Alexander Pope: Selected Poetry and Prose

less customary to print elegies on their deaths at the
same time or before’ (1729).
32 merc’ries mercuries (Mercury was the messenger of
the gods), newspapers.
33 Sepulchral lies flattering epitaphs.
34 new-year odes ‘Made by the poet laureate for the
time being, to be sung at court on every New Year’s
day, the words of which are happily drowned in the
voices and instruments. The New Year Odes of the
hero of this work were of a cast distinguished from
all that preceded him and made a conspicuous part of
his character as a writer which doubtless induced our
author to mention them here so particularly’ (1743).
Grub Street an actual place from which emanated the
Grub-Street Journal.
36 Four guardian virtues The four cardinal virtues of the
ancient world were fortitude, temperance, prudence,
and justice.
47 genial Jacob Jacob Tonson, a leading publisher. The
proceedings of the third day of a play’s run were
usually given to the author.
53 clenches puns.
60 farce and epic violation of the decorum of genre.
64 Zembla...Barca desert regions of cold and heat
respectively. ‘These six verses represent the
incongruities in the descriptions of poets who heap
together all glittering and gaudy images though
incompatible in one season or in one scene’ (1729).
69 cloud-compelling an epithet of Jupiter in Homer.
76 Bays leaves or sprigs of the bay or laurel tree woven
into a garland to reward the poet, applied here to
Cibber, the poet laureate. ‘It is hoped that the poet
hath done full justice to his hero’s character which it
were a great mistake to imagine was wholly sunk in
stupidity: he is allowed to have supported it with a
wonderful mixture of vivacity’ (1743).
78 act Cibber acted and was praised for his credibility in
the part of a coxcomb (fool).
94 sooterkin ‘an imaginary kind of afterbirth formerly