daniel Bellamy the elder,

[B.M.] pp. 1-16.

h.c.

Mock-heroic. Of two Battalions set in Rank and File, And of the various Plunder and the Spoil, How each th' Approaches of the other dreads, With two sagacious Gen'rals at their Heads; How Shot the Elephantine Tooth becomes, And Boxes rattle in the stead of Drums; How Luck and Skill alternately advance; (The Force of Judgment, and the Pow'r of Chance) Of Passions overflowing in a Trice, And all the dreadful Tyranny of Dice, I sing: — Instruct me to recount the Fray; And give me Patience, — more than when I play. [Opening, pp. 1-2] It is a story of Fabris and Vituleo, two friars much given to backgammon. A doughty Friar, Fabris was his Name, Of sober Aspect, and of goodly Frame, In Table-Battles many a Foe had slain; And was become the Champion of the Plain. [p. 2] The combatants are compared to Charles of Sweden and Peter of Russia. Fabris, with Pleasure sparkling in his Eyes, Braves his new Foe, and all his Art defies: He then his Troops in martial Order plac'd; Vituleo did the same, and boldly fac'd: (His valiant Troops the Olive Colour boast, And Fabris led the Ethiopian Host.) The Battle Moves: The wary Chiefs look round To see, and gain th' Advantage of the Ground.

[p. 5]

The progress of the game is given, and Vituleo is the winner. In fact, Fabris is a frequent and heavy loser, so he is hard put to it to pay his

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373

rising debts. He even tries to use as stakes "Heaps of antient Manuscripts" with which "the Parish had been taught," but Vituleo refuses them. Finally, the vexed loser throws in the fire the tables and dice and boxes, but one box is snatched from destruction and "is now confin'd to Pepper, and to Spice." Fabris has learned his lesson and the next Sunday preaches on " the most patient text in Job." The mock-heroic atmosphere decreases as the poem proceeds; the second half has an excessively moral touch. The description of the game is not very interesting, except to compare with other accounts, such as Pope's and Vida's. Adver. in Gent. Mag., Feb., 1734. Included as a humorous tale in Bellamy's Dramatic Pieces, And other Miscellaneous Works in Prose and Verse, 1739.

I734

No. 137

The Billingsgate Contest. A Piscatory London Eclogue. In Imitation of the "Third Eclogue of Virgil. [in] Gentleman1 s Magazine, May, 1734, IV, 270. 109 lines, h.c. Mock-eclogue. Welfleta and Oysteria, after upbraiding each other, enter into a contest of song. They set up forfeits and appoint Maccarella as umpire. Each compliments her sailor lover; indeed, that is the burden of all the refrains. Oysteria is a philosopher: But mine with more inconstancy will court, And gain new mistresses at ev'ry port; Fond tho' inconstant, pleasing tho' he's free; Yet none can keep the rover's heart but me. An entirely unamusing use of the pastoral contest in song.

1734 Epitaph on a Lap-Dog. [in] London Magazine, April, 1734, III, 215. 27 lines, h.c. Mock-epitaph.

No. 138

374

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Reader, if thou canst read at all, thou'It find; Here lies the fairest of the speechless kind: Descended from an antient noble race Of ladies lap-dogs in their ladies grace. Miss Abigail (that was the lady's name) From nature's hand receiv'd a comely frame; Long ears; bright eyes; a short and dimpled nose; A robe of ermin; spotted silken hose; With all that beauty on a dog bestows. Her acting principle think what you please on; At least 'twas next to, — if it was not — reason. [Opening]

But life was hard to Abigail, who was perhaps too good for this world after all. Choice made her live, twelve moons twice told, a maid; Obedience made her yield her state and wed. Then phoenix-like she yields her latest breath; To make way for her second-self by death. Who but must weep the loss of Abigail, That for her species-sake thus greatly fell? It is a pity more poems of the mock-elegiac class are not as amusing.

1734

No. 139

Geneva. A Poem in Blank Verse. Occasioned by the late Act of Parliament for Allowing Liquors Compound of English Spirits. Written in Imitation of Philips's Splendid Shilling. With a Dedication to all GinDrinkers in Great Britain and Ireland. [Motto] By Stephen Buck, of Stocks-Market. London: Printedfor 7*. Cooper, at the Globe, in Ivy-Lane, near Pater-Noster-Row. MDCCXXXIV. [Bodl.] Stephen Buck. pp. 9-16. b.v. Mock-heroic. " T o All Gin-Drinkers in Great-Britain and Ireland." Bless'd be the Man! for ever bless'd his Name! Whose Patriot Zeal excited him to move The British Senate to reverse that Law, So baneful, as its Force all Compound Drams,

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375

And Gin, the best, destroy'd: Now let us smile Since she revives; on her attendant wait Clove, Citiamoti, and Annis, Cordial all, But Gin more Cordial, most profusely good. [Opening, pp. 9-10] As a dispeller of woe, softener of passions, inspirer of courage, and killer of pains Gin has no equal. Vapours and Spleen, real or imaginary, Fatal Effects of Tea, evap'rate soon On Gin's Approach, and joyful Mirth succeeds.

[p. 15]

Aside from the opening line and the use of blank verse and the celebrated love of liquor, Buck's poem has nothing in common with that by John Philips. This is merely a mock panegyric on the drink. Nor does it have any but the obvious relation to the poem of the same title in 1729. The quality here is very mediocre.

1734

No. I40

Gin, a Poem, in Miltonick Verse. By the Author of the Translation oj Dr. Barrow's Latin Poem prefix'd to Paradise Lost. (See p. 604.) [in] London Magazine, December, 1734, III, 663. 88 lines, b.v. Parody of Milton's style. Signed " E . C . " The wonderful properties of gin, beloved of all classes and nations, are chanted in good style. On wings expanded in the sether born, Of potent Gin's unbounded pow'r, I sing. The picture of lowly man exalted by the drink's "diffusive strength" shows realism clad in burlesque that does not become blatant. Oft here l ' v e seen the lees of mortal race, Whom want and hunger, dread companions, ey'd With ghastly grin askance, quaff the rich juice, Till the strong fumes intoxicate their brain: Then he who late in cottage darkling dwelt, Or cell obscure by glimmering ray scarce own'd;

376

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Majestic pomp exerting, now assumes Despotic sway; and with unsteady steps Vaunting aloud, his regal will declares, And an imaginary monarch reigns. The humble mendicant in tatter'd garb Of variegated hue, to brumal blasts And penury, the poor man's guide, inur'd; If the small pittance of his plaintive tone Can purchase but a glass of potent gin, His sole ambition's gain'd; nor splendid dress Nor robes attractive of plebeian eyes His admiration claim; benumming cold No more he feels, but spurns the hoary frost; And strait, unmindful of his former state, Rapt in ecstatic bliss, exulting runs.

1735

No.

141

An Epistle from Cambridge. [in] London Magazine, June, 1735, IV, 332. 100 lines, o.e. Hudibrastic. Tho' plagu'd with algebraic lectures, And astronomical conjectures, Wean'd from the sweets of poetry To scraps of dry philosophy, You see, dear Hal, l ' v e found a time T ' express my thoughts to you in rhyme.

[Opening]

And not to stretch my narrow fancy To show what mighty things I can say As some will strain at simile, First work it fine, and then apply Old Butler's rhymes to Priors thoughts, And chuse to mimick all their faults; By head and shoulders bring in a stick To show their knack at Hudibrastick. The emphasis of the poem is on strokes satirical of the collegiate studies. Now algebra, geometry, Arithmetick, astronomy, Opticks, chronology, and staticks, All tiresome parts of mathematicks,

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377

With twenty harder names than these Disturb my brains, and break my peace. All seeming inconsistencies Are solv'd by A's, or solv'd by B's; Our senses are depriv'd by prisms, Our arguments by syllogisms. There is a distinct Butlerian echo in these lines, notwithstanding the unimportant choice of the epistle mould.

1735 A Little Wish. In Imitation of the Great Mr

[in]

No. 142 Philips.

Gentleman s Magazine, December, 1735, V, 728-729. 68 lines, s.c. Parody of A. Philips's style. Grant me, gods, a little seat, Modern-built and furnish'd neat, Let it stand on rising-ground, For a prospect all around.

[Opening, p. 728]

A garden, wine, horses, hounds, and a perfect wife are "little things" asked for. And with wit and beauty's charms, Glad my heart, and bless my arms. Be the product of our joys, Little girls, and little boys.

[p. 729]

Not a close or particularly clever parody. Reprinted next month in Lon. Mag., Jan., 1736, V, 40, with the interesting note that it was written in imitation of the poem on tobacco (by I. H. Browne) in the November issue.

17 35

No. 1 4 3

On a young Lady's favourite Cat. In Imitation of Namby Pamby. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, December, 1735, V, 727. 66 lines, s.c. Parody of A. Philips's style. Signed "Corydon." A lover's complaint at the favors of Mira so unfortunately bestowed

378

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

on Puss. The repetition and the sing-song used by other parodists of Philips are only slightly used. On the whole, a poor imitation. Happy Puss, indulg'd to sip Balmy sweets from Mira s lip! On her lap indulg'd to sit; From her hand indulg'd to eat, Tea to drink from Mira's dish, Cream'd and sugar'd to thy wish! Thou alone hast pow'r to charm, Pow'r her frozen breast to warm: Powder'd smarts, a num'rous train, Ogle, cringe and sigh, in vain, One indulgent smile to gain: Spite of ogles, cringes, sighs, ho admires, admiring dies.

1735 (?)

No.

144

A Sick-Bed Soliloquy to An Empty Purse: in Latin and English Verse. Most humbly Submitted and Inscribed to the Right Honourable John Earl of Stair. To which is added A Curse upon Punch; In Imitation of The third Epode of Horace: Addressed to Right Honourable Thomas Lord Vise. Kilmory. By Mr. Mitchell. Quantum mutatus ab ilio? London: Printed for the Author, and Sold by IV. Mears at the Lamb on Ludgate-Hill. Joseph Mitchell, pp. 5 - 1 3 , odd pages, b.v. [B.M.] Mock-heroic. Preface explains the monetary occasion and the purpose of the poem. While baleful Fever, with progressive Rage, Among my Spirits dreadful Havock makes, And threatens Ruin to this mortal Frame, Why, like a Ghost, dost thou, disastrous Purse, Lank, lean, and rueful, to my Sight appear? Why, for my Torture, are Ideas dire Awak'd, and horrid Images of Want Presented to my View? Must I despair, And, like thy self, become a lifeless Thing? Vanish! avaunt. — Ha! stay'st thou yet, t' insult Thy wretched Master in Distress, Ingrate? Mean'st thou t'enhance and aggravate my Woe? The poet bemoans the state of the purse, but instead of banishing it to "some old Miser" he instructs it to go to Lord Stair, his patron.

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379

This is probably a descendant of The Splendid Shilling. I t is too serious, especially toward the end, to be good burlesque, but the extravagant tone at the beginning, the insignificant subject, the declarations in the facetious preface, and the presence of the Latin version (called " M i t c h e l l i Cubantis Soliloquium ad V a c u a m B u r s a m " ) make it plain that Mitchell had his tongue in his cheek. T h e blank verse is not Miltonic enough to be ranked as a parody.

1735

No. 145

Tobacco. An Ode, in humble imitation of the manner of our Excellent Laureat, Colley Cibber, Esq; designed lo be set to Mustek. [in] Grub-street Journal, N o . 312, Dec. 18, 1735. [B.M.] 58 lines, ode. Parody of Cibber's style. Purports to be by " G a b r i e l J o h n . " T h e letter accompanying the poem is here given in full. " T h e T o w n having been very agreeably entertained with some VERSES in praise of TOBACCO in the different stiles of four gentlemen of great figure in Poetry; I could not help considering it as a disgrace to the Muses of Grub-street, that the same ingenious gentleman had not given us a specimen of his skill in the Lyric w a y , on the same subject, in imitation of our sublime LAUREAT: I have therefore endeavoured to supply this omission, in the enclosed Ode·, and altho' the Critics may justly say CIBBERUM quisquís studet amular i, &c. Y e t m y great respect for so worthy a Grubean has got the better of all m y fears. I therefore send you m y Ode, which you may either publish, or light your pipe with it, 'tis all one to Gabriel J o h n . " Hail, glorious sun, whose kindly, genial rays, Enlivening all things here below, M o s t generously did bestow T h a t grateful plant, to which I tune m y lays. TOBACCO! may thy sacred name Be wafted on the wings of F a m e : M a y happy Britons taste thy aromatic steams; M a y they of Tubes well glaz'd ne'er want good store: Be thou, till verse and COLLEY be no more, T h e Poet's constant theme.

[Opening]

38ο

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Such is the tone of a mediocre parody of Cibber, some phrases of which are taken from the 1735 Birthday Ode, printed in the same journal, No. 306. The real importance of the piece lies in the possibility that this extravagant praise of the Weed after the fashion of the Laureate's praise of the Monarch and this hint in the letter (quoted above) led Hawkins Browne to include Cibber among his Pipe of tobacco authors a little later.

1736

No. 146

The Beeriad: or Progress of Drink. An Heroic Poem, In Two Cantos. The First being an imitation of the first Book of Mr. Pope's Dunciad; The Second a Description of a Ram Feast, held annually in a particular small District of Hampshire. [Mottoes] Ovid. Do. De art. Am. Hor. By a Gentleman in the Navy. To which is annex'd a figurative moral Tale upon Liberty, in Verse; And a Metaphorical Description of a certain Man of War in Prose: With a proper Preface to the whole: And Explanatory Notes to the Beeriad. Gosport: Printed by J. Philpot, IJ36. pp. 2-65. h.c. Mock-heroic, one canto being a very literal imitation of the Dunciad, Book I, which is printed on the right-hand pages. Dedication, signed " R . C.," " T o Isaac Townsend, Esq; Commander of his Majesty's Ship the Plymouth," says this is a "Work that endeavours to discourage and expose intemperance and debauchery." [Ai] In the preface: " M r . Addison takes Notice that the greatest modern Criticks have laid it down as a rule that an Heroic Poem shou'd be founded upon some important precept of Morality, adapted to the Constitution of the Country in which the Poet writes, Virgil has form'd his Plan in this view, thus (he says) Homer grounds his Poem upon the Grecian Polygarchy, in Order to establish amongst them an Union which was so necessary for their Safety. Mr. Pope in his Dunciad has very beautifully illustrated and expos'd the Efforts of Dullness, which tho it cant properly be call'd immorality, being a natural infirmity, yet Dullness or Ignorance is frequently the Occasion of corrupt or Debauch'd Manners. So the following Attempt, Si parvis Componere magna &c. is wrote with a View of putting the Vice of Drunkenness into as despicable and ridiculous a light as possible." [iv] " T h e Reason why the following Poem is call'd the Beeriad, I believe is so obvious that it needs no Explanation, 'twas design'd at first to be call'd the Aleiad, but it look'd so like the low wit of punning upon the Title of Homers inimitable Iliad, that'twas laid aside." [vi] " T h e first fifteen or sixteen Lines of the second Canto, carry on the imitation of the second Book of

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the Dunciad, but upon the introduction of the Victim for the Sacrifice the imitation drops. Where ever I have either borrow'd or imitated the Lines of an other Author I acknowledge it at the bottom of the Page, and hope therefore I shant be Censur'd for Plagiarism." [vi] " I must own (to m y narrow Capacity) I don't know any Subject wou'd have borne an imitation better than Drunkenness and Dullness, but the excellent Pattern so nigh it, casts too bright a lustre to hope to Shine by. I would have pursu'd the imitation farther if a want of fertility of thought had not prevented me, the Ideas that presented were trite, barren, and inactive, and for fear of falling into Redundancys or Unpoetical Reduplications, I stop'd short and call'd an other C a u s e . " . . . [vii] Beer and the M e n (A mighty Theme!) I Sing, W h o to their Mouths the brimming Pitcher bring. Say Sons of Midnight! (since yourselves inspire, This drunken W o r k ; so Jove and Drink require!) Say from w h a t Cause, in vain unquench'd the Thirst, Still reigns to D a y as potent as at first. [Opening, p. 2] Bacchus takes the place of Pallas, the Fleet replaces Rag-Fair, and Thirstiness, Fellowship, Indolence, and F a n c y are the " F o u r much lov'd Help-mates." Drink, or Euchius, surveys the scene of his labors. A tipsy youth replaces the bard, and liquors are enumerated and described instead of books. Dryness, not Dullness, is apostrophized, Lest foe Sobriety, shou'd set us right, Secure us kindly in our dear lov'd night.

[p. 22]

T h e poet will bear great troubles for the sake of drink, and he prefers his own country's beer. In the 262 verses of the first canto the line of argument does not follow Pope's, but the phrases are extremely similar. T h e reformer has, to no particular advantage, chosen to model his satire on Pope's, but he has had to alter many points. There is by no means the power or lucidity that The Dunciad possesses. In the other can to, in troduced by mottoes from Dryden and Lucretius, a crowd accompanies a butcher and a ram on the w a y to the great feast. T h e butcher leads the drinking that must be indulged in whenever opportunity offers. B u t some in the crowd get impatient, and a brawl with the fiddler results. T h e quarrel is patched up, and the butcher prepares T o rob the Victim of his forfeit Life; B u t L o ! his Nerves relax, and down he sunk, A dreadfull Sight! impenetrably D r u n k !

[p. 50]

382

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

A successor arises and addresses the mob. The Goddess Temperance bemoans " poor Crowdero, dead to harmony " and then meets a drunken man, whom she tries to convert; she wafts him to a hilltop, where she causes to appear before him various sights of mortals who suffered in body and mind because of drink. However, the man does not heed the lesson but proceeds to the feast and forgets the visions. The Beeriad is just interesting enough to warrant the wish that the "Gentleman in the N a v y " had subordinated his zeal and indulged a bit more his lighter side.

1736

No. 147

The Descriptive: a Miltonick. After the Manner of the Moderns. [in] Poems on Several Occasions. By Samuel Wesley, A.M. Master of Blundell's School at Tiverton, Devon. Sometime Student of ChristChurch, Oxford; and near Twenty Years Usher in Westminster-School. [Motto] Ήor. London: Printed for the Author by E. Say in Warwick Lane, and sold by S. Birt at the Bible in Ave-mary Lane. M.DCC.XXXVI. Samuel Wesley the younger, pp. 1 5 1 - 1 5 6 . b.v. Mock-descriptive. An argument fortunately tells us what the poem tries to describe: Africa and morning and life in general. The sole value of the piece lies in its burlesque intention. Havens says of it (Influence of Milton, 1922, p. 272 n.i), "These qualities [the inevitable formlessness and digressiveness of the long nature poem], together with the inflated language and contorted style of many poems of the class, are amusingly parodied in Samuel Wesley's piece." Hail! gladsome Prime of Day, when orient Sol Shoots horizontal Beams on dew-drop'd Pearls, Mellifluous; ethereal Poets chant Two-legg'd, but not unfeather'd, melting Lays, With Trill harmonious and responsive Tune. [p. 155]

1736 The Dog. A Miltonick Fragment. [in same miscellany as No. 147] Samuel Wesley the younger. 52 lines, Mock-heroic.

No. 148 b.v.

pp. 148-150.

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A eulogy of a dog, his parentage, virtues, and particularly his tail. There are, to be sure, parodie qualities. T h e passage on the dog's tail is worthy of reproduction here. His Colours strange, w h a t mortal Painter's H a n d W i t h all his Lights and Shadings can express! Inexplicably grisly! B u t his Tail, O h ! had'st T h o u seen his Tail, the matchless Shape, T h ' identick Shape thy F a n c y would retain, Engraven in eternal Characters, While M e m o r y holds its Empire in the Brain: A Line like which not Archimedes old In yielding Sand e'er trae'd, nor greater Skill Of modern Newton e'er has yet on Slate 'Midst Figures Curve or Rectilinear drawn: Transverse, disjointed from the sacred Bone, I t stood, as nought of kindred to the Parts Posterior whence it grew, or rather seem'd T ' adhere not native there: So Mistletoe Seems only grafted on its Parent O a k : N o r uniform the L e n g t h ; part dangling lithe, Part horizontal stiff, tho' not so stiff A s Tail of Memphian Crocodile full-grown. [pp. 149-150]

1736 Μ Τ Ο - Ο Σ Τ Ρ Ε Ι Ο Ν : or, The Mouse and Oyster. Poem. [Motto] [in] Gentleman's Magazine, November, 1736, V I , 674. 116 lines, h.c.

No. 149 A

Tragi-Comic

Mock-heroic. Introduced by the statement: " T h e Story of the following Poem being related at L d W m th's T a b l e about a M o n t h ago, contributed a good deal of Diversion to the polite C o m p a n y , who j u d g ' d it a humourous Incident for a Poem: A n d immediately fix'd on a Gentleman present for the Business. W e have already obliged our Readers with some of D r Β d η's Compositions, and doubt not of doing so by inserting this, which we had not soon enough for our last."

384

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Let loftier bards the Hero's acts relate, I sing the memorable mouse's fate: Nor let a critic ear the theme refuse Immortal made by the Maonian muse.

[Opening]

The mouse defies the stratagems of Kate, and feeds gloriously on the pick of the pantry and even on "new repast of books." He "Plunders all night, and slumbers all the Day," and of the wreckage, Not more tremendous look'd the Cyclop's cave, Or Cuma s Grott, hard-by Averno"s wave. But the trap of the oyster With tegument of scaly armour strong, . . . with expanded jaws, and gaping shell, is successful, and the epicure is caught. Now hangs the grateful spoil on beam sublime. This piece has the smack of the short tale, but mock-heroic touches pervade the whole sufficiently.

1736

No. 150

Of the praise of Τobacco; or, 'The Smoaker's Epitome. Mr. A. H-ll's Style imitated. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, September, 1736, VI, 547. 39 lines, h.c. Parody of Hill's " T h e Actor's Epitome," in December issue, V, 730, being twenty lines of advice to actors, signed "Prompter cxiii." Signed " I . F. L. M . "

parodies

He who would think must smoak·. — For smoakers find An art, by smoaking to improve the mind He, who wou'd act must think·. — for, thought will find The art, to form the Body, by the Mind. [Opening]

Smoking and its joys and the best counsel as to obtaining them are the theme, instead of acting and advice concerning that art. Thus a passage is altered: And steer your Course, by the befriending light. On the rais'd neck, oft mov'd, but ever strait, Turn your unbending head, with easy state.

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Steering thy match to the befriending light: On the rais'd lip, oft mov'd, obliquely strait Let the glaz'd tuie recline, with easy state — The parody is closest at the beginning and the end, but there is a resemblance of phrases throughout, and there are even some rhymes in common. Dorothy Brewster in her book on Aaron Hill, New York, 1913, p. 130, mentions this answer to Hill. Also in Grub-street Journal, No. 352, Sept. 23, 1736.

1736

No. 151

A Pipe of Tobacco: in Imitation of Six Several Authors. London: Printed for L. Gilliver, at Homer s-Head over-against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-street. MDCCXXXVI. (Price Six-pence.) Isaac Hawkins Browne, pp. 7-23. ode, s.c., b.v., h.c., h.c., and o.e. Parodies of Cibber, A. Philips, Thomson, Young, Pope, and Swift. A recent, though not exhaustive, edition is that by H. F. B. BrettSmith, Oxford, 1923, from which some of my facts are taken. The parody of Philips was the first to appear, in the General Evening Post, No. 330, Nov. 8 - 1 1 , 1735. To this were added those of Thomson, Young, and Pope in the London Evening-Post, No. 1254, Nov. 29Dec. 2, 1735, and the Independent London Journal, No. 21, Dec. 6, 1735. The imitation of Philips was printed in the November issue of the Gentleman s Magazine, 1735, V, 677, and the other three a month later, p. 731. These four poems caught Curll's piratical eye; he printed them as Of Smoaking. Four Poems in Praise of Tobacco. The parodies of Cibber and Swift first saw light in the Gentleman s Magazine, February, 1736, VI, 105. (The various verbal variations have been noted in BrettSmith's introduction.) The six poems were printed together by Gilliver in octavo, advertised in the London Magazine, January, 1736. This is the standard text, and the one reprinted by Brett-Smith. Another edition, called the third, came out in 1744. Dodsley found a place for the series in the second volume of his Collection, 1748, pp. 276-283; Browne's son included them in his edition of his father's Poems upon Various Subjects, Latin and English, 1768, pp. 115-124. Brett-Smith has failed to notice that the London Magazine in November and December, 1735, duplicated the printing by the Gentleman's Magazine (or was it the reverse ?) of the first four imitations. He was also unaware that in Post-Office Intelligence: or, Universal Gallantry.

386

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Being a Collection of Love-Letters, 1736, the poems on Philips, Thomson, Young, and Pope were inserted between the title-page and the first letter with no page numbers; that the third edition of The Rape of the Smock, 1736, included the parody on Cibber, thus bringing Curll's total up to five out of a possible six; and that Nos. 316, 317, and 318 of the Grub-street Journal, Jan. 15, 11, and 29, 1736, advertised the Gilliver volume.

1736

No. 125

The Player s Epitome, in Opposition to the Actor's. [in] London Magazine, February, 1736, V, 90. 20 lines, h.c. Parody of Hill's " T h e Actor's Epitome," in December issue, IV, 680 Play on, and never think; by thought confin'd, You will but strain your body and your mind; Stalk at full ease; all toilsome action slight; Nor sweat in jest, to do feign'd passion right.

[Opening]

Ironical directions in contradistinction to those given in " T h e Actor's Epitome." There is some turning of the original phrases. Seem your full self — no borrow'd lights display But roundly troll your unfelt words away; Shun emphasis; distinguish nothing strong, Jumbling a mingled mass of sense along: No spirits waste — relax'd your sinews keep, And, dangling doleful, yawn my lords to sleep. Cf. No. 150.

1736

No. 153

The Shuttlecock. An Heroi-Comical Poem. In Four Canto's. [Motto] Virgil. Oxford: Printed by L. Lichfield, 1736. Anthony Whistler, pp. 1-39. h.c. Mock-heroic. Dedication " T o Miss " : " F o r I thought the Shuttlecock a just Emblem of your Gayety, and the Battledores of your Judgment to direct it."

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T h e beautiful Delia is described, as are various things in the room. B u t when the Heart-reviving Cask she spy'd, She seiz'd the Cork, and thus foreboding cry'd: So small a Subject shall extend m y N a m e , A n d on this Cork to H e a v ' n shall M o u n t m y Fame. [p- 3] A Deadly Weapon quick the Fair provides, W h i c h thro' the spungy Substance swiftly glides: T h e mangled Cork return'd a doleful Sound, A s if it P i t y beg'd and felt the Wound. [p. 4] Delia relates to her sister Ophelia the sad story of Suberia, who resisted the love of Bacchus and was forthwith turned into a tree. T h e story makes a lasting impression on Ophelia. C a n t o I I : Cupid visits Delia's boudoir and in her absence " o n the Mirror trac'd Flames, Darts, and V o w s in M a g i c k Order plac'd." B u t Cupid finds the cask and is overcome by too much nectar. Delia enters and is quick to realize the advantage of having Cupid powerless before her. N e x t in the inconstant Cork she fix'd with A r t E a c h painted Feather torn from CUPID's Dart, Nicely resembling Coquetilla's Heart.

[p. 16]

B u t the new machine she finds useless, " W h i c h by some other H a n d She saw must rise." Canto I I I : Cupid awakes enraged and promises that Delia " h u g s the D a r t by which She dies." In that part of Heaven " W h e r e Paphian Vapours cast a brighter H u e " Cupid applies his prism " T h a t separates feign'd Passion's various D y e s . " H e finds that Endymion's passion is sincere. Endymion prays to Cupid, who summons a " C o n v o c a t i o n of the Sob'rest Loves"·, the God of L o v e pursues his own advice in making new bows, which are equipped with a roll of parchment " W h i c h once fair Helen s Pin-monev s e c u r ' d " and the bindings of an Ovid that Delia herself owned, in the form of battledores. C a n t o I V : Cupid visits Endymion and encourages him in his suit, presenting him with the two rackets to give to Delia. She proposes a game with these new instruments and her shuttlecock. In Air who longest can this Cork sustain W i t h dext'rous H a n d , shall deathless Honour gain. [p· 34] T h e y play a while, until Cupid's magic begins to work as the result of the battledores' action.

388

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY For CUPID's Engines here perform their Part, Wafting warm Zephyrs to her icy Heart. The sultry Gales first kindled soft Desire, And while She fan'd, She but increased the Fire. [PP· 35-3 6 ]

Finally Cupid ends the play, and the cork rises by " self-taught Motion," Which to a Sparrow chang'd, by Instinct led, To LOVE's bright Cave with flutt'ring Pinions fled. [p· 36] This poem is of a type with the Rape in that it partakes strongly of the nature of a complimentary, amorous, social poem built around an insignificant object. And the shuttlecock ascends like the lock. The suitor is dejected in both poems, and supernatural powers take a hand. But the chief resemblance is the atmosphere of pleasant trifling, of the gay life of the beau monde, of the great to-do over a very minor matter. The Shuttlecock contains some pleasing verse, of a conventional sort, to be sure, but graceful in phrase and movement. It stands on the periphery of the mock-heroic genre, the presence of the shuttlecock itself helping to keep it in the type. Very easy it would be (and in many cases was) for such a poem to move over into a type of light verse — fable or tale or classical comparison or compliment — by failing to use as a basis or centre some relatively unimportant thing. Richard Graves, Recollection of . . . Shenstone, 1788, p. 89, said this poem "considering the age of the author, had considerable merit."

1736

No. 154

Stirbitch-Fair. A Mock-Heroick-Poem: In Five Canto's. [in] Poems on Several Occasions. By the Author of the Poem on the Cambridge Ladies. [Mottoes] South. Dry den. Norwich: Printed by William Chase, MDCCXXXVI. Price One Shilling. [Bodl.] pp. 1-24. h.c. Mock-heroic. What dire Offence rose from a trivial Thing, What great Disaster, Heav'n-born Goddess, sing: This is to Manlius Vindication due, This Mariana may vouchsafe to view; Read, if at Leisure, and confess it true. [Opening, p. 1]

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Our heroine wishes to go to Cambridge to celebrate Stirbitch Fair. Her mother attempts to dissuade her. For there, a thousand blooming Youths you '11 meet, Like Demi-Gods they move along the Street: And thou art young! then have a special care, Beware of all, but most of these beware.

[p· 3]

The mother fears that Mariana may become " I m m o r t a l in Lampoon" and adduces the evidence of such bad omens as the breaking of a cherished bowl and the attitude of the lap dog. But the fair one is unheeding and proceeds to Cambridge. In the next canto Manlius, a gallant, carefully selects a carriage in which to hand Mariana to the Fair. She thrice spurns him and finally angers him. Her fellow nymphs agree that she has been too unkind. " 'Tis downright Nonsence to refuse a M a n . " Canto I I I : Manlius for succor goes to Mistress Fame; the raffling booth is regarded as a centre of gossiping and pleasure. I n a digression the misfortune of Aurelia is told. Canto IV: Mariana goes to the booth but is constantly embarrassed. Cloe baits her but she finally becomes independent. Now She resolves to lay her Fears aside, And bravely shows that Face, she cannot hide. The play for the last night is Love and a Bottle. canto is in the crowded theatre.

[p. 18]

The scene of the final

In the Side-Box our Nymph conspicuous sat, By her own Choice, or by the will of Fate.

[p. 21]

But she is cruelly lampooned on the late episode of refusing Manlius, and her chagrin is monstrous. Such an obviously weak heroi-comical poem fails, not by reason of its subject but because of the poet's inability to use a straight thread of narrative or to make the mock-heroic tone consistent throughout. Pope's Rape has been studied, and there are occasional verbal borrowings and imitations; but the poem as a whole falls below the merit of the average member of the type. In an article, " T h e Refusal of y e H a n d : A Mock-heroical Poem," in the Library, June, 1922, I I I , 35-48, Professor G. C. Moore Smith treats the original version [B. M. MS. Harl. 7332, ff. 226-263], specially as it illustrates the Cambridge of the great Bentley. The year 1723 seems to be a good guess for this fresher form of the poem; the two principal characters are called Gallus and Hanaponta (who may have repre-

390

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

sen ted a Mr. Fransham and a Miss Hanbridge) ; the manuscript is sadly defective in places. Professor Moore Smith was unable to find a copy of the printed version with title-page (he evidently used the Bodleian copy with pressmark, Gough Cambridge 61) and thus was forced to make various hypotheses as to authorship and date which are erroneous. Fortunately I was able to find the Poems on Several Occasions, Norwich, 1736, in the Bodleian (pressmark, God. Pamph. 2745.7), which settles all moot points but authorship. The chief value of the manuscript poem lies in the section on Bentley, a part omitted when the piece was revised. The scholar does not wish his daughter Aurelia (probably Joanna Bentley) to attend plays. The passage on young Richard Bentley from the mouth of his father is too good to escape quotation; I am transcribing from Professor Moore Smith's article, PP- 43-44· Why dost thou, Daughter, thus a boon require? Thy Brother Dick has no such low desire. A thirst of knowledge sets his soul on fire. He when a boy (such boys you Ί seldom find) Gave early proofs of a descerning mind. One morning, as y e boy his primmer read, To me he ran with great concern & said: "Here is a single for a double O, It should be Too, & look, Papa, tis To." I plac't upon my knees y" hopeful boy, And smiling view'd him w th a parent's joy. And thus I spoke: "These are y e Blunders y e Transcribers make, Who words, whole sentences, nay lines mistake, Blockheads! ·— but thou shalt plague y m after me, Thou shalt a Critick Hypercritick be. Before my New Greek Testament appears, An everlasting toil, y e work of years, Before a Graduate gown adorn thy back, Thou shal't distinguish 'twixt an et & ac. First be a Fellow thy Mama to please, Then grow into a Scholar by Degrees. But when thou'st got thy Father's works by heart And learn't from thence the Criticizing Art, Thy tongue unwilling shall in Latin speak, Thy learned head shall sweat in drops of Greek." Ned Ward's prose piece, A Step to Stir-Bitch-Fair: with Remarks upon the University of Cambridge, 1700, has no connection here.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1737

391 No. 155

Chloe. The same Inverted. [in] London Magazine, January, 1737, VI, 49. 12 lines, o.e. Parody of "Chloe," which is signed "Anonymous." Signed "Trinonymus." The compliments to Chloe are changed to uncomplimentary observations on Roga. When charming Chloe gently walks, Or sweetly smiles, or gayly talks, No goddess can with her compare, So sweet her looks, so gay her air. When hagged Roga, hobbling walks, Or snarling grins, or snaffling talks; No granny can with her compare, Such wither'd looks! such teeth! and hair.

[Opening]

An unassuming and unimportant jeu d'esprit.

1737

No. 156

Colemira. A Culinary Eclogue. Nec tantum Veneris, quantum studiosa culinte. [in] Poems upon Various Occasions. Written for the Entertainment of the Author, And Printed for the Amusement Of a few Friends, Prejudic'd in his Favour. Contentus paucis Lectoribus. Hor. Oxford Printed by Leon Lichfield near East-Gate, 1737. [B.M.] William Shenstone. pp. 1 1 - 1 4 . h.c. Mock-eclogue. Damon is by the kitchen fire: Pensive he lay, extended on the Ground; The little Lares kept their Vigils round; The fawning Cats compassionate his case, And purr around, and gently lick his Face: To all his 'plaints the sleeping Curs reply, And with hoarse Snorings imitate a Sigh. He is thinking of Colemira and proceeds to compliment.

[p. 1 1 ]

392

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Her Hands out-shine the Fire, and redder things; Her Eyes are blacker than the Pot she brings. [p. 12]

Even her accent, when she is full of wrath, charms him, and he would gladly receive the salute she bestows on the lazy pointers. Shock said, or seem'd to say, He had as lief, I had the kick, as they.

[p. 13]

Whatever this damsel does is perfect —· she rubs the candlesticks so there is no need of candles. The "sad desponding Swain" ends his complaint, But Nymphs are free with those they shou'd deny; To those, they love, more exquisitely coy! [p. 14] Some of the same gentle satire that Shenstone let flow into the immortal School-Mistress can be seen here in the realistic but pleasing description, the sympathetic but mocking tone. At this sort of thing the genial gentleman of the Leasowes was happy, and the happiness of his efforts has not died.

1737

No. 157

The Country Curate.

[in]

Gentleman s Magazine, January, 1737, VII, 52-53. 84 lines, rhyme-royal. Parody of " T h e Country Parson" in opposite columns. A rather verbal perverting this is of a poem in loving description of the country parson and his life and family. Each idea is twisted to show the great disparity between the happiness of the parson and unhappiness of his less fortunate brother. The poet seems to imply that contentment in life and even beauty of character are largely dependent on a full larder and financial security. Any example will show the simple method of the verbal rendering, though some lines are not parodied so literally as these: Eight years hath heav'n possess'd them of a boy, Who loves a sister younger by a year. Eight years hath heaven plagu'd 'em with a boy, Who hates a sister younger by a year. [p. 52]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

1737

393 No. 158

A Letter from an Apothecary s 'Prentice in JV street to his Friend at Oxford, in Answer to an Epistle which exposes the logical Opinions that prevail in the University.

[in]

London Magazine, August, 1737, VI, 449-450. 88 lines, o.e. Hudibrastic. Signed " H . W . " As forward children learn to talk, By imitating wiser folk, So I by your example fir'd To hudibrastick have aspir'd, Laid aside gallipots and glasses, To see which thought in verse surpasses; And as for juleps, formentations, With all our other preparations, Of vegetable, animal, Chemical or Galenical, One hour they're banish'd from my brain For sake of a poetick strain. [Opening, p. 449] The object of the satire is the medical profession. There's not a thing they all agree in But acceptable form of feeing. Ask them from whence proceed diseases, You're answered just as fancy pleases; With one 'tis acid quality, T'other affirms it alkali, A third will give them both the lye.

[p. 449]

The raillery of the physician against the apothecary is to be discounted. An illustration is the story of the painter who portrayed one man triumphing over two lions. The lion asserts, But here's the worst on't — we have not The art of painting 'mong us got.

[p· 45°]

A not unamusing short satire, which might have become tedious with more ambition in the poet.

394

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY 1737

N o . 159

Mother Gin, a fragi-Comical Eclogue: being a Paraphrastical Imitation of the Daphnis of Virgil. [Mottoes] Virg. JEn. III. /En. I. London: Printedfor L. Gilliver, and J. Clarke, at Homer s Head in Fleetstreet; and sold at their Shop in Westminster-hall, MDCCXXXVII. (Price One Shilling.) [B.M.] pp. 6-29, even pages, h.c. Parody of Virgil's Fifth Eclogue. N i n e t y lines of Latin occupy the left-hand pages. In " T o the Courteous R e a d e r " the indebtedness to Virgil is discussed. T h e author wishes to remove prejudices against Virgil on the score that he is incapable of making the reader laugh. " In this E s s a y , both the literal sence, and the spirit and turn of the Latin, have been kept in view; and the Imitator flatters himself, that Connoisseurs will perceive, throughout the whole, either the one, or the other." [A2] T h e whole poem is in dialogue between Maiden and Morgan instead of Menalcas and Mopsus, and Gin takes the place of Daphnis. T h e thought is perverted extremely carefully, almost too much so. Since We, good Fellows both, here haply meet, íhou from the College 'scap'd, I from the Fleet; Both skill'à in music, bag-pipes Thou to swell, In ballad verse I merry tales to tell·, W h y sit we not in this Gin-shop, 'midst casks N o w useless, mix'd with empty cags and flasks."

[p. 7]

T h e Virgilian admonition to strew the turf with flowers and raise a tomb with epitaph becomes: W i t h choice Tobacco leaves bestrew the ground, Place twelve huge empty casks in order round: O'er these dry'd founts of j o y be weeping seen T w i c e twelve old wither'd hags, like shadows thin: Such rites to be perform'ά to her remains B y Will Nuncupatory Gin ordains. Then last a tomb, in form of hogshead, raise; And on the tomb inscribe in verse this praise: "I Gin in silvan shades, and in the T o w n , From Cellars deep to starry garrets, known; Keeper of Cattle fair that nightly plie, Of Cattle fair b y dark; in light much fairer I."

[p. 17]

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395

Footnotes explain references in the text: for instance, Maiden and Morgan are "two malefactors executed since Michaelmas." The italicized words evidently represent the elements common to both texts. This piece is hardly amusing, though the poet must have labored hard to effect such a careful parallelism. His Muse is harnessed too tightly. Adver. in Gent. Mag. and Lon. Mag., May, 1737.

1737 Ode to Daphnis a Puppy, playing with Mirtilla in Bed. Stacie. [in] London Magazine, January, 1737, VI, 44-45. John Stacie. 36 lines, s.c.

No. 160 By Mr.

Parody of A. Philips's style. Happy Daphnis, which can be Of puppy dogs compar'd to thee! On Mirtillo!s bosom lying, Kissing her for whom I'm dying, O'er her endless beauties sporting, Whilst the nymph is gayly courting, And with hugs and smiles repaying, Skips and bites and wanton playing! Gentle whelp, all whelps excelling, Let us change a while our dwelling; Sighing, pensive take thy stand, Grow a lover out of hand, Silent, trembling, much desiring, Seem for me a wretch expiring, Whilst some god, that hears soft wishes, Happiest thou of sons of bitches. [Opening, pp. 44-45] The lover desires a change of places, but warns Daphnis that in such an event the human will prove superior to the canine. Philips is by no means closely parodied; the lines average a bit longer, and there are few verbal echoes and repetitions. But there is the same silly jingle and the same sort of subject, and it is highly probable that Namby Pamby was in mind.

396

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY 1737

A Panegyric on a Louse, in the style of Milton. [in] Grub-street Journal, No. 402, Sept. 8, 1737. 10 lines, b.v.

No. 161 [B.M.]

Parody of Milton's style. The insect deserves the credit usually given the bard, for the "pleasing titillation" causes the poet to scratch from his brain the idea he has been desiring. The Miltonic tone is not extreme. Beneath the Poet's rectilineal Wigg, When to the silent solitary gloom Of his aerial mansion he ascends; Thou rid'st triumphant; his companion sole His labour's consort and invention's aid. Appeared in Lon. Mag., Oct., 1749, X V I I I , 474.

1737

No. 162

The Prophetic Physician. An Heroi-Comic Poem, Address'd to the Physicians. [Motto] Virg. London: Printed for T. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-noster-row. MDCCXXXVII. (Price Six-Pence.) [B.M.] pp. 3 - 1 2 . h.c. Mock-heroic. Ye learn'd Adepts, in wond'rous Secrets skill'd; In ev'ry Flow'r, that paints the Vernal Field! Who know the genius from the spurious Breed; The motley Race of het'rogeneous Seed! Who Infant Vegetation can descry; And in the Matrix of the Tulips pry! Who see with Envy their Indearments tender, When ambo-sex'd the happy Snails ingender! You, who by accurate Observance tell An Anti- from a Post-diluvian Shell. [Opening, p. 3] After a long mocking address to the medical profession the poet tells the highly obscene story, in very dignified terms, of Cleanthes, a rich lord who has a baffling disease. Euphrenius the sage is sent for and after much thought prescribes for the patient some of his own urine. But Envy tries to substitute that of Cleora, the lord's beautiful daughter.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

397

The physician recognizes the difference, and as the result of a vision into the future praises Cleora and advises her marriage. Cleanthes is restored to health. As a burlesque this is not very bad, but the author has obviously descended too far for a trifling subject. The nastiness is well disguised but remains the heart of the piece.

1737

No. 163

The Virtuoso; in Imitation oj Spencer s Style and Stanza. — Videmus Nugari solitos. Persius.

[in]

Gentleman's Magazine, April, 1737, VII, 244-245. Mark Akenside. 90 lines. Spen. st. Parody of Spenser's style. By adopting the older diction and the Spenserian stanza and by using the comic and ineffectual figure of the virtuoso, the poet here seems to be mocking both that type of person, which was so much ridiculed, and the archaic method of Spenser. Whatever the poet's desire, there must have been a consciousness of incongruity. There are only two figures mentioned in these few stanzas, the virtuoso and " a spright ycleped Phantasy," who holds in her thrall A wight of mickle wealth, and mickle fame, Book-learn'd and quaint; a virtuoso hight.

[p. 244]

The virtuoso's scientific and antiquarian interests are described and mocked; the satiric intent is powerful and is enhanced by manipulation of a poetic form much above the subject and also of some age.

1738 Brandy. By a Youth. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, February, 1738, V I I I , 100. 50 lines, h.c. Mock-heroic. Lov'd Brandy's fame my panegyrick draws, A greatly popular, yet ruin'd cause: Once kindest gift of neighbour Gallia deem'd, By every party, rank, and sex esteem'd;

No. 164

39«

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY That to all palates could its charms commend, Was the beau's toast, the lady's chamber friend. What rais'd the jovial song? what mirthful glee? The hum'rous guest? the conversation free? Made niggards prodigal, dull coxcombs smart, Gave to the bashful, tongue, the coward, heart? What chas'd the nymph's reserve, the lover's fear? 'Twas Brandy, Brandy, that renown'd Monsieur! [Opening]

Another poem in praise of a drink, but not in very extreme terms, and thus on the outer margin of the type.

1738

No. 165

The Pettycoat. A Poem. In Four Canto's. Written by , late of Westminster School, a King's Scholar; and now published by a Lady. [Motto] Horace. Dublin: Printed by George Faulkner: M,DCC,~ XXX,Vili. [B.M.] pp. 1-36. h.c. Mock-heroic. The "Advertisement to the Reader" says the occasion was a social accident, the entanglement of the author's spur in a lady's petticoat. Dedication to Miss Susannah Wandesford, signed " Mary Broggin." In Strains — Majestic, and with Heavenly Fire, While Maro tunes to War, his Golden Lyre, With Warmth describes the Battle's loud Alarms, And all the dreadful Pomp of glittering Arms; An humbler Theme shall be my Muses Care —, Pleas'd and delighted to attend the Fair. With feeble Voice she sounds in pensive Lays, The injur'd Petticoat's deserved Praise. [Opening, pp. 1-2] Emilia, the heroine, must go to "breath the City Air, a Week or so," To buy a Gown, perhaps, or cheapen Tea, To hear an Anthem, or to see a Play. [p. 3] Her absence in the country is greatly felt, especially by Strephon, who proceeds to London in pursuit. The power of Society and women is huge, of Jilts, Prudes, Coquets, Belles, discontented Wives, Old Maids, young Widows of more wanton Lives. [p. 5]

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399

None is more lovely than Emilia, who by her beauty and scorn arouses the ill will of other belles. Her swelling Pettycoat now struts at large, As proud of such a lovely, tempting Charge. T o grace this Robe, the Whale a Victim dy'd, T o raise its Fabrick, and extend its Pride; And big with Victory o'er the Ocean gain'd, Came to demand Subjection from the Land.

[pp. 7-8]

Canto II : Around their tea the belles debate Emilia's fall. Dorinda suggests invoking Pluto, " t h e gloomy King of Hell," to bring " T o lowest Scorn, that peerless haughty Thing," whereupon Silvia objects that Emilia's charms will overcome the god. Cloe then tells about a dream she has had in which she walked with her companions in Vulcan's fane, loaded with Darts, Thunder-bolts, and Helmets all around, And Swords, and broken Lances, strow'd the Ground; Busks, Bodkins, Buckles, Needles, Thimbles, Twees; The dear Delights of Belles, and smart Toupees. [p. 14] It is agreed that Vulcan is the god to propitiate. Cloe offers her favorite sparrow as sacrifice, Silvia her dove, and Dorinda prepares the fire. Canto III: Cloe the headless Carcasses assails. And from their throbbing Heart Success foretels: Then on a Bier of Billet-deaux display'd, The raking Entrails 'midst the Fire she lay'd. With dull Lampoons, and Poems cover'd o'er, And Songs, and tatter'd Plays, a plenteous Store. Lastly, around the fuming Orb she goes, With Vervine Leaves, sweet Musk, and Civet strews, Adds Essence, Jessamine, and Orange Flowers, And Camphire Spirits on the Fuel pours, Camphire thou happy Gum of Capers Tree, How many Virgins owe that Name to thee. [p. 18] The three conspirators tell Vulcan their grievances; he promises to help. But The God of Love sat all the while unseen, And heard their Prayers behind an Indian Screen. [p. 20]

400

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

Enraged, Cupid

on the Tea-Pot took his Stand, With Shafts prepar'd, and Bow advanc'd in Hand, From whence reclin'd with an unerring Dart, Transfix'd the first approaching Stima's Heart. The Nymph expires for a brisk Templer's Sake, And equal Fate the following Nymphs partake. Dorinda for the absent Captain mourns, And for the jolly Parson, Cloe burns. [pp. 20-21]

The canto closes with praise for and envy of Jenny, Emilia's maid. Canto I V : Strephon bribes Jenny with all-powerful gold and spends a rapturous morning with his love. But, as he departs, the plot of Vulcan is unrolled. Then moving backwards with a half-made Bow, In pensive Silence he resolv'd to go: But in the Juncture his unlucky Spur, (Sad Story) unperceiv'd by him or her, Thro' Vulcan's cruel Power, its Head had wrought, Into the Flounces cf her Pettycoat; And there detain'd in silken Fetters bound, Brought the receeding Lover to the Ground. Nor did stern Vulcan end his Insults here; Now he converts his Arms against the Fair. By him, oh cruel Fate! the lovely Maid, Prostrate upon the blushing Youth was laid. [pp. 27-28] Cupid is secretly pleased at the mishap. Strephon is very repentant and apologetic, and Emilia smiles upon him. Jenny keeps the story three whole days, then Fame spreads it. The Belles with Joy the pleasing News receive, Hint something worse, and ev'ry Hint believe.

[p. 32]

Strephon prays to Venus with good result; meanwhile Emilia bewails the ruin of her "poor, dejected, harmless Pettycoat." Jenny begins to upbraid the lover for mistaking his mistress for a horse and wearing spurs into a lady's room, but Cupid has by now possessed Emilia's soul and she defends the lover. Henceforth bright Virgin for the Sake of thee, This Pettycoat shall Cupid's Temple be; And Strephon for his Crime is doom'd by Fate, Thy Tale in artless Numbers to relate.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

401

Pleas'd to repeat the fair Emilias Name, T h y circling Pettycoat shall crown his Fame.

[p. 36]

Here is another pleasing poem on the light Society whirl, the action of which centres about an accident to a feminine garment, nothing more. The burlesque tone is unmistakable. Heroic comparisons and classical allusions abound; the series of lines with a common first word (here " F o r " and " E ' e r " ) is well used. There is abundant machinery, and Strephon is an excellent mock-heroic figure. The apostrophe to the maid Jenny is amusing, as is the plight of the three rivals. Although the petticoat is not prominent throughout the story, the misfortune that befalls it is the crux of the action.

1738

No. 166

Tom Κ g's: or, the Paphian Grove. With the various Humours of Coverti Garden, The "Theatre, The Gaming-Table, àie. A Mock-HeroicPoem, In Three Cantos. [Motto] London: Printed for J . Robinson, next the Bedford-Tavern in Tavistock-Street, Covent-Garden; and sold at the Pamphlet-S hop s at the Royal-Exchange, Temple-Bar, and Charing-Cross. 1738. (Price is. 6d.) [Bodl.] pp. 1-64. h.c. Mock-heroic. Venus, Cupid, and Bacchus are invoked, and the beauties of Covent Garden are set forth extravagantly. Near this terrestrial Paradise is plac'd A splendid Theatre, with Actors grae'd.

[p. 9]

This home of "Informing Shakespear," " T r a g i c Dryden," and "Harlequino Lunn" is worthy of praise, but the Hydra near-by, the dicing hall, is the subject of warning. In Canto I I Venus summons to King's coffee-house the women of the town, each of whom is described in a scornful way, to engage in a bout of love and wine. The men are portrayed too in all their unattractiveness. A wrangle between two of the harlots, Walthora and Prudilla, is finally quieted. O thou, who tutor'd by the *Delphick God, Sung on the Margin of an ousey Flood. Fool-hardy Chiefs inur'd to deadly Wars 'Twixt croaking Frogs, and Mice immortal Jars. * Homer's Batrachomyomachia.

402

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY *Or thou w h o S u n g in an immortal Strain, T h e licens'd Homicides of Warwick-Lane·. G i v e energy to m y unskilful T o n g u e W h i l e furious Fanny's direful rage is Sung.

* Dr. Garth the Author of the Dispensary, a Poem.

[pp· 38-39]

A constable enters to drag o u t a h i g h w a y m a n . T h e third c a n t o opens with the dicing house at d a w n pouring forth its h a b i t u e s ; the l u c k y ones hasten to K i n g ' s , A n d croud impetuous to the Paphian G r o v e T o crown their Bliss with Bacchus, and w i t h L o v e . [p· 47]

T h e various t y p e s and professions are represented: the old lecher, the spruce beau, the soldier, the l a w y e r , the poet, the squire. C a u s i d i c u s the l a w y e r and H i p p o l i t u s the squire indulge in a physical quarrel. E a c h swain departs w i t h his n y m p h , all b u t the poor poet, our author. T h e first c a n t o is only slightly mock-heroic, b u t the battles in the t w o other parts denote the writer's m o c k i n g intention. H i s verse throughout is dignified and full of classical and Biblical references; m a n y of the similes h a v e an epic ring. T h i s p o e m deserves to stand on the b o u n d a r y line b e t w e e n the " h u m o u r s " t y p e and the true mock-heroic. T h e r e is no hero or regular thread of action. T h e nature of the verse, h o w e v e r , is u n d o u b t e d l y heroic. A n d the poet e v i d e n t l y had the idea t h a t he w a s doing a mock-heroic piece: witness his sub-title, the allusions to the Batrachomyomachia and The Dispensary (quoted a b o v e ) , and the reference to The Splendid Shilling in a note on p. 16. A l s o , the ending of the poem seems a bit reminiscent of The Splendid Shilling. A d v e r . in Gent. Mag., Post, F e b . i l , 1738.

F e b . , 173 8, Gen. Adv., F e b . 10, 1 7 3 7 - 3 8 ,

1738

Daily

No. 167

Verses on the Death of Capt. Weekley, the late eminent Tobacconist Fleet-street. Wrote when smoaking some bad Tobacco. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, F e b r u a r y , 1738, V I I I , 99-100. 57 lines, b.v.

in

Mock-elegy. T h e tobacconist is mourned because good tobacco now seems to be u n o b t a i n a b l e ; thus drink becomes a t e m p t a t i o n . T h e burlesque tone is

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

403

not unadulterated, but the conclusion indicates well enough the spirit of the smoker-poet. Rest to thy dust — and transport to thy soul! Blest be thy mem'ry — and eternal too! More struggles in my breast — but — puff — alas, This drowsy weed •— binds up my faltring tongue, Damps all — p u f f — my thoughts — and — puff — I sink to slumbers, and can — sing — no more.

1739

[p. 100]

No. 168

The Methodists, An Humorous Burlesque Poem; Address'd to the Rev. Mr. Whitefield and his Followers: Proper to be bound up with his Sermons, and the Journals of his Voyage to Georgia, &c. [Motto] The Revd. Mr. Land's Letter. London: Printed for John Brett, opposite St. Clement's Church in the Strand, 1739. (Price 6d.) pp. 3-28. o.e. Hudibrastic. After some satire on the Catholics and Dissenters Lucifer is made to give an address of some length to a conclave at Rome; he predicts that extremes in religion will be to the advantage of both Rome and Hell. Method alone must guide 'em all, Whence Methodists, themselves, they call, Here I my Triumphs fix to come, And here shalt thou fix thine, O Romei

[p. 15]

Whitefield will be a great new leader. On him ye Catholicks rely, He '11 do your Business bye and bye. To him prepare a new-form'd Shrine, Let W d 'mong your Legends shine.

[p. 16]

Satan then hies to Oxford, taking certain appurtenances of hypocrisy for the use of the Methodists whom he finds there. Their doctrines and chiefly their practices, including the amorous, are denounced. The Wesleys are mentioned, but Whitefield, "Archbishop of Humility," "Ape of Grace," " t h e Plenipo of Heaven," is soundly scored as a nuisance. The conclusion reminds one a bit of Sandburg's " T o a Contemporary Bunkshooter."

404

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Preach, chatter, throw thy Arms and prate, Be formal as thou can'st, and cheat; But know howe'er you've form'd your Plan, The Moral is the Honest Man.

[p. 28]

The amount of direct, personal satire in this strident piece shows the Hudibrastic poem following, to some extent, the religious element in Hudibras, so much so that it is almost out of the burlesque class. The verse is none too good or Butlerian. Adver. in Gent. Mag., May, 1739.

1739

No. 169

A Paraphrastical, Hudibrastical, Versification of the Instructions given by One Hundred and Nine of the Burgesses at large and Freeholders (out oj Two and twenty Hundred) of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, to their Two Members, John Plumtre and Borlace Warren, relating to the obtaining an Actfor limiting the Number of Placemen in the House of Commons, to which said Instructions the Names or Marks of all the said One Hundred and Nine Burgesses at large, are subscribed or set. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, December, 1739, I X , 650. 86 lines, o.e. Travesty of the prose "Instructions," given on pp. 650-651. To you two 'squires whom we have sent (Tho' one had never our consent) From Nottingham to parliament, We, of your voters the most noisy, Do, by these presents, mean to teaze ye.

[Opening]

The title thoroughly describes this bit of satirical verse. The serious instructions are paraphrased, but more frankly and brutally. The poet keeps to the subject well and takes over many words, but he is poking fun by means of the old device of bald statement.

1739

No. 170

The renowned Quack Doctor's Advice to his Poetaster in Ordinary. [in] London Magazine, November, 1739, V I I I , 617-618. 173 lines, o.e. Hudibrastic.

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405

Tho' I am no politician, Courtier, fidler or physician, Poet or painter, connoisseur, Beau, critick, witch, or conjurer; But only have this mean pretence, Which thousands have not, common sense. [Opening, p. 617] The burden of the advice concerns the best way to become a poet with the least wit and trouble. Chuse a theme, no matter what, All is good that comes to pot. Never fear, but coldly enter, Hit or miss, 'tis all a venture. . . . Borrow then from Swift or Pope, This a figure, that a trope. Filch from philosophick strings, Grubstreet songs, or some such things. . . . Then to make the whole complete, Fustian add a pennyweight, Bombast a dram — of puns a store, Nonsense a thousand weight or more; Sense a scruple, that's enough.

[p. 617]

Take for endings Byshe's reference, As some distinctions where's no difference.

[p. 618]

It is not easy to classify such a mixture of types: the didactic ring is apparent enough; the epistle form is chosen, but the ironical counsel is more or less general; and the verse and mocking attitude make these lines suitable for insertion in a Hudibras.

174O

No. 171

An Elegy. On the much lamented Death of many thousand excellent Patriots, and Supporters of their Country, in the Kingdom of Ireland; who were confined, and starved with Cold and Hunger, {cruellest of Deaths!) between Dec. 26, and Jan. 13,1739-40, to the inexpressible Loss and Grief of that weeping, bleeding, Nation. Dublin Jan. 18.

[in]

Gentleman's Magazine, January, 1740, X , 30. 1 1 0 lines, h.c.

4o6

ENGLISH BURLESQUE

POETRY

Mock-elegy. This burlesque sings the praises of Ireland's favorite staple and also bemoans the loss of the crop. Your sacred aid, ye Mantuan muses, bring, While I the praise of dead Potatoes sing. Well may we now in tears of blood deplore Our wretched fate — Potatoes are no more ! Our joy, our strength, our every hope is fled! Potatoes — lov'd Potatoes ! — ever dead! The growth of the plant and the uses to which it is put are dwelt on with vigor. It must have been quite natural at such a time to lament the failure of the yield, but such an expression as this could never have been accepted as serious. The fact that real suffering must have been in the background may destroy some of the reader's pleasure. 1740

No. 17a

Hobbinol, or the Rural Games. A Burlesque Poem, In Blank Verse. By William Somervile Esq; [Motto] Virg. Geor. Lib. III. London: Printed for J. Stagg, in Westminster-Hall. MDCCXL. William Somervile. pp. 3-64. b.v. Parody of Milton's style. Dedication to Hogarth. For passages in prefa ce see above, p. 50; the particular nature of the following paragraph makes it more applicable here. " If any Person should want a Key to this Poem, his Curiosity shall be gratified; I shall in plain Words tell him, ' I t is a Satire against the Luxury, the Pride, the Wantonness, and quarrelsome Temper of the middling Sort of People.' As these are the proper and genuine Causes of that barefac'd Knavery, and almost universal Poverty, which reign without Controul in every Place; and as to these, we owe our many bankrupt Farmers, our Trade decay'd, and Lands uncultivated; the Author has Reason to hope that no honest Man, who loves his Country, will think this short Reproof out of Season: For perhaps this merry Way of bantering Men into Virtue, may have a better Effect, than the most serious Admonitions; since many who are proud to be thought Immoral, are not very fond of being Ridiculous." [vii] What old Menalcas at his Feast reveal'd I sing, strange Feats of antient Prowess, Deeds Of high Renown, while all his list'ning Guests With eager Joy receiv'd the pleasing Tale. [Opening, p. 3]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS O, T h o u ! who late on Vagas flow'ry Banks Slumb'ring secure, with Stirom well bedew'd, Fallacious Cask, in sacred Dreams wert taught B y antient Seers, and Merlin Prophet old, T o raise ignoble Themes with Strains sublime, Be thou m y Guide! while I thy T r a c t pursue W i t h W i n g unequal, thro' the wide Expanse Advent'rous Range, and emulate thy Flights.

[pp. 3-4]

T h e pleasant life and love of Hobbinol, rural gentleman, and his son and niece, young Hobbinol and Ganderetta, are described. A t the Spring festival the whole countryside turns out for amusement. G a n deretta is the Queen, and dancing has its natural place. T h e y frisk, they bound: N o w to brisk Airs, and to the speaking Strings Attentive, in Mid-way the Sexes meet; Joyous their adverse Fronts they close, and press T o strict Embrace, as resolute to force A n d storm a Passage to each others H e a r t : 'Till by the varying Notes forewarn'd, back they Recoil disparted: E a c h with longing E y e s Pursues his M a t e retiring, 'till again T h e blended sexes mix; then Hand in H a n d Fast lock'd, around they fly, or nimbly wheel In Mazes intricate. [pp. 10-11] Y o u n g Hobbinol engages the champion Pastorel in a wrestling match, withstands a great assault when " 'twas D e a t h to fall, T o stand impossible," and finally throws his opponent amid much clamor. C a n t o II. A general battle ensues, occasioned b y the jealousy of the mountaineers over the victory of Hobbinol. A t length Sir R h a d a m a t h appears: A Knight of high Renown. Nor Quixot bold, N o r Amadis of Gaul, nor Hudibras, Mirror of Knighthood, e'er cou'd vie with thee, Great Sultan of the Vale!

[p. 29]

T h e speech of the magistrate quells the tumult. Gorgonius, champion at cudgel-playing, challenges Hobbinol and is eventually defeated, but in his fall he smashes the fiddle of Twangdillo, who laments much. C a n t o I I I . There is a rich repast and much poetic laudation of food and drink; in the praise of the latter John Philips naturally receives a share. Hobbinol encourages Ganderetta to enter the smock-race, in which she

4o8

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

defeats Fusca and Tabitha; the latter is much too heavy. The nymph's beauty and speed are admired by all, especially by her lover. During their double and mutual triumph Mopsa appears with her bastard offspring and thus changes Hobbinol's noon to night. He is accordingly taken into custody. Though Somervile's oft-reprinted poem is perhaps too long for thorough enjoyment, it is not heavy, as is charged by R. D. Havens (Influence of Milton, p. 363 n. 4). The mockery of blank verse with Miltonic ornamentation is far from extreme; Somervile is chiefly interested in his idyllic yet realistic scene and rustic players. The chief characters are neatly drawn, and there is a fair amount of interest to be obtained from the narration of the athletic events. There is no reason why this poem should not have been popular: it had a suitable quantity of wit, ease, and descriptive ability. Second and third eds., 1740; fourth, 1757; fifth, 1768; sixth, 1773; reprinted in Glasgow and Birmingham, 1755 and 1767. The Wicker Chair, included in F. G. Waldron's Shakspearean Miscellany, 1802, seems to be a much earlier version of Hobbinol\ see R. D. Havens, "William Somervile's Earliest Poem," Modern Language Notes, February, 1926, X L I , 80-86. A manuscript of The Wicker Chair is in the British Museum, Stowe 967. I 7 4 O (?)

No. 173

The Machine: or, Love's Preservative. A Poem In Imitation of Homer and. Virgil, and Dryden and Pope. London: Printed for T. Reynolds in Fleet Street. [B.M.] pp. 1 - 1 2 . h.c. Mock-heroic. After bidding harlots of all sorts hear and attend, the poet declares his subject to be the praise of the most popular and effective device for the prevention of venereal disease. He calls on Venus for help, naturally. The pains of disease are emphasized and the benefits of contraception dwelt upon. There is nothing amusing about this burlesque (the date of which is doubtful because the B.M. copy is closely cropped). Some similarities exist between it and Armour [No. 77], in blank verse. The Machine is twice too long for effectiveness; one merely gets a surfeit of the dirt. 174I

No. 174

ΤΗΣ OMHPOT VEPNON-ΙΑΔΟΣ, ΡΑΨΩΙΔΙΑ η ΓΡΑΜΜΑ A' The Vernon-iad. Done into English, From the original Greek of Homer.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

409

Lately found at Constantinople. With Notes in usum, &c. Book the First. London: Printed for Charles Corbett, at Addison's Head against St. Dunstan's Church; Fleet-street. MDCCXLI. (Price is. 6d.) Henry Fielding, pp. 1-37. h.c. Mock-heroic. Arms and the M a n I sing, who greatly bore Augusta's Flag to Porto Bello's Shore, On Sea and Land much suffering, e're he won, With Six Ships only, the predestin'd T o w n ; Whence a long Train of Victories shall flow, A n d future Laurels of Augusta grow. [Opening, pp. 1-2] Satan and M a m m o n are introduced in Hell planning to defeat the English purpose, namely, the advance of the fleet. M a m m o n seeks ¿Eolus and trades with him for a wind to blow Augusta's ships from the shores of Iberia. W h e n the wind arrives, the fleet seeks the peaceful bay. M a m m o n returns to Hell, with Transports blest A n d in his Palace keeps a three Weeks Feast. W i t h roaring Fiends the vaulted Roofs rebound, A n d in each C u p Augusta's Curse goes round.

[p. 37]

In this satire on an incident in the campaign of Admiral Vernon that could serve as a basis for a mock-heroic poem, there is much personal satire on the political doings of the day. Burlesque notes accompany the text, aimed probably at Drs. T r a p p and Bentley. Walpole bears the burden of the satire, which copies the machinery of Virgil and Milton. T h e r e was a Dublin edition the same year. See W . L. Cross, History of Henry Fielding, New H a v e n , 1918, I, 291-295.

1742

No. 175

Ajax his Speech to the Grecian Knabbs. From Ovid's Metam. Lib. XIII. [Motto] Attempted in broad Buchans. By R. F. Gent. Printed in the Year M.OCC.XLVIII. [B.M.] Robert Forbes, pp. 3 - 1 7 · xaxa,8686. T r a v e s t y of the speech of A j a x in Ovid's Metamorphoses, T h e wight an' doughty Captains a' U p o ' their doups sat doun; A rangel o' the common fouk In burachs a' stood roun.

Book X I I I

410

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Ajax bangs up, whase targe was sught In seven fald o' hide; An' bein' bouden'd up wi' wrath, Wi' atry face he ey'd The trojan shore, an' a' the barks That tedder'd fast did ly Alang the Coast; an' raxing out His gardies, loud did cry: O Jove\ The cause we here do plead, An' unco' great's the staile; Bat sail that sleeth Ulysses now Be said to be my maik? [Opening, pp. 3-4]

Ovid's account is rendered into a Scotch dialect; the lilting form and uncouth words have destroyed all or most of the dignity and beauty of the original. Frequently reprinted; see the prefatory note in the 1869 edition. Discussed by William Walker, Bards of Bon-Accord, 1375-1860, Aberdeen, 1887, pp. 210-213.

1742

No. 176

A Parody on Mr. Cibbers Ode. In praise of the author. [in] Scots Magazine, November, 1742, IV, 512. 34 lines, ode. Parody of Cibber's "Ode for his Majesty's birthday, 1742," printed in opposite column. While Quin and Garrick fly to arms, And give the harrass'd town alarms; While, by insidious arts ally'd, The "templars club to check their pride; Paternal Cibber shakes his chains, His timely lenient power exerts; Wine and a hundred pounds he gains, And to the wakeful sleep imparts.

[Opening]

A close parody ironically praising the King's Poet instead of the King. Also in Lon. Mag., Nov., 1742, X I , 561.

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411 No. 177

The Sarah-ad: or, a Flight for Fame. A Burlesque Poem in 'Three Canto's, in Hudibrastic Verse. Founded on An Account of the Conduct of the Dowager Du ss of M gh,from her first coming to Court, to the Year ijio. In a letter from herself to my Lord . Proper to be bound up therewith. [Motto] Butler. London: Printed for T. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-Noster-Row. 1742. (Price Six-pence.) pp. 3-32. o.e. Travesty of the Duchess's tract (see below). Stiff as I am, worn out with Age, With Gaming, Politicks and Rage; Yet still my pristine Pride retaining, That is — my Lord, you know my Meaning. These Presents I to you indite, To set the World in some Things right; For, to speak Truth, 'twixt you and me, They've with my Name made very free.

[p. 3]

The events and intrigues of Sarah Jennings Churchill are reviewed, and her relations with Anne, Mary, William (" Billy Lemon " for William of Orange), the leading ministers, and "Molly M a s h " are exposed in a trifling way. The Account is closely followed without of course the detail of a 312-page prose tract. The close of the second canto (the cantos corresponding to the parts in the Account) serves as a fair example of the method. Now Tory Rory mounts the Clan, Bob H—ley was her only Man; Dolphy resign'd up his Club Box And Jack had like t' have sate i' th' Stocks For stealing Oats, or some such Thing — Nay, Gad! 'twas well he didn't swing. So we, who once were in high Grace, And other Servants cou'd displace, Were, in the Twinkling of a Feather, All Three fore'd to pack off together.

[p. 25]

This satire on the famous Duchess and incidentally her husband is achieved by taking her prose apologia and recasting it into too familiar form. She is made to say things that are really to her discredit, and vulgarity is not absent. The cleverest part in the entire rather flat

412

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effort is the metaphor of the Crown as an Inn; the allegory is sustained at some length in the second canto. B u t this is another political satire, in a somewhat different guise, that has rightly fallen b y the literary roadside. T h e title of the original tract is An Account of the Conduct of the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, From her first coming to Court, "To the Year IJIO. In a Letter from Herself to My Lord , 1742. For a reprint of the Account, see Memoirs of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, ed. by William King, London, 1930.

1742

No. 178

The School-Mistress, a Poem. In Imitation of Spenser. 0, quà Sol habitabiles Illustrât Oras, maxime Principum! Hor. London: Printed for R. Dodsley, and Sold by T. Cooper at the Globe in Pater-Noster-Row. 1742. [B.M.] William Shenstone. 28 stan. Spen. st. Parody of Spenser's style. Advertisement. " W h a t Particulars in Spenser were imagin'd most proper for the Author's Imitation on this Occasion, are, his Language, his Simplicity, his manner of Description, and a peculiar Tenderness of Sentiment, visible throughout his W o r k s . " [A2] A t the end an Index analyzes the stanzas in ludicrous fashion. T h e r e were three versions of Shenstone's masterpiece: (1) in 1737 only a dozen stanzas, " T h e School-Mistress. A Poem. In Imitation of Spencer's Stile," Poems upon Various Occasions. Written for the Entertainment of the Author, And Printedfor the Amusement Of a few Friends, Prejudic'd in his Favour, Oxford, pp. 17-22; (2) that of 1742, issued separately (advertised in London Magazine, M a y ) , and reprinted in the first edition of Dodsley's Collection, 1748,1, 211-222, omitting the coarse ninth stanza of 1737; this version had twenty-eight stanzas and is the one that should be adopted as the standard text; (3) the still further enlarged version printed in the second edition of Dodsley's Collection, 1748, I, 247-261, and reprinted in Shenstone's Works in Verse and Prose, I (1764), 333-345. T h e Advertisement and Index were first omitted by Dodsley, but he restored the former in the second edition of his Collection. For the third version stanzas X X I I and X X I V (the serious compliment to the schoolmistress and the passage on the bookdespising pupil, an embryo fox-hunter) of the second were omitted, and stanzas X I - X I I I (on herbs), X I V - X V (the schoolmistress's singing of hymns and deploring of Popish persecutions), X I X (the author's sigh as the birching begins), X X I X (prediction of a Dennis among the

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pupils), X X X - X X X I (play of the released children) of the third version are new, the net gain being seven stanzas. A neat facsimile reprint of the 1742 poem, with some bibliographical details, was issued by the Clarendon Press in 1924. The best bibliography of Shenstone is that by I. A. Williams in Seven XVIIIth Century Bibliographies, London, 1924. In Otto Daniel's dissertation, William Shenstone s " Schoolmistress " und das Aufkommen des Kleinepos in der neuenglischen Litteratur, Weimar, 1908, the chief studies were the criticism of the three versions (though Daniel makes the rather bad mistake of not knowing when or how the third version first appeared) ; the dangerous tracing of sources or parallels; and the treatment of the establishment of a type (Kleinepos: "kurze Verserzählungen von kleinen Leuten im gewöhnlichen Leben," p. 78) by The School-Mistress, including among others The Deserted Village, Cotter's Saturday Night, The Village, The Borough, and Enoch Arden. Otto Daniel with true Teutonic zeal chases Shenstone's hen through literature to such forerunners as that in Chaucer's story of Pertelote, Gay's Shepherd's Week, Thomson's Spring, the animals in Pope's Alley, the goose of Ovid's Baucis, and Mause's cat in The Gentle Shepherd. (Such is the pastime of scholarship, but may we not assume that the schoolmistress's hen was legitimately derived ab ovo?) Daniel adds that the old hen exceeds all her antecedents by being the copy of her mistress. For fuller treatment see Chapter IV, Section F.

1743

No. 179

The Crooked Six-Pence. With A Learned Preface Found among Some Papers bearing Date the same Year in which Paradise Lost was published by the late Dr. Bently. Sing, Maiden Muse, Sixpence, Hooppetticoat, and Church on Fire. The Original Manuscript will be deposited in the Cotton-Library. London: Printed for R. Dodsley at Tully s-Head in Pall-Mail; and sold by M. Cooper at the Globe in Pater-noster Row. 1743· {Price One Shilling.) [B.M.] James Bramston. pp. 15-24. b.v. Parody of Milton and a close follower of The Splendid Shilling, which is printed on pp. 1 1 - 1 4 . The preface suggests that John Philips was not the author of The Splendid Shilling and that Katherine Philips wrote the present poem, long a fugitive piece and now first made public. "Our sprightly and virtuous Poetess being no Stranger to the gay Humour of that condescending King [Charles II], highly delighted her Royal Master's face-

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tious Fancy with a Burlesque Blank Poem, ridiculing the bombast Diction, uncouth Numbers, Romance Stile, and long-tailed Similitudes of Paradise Lost'' [v] This much-circulated poem became known to the editors by hearsay, "that one Phillips had composed a mock Heroick Poem, in Ridicule of English Poetry in Blank, incontinently they conclude its Author to be no other than the famous John Phillips. Forthwith they employ their needy Garretteers; who, stantes pede in uno, pack up a few Bombast Lines, and prefix to them the Name of honest John, even while John was yet alive." [vii] Happy the Maid, who from green Sickness free, In Canvass or in Holland Pocket bears A crooked Six-pence, She envieth not New-married Folks, nor sighs at others Banns. [Opening, p. 15] The famous parody by Philips is here imitated in extremely exact fashion, the situation being changed from masculine to feminine. The doctor displaces the dun, the apothecary the catchpole. There is the caution on account of health instead of the watching bailiff. The poor girl passes her days without a lover; she dreams of men, not drink. Her petticoat is wearing out, not her galligaskins. The concluding simile (to illustrate the hoop-petticoat) is that of a cupola of a great church which succumbs to a fire. Thus the structure and phraseology of T'he Splendid Shilling are mimicked very closely. Two examples of the style may suffice. Thus while in Qualms my heavy Moments creep, A Wight in Habit Velvet all and Gold, Formal and fine, dread Monster! Doctor hight, With solemn Face into the Kitchen stalks. [p. 17] Singly sad M y Woe, though three times six revolving Years I count, no jolly Jo, nor sober Sam The matrimonial Question e'er propos'd, Or crooked Six-pence offer'd to divide.

1743

[p. 21]

No. 180

"The Goff. An Heroi-Comical Poem. In Three Cantos. [Motto] Virg. Edinburgh: Printed by J. Cochran and Company. MDCCXLIII. (Price Four Pence.) [B.M.] Thomas Mathison. pp. 3-22. h.c. Mock-heroic.

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Goff, and the Man, I sing, who, em'lous, plies The jointed club; whose balls invade the skies; Who from Edina's tow'rs, his peaceful home, In quest of fame o'er Letha s plains did roam. Long toil'd the hero, on the verdant field, Strain'd his stout arm the weighty club to wield; Such toils it cost, such labours to obtain The bays of conquest, and the bowl to gain. O thou Golfina, Goddess of these plains, Great patroness of GOFF, indulge my strains; Whether beneath the thorn-tree shade you lie, Or from Mercerian tow'rs the game survey, Or 'round the green the flying ball you chase, Or make your bed in some hot sandy face·. Leave your much lov'd abode, inspire his lays Who sings of GOFF, and sings thy fav'rite's praise. [Opening, pp. 3-4] The various Caledonian chiefs here "for health resort"; two heroes occupy our attention. Forth rush'd Castalio and his daring foe, Both arm'd with clubs, and eager for the blow. Of finest ash Castalio's shaft was made, Pond'rous with lead, and fenc'd with horn the head, (The work of Dickson, who in Letha dwells, And in the art of making clubs excels). [p. 5] With equal warmth Pygmalion fast pursu'd, (With courage oft are little wights endow'd), 'Till to Golfinia s downs the heroes came, The scene of combat, and the field of fame.

[p. 6]

The goddess surveys the scene and appoints Gambolia and Verdurilla as supports for the contestants. Canto the second: But chief, thee, O Golfinia! I implore; High as thy balls instruct my Muse to soar; So may thy green forever crowded be, And balls on balls invade the azure sky.

[p. 9]

Then comes a digression on Bobson and his trade, the making of golf balls. The heroes tee up and exchange challenges. Castalio drives off well, but Next in his turn Pygmalion strikes the globe: On th' upper half descends the erring club;

416

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Along the green the ball confounded scours; No lofty flight the ill-sped stroke impow'rs.

[p. 13]

Gambolia, however, aids Pygmalion. At the end of the canto it is stated that Castalio has won nine holes and his opponent only six. Canto I I I : In the Book of Fate Golfinia reads the outcome and commands her sister-goddess, Victoria, to bring the contest to a stop and crown with bays the temples of Castalio. Meanwhile the golfers have reached the "last great hole," and once more Pygmalion is outdriven. But Castalio's ball kills a sheep and so angers Pan that he Then to the ball his horny foot applies; Before his foot the kick'd offender flies; The hapless orb a gaping face detain'd, Deep sunk in sand the hapless orb remain'd.

[p. 19]

Castalio with a mighty shot plays out of his poor position to within fifteen clubs' lengths, but Pygmalion has also made an excellent shot to within four lengths. Castalio then sinks a marvelous pitch. The ball Lights on the green, and scours into the hole: Down with it sinks depress'd Pygmalion s soul. Seiz'd with surprize th' affright hero stands, And feebly tips the ball with trembling hands; The creeping ball its want of force complains, A grassy tuft the loit'ring orb detains: Surrounding crowds the victor's praise proclaim, The ecchoing shore resounds Castalio s name. For him Pygmalion must the bowl prepare, To him must yield the honours of the war, On Fame's triumphant wings his name shall soar, Till time shall end, or Goffing be no more. [pp. 21-22] This excellent mock-heroic, combining the realism of the game and the delicate atmosphere of the goddesses and their nymphs, is eminently readable, especially to those who know and love the ancient and honorable game itself. The flaws seem to be the contemporary allusions near the beginning (the match was doubtless founded on an actual one), and one instance of coarseness in connection with the great god Pan. The heroic air is well maintained, and the reader's interest in the progress of the match becomes genuine. The mockery is held in check and made indirect all the way through, but no one can question the playful spirit of the poet. Second ed. at Edinburgh in 1763. The B.M. copy has MS. notes

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stating the real names of the characters: Castalio was Alex. Dunning, Pygmalion the author. Reprinted in Poems on Golf, Edinburgh, 1867, a volume of fugitive pieces printed by some members of the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society. Also reprinted in Golf a Royal and Ancient Game, Edinburgh, 1875.

1743 Ode J or the New Year, 1743.

[in]

No. 181

A Parallel.

Scots Magazine, January, 1743, V, 12. 38 lines, ode. Parody of Cibber's "Ode for the New Year, 1743," in opposite column. Cibber's ode concerns the nature of Glory and lauds that of the King, the British Caesar. The "parallel" deals with the evil of titles, "thou mimic essence of renown." "How then . . . Shall from the shadow merit's form be known?" To C y C r turn the eye, Around whose laurell'd sacred front True Dulness shines, while poetry With air revertedf Is upon't: There, weak and humbled, at his feet Invention, Sense, and Judgment cowr; Now fall the crest, abate the heat, And Dulness' peace they broke, implore. This parody, which is as detailed as any (the italicized words in the selection being those altered), contains sound criticism of the royal policy, political ballyhoo, and the Laureate's weak efforts. While Europe thus, in equal poise, Her smiling Liberty enjoys, Whene'er, with feeble claims, the strong Of rightful realms the weak would wrong, To end the strife, Britannia's lord Shall bear the balance and the sword. Such only is our Casars view; Such only Glory can be true. This becomes: While Britain thus, in equal poise, Her rhyme and patriotism enjoys, Whene'er with claims the patriots strong, Of rightful rights the folk would wrong,

418

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY To end the strife, Britannia's bard Shall sing of Casar, balance, sword. Such only is our Laureat's song·, Such only — be it right, or wrong.

1743

No.

182

Tea, a Poem. In Three Cantos. [Motto] Youngs Univ. Pas. Sat. VI; London: Printed for Aaron Ward, at the King's Arms in Little-Britain, and Sold by M. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-noster-row. MDCCXLIII. pp. 1-47. h.c. [B.M.] Mock-heroic. While Bards renown'd dire Feats of Arms rehearse, No hostile Deeds prophane my milder Verse: From boisterous War my Lays entirely free, The sweet resistless Force of Gentle Tea Shall sing: Attend ye Fair, Polite, and Young\ Protect the Poet, and inspire the Song. [Opening, p. 1] The beverage is very highly praised. O best of Herbs, or for Delight or Use, That wealthy Asia's, boasted Climes produce! Let India all her spicy Odours boast, Her Fruits delicious, or her golden Dust . . . Her Odours, Fruits, Gold, Silver, Gems, combine In vain, to boast a Worth that equals thine!

[p. 4]

Tea has an influence on politeness, gentility, and elegance. May I express thee good, oh Teal all hail! Thrice blest Successor to a Toast and Ale! Unnumber'd Multitudes on thee depend, The Lady's Joy, the Manteau-maker's Friend.

[p. 5]

This reinstates the Vigour of the Tongue, And metamorphoses Old Age to Young; Removes dull Thought, and banishes the Spleen, Makes Miss at Fifty talk as if Fifteen.

[p. 6]

It has an influence beneficial to government. Britannia hails thee for thy generous Pains, With Gallic Fashion, and Italian Strains,

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS A n d thinks it all too little. See the Beau Profuse in Language, of a Yes and No, When all exhausted flags his copious Theme, Derive fresh Wisdom from thy smoaking Stream,

419

[p. 8]

T h e goddess invoked and her aid granted, the poet proceeds to describe the tea table, the teapot, and the kettle. A n after-church scene of gossiping society is handled banteringly, but at the end of the canto the M u s e despairs. C a n t o I I : Hear me ye Sylphs, ye gentle Sylphs, that rise On curling Clouds, and bask in Summer Skies; W r a p ' d in a Mist, your V o t a r y convey T o the bright Temple of Immortal 'tea.

[p. 21]

T h e goddess Sleep aids the poet's fancy. A landscape is described where the plant blooms, where sylphs and zephyrs and genii assist. A large temple " in the Center of the Landscip " is that of the goddess Scandal, whose elder sister is Pride and whose victim is about to be Reputation. B u t T r u t h snatches a w a y Reputation; however, Scandal slays Reputation with an arrow "poison'd with her T o n g u e . " Forth from their dark Retreat the barbarous T h r o n g W i t h Scandal rush, and celebrate in Song Their guilty Triumph, on her Wreaths they tread, Repeat their Malice, and insult her Dead. N o w all inspir'd, with fell malignant Rage (For so the Goddess bids) with warmth engage; Belles meet with Belles, asperse each others Cloaths, Prude jostles Prude, and Beaux encourage Beaux. Determin'd all, to conquer, or to die, Gloves, Sword-knots, Fans, in rude Confusion fly. T h e T u m u l t thickens; now they loudly j a r , All furiously involv'd in equal W a r ! [pp. 29-30] T h e point is made that the reign of Slander cannot be charged to " harmless cfea." In the center of the temple the ministers and state counsellors of T e a can be seen. In solitary M o o d Belinda sits, A n d starts, and raves, and cries, and all by Fits. A h , w h a t can be the Cause! a Husband's D e a t h ? Her fav'rite Lap-Dog has resign'd his Breath. Alas! FOOT Shock! Her dear Companion's fled: Poor Shock, alas! is number'd with the D e a d :

420

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Oft in the lap has loving Shock been laid, And kiss'd, and lick'd his lady's Hand, and play'd. Well may Belinda thus her Loss deplore, For Shock, alas! shall play, shall bark no more: No more again poor Shock the Lap shall know, No more the Rival of the Tinsel Beau. For ever gone, snatch'd by that dire Disease (Fatal to Ladies Lap-Dogs) — Age and Ease! Some fatal Omens did his Death foretell; Thrice from her trembling Hand the 'Tea-Spoon fell. Poor Shock! was skill'd in all the little Arts Of dumb Address; he was a Dog of Parts. — Wak'd into Voice, the Roofs and Walls reply, Count ev'ry Sob, and answer every Sigh. Thus falls poor Shock! nor unregarded falls, His dire Catastrophe is mourn'd by Walls. Ah! why would not some vulgar Dog suffice, Must he be mark'd the cruel Tyrant's Prize? Poor harmless Shock be torn away she cries — Then sips her Tea, and as she sips she sighs. [pp. 32-33]

A series of belles is described: Ignavia, " I n ev'ry thing a Lady — but her Tongue"; Delicilia, "She's discompos'd, and sick — for Flanders Lace"·, Clarissa, "Begins her /Era from the date of T e a " ; Melissa; Sacharissa; Cleria; Zephilinda, By Learning's Aid she laughs at ev'ry Belle, And spells her dear, dear London with an I She talks of Plays, of Songs, Blank-Verse, and Rhymes, Then wonders at the Folly of the Times. [p. 37] The beau and the student are thus captured in epigram: He talks in — English of — his own sweet Face, And measures Wisdom by — his silver Lace. Wise beyond Measure, none like him can see, And none like him pronounce an A or E .

[p. 38]

" T h e Goddess of the fav'rite Plant" descends, and all adore her. She surveys her worshippers and promises " twice two Sets of China " as a prize to those who " best can prove th' Existence of a Tongue." A storm of dispute arises. Canto I I I : Discord breaks "the brittle Prize" and enrages each person, but they seize her and "drown their Fury in a Flood of Tea." The goddess requests Neptune to protect Britain's

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commerce but particularly the fleets "rich laden with my much-lov'd Tea." Neptune obligingly gives to Britain's sons the privilege of bringing to Europe's shores the odorous tea of nations " near the rising Sun." The whole of the poem is not mock-heroic, but there is real grace exhibited. The subject of tea is not uppermost at every moment; during the portrayal of the Society of the day (such generous quotations have been given partly as a mirror of this Society) and the description of the Temple of Slander we almost forget the supposed subject. However, the mocking tone and delightful banter are clearly reminiscent of the Rape, as are the descriptions of the beverage and Shock and Belinda, the battle of the belles and beaux, the use of the sylphs, and the setting forth of a certain social atmosphere. But there is no narrative, and the three parts are out of proportion, the third being very short. The subject is one that would not bear sustained effort for more than half the length of this poem without digression or straight satire. The mock elegy on Shock the lapdog is perhaps the best single passage, and the first few pages are excellent. The couplet shows Popean qualities caught with good results. Adver. in Gent. Mag., July, 1743. I744

No. 183

The Batchelor's Soliloquy. In imitation of a celebrated speech of Hamlet. [in] Scots Magazine, April, 1744, V I , 176. 31 lines, b.v. Parody of Hamlet's most famous soliloquy. To wed, or not wed — that is the question; Whether 'tis happier in the mind to stifle The heats and tumults of outrageous passion, Or with some prudent fair in solemn contract Of matrimony join. [Opening] Marriage takes the place of existence in the problem as it confronted the thoughtful Prince of Denmark. A bachelor's life has its slings and arrows, and " h e might rid himself at once of all By a bare Yes." But the "dreadful thoughts" of wedlock and its trials win out, and his bachelorhood is saved. This parody may be interpreted as containing more genuine feeling than trivial; the assumption of a facetious purpose is perhaps an injustice to the author, who may after all have been serious. The character of such a poem often depends on the way it is read.

422

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY 1 7 4 4 (?)

No.

184

Cricket. An Heroic Poem. Illustrated With the Critical Observations of Scriblerus Maximus. London: Printed for W. Bickerton, at the Gazette, in the "Temple-Exchange, near the Inner Temple-Gate, Fleet-Street. (.Price One Shilling.) [B.M.] James Love. pp. 1-25. h.c. Mock-heroic. Dedication to John Earl of Sandwich. While others, soaring on a lofty Wing, Or dire Bellona s cruel Triumphs sing; Sound the shrill Clarion, mount the rapid Car, And rush delighted thro' the Ranks of War; M y tender Muse, in humbler, milder Strains, Prevents a bloodless Conquest on the Plains. [Opening, pp. 1-2] After the declaration of subject and address to the patron there is a description of the pleasures felt at the approach of the proper season for cricket. The game is rated superior to billards, bowls, or tennis. N o t Tennis self, thy sister Sport, can charm, Or with thy fierce Delights our Bosoms warm. T h o ' full of Life, at Ease alone dismay'd, She calls each swelling Sinew to her Aid; Her ecchoing Courts confess the sprightly Sound, While from the Racket the brisk Balls rebound. Y e t , to small Space confin'd, ev'n she must yield T o nobler C R I C K E T , the disputed Field. [pp. 5-6] Britain is exhorted to cultivate this wonderful game. T h e counties most famous for cricket are described. In the second book K e n t challenges all the other counties and a match is determined on. Fame quickly gave the bold Defiance vent, And magnify'd th' undaunted Sons of Kent. T h e boastful Challenge sounded far and near; And spreading, reach'd at last Great Ν 's Ear: Where, with his Friend, all negligent he Iaugh'd, And threatned future Glories, as they quafFd.

[p. 10]

The place of contest and the particular qualifications and excellences of each player are treated. In the last book the match itself is described. Kent comes very near losing and wins only through a misplay.

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The poet's attention seems to be divided between giving a bona fide description and encomium on the game and writing a gentle mockheroic. It is therefore not so amusing as it could have been made. The footnotes either explain names in the text or poke fun delightfully at the writing of heroic poetry; the notes are generally better sport than the poetry itself. Reprinted as the first piece in Love's Poems on Several Occasions, Edinburgh, 1754. Reprinted in 1770; in the prefatory letter to members of the Cricket Club, at Richmond, in Surrey, it is stated that it was "near Thirty Years ago" "the Effusion of a youthful Mind." I am assigning the first printing of the poem (which appeared without date) to the year 1744, chiefly on the strength of an advertisement in the Gentleman s Magazine, July, 1744. The revised Halkett and Laing Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudonymous English Literature notes that Cricket was written by James Love but is also ascribed to James Dance. This is true — they were the same man.

1744

No. 185

"The Gymnasiad, or Boxing Match. A very short, but very curious Epic Poem. With the Prolegomena of Scriblerus Tertius, and Notes Variorum. [Motto] Mart. London: Printed for M. Cooper, at the Globe in Paternoster-Row. 1744· (Price One Shilling.) Paul Whitehead, pp. 13-33. h.c. Mock-heroic. Dedication to John Broughton, a noted pugilist of the day. In "Scriblerus Tertius of the Poem": " B u t there is another Species of Poetry, which instead of owing it's Birth to the Belly, like Minerva, springs at once from the Head, of this Kind are those Productions of Wit, Sense, and Spirit, which once born, like the Goddess herself immediately becomes immortal. It is true these are a Sort of miraculous Births, and therefore it is no Wonder they should be found so rare among us. — As Glory is the noble Inspirer of the latter, so Hunger is the natural Incentive of the former, thus Fame and Food are the Spurs with which every Poet mounts his Pegasus, but as the Impetus of the Belly is apt to be more cogent than that of the Head, so you will see the one pricking and goading a tir'd Jade to a hobling Trot, while the other only incites the foaming Steed to a majestic Capriol." [vii-viii] The satirist takes a slap at the Dunciad when he says that he might first have sent his poem naked into the world without "the Addition of a Commentary, Notes Variorum, Prolegomena, and all that," and then " levy'd a new Tax upon the Public, and after all, by a Sort of modern

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poetical Legerdemain changing the Name of the principal Hero, and inserting a few Hypercritics, of a flattering Friend's, have render'd the former Editions incorrect, and couzen'd the curious Reader out of a treble Consideration for the same Work·, but however this may suit the tricking Arts of a Bookseller, it is certainly much below the sublime Genius of an Author." [viii] A footnote says this was not aimed at Pope particularly. Scriblerus concludes with a defense of his work as containing the properties of the epic — true poetic spirit and standards of wit. After the invocation and proposition: Sing, sing, O Muse, the dire contested Fray, And bloody Honours of that dreadful Day, When Phaaton's bold Son (tremendous Name) Dar'd Neptune's Off-spring to the Lists of Fame, What Fury fraught Thee with Ambition's Fire, Ambition, equal Foe to Son and Sire? One, hapless fell by Jove's ajtherial Arms, And One, the "Triton's mighty Pow'r disarms. [pp. 13-14] The traffic of spectators to the fight and the various preliminaries are described. In the second book Broughton, a coachman, and thus sprung from Phaeton, enters the lists and is followed by "Neptune's Off-spring," Stephenson the waterman. The latter makes a boastful speech, and each fighter prepares. Book I I I describes the battle, full of thrills and action. Their flying Fists around the Temples glow, And the Jaws crackle with the massy Blow. The raging Combat ev'ry Eye appals, Strokes following Strokes, and Falls succeeding Falls, [p. 32] At last Stephenson loses, and his friends remove him. Broughton makes his valedictory. This said — he seiz'd the Prize, while round the Ring. High soar'd Applause on Acclamations Wing. [p. 33] Whitehead has not fallen into the error of writing too long a mockheroic for the subject. He doubtless wished to satirize the Duke of Cumberland, who encouraged boxing, but The Gymnasiad reads like a pure burlesque. It is done skilfully and with some proportion. One of the best touches is the allegorizing and immortalizing of the two fighters by deriving their pedigree " from some Deity, or illustrious Hero," as in the preliminary prose it is explained is always done by Homer and

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Virgil. The verse is easy enough, and the description of the fight, the combatants, and the attendant circumstances is good reading. The footnotes, the first of which is signed " Bentleides," are neither too long nor too frequent to detract from the burlesque atmosphere. Several cite passages from Virgil; the first note in the second book pokes fun at the habit of prefixing arguments— " I t was doubtless in Obedience to Custom, and the Example of other great Poets, that our Author has thought proper to prefix an Argument to each Book, being minded that nothing should be wanting in the usual Paraphernalia of Works of this Kind." In the Life prefixed to The Poems and Miscellaneous Compositions of Paul Whitehead, 1777, Captain Edward Thompson for some reason gives the date as 1748, and quotes several passages. " T h e preparation for the Combat is well describ'd, and the allusions made to the Classic Authors are truly humorous and good; and Latinizing the English names adds a higher colour to the burlesque of this Hockley-in-the-Hole Poesy, where the Olympic Games are celebrated in a novel style." [xxiii] Included in Whitehead's Satires, 1760. 1744

No. 186

Pamela: or, the Female Imposter. A Poem, In Five Cantos. [Mottoes] Jo. Bapt. Sallusi. By J W , Esq; London: Printed for E. Bevins, under the Crown Coffee-house, against Bedford-Row, Holborn: And Sold by J. Roberts, near the Oxford-Arms in Warwick-Lane. MDCCXLIV. (Price One Shilling and Sixpence.) [Bodl.] pp. 1-46. h.c. Mock-heroic. Of Female Wiles I sing, their subtile Art, To lure Mankind, and captivate the Heart; O'er human Race their Empire to extend, Whom Reason's Aid's too feeble to defend. [Opening, p. 1] Pamela, of lowly birth, forsakes rural life and enters service. She becomes a "young, pert, beauteous Chambermaid." Venus blesses the girl, but envious Juno plac'd malignant Spirits at her Birth, Obnoxious Gnomes, and mischievous on Earth; Prudes in this Life, who long neglected dy'd, Who curse their Folly, and lament their Pride.

[p. 7]

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B u t Venus " s u m m o n s Sylphs and Sylphids to her A i d " and bids them watch over the fair. All the Spirits fly, A n d dart like Light'ning thro' the liquid S k y ; W i t h busy Care attend the growing D a m e , T o guard her Honour, and secure her Fame.

[p. 8]

Pamela is proud and holds her virtue aloof. Her mistress dies, and Sir Blunder, now well placed, determines to possess the young and pretty maid. W i t h v a r y ' d A r t she plays the subtile G a m e , A n d e'en her Frowns but fan the rising Flame. T h e future Prospect of a happy Life, O f rumbling Coaches, and an honour'd W i f e ; O f Flambeaux, Titles, Equipage, and Noise, And a long Series of protracted J o y s ; O f Courts, Plays, Operas, Assemblies, Beaux, Of Lap-dogs, Parrots, Masquerades, and Shows, T h e chief Ambition of the Female K i n d , Like flowing Tides come rushing on her Mind. [p. n ] Sir Blunder attempts her virtue, but Ariel warns her to be prudent and demand marriage. Pamela is described at her toilet, different from Belinda's in the emphasis on natural beauty and self-reliance. Ariel advises her to depart from Sir Blunder's house. T h e knight has her sent to his country mansion. All the while Pamela is drawing him on and y e t pretending to be coy and modest. In the country she yields to the chaplain and becomes his loving mistress. T h e sylphs naturally become dejected, but Venus says it is all the decree of fate and she will persevere with marriage as the goal. Sir Blunder appears and after another attempt at ravishment consents to marry her. T h e marriage is not a success. Williams the chaplain continues as the lover; it is the gold of Sir Blunder that she has coveted. T h e poem ends with an apology for the heroine, who was urged to shameless actions " B y Juno's Malice, and the Fates Decree." T h e poem, not really of the heroi-comical type, is interesting because of the implied satire on Richardson's novel (probably b y w a y of Shamela) and the use of the sylphs and gnomes as attendant sprites. T h e reading becomes a bit tedious before the five cantos are completed, but some of the verses are fairly successful echoes of the Popean. Adver. in Gent. Mag., Jan., 1744.

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427 No. 187

The Thimble, an Heroi-comical Poem, In Four Cantos. Dedicated to Miss Anna-Maria Woodford. By a Gentleman of Oxford. Virginibus puerisque canto. Horace. London: Printedfor J. Shuckburgh, at the Sun in Fleet-street; And sold by M. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-noster row. 1744. CPrice One Shilling.) William Hawkins, pp. 1-27. h.c. Mock-heroic. " T o Miss Anna Maria Woodford." Preface: " A s to the Poem itself, I have endeavour'd in some particular Passages to imitate the Manner of Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock, upon a Presumption, that the following of so good a Pattern would be deem'd meritorious in so young a Writer as myself. I ought likewise to acknowledge, that I had in view the Episode of the Patten in Mr. Gay's Trivia. How far I have reach'd the Spirit required in this Kind of Poetry, must be left to the Reader, to whose Candour and Judgment I submit the following Poem." [vii-viii] What Art Divine the shining Thimble found, To shield the Finger militant around, Now first my Verse reveals: Ye Virgins, hear, Attend, ye Matrons, and ye Belles, give Ear; For you the Infant Muse essays to sing, For you she flutters on her tender Wing; To you the tributary Strains belong, "Then take at once the Poet and the Song." [Opening, p. 1] Fannia knew "with Art the Needle Spear to wield," for she was skilled in "the nice Toils of Industry." Each Morn she work'd, but work'd with nicest Care, To save her Finger from the fatal Scar . . . Unhappy Fannia, that wast wont to wield The pointed Spear, without the bossy Shield! Thrice happy Fannia, in the Gift bestow'd, The Thimble Shield, the Labour of a God! But now her Charms had swell'd the Trump of Fame, And spread to distant Tea-Tables her Name. [p. 2] For Fannia triumphed in her Beauty's Arts, And view'd with Scorn whole Hecatombs of Hearts! But most respected was a well-bred Lord, And most respected, as he best ador'd;

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' T w a s he could all the Tender Virgins move, Smooth were his Words, for e v ' r y Word was L o v e : Loaded with Lace, and deck'd in silken State, H e strutted, insignificantly great! Affected pomp, and Equipage, and Shew, A n d all the Nothings that compound a Beau! H e danc'd, and sung, took Snuff, and crack'd a Fan, A n d at the best but border'd upon M a n . Fannia is beautiful and puts pride before pleasure. after one of her triumphs she has apprehensions.

[p. 3]

B u t the morning

T h e n , Betty, with dejected look, she cry'd (Three times on Betty call'd, and three times sigh'd) Some sad Mischance awaits me, e'er the Sun Once more his Course from E a s t to W e s t shall run; Fantastick Slumbers have disturb'd m y Brain, A n d rack'd m y Senses with a wakeful Pain; A n d mystick Dreams (as bearded Matrons shew) Are good Prognosticks, or the T y p e s of Woe.

[p. 5]

She recalls a withered g y p s y ' s whisper in her ear that misfortune shall befall her in her twentieth year. She cries, Y e t O ! ye Powers, preserve me from Disgrace, L e t me still keep m y Virtue, — and m y Face!

[p. 6]

Canto I I : N o sweetly flowing Tale I now rehearse, B u t Scratches, Wounds, and Bloodshed, stain the Verse. L o ! the bright Virgin, in a luckless Hour, Prepares to finish the last E m b r y o Flower; Six Needles in tremendous Range appear, E a c h a dire Emblem of the Warrior's Spear! A while she view'd them all with careful Eyes, T h e n grasp'd a Jav'lin of enormous Size; N e x t , as impatient for the Toil she grew, Her shining Scissars from the Sheath she drew, H e r Grandame's G i f t (as antient Memoirs say) A j u s t Reward for many a well-work'd D a y ! W i t h active haste her nimble Fingers move, Curl the g a y Vine and form the mimick Grove; B u t as her Needle with resistless Force, Through doubl'd Plaits push'd on its rapid Course,

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treach'rous Weapon broke, — the headless Dart Finger gor'd, and pierc'd her — to the Heart; purple Blood distain'd her Arm around, half her Soul came rushing through the Wound. [pp. 7-8]

Her rage prompts her to make quite a scene. Poll chatters and the kitten screams and the ground itself shakes in the confusion. Fannia foresees her disgrace in Society. After laying a great curse on the day when first her fingers touched a needle she binds " w i t h Silk her bleeding Flesh." Her grief is well displayed in an amusing speech. With night the beau appears and inquires as to her disorder: What fatal Loss, what sad, distracting Care, Disturbs the Bosom of my charming Fair? Lies some near Friend upon his dying Bed? Or has the Light'ning struck thy Monkey dead?

[p· 1 1 ]

Blushing she "disclos'd the reeking Wound," and he adjures her to trust to steel no more. Dread all edge Tools, but dread the Needle most!

[p. 13]

He reminds her of the lady whose monument was in Westminster Abbey (according to a footnote), a lady to whom death came from the prick of a needle. But best of all he soothes her. At length the mighty Theme exhausts his Art, And empty'd all the Nonsense of his Heart.

[p. 13]

The next canto opens when " a l l lay hush'd in solitary N i g h t " and the Baron to Venus " address'd the Midnight Prayer " to " ease the Virgin's Pain " and " teach her to relent to L o v e . " Venus calls Cupid to her and says that the Baron's prayer will be fulfilled. Together they go to Fannia's room, which the poet describes for us. Her Watch of Gold hung pendant o'er her Head, And deck'd with glitt'ring Pomp the lofty Bed; It strikes, as ev'ry rapid Hour glides round; It strikes, Mortality is in the Sound! [pp. 1 8 - 1 9 ] Venus dyes Fannia's golden quill in the sacred drops she has brought. With this she gently bath'd the swelling Wound, It heal'd, it clos'd, and all the Part was sound.

[p. 19]

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Venus declares that an inward pang the fair shall feel, and Cupid "view'd exulting the defenceless Foe." Then with malicious Zeal he shot the Dart, That fatal lodg'd deep sunk in Fannia s Heart. Then thrice was heard the wounded Virgin's Groan; And thrice the Parrot scream'd his hideous Moan; Thrice bark'd the Lap-Dog from his downy Bed, And thrice the Kitten rear'd her drowsy Head!

[p. 20]

Venus then addresses the sleeping maid and declares that she is " Decreed by Fate to Cynthio s faithful Arms " and that her finger will hereafter be "guarded by a sacred Shield" made by Vulcan. She predicts: So shall thy Needle still extend thy Fame, And Ages yet to come admire thy Name; The pleasing Tale shall dwell on ev'ry Tongue, And grace the Numbers of some Poet's Song; And each bright Virgin, each industrious Fair, Hereafter fearless of the fatal Scar, M y Name with grateful Praises shall adore, While Lap-Dogs bark, and shaggy Lions roar; While Winds shall blow, and Rivers rush along, And tuneful Fiddles wake the Midnight Song.

[p. 21]

In the fourth canto we have a description of Vulcan's dark abode. Thence the Powers of Love direct their flight. Venus states her wish and the forges of Vulcan respond. Soon at their touch th' expressive Figures rise, And breathe and glitter to the distant Skies. Behold! he cry'd, the bright Original, This future Ages shall the Thimble call! Happy, thrice happy she, the mortal Fair, Whose Finger first the sacred Shield shall wear.

[p. 25]

The goddess takes the thimble to Cynthio, who upon awakening sees it and prepares to carry it to his love. With Care he deck'd his Person out that Day, Artfully fine, deliberately gay; Adorn'd with Gold that shone with gaudy Shew, He daubs the Man, and sinks into the Beau.

[p. 26]

Fannia, with " T h e midnight Dream revolving in her Head," upon his coming feels "Unusual Raptures in her Bosom rise."

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Joyful she view'd the Workmanship around, Heal'd of her last, and safe from future W o u n d : ' T w a s in that Hour the Beau his Passion prest, ' T w a s in that Hour the Fair his Passion bless'd: T h e loving Pair with mutual Transports wed, A n d genial Hymen blest their Nuptial Bed.

[p. 27]

Generous extracts are here given in order to show how thoroughly readable is this heroi-comical production. T h e intention of reaching the spirit required in this kind of poetry (expressed in the preface) is well carried out, for Hawkins has provided probably the best of the followers of The Rape of the Lock. T h e mock-heroic tone is carefully sought, especially in the first half; the technique of Pope's lines is adopted as far as the poet is able; only in the failure to attempt a fairy machinery does the poem fall below what it might have been, for Venus and Cupid cannot give the light grace peculiar to the sylphs. The Thimble has three forms: a folio edition in 1743 of only two cantos (adver. in Gent. Mag. and Lon. Mag., Feb., 1743); the revised and enlarged 1744 version in four cantos, which is the basis of the present text; and the version in the three-volume edition of Hawkins's Works printed at Oxford in 1758. T h i s final form shows no improvement over that of 1744, notwithstanding the addition of a fifth canto given over to nuptial games. A f t e r an account of the rites of tea, the extra canto narrates how the beaux and belles, chiefs and chieflings, fops and foplings engage in races, battledore and shuttlecock, and blind-man's-buff; these games of celebration have heroic precedent enough, but structurally here they make for anticlimax. Hitherto (before 1758) the poem had been equipped with several footnotes, particularly by w a y of showing imitations, but this third version has not a little mock-critical documentation, which aims to cite classical example and j u s t i f y the present practice in joking fashion. Some of the notes are amusing, the best perhaps being that on the title itself, in which the -tad vogue is spurned. A n d the one on the use of animals as personages, on p. 15, has a real spark of wit. Thirty-six lines of the 1744 version had been printed in the Gent. Mag., April, 1744, X I V , 219, as submitted by " E . L. W . of Trin. Coll. O . " Hawkins's Works was reviewed, by no means enthusiastically, in the Mon. Rev., Oct., 1759, and by Goldsmith in the Crit. Rev., Aug., 1759. Hawkins vigorously defended his work, and Goldsmith replied in the Crit. Rev., March, 1760. Hawkins's tract is a rather interesting (and rare) pamphlet, called A Review of the Works of the Rev. Mr. W. Hawkins, " B y an Impartial R e a d e r , " published in 1760, purporting to be a criticism of the Works and of the unfavorable remarks made in the

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two Reviews. On pp. 38-43 Hawkins deals with The Thimble and affirms that it was written in imitation of the Rape. He quotes several passages to show how Pope had been in the writer's mind. " I have not room to quote more instances of the mock-heroic in this poem; with which the last Canto, which humorously preserves the air of antiquity, more especially abounds. But these it is but just to lay before the reader, and submit it to his impartial decision, how far they are inferior to similar passages in Mr. Pope. The poem is, I think, equal to itself throughout; though, perhaps, the Humour is not entirely uniform in the notes of Scriblerus Secundus. And now, I must beg leave to acquaint you Reviewers, to your eternal confusion, with a circumstance well, though not universally known, viz. that the Thimble had, in its first incomplete state the approbation of Mr. Pope himself: A circumstance, that did credit to our author before you, as Reviewers existed, and will be an honour to him when you, as such, shall probably exist no more" [p. 43.] A short poem of the same title " B y R a m s a y " is in the British Museum [pressmark, 1325^.3(10)]; the conjectured date of this broadside is 1820. Venus pricks her finger and Vulcan makes a "shell of brass." Lydia in the end receives it from Venus. There are grave doubts as to the authenticity of this piece; but whether or not the poem was written by Allan Ramsay, there might have been, in connection with Hawkins's much longer poem, an influence one way or the other.

1746

No. 188

A Bacchanalian Rhapsody. [Motto] Hor. [in] The Museum: or, the Literary and Historical Register. Volume the First. London: Printedfor R. Dodsley in Pali-Mall. M.DCC.XLVI. pp· 336-339- b - v Parody of Milton's style. The nymphs of Helicon are called upon to give grateful song to Bacchus. From th' unmoisten'd Lip And parched Throat no Melody can flow; But, like some Gate on unoil'd Hinge flung ope, Grating harsh Discord, the Ear-wounding Notes Incondite issue, and like Screams of Ghosts, Die in the Throat abortive; while the Bards, Warm'd with the sweet Carouse and bellying Bowl, Quaff Immortality and Joy, nor dread Like poor Anacreon, the choaking Stone. [pp. 336-337]

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The God of Wine is described and hailed. After high compliment to liquor and its power over verse the poem ends with a passage on Philips. If drink be the force that makes good verse, even parodie verse, this poet must have lacked a "splendid shilling."

1746

No.

189

The Baffled Hero: an Heroic Poem, In Three Books, On a Memorable Engagement. Humbly Inscribed to His Excellency Sir John Cope, Late Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Forces in North Britain. [Mottoes] Virg. Addison. London: Printed for J. Collier, at Shakespear's Head in Ludgate-Street. MOCCXLVI. {Price One Shilling.) [B.M.] pp. 3 - 3 1 . h.c. Mock-heroic. Let others sing how Dettingen records The deathless Valour of Britannia's Swords.

[Opening, p. 3]

This Muse will sing of "superior Wars" and so selects the setting of a famous resort of the gay and idle. Foremost of whom Navalion s wont to press, Known for his Love of Pudding, and of Bess. . . . Adhesive to his Friend fierce Borneo came, Whose Stomach equal'd his enormous Frame.

[p. 6]

Tho' crown'd with Fame in Trencher-fights before, Like restless Heroes, covetous of more, A Conquest worthy his aspiring Mind, Thro' all the Room Navalion strives to find.

[p. 7]

Bellantio and his friend Nicanor arrive; Navalion boastfully challenges Bellantio to a gormandizing duel. The challenge is readily accepted. When hast thou seen me fail ? when ever fly From the tough Dumplin, or the crusted Pye? Beef, Mutton, Fowl, Veil, Venison, or Fish ? Or stern-ey'd Pig that grins upon the Dish?

[pp. 9-10]

Book I I deals with the arrival of the contestants, the making of the

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huge pudding, the preliminaries of the eating-match. T h e pudding, of truly heroic proportions, is divided into halves. T o spoons! to Spoons! they cry'd, to Spoons they ran, A n d quick as T h o u g h t the bloodless F r a y began. [p. 21] In Book I I I we have the battle. Our gallant Heroes, and assistant Squires, W h o m Glory charms, and Hope of Conquest fires, Tremendous in their M i g h t , assert their Cause, W i t h dext'rous Hands, and Nimbleness of Jaws. T h e flying Spoons now empty, now replete, Ring on the Dish, or rattle as they eat. Bit follows Bit so fast, they scarcely taste, While heavily they breathe, and pant for haste. W a r m grows the War, and Desolation reigns, In all its Horrors o'er the Pewter Plains.

[p. 24]

Discarding the spoon, Ballando forges ahead, and his rival becomes discouraged. In fact, Navalion becomes desperate and hurls some pudding at Ballando, who heaves the whole dish at his assailant. Navalion dodges, and in movie pie-comedy fashion Borneo gets the benefit. T h e r e is a great upheaval, similar to that battle waged by Satan and Michael, but Skipton, " w h o prepar'd the sparkling G i n , " acts the peacemaker. So all was hush'd, and Skipton leads the W a y , Where Music, Mirth, and Gin conclude the D a y .

[p. 32]

W e have here an example of a mediocre mock-heroic poem of some length. T h e poet is sophisticated at the beginning of each canto: he knows that he is writing a mock-epic and seems to be girding u p his loins for each lap. T h e second book is the least amusing and interesting, perhaps because there is practically no action. T h e account of the actual eating, however, is provocative of a smile. T h e nimbus of mockery is to be seen at all times in this epic of appetite.

1746

No.

190

Mr. Addison1 s Letter to Lord Halifax, travesti'd. [in same miscellany-periodical as No. 188] 67 lines, h.c. pp. 185, 187. Parody of Addison's Letter from Italy, about the first half. " T o the Keeper of the M u s e u m " says this piece was meant merely to ridicule the fashion of young gentlemen in travelling to Italy and writing

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an epistle in verse to some friend in England, and "without any the least Intention of lessening Mr. Addison, for whose Character the Author has a very great Regard." [p. 183] A workmanlike substitution of the realistic for the more unnatural but usual sentiments and compliments of the epistle type. For instance: What Raptures seize me, when I view from far Eridanus, all crown'd with Mud, appear! That swiftly rolling o'er the flow'ry Plains The bald-pate Alps of half their Moisture drains; And proudly swoln with a whole Winter's Snows, Wealth and Swell'd-Throats distributes as he flows. [p. 185] The following of the original is close, so close in places that only one word in a line is altered. The spirit is happily unruffled; no friendlier parody could readily have been produced. For the passage on Belinda's lock see above, pp. 70-71.

1746

No. 191

Small-Beer. In tenui Labor. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, October, 1746, X V I , 553. 76 lines, b.v. Mock-heroic. Signed " T o m Sober." After a season of wine the poet is disgusted and uncomfortable. The Genius of small-beer appears before him and advises against wine and in favor of small-beer. Upon disappearing, he hands the sufferer a draught, which seems to convert him. The moral tone tends to destroy the value of the poem as a burlesque; the poet's tongue was probably only half in his cheek.

1747 (?) Imitation of Spenser. Christopher Pitt. 54 lines.

Spen. st.

Parody of Spenser's style. A Well-known vase of sov'reign use I sing, Pleasing to young and old, and Jordan hight. The lovely queen, and eke the haughty king Snatch up this vessel in the murky night:

No. 192

436

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Ne lives there poor, ne lives there wealthy wight, But uses it in mantle brown or green; Sometimes it stands array'd in glossy white; And eft in mighty contours may be seen Of China's fragile earth, with azure flowrets sheen. [Opening]

This short poem on the use of the jordan and its connection with feminine life employs a mimicry of the form and somewhat of the diction of Spenser. There is of course no story to be told. Pitt gets his main effect by the great incongruity between such a high style and such an unusually low subject; however, the treatment is not nauseating, as it might easily have been. M y quotation is taken from Johnson's Works of the English Poets, 1779» X L I I I , 390-392.

1747

No. 193

A Letter from a French Secretary to a Dutch Minister, literally translated in Prose, andfairly represented in Doggrel.

[in]

The Foundling Hospitalfor Wit. Intendedfor the Reception and Preservation of such Brats of Wit and Humour whose Parents chuse to Drop them. Number IV. to be Continued Occasionally. Containing, [List of titles] By Timothy Silence, Esq; London: Printed for W. Webb, near St. Paul's. 174.J. {Price One Shilling.) [B.M.] 68 lines. I.e. prose pp. 58-60, verse pp. 60-62. Travesty of the prose Letter. B y my Monarch's Command I have ta'en Pen and Ink, To give you to know what we both of us think Of the Pickle in which is Prince Ned, alias Charly, Since the Drubbing, Duke Will lately gave him so fairly. All Europe well knows of the Kindred and Kindness That subsist 'twixt our Monarch, and P. Edward's Highness: Besides that the Prince, (Oh ! the precious young Elf!) All those Qualities rare does unite in himself, Which so wond'rously take with all Princes in our Age, Who love Courage and Valour, and — Valour and Courage. [Opening, p. 60] Such a passage shows how the long line can be made to travesty a serious argument like the letter (signed " D'A — η ") here printed, satirically of course, a letter which advocates clemency and moderation to

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the English King in his dealings with the defeated forces of the Pretender. Exaggeration of expression, in a form that because of the nature of the rhymes and number of syllables in the line doubles back on itself and thus becomes ridiculous, is sufficient to lower the dignity of the matter involved. Called on title page "Möns. O'Argenson's Letter, and the Burlesque."

1747

No. 194

The Litchfield Squabble. An Humourous Poetical Narrative Of the Several Transactions at the Elections For the County of Stafford and City of Litchfield; the Horse-Race and Hunting-Match; with the Particulars of a remarkable Banging Bout; the Whole describing the Insolence of Power, the Steadiness of Farmers, and a true Model of Political Madness on all Sides. [Motto] Shakes-pear. By Peter Plain-Truth, not Lord Puff. London: Printed for the Author, and Sold by B. Dickinson, Printsetter and Publisher, against the India House, in Leadenhall-Street. MDCCXLVII. Price One Shilling. [B.M.] pp. 3 - 3 1 . o.e. Hudibrastic. Assist me, Muse, who did inspire Blind H O M E R with poetic Fire; And made facetious B U T L E R sing, Of Rebels to the Crown and King·. Who always ready ar't at Need, When pausing Bard shall scratch his Head. Of Party Quarrels and Alarms, Elections, Races, Feats of Arms; Of Butchers fam'd as well in Battle For thumping L—rds, as killing Cattle. [Opening, p. 3] " T h e Humours of the motley Throng," constituting the subject of this poem, prove to be pretty dull stuff. The full title provides sufficient summary; there is evidently some political satire, and many names are not spelled out. The double rhymes are not plentiful, but the rapidity of the couplets gives an air of jollity. Adver. in Gent. Mag., Oct., 1747.

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ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY 1747

New Night-Thoughts on Death, A Parody. By Mr. IVh [in] Gentleman's Magazine, September, 1747, X V I I , 444. William Whitehead. 48 lines, b.v.

No. 195 .

Parody of Young's Night Thoughts, the first Night according to a footnote. 0 Night! dark night! wrapt round with Stygian gloom! Thy riding-hood opaque, wrought by the hands Of Clotho and of Atropos·. — those hands Which spin my thread of life! — so near its end. [Opening] The future Laureate has written a very amusing take-off on Young's style and content. The choppy lines, weak sentiment, and false phraseology are shortly but clearly parodied. Stop, insatiate worm! 1 feel thy summons: — To my fellow-worms Thou bidst me hasten ! — I obey thy call, For wherefore should I live? — Vain life to me Is but a tatter'd garment, — a patch'd rag, That ill defends me from the cold of age. In his Lije of Edward Young, prefixed to the 1854 edition of Young's works, Dr. John Doran gives this estimate: " I n these lines we find a felicitous imitation of the manner in which Young could hunt a simile to death, of his violent antitheses, and of his mixture of the sublime with the ridiculous. There is scarcely a line in them the types of which my readers will not find in the poem which they so cleverly caricature." (lxii). The parody, with slight verbal differences from this version, is printed by Doran (lxi-lxii), but neither he nor Havens mentions the Gent. Mag. Doran does say the poem is preserved in manuscript form in the British Museum, but after the fashion of his day does not particularize. A search has, however, uncovered the manuscript, Addit. MS. 5832, ff. 144-144Í!, in one of the volumes of the Reverend William Cole's collection; Cole added a note that Churchill paid off Whitehead's attack in his Prophecy of Famine. Reprinted in the Foundling Hospital for Wit, No. V, 1748, pp. 41-43.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1747

439 No. 196

The Soliloquy To be, or not to be? in Hamlet, Travestied.

[in]

General Advertiser, September 24, 1747, No. 4030. 33 lines, b.v.

[B.M.]

Parody of Hamlet's Soliloquy. Prefatory note, signed "Rigdum Funnidos": "Several Parodies on the favourite Soliloquy in Hamlet having appear'd lately, and all of the serious and grave Kind; the following Attempt in Burlesque, if you think it will be agreeable to the Publick, is at their and your Service." To drink, or not to drink? that is the Question — Whether 'tis easier for a Man, to suffer The Pangs and Horrors of outragious Thirst; Or boldly venture on a Sea of Liquor, And so by drinking End iti — to drink — to gulp — No more; and by a Ghulp, if we could end The Head-ache, and the Thousand natural Qualms That Drinking's Heir to; 'twere a Consummation, Devoutly to be wish'd. — to drink, — to gulp — To gulp ? Perchance get drunk·, ay, there's the Rub — For in that Gulp of Drink what Qualms may come, When we have guzzled off the other Quart, Must give us Pause. A parody cleverly carried through, with the changed words in italics. In including this piece I am departing from my practice of excluding newspaper poems.

1748

No. 197

Ode On the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes. By the Same. [in] A Collection of Poems. By Several Hands. In Three Volumes. London: Printed for R. Dodsley at Tully's Head in Pail-Mall. M.DCCXLVIII. [B.M.] Thomas Gray. 42 lines. 886866,aabccb. II, 267-269. Mock-ode. 'Twas on a lofty vase's side, Where China's gayest art had dy'd The azure flowers, that blow;

44°

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY The pensive Selima reclin'd, Demurest of the Tabby kind, Gazed on the lake below. Her conscious toil her j o y declar'd; The fair round face, the snowy beard, The velvet of her paws, The coat that with the tortoise vies, Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes, She saw; and purr'd applause. [Opening, pp. 267-268]

This "Presumptuous m a i d " desired two "Genii of the stream," but " Malignant fate sat by and smil'd," and the cat tumbled in. Eight times emerging from the flood She mew'd to ev'ry watry god, Some speedy aid to send.

[p. 269]

The moral is, of course, of the gold-that-glitters kind. These seven stanzas are charmingly executed. A spirit of lenient satire pervades the happy and yet simple phrasing, the result being a burlesque of beauty as well as point. Editions and imitations are listed in C. S. Northup's Bibliography of '.Thomas Gray, New Haven, 1917, pp. 182-184. F ° r criticism of this ode on Walpole's pet, see Johnson's Lives of the English Poets, ed. by G. B. Hill, 1905, I I I , 434, and Elton's Survey of English Literature, 17301780, 1928, I I , 62-63.

1748

No. 198

Poverty. In Imitation of Mr. Philips's Splendid Shilling. Scholar of Winchester School. [in] Gentleman s Magazine, February, 1748, X V I I I , 88. 82 lines, b.v.

By a

Mock-heroic. Happy the man! whose weighty purse contains Or yellow gold, pale silver, or the coin [Opening] Of ruddy copper. The poet bemoans his poverty in a tone that sounds a bit too extreme. He compares himself to Tantalus, Prometheus, Sisyphus, and Ixion in suffering.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

441

I, wretched I, In Poverty, that complicated curse, sustain The plague of each, no fellow sufF'rer nigh. But it is hard to call this a bona fide lament with no playful purpose. For a follower of Philips the Miltonic elements are few.

1748

No. 199

A Sorrowful Ditty; Or, the Lady's Lamentation For the Death of her Favorite Cat. A Parody. [Motto] Virg. London: Printed for J. Tamlinson, near St. Paul's. 1748. pp. 3 - 1 2 . aabbcccdd, c being a 3-syl. line. Mock-elegy. In most extravagant terms the lady mourns her tabby at length, indeed in nineteen stanzas. The eleventh is as follows: The Catalogue follows — Imprimis, A Face With Whiskers adorn'd, and peculiar Grace — Two Eyes of exceeding fine Luster — A Skin Superbly enamel'd with Spots — Then within Charms immense! Such Pretence, To good Sense! So tender in Nature, no Victim could bleed, Tho' doom'd for her Prey, but she wept at the Deed!

[p. 8]

She can be comforted through the prospect of future union. The poem is amusing and does not outlast its effect. The triple rhyming short lines give a rapidity that helps to make clear the flippant tone but does not destroy the burlesque form.

1748

No. 200

The Τ—d. Humbly presented to the Teeth of Mr. R. Inter ster cora Ennii aurum reperi. [in] Gentleman's Magazine, March, 1748, X V I I I , 135. 72 lines, b.v. Mock-heroic. Sent in by " J . R . , " who had presented this subject to a friend who "challenged me to give him a subject, tho' ever so dry, and he would attempt to write upon it."

442

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

For the most part in a pompous, periphrastical manner this lowest of subjects is discussed. The innuendo is well done; it is a much more amusing poem than most that play upon a questionable theme. The blank verse rolls along in a straightforward way as the author strives to steer the combined course of subtlety and openness. The choicest viands that luxurious art Invents, are all for thee: thee to produce Bend the full tables at the costliest banquet. To gain materials for thy fabric, man Wears out his life in labour; thou'rt the end Of all: an emblem thou how vain the toils, The pleasures, honours of the world below.

1749

No. 201

The Battle of the Hoops. [in] Poems on Several Occasions, from Genuine Manuscripts of Dean Swift, Mr. H m, Mr. C r, Mr. G r, Mr. S b p, Mr. Κ dd—e, &c. &c. Containing, [List of titles] London: Printed for J. Bromage, at Temple-Bar, and sold by the Book-sellers at Bath and Tunbridge Wells, 1749. (Price One Shilling.) 48 lines, h.c. pp. 21-24. Mock-heroic. Sing, O my Muse, the arduous doubtful Strife, 'Twixt Β ks, and Η we, of Tunbridge-Wells the Life; Justly describe the Manner of the Fray, How each their Forces join'd in meet Array, Tell, how enrag'd, each Hoop, with Hoop, they clash'd; How from each piercing Eye the Light'ning flash'd; What dreadful Slaughter, volly'd Glances made, How Petticoats, the Petticoats invade, Say, with what active Force they both engag'd, What dire Confusion thro' the Battle rag'd. [Opening, pp. 21-22] Peggy is sure of success, but she has dared slight the Cyprian Queen; Η we prays to Venus and vows, No, by the Gods, to her I '11 never stoop, Nor e'er contract my far extended Hoop.

[p. 23]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

443

She uses all her charms but is defeated by the effort of Pallas. However, both ladies are claimed by two happy swains, and all ends well. This battle of the belles with their arms of charms and armor of dress is merely a mock-heroic episode of no particular merit or demerit.

1749

No. 202

A New and Accurate Translation of the First Book of Homer's Iliad. By Henry Fitzcotton, Esq. [Motto] apud Matanasium. Dublin Printed: London Reprintedfor W. Owen, at Temple-Bar, 1749. [B.M.] Henry Fitzcotton, probably a pseudonym, pp. 15-40. o.e. Travesty of Iliad, Book I. Preface— " T h e only thing which supporteth the unjust reputation of ancient authors, is the disingenuous manner in which they are dressed and garnished by pedantic translators and commentators, who being strangers to the beau monde, endeavour to palliate that defect, by pretending to a profound knowledge of authors; whom it is their interest to set off, and cry up, as much as possible, and to make the silly part of mankind believe that they contain some very deep, mysterious learning: by which means (like the Rosicrucians of old, or the Fr-m-s-ns of the present age) they make dupes of all those who are so weak as to enter into their fraternity; which no man can desert, without imminent danger from the resentment of those pretended adepts. It is not in my power, singly to overthrow the whole antique edifice of pedantic knowledge. But as the Iliad of Homer may be justly called one of the corner stones of it; I hope to give a fatal shock to the whole fabric, by shewing my poet fairly, in an undress; which may have the same happy effect on his misguided admirers, that it had on an extravagant lover, to peep at his Goddess, through the key-hole of her dressing-room, when she stood in her stays and her flannel-petticoat." [vii] " I f I am courageously seconded in this attack, and other gentlemen will undertake, each to expose some of the ancients of the first rank, in the same manner; I shall have no reason to doubt of speedy success in this laudable undertaking: for the world will not only be convinced of the scurrility and puerility of Homer, but they will be made sensible, in a short time, that the best of Pindar's jockey-songs are not fit to be compared with the Scotch ballad on John Patterson's Mare-, that there is not an ounce of wit in all Plato's chit-chat; and that Terence has not even low humour enough to raise a laugh in the upper gallery." [viii] Come, Clio, sing (if such your will is) The lasting frolicks of Achilles·, That haughty knight, whose surly tricks, Brought heavy bastings on the Greeks·,

444

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Hurling their souls down Pluto's stairs, Before t h e y ' d time to say their pray'rs; While hounds devour'd their flesh above: T h a n k s to the blessed whim of Jove. W h a t made the K n i g h t and General quarrel? H a d they been broaching some new barrel? [Opening, p. 15]

T h e chief point to make about this travesty is that it is not so coarse as the average earlier member of the class. I t is spirited and not bad reading, if one relishes travesties. F. M . K . Foster included this item in his English Translations from the Greek, N e w Y o r k , 1918, p. 66; J. N . D . Bush corrects such an error of classification in " English Translations of H o m e r , " P. M. L. Α., June, 1926, X L I , 336.

1749

No. 20.3

An Ode on Saint Cacilia s Day, Adapted to The Ancient British Mustek. As it was -performed On the Twenty-second of November. [Motto] Alex. Heinsius. London, Printed for J. and J. Rivington, in St. Paul's Church-Yard, and C. Corbet, in Fleet-Street. MDCCXLIX. [B.M.] Bonnell Thornton, pp. 7 - 1 4 . ode. Mock-ode. Preface, signed " F u s t i a n S a c k b u t , " says: " I f this Ode contributes in the least to lessen our false Taste in admiring that foreign Musick now so much in Vogue, and to recall the ancient British Spirit, together with the ancient British Harmony, I shall not think the Pains I employed in the Composition entirely flung away on m y Countrymen. This Ode, I am- sensible, is not without Faults·, tho' I cannot help thinking it far superior to the Odes of Johnny Dryden, Jemmy Addison, Sawney Pope, Nick Rowe, little Kit Smart, &c. &c. &c. or of any that have written or shall write on Saint Csecilia's D a y . " [v-vi] T h e Salt Box, Judaic Harp, Iron L y r e , M a r r o w Bones, Cleavers, String, Bladder, H u r d y G u r d y are the instruments. T h e ode has chorus, recitative, and air. T h e grand chorus would be a v e r y triumph of noise: Now to CECILIA, heav'nly M a i d , Y o u r loud united Voices raise: W i t h solemn J o y to celebrate her Praise, E a c h Instrument shall lend its Aid.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

445

T h e SALT BOX with Clattering and Clapping shall sound, T h e IRON

LYRE

Buzzing twang with wav'ring Wire W i t h heavy H u m T h e HURDY GURDY s a d l y t h r u m ,

A n d the merry merry MARROW BONES ring round. Such matchless Strains CECILIA knew, When Angels from their heav'nly Sphere B y Harmony's strong Pow'r she drew, Whilst ev'ry Spirit above would gladly stoop to hear.

[p. 8]

T h i s ode was published with Thornton's name in 1763 in what has been generally accepted as the first edition. There is a reference to the poem in Churchill's Gotham, Book I. Dr. Johnson "praised its humour, and seemed much diverted by it," Boswell's Life of Johnson, ed. by G . B. Hill, Oxford, 1887, I, 420.

ADDENDA 1702 T'Ai Loyal Address of the Clergy of Virginia. Williamsburgh: for Fr. Maggot, at the Sign of the Hickery-Tree in Queen-Street. Jonathan Swift (?). 40 lines. I.e.

No.

204

Printed iyo2. [B.M.]

T r a v e s t y of an address to the King. M a y it please you dread Sir, we the clerks of Virginia, W h o pray for Tobacco, and preach for a guinea, Patroon'd to contempt, and by favour made elves, For troopers are listed and pay tythes to our selves, T h e meanest Brigade of your Majesties Grubstreets, T h o ' late, not least loyal of your clerical subjects, A m o n g crouds of T r u e Hearts that of late do address you, In our humble phrase do crave leave to carress you T o shew for your safety how with zeal we burn all, Under the Reverend James Blare our Collonel. [Opening] A n ironical declaration of loyalty inspired by the French recognition of the Pretender as K i n g of England. I have not been able to locate the original printed version (if any) of

446

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY

the address that called forth this travesty in anapaestic tetrameters. However, there is in the Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series, America and West Indies, Jan-Dec. 1, 1702. Preserved in the Public Record Office, ed. by C. Headlam, London, 1912, p. 155, a "Loyal Address of the Governor and Council of Virginia to the King," signed by James Blair and four others, which may be the original address. Evans includes the poem in his American Bibliography, but in all likelihood it was not printed in America. Isaiah Thomas, History of Printing in America, Albany, 2d ed., 1874,1, 332, doubts the existence of any printing in Virginia at this time. The conclusion seems logical that the American imprint and the use of " M a g g o t " as the name of the printer merely furthered the jest in this facetious broadside. Reprinted in Ball's Swift's Verse, 1929, as App. I, from which I have taken my quotations.

1708

No. 205

A Trip to Dunkirk: Or, A Hue and Cry After the Pretended Prince of Wales. Being a Panegyrick on the Descent. London: Printed, and Sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster. IJ08. [B.M.] Jonathan Swift (?). 83 lines. I.e. Hudibrastic. Why, hark me, Sirs, — if this rumour holds true, W a r e like here, egad, to have somewhat to do: The French, as they say (he Ί1 believe it that sees it,) Are coming gadzookers to pay us a visit; With such a vast fleet — (L—d mercy upon's, And keep us from popery, swords and great guns) T h a t as I ' m alive — tho' I ne'er was afraid yet, It almost had frighten'd me — first when I heard it. [Opening] A satire on the Pretender's activities and the doubt in the minds of Englishmen concerning his objective. Though the poem is not in the Hudibrastic metre, these anapaestic tetrameters and double rhymes produce much the same effect; however, many poems in the long couplet were not sufficiently frolicsome in form or serious in subject to be burlesques. Reprinted in Ball's Swift's Verse, 1929, as App. II, from which I have taken my quotations. For the attribution to Swift see Ball, p. 93.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1710 L

447 No.

The Famous Speech-Maker of England: Or, Baron (alias 's Charge, At the Assizes at Exon, April 5th, ιγιο. Jonathan Swift. 242 lines. I.e. and s.c.

206

Barren)

T r a v e s t y of Baron Lovel's charge. Her m a j e s t y , mark it, Appointed this circuit F o r me and m y brother, Before any other; T o execute laws, A s you may suppose, Upon such as offenders have been. So then, not to scatter More words on the matter, W e ' r e beginning just now to begin. But hold — first and foremost, I must enter a clause, A s touching and concerning our excellent laws; Which here I aver, A r e better by far T h a n them all put together abroad and beyond sea; For I ne'er read the like, nor e'er shall, I fancy. [p. 17] T h e religious and political arguments in the original charge are completely and amusingly burlesqued. I have used the 1854 edition of Swift's Poetical Works, Boston, I I I , 16-25.

1712 The Battle of the Mice and Frogs. Almanza in Spain.

No. 207 Written just

after the Battle of

tin] Miscellanies or Amusements, in Verse and Prose. [Motto] Virgil. By Mr. Bezaleel Morrice. London, Printed for Daniel Brown at the Black Swan and Bible without Temple Bar. IJ12. [B.M.] Bezaleel Morrice. pp. 75-85. b.v. Mock-heroic. B y subtle Wiles a Politician Fox, His C u b on a fair Isthumus had plac'd T o reign the Monarch of the Frogean K i n d :

448

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY Nor long e'er Fame's prodigious Croak reveal'd, The strange detested News to Micean Ears, And fill'd with pond'rous doubt their troubl'd Breasts, Too well they knew Reynards distructive Mind. [Opening, p. 75]

The mice determine to drive the " wasteful Cub " away and " fix upon his Throne the juster Heir." At last the two armies join battle; the "Frogeans greater Number" and their superior cavalry of "barbed Crabs" rout the "wretched Miceans" with their "Weasel Coursers." After the battle the mice in words "fight the Battle o'er again." Thus each a sev'ral Way, to his own Mind, New methodize's each Design, and tells What shou'd have been omitted, what perform'd. But tho' in this they widely disagree, They all alike their hapless Fate bemoan.

[pp. 84-85]

The battle of Almanza, 1707, in the War of the Spanish Succession is here represented accurately and pleasantly. There is no connection with the famous Battle of the Frogs and Mice except in title and general subject.

1727 Elegy upon Tiger; Her dear LADY's Joy and Comfort, Who departed this Life, The last day of March, 1727. Τo the great Joy of Bryan, That his Antagonist is gone. Jonathan Swift (?)

a8 lines,

No. 208

[See below]

h.c.

Mock-elegy. A N D is poor.TIGER laid at last so low! . O Day of Sorrow! — Day of Dismal Woe! Blood-Hounds, or Spaniels,.Lap-Dogs 'tis all one, When Death once Whistles — Snap — away they're gone. See how she lies, and hangs her Lifeless Ears, Bath'd in her mournful L A D Y ' S Flowing Tears! Dumb is her Throat, and Wagless is her Τ ay I, Doom'd to the Grave, to Death's Eternal Jayl. [Opening]

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

449

When she is in Charon's boat barking at the Stygian fish, Cerberus " M a k e s Hell's wide Concave Bellow all around." She barks back; she trembles "To see a Dog with three large Yawning Heads." The poet asks that she be allowed to go to her lover in the Elysian fields. The poem is followed by a four-line octosyllabic " E p i t a p h " and a note that the dog died in puppy. A competent and rather amusing burlesque. Reprinted from a broadside in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, in Ball's Swift's Verse, 1929, as App. X X , from which my quotations are taken.

1735

No.

209

A Love Song, In the Modern Taste. Written in the Year 1733. [in] The Works of J . S, D.D, D.S.P.D. In Four Volumes. Containing, [Contents of volumes] In this Edition are great Alterations and Additions; and likewise many Pieces in each Volume, never before published. Dublin: Printed by and for George Faulkner, Printer and Bookseller, in EssexStreet, opposite to the Bridge. MDCCXXXV. Jonathan Swift. 24 lines. 8787, abab. I I , 430-432. Mock-song. Flutt'ring spread thy purple Pinions, Gentle Cupid o'er my Heart; I a Slave in thy Dominions; Nature must give Way to Art. Mild Arcadians, ever blooming, Nightly nodding o'er your Flocks, See my weary Days consuming, All beneath yon flow'ry Rocks. [Opening, pp. 43 < ^43 I ] Describing this poem and the Ode on Science (apparently not published until much later), Herbert Davis, " S w i f t ' s View of Poetry," Studies in English by Members of University College Toronto, Toronto, 1 9 3 1 , p. 32, says: " A l l the usual tricks are here exposed — the ornamental epithet, the classical references, the personification, the alliteration, the sing-song lilt, the unreal language, the sentimental commonplaces, and all the dreary staleness of these false, imitated, poetical devices." Also in the fifth volume of Miscellanies, in Prose and Verse, 1735, pp. 129-130.

45°

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY 1744

No. 210

The Strolling Hero, or Rome's Knight-Errant. A Hudibrastic Poem on the Young Chevalier's Expedition. [Motto] Cotton's Virgil. By Jemmy Butler. London: Printedfor M. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-noster-Row. M.DCC.XUV. {Price Sixpence.) [See below] pp. 3-24. o.e. Hudibrastic. Assist, O Muse! the Bard who racks His Brain to sing the Feats of Jacks; Whom neither Drubbings in the Field, Or hempen Halters, when they yield, Can e'er deter from striving stili To introduce a Prince's Will, Instead of Laws, by which we're rul'd; As if three Nations could be gull'd, Their Wealth and Freedom to resign, For that stale Joke, of Right Divine; Which they 've attempted o'er and o'er, From Eighty-Eight to Forty-Four. [Opening, pp. 3-4] This is the story of the Young Pretender's secret escape from Rome, of the intrigues and machinations pertaining thereto. He goes to Savona and encounters a storm; in a dream he has premonitions of failure. The Story's odd, and then, I pray, What to my Numbers can you say; Tho' rough and rumbling as a Coach, They 're smoother than the Prose of — All I have sure a Right to blaze it, Who but transverse the L η G~z—te. [p. 24] The chief interest in such a mediocre poem must have been topical. The cleverest stroke in the whole production is the attribution of authorship to "Jemmy Butler." James Butler was the second Duke of Ormonde, a leading Jacobite, and the last man in all Europe to write such a satire. Adver. in Gent. Mag., March, 1744. Through the courtesy of the library of Yale University I have been able to use a copy of this rare poem.

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS 1748

451 No. 211

The Hoop-Petticoat. An Heroi-comical Poem; in four Cantos. Address'd to the Ladies of Great-Britain. By a young Gentleman of Oxford. [Motto] Hor. London: Printedfor C. Corbett, at Addison's Head in Fleetstreet, and sold by J . Fletcher, in the Τurie, Oxford. 1748. {Price One [B.M.] Shilling.) pp. 5-34. h.c. Mock-heroic. " T o Miss Arabella M

1."

Accept, ye Fair, the Tribute of a Muse! Whose Lays, the chastest Vestal may peruse; Inspir'd by you, the Bard attempts to sing, And mounts exulting on a loftier Wing. What Art divine the wond'rous Fabrick found, That shields Lucinda, lovely Nymph, around, Sing heav'nly Muse! th' important Truth reveal! Nor from our World the secret Cause conceal ! [Opening, p. 5] Lucinda, " F o r whom a thousand Bosoms burn'd in vain," seeks " t h e Confines of a dark A l c o v e " ; she bemoans the scorn she has received from Lysander. Venus appears and tells the heroine about Myconia. There is the Source whence Modes for ever flow, Modes which nor France, nor yet Britannia know. E v ' n now of late they've rais'd with nicest Care A labour'd Hoop to ornament the Fair, The vast Expanse of whose enormous Size, And wide Dimensions would provoke Surprize. [pp. 1 0 - 1 1 ] Venus promises Lucinda this great gift and advises her to forget her cares. With J o y Lucinda hopes the golden Prize, While struggling Passions in her Bosom rise: Proud of Success, the Nymph withdraws to Rest, And lulls asleep each Tumult of her Breast. Soon vanish'd ev'ry Thought of former Woes, And guardian Sylphs prolong'd her soft Repose. Now airy Dreams their sportive Influence shed, And Elves and Fairies hover'd round her Head, While unconfin'd the roving Fancy strays, O'er craggy Mountains, and thro' pathless Ways;

452

ENGLISH BURLESQUE POETRY T e n Thousand odd Chimeras crowd her Brain, Beaux, Dress, and past Intrigues, a medley T r a i n , A n d jarring Chaos and Confusion reign. [pp.11-12]

T h e second canto is devoted to the celestial assembly. Venus wins the consent of Jove to present the Hoop to Lucinda, " A G i f t in F a v o u r of the British F a i r . " Pallas and D i a n a protest in vain. C a n t o I I I : Venus speeds to C y p r u s and puts her nymphs to work on the great task. T h e result is a garment of wonderful beauty. Full nine long Y a r d s the stiff'ning Whalebone bound T h e Circle's wide Circumference around; Due Simmetry appear'd in e v ' r y P a r t , Enrich'd with all the L u x u r y of A r t .

[p. 21]

Venus conveys the gift to Lucinda and commands her to " R e n o u n c e with Woman's D o u b t a Woman's F e a r ! " T e n thousand Tongues shall lisp Lucinda s N a m e , A n d twice ten Thousand emulate her Fame. Soon thy belov'd Lysander shall adore T h y Charms again, and own their conqu'ring P o w ' r ; Vain haughty Fool ! if Venus' Schemes succeed, Soon Vengeance follows thy presumptuous Deed !

[p. 23]

Lucinda retires; her guardian sylph attends her. N o w hov'ring 'round her Head, her Lips she lay Full close her E a r , and thus was thought to say. D o Sleep's soft Bands detain m y beauteous Fair, Supreme of Women, Heav'n's peculiar Care? If e'er thy Bosom entertain'd one T h o u g h t O f Fairy Tales b y antient M a t r o n taught; H o w airy Forms in Arthur s D a y s were seen In circling Rings to gambol o'er the Green, While full-orb'd Luna with her Silver Light Smil'd on the Train, and lengthen'd out the Night. K n o w — that we Natives of the œtherial Plain Still o'er the World extend our wide D o m a i n ; O'er Balls and Birth-night Meetings we preside, Crown the g a y P o m p , and all their Actions guide.

[p. 24]

T h e sylph warns her of " s o m e Vengeance yet u n s e e n " prepared b y a " D e i t y provok'd to Spleen."

REGISTER OF BURLESQUE POEMS

453

Toward the Stroke, our Art shall be apply'd, And all our watchful Industry employ'd. Soon all the Squadrons of the lower Sky In swarming Myriads to thy Aid shall fly; To all, their different Tasks shall be assign'd, To some, the Care and Conduct of thy Mind; While others guard the Ringlets of thy Hair, Taught by Belinda s SufF'ring to beware: Some shall th' enamell'd Fan and SnufF-box keep, And tend thy fav'rite Chloe while asleep.

[p. 25]

Canto IV: Lucinda arrays herself; her toilet is described. She is universally admired. With the flower of Society she goes to "celebrate some festal Day." Not all the Omens of the former Day, Nor nightly Visions cou'd engage her Stay; Thrice as to go th' unhappy Nymph essay'd, Some guardian Pow'r unseen her Steps delay'd; Thrice with tremendous Scream from out his Cage Prophetic Poll express'd his inmost Rage; Thrice Pug disorder'd shook his brazen Chain, And strange Convulsions seiz'd the Creature's Brain. [pp. 29-30] The petticoat sweeps the host's china vessels to the ground; Avaro curses the new instrument. Meanwhile new love warms Lysander's bosom; he woos Lucinda again. " I n Hymen s pleasing Bonds the Pair unite." The obligation of The Hoop-Petticoat (which must not be confused with a poem by "Joseph G a y " which in the third edition had the same title; see No. 48) to The Rape oj the Lock is obvious. The use of the sylphs, many verbal echoes, two references in footnotes, and the tone of the whole poem bespeak the debt to Pope. The most interesting feature of this late survival of the heroi-comical type is the presence of gods and goddesses and of sylphs. The structure is weak in several places: for instance, not enough is made of Diana's vengeance. Some of the pictures of high life are capably done. But this "young gentleman" might better have devoted his talent to a less derivative task; the day of the heroi-comical poem was over. Adver. in Gent. Mag., May, 1748. Serialized in Lon. Mag., Feb., March, May, June, 1748, one canto to each issue.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY The following list represents only a fraction of the books used in the preparation of this volume. It does not give the titles of burlesque poems and thus trespass on the Register. The critical discussions of the eighteenth century itself may be easily gleaned from Chapter II. This bibliography constitutes a carefully selected group of contributions to the subject of burlesque and its background, which may serve as an introduction to the study of the type, particularly in the years 1700-1750. Publishers are given for books published since 1900. A L D F . N , R. M., Rise of Formal Satire in England, Philadelphia, 1899. Anonymous, "Imitationsof Hudibras," Retrospective Review, I I I (1821), 317-335· B E E R S , Η . Α . , History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century, New York, Holt, 1898, 1926. B E N N E T T , H . R . , Literary Parody and Burlesque in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, M.A. thesis, University of London, 1914. B O B E R T A G , F . , " Z u Popes Rape of the Lock," Englische Studien, I (1877), 456-480; I I (1879), 204-222. B R E T T - S M I T H , Η . F . Β . , ed., A Pipe of Tobacco. . . . By Isaac Hawkins Browne, Oxford, Blackwell, 1923. The Shepherd's Week. By John Gay, Oxford, Blackwell, 1924. B R I E , F . , Englische Rokoko-Epik (ιγιο-1730), Munich, Max Hueber, 1927. B R O A D U S , Ε. K., The Laureateship, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1921. B R U N E T I È R E , F . , " L a Maladie du burlesque," Études critiques sur

l'histoire de la littérature française, 8' série, Paris, Hachette, 1907. Β . , Boileau and the French Classical Critics in England (1660-1800), Paris, Champion, 1925. C O U R T H O P E , W . J . , History of English Poetry, London, Macmillan, Vol. V, 1905. D A N I E L , O . , William Shenstone's "Schoolmistress" und das Aufkommen des Kleinepos in der neuenglischen Litteratur, Weimar, R. Wagner söhn, 1908. D E L E P I E R R E , O . , La Parodie chez les Grecs, chez les Romains, et chez les modernes, London, 1870. CLARK, A. F.

458

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Rise and Development of the Mock Heroic Poem in England from 1660 to 1714, doctoral thesis, University of Illinois, 1925. Chapter on Mac Flecknoe published, Urbana, 1926. D I X O N , W. M., English Epic and Heroic Poetry, London, Dent, 1912. E L T O N , O L I V E R , Survey of English Literature, 1730-1780, London, Arnold, α vols., 1928. E L W I N , W., and C O U R T H O P E , W. J . , ed., Works of Alexander Pope, London, 10 vols., 1871-89. F L Ö G E L , C. F., Geschichte der komischen Litteratur, Liegnitz and Leipzig, 4 vols., 1784-87. Geschichte des Burlesken, Leipzig, 1794. G O S S E , E D M U N D , "Burlesque," Selected Essays, First Series, London, Heinemann, 1928. G R O S S E , K. W., John Crownes Komödien und burleske Dichtung, Lucka, R. Berger, 1903. H A M I L T O N , W A L T E R , ed., Parodies of the Works of English and American Authors, London, 6 vols., 1884-89. H A R R A C H , Α., John Philips, Kreuznach, F. Harrach, 1906. H A V E N S , R . D . , Influence of Milton on English Poetry, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1922. H A Z L I T T , W I L L I A M , "On Wit and Humour," Collected Works, ed. by A. R. Waller and H. Glover, London, Dent, Vol. V I I I , 1903. H F . I S S , H . , "Studien über die burlesque Modedichtung Frankreichs im X V I I . Jahrhundert," Romanische Forschungen, X X I (1908), 449697. H O L D E N , G E O R G E , ed., Pope's Rape of the Lock, Oxford, Clarendon, 1909. J O H N S O N , R. B., ed., Poetical Works of Samuel Butler, London, 1 vols., 1893. J O N E S , R. F., "Eclogue Types in English Poetry of the Eighteenth Century," Journal of English and Germanic Philology, X X I V (1925), 33-60· J O N E S , V. L., English Satire, 1650-1700, Harvard doctoral thesis, 1 9 1 1 . K I T C H I N , G E O R G E , A Survey of Burlesque and Parody in English, Edinburgh and London, Oliver and Boyd, 1931. L E A V I T T , S. E., Scarron in England, 1656-1800, Harvard doctoral thesis, 1917. One chapter published as "Paul Scarron and English Travesty," Studies in Philology, X V I (1919), 108-120. L E H M A N N , P., Die Parodie im Mittelalter, Munich, Drei Masken, 192α. DIFFENBAUGH, G. L.,

BIBLIOGRAPHY

459

History of English Humour, London, 2 vols., 1878. A. S., On Parody, New York, 1896. M O R I L L O T , P., Scarron et la genre burlesque, Paris, 1888. P O S T M A , J . , Τennyson as Seen by His Parodists, Amsterdam, H . J . Paris, 1926. P R E V I T Ê - O R T O N , C. W., Political Satire in English Poetry, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1910. R I C E - O X L E Y , L., ed., Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin, Oxford, Blackwell, 1924. R O O T , R . K., ed., Dunciad Variorum, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1929. R Y L A N D , F R E D E R I C K , ed., Pope's Rape of the Lock, London, Blackie, [1899]. S A I N T S B U R Y , G E O R G E , History of English Prosody, London, Macmillan, Vol. II, 1908. S C H E N K , T . , Sir Samuel Garth und seine Stellung zum komischen Epos, Heidelberg, C. Winter, 1900. S C H I P P E R , J . , History of English Versification, Oxford, Clarendon, 1910. S C H N E E G A N S , H., Geschichte der grotesken Satire, Strassburg, 1894. S M I T H , W. F . , "Samuel Butler," Cambridge History of English Literature, New York, Putnam, Vol. V i l i , 1912. S T O N E , C H R I S T O P H E R , Parody, London, Seeker, [1915]. S U M M E R S , M O N T A G U E , "Introduction," Complete Works of William Wycherley, London, Nonesuch, Vol. I, 1924. T H O M A S , M. G . L L O Y D , ed., Poems of John Philips, Oxford, Blackwell, 1927. T O I N E T , R A Y M O N D , Quelques recherches autour des poèmes héroïquesépiques française du dix-septième siècle, Tulle, Crauffon, 2 vols., 1899-1907. L'ESTRANGE, A. G., MARTIN,

S. M., Verse Satire in England before the Renaissance, New York, Columbia University Press, 1908. W A L K E R , H U G H , English Satire and Satirists, London, Dent, 1925. 1 W A L K E R , W I L L I A M , The Bards of Bon-Accord, I J /β-1860, Aberdeen, 1887. W A L L E R , R . D . , ed., The Monks and the Giants by John Hookham Frere, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1926. W A T T , A . F . , ed., Pope: Rape of the Lock, London, University Tutorial Press [1905]. TUCKER,

460

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

WELLS, CAROLYN,

A Parody Anthology, New York, Scribner's, 1922.

L! Influence française dans la poésie burlesque en Angleterre entre 1660 et 1700, Paris, Champion, 1931. W H I B L E Y , C H A R L E S , "Writers of Burlesque and Translators," Cambridge History of English Literature, New York, Putnam, Vol. I X , WEST,

ALBERT

H.,

F., Die Batrachomyomachia in England, "Wiener Beiträge zur englischen Philologie, X L V I I I , " Vienna and Leipzig, Braumüller, 1918. W R I G H T , T H O M A S , History of Caricature and Grotesque in Literature and Art. London, 1865. WILD,

INDEX

INDEX " A c a d e m i c u s to Oldcastle," 350 Academicus to Oldcastle. Travesti, 173, 350-35 1 A d a m , J. A. S., 14 η., 125 " · Addison, Joseph, 23, 41 η., 62, 6§, 74, n o , 116, 177, 279, 354, 380, 444; Barometri Descriptio (Barometer), 213; Examen Poeticum Duplex, 207; Letter from Italy, 171, 434"43ίί Machina Gesticulantes (PuppetShow]), 210-215; Miscellanies, 210 η.; Musarum Anglicanarum Analecta, 207; Poems on Several Occasions, 210; Pralium (Battle of the Pygmies and Cranes), 158, 176, 185, 207-215; Spectator, 40-41, 50, 65 n., 210; Sph 332>336 Courtney, W. P . , 2 1 7 η., 224 η. Coward, William, Licentia Poetica discuss'd, 38, 187 Cowley, Abraham, Davidets, 122 η. Cowper, William, 184,294; Colubriad, 124; Task, 105 η., 164 η. Crabbe, George, Borough, 72, 105 η., 136.413; Village, 4 1 3 Craik, Henry, 262 Crane-fight, 207 Creech, Thomas, 366 Critical Review, 431

467

Criticisms on the Rolliad, 123 Croker, J . W., 80 n. Cromwell, Oliver, 166 n., 274 Cross, W. L . , 409 Crowne, John, Church Scuffle, 201 n.; Dœneids, 28-29, 1 5 5 » 2 0 1 ; History of the Famous and Passionate Love, 28-29, 1 5 5 - 1 5 6 Crowne, William, 252 Cruickshank, A. H . , 182 n. Cruikshank, George, 153 Cumberland, William Augustus, Duke of, 424 Cunningham, Peter, 293 Curii, Edmund, 87, 198, 2 1 0 , 2 1 3 n·, 2 1 7 . *59. 287, 3 1 3 , 3 1 8 , 385, 386 Cuzzoni, Signora, 1 1 5 , 1 2 5 , 368 Dacier, André, 50 η., 354 Daily Courant, 254 Daily Journal, 3 1 5 Daily Post, 280, 296, 3 6 3 , 402 " Dance, J a m e s , " see James L o v e Daniel, Otto, 4 1 3 D'Anvers, Alicia, Academia, 20 η. Darwin, Erasmus, 174; Economy of Vegetation, 90; Loves of the Plants, 90, 96 n. Davenant, Sir William, Gondibert, 5; Play-house to be Lett, 26 Davis, Herbert, 449 " D e f e n c e of Tragi-Comedy," 59-60 Defoe, Β . N . , Compleat English Dictionary, 20 n. Defoe, Daniel, 1 5 1 , 204 η., 246-247, 251 ; Review, 265; True-Born Englishman, 1 7 1 , 238 Delaune, William, 299 Delepierre, Octave, 138 n. Delights of the Muses, 109 n. Democritus, 366 Denham, Sir John, Famous Battle of the Catts, 157 n. Dennis, John, 3 3 , 75, 180; Poems in Burlesque, 31 n., 48 η., 150; Miscellanies, 3 1 - 3 2 , 150; Remarks on . . . Rape of the Lock, 76-82, 205; Re-

468

INDEX

marks upon . . . Dunciad, 44, u g n o , 205 η. Dennis, John, Age of l'ope, 11 n. De Quincey, Thomas, 90 n. Description, 170, 306-307 Desmaiseaux, Pierre, Life of Boileau, 37-38, 203 Deuteripideuteron, I41 "Diagoras," 366 Dibdin, Charles, the younger, Chessiad, 94, 224 n. Dickin, Miss, 146 n. Diffenbaugh, G. L., 9, 155 n. Dildoides, 150 Diogenes, 339 Dispensary Transvers'd, 157 D'Israeli, Isaac, Curiosities of Literature, 16 n. Dissertator, 1 5 1 , 242-244 Dixon, W. M., 9 Dobson, Austin, 64, 294 Doctor Anthony's Poem in Praise of the Pox, 164,324-325 Dodd, William, Day of Vacation at College, 53, 109 n.; New Book of the Dunciad, 118 n. Dodsley, Robert, Collection of Poems, 97, 106 n., 220, 385, 412, 439; Museum, 70, 71 n., 1 7 1 , 215 n., 432 "Doggrell, Sir Iliad," 283-284 Don Francisco Sutorioso, 208 n. Donne, John, 29 Doran, John, 438 Downman, Hugh, Elegy Wrote under a Gallows, 173 n. Drayton, Michael, Mortimeriados, 122 n.; Nymphidia, 155; Odes, 121 n. Dryden, John, 23, 26, 27, 3 1 , 32, 3 3 , 4 1 , 49, 50, 61, 72, 83 n., 141, 180, 198 η., 204 η., 28ο, 284, 381, 401, 4θ8, 444; Annus Mirabilis, 30 η.; Discourse concerning . . . Satire, 29-30, 192-193; Hind and the Panther, 169, 216 n.; Mac Flecknoe, 9, 10, 22, 27, 120, 156, 157 η., 159, 199, 1 0 1 η·> 2 °6> 259, 269-270; Miscellany Poems, 201 n.; Poetical Miscellanies: the Sixth Part, 261

Dublin Journal, 45 n. Duck, Stephen, Ode . . . to the Poet Laureat, 1 7 1 , 357 Duckett, George, Homerides, IJ15, 283-285,1716, 143,283-285 Duffet, Thomas, Mock-Tempest, 27 n. Dulcinead, 1 2 1 , 152, 344-345 Dunbar, William, Of Sir Thomas Norray, 155 η.; Turnament, 155 η. Duncombe, John, Evening Contemplation in a College, 173 n.; Letters by Several Eminent Persons Deceased, 152 n. Dunkin, William, Technethyrambeia CArt of Gate-Passing), 225; Works, 225 Dunning, Alexander, 417 Durfey, Thomas, 33 n., Butler's Ghost, 28, 149; Collin's Walk, 150 Dutch Hudibras, 149 East, Thomas, 179 n. Eddy, W. Α., 2o8 n., 215 n. Edinburgh Review, 214 n. Elegy, 167, 405-406 Elegy on the Author of the True-BornEnglish-Man, 21 n. Elijah, 240 Ellis, John, 145; Surprize, 153 n. Elton, Oliver, 86 n., 135 n., 336, 440 Elwin, Whitwell, 64 n., 68 n., 70 n., 79η., 8on., 8i, 84-85, 88n., 1 1 5 n., 118 n., 204 n., 332, 336 Emmons, Richard, Fredoniad, 124 Empty Purse, 108 Enoch, 240 Epicurus, 366 Epistle from Cambridge, 152, 376-377 Epistle from Oxon, 107, 109, 169, 351 — 352 Epitaph on a Lap-Dog, 166, 373-374 Erskine, W., 224 Eugene, Prince, 94 Evans, Charles, 446 Evelyn, John, Mundus Muliebris, 20 n. Evelyn, Mary, Mundus Muliebris, 20 n.

INDEX Evening Post, 318, 322 Examen Miscellaneum, 244

469

Foundling Hospitaljor Wit, 436, 438 Fouqué, Baron de la Motte, 88 η. Four Hubibrastick Canto's, 1 5 1 , 278279 Four Satires, 49-50 Fowldes, William, 179, 180 Fowler, H. W., 7 Fowler, John, Last Guinea, 108 Frere, John Hookham, 165, 174 n., 190, 191 n.; Monks and the Giants, 188 n. Frey, E., 294 Fullington, J . E., 132 n. "Funnidos, Rigdum," 439

Faber, G. C , 261 " F a n c y , " 71 η. Farewell, James, Irish Hudibras, 140, 149 Farquhar, George, Love and a Bottle, 389 Felon Sew, 155 n. Felton, Henry, Dissertation on Reading the Classics, 104 n. Female Kidnappers, 97 Fermor, Arabella, 64, 275 Ferriar, John, Illustrations oj Sterne, G., J . , 214 η. 215 n. "Game of Chess Versify'd," 94 n. Fielding, Henry, 214, 232; Joseph Gardner, Edward, Miscellanies, 52 n., Andrews, 50-51, 54; Shamela, 426; 96 n. torn Thumb, 54, 59, 1 3 1 , 188; Garnett, Richard, 189 n. Vernoniad, 1 2 1 , 158-159, 408-409 Garrick, David, 4I0 Fitzcotton, Henry, New and Accurate Translation of the First Book oj Garth, Samuel, 39, 68, 69, 73, 76, 87, 193; Dispensary, 5, 9, 10 n., 2 1 , 27, Homer's Iliad, I43, 443-444 37, 38, 41, 44, 52, 54, 56> 72, 75. Fitzgerald, Thomas, Poems on Several I 6_I 5 5 7 , ' S 8 . '99. 203 t 206, 208, Occasions, 215 n. 243-244, 259, 402 Fitzpatrick, Richard, 138 Gay, John, 43, 153, 232, 286; Beggar's Flea, 170, 367-368 Opera, 338; Elegy on a Lap-Dog, Flecknoe, Richard, 27 η., 156; Dia166, 301-302; Fan, 96 η., 160-161, rium, 25-26, 139, 148, 150 η. 272-273; Poems on Several OccaFlight of the Pretender, 1 7 1 , 257 sions, 301; Shepherd's Week, 11 n., Florio, John, Worlde oj Wördes, 19 100, 1 1 0 - 1 1 5 , 167, 276, 337, 413; Flower-Piece, 328 Trivia, 69, 160 n., 168 n., 427; Fludd, Robert, 86 Wine, 108, 169, 260-261 Flying Post, 241 " G a y , Joseph," see J . D. Breval Folengo, Teofilo ("Merlinus CoGeneral Advertiser, 402, 439 caius"), Baldus, 189-190, 193; General Evening Post, 385 Moschaea, 189; Orlandino, 189 Geneva, 109, 169, 345-346 " Foot-Ball," 159 n. "Gentleman in the N a v y , " 380 Forbes, Robert, Ajax his Speech to the "Gentleman of Oxford" (Hawkins), Grecian Knabbs, 144, 409-41 o 427 Forbes, Sir William, Account oj . . . Gentleman's Journal, 33, 142 James Beattie, 2 1 1 Gentleman's Magazine, 21 n., 48-49, "Foreign Affairs," 251 70, 97, 127-128, 146 η., 171, 2 4 8, Forster, John, 224 298, 310, 348, 350, 351, 353, 355, Forteguerri, Niccolo, Ricciardetto, 190, 357, 35 8 , 361, 362, 363, 367, 369, I 95 371, 373, 377, 383, 384, 385, 392, Foscolo, Ugo, 194-195 395, 397, 402, 404, 405, 421, 423, Foster, F. Μ. Κ . , 444

47°

INDEX

426, 431, 435, 437, 438, 440, 441, 45°, 453 George II, 127, 285, 357, 358 George IV, 153 n. Gibbs, J. W. M., 105 n., 129 n., 136 n. Gifford, William, Baviad, 123; Maeviad, 123 ΓΙΓΑΝΤΟΜΑΧΙΑ, 157 η. Gilbert, Η. M., 221 η. Gilbert, Sir William S., 174 η. Gildon, Charles, Laws oj Poetry, 42 n., 100 n.; New Rehearsal, 75-76 Gilliver, Lawton, 385-386 Gin, 109, 169, 375-376 Glossographia Anglicana Nova, 19,20 n. Glover, Arnold, 83 n., 105 n., 137 n. Glover, Richard, Athenaid, 122 n. Godwin, G. N., 221 n. Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 176 Goldsmith, Oliver, 70 n., 224, 294; Art oj Poetry, 59, 104, 114; Beauties of English Poesy, 105 η., 114 n., 129, 293; Citizen of the World, 166; Deserted Village, 65, 413; History of England, 105 n.; Life of Or. Parnell, 181-182 Golf, 417 Gordon, John, 356 Gordon, Thomas, 116, 325-326 Gosse, Sir Edmund, π η., 86 η., ι ι 6 η., 203 η. Gough, Richard, British 'Topography, 221 n. Gower, John, Μ . Α., Pyrgomaehia, 157 n. Grand Burlesque Ode, 167 n. Graves, Clotilde, 98-99 Graves, Richard, 130, 132; Recollection of . . . Shenstone, 96, 163 n., 310, 388; Reveries of Solitude, 220221 Gray, Thomas, 136, 173, 174; Bard, 167 η.; Elegy, 16, 65; Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, 167, 439440

Green, Richard, Hudibras in a Snare, 149-150 Gresset, J. B. L., Ver-Vert, 224 n.

Grey, Zachary, Critical . . . Notes upon Hudibras, 53 n. Griffith, R. H., 65 n., 122 n., 275, 336 Grimston, William Luckyn, Viscount, On a Mineral, 151, 251-252; Thalia, 251 Grosse, W., 156 n., 201 n. "Grub's Ballad," 27 n. Grub-street Journal, 45-47, 116 n., 126, 361, 367,369,370,379,385,386,396 Guardian, 110, 167 n. Guilpin, Edward, Skialetheia, 186 Gulliveriana, 121 n., 320 Gwyn, Nell, 278 Halifax, Charles Montagu, Earl of, 71 n., 202, 204, 238, 434; Hind and the Panther transvers'd, 168-169, 216 n. Halkett, Samuel, 267, 310, 423 Hall, John, Poems, 147 η.; "Satire," 147 n. Hallam, Henry, 195 Hamilton, James, Duke of, 147 Hamilton, Walter, 174 n. Harrach, Alexander, 100 n. Harte, Walter, Essay on Satire, 47-48, 193, 205 Hartley, L. C., 14 n. Hauksbee, Francis, the younger, Patch, 96, 161-162, 316-318 Havens, R. D., i o n . , 100 η., 107 η., log, l27 " · . J 73 n · . 2 1 1 n · . 382> 408, 438 Hawkins, William, Review of the Works of . . . Hawkins, 431; Serious Reflections on . . . Card-playing, 9293;' Thimble, 96, 162, 165, 427-432; Works, 431 Hayley, William, Essay on Epic Poetry, 99, 194; Triumphs of Temper, 57 n., 96, 166 Hazlitt, William, 83, 105, 136-137 Headlam, C., 446 Hearne, Thomas, Remarks and Collections, 222 n. Henley, John, 210 n.; Oration on Grave Conundrums, 44 n.

INDEX H e n r y V i l i , 263 Heraldiad, 124 Herodotus, 207 Hervey, J o h n , Baron, 205 Hesiod, 188 Heywood, J o h n , Spider and the 1

Flie,

55 Hickeringill, E d m u n d , Burlesque Poem In Praise of Ignorance, 1 5 1 , 255256 Higgins, Francis, 270 Hill, Aaron, 129; " A c t o r ' s E p i t o m e , " 171, 384-385, 386 Hill, G. B., 40 n., 62 n., 75 n., 10; n., n 6 n . , 136 η., 157 η., 2 I 3 η ·» 2 94, 44°. 445 Hoadly, J o h n , 125 n., 220, 221 Hobbes, T h o m a s , 44, 267, 280 Hogan-Moganides, 149 H o g a r t h , William, 336, 406 Hogg, James, 174, 175 n. Holden, George, 64 n., 65 n., 67 n., 91 n. Holdsworth, E d w a r d , 177; Dissertation upon . . . Virgil's Georgics, 217; Muscipula {Mouse-Trap), 41, 57, 160 n., 164, 176, 185, 1 8 6 , 2 1 5 223, 300, 314; Remarks and Dissertations on Virgil, 217 Holland, T h o m a s , 106 n. H o m e , Henry, Lord Kames, 62; Elements of Criticism, 57-59, 205 H o m e r , 44, 50 n., 52, 58, 67, 75, 79, 120, 123, 140, 187, 196, 215, 231, 2 77> 2 98, 3 12 > 352> 4 2 4 , 437; Hiad, 61, 122, 141, 143, 145, 177,180, 183, 184, 186, 194, 202, 207, 283-285, 380, 443; Odyssey, 43 η., 141, 184, 279 Homer Alamode, 141 Homer in a Nut-Shell, 143, 279-280 Homer Travestie, 143 η., 279-280 Hood, T h o m a s , the younger, 174 Hoop-Petticoat, 96, 162, 451-453 Horace, 40, 50, 56, 71, 155, 227, 277, 2 94, 3°5> 353; Art °f Poetry, 172, 254, 348; Odes, 368 H o w a r d , E d w a r d , Caroloides, 122 n.

471

Hoyle, E d m u n d , 73, 94; Short Treatise On the Game of Whist, 93 Hudibras Answered by True de Case, 148 n. Hudibras at Court, 151, 280-281 " H u d i b r a s , H u g h , " 153 Hudibras in Ireland, 153 " H u d i b r a s , J u n i u s , " 153 n. Hudibras. The Second Part, 149 " H u d i b r a s , the Younger," 153 n. Hudibrasso, 152 Hudibrastick Brewer, 151, 274 Hughes, E d w a r d , 349 Hughes, J o h n , " H u d i b r a s I m i t a t e d , " 152 n. Hull, T h o m a s , Select Letters, 163 n. H u n t , Leigh, 105 Hunting of the Hare, 155 n. Husbands, J . , Miscellany of Poems, 35 1 Hutcheson, Francis, Collection of Letters and Essays, 44-45; Reflections upon Laughter, 45 n. Hyp, '5 2 > 353-355 ΙΑΤΡΟ-ΧΕΙΡΟΤΡΓΟΜΑΧΙΑ, 224 n. " I m i t a t i o n s of H u d i b r a s , " 148-149 Independent London Journal, 385 " I r o n i c u s , " 368 J., M . , 4 5 n. Jacob, Giles, Rape of the Smock, 96, 97, 161, 205 n., 290-292, 386 Jacobites Hudibras, 149 Jago, Richard, Edge-Hill, 71 James I I , 264, 269 James, Prince ( " O l d P r e t e n d e r " ) , 1 5 1 , 230, 445, 446 Jebb, Sir Richard C., 182 Jeffreys, George, 224; Father Francis and Sister Constance, 224 n. " J o h n , Gabriel," 126, 379 Johnson, , tr. Boileau's Lutrin, 202 η. Johnson, Christopher, 179 Johnson, R . B., 149 n., 369 Johnson, Samuel, 73, 80, 84, 103 n., 124,445; Dictionary, 20 η.; Lives of

472

INDEX

the English Poets, 39-40, 61-62, 7475, 104-105, 116 η., 136, 157 η., 213, 2 93 -2 94> 44°> Works of the English Poets, 436 Jones, R. F., 113 η. Jones, V. L., 9, 149 η. Jones, Walter, Hesperi-neso-graphia, I 1 5 . 323-324; Irish Hudibras, 151, 323 . . . Jones, Sir William, Caissa, 224 Jonson, Ben, Bartholomew Fair, 142 n.; "Shall I mine affections slack," 168 "Judgment of T r u t h , " 128 Juvenal, 29, 56, 192, 205 n., 227

K., P., 144 n. Keate, George, Burlesque Ode, 167 n. Keats, John, 16 Kennett, White, the elder, 321 Kennett, White, the younger, Armour, 107, 164, 321-322, 408 Kenrick, William, "New Session of Poets," 206 n.; Old Woman's Dunciad, 173-174 Kenrickad, 89 n. Keogh, J. B., 301 Keppel, Augustus, Viscount, 124 Kersey, John, 19 Killmorey, Viscount, 334 "King Oberon's Feast," 330 King, William (1663-1712), 43; Apple-Pye, 168, 267-268; Art oj Cookery, 168, 254-255; Fairy Feast, 250; Furmetary, 157; Journey to London, 255; Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, 248; Mully of Mountown, 164, 247-248; Northern Atalantis, 267-268; Orpheus and Euridice, 143-144, 248-250; Some Remarks on the Τale of a Tub, 247 King, William (1685-1763), Toast, 104 η., 152, 189 η., 364-366 King, William, 412 Kitchin, George, 10 n. Kneller, Sir Godfrey, 255 Knight, Richard Payne, 174 Küster, L., Suidce Lexicon, 207 n.

Lacy, John, Steeleids, 122 n. Ladies Miscellany, 287, 292 Lady's Answer to Mr. Ambrose Philips's Poem, 170, 325 Laing, John, 267, 310, 423 Lalli, Giovanni Battista, Eneide travestita, 138 Lamar, René, 149 η. Lamb, Charles, 91 η., 175 η. Lamoignon, Chrétien François de, 200 CLatin) Description of Hogland, 222 Layng, Henry, Rod, 166 Leaves of Laurel, 174 Leavitt, S. E., 139 η., 142 η., 149 η. Le Bossu, René, 79> 8ι Legouis, Emile, 86 η., 229 η. Leo Χ , Pope, 224 Lesage, Alain René, Gil Blas, 56 L'Estrange, A. G., 4 η. L'Estrange, Sir Roger, 149 Letter from a French Secretary to a Dutch Minister, 436-437 "Letter from a young Parson," 248 Letter from an Apothecary's 'Prentice, 15 2 »393 Letters of the Critical Club, 187-188 Levellers, 153 Lewis, D., Miscellaneous Poems, 214 n. Lewis, R., 42; Mouse-Trap, 220 Life of Alexander Pope, 76 n. Lintott, Bernard, 65, 87, 275 Lister, Martin, Journey to Paris, 255 Litchfield Squabble, 152, 437 Little Preston, 158, 290 Little Wish, 129, 170, 377 Littré, M. P. É., 138 η. Lloyd, Robert, of Magdalen College, Oxford, 215, 223 n. Lloyd, Robert, To Oblivion, 174; To Obscurity, 174; Poems, 128 Lloyd, Sarah, 137 Lloyd, Thomas, 137 Lluelyn, Martin, Men-Miracles, 147, 207 η.; "Of Pigmies," 147 η., 207 η. Llwyd, Edward, 222 n. Locke, John, 71 Lockier, Francis, 199

INDEX Lockman, John, 48, 104 ΛΟΓΟΜΑΧΙΑ, 144 η. London Evening Post, 385 London Magazine, 12 η., 97, 1 1 3 η., 159 η., 183 η., 205 η., 224 η., 272, 2 9 8, 362, 363, 367, 368, 3 7 ° , 37 1 » 373. 375» 376, 377. 3»5. 386, 391. 3 9 3 . 3 9 ϊ . 3 9 6 , 4 0 4 , 4 ΐ 0 . 4 1 2 , 4 3 453 Longinus, 71 Louse-Trap, 164, 221, 3 ΐ 4 ~ 3 ' 5 Love, James ("James Dance"), Cricket, 159, 422-423; Poems on Several Occasions, 423 Lovel, Baron, 447 Lovell, Archibald, 87 Lover s Miscellany, 106 n. Loves of Hero and Leander, 139 "Loves of the Triangles," 174 Lucian, 40, 221 ; Dialogues, 142; True History, 56 Lucian's Dialogues, {not) From the Greek . . . Second Part, 27-28, 142, 149 n. Lucian's Ghost, 142 n. Lucifer's Defeat, 169, 346-347 Lucilius, 294 Lucretius, 366, 381 Ludus Scacchia: Chesse-play, 223 Luxborough, Henrietta Knight, Lady, 162 n., 163 n. Lyndsay, Sir David, Justing betuix James Watsoun and Jhone Barbour, 155 η. Lyttleton, George, Baron, 109 n.; Dialogues of the Dead, 205; To the Memory of a Lady, 167 n. M . , B., 225 M., I. F. L , 384 M., T., 92 η., 306-307 Maar, H. G. de, 135 η., 136 η. Macaulay, T. Β., 214 Machine, 164, 408 Mahomet, 240 Maitland Club, 151 n. Maittaire, Michael, 183 n. Mandeville, Bernard, Typhon, 225 Manwaring, Roger, 270

473

Maphaeus, 145 Margites, 45, 123, 177 n., 208 n. Marini, Giovanni, 195, 197, 224 Marlborough, John Churchill, Duke of, 95. 2 1 3 . 2 5 3 . 2 7 5 Marlborough, Sarah Jennings Churchill, Duchess of, 94, 124, 144; Account of the Conduct, 4 1 1 - 4 1 2 ; Memoirs, 412 Marlowe, Christopher, 139 Marot, Clément, 26, 27 Martin, A. S., 14 n. Martin, Benjamin, Lingua Britannica Reformata, 20 η. Martin, Burns, 283 Martinière, A. A. Bruzen de la, " Discours sur le style burlesque," 139 n. Mary II, 4 1 1 Masham, Lady Abigail, 94 Mason, William, 136, 174 Masson, David, 90 n. Mathias, T . J . , Shade of Alexander Pope, 89 Mathison, Thomas, Goff, 159,414-417 Maudaeus (David de Mauden), 25 Maurice, Thomas, Oxonian, 109 η.; School-boy, 109 Mazarin, Cardinal, 24 η. Melville, Henry Dundas, Viscount, 124 Memoirs of Literature, 198 η. Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus, 53 Memoirs of the Life of Edward Uwyd, 222 n. Ménage, Gilles, Origines de la langue française, 24 Menander, 67 η. Mennes, Sir John, 26, 28; Musarum Delicia, 147-148, 224 η.; Wit Rest or'd, 147-148; Witts Recreations, •39 η · Mercurius Menippeus, 149 Merivale, John, 190 Meston, William, Knight, 89 η., 1 5 1 , 3 1 1 - 3 1 4 ; Mob contra Mob, 152,356; Old Mother Grim's Tales, 305; Phaeton, 144, 303-305; Poetical Works, 3 1 3 , 356

474

INDEX

Methodists, ΐζ2, 4°3~4°4 Middleton, Thomas, Game at Chesse, 223 η. Miller, James, Harlequin Horace, 118 n., 168, 352-353 Milton, John, 5 , 1 6 , 3 9 , 4 0 , 50, 67, 100, 101, 104-105, 106, 120, 164 η., 16917°. 173. i8i> 212 n., 218, 219, 244, 253, 260, 261, 270, 271, 306, 338, 345. 346, 349. 35 1 , 39 6 , 406, 409. 413, 432; Paradise Lost, 61, 88 n., 102, 107 n., 145, 208 n., 211 n., 217, 3 " , 375, 414 Milton's Sublimity Asserted, 106 Miscellanea, 1727, 204 η., 318 Miscellanea, 1818, 214 η. Miscellaneous Collection of Poems, 1721, 92 n., 306 Miscellaneous Translations, 1716, 210, 214 n. Miscellany Poems on Several Subjects, 1722, 21 n. Mitchell, Joseph, 62; Charms of Indolence, 164, 338-339; Cudgel, 164, 343-344; "Peter," 164 η.; Poems on Several Occasions, 108 n., 164 n., 335, 338; Shoe-Heel, 43, 107, 164, 334-335; Sick-Bed Soliloquy to An Empty Purse, 107, 108, 164, 378379! "Verses, On Sight of an HalfPenny," 108 Mitford, John, 182 Mitre, 152, 355 Mock-Virgil, 27 n. Modern Goliah, 369 Modern Hudibras, 153 Moffet, William, Hesperi-neso-graphia, 151, 323-324; Irish Hudibras, 151, 323 Monsey, R., Scarronides, 140 Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley, 113, 205 Montague, Edward, Citizen, 153 Montégut, Emile, 82-83 Montgomery, Sir Robert, 343, 344 Monthly Review, 431 Moore, C. Α., 346 Moore, Thomas, 174

Morgan, H., Cynegetica, 159, 300-301 Morgan-Brown, H., 184 Morillot, Paul, 138 n. Morley, Mrs. Elizabeth, 64 n. Morrice, Bezaleel, Battle of the Mice and Frogs, 158, 447-448; Miscellanies, 447 Morris, Corbyn, 3 Morton, E. P., 133 n. Mosse, T., 307 Mother Gin, 172, 394-395 Motteux, Peter, Gentleman's Journal, 32-33 Mouse-Trap . . . in Milton's Stile, 219 Mr. Addison's Letter to Lord Halifax, travesti'd, 71 n., 434"435 " M r I. Brown's Patent," 128 MT0-02TPEION, 164, 383-384 Murphy, Arthur, 62; Gray's Inn Journal, 54-56 Murphy, Paddy, 225 Murray, Gilbert, 207 n. Musa Britannica, 217 Musaeus, 139, 142 Muscipula: or, the Mouse-Trap. Attempted in English Burlesque, 219 " M y Pipe and I , " 128 n. Nadal, T . W., 155 η. Namby Pamby's Answer to Captain Gordon, 170, 326-327 Namby Pamby's Lamentation, iyo, 327 Napoleon Bonaparte, 153 Nassau, Henry, 213 Natives, 171, 237 Naudé, Gabriel, Iugement, 24 n. Nedham, Marchamont, Digitus Dei, 147; "Epitaph upon James Duke of Hamilton," 147 "Needy Knife-grinder," 174 Neilson, W. Α., 169 η. Neve, Philip, Cursory Remarks on Some of the Ancient English Poets, 146 n. New . . . Burlesque Ode, 147 n. New Miscellany, 1701, 244 New Miscellany, 1720, 21 n., 305

INDEX New Poem Ascrib'd to the Lady, 170, 327 Newbery, John, Art of Poetry, 59,104, 114 Newburgh, Countess of, 152, 365 Newcomb, Thomas, 185 η., 209 η., 2io; Bibliotheca, 104 η. News, 21 η. Newton, Sir Isaac, 383 Nichols, John, Select Collection, 254 "Ninnyhammer,Nickydemus," 179 η., 279 Norfolk Gamester, 94 n. Norfolk Miscellany, 347-348 Norgate, T. S., 184 Northup, C. S., 173 n., 440 Notus Notarius, 153 Nummus Splendidus, 106 n. O., N., 201 Oates, Titus, 263 Ode, 1 7 1 , 361 Ode for the new year, 1732, 1 7 1 , 3 6 1 362 Ode for the New Year, 1743, 1 7 1 , 4 1 7 418 Ode on twelfth Day, 1 7 1 , 357-358 Ode or Ballad supposed to be written by c — c — , 171,369-37° Ode to the Earl of Chesterfield, 70 Ode to the Poet Laureat, 171, 370 " O Donald, Peregrine," 364 O'Donoghue, D. J . , 324 "Of Originals and Writing," 146 n. Of Smoaking, 385 Of the Praise of Tobacco, 129, 1 7 1 , 384-385 Ogilby, John, 280, 284 O'Hara, Kane, Midas, 59 Oldham, John, 188, 201; Poems and Translations, 208 n. Oldmixon, John, Essay on Criticism, 104 n. On a young Lady's favourite Cat, 170, 377-378 "On burlesque," 48 "On Half a Crown," 108 "On Mr. Pope," 205 n.

475

On the Death of a young Lady's Squirrel, 166, 370-371 "On Tobacco," 128 Ormonde, James Butler, Duke of, 267, 450 Ovid, 19, 67, 2 1 1 , 277, 305, 413; Art of Love, 144, 241-242; Epistles, 14I; Metamorphoses, 141, 143, 248-250, 261-262,295-296,303,306,409-410 Ovidius Exulans, 141 Owen, Nicholas, British Remains, 222 n. Oxenford, John, 97-98 Oxford and Cambridge Miscellany Poems, 142 n. Oxford, Robert Harley, Earl of, 94 Ozell, John, 27, 37, 38, 41-42, 62, 185 η., 192 η., 200, 291; Boileau's Lutrin, 202-205; La Secchia Rapita: the Trophy Bucket, 197-199; Life of Boileau, 203 P., J . , 264 Pamela: or, the Female Imposter, 96, 162, 163, 425-426 Panegyric on a Louse, 169, 396 Panegyrick Epistle, 106 n. Panegyrick on Cuckoldom, 164, 362 Paracelsus, 86 Paraphrastical, Hudibrastical, Versification, 144, 404 Parker, Samuel, Cartesian Idea of God, 179; Homer in a Nutshell, 179-180 Parnell, Thomas, 69, 70 η., 178 η., ι 8 2 η . , 183, 184, 185; "BookWorm," 69; Homer's Battle of the Frogs and Mice, 180-182; Poems on Several Occasions, 69, 181, 182 n. Parody on Mr. Cibber's Ode, 1 7 1 , 410 Parr, Samuel, Tracts by Warburton, 2 1 1 n. Part of Lucian's Dialogues, (Not) from the Original Greek, 142 Pattison, William, Jealous Shepherd, H 3 . ^ 7 , 3 3 7 ; Poetical Works, 337 Pauli, Η. M., 16 η. Pauly, August F. von, 207 n. Pax, Pax, 272

476

INDEX

Peacock, Thomas Love, 17 Pearse, Edmund, 34g Peart, Joseph, Continuation of Hudibras, 152 Pellisson, Paul, Histoire de l'Académie françoise, 24 Pendragon, 33-36, 149 Pennington, Mrs., Copper Farthing, 108, 109 Pepys, Samuel, 140 n., 148 n. Perrault, Pierre, 199 n. Persius, 29, 192 Peter the Great, 372 Petronius, 366 Pettifoggers, 1 5 1 , 318-319 Pettycoat, 162, 398-401 Petzet, E., 95 η. Phelps, W. L., 133 n., 135 n. Philips, Ambrose, 110, 1 1 5 - 1 1 7 , 1 2 5 , 128, 129, 1 3 1 , 170, 173, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 377-378, 385386, 395; Pastorals, Epistles, Odes, 1 1 5 η.; Supplication for Miss Carteret, 115 ; To... Miss Carteret, 115, 325, 327-328; To Signora Ctizzoni, 368 Philips, John, 50 n., 261,375,407,433; Bleinheim, 100, 245; Cerealia, 100, 109, 169, 253-254; Cyder, 100, 106, 109, 168 n.; Poem on the Memorable Fall, 100 n., 170, 271-272; Splendid Shilling, 5, i l n., 21, 39, 56, 57, 59, 61, 100-101, 124, 164 η., i68, 169, 170, J73> 229 η·, 244-245. 272, 321-322, 334, 338, 350, 351, 379, 4°2, 4 I 3 _ 4 I 4 , 440-44 1 Philips, Katherine, 107, 413 Phillips, Edward, New World oj English Words, 19 Phillips, John, Gyants War with the Gods, I42; Marontdes, 140 Phtno-Godol, 152, 362-363 Pilkington, Gilbert, Turnament oj Tottenham, 155 Pindar, 277 Pinkerton, John, 206 Pitcairne, Archibald, Babeli, 151 η., 313-314

Pitt, Christopher, Imitation of Spenser, !72, 435-436; Jordan, 135 n. Plato, 86 Plautus, 25 Player's Epitome, 1 7 1 , 386 Plumptre, Huntingdon, 179 Poem by Doctor Young, 170, 327-328 Poems on Golf, 417 Poems on Several Occasions, 1719, 214 η. Poems on Several Occasions, IJ36, 388, 390 Poems on Several Occasions, 1749, 442 Poet Banter'd, 242 Poet Laureat's Ode for New-Year'sDay burlesqued, 1 7 1 , 363-364 "Poet: or, A Muse in Distress," 109 n. Poetical Calendar, 272 Pole, G., 222 n. Pole, J . T., 260 Polwhele, Richard, Art of Eloquence, 72; Pictures from Nature, 72 Pope, Alexander, 16, 23, 56, 110, 1 1 3 , 114, 125, 127, 128, 133, 153 n., 175, 180, 181, 194, 195, 196 η., 212 η., 224 η·, 227, 279» 28ο, 291, 3 ! ° . 373, 385-386, 405, 4ο8, 444; Alley, 132, 133, 135 η · , Ϊ72, 335-336, 4ΐ3; ^t of Sinking, 4 η., ηβ, 1 1 5 η·; Court Poems, 288; Dunciad, 9, 10, 44, 47, 52, 54, 55, 56, 61, 76, 99 η·, ιοο, 1 1 5 η., 118-124, 156, 159, 204 η., 205, 3 1 3 , 336, 344, 353, 380-381; Eloísa to Abelard, 74 η·> ! 7 3 η ·ϊ Essay on Criticism, 85; Ethic Epistles, 126; Key to the Lock, 9495; Martinus Scriblerus of the Poem, 119 η.; Miscellanies. The Last Volume, 335; Postscript to tr. of Odyssey, 43; Prologue to the Satires, 1 1 5 η . ; Rape of the Lock, 5, 9, 11 n., 14, 17, 21, 42, 43, 5 1 , 52, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 64-99, I O ° , " 3 n·, 156, 158, 159, 160-161, 162 η., 163, ι6ζ, 1 9 2 , *93> 1 9 4 η · , 1 9 9 , 2 0 4 - 2 0 6 , 2 1 4 ,

229 η·> 231, 273, 2 75, 283, 285, 292, 310, 321, 330-332, 342, 359, 361,

INDEX 388, 389, 421, 427» 431, 432, 453; Receipt to Make an Epic Poem, 119 η.; Selecta Poemata Italorum, 91 n.; tale of Chaucer, 172, 337338; Temple oj Fame, 171, 276277; "Translator," 204 η.; tr. of Homer, 182, 284; Version of the First Psalm, 172, 288; Windsor Forest, 71, 365 Popham, Edward, Selecta Poemata Art ¡lorum, 217 Popiad, 344 Portland, William Bentinck, Earl of, 237-238 Post Boy, 87 n., 198 n., 244, 246, 287, 296 Postma, J., 14 n., 174 n. Post-Man, 219 n. Post-Office Intelligence, 385-386 Potent Ally, 321 Poverty, 107, 109, 164, 440-441 Powell, Thomas, 72 Praed, W. M . , 174 n. Pratt, Benjamin, 285 "Preston, M r . , " 171, 276 Price, H., Batrachomuomachia, 183184 Priest turn'd Poet, I44, 263-26; Prior, Matthew, 153, 174 n., 183, 376; Alma, 49, 151, 292-294; Colin's Mistakes, 135 n.; English Ballad, 169; Hind and the Panther transvers'd, 168-169, 216 n.; Horace's Integer Vitae . . . Burlesqu'd, 172, 368-369; Ode topeen Anne, 135 η.; Poems on Several Occasions, 292, 368 "Prize Epigrams," 70 Probationary Odes, 174 "Progress of M a n , " 174 Progress of Patriotism, 151-152, 347348 Prophetic Physician, 164, 396-397 Psalm, First, 288 Pulci, Luigi, 189; Morgante maggiore, 188, 195 Pullein, Samuel, 224 Pulteney, Charlotte, 115 Pulteney, Margaret, 115

477

Purney, Thomas, Chevalier de George, 163 n. Pygmatogeranomachia, 210 Pythagorus, 86

St.

Q.,Q·, 174 Quarterly Review, 14 n., 195 n. " Q u i d a m , " 311 Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur, 14 n. Quin, James, 410 Quincy, John, 41-42, 186; MouseTrap, 218 Quintana, Ricardo, 147 η. R , J., 441 Rabelais, François, 28, 166 η. Radcliffe, Alexander, Ovid Travestie, I4I; Ramble, 150 Ralegh, Sir Walter, "Shall I, like a hermit, dwell," 168 Ralph, James, Clorinda, 89-90, 96, 162, 163, 339-343; Miscellaneous Poems, 108 n., 316 Ramsay, Alexander, 146 n. Ramsay, Allan, 271, 432; Battel: or, Morning-Interview, 161, 165, 281283; Elegy on Lucky Wood, 167 η.; Gentle Shepherd, 413 Rape of the Bride, 97, 151, 319-321 Rape of the Faro-Bank, 97 " R a p e of the L a w n , " 97 " R a p e of the Snuff-Box," 97 Rape of the Vineyard, 97 Raphael, 352 Rapin, René, 354 Rehearsal, 35, 56, 131, 169 Reives, Blanche, 14 n. Renowned S¡uack Doctor's Advice to his Poetaster in Ordinary, 152, 404-405 Retrospective Review, 146 n., 149 n., 2 : 5 > 3'3 Reynolds, M y r a , 70 n., 271 " R h y m e r , N e d , " 187 Rich, E . - P . , Original Poems on Several Occasions, 108 n. Rich, John ( " L u n " ) , 352, 401 Richards, T . , ΧΟΙΡΟ ΧΟΡΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ, 221

478

INDEX

Richardson, Samuel, 426 Richelieu, Cardinal, 24 η. Richers, Mrs. Mary, 316 Robin's Panegyrick, 347 Rochester, John Wilmot, Earl of, 278 Rod for Tunbridge Beaus, 151, 245-246 Rolliad, 123, 166, 174 Root, R . K., 118 n., 336 Roscoe, William, 120 n. Roscommon, Wentworth Dillon, Earl of, 348-349 Rose, William Stewart, 190 Rouillé, P., Roman History, 204 n. Rowe, Nicholas, 204 n., 444; Some Account of Boikau's Writings, 38, 203 Roxburgh, John Ker, Duke of, 296 Roxburghe Club, 285 Royal Game of Ombre, 91-92 Rugeley, Roland, 145 Ryland, Frederick, 66 n., 83 n., 91 n. Rymer, Thomas, 33; Short View of Tragedy, 24 n. Rzach, Α., ιοη η. S., Α., 186 S., H., 24 η. S—j and J—I, 173 n. Sacheverell, George, Hudibras On Calamy's Imprisonment, 148 n. Sacheverell, Henry, 94, 144, 215, 269270; Perils of False Brethren, 263264 "Sackbut, Fustian," 444 Saddle, 96 Saint-Amant, M . A. G., sieur de, 24 Saints Congratulatory Address, 144, 294-295 Saintsbury, George, 96 η., 154 η. Salusbury, O., 143 η. Sandburg, Carl, 403 Sandwich, John Montagu, Earl of, 422 Sarah-ad, 121, 144,411-412 Sarrasin, Jean François, 24; Defeat of the Bouts rimez, 204 Satire Mênippêe, 48 Satyr on Miss Ga—fny, 170, 328-329 Satyr on the Poets of the Town, 118 n.

Scarborough, 158, 359-360 Scarborough Miscellany, 359, 367 Scarron, Paul, 20, 24 η., 25, 31, 39, I02, i 4 o , 141 n., 145, 193, 199, 205 n.; Héro et Léandre, 142 η.; Typhon, 26, 138, 142, 225; Virgile travesti, 7, 28, 29, 33, 45 n., 57, 13839> : 9 4 n · _ "Scarronnomimus, Naso," 141 Scelus Ghost, 173 n. Scheffer, Frederick, 364 Schenk, T . , 68 n., 120 n., 156 n., 206 n. Schipper, J., 146 n. Schneegans, H., 4 n. "Scholar of Westminster School," 440 School of Venus, 287, 316 Scotch Hudibras, 149 Scots Magazine, 128 η., 184 η., 410, 417 Scott, Alexander, Justing and Debait, 155 n. Scott, F. N., 14 n. Scott, H. P., 14 n. "Scriblerus Maximus," 422 "Scriblerus Secundus," 432 "Scriblerus Tertius," 423 Scrutiny, 104 n. Scudamore, John, Homer A la Mode, 140-141 Seaman, Sir Owen, 175 "Search, Edward," see Abraham Tucker Seccombe, Thomas, 10 n. Segar, Mary G., 326 Seneca, Thy estes, 142 Sequel to the Dunciad, 106 n. Serious and Cleanly Meditation, 307 Servitour, 151, 262-263 Settle, Elkanah, 119 Sewell, George, 41 n., 104, 210-211, 214 n.; Life and Character of Mr. John Philips, 103 Seymour, Richard, Court Gamester, 92 Shadwell, Thomas, 156 Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of, Letter concerning Enthusiasm, 267; Sensus Communis, 189 n.