Part 27 (2/2)

'545 Socinus':

the name of two famous heretics, uncle and nephew, of the sixteenth century, who denied the divinity of Christ.

'549'

Pope insinuates here that the clergy under William III hated an absolute monarch so much that they even encouraged their hearers to question the absolute power of G.o.d.

'551 admir'd:'

see note l. 391.

'552 Wit's t.i.tans:'

wits who defied heaven as the old t.i.tans did the G.o.ds. The reference is to a group of freethinkers who came into prominence in King William's reign.

'556 scandalously nice:'

so over-particular as to find cause for scandal where none exists.

'557 mistake an author into vice:'

mistakenly read into an author vicious ideas which are not really to be found in his work.

'575'

Things that men really do not know must be brought forward modestly as if they had only been forgotten for a time.

'577 That only:'

good-breeding alone.

'585 Appius:'

a nickname for John Dennis, taken from his tragedy, 'Appius and Virginia', which appeared two years before the 'Essay on Criticism'.

Lines 585-587 hit off some of the personal characteristics of this hot-tempered critic. ”Tremendous” was a favorite word with Dennis.

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