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LETTER XXVI.

May 10, 1710.

Am forry you perfift to take ill my not accepting your invitation, and to find (if I mistake not) your exception not unmixt with fome fufpicion. Be certain I shall moft carefully obferve your request, not to cross over, or deface the copy of your papers for the future, and only to mark in the margin the Repetitions. But as this can serve no further than to get rid of those repetitions, and no way rectify the Method, nor connect the Matter, nor improve poetry in expreffion or numbers, without further blotting, adding, and altering; fo it really is my opinion and defire, that you should take your papers out of my hands into your own, and that no alterations may be made but when both of us are prefent; when you may be fatisfied with every blot, as well as every addition, and nothing be put upon the papers but what you fhall give your own fanction and affent to, at the fame time,

the

Do not be fo unjust, as to imagine from hence that I would decline any part of this task; on the contrary you know, I have been at the pains of tranfcribing fome pieces, at once to comply with your defire of not defacing the copy, and yet to lofe no time in proceeding upon the correction. I will go on the fame way, if you please; tho' truly it is (as I have often told you) my fincere opinion,

that the greater part would make a much better figure as Single Maxims and Reflections in profe, after the manner of your favourite Rochefoucault, than in verfe*: And this, when nothing more is done but marking the repetitions in the margin, will be an easy tafk to proceed upon, notwithstanding the bad Memory you complain of. I am unfeignedly, dear Sir, Your, &c.

A. POPE.

* Mr. Wycherley lived five years after, to December, 1715, but little progrefs was made in this defign, thro' his Old age, and the increase of his infirmities. However, fome of the Verfes, which had been touch'd by Mr. P. with cccVIII of these Maxims in Profe, were found among his papers, which having the misfortune to fall into the hands of a Mercenary, were published in 1728 in octavo, under the Title of The Pofthumous Works of William Wycherley, Efq;

LETTERS

TO AND FROM

W. WALS H*, Efq;

From the Year 1705 to 1707.

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LETTER I.

Mr. WALSH to Mr. W Y CHERLEY,

April 20, 1705.

Return you the + Papers you favour'd me with, and had fent them to you yefterday morning, but that I thought to have brought them to you laft night myself. I have read them over feveral times with great fatisfaction. The Preface is very judicious and very learned; and the Verfes very tender

* Of Abberley in Worcestershire, Gentleman of the Horfe in Queen Anne's reign, Author of feveral beautiful pieces in Profe and Verfe, and in the opinion of Mr. Dryden (in his Poftfcript to Virgil) the best critie of our Nation in his time.

† Mr. Pope's Paftorals.

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and eafy. The Author feems to have a particular genius for that kind of poetry, and a judgment that much exceeds the years you told me he was of. He has taken very freely from the ancients, but what he has mixed of his own with theirs, is not inferior to what he has taken from them. 'Tis no flattery at all to fay, that Virgil had written nothing fo good at his age*. I fhall take it as a favour if you will bring me acquainted with him; and if he will give himself the trouble any morning to call at my house, I shall be very glad to read the verses over with him, and give him my opinion of the particulars more largely than I can well do in this letter. I am, Sir, &c.

I

LETTER

II.

Mr. WALSH to Mr. Po P E.

June 24, 1706.

Receiv'd the favour of your letter, and fhall be

very glad of the continuance of a correfpondence by which I am like to be fo great a gainer. I hope, when I have the happiness of seeing you again in London, not only to read over the verses I have now of yours, but more that you have written fince; for I make no doubt but any one who writes fo well, muft write more. Not that I think the moft voluminous poets always the best; I believe

* Sixteen.

the contrary is rather trae. I mention'd fomewhat to you in London of a Pastoral Comedy, which I fhould be glad to hear you had thought upon fince. I find Menage in his obfervations upon Tafio's Aminta, reckons up fourfcore paftoral plays in Italian and in looking over my old Italian books, I find a great many paftoral and pifcatory plays,, which, I fuppofe, Menage reckons together. I find also by Menage, that Taffo is not the first that writ in that kind, he mentioning another before him which he himself had never feen, nor indeed have I. But as the Aminta, Paftor Fido, and Filli di Sciro of Bonarelli are the three beft, fo, I think, there is no difpute but Aminta is the beft of the three: not but that the difcourfes in Paftor Fido are more entertaining and copious in feveral people's opinion, tho' not fo proper for paftoral: and the fable of Bonarelli more furprizing. I do not remember many in other languages, that have written in this kind with fuccefs, Racan's Bergeries are much inferior to his lyric poems; and the Spaniards are all too full of conceits. Rapin will have the defign of pastoral plays to be taken from the Cyclops of Euripides. I am fure there is nothing of this kind in English worth mentioning, and therefore you have that field open to yourself. You fee I write to you without any fort of constraint or method, as things come into my head, and therefore ufe the fame freedom with me, who am, &c.