know it is a common opinion that a young fcribbler is as ill pleafed to hear truth as a young lady. From the moment one fets up for an author, one muft be treated as ceremoniously, that is, as unfaithfully,

As a King's favourite, or as a King.

This proceeding, joined to that natural vanity which firft makes a man an author, is certainly enough to render him a coxcomb for life. But I must grant it is a juft judgment upon poets, that they, whofe chief pretence is wit, fhould be treated as they themselves treat fools, this is, be cajoled with praifes. And, I believe, poets are the only poor fellows in the world whom any body will flatter.

prefent ftate, terminates in the fociety and good-will of worthy men, which I look upon as no ill earnest and foretalte of the fociety and alliance of happy fouls hereafter.

The continuance of your favours to me is what not only makes me happy, but caufes me to fet fome value upon myself as a part of your care. The inftances I daily meet with of thefe agreeable awakenings of friendship are of too pleafing a nature not to be acknowledged whenever I think of you. I am your, &c.

I would not be thought to fay this, as if the obliging letter you fent me deserved this imputation, only it put me in mind of it; and I fancy one may apply to I one's friend what Cæfar faid of his wife:

"It was not fufficient that he knew her to be chate himself, but the fhould not be fo much as fufpected."

As to the wonderful difcoveries, and all the good news you are pleased to tell me of myfelf, I treat it, as you who are in the fecret treat common news, as

groundless reports of things at a distance; which I, who look into the true fprings of the affair, in my own breaft, know to have no foundation at all. For fame, though it be (as Milton finely calls it) the laft infirmity of noble minds, is fcarce fo ftrong a temptation as to warrant our lofs of time here: it can never make us lie down contentedly on a death-bed (as fome of the ancients are faid to have done with that thought). You, Sir, have yourself taught me, that an eafy fituation at that hour can proceed from no ambition lefs noble than that of an eternal felicity, which is unattainable by the ftrongest endeavours of the wit, but may be gained by the fincere intentions of the heart only. As in the next world, fo in this, the only folid bleff ings are owing to the goodness of the mind, not the extent of the capacity: friendship here is an emanation from the fame fource as beatitude there: the fame benevolence and grateful difpofition that qualifies us for the one, if extended farther, makes us partakers of the other. The utmost point of my defires in my

LETTER XXXIX. Mr. Pope to Sir William Trumbull. April 30, 1713.

HAVE been almost every day employ

ed in following your advice, and amufing myfelf in painting, in which I am moft particularly obliged to Mr. Jervas, who gives me daily inftructions and examples. As to poetical affairs, I am content at prefent to be a bare lookeron, and from a practitioner turn an admirer, which is (as the world goes) not very ufual. Cato was not fo much the wonder of Rome in his days, as he is of Britain in ours; and though all the fool industry poffible has been used to make it thought a party-play, yet what the anthor once faid of another may the mot properly in the world be applied to him

on this occafion :

Envy itfelf is dumb, in wonder loft,
And factions strive, who shall applaud him met

The numerous and violent claps of the whig-party on the one fide of the theatre, were echoed back by the tories on the other; while the author fweated behind the fcenes with concern to find their applaufe proceeding more from the hand than the head. This was the cafe too of the prologue-writer, who was clapped into a ftaunch whig, at almost every two lines. I believe you have heard, that after all the applaufes of the oppotte faction, my Lord Bolingbroke fent for Booth, who played Cato, into the box, between one of the acts, and prefented him with fifty guineas; in acknowledg

* Himself.

ment

34

pts

ner,

ba

s due,

be attacked thus in patihave read, that I was 1 culon the Romans, while a generd a triumph, to have the comm ers in the ftreets that railed at m reproached him; to put him in m at though his fervices were in main approved and rewarded, yet he had faults enough to keep him humble.

You will fee by this, that whoeve are fets up for a wit in thefe days ought to have the conftancy of a primitive chriftian, and be prepared to fuffer martyrdom in the caufe of it. But fure this is the first time that a wit was attacked for his religion, as you will find I am moft zealously in this treatife; and you know, Sir, what alarms I have had from the oppofite fide* on this account. Have of a friend. I not reafon to cry out with the poor fellow attom of page in Virgil,

nes with in cafe of my enemy meant an in

Os objected to by mended but for PS I confefs it what in the expreffion, e manifeft enough: sre feldom in the generally in the

ever make the leaft only because you adI have ever been of 11 book cannot answer epublic, it is to no fort is aether to do it. If I fentiment of that Efely, I do not defire hould be deceived (which confequence), mereor may be thought right very little confequence). I to recant, for the beand the glory of myfelf; ase it) when a man owns hime been in an error, he does in other words, that he is he was. But I have had an

the publishing that book, onerwile I fhould never have as been the occafion of makriends and open abettors, of feencemen of known fenfe and wit; roving to me, what I have til uced, that my writings are taken ence of by the world, or I 3 Appius reddens at each word you fpeak, Abces tremendous with a threat'ning eye, Le fierce tyrant in old tapestry.

Quid jam mifero mibi denique reftat?
Cui neque apud Danas ujquam locus, et super må
Dardanide infenfi panas cum fanguine point!
It is however my happinefs that you,
Sir, are impartial.

Jove was alike to Latian and to Phrygian,
For you well know, that wit's of no religion.
The manner in which Mr. D. takes

to pieces feveral particular lines, de-
tached from their natural places, may
fhew how easy it is to a caviller to give
a new fenfe, or a new nonfenfe, to any
thing. And indeed his conftructions are
not more wrefted from the genuine mean-
ing, than theirs who objected to the he-
terodox parts, as they called them.

Our friend the Abbé is not of that fort, who with the utmoft candour and freedom has modeftly told me what others thought, and fhewn himself one (as he very well expreffes is) rather of a number than a party. The only dif ference between us, in relation to the monks, is, that he thinks moft forts of learning flourished among them, and I am of opinion, that only fome fort of learning was barely kept alive by them: he believes that in the most natural and obvious fenfe, that line (A fecond deluge learning over-run) will be understood of learning in general; and I fancy it will be understood only (as it is meant) of polite learning, criticifm, poetry, &c. which is the only learning concerned in the fubject of the Effay. It is true, that

the monks did preferve what learning there was, about Nicholas the fifth's time; but those who fucceeded fell into the depth of barbarism, or at least stood at a ftay while others arose from thence; in fo much that even Erasmus and Reuchlin could hardly laugh them out of it. I am highly obliged to the Abbé's zeal in my commendation, and goodness in not concealing what he thinks my error. And his teftifying fome efteem for the book juft at a time when his brethren raifed a clamour against it, is an instance of great generofity and candour, which I fhall ever acknowledge. Your, &c,

LETTER XLII,
Mr. Pope to the Hon. J. C. Efq.

June 18, 1711. IN your last you informed me of the mistaken zeal of fome people, who seem to make it no lefs their bufinefs to perfuade men they are erroneous, than doctors do that they are fick; only that they may magnify their own cure, and triumph over an imaginary diftemper. The fimile objected to in my Effay,

(Thus wit, ke faith, by each man is apply'd To one fmall fe&, and all are damn'd befide,) plainly concludes at this fecond line, where ftands a full ftop: and what follows (Meanly they feek, &c.) fpeaks only of wit (which is meant by that bleffing, and that fun); for how can the fun of faith be faid to fublime the fouthern wits, and to ripen the geniufes of northern climates? I fear, thefe gentlemen underfand grammar as little as they do criticifm: and, perhaps, out of good nature to the monks, are willing to take from them the cenfure of ignorance, and The word they to have it to themselves. refers (as I am fure I meant, and as I thought every one must have known) to thofe critics there fpoken of, who are partial to fome particular fet of writers, to the prejudice of all others, And the very fimile itself, if twice read, may convince them, that the cenfure here of damning, lies not on our church at all, unless they call our church one small fect: and the cautious words (by each man) manifeftly fhew it a general reflection on all fuch (whoever they are) who entertain those rarrow and limited notions of the mercy of the Almighty; which the re

formed minifters and prefbyterians are as guilty of as any people living.

Yet after all, I promise you, Sir, if the alteration of a word or two will gratify any man of found faith, though weak understanding, I will (though it were from no other principle than that of common good-nature) comply with it. And if you please but to particularize the spot where their objection lies (for it is in a very narrow compafs), that ftumblingblock, though it be but a little pebble, fhall be removed out of their way. If the heat of thefe good difputants (who, I am afraid, being bred up to wrangle in the schools, cannot get rid of the humour all their lives) fhould proceed fo far as to personal reflections upon me, I affure you, notwithstanding, I will do or fay nothing, however provoked (for fome people can no more provoke than oblige), that is unbecoming the true character of a catholic. I will fet before me the example of that great man, and great faint, Erafmus; who in the midst of calumny proceeded with all the calmnefs of innocence, and the unrevenging spirit of primitive chriftianity. However, I would advise them to fuffer the mention of him to pass unregarded, left I should be forced to do that for his reputation which I would never do for my own; I mean, to vindicate fo great a light of our church from the malice of past times, and the ignorance of the prefent, in a language which may extend farther than that in which the trifle, about criticism is written. I with thefe gentlemen would be contented with finding fault with me only, who will fubmit to them right or wrong, as far as I only am concerned; I have a greater regard to the quiet of mankind than to disturb it for things of fo little confequence as my credit and my fenfe. A little humility can do a poet no hurt, and a little charity would do a priest none: for, as St. Auftin finely fays, Ubi charitas, ibi humilitas; ubi humilitas, ibi pax, Your, &c.