Let me add one reflection, to make you eafy in your ill luck. Had you got all that you have loft beyond what you ventured, confider that your fuperfluous gains would have fprung from the ruin of feveral families that now want neceffaries; a thought, under which a good and good-natured man that grew rich by fuch means, could not, I perfuade myself, be perfectly eafy. Adieu, and believe me, ever your, &c. Y LETTER CXXXIII. The Bishop of Rochester to Mr. Pope. March 26, 1721. you are not yourself gladder you are well, than I am; efpecially fince I can pleafe myfelf with the thought that when you had loft your health elfewhere, you recovered it here. May thefe lodgings never treat you worfe, nor you at any time have lefs reafon to be fond of them! I thank you for the fight of your veries, and with the freedom of an honeft, though perhaps injudicious friend, muft tell you, that though I could like fome of them, if they were any body's clie but yours, yet as they are yours, and to be owned as fuch, I can fearce like any of them. Not but that the four firft lines are good, efpecially the second couplet; and might, if followed by four others as good, give reputation to a writer of a lefs eltablished fame; but from you I expect fomething of a more perfect kind, and which the ofiner it is read, the more it will be admired. When you barely exceed other writers, you fall much beneath yourself it is your misfortune now to write without a rival, and to be tempted by that means to be more careless than you would otherwife be in your compofures. Thus much I could not forbear faying, though I have a motion of confequence in the House of Lords to-day, and must I am even with you for prepare for it. your ill paper; for I write upon worse, having no other at hand. I with you the continuance of your health most heartily; and am ever your, &c. I have fent Dr. Arbuthnot the Latin left me; and I am fo angry at the wri ter for his defign, and his manner of executing it, that I could hardly forbear fending him a line of Virgil along with it. The chief reafoner of that philofo phic farce is a Gallo Ligur, as he is called-what that means in English or French, I cannot fay-but all he fays, is in fo loofe and flippery and trickish a way of reafoning, that I could not forbear applying the paffage of Virgil him, Lane Ligur, fruftraque arimis clate fuperbi! Nequicquam patrias tentafli lubricus artesTo be ferious, I hate to fee a book gravely written, and in all the forms of argumentation, which proves nothing, and which fays nothing; and endeavou only to put us into a way of diftruiting or marks of truth and falfehood can in any own faculties, and doubting whether the cafe be diftinguished from each other. Could that bleffed point be made out (a it is a contradiction in terms to fay it can), we fhould then be in the moft comfortable and wretched ftate in the world; and I would in that cafe be gl to exchange my reafon, with a dog fr his inflinct, to-morrow. LETTER CXXXIV. Lord Chancellor Harcourt to Mr. Pep. Decemb. 6, 1722. CANNOT but fufpect myself of being I very unreafonable in begging you once more to review the inclofed. Ye 1 friendship draws this trouble on you. may freely own to you, that my tender neis makes me exceeding hard to beli tisfied with any thing which can be f on fuch an unhappy fubject. I caufed: Latin Epitaph to be as often altered before I could approve of it. When once your Epitaph is fet p there can be no alteration of it, it wa remain a perpetual monument of you collection of fanciful and extravagant conjectures, which he called a demonstration; mixed up much reading, which his friends called learni and delivered (by the allowance of all) in g Latin. This not being received for what he wo MS. which I could not find when you give it, he compofed a treatife of the weaknes Epitaph on Mr. Harcourt. Written by Huctius, bishop of Avranches. fle was a mean reafoner; as may be teen by a vast the human understanding: a poor lyftem of ticifm; indeed little other than an abtract fr Sextus Empiricus. WARBURTON. friendship, friendship, and, I affure myfelf, you will fo fettle it, that it shall be worthy of you. I doubt whether the word deny'd, in the third line, will justly admit of that conftruction, which it ought to bear (viz.) renounced, deferted, &c. deny'd is capable, in my opinion, of having an ill fenfe put upon it, as too great uncafiness, or more good nature, than a wife man ought to have. I very well remember you told me, you could fcarce mend thole two lines, and therefore I can fcarce expect your forgivenefs for my defiring you to reconfider them. Harcourt stands dumb, and Pope is forc'd to speak. I cannot perfectly, at leaft without further difcourfing you, reconcile myself to the first part of that line; and the word fore'd (which was my own, and, I perfuade myself, for that reafon only fubmitted to by you) feems to carry too doubtful a construction for an Epitaph, which, as I apprehend, ought as easily to be underflood as read. I fhall acknowledge it as a very particular favour, if at your beit leifure you will perufe the inclofed, and vary it, if you think it capable of being amended, and let me fee you any morning next week. I am, &c. LETTER CXXXV. The Bijnop of Rochejter to Mr. Pope. Sept. 27, 1721. ↑ AM now confined to my bed-chamber, and to the matted room, wherein I m writing, feldom venturing to be caried down even into the parlour to diner, unless when company to whom I annot excufe myself, comes, which I am ot ill-pleafed to find is now very feldom. This is my cafe in the funny part of the ear: what must I expect, when inverfum contrifiat Aquarias anum? If these things be done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" xcufe me for employing a fentence of ripture on this occafion; I apply it vey seriously. One thing relieves me a ttle, under the ill profpect I have of pending my time at the Deanery this vinter; that I fhall have the opportunity of feeing you oftner; though, I am fraid, you will have little pleafare in iecing me there. So much for my il ftate of health, which I had not touched With fuch a race you entertain, I mention them not on the account of that couplet, but one that follows; which ends with the very fame rhymes and words (appear and clear) that the couplet but one after that does-and therefore in my Waller there is a various reading of the first of thefe couplets; for there it runs thus, So lightnings in a stormy air Scorch more, than when the sky is fair. You will fay that I am not very much in pain, nor very bufy, when I can relish these amufements, and you will fay true: for at prefent I am in both thefe refpecus very easy. I had not ftrength enough to attend Mr. Prior to his grave, elfe I would have done it, to have fhewed his friends that I had forgot and forgiven what he wrote on me. He is buried, as he defired, at the feet of Spenfer, and I will take care to make good in every respect what I faid to him when living; particularly as to the triplet he wrote for his own Epitaph; which, while we were in good terms, I promifed him should never appear on his tomb while I was Dean of Westminßer. I am pleased to find you have fo much pleafure, and (which is the foundation of it) fo much health at Lord Bathurst's: may both continue till I fee you! may my Lord have as much faiction in building the hoafe in the wood, and targ it when bit, as you have in defgning it! I cannot fend a with after him that means him more happines; and yet, I am fere, I with him as much as be himself. I am, &c. N LETTER CXXXVI. The Bishop of Rochefter to Mr. Pife. Bromley, Ca. 15, 1721. OTWITHSTANDING 1 write this on Sunday even, to acknowledge the receipt of yours this morning; yet, I forefee, it will not reach you till Wednefday morning. And before fet of fun that day I hope to reach my winter quarters at the Deanery. I hope, did fay? I recal that word, for it implies defire; and, God knows, that is far from being the cafe: for I never part with this place but with regret, though I generally keep here what Mr. Cowley calls the worft of company in the world, my own; and fee either none befide, or what is worfe than none, fome of the Arrii or Sebest of my neighbourhood: characters, which Tul. ly paints fo well in one of his epifiles, and complains of the too civil, but im pertinent, interruption they gave him in his retirement. Since I have named thofe gentlemen, and the book is not far from me, I will turn to the place, and by pointing it out to you, give you the pleasure of peruting the epile, which is a very agreeable one, if my memory does not fail me. I am furprifed to find that my Lord Bathurst and you are parted fo foon; he has been fick, I know, of fome late trar factions; but fhould that chefs continue till in fome meafure, I prophefy it will be quite off by the beginning of November: a letter or two from his London friends, and a furfeit of folitude, will foon make him change his refolution and his quarters. I vow to you, I could I vow to you, I could live here with pleasure all the winter, and be contented with hearing no more news than the London Journal, or fome fuch trifling paper, affords me, did not the duty of my place require, abfolutely require, my attendance at Wellminfter; where, I hope, the Prophet will now and then remember he has a bed and a candleflick. In short, I long to fe you, and hope you will come, if not a day, yet at least an hour fooner to town than you intended, in order to afford me that fatisfaction. I am now, I thank God! as well as ever I was in my life, except that I can walk fcarce at all without crutches; and I would willingly compound the matter with the gout, to be no better, could I hope to be no worfe; but that is a van thought, I expect a new attack long be fore Christmas. Let me fee you therefore while I am in a condition to relih you, before the days (and the night.) come, when I fhall (and muft) fay, Í have no pleafure in them, I will bring your fmall volume of Patorals along with me, that you may not be difcouraged from lending me books, when you find me fo puntualis returning them. Shakespear thall bear it company, and be put into your hands as clear and as fair as it came out of them, though you, I think, have been dabbling here and there with the text: I have had more reverence for the write and the printer, and left every thing flanding juft as I found it. However, I thank you for the pleafure you int given me in putting me upen reading him once more before I die. have I believe I fhall fcarce repeat that pleafure any more, having other wors to do, and other things to think of, ba none that will interfere with the offices f friendfhip, in the exchange of w with you, Sir, I hope to live and de your, &c. IT is fo long fince I had the pleasure of an hour with your Lordship, that I fhould begin to think myfelf no longer Amicus omnium berarum, but for finding myfelf fo in my conftant thoughts of you. In thofe I was with you many hours this very day, and had you (where I wish and hope one day to fee you really) in my garden at Twitnam. When I went laft to town, and was on wing for the Deanery, I heard your Lordship was gone the day before to Bromley, and there you continued till after my return hither. I fincerely with you whatever you with yourfelf, and all you with your friends or family. All I mean by this word or two, is juft to tell you fo, till in perion I find you as I defire, that is, find you well: eafy, refigned, and happy, you will make yourfelf, and (I believe) every body that converfes with you; if I may judge of your power over other men's minds and affections, by that which you will ever have over thofe of your, &c. LETTER CXXXVIII. The Bitop of Rochester to Mr. Pope. Feb. 26, 1721-2. PERMIT me, dear Sir, to break into your retirement, and to deure of you a complete copy of thofe verfes on Mr. Addifon; ferd me alio your laft refolution, which fhall punctually be obferved in relation to my giving out any copy of it; for I am again felicited by another lord, to whom I have given the fame afwer as formerly. Nomall piece of your writing has been ever fought after 15 much it has pleafed every man with et exception, to whom it has been read. Since you now therefore know where your real ftrength lies, I hope you will not fuffer that talent to lie unemployed. For my part, I fhould be fo glad to fee you frith fomething of that kind, that I could be content to be a little freered at in a line or fo, for the fake of the pleafure I fhould have in reading the ret. I An imperfect copy was got out, very much to the author's furprife, who never would give any. have talked my fenfe of this matter to you once or twice, and now I put it under my hand, that you may fee it is my deliberate opinion. What weight that may have with you I cannot fay; but it pleases me to have an opportunity of fhewing you how well I with you, and how true a friend I am to your fame, which I defire may grow every day, and in every kind of writing to which you fhall pleafe to turn your pen. Not bat that I have fome little intereft in the propofal, as I fhall be known to have been acquainted with a man that was capable of excelling in fuch different manners, and did fuch honour to his country and language; and yet was not difpleafed fometimes to read what was written by his humble fervant. LETTER CXxxix. March 14, 1721-2. IWA who commonly ufe that phrafe WAS disappointed (much more than thofe on fuch occafions) in mifling you at the Deanery, where I lay folitary two nights. Indeed I truly partake in any degree of concern that affects you, and I wish every thing may fucceed as you defire in your own family, and in that which, I think, you no lefs account your own, and is no lefs your family, the whole world: for I take you to be one of the true friends of it, and to your power its protector.— Though the noife and daily buflle for the public be now over, I dare fay, a good man is fill tendering its welfare; as the fan in the winter, when feeming to retire from the world, is preparing benedictions and warmth for a better feafon. No man withes your Lordship more quiet, more tranquillity, than I, who know you fhould understand the value of it; but I do not wish you a jot lefs comcerned or lefs active than you are, in al facere, and therefore warm, deres cf public good. I beg the kindof (and it is for that chiefly I trouble you with tri. Let favour me with notice as foot 2. turn to London, that I may make you a proper vilt of a da for hitherto I have not beer but your lodger, and I acc. = it. I have now no carthly 22 my being in town (a po 23 A LETTER CXL. The Bifcop of Rochegler to Mr. Pope. March 16, 1721-2. how long, or how little a while, it may be fo taken up, God only knows, and to his will I implicitly refign myself in every thing. I am, &c. I AM extremely fenfible of the repeated favour of your kind letters, and your thoughts of me in abfence, even among thoughts of much nearer concern to your felf on the one hand, and of much more importance to the world on the other, which cannot but engage you at this juncture. I am very certain of your good-will, and of the warmth which is in you infeparable from it. Your remembrance of Twitenham is a fresh inftance of that partiality. I hope the advance of the fine feafon will fet yea upon your legs, enough to enable you to get into my garden, where I will carry you up a mount, in a point of view to fhew you the glory of my little kingdom. If you approve it, I fhall be in danger to boat, like Nebuchadnezzar, of the things I have made, and to be turned to converfe, not with the beats of the field, but with the birds of the grove, which I fhall take to be no great punish mizat. For indeed I heartily despite the ways of the world, and most of the great Sa vifitant, a lodger, a friend (or under what other denomination foever), you are always welcome to me; and will be more fo, I hope, every day that we live; for, to tell you the truth, I like you as I like myfelf, beit when we have both of us least bufinefs. It has been my fate to be engaged in it much and often, by the flations in which I was placed; but God, that knows my heart, knows I never loved it; and am fill le's in love with it than ever, as I find leis temptation to act with any hope of fuccefs. If I am good for any thing, it is in angula com libillo; and yet a good part of my time has been fpent, and perhaps mull be spent, far otherwife. I will never, while I have health, beam itrengthened in this opinion, when wanting to my duty in my poft, or in fuch as your Lordship bear teftimony to any refpect, how little foever 1 my like its vanity and emptinefs. Tinnit, inart my employment, and how hopeles fo- eft, with the picture of one ringing on ever 1 may be in the difcharge of it. the globe with his finger, is the bef thing I have the luck to remember in that great poet Quarles (not that I forget the devil at bowls; which I know to be your Lordship's favourite cut, as well as favourite diverfion). For In the mean time, the judicious world is pleafed to think that I delight in work which I am obliged to undergo, and aim at things which I from my heart defpife; let them think as they will, fo I might be at liberty to act as I will, and fpend my time in fuch a manner as is molt agree able to me. I cannot fay I do fo now, for I am here without any books, and if I had them could not ufe them to my fatisfaction, while my mind is taken up in a more melancholy manner*; and * In his lady's laft Lekness. ones of it. Oh keep me innocent, make others great! The fituation here is pleasant, and the retired, and agree with the most conview rural enough, to humour the mot templative. Good air, folitary groves, fancy yourself (what you are in temper and fparing diet, fufficient to make you ance, though elevated into a greater figure by your ftation) one of the fathers of the defert. Here you may think (to |