The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems Part 38

'156 kiss'd the rod:'

Pope was sensible enough to profit by the criticisms even of his enemies. He corrected several pa.s.sages in the 'Essay on Criticism' which Dennis had properly found fault with.

'162 Bentley:'

the most famous scholar of Pope's day. Pope disliked him because of his criticism of the poet's translation of the 'Iliad', "good verses, but not Homer." The epithet "slashing" refers to Bentley's edition of 'Paradise Lost' in which he altered and corrected the poet's text to suit his own ideas.

'Tibbalds':

Lewis Theobald (p.r.o.nounced Tibbald), a scholar who had attacked Pope's edition of Shakespeare. Pope calls him "piddling" because of his scrupulous attention to details.

'177 The Bard':

Philips, see note on l. 98. Pope claimed that Philips's 'Pastorals' were plagiarized from Spenser, and other poets. Philips, also, translated some 'Persian Tales' for the low figure of half a crown apiece.

'187 bade translate':

suggested that they translate other men's work, since they could write nothing valuable of their own.

'188 Tate':

a poetaster of the generation before Pope. He is remembered as the part author of a doggerel version of the Psalms.

'191-212'

For a discussion of this famous pa.s.sage, see introduction to the 'Epistle' p. 130.

'196 the Turk':

it was formerly the practice for a Turkish monarch when succeeding to the throne to have all his brothers murdered so as to do away with possible rivals.

'199 faint praise':

Addison was hearty enough when he cared to praise his friends. Pope is thinking of the coldness with which Addison treated his 'Pastorals' as compared to those of Philips.

'206 oblig'd':

note the old-fashioned p.r.o.nunciation to rhyme with "besieged."

'207 Cato':

an unmistakable allusion to Addison's tragedy in which the famous Roman appears laying down the law to the remnants of the Senate.

'209 Templars':

students of law at the "Temple" in London who prided themselves on their good taste in literature. A body of them came on purpose to applaud 'Cato' on the first night.

'raise':

exalt, praise.

'211-212 laugh ... weep':

explain the reason for these actions.

'Atticus':

Addison's name was given in the first version of this pa.s.sage. Then it was changed to "A---n." Addison had been mentioned in the 'Spectator'

(No. 150) under the name of Atticus as "in every way one of the greatest geniuses the age has produced."

'213 rubric on the walls':

Lintot, Pope's old publisher, used to stick up the t.i.tles of new books in red letters on the walls of his shop.

'214 with claps':

with clap-bills, posters.

'215 smoking:'

hot from the press.

'220 George:'

George II, king of England at this time. His indifference to literature was notorious.

'228 Bufo:'

the picture of a proud but grudging patron of letters which follows was first meant for Bubb Doddington, a courtier and patron of letters at the time the poem was written. In order to connect it more closely with the time of which he was writing, Pope added ll. 243-246, which pointed to Charles Montague, Earl of Halifax. Halifax was himself a poet and affected to be a great patron of poetry, but his enemies accused him of only giving his clients "good words and good dinners." Pope tells an amusing story of Montague's comments on his translation of the 'Iliad'

(Spence, 'Anecdotes', p. 134). But Halifax subscribed for ten copies of the translation, so that Pope, at least, could not complain of his lack of generosity.

'Castalian state:'