heights of poetry, which therefore he banished out of his commonwealth. Nor were thefe objections to Homer any more leftning of her merit in tranflating him as well as that way is capable of, viz. fally, plainly, and elegantly, than the most admirable verfes can be any difparagement to as excellent profe. The beft excufe for all this violence is, its being in a caufe which gives a kind of reputation even to fuffering, notwithftanding ever fo ill a management of it. The work of defending even Homer in fuch a paflionate manner, is, its being more a proof of her weaknefs, than of his being liable to none. For what is it can excufe Homer any more than Hector, for flying at the firft fight of Achilles? whofe terrible afpect fure needed not fuch an inexcufable fright to fet it off. and methinks all that account of Mine va's reftoring his dart to Achilles, co' a little too late, for excufing Hecto terrible apprehenfion at the very fir Brampton-Catile, Nov. 6, 1721. FIVED your packet, which could t but give me great pleasure, to kee ca preferve an old friend in your me mory; for it muft needs be very agreeable to be remembered by thofe we highly value. But then how much fhame did it cafe me, when I read your very fine veries inclofed? my mind reproached me how far short I came of what your great friendship and delicate pen would partia ly defcribe me. You afk my confent to Publith it: to what ftraits doth this re dice me? I look back indeed to the evenings I have ufefully and pleafarly frent, with Mr. Pope, Mr. Parnel Dean Swift, the Doctor, &c. I fhould be glad the world knew you admitted me to your friendship, and fince your affet tica is too hard for your judgment, I am Se contented to let the world know how well Mr. Pope can write upon a barren fubject. I return you an exact copy of the verfes, that I may keep the original, mony of the only error you have been guilty of. I hope very fpeedily to em brace you in London, and to affure you of the particular esteem and fricnditi wherewith I am your, &c. a.s: a pleniùre escala I beg you, thipreis to the 125 skich, I fatisfac from any ed of yourgood ded in sife fr fuch an frisch fly for it is, Dance I ever writ, W be as a to LETTER XCIV. Mr. Pope to Edward Blount, E August 27, 1714 HATEVER fludies on the one hand, or amufements on the other, it fa my fortune to fall into, I thall be equally and fo much folly can inhabit the fame breasts? forgetting you in your dom as you MATAN las our firm relation of a todoks, q^a Nax end with it. I w I could not but take a trip to London on the death of the Queen, moved by the common curiofity of mankind, who their own business to be looking upof other men. I thank God, vfelf, I am below. all the e-changes by my circumabove them by my philofomon charity of man to man, verfal good will to all, are the ufe me in orced to that were uld raife no ordinary man. I have most at heart; and I am thofe are not to be broken for the se of any governors or government. I am willing to hope the belt; and what I more win than my own or any particular man's advancement, is, that this turn may put an end entirely to the divifions of whig and tory; that the parties may love each other as well as I love them both, or at least hurt each other as little as I would either: and that our own people may live as quietly as we shall certainly let theirs; that is to fay, that want of power itself in us may not be a furer prevention of harm, than want of will in them. I am fure if all whigs and all tories had the fpirit of one Roman Catholic that I know, it would be well for all Roman Catholics; and if all Roman Catholics had always had that spirit, it had been well for all others; and we had never been charged with fo wicked a fpirit as that of perfecution. I agree with you in my fentiments of the late of our nation fince this change: I find myfelf juft in the fame fituation of mind you defcribe as your own; heartily wifhing the good, that is, the quiet of my country, and hoping a total end of all the unhappy divifions of mankind by party-fpirit, which at beft is but the madnefs of many for the gain of a few. in it of lefs im- LETTER I am, &c. XCV. Edw. Blount, Efq. to Mr. Pope. your letter, dear Sir, written in a ftyle that thews you full of health, and in the midst of diverfions: I think thofe two things neceffary to a man who has fuch undertakings in hand as yours. All lovers of Hoiner are indebted to you for taking fo much pains about the fituation + Some of the laws were, at this time, put in force against the Papists, fecond Iliad. of this world in the next, it is charity to fay, God have mercy on them! they were the devil's vicegerents upon earth, who is the father of lies, and, I fear, has a right to difpofe of his children. I have had an occafion to make thefe reflections of late more juftly than from any thing that concerns my writings, for it is one that concerns my morals, and (which I ought to be as tender of as my own) the good character of another very innocent perfon, who I am fure fhares your friendship no lefs than I do. No creature has better natural difpositions, or would act more rightly or reafonably in every duty, did the act by herfelf, or from herfelf; but you know it is the miffortune of that family to be governed like a fhip, I mean the head guided by the tail, and that by every wind that blows in it. LETTER XCII. Mr. Pope to the Earl of Oxford. My Lord, Oct. 21, 1721. YOUR Lordhip may be furprised at the liberty I take in writing to you: though you will allow me always to remember, that you once permitted me that honour, in conjunction with fome others who better deferved it. I hope you will not wonder I am fill defirous to have you think me your grateful and faithful fervant; but, I own, I have an ambition yet farther, to have others think me fo, which is the occafion I give your Lordfhip the trouble of this. Poor Parnelle, before he died, left me the charge of publishing thefe few remains of his : I have a trong defire to make them, their auther, and their publisher, more confiderable, by addreffing and dedicating them all to you. There is a pleafure in bearing testimony to truth, and a vanity perhaps, which at leaft is as excufable as any vanity can be. I beg you, my Lord, to allow me to gratify it in prefxing this paper of honeft verfes to the book. I fend the book itfelf, which, I dare fay, you will receive more fatisfacten in perang, than you can from any thing written upon the fubject of yourff. Therefore I am a good deal in doel, whether you will care for fach an All I fhall fay for it is, it is the only dedication I ever writ, and fhall be the only one, whether you accept of it or not: for I will not bow the knee to a lefs man than my Lord Oxford, and I expect to fee no greater in my time. After all, if your Lordship will tell my Lord Harley that I mutt not do this, you may depend upon a fuppreffion of thefe verfes (the only copy whereof I fend you), but you never fhall fupprefs that great, fincere, and entire refpect, with which I am always, my Lord, your, &c. I The Earl of Oxford to Mr. Pope. Sir, Brampton-Cale, Nov. 6, 1721. RECEIVED your packet, which could not but give me great pleasure, to ke you preferve an old friend in your memory; for it muft needs be very agreeable to be remembered by thofe we highly value. But then how much fhame did it caufe me, when I read your very fine verfes incloed? my mind reproached me how far fhort I came of what your great friendship and delicate pen would partially defcribe me. You afk my confent to publith it: to what ftraits doth this redace me? I look back indeed to thofe evenings I have ufefully and pleasantly fpent, with Mr. Pope, Mr. Parnelle, Dean Swift, the Doctor, &c. I should be glad the world knew you admitted me to your friendship, and fince your affection is too hard for your judgment, I am contented to let the world know how well Mr. Pope can write upon a barren fubject. I return you an exact copy of the verfes, that I may keep the original, as a tefimony of the only error you have been guilty of. I hope very speedily to embrace you in London, and to affure you of the particular esteem and friendhip wherewith I am your, &c. equally incapable of forgetting you in I find ftill more reafon to complain of This relates to the map of ancient Greece, laid down by our author in his oblervations on the Some of the laws were, at this time, put in force against the l'apts. and fo much folly can inhabit the same breasts? I could not but take a trip to London on the death of the Queen, moved by the common curiofity of mankind, who leave their own bufinefs to be looking upon that of other men. I thank God, that, as for myfelf, I am below all the accidents of state-changes by my circumftances, and above them by my philofophy. Common charity of man to man, and univerfal good will to all, are the points I have moft at heart; and I am fure, thofe are not to be broken for the fake of any governors or government. I am willing to hope the belt; and what I more will than my own or any particular man's advancement, is, that this turn may put an end entirely to the divifions of whig and tory; that the parties may love each other as well as I love them both, or at least hurt each other as little as I would either: and that our own people may live as quietly as we shall certainly let theirs; that is to fay, that want of power itself in us may not be a furer prevention of harm, than want of will in them. I am fure if all whigs and all tories had the fpirit of one Roman Catholic that I know, it would be well for all Roman Catholics; and if all Roman Catholics had always had that spirit, it had been well for all others; and we had never been charged with fo wicked a spirit as that of perfecution. I agree with you in my fentiments of the late of our nation fince this change: I find myfelf juft in the fame fituation of mind you defcribe as your own; heartily withing the good, that is, the quiet of my country, and hoping a total end of all the unhappy divifions of mankind by party-fpirit, which at beft is but the mad nefs of many for the gain of a few. I am, &c. of his hero's kingdoms; it will not only be of great ufe with regard to his works, but to all that read any of the Greek hiftorians; who generally are ill underfood through the difference of the maps as to the places they treat of, which makes one think one author contradicts another. You are going to fet us right; and it is an advantage every body will gladly fee you engrofs the glory of. You can draw rules to be free and eafy, from formal pedants; and teach men to be fhort and pertinent, from tedious commentators. However, I congratulate your happy deliverance from fuch authors, as you (with all your humanity) cannot with alive again to converfe with. Critics will quarrel with you, if you dare to pleafe without their leave; and zealots will fhrug up their fhoulders at a man, that pretends to go to Heaven out of their form, drefs, and diet. I would no more make a judgment of an author's genius from a damning critic, than I would of a man's religion from an unfaving zealot. I could take great delight in affording you the new glory of making a Barceloniad (if I may venture to coin fuch a word) I fancy you would find a juster parallel than it feems at firft fight: for the Trojans too had a great mixture of folly with their bravery; and I am out of countenance for them when I read the wife refult of their council, where, after a warm debate between Antenor and Paris about reftoring Helen, Priam fagely determines that they fhall go to fupper, And as for the Greeks, what can equal their fuperftition in facrificing an innocent lady? Tantum religio potuit, &c. I have a good opinion of my politics, fince they agree with a man who always thinks fo jufly as you. I with it were in our power to perfuade all the nation into as calm and fleady a difpofition of mind. We have received the late melancholy news, with the ufual ceremony, of condoling in one breath for the lofs of a gracious queen, and in another rejoicing for an illuftrious king. My views carry me no farther, than to with the peace and welfare of my country; and my morals and politics teach me to leave all that to be adjusted by our reprefentatives above, and to divine providence. It is much at one to you and me, who fit at the helm, The many alarms we have from your parts, have no effect upon that reigns in our country, which is hap the genes pily turned to preferve peace and quit among us. What a difinal fcene has ruin have thofe unfortunate rath gentl there been opened in the north! wh men drawn upon themfelves and their miferable followers, and perchance pa many others too, who upon no accoust would be their followers! however, t may look ungenerous to reproach peop in diftrefs. I do not remember you ard I ever ufed to trouble ourselves about po litics, but when any matter happened to fall into our difcourfe, we ufed to con demn all undertakings that tended towards the difturbing the peace and quie of our country, as contrary to the notion we had of morality and religion, which oblige us on no pretence whatsoever to violate the laws of charity. How many lives have there been loft in hot blood, and how many more are there like to be taken off in cold? if the broils of the nation affect you, come down to me, and though we are farmers, you know Emeus made his friends welcome. You |