the petty writers of that time, but fometimes mixed with ungenerous reflections on their birth, their circumftances, or those of their relations; nor can it be denied, that fome paffages are fuch as Ifcariot Hackney might himself have produced.

He was accufed likewife of living in an appearance of friendship with some whom he fatirifed, and of making use of the confidence which he gained by a feeming kindnefs to discover failings and expose them: it must be confeffed, that Mr. Savage's esteem was no very certain poffeffion, and that he would lampoon at one time those whom he had praised at another.

It may be alleged, that the fame man may change his principles, and that he, who was once deservedly commended, may be afterwards fatirifed with equal juftice, or that the poet was dazzled with the appearance of virtue, and found the man whom he had celebrated, when he had an opportunity of examining him more narrowly, unworthy of the panegyrick which he had too hastily bestowed; and that, as a false satire ought to be recanted,

7

recanted, for the fake of him whose reputation may be injured, falfe praise ought likewife to be obviated, left the distinction between vice and virtue should be loft, left a bad man should be trufted upon the credit of his encomiaft, or left others should endeavour to obtain the like praises by the fame means.

But though these excufes may be often plaufible, and fometimes juft, they are very feldom fatisfactory to mankind; and the writer, who is not constant to his fubject, quickly finks into contempt, his fatire lofes its force, and his panegyrick its value, and he is only confidered at one time as a flatterer, and as a calumniator at another.

To avoid these imputations, it is only neceffary to follow the rules of virtue, and to preserve an unvaried regard to truth. For though it is undoubtedly poffible, that a man, however cautious, may be fometimes deceived by an artful appearance of virtue, or by falfe evidences of guilt, fuch errors will not be frequent; and it will be allowed, that the name of an author would never have been made contemptible, had no man ever faid what

what he did not think, or misled others but when he was himself deceived.

If The Author to be let was first publifhed in a fingle pamphlet, and afterwards inferted in a collection of pieces relating to the Dunciad, which were addreffed by Mr. Savage to the Earl of Middlefex, in. a* dedication which he was prevailed upon to fign, though he did not write it, and in which there are fome positions, that the true author would perhaps not have published under his own name, and on which Mr. Savage afterwards reflected with no great fatisfaction; the enumeration of the bad effects of the uncontroled freedom of the prefs, and the affertion that the "liberties taken by the "writers of Journals with their fuperiors

were exorbitant and unjustifiable," very ill became men, who have themfelves not always fhewn the exacteft regard to the laws of fubordination in their writings, and who have often fatirifed thofe that at leaft thought themselves their fuperiors, as they were emiment for their hereditary rank, and employed

* See his Works, vol. II. p, 233,

in the highest offices of the kingdom. But this is only an inftance of that partiality which almost every man indulges with regard to himself; the liberty of the press is a bleffing when we are inclined to write against others, and a calamity when we find ourselves overborne by the multitude of our affailants; as the power of the crown is always thought too great by those who fuffer by its influence, and too little by thofe in whofe favour it is exerted; and a standing army is generally accounted neceffary by thofe who command, and dangerous and oppreffive by those who fupport it.

Mr. Savage was likewife very far from be lieving, that the letters annexed to each species of bad poets in the Bathos, were, as he was directed to affert," fet down at ran

dom;" for when he was charged by one of his friends with putting his name to fuch an improbability, he had no other answer to make, than that "he did not think of it;" and his friend had too much tendernefs to reply, that next to the crime of writing contrary to what he thought, was that of writing without thinking.

After having remarked what is falfe in this dedication, it is proper that I obferve the impartiality which I recommend, by declaring what Savage afferted, that the account of the circumstances which attended the publication of the Dunciad, however ftrange and improbable, was exactly true."

The publication of this piece at this time. raised Mr. Savage a great number of enemies among those that were attacked by Mr. Pope, with whom he was confidered as a kind of confederate, and whom he was fuspected of fupplying with private intelligence and secret incidents fo that the ignominy of an informer was added to the terror of a fatirift.

That he was not altogether free from literary hypocrify, and that he fometimes fpoke one thing, and wrote another, cannot be denied; because he himself confeffed, that, when he lived in great familiarity with Dennis, he wrote an epigram * against him.

*This epigram was, I believe, never published. Should Dennis publish you had stabb'd your brother, Lampoon'd your monarch, or debauch'd your mother;

Mr.

Say,