, from which men of the best learning find it so extremely difficult to separate its constituent parts.

Did I extend the scene to England, instead of the preface to a work, I must necessarily make this a work of itself. So many, so extraordinary, so vague, so diversified have been the real or affected opinions in this country, as to what constitutes the essence of literary perfection, that you have only to transmute them, as you ring changes upon bells, and every English writer, at different times, has, and has not, possessed it.
I shall therefore, by way of corroborating my assertion, that no man is entitled to any large portion of literary fame till he has been handsomely abused, only instance some of that prodigious load of foul and slanderous filth which—as good sometimes grows out of evil—procured the world those two monuments of genius and justice, Mac Flecnoe, and the Dunciad; and I the more readily do this, to shew that one specimen is as good as a thousand: because, were I to produce a thousand, nothing could be said in them but what is already said here; nay, nor even in one of these that is not said in the other.

Milbourn, as I before mentioned, is the author of nearly all the calumny against Dryden.—Pope's calumniators are Dennis, Theobald, Oldmixon, and a variety of others, who, one should think, were more than adequate to the task; for they had nothing to do but copy what had been written before. Dryden, upon this single, and Pope, upon this complicate authority, are every thing that can be said of the worst men and the worst writers.

"Dryden is a mere renegado from monarchy, poetry, and good sense!"
'Pope is an open enemy to his country and the commonwealth of learning!'

"Dryden is a true republican, son of a monarchical church, and a republican atheist!"
'Pope is both a roman-catholic whig, and a protestant tory!'

"Dryden has notoriously traduced the king, the queen, the lords, the gentlemen, and libelled

the whole nation and its representatives!"—
'Pope has abused the persons of the king, the queen, both houses of parliament, the privy council, the bench of bishops, the established church, and the ministry!'

"Dryden looks upon God's gospel as a foolish fable, like the pope, to whom he is a pitiful purveyor. His very christianity may be questioned. He ought to expect more severity than other men,