SIR, LETTER XVII. MR. POPE TO MR. DENNIS. May 3, 1721. I CALLED to receive the two books of your letters from Mr. Congreve, and have left with him the little money I am in your debt. I look upon myself to be much more so, for the "omissions you have been pleased to make in those letters in my favour, and sincerely join with you in the desire, that not the least traces may remain of that difference between us, which indeed I am sorry for." You may therefore believe me, without either ceremony or falseness, Sir, Your, &c. SIR, LETTER XVIII. MR. POPE TO MR. HUGHES. April 19, 1714. I MAKE use of the freedom you so obligingly allowed me, of sending you a paper of proposals for "Homer," and of entreating your assistance in promoting the subscription. I have added another for Mr. Pate, if he thinks fit to oblige me so far, as you seemed inclined to believe he might. I have left receipts signed with Mr. Jervas, who will give them for any subscriptions you may procure, and be (I am sure) very glad to be better acquainted with you, or entertain you with what paintings or drawings he has. He charges me to give you his most humble service; and I beg you to think no man is, with a truer esteem than I, Your, &c. Pray make my most humble service acceptable to Sir Richard Blackmore.* dear Sir, DEAR SIR, LETTER XIX. TO MR. HUGHES. Binfield, Oct. 7, 1715. EVER since I had the pleasure to know you, I have believed you one of that uncommon rank of authors, who are undesigning men and sincere friends; and who, when they commend another, have not any view of being praised themselves. I should be therefore ashamed to offer at saying any of those civil things in return to your obliging compliments in regard to my translations of "Homer," only I have too great a value for * It appears from the above, that Mr. Pope and this poetical Knight were then upon terms of friendship, which were first broken by Sir Richard's accusing Mr. Pope of profaneness and immorality, (see his "Essays," vol. ii. p. 27) on a report from Curll that he was author of a "Travestie on the first Psalm." Had it not been for this, all the Knight's bad poetry would scarcely have procured him a place in the "Dunciad," as in that poem the author "professed to attack no man living who had not before printed or published against him;" and, on this principle, having ridiculed "Dr. Watts's Psalms," in the first edition of that satire, those lines were, at the instance of Mr. Richardson, the painter, a friend to both, in all the subsequent editions, omitted. Warton. you, not to be pleased with them; and yet, I assure you, I receive praises from you with less pleasure than I have often paid them to your merit before, and shall (I doubt not) have frequent occasions of doing again, from those useful pieces you are still obliging us with. If you was pleased with my preface, you have paid me for that pleasure, in the same kind, by your entertaining and judicious essays on Spenser. The present you make me is of the most agreeable nature imaginable, for Spenser has been ever a favourite poet to me he is like a mistress, whose faults we see, but love her with them all. What has deferred my thanks till now, was a ramble I have been taking about the country, from which I returned home and found your kind letter but yesterday. A testimony of that kind, from a man of your turn, is to be valued at a better rate than the ordinary estimate of letters will amount to. I shall rejoice in all opportunities of cultivating a friendship I so truly esteem, and hope very shortly to tell you in town, how much I am, Sir, Your, &c. Since you desire to hear of my progress in the translation, I must tell you that I have gone through four more books, which (with the remarks) will make the second volume. * "An Essay on allegorical Poetry," "Remarks on the Fairy Queen," "On the Shepherd's Calender," &c. prefixed to Mr. Hughes's edition of Spenser's Works, 1715. Warton. I RETURN you the play sooner than I am willing to part with what I like so extremely well, because you press it. Upon my word, I think it every way worthy of you, and make not the least doubt but the world will do you the justice you deserve in the acceptation of it. I continue I continue very much out of order, but must be forced to be in town (well or ill) some days this week, upon indispensable affairs; when I will wait upon you and tell you my sincere thoughts, none of which is more sincere than that I am truly, Your, &c. DEAR SIR, LETTER XXI. FROM MR. HUGHES. Red Lion Street, Holborn, against I AM very sorry to hear of your ill health, and that my message came so unseasonable as to give you so much trouble to answer it. I hope by your mentioning your coming to town, that you are on the mending hand, and that the spring coming on will be favourable to you. If you should not come in a day or two, I must beg your return of the copy,* which is much wanted, the * The Siege of Damascus. time of acting drawing very near. Your not being in a condition to supply me with a Prologue is a great disappointment to me, but I should much rather chuse my Play should want that advantage, than put you to any trouble at present which may be prejudicial; being with a true respect, dear Sir, Your, &c. DEAR SIR, LETTER XXII. TO MR. HUGHES. Twickenham, Feb. 18, 1719-20. HAVE been much concerned not to have waited upon you as I designed, since you obliged me with your play. I am since much more troubled to hear of the continuance of your illness. Would to God you might live as long as, I am sure, the reputation of your tragedy must! I am a fellow-sufferer with you, in not being able to see it played, having been, and still being, too much indisposed to go to any public place. But I could be extremely glad some particular friends of mine had that pleasure I cannot enjoy. You would highly favour me in letting three or four ladies have a side-box, who have sent into the country to me, upon information that the boxes are disposed of by you. I am sorry to give you this trouble, * Mr. Hughes died the night before this letter was written, aged 42; and, what is more remarkable, on the very night his Play was acted. Bowles. |