efteemed the greatest breach of honour: even to look into them already opened or accidentally dropt, is held an ungenerous, if not an immoral act. What then can be thought of procuring them merely by fraud, and the printing them merely for lucre? We cannot but conclude every honeft man will wifh, that, if the Laws have as yet provided no adequate remedy, one at least may be found, to prevent fo ing an evil.

great and

grow.

LET.

In the Bodleian Library, among Rawlinson's books and papers, is a large Quarto of these Letters, the original copies, with the poft-mark on most of them, which Mrs. Thomas delivered to Curl, and which Rawlinfon procured from Curl. On a comparison, which has been carefully made, it appears that Curl has omitted fome, mutilated others, and blended two together.

With respect to this Collection of Letters, it may be observed in general, that thofe are beft which are written by the perfons that have been moft converfant in the world, and knew most of life. Those of our Author feem evidently designed for the public eye, and are sometimes inconfiftent with the facility and unreservedness that ought to take place, and be predominant in a friendly and familiar correspondence. Of which kind the Letters of three celebrated Ladies, Madame de Sevigné, Madame Maintenon, and Lady Mary Wortley Montague, are masterpieces. So indeed is the correfpondence betwixt Boileau and Racine, published by his fon. But beyond all comparison, the eighteen volumes of the Letters of Voltaire, published in the last edition of his Works, contain a variety of literary history and criticism, written alfo to the most celebrated perfons of the age, hardly to be equalled or excelled. It is much to be lamented that Sprat did not publish a large collection of his friend Cowley's Letters, which he had in his poffeffion, especially, as he himself fays, " it was a way of writing in which Cowley particularly excelled, as in these he always expreffed the By the native tenderness and innocent gaiety of his heart.” truly valuable collection given us by Mr. Mafon, it appears that Gray was a much better writer of Letters than Pope.

LETTERS

TO AND FROM

MR. WY CHERLEYa,

From the Year 1704 to 1710.

IT

LETTER I.

Binfield in Windfor Foreft, Dec. 26, 1704”.

T was certainly a great fatisfaction to me to fee and converse with a Man, whom in his writings I had fo long known with pleasure; but it was a high

addition

a If one were to judge of this set of Letters by the manner of thinking and turn of expreffion, one fhould conclude they had been all mif-titled; and that the letters given to the boy of fixteen, were written by the man of feventy, and fo on the contrary; fuch fober fenfe, fuch gravity of manners, and fo much judg ment and knowledge of compofition, enlivened with the sprightlinefs of manly wit, distinguish thofe of Mr. Pope: while, on the other hand, a childish jealousy, a puerile affectation, an attention and lying at catch for turns and points, together with a total ignorance and contempt of order, of method, and of all relation of the parts to one another to compose a reasonable whole, make up the character of thofe of Mr. Wycherley. However, those ingredients in the Characters of the two distant ages of life, which Cicero makes Cato fo much commend, “Ado"lefcens in quo Senile aliquid, Senex in quo eft Adolefcens ali"quid," feem to have been the cement of their friendship. W. The author's age then Sixteen.

P.

addition to it, to hear you, at our very first meeting, doing justice to your dead friend Mr. Dryden. I was not so happy as to know him: Virgilium tantum vidi. Had I been born early enough, I must have known and loved him: For I have been affured, not only by yourself, but by Mr. Congreve and Sir William Trumbul, that his perfonal Qualities were as amiable as his poetical, notwithstanding the many libellous mifrepresentations of them, against which the former of these Gentlemen has told me he will one day vindicate him". I fuppofe thofe injuries were begun by the violence of Party, but 'tis no doubt they were continued by envy at his fuccefs and fame: And thofe Scriblers who attacked him in his latter times, were only like gnats in a fummer evening, which are never very troublefome but in the fineft and most glorious feafon; for his fire, like the fun's, fhined clearest towards its fetting.

You must not therefore imagine, that when you told me my own performances were above those Critics, I was fo vain as to believe it; and yet I may

not

• When a very young Boy, he prevailed with a friend to carry him to a Coffee-house which Dryden frequented; where he had the fatisfaction he here speaks of.

W.

He fince did fo, in his dedication to the Duke of New. 'caftle, prefixed to the duodecimo Edition of Dryden's Plays, 1727.

P.

• The fact feems to have been juft the reverfe. One of the first Satires against him was the Duke of Buckingham's Rebearfal; and one of the laft, Montague's parody of his Hind and Panther.

W.