not care you should profper too much as a poet. He protests that it fhall not be his fault, if there is not the best intelligence in the world, and the most hearty friendship. &c. He owns, he was afraid Dr. Swift might have carried you too far among the enemy, during the heat of the animofity; but now all is fafe, and you are escap'd even in his opinion. I promis'd in your name like a good Godfather, not that you fhould renounce the devil and all his works, but that you would be delighted to find him your friend merely for his own fake; therefore prepare yourself for fome civilities.

I have done Homer's head, shadow'd and heighten'd carefully; and I inclofe the out line of the fame fize, that you may determine whether you would have it fo large, or reduced to make room for feuillage or laurel round the oval, or about the fquare of the Bufto? perhaps there is fomething more folemn in the image itself, if I can get it well perform'd.

If I have been instrumental in bringing you and Mr. Addison together with all fincerity, I value myfelf upon it as an acceptable piece of fervice to fuch a one as I know you to be.

Your, &c.

I

LETTER XXIII.

Mr. POPE's Answer.

Aug. 27, 1714.

Am juft arrived from Oxford, very well diverted and entertain'd there. Every one is much concern'd for the Queen's death. No panegyricks ready yet for the King.

I admire your whig principles of refistance exceedingly, in the fpirit of the Barcelonians: I join in your wifh for them. Mr. Addifon's verfes on Liberty, in his letter from Italy, would be a good form of prayer in my opinion, O Liberty! thou Goddess heavenly bright, &c.

What you mention of the friendly office you endeavour'd to do betwixt Mr. Addifon and me, deferves acknowledgments on my part. You thoroughly know my regard to his character, and my propenfity to testify it by all ways in my power. You as thoroughly know the fcandalous meannefs of that proceeding which was used by Philips, to make a man I fo highly value, fufpect my difpofitions toward him. But as, after all, Mr. Addison must be the judge in what regards himself, and has seem'd to be no very just one to me; fo, I must own to you, I expect nothing but civility from him, how much foever I wish for his friendship. As for any offices of real kindness or service which it is in his power to do

me, I should be ashamed to receive them from any man who had no better opinion of my Morals, than to think me a Party-man; nor of my Temper, than to believe me capable of maligning, or envying another's reputation as a poet. So I leave it to time to convince him as to both, to fhew him the fhallow depths of these half-witted creatures who mif-inform'd him, and to prove that I am incapable of endeavouring to leffen a person whom I would be proud to imitate, and therefore afham'd to flatter. In a word, Mr. Addifon is fure of my refpect at all times, and of my real friendship whenever he fhall think fit to know me for what I am.

For all that pafs'd betwixt Dr. Swift and me, you know the whole (without referve) of our correfpondence. The engagements I had to him were fuch as the actual fervices he had done me, in relation to the fubfcription for Homer obliged me to. I must have leave to be grateful to him, and to any one who serves me, let him be never fo obnoxious to any party nor did the Tory-party ever put me to the hardship of asking this leave, which is the greateft obligation I owe to it; and I expect no greater from the Whig party than the fame liberty.-A curfe on the word Party, which I have been forc'd to use so often in this period! I wish the present reign may put an end to the diftinction, that there may be no other for the future than that of Honeft and Knave, Fool and Man of fenfe; thefe two forts VOL. VIII. *

S

must always be enemies; but for the reft, may all people do as you and I, believe what they please, and be friends.

I am, &c.

LETTER XXIV.

To the Earl of HALLIFAX.

MY LORD,

Dec. 1, 1714.

I am to you thote for the fad me. You have

Am obliged to you both for the favours you have

neither your will nor your memory, when it is to do good; and if ever I become troublesome or folicitous, it must not be out of expectation, but out of gratitude. Your Lordfhip may either caufe me to live agreeably in the town, or contentedly in the country, which is really all the difference I fet between an easy fortune and a small one. It is indeed a high ftrain of generofity in you, to think of making me eafy all my life, only because I have been fo happy as to divert you fome few hours: but if I may have leave to add, it is because you think me no enemy to my native country, there will appear a better reafon; for I muft of confequence be very much (as I fincerely am)

Yours, &c.

I

LETTER XXV.

Dr. PARNELLE to Mr. POPE.

Am writing you a long letter, but all the tedioufnefs I feel in it is, that it makes me during the time think more intently of my being far from you. I fancy, if I were with you, I could remove fome of the uneafiness which you may have felt from the oppofition of the world, and which you should be afhamed to feel, fince it is but the testimony which one part of it gives you that your merit is unqueftionable. What would you have otherwife, from ignorance, envy, or thofe tempers which vie with you in your own way? I know this in mankind, that when our ambition is unable to attain its end, it is not only wearied, but exafperated too at the va nity of its labours; then we speak ill of happier studies, and fighing condemn the excellence which we find above our reach.

My + Zoilus, which you us'd to write about, I finish'd last spring, and left in town. I waited till I came up to fend it you, but not arriving here before your book was out, imagin'd it a lost piece of labour. If you will still have it, you need only write me word.

This, and the three Extracts following, concerning the Tranflation of the firft Iliad, fet on foot by Mr. Addifon, Mr. Pope has omitted in his firft Edition.

†Printed for B. Lintot, 1715. 8°, and afterwards added to the laft edition of his poems.