The Dunciad Book I
Notes
1 Books and the Man I sing In one of the first editions of the Dunciad, the first word is given as “Book” rather than “Books.
2 Smithfield a place where popular theatrical entertainments were given
8 Pallas Athena, or Pallas Athena, the goddess of Wisdom, was said to have sprung full grown from the head of her father Zeus, the Thunderer
17 Rag-fair a place where old clothes were sold
24 Quidnuncs from Quid nunc? What news
24 Guildhall the seat of government of the City of London
28 C–l, L–t two publishers, Edmund Curll and Bernard Lintot
29 Tyburn the place where malefactors were hanged
30 Cecilia’s day the patron saint of music
31 Sepulchral lyes (lies) False or exaggerated epitphs on plaques on church walls
32 New year odes Poems composed to be set to music and sung at court at the New Year
32 Grubstreet Originally the name of a street in Moorfields in London, much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems ; whence any mean production is called grubstreet. (From Dr. Johnson’s Dictionary)
45 genial Jacob Jacob Tonson, a prominent publisher
45 third day the author normally received the takings of the third day of a play’s performance
62 Zembla a mountain of ice. See Pope’s poem The Temple of Fame
73 Sir George Thorold Lord Mayor of London in 1719
78 Settle Elkanah Settle, Poet to the Citry of London
79 shrieves archaic word for sheriffs
91 N—n Norton DeFoe, a writer who was said to have been the son of Daniel DeFoe.
92 E—n Laurence Eusden, a poet
92 Bl— Sir Richard Blackmore, a poet
93 P—s Ambrose Philips, a poet
94 D—n John Dunton, a bookseller and writer
94 Wh— Stephen Whatley, a journalist
96 Tibbald Lewis Theobald, poet. Author of Shakespeare Restored.
111 Ogleby John Ogilby, 17th century poet and translator of Homer and Virgil
112 Newcastle Margaret, Duchess of Newcastle, a prolific 17th century poet
115 Vatican referring to the vatican library
116 W—y Samuel Wesley, the father of John and Charles Wesley
116 W--s Isaac Watts, the prolific hymn-writer
116 Bl— Richard Blome, a publisher
119 Caxton William Caxton, the first English printer
119 Wynkin Wynkin de Worde, Caxton’s assistant and successor in the printing and publishing business
123 De Lyra Nicholas de Lyra, a voluminous writer
124 Philemon Philemon Holland, a prolific translator
129 folio Common-place a large notebook used to copy passages from books
132 Ajax Only Pope attributes the 1715 translation of Sophocles’Ajax to Theobald. [TE]
146 Helvetia and Batavia were Roman names for parts o the Netherlands and Switzerland
149 scholiast a person who makes annotations (like this one)
150 Horace a Roman lyric poet and satirist
150 Maro Virgil, from his full name Publius Vergilius Maro
179 Flaccus Horace, from his name Quintus Horatius flaccus
180 Attorney’s guide In allusion to his first profession of attorney. [P]
181 Roman geese relates to the well-known story of the geese that saved the Capitol, of which Virgil, Æneiad 8, 655-6 [P] & [TE]
184 Mist Nathaniel Mist was publisher of a famous Tory Paper in which this Author was sometimes permitted to have a part. [P]
185 Curtius According to Livy, VIII, 6, a Roman youth who leapt fully armed and on a valuable horse into a hole which opend in the Roman Forum.
190 W– Edward Ward, a tavern keeper and a poet who had a significant transatlantic sale
198 Memnon a hero of The Persian Princess, by Theobald. [P] and [TE]
198 Rodrigo the chief personage of The Perfidious Brother, for which Theobald claimed authorship. [P] and [TE]
199 Proserpine The Rape of Proserpine, a farce by Theobald. [P] and [TE]
200 Æschylus Theobald contracted with Lintot in 1713 to translate Aeschylus. It never appeared.[TE]
202 Ilion Troy. The reference is to Book II of the Aeneid.
205 Thule a poem by Ambrose Philips
209 Shrieves and May’rs see line 79
225 less reading than makes felons scape http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0806992.html
229 Plautus, Fletcher, Congreve, and Corneille playwrights
230 C— r Colley Cibber, poet and actor
230 Jo--n Charles Johnson, a playwright known for plagiarism
230 O—ll John Ozell, a voluminous translator of plays [TE]
234 H— John James Heidegger, a Swiss who became manager of the opera house at Haymarket [TE]
240 G—n Charles Gildon, critic and dramatist [TE]
240 B— John Banks, popular playwright