ected to despise. He is proud that
his book was presented to the king and queen by the right honourable sir
Robert Walpole; he is proud that they had read it before; he is proud
that the edition was taken off by the nobility and persons of the first
distinction.

The edition of which he speaks was, I believe, that which, by telling in
the text the names, and in the notes the characters, of those whom he
had satirized, was made intelligible and diverting. The criticks had now
declared their approbation of the plan, and the common reader began to
like it without fear; those who were strangers to petty literature, and,
therefore, unable to decipher initials and blanks, had now names and
persons brought within their view; and delighted in the visible effect
of those shafts of malice, which they had hitherto contemplated, as shot
into the air.

Dennis, upon the fresh provocation now given him, renewed the enmity
which had, for a time, been appeased by mutual civilities; and published
remarks, which he had till then suppressed, upon the Rape of the Lock.
Many more grumbled in secret, or vented their resentment in the
newspapers by epigrams or invectives.

Ducket, indeed, being mentioned as loving Burriet with "pious passion,"
pretended that his moral character was injured, and, for some time,
declared his resolution to take vengeance with a cudgel. But Pope
appeased him, by changing "pious passion" to "cordial friendship;" and
by a note, in which he vehemently disclaims the malignity of meaning
imputed to the first expression.

Aaron Hill, who was represented as diving for the prize, expostulated
with Pope in a manner so much superiour to all mean solicitation, that
Pope was reduced to sneak and shuffle sometimes to deny, and sometimes
to apologize; he first endeavours to wound, and is then afraid to own
that he meant a blow.

The Dunciad, in the complete edition, is addressed to Dr. Swift: of the
notes, part were written by Dr. Arbuthnot; and an apologetical letter
was prefixed, signed by Cleland, but supposed to have been written by
Pope.

After this general war upon dulness, he seems to have indulged himself
awhile in tranquillity; but his subsequent productions prove that he was
not idle. He published, 1731, a poem on Taste, in which he very
particularly and severely criticises the house, the furniture, the
gardens, and the entertainments, of Timon, a man of great wealth and
little taste. By Timon he was universal