great deal of good nature with a great deal of good fenfe.

I thank you for the book you promis'd me, by which I find you would not only correct my lines, but my life.

As to the damn'd verfes I entrusted you with, I hope you will let them undergo your purgatory, to fave them from other people's damning them: fince the critics, who are generally the firft damn'd in this life, like the damn'd below, never leave to bring thofe above them under their own circumstances. I beg you to perufe my papers, and felect what you think beft or moft tolerable, and look over them again; for I refolve fuddenly to print fome of them, as a harden'd old gamefter will (in fpite of all former ill ufage by fortune) push on an ill hand in expectation of recovering himself; efpecially fince I have fuch a Croupier or Second to ftand by me as Mr. Pope.

LETTER XIII.

Nov. 20, 1707.

M

which

R. Englefyld being upon his journey to London, tells me I muft write to you by him, do, not more to comply with his defire, than to gratify my own; tho' I did it fo lately by the meffenger you sent hither: I take it too as an opportunity of fending you the fair copy of the

poem on Dulness, which was not then finish'd, and which I fhould not care to hazard by the common post. Mr. Englefyld is ignorant of the contents, and I hope your prudence will let him remain fo, for my fake no less than your own: fince if you should reveal any thing of this nature, it would be no wonder reports fhould be rais'd, and there are those (I fear) who would be ready to improve them to my difadvantage. I am forry you told the great man, whom you met in the court of requests, that your papers were in my hands: no man alive fhall ever know any such thing from me; and I give you this warning befides, that tho' yourself should fay I had any ways affifted you, I am notwithstanding resolv'd to deny it.

The method of the copy I fend you is very different from what it was, and much more regular: for the better help of your memory, I defire you to compare it by the figures in the margin, answering to the fame in this letter. The poem is now divided into four parts, mark'd with the literal figures 1. 2. 3. 4. The first contains the praise of Dulness, and fhews how upon several suppofitions it paffes for 1. religion. 2. philofophy. 3. example. 4. wit, and 5. the cause of wit, and the end of it. The fecond part contains the Advantages of Dulness; ft, in

* The original of it in blots, and with figures of the References from copy to copy, in Mr. Pope's hand, is yet extant among other fuch Broüillons of Mr. Wycherley's poems, corrected by him.

bufinefs; and zdly, at Court; where the fimilitudes of the Byafs of a bowl, and the Weights of a clock, are directly tending to the fubject, tho' introduced before in a place where there was no mention made of thofe advantages (which was your only objection to my adding them.) The third contains the Happiness of Dulnefs in all stations, and shews in a great many particulars, that it is fo fortunate as to be efteem'd fome good quality or other in all forts of people; that it is thought quiet, sense, caution, policy, prudence, majefty, valour, circumfpection, honesty, &c. The fourth part I have wholly added, as a climax which fums up all the praise, advantage, and happiness of Dulness in a few words, and ftrengthens them by the oppofition of the disgrace, difadvantage, and unhappiness of Wit, with which it concludes*.

*This is totally omitted in the present Edition: Some of the lines are thefe :

Thus Dulness, the safe opiate of the mind, "The laft kind refuge weary wit can find ; "Fit for all stations, and in each content, "Is fatisfy'd, fecure, and innocent; "No pains it takes, and no offence it gives, "Unfear'd, unhated, undisturb'd it lives, &c. It was originally thus exprefs'd:

"As Clocks run fafteft when moft lead is on."

in a Letter of Mr. Pope to Mr. Wycherley, dated April 3, 1705. and in a paper of verfes of his, To the Author of a poem call'd Succeffio, which got out in a mifcellany in 1712, three years before Mr. Wycherley died, and two after he had laid afide the whole defign of publishing any poems.

Tho' the whole be as fhort again as at first, there is not one thought omitted, but what is a repetition of fomething in your firft volume, or in this very paper fome thoughts are contracted, where they feem'd encompass'd with too many words; and fome new exprefs'd, or added, where I thought there wanted heightning (as you'll fee particularly in the Simile of the clock-weights *) and the versification throughout is, I believe, such as no body can be fhock'd at. The repeated permiffions you give me of dealing freely with you, will (I hope) excufe what I have done: for if I have not spar'd you when I thought severity would do you a kindness, I have not mangled you where I thought there was no abfolute need of amputation. As to the particulars, I can fatisfy you better when we meet ; in the mean time pray write to me when you can, you cannot too often.

* These two fimiles of the Biafs of a Bowl, and the Weights of a Clock, were at length put into the first book of the Dunciad. And thus we have the hiftory of their birth, fortunes, and final eftablishment.

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LETTER XIV.

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

Nov. 22, 1707.

OU may fee by my ftyle, I had the happiness

You

and fatisfaction to receive yesterday by the hands of Mr. Englefyld, your extreme kind and obliging letter of the zoth of this month; which, like all the rest of yours, did at once mortify me, and make me vain; fince it tells me with so much more wit, sense, and kindness than mine can exprefs, that my letters are always welcome to you. So that even whilst your kindness invites me to write to you, your wit and judgment forbid me; fince I return you a letter, but never an answer.

Now, as for my owning your affistance to me, in overlooking my unmufical numbers, and harsher fenfe, and correcting them both with your genius, or judgment; I must tell you I always own it (in spite of your unpoetic modefty) who would do with your friendship as your charity; conceal your bounty to magnify the obligation; and even whilst you lay on your friend the favour, acquit him of the debt: but that fhall not ferve your turn; I will always own, 'tis my infallible Pope has, or would redeem me from a poetical damning, the fecond time; and fave my rhimes from being condemn'd to the critics fames to all eternity; but (by the faith you profefs)

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