Note 67 — PROLOGUE TO THE PILGRIM.
Reading edition
Who was the first of these well-judging monarchs, is hard to say. Blackmore may have had some sort of royal licence for the practice of physic during the reign of Charles or James; but he was not made physician to the Household till the reign of King William, who conferred on him, at the same time, the honour of knighthood; for which that monarch's taste is thus commemorated by Pope:
The hero William, and the martyr Charles, One knighted Blackmore, and one pensioned Quarles.
Blackmore's dulness, or solidity of temper, rendered him absolutely impenetrable to the shafts of ridicule, which were aimed at him from all quarters; and, consoling himself with the excellence of his intentions, he wrote on till the catalogue of his works gave room for Swift's burlesque inscription, to be placed under his picture:
See, who ne'er was, or will be half read, Who first sung Arthur, then sung Alfred(a). Praised great Eliza(b) in God's anger, Till all true Englishmen cried, hang her: Made William's virtues wipe the bare a—, And hanged up Marlborough in arras;(c) Then hissed from earth, grown heavenly quite, Made every reader curse the light(d). Mauled human wit in one thick satire(e); Next, in three books, spoiled human nature(f); Ended Creation(g) at a jerk, And of Redemption(h) made damned work: Then took his muse at once, and dipped her Full in the middle of the scripture. What wonders there the man grown old did! Sternhold himself he out-sternholded; Made David(i) seem so mad and freakish, All thought him just what thought king Achish. No mortal read his Solomon(k), But judged R'oboam his own son. Moses(l) he served, as Moses Pharoah, And Deborah as she Sisera; Made Jeremy(m) full sore to cry, And Job(n) himself curse God and die. What punishment shall all this follow? Shall Arthur use him like king Tollo? Shall David as Uriah slay him? Or dexterous Deborah Siserhah him? Or shall Eliza lay a plot, To treat him like her sister Scot? Shall William dubb his better end(o)? Of Marlborough serve him like a friend? No, none of these—heaven spare his life, But send him, honest Job—thy wife.
(a) Two Heroic Poems, in folio; twenty books.
(b) A Heroic Poem, in twelve books.
(c) Instructions to a Tapestry Weaver.
(d) Hymn to the Light.
(e) Satire against Wit.
(f) Of the Mature of Man.
(g) Creation, in seven books.
(h) Redemption, in six books.
(i) Translation of all the Psalms.
(k) Canticles and Ecclesiastes.
(l) Canticles, of Moses, Deborah, &c.
(m) The Lamentations.
(n) The whole Book of Job, a Poem, in folio.
(o) Kick him on the breech, not knight him on the shoulder.