Social England : a record of the progress of the people in religion, laws, learning, arts, industry, commerce, science, literature and manners, from the earliest times to the present day . llowness. Pope took Swifts pessimism and Bolingbrokesoptimism withont in the least comprehending either, and madea muddle of them : and this muddle Warbnrton set to work tojustify and clarify in notes with a skill in commentatorialprestidigitation which, if Xaples had been wise, would haveestablished him there as perpetual guardian of the blood of In another great di-vision of this part of his
Social England : a record of the progress of the people in religion, laws, learning, arts, industry, commerce, science, literature and manners, from the earliest times to the present day . llowness. Pope took Swifts pessimism and Bolingbrokesoptimism withont in the least comprehending either, and madea muddle of them : and this muddle Warbnrton set to work tojustify and clarify in notes with a skill in commentatorialprestidigitation which, if Xaples had been wise, would haveestablished him there as perpetual guardian of the blood of In another great di-vision of this part of his work—the Dimciad —it is admittedthat he degraded the idea of ageneral satire on Dulness, whichSwift gave him, into an infinitelyHttle, if also infinitely clever,attack on his private foes—anattack vitiated not only by theconstant spite and motive, butby the double mistake of takingfor hero, first, a very painstakingand, in his own way, very in-genious hack like Theobald, andthen an extremely clever personhke Gibber. But some amends,it must be confessed, is madein the splendid finale so oftenmentioned, and everybody haslauo-hed over details throuoch-out. Between these the main. ,. ? r ?_ :S P m ....... ->.., .1 H - \^i««Ai-i. ii1t::\ ,^,^s^^,. ^,\/:; A He dtil FRONTISPIECE TO POPES DIXCIAD, 172S. The Dum-ciad. social and body of Popes personal satires—by whatever name, Imitations of Horace,Epistles to this person and that, they are called—supplies hisfinest, most characteristic, and most perfect work. Even here,indeed. Ave cannot use the word perfect by itself. The largesatiric air of Dryden, in which a couplet or even a hue sweepsthe victim away for ever, to an abyss of contemptuous im-mortality, is nowhere present. Instead of it, we have the stilettostroke of a bravo who darts from an ambush, and strikes, andruns away, having missed, or only wounded, as often as he is a very curious thing that no one ever thinks the worse of Swift. 1V2 THE AGE OF WALP
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