warm funs, and blue skies, you must come to Italy; and to enable a man to describe rocks and precipices, it is abfolutely neceffary that he pass the Alps.

You will eafily perceive that it is felf-interest makes. me fo fond of giving advice to one who has no need of it. If you came into these parts I fhould fly to fee you. I am here (by the favour of my good friend the Dean of St. Patrick's) in quality of Chaplain to the Earl of Peterborough; who about three months fince left the greatest part of his family in this town. God knows how long we shall stay here. I am, Your, &c..

LETTER

II.

Mr. POPE to Mr. JERVAS in Ireland.

TH

July 9, 1716.

HO', as you rightly remark, I pay my tax: but once in half a year, yet you thall fee by this letter upon the neck of my laft, that I pay a double tax, as we non-jurors ought to do. Your acquaintance on this fide of the fea are under terrible apprehenfions from your long ftay in Ireland, that you may grow too polite for them; for we think. (fince the great fuccefs of fuch a play as the Nonjuror) that politeness is gone over the water. But: others are of opinion it has been longer among you,, and was introduced much about the fame time with Frogs, and with equal fuccefs. Poor oetry! the little that is left of it here longs to cross the feas,.

and leave Eufden in full and peaceable poffeffion of the British laurel: and we begin to wish you had the finging of our poets, as well as the croaking of our frogs, to yourselves, in fæcula fæculorum. It would be well in exchange, if Parnelle, and two or three more of your Swans would come hither, especially that Swan, who, like a true modern one, does not fing at all, Dr. Swift. I am (like the rest of the world) a fufferer by his idleness. Indeed I hate that any man should be idle, while I must tranflate and comment; and I may the more fincerely wifh for good poetry from others, because I am become a perfon out of the queftion; for a Tranflator is no more a poet, than a Taylor is a man.

You are, doubtless, perfuaded of the validity of that famous verse,

'Tis Expectation makes a Bleffing dear:

but why would you make your friends fonder of you than they are? There is no manner of need of it. We begin to expect you no more than Anti-chrift; a man that hath abfented himself fo long from his friends ought to be put into the Gazette.

Every body here has great need of you. Many faces have dieu for want of your pencil, and blooming Ladies have wither'd in expecting your return. Even Frank and Betty (that conftant pair) cannot confole themfelves for your abfence; I fancy they will be forced to make their own picture in a pretty babe, before you come home: 'twill be a noble

fubject for a family piece. Come then, and having peopled Ireland with a world of beautiful fhadows, come to us, and fee with that eye (which, like the eye of the world, creates beauties by looking on. them) fee, I fay, how England has alter'd the airs of all its heads in your absence and with what fneaking city attitudes our most celebrated personages appear, in the mere mortal works of our painters.

Mr. Fortefcue is much yours; Gay commemorates you; and laftly (to climb by juft fteps and degrees) my Lord Burlington defires you may be put in mind of him. His gardens flourish, his structurés rife, his pictures arrive, and (what is far more valuable than all) his own good qualities daily extend themselves to all about him: of whom I the meaneft (next to some Italian Fidlers, and English Bricklayers) am a living inftance. Adieu..

I

To the fame..

Nov. 14, 1716.

F I had not done my utmost to lead my life fo pleasantly as to forget all misfortunes, I fhould tell you I reckoned your abfence no fmall one; but I hope you have also had many good and pleasant reasons to forget your friends on this fide the world, If a wifh could tranfport me to you and your prefent:

fent companions, I could do the fame. Dr. Swift, I believe, is a very good landlord, and a chearful hoft at his own table: I fuppofe he has perfectly learnt himself, what he has taught fo many others, rupta non infanire lagena: else he would not make a proper hoft for your humble fervant, who (you know) tho' he drinks a glafs as feldom as any man, contrives to break one as often. But 'tis a consolation to me, that I can do this, and many other enor mities, under my own roof.

But that you and I are upon equal terms, in all friendly laziness, and have taken an inviolable oath to each other, always to do what we will; I fhould reproach you for fo long a filence. The best amends you can make for faying nothing to me is by saying all the good you can of me, which is, that I heartily love and esteem the Dean and Dr. Parnelle.

Gay is yours and theirs, His fpirit is awakened

I

very much in the caufe of the Dean, which has broke forth in a courageous couplet or two upon Sir Richard Blackmore: He has printed it with his name to it, and bravely affigns no other reason, than that the faid Sir Richard has abused Dr. Swift. have alfo fuffered in the like cause, and shall suffer more: unless Parnelle fends me his Zoilus and Bookworm (which the Bishop of Clogher, I hear greatly extols) it will be shortly concurrere Bellum atque Virum-I love you all, as much as I defpife moft wits in this dull country. Ireland has turned the tables upon England; and if I have no poetical friend in

my own nation, I'll be as proud as Scipio, and fay (fince I am reduced to skin and bone) Ingrata patria ne offa quidem habeas.

TH

LETTER IV.

'To the fame.

Nov. 29, 1716.

HAT you have not heard from me of late, afcribe not to the ufual lazinefs of your correfpondent, but to a ramble to Oxford, where your name is mentioned with honour, even in à land flowing with Tories. I had the good fortune there to be often in the converfation of Doctor Clarke: He entertain'd me with feveral drawings, and particularly with the original defigns of Inigo Jones's Whitehall. I there faw and reverenced fome of your first pieces; which future painters are to look upon as we Poets do on the Culex of Virgil and Batrachom. of Homer.

Having named this latter pièce, give me leave to afk what is become of Dr. Parnelle and his frogs *? Oblitufque meorum, oblivifcendus et illis, might be Horace's wish, but will never be mine while I have such meorums as Dr. Parnelle and Dr. Swift. I hope the Spring will restore you to us, and with you all the beauties and colours of nature. Not but I congratulate you on the pleasure you must take in being

*He tranflated the Batrachom, of Homer, which is printed amongst his Poems.