e of his
writings. This was the end. Cibber's friends were eager for him to keep
up his side of the battle, but he, having had his say, resumed his
good-humor and refused to speak out again.

It has been suggested that Pope may have planned the change in hero
earlier, and aimed the _New Dunciad_ with the express purpose of goading
Cibber into just such a reply as the _Letter_. This is, of course,
possible, but it cannot be more than speculation; the final _Dunciad_
does show evidence of hasty revision. Pope was severely ill when his
last variation on the dunce theme appeared, and the seven months of life
remaining to him were clearly not enough to permit him to polish it to
the level of perfection customary in his work. But, as Warburton once
noted, quality and posterity have awarded Pope the final say:

Quoth Cibber to Pope, Tho' in Verse you foreclose,
I'll have the last Word; for by G--, I'll write prose.
Poor Colly, thy Reas'ning is none of the strongest,
For know, the last Word is the Word that lasts longest.[21]

Cibber's words have not been reprinted since the eighteenth century, and
his reputation has become so distorted it is sometimes difficult to find
the man who, for so many years, amused and delighted London audiences.
Yet, if one looks closely, under the froth and foppery, some of the
charm and perception of the man still shines through. And, of more
importance to the world of literature, it seems fairly clear that,
whatever the original offense, the _Dunciad_ as we know it today was a
direct result of this _Letter_.

California State College
San Bernardino

NOTES TO THE INTRODUCTION

[1] Not even the winner of the contest has been beyond dispute. 150
years afterward, Robert W. Lowe, "Supplementary Chapter to Colley
Cibber's Apology" in his edition of _An Apology for the Life of Colley
Cibber, Comedian, and Late Patentee of the Theatre-Royal_ (London: J. C.
Nimmo, 1889), II, 270, remarks on Cibber's later years: "His [Cibber's]
state of mind was probably the more 'chearful and contented' because of
his unquestionable success in his tilt with the formidable author of
'The Dunciad;' a success none the less certain at the time, that the
enduring fame of Pope has caused Cibber's triumph over him to be lost
sight of now."

[2] Norman Ault, _New Light on Pope_ (London: Methuen, 1949), pp.
298-307.

[3] George Paston [Emily Morse Symmonds], _Mr. Pope His Life and Times_
(London: Hu