understand, and at those English Authors, whose Excellencies he cannot reach; with him Voiture is flat and dull, Corneille a stranger to the Passions, Racine, Starch’d and Affected, Moliere, Jejune, la Fontaine a poor Teller of Tales; and even the Divine Boileau, little better than a Plagiary.  As for the English Poets, he treats almost with the same Freedom; Shakespear with him has neither Language nor Manners; Ben.  Johnson is a Pedant; Dryden little more than a tolerable Versifier; Congreve a laborious Writer; Garth, an indifferent imitator of Boileau.  He traduces Oldham, for want of Breeding and good Manners, without a grain of either, and steals his own Wit to bespatter him with; but like an ill Chymist, he lets the Spirit fly off in the drawing over and retains only the Phlegm.  He Censures Cowley for too much Wit, and corrects him with none.  He is a great Admirer of the incomparable Milton, but while he fondly endeavours to imitate his Sublime, he is blown up with Bombast and puffy Expressions.  He is a great stickler for Euripides, Sophocles, Horace, Virgil, Ovid, and the rest of the Ancients; but his ill and lame Translations of ’em, ridicule those he would commend.  He ventures to write for the Play-Houses, but having his stol’n, ill-patch’d fustian Plays Damn’d upon the Stage, he ransacks Bossu, Rapin, and Dacier, to arraign the ill-taste of the Town.  To compleat himself in the Formalities of Parnassus, he falls in Love, and tells his Mistress in a very pathetick Letter, he is oblig’d to her bright Beauty for his Poetry; but if this Damsel prove no more indulgent than his Muse, his Amour is like to conclude but unluckily.”

Demetrius before the Curse of Poetry had seiz’d him, was in a pretty way of Thriving Business, but having lately sold his Chambers in one of the Inns of Court, and taken a Lodging near the Play-house, is now in a fair way of Starving.  This Gentleman is frequently possest with Poetick Raptures; and all the Family complains, that he disturbs ’em at Midnight, by reciting some incomparable sublime Fustian of his own Composing.  When he is in Bed, one wou’d imagine he might be quiet for that Night, but ’tis quite otherwise with him; for when a new Thought, as he calls it, comes into his Head, up he gets, sets it down in Writing, and so gradually encreases the detested Bulk of his Poetick Fooleries, which, Heaven avert it! he threatens to Print. Demetrius having had the misfortune of miscarrying upon the Stage, endeavours to preserve his unlawful Title to Wit, by bringing all the Dramatick Poets down to his own Level.  And wanting Spirit to set up for a Critick, turns Spy and Informer of Parnassus.  He frequents Apollo’s Court at Will’s, and picks up the freshest Intelligence, what Plays are upon the Stocks, what ready to be Launch’d; and if he can be inform’d, from the Establish’d Wits, of any remarkable Fault in the new Play upon the Bills, he is indefatigably industrious in whispering it about, to bespeak its Damnation before its Representation.