I fhall conclude with remarking, what a pleasure it must be to every reader of Humanity, to fee all along, that our Author, in his very laughter, is not indulging his own ill-nature, but only punishing that of others. As to his Poem, thofe alone are capable of doing it justice, who, to use the words of a great writer, know how hard it is (with regard both to his fubject and his manner) VETUSTIS DARE NOVITATEM, OBSOLETIS NITOREM, OBSCURIS LUCEM,

TIAM.

FASTIDITIS

GRA

I am

St. James's, Dec. 22d, 1728.

Your most humble Servant,

WILLIAM CLELAND d.

This gentleman was of Scotland, and bred at the University of Utrecht, with the Earl of Mar. He served in Spain under Earl Rivers. After the Peace, he was

made one of the Commiflioners of the Customs in Scotland, and then of Taxes in England; in which, having fhewn himself for twenty years diligent, punctual, and incorruptible, (though without any other affiftance of Fortune) he was fuddenly difplaced by the Minister, in the fixty-eighth year of his age; and died two months after, in 1741. He was a perfon of universal Learning, and an enlarged Converfation; no man had a warmer heart for his Friend, or a fincerer attachment to the Conftitution of his Country.

*MAR

MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS

HIS

Prolegomena and Illuftrations

TO THЕ

DUNCIAD:

WITH THE

Hypercritics of ARISTARCHUS.

I

DENNIS' Remarks on PR. ARTHUR.

Cannot but think it the most reasonable thing in the world, to distinguish good writers, by discouraging the bad. Nor is it an ill-natured thing, in relation even to the very perfons upon whom the reflections are made. It is true, it may deprive them, a little the fooner, of a short profit and a tranfitory reputation; but then it may have a good effect, and oblige them (before it be too late) to decline that for which they are fo very unfit, and to have recourse to fomething in which they may be more fuccessful.

CHARACTER of Mr. P. 1716.

THE Perfons whom Boileau has attacked in his writings, have been for the most part Authors, and most of those Authors, Poets: and the cenfures he hath paffed upon them have been confirmed by all Europe.

GILDON, Pref. to his NEW REHEARSAL.

IT is the common cry of the Poetafters of the town, and their fautors, that it is an ill-natured thing to expofe the Pretenders to wit and poetry. The Judges and Magistrates may with full as good reason be reproached with Ill-nature for putting the Laws in execution against a Thief or Impoftor.-The fame will hold in the republic of Letters, if the Critics and Judges will let every ignorant pretender to fcribbling pafs on the World.

VOL. III.

C

THEO.