THE PRESENT STATE OF POETRY, A SATIRE; address'd to a friend, and dedicated to Mr. Welsted …

[MORRICE, Bezaleel.]

Published by London printed: and sold by J. Roberts in Warwick-Lane; and the booksellers of London and Westminster, 1726

About this Item

8vo in fours, pp. 28; somewhat browned throughout, but perfectly acceptable; in recent grey wrappers. Small Folger duplicate stamp on final leaf. Second edition, though not so designated; a revised version of a poem first published in 1721, of which a single copy is recorded, at the Bodleian. The dedication to Leonard Welsted is new, and heavily satirical; Morrice had already characterized him as a lightweight in his verse Epistle to Mr. Welsted published in 1721. Morrice notes Welsted's belief that the present age has made great advances: 'Bless Me! To what may We not arrive, thro' presumptuous Forwardness; if Nothing offers us any considerable Opposition to Us? Tho' You, indeed, modestly affirm, We have now attain'd our Ne plus Ultra, the very Extent of unsurpassable Excellence!' Referring to Sir Richard Blackmore, he says: 'Has not a certain Knight compil'd Three Epick Poems in almost as little Time as VIRGIL, compos'd One Third Part of his?', This is one of several poems by Morrice complaining of the 'degeneracy' and 'shallowness' of modern verse, which he saw as full of 'froth, flash, and gaudy appearance'. The dedication is signed 'Alexis', a pseudonym Morrice used on other occasions, and he is named as author in an advertisement in another book the same year besides which, the first edition has his initials on the title page. Foxon M492. ESTC locates seven copies.

Seller Inventory # 23595

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE PRESENT STATE OF POETRY, A SATIRE; address'd to a friend, and dedicated to Mr. Welsted …
• Publisher: London printed: and sold by J. Roberts in Warwick-Lane; and the booksellers of London and Westminster
• Publication Date: 1726
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Poetry