The Scribleriad : an heroic poem. In six books.

  • Richard Owen Cambridge
Date:
1751
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Scribleriad : an heroic poem. In six books. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    t * which Is very far from a fundamental alteration. The zealous Alchy- mills, and not the Poet, infinuate that the Work is accomplifh’d. At the fame time Scriblcrus cuts the throat of a Cow and undertakes to bring her to life again, fo that you have nothing but the bare word of one opinionated vifionary for the latter, which you know to be impoffible, and that of feveral luch as himfelf for the former, which may be prov’d by demonftration to be fo. Does this look like fuccefs ? ifuppofing it had that appearance, is not it all deltroy’d by his laft fpeech, wherein he difcovers a prefentiment that their hopes will be defeated by two great vices: Their own folly and impiety in giving the honor of this fuccefs to a Mortal, and paying him divine rites, which at the fame time raifes in him a vice ( vanity ) which he has been particularly warn’d againft as dellrudtive of his fuccefs The lingular propriety which attends this plan of having an Heroe whofe manners are conformable to the manners of the Poem, made me cautious how I introduc’d any chara&er who might not think and talk in the fame ftrain : I confider’d yet farther, that as the work for the moft part was a criticifm upon falfe and ufelefs Philofophy, it would be a propriety to ufe fimiles and allufions taken from the abfurd or trifling parts of natural hiftory and philofophy. And as I endeavoured to rejedt every thing that was not confonant with this defign, fo I thought it would tend to the perfection of the work to bring in every thing that was. The obfervation ofthefetwo rules has, I fear, two very bad effedts. It excludes fome things, that might have been entertaining,and it admits fome that are not fo: And this is the reafon why I faid above, that X admire fome of our Mock-Heroics for their very faults. Such ornaments as were not foreign to my defign I have introduc’d as often as I found- a place for them. Of this kind are fuch particulars in art or nature as are not commonly known. Thus I have taken an occafion, in defcribing the cave of Rumour, to give an exadt reprefenta- tion of the famous Latomire, and of a no lefs furprizing Phenomenon in nature, by giving the Surinam Toad for one of the prizes.. I* have alfo obferved a ftridl accuracy in the defcription of any thing philofo- phical or mechanical: Thus the Plica-Polonica in the ffontifpiece of the 3d Book, and the Artificial wings in that of 4th Book, are both co¬ pied from the Philofophical Tranfadtions. See Vol. VI. Plate 6. and
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