[61] LETTERS O F *Mr. Walsh and Mr. Pope. From 1705, to 1707. Mr. WALSH to Mr. WYCHERLEY. I Apr. 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 last night my self. I have read them over several * Of Abberley in Worcestershire, Gentleman of the Horse 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 Beft Critic of our Nation in his time. Mr. Pope's Paftorals. times with great fatisfaction. The Preface is very judicious and very learned; and the Verfes very tender 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 mixt of his own with theirs, is no way inferior to what he has taken from Tis no flattery at all to fay, that them. * Sixteen. Virgil had written nothing fo good at his Age*. I shall 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 fhall be very glad to read the Verfes over with him, and give him my opinion of the particulars more largely i than I can well do in this Letter. I am, h I 3 Mr. WALSH to Mr. POPE. L June 24, 1706. Receiv'd the favour of your Letter, and hall 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 feeing you again in London, not only to read over the Verfes 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 beft, I believe the contrary is rather true. I mentioned fomewhat to you in London of a Paftoral Comedy, which I fhould be glad to hear you had thought upon fince. I find Menage in his obfervations upon Taffo's Aminta, reckons up fourfcore Paftoral Plays in Italian: And in looking over my old Italian Books, I find a great many Paftorals and Pifcatory Plays, which I fuppofe Menage reckons together. I find alfo by Menage, that Tafo is not the first that writ in that kind, he mentioning another before him, which he himself had never seen, nor indeed have I. But as the Aminta, Paftor Fido, and Filli di Sciro of Bonarelli are the three best, so I think there . is |