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faying, I have fuffer'd a great deal of difcontent that you do not, tho' I fo little merit that you fhould.

I must complain of the shortness of your laft: Those who have moft Wit, like thofe who have moft Money, are generally moft fparing of either.

Mr. WYCHERLEY's Answer.

YOU

Nov. 5, 1795.

"OURS of the 26th of October I have receiv'd, as I have always done yours, with no little Satisfaction, and am proud to difcover by it, that you find fault with the fhortness of mine, which I think the best Excufe for it: And tho' they (as you fay) who have moft Wit or Money, are most fparing of either; there are fome who appear Poor to be thought Rich, and are Poor, which is my Cafe: I cannot but rejoyce, that you have undergone so much difcontent for want of my company; but if you have a Mind to punish me for my fault, (which I could not help defer your coming to Town, and you will do it effectually. But I know your Charity always exceeds your Revenge, fo that I will not C 2

despair

defpair of feeing you, who, in return to your inviting me to your Foreft, invite you to my Foreft, the Town; where the Beafts that inhabit, tame or wild, of long Ears or Horns, pursue one another either out of Love or Hatred. You You may have the Pleasure to fee one Pack of Bloodhounds purfue another Herd of Brutes, to bring each other to their Fall, which is their whole Sport: Or, if you affect a lefs bloody Chace, you may see a Pack of Spaniels, called Lovers, in hot pursuit of a two-legg'd Vixen, who only flies the whole loud Pack to be fingled out by one Dog, who runs mute to catch her up the fooner from the reft, as they are making a Noife, to the Lofs of their Game. In fine, this is the Time for all forts of Sport in the Town, when those of the Country cease; therefore leave your Foreft of Beafts, for ours of Brutes, call'd Men, who now in Cry, (pack'd by the Court or Country) run down in the Houfe of Commons, a de ferted horned Beaft of the Court, to the fatisfaction of their Spectators: Befides, (more for your Diverfion) you may fee not only the two great Play-houses of the Nation, those of the Lords and Commons, in Difpute with one another; but the two other Play-houses in high Conteft, because the Members of one House are remov'd

"

up

up to t'other, (as it is often done by the Court for Reasons of State.) Infomuch that the lower Houses, I mean the Play-houses, are going to act Tragedies on one another without Doors, and the Sovereign is put to it (as it often happens in the other two Houses) to filence one or both, to keep Peace between them: Now I have told you all the News of the Town.

1 am, &c.

Mr. WYCHERLEY to Mr. POPB.

I

Feb. 5, 1705.

HAVE receiv'd your kind Letter, with my Paper * to Mr. Dryden corrected. I own you have made more of it by making it lefs, as the Dutch are faid to burn half the Spices they bring home to inhance the Price of the remainder, fo to be greater Gainers by their Lofs, (which is indeed my Cafe now.) Well; you have prun'd my fading Lawrels of fome fuperfluous, fapless,

The fame which was printed in the Year 1717, in a Mifcellany of Bern. Lintot's, and in the prefent Edition of the Pofthumous Works of Mr. Wycherley.

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and dead Branches, to make the remainder live the longer; thus like your Mafter Apollo, you are at once a Poet and a Phyfician.

Now, Sir, as to my impudent invitation of you to the Town, your good Nature was the firft Caufe of my confident request but excufe me, I muft (I fee) fay no more upon this Subject, fince I find you a little too nice to be dealt freely with; tho' you have given me fome Encouragement to hope, our Friendship (tho' young) might be without Shynefs, or criminal Modefty; for a Friend like a Miftrefs, tho' he is not to be mercenary to be true, yet ought not to refufe a Friend's kindness because it is fmall or trivial: I have told you (I think) that a Spanish Lady faid to her poor, poetical Gallant, that a Queen if the lay with a Groom, would expect a Mark of his kindness from him, tho' it were but his Carry-comb. But you and I will difpute this Matter when I am so happy as to fee you here; and perhaps 'tis the only Dif pute in which I might hope to have the better of you.

Now, Sir, to make you another Excufe for my boldness in inviting you to Town, I defign'd to leave with you fome more of my Papers, (fince thefe return fo much better out of your Hands than they went from mine) for I intended (as I told you formerly)

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to spend a Month, or fix Weeks this Sum mer, near you in the Country, for you may be affured there is nothing I defire fo much, as an Improvement of your Friendship,

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Mr. WYCHERLEY to Mr. POPE.

March 22, 1705-6.

MUST lay a Penance upon you, which is to defire you to look over that damn’d Mifcellany of Madrigals of mine, to pick out (if poffible) fome that may be so alter'd that they may yet appear in Print again; I hope with better fuccefs than they hitherto have done. I will give you my Reason for this Requeft of mine, when I fee you; which I am refolv'd shall be when I have done here, and at the Bath, where I defign to go, and afterwards to fpend two Months (God willing) with you, at Binfield, or near it

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Mr. POPE'S

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