I could name an acquaintance of yours who wou'd at this time think himself more obliged to you for the Information of his Faults, than the Confirmation of his Follies. If you would make those the fubject of a Letter, it might be as long as I could wish your Letters always were.

I do not wonder you have hitherto found fome difficulty (as you are pleas'd to fay) in writing to me, fince you have always chofen the Task of commending me: Take but the other way, and I dare ingage you will find none at all.

As for my Verses which you praife fo much, I may truly fay they had never been the cause of any Vanity in me, except what they gave me when they firft occafion'd my acquaintance with you. But I have feveral times fince been in danger of this Vice, as often I mean as I receiv'd any Letters from you.

"Tis certain, the greatest magnifying Glaffes in the World are a Man's own Eyes, when they look upon his own Perfon; yet even in thofe, I cannot fancy my felf fo extremely like Alexander the Great, as you would perfuade me: If I must be like him, 'tis you will make me fo,

by

by complimenting me into a better opinion of my felf than I deferve: They made. him think he was the Son of Jupiter, and you affure me I am a Man of Parts. But is this all you can fay to my honour? You faid ten times as much before, when you call'd me your Friend. After having made me believe I poffefs'd a fhare in your affection, to treat me with Compliments and fweet Sayings, is like the proceeding with poor Sancho Pancha: They had perfuaded him that he enjoy'd a great Dominion, and then gave him nothing to fubfift upon but Wafers and Marmalade.

In our

Days, the greatest obligation you can lay upon a Wit, is to make a Fool of him. For as when Madmen are found incurable, wife Men give them their Way, and please. them as well as they can; fo when those incorrigible things, Poets, are once irrecoverably Be-mus'd, the beft way both to quiet them, and fecure your felves from the effects of their Frenzy, is to feed their. Vanity; (which indeed for the most part is all that is fed in a Poet.)

You may believe me, I could be heartily glad that all you fay were as true, apply'd to me, as it would be to your self, for feveral weighty Reafons; but for none fo much, as that I might be to you what you deferve;

deferve; whereas I can now be no more, than is confiftent with the fmall, tho' utmoft Capacity of,

Dear Sir,

Your ever affectionate Servant.

Mr. POPE

Mr. POPE to Mr. WYC HER LÊY!

I

3

Oct. 26, 1705.

HAVE now chang'd the Scene from the Town to the Country; from Will's Coffee-Houfe to Windfor Foreft. I find no other difference than this, betwixt the common Town-Wits, and the downright Country Fools; that the firft are pertly in the Wrong, with a little more Flourish and Gaiety, and the last neither in the Right hor the Wrong, but confirmed in a ftupid, fettled Medium betwixt both. However, methinks these are most in the Right, who quietly and eafily refign themfelves over to the gentle Reign of Dulnefs, which the Wits muft do at laft, tho' after a great deal of Noife, Pother, and Refiftance, Ours are a fort of modeft, inoffenfive People, who neither have Senfe, nor pretend to any, but enjoy a jovial Sort of Dulnefs. They are commonly known in the World by the Name of honeft, civil Gentlemen. They live much, as they ride, at random; a kind of hunting Life, purfuing with earneftness and hazard, fomething not worth the catching; never in the way, nor out of it. I can't but prefer Solitude to the Company of all thefe; for tho' a C Man's

Man's felf may poffibly be the worst Fellow to converfe with in the World, yet one would think the Company of a Perfon whom we have the greateft regard to, and affection for, could not be very unpleafant: As a Man in love with a Miftrefs, defires no Converfation

thers, fo à Man in love with himfelf, (as moft Men are) may be best pleased with his own. Befides, if the trueft and moft ufeful Knowledge, be the knowledge of our felves, Solitude conducing moft to make us look into our felves, fhould be the most instructive State of Life. We fee nothing more commonly, than Men, who for the fake of the circumftantial Part, and meer outfide of Life, have been half their Days rambling out of their Nature, and ought to be fent into Solitude to ftudy themselves over again. People are usually spoil'd inftead of being taught, at their coming into the World whereas by being more converfant with Obfcurity, without any Pains, they would naturally follow what they were meant for In a word, if a Man be a Coxcomb, Solitude is his beft School; and if he be a Fool, it is his beft Sanctuary.

These are good Reafons for my own Stay here, but I wish I could give you any for your coming hither, except that I earneftly invite you. And yet I can't help

faying,