Inclination, or to publish them, as are contrary to your Modelty. Otherwise your Fame and your Property fuffer alike; you are at once expofed and plundered. As an Author, you are deprived of that Power, which above all others conftitutes a good one, the power of rejecting, and the right of judging for yourself, what pieces it may be most useful, entertaining, or reputable to publish, at the time and in the manner you think best. As a Man, you are deprived of the right even over your own Sentiments, of the privilege of every human creature to divulge or conceal them; of the advantage of your Second thoughts; and of all the benefit of your Prudence, your Candour, or your Modefty. As a Member of Society, you are yet more injured; your private conduct, your domeftic concerns, your family fecrets, your paffions, your tenderneffes, your weaknesses, are exposed to the Misconstruction or Refentment of fome, to the Cenfure or Impertinence of the whole world. The printing private letters in fuch a manner, is the worst fort of betraying Converfation, as it has evidently the most extenfive, and the most lafting, ill confequences. Is is the highest offence against Society, as it renders the moft dear and intimate intercourfe of friend with friend, and the most neceffary commerce of man with man, unfafe and to be dreaded. To open Letters is esteemed the greatest breach of honour; even to look into them already opened or accidentally dropt, is held VOL. VIII. b an ungenerous, if not an immoral act. What then can be thought of the procuring them merely by Fraud, and the printing them merely for Lucre? We cannot but conclude every honest man will wish, that if the Laws have as yet provided no adequate remedy, one at least may be found, to prevent fo great and growing an evil. Contents of the Eighth Volume. temper of critics. III. Mr. Wycherley's humanity; his encouragement of young writers; concerning the Author's Paftorals. IV. From Mr. Wycherley; Anfwer to the former. VI. Some reasons why friendships may be contracted XV. More concerning corrections of the poems, XVI. From Mr. Wycherley, after bis illness. XVIII. From Mr. Wycherley. Concerning the Mifcel- XIX. Concerning Mifcellanies, and the danger of XXII. From Mr. Wycherley. His defire of his com- XXIII. More about the poems. XXIV. Corrections fent. XXV. From Mr. Wycherley. In anfwer to the account XXVI. The lafl advice about his papers, to turn them into felect Maxims and Reflections, which Mr. LETTERS to and from Mr. WALSH. P. 51 II. Mr. Walsh to Mr. Pope. Concerning paftoral III. The answer. Of correcting, and the extreme of it. Of paftoral comedy, and its character. Of the libe of borrowing from the ancients. IV. From Mr. Walb. On the fame fubje&ts. V. From Mr. Walsh. Of mechanical critics; of wit and conceit, a request concerning one of his paftorals. 3 |