The Dunciad/Declaration
By the AUTHOR
A DECLARATION.
Whereas certain Haberdashers of Points and Particles, being instigated by the spirit of Pride, and assuming to themselves the name of Critics and Restorers, have taken upon them to adulterate the common and current sense of our Glorious Ancestors, Poets of this Realm, by clipping, coining, defacing the images, miring their own base allay, or otherwise falsifying the same; which they publish, utter, and bend as genuine: The said haberdashers having no right thereto, as neither heirs, executors, administrators, assigns, or in any sort related to such poets, to all or any of them: Now We, having carefully revised this our [1] Dunciad, beginning with the words The Mighty Mother, and ending with the words buries all, containing the entire sum of one thousand seven hundred and fifty four verses, declare every word, figure, point, and comma of this impression to be authentic: And do therefore strictly enjoin and forbid any person or persons whatsoever, to erase, reverse, put between hooks, or by any other means directly or indirectly change or mangle any of them. And we do hereby earnestly exhort all our brethren to follow this our example, which we heartily with our great predecessors had heretofore set, as a remedy and prevention of all such abuses. Provided always, that nothing in this Declaration shall be construed to limit the lawful and undoubted right of every subject of this realm, to judge, censure, or condemn, in the whole or in part, any Poem or Poet whatsoever.
Given under our hand at London, this third day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand, seven hundred, thirty and two.
Declarat' cor' me,
John Barber, Mayor.
- ↑ Read thus confidently, instead of "beginning with the word Books, and ending with the word flies," as formerly it stood; Read also "containing the entire sum of one thousand, seven hundred, and fifty four verses," instead of "one thousand and twelve lines;" such being the initial and final words, and such the true and entire contents, of this Poem.
Thou art to know, readers that the first Edition thereof, like that of Milton, was never seen by the Author, (though living and not blind;) The Editor himself confest as much in his Preface: And no two poems were ever published in so arbitrary a manner. The Editor of this, had as boldly suppressed whole Passages, yea the entire last book; as the Editor of Paradise lost, added and augmented. Milton himself gave but ten books, his editor twelve; this Author gave four books, his Editor only three. But we have happily done justice to both; and presume we shall live, in this our last labour, as long as in any of our others. Bentley.