No More Learning

'143'

Gilbert Burnet and John Oldmixon had written historical works from the
Whig point of view. Roger Cooke, a now forgotten writer, had published a
'Detection of the Court and State of England. ' Pope in a note on this
line calls them all three authors of secret and scandalous history.


'146'

The reference is to Pope's early descriptive poems, the 'Pastorals' and
'Windsor Forest. '


'147 gentle Fanny's:'

a sneer at Lord Hervey's verses. See the introduction to this poem, p.
126.


'149 Gildon:'

a critic of the time who had repeatedly attacked Pope. The poet told
Spence that he had heard Addison gave Gildon ten pounds to slander him.


'151 Dennis:'

see note on 'Essay on Criticism. ' l. 270.


'156 kiss'd the rod:'

Pope was sensible enough to profit by the criticisms even of his
enemies. He corrected several passages 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 (pronounced 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 passage, 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.