-ries) have the town in general, that is the mob, on my fide; but tis usual with the smaller party to make up in industry what they want in number, and that's the cafe with the little Senate of Cato, However, if our principles be well confider'd, I must appear a brave Whig, and Mr. T. a rank Tory: I tranflated Homer for the publick in general, he to gratify the inordinate defires of one Man only. We have it seems, a great Turk in poetry, who can never bear a brother on the throne; and has his Mutes too, a fett of nodders, winkers, and whisperers, whose business is to ftrangle all other offfpring of wit in their birth. The new tranflator of Homer is the humblest flave he has, that is to fay, his first Minifter; let him receive the honours he gives him, but receive them with fear and trembling; let him be proud of the approbation of his absolute Lord; I appeal to the people, as my rightful judges and masters; and if they are not inclin'd to condemn me, I fear no arbitrary high-flying proceedings from the fmall Court-faction at Button's. But after all I have faid of this great man, there is no rupture between us: We are each of us fo civil and obliging, that neither thinks he is obliged: And I for my part treat with him, as we do with the Grand Monarch; who has too many great qualities not to to be refpected, tho' we know he watches any occafion to oppress us.

When I talk of Homer, I must not forget the early present you made me of Monfieur de la Motte's book. I can't conclude this letter without telling you a melancholy piece of news which affects our very entrails, L* is dead, and foupes are no more! You fee I write in the old familiar way. "This is not to the minifter "but to the friend." However it is fome mark of regard to the Minister, that I steal an expreffion from a Secretary of State. I am, &c.

LETTERS

SIR, Oct. 19, 1705. Return you the Book you were pleas'd to fend me, and with it your obliging letter, which deferves my particular acknowledgment; for next to the pleasure of enjoying the company of so good a friend, the welcomeft thing to me is to hear from him. I expected to find, what I have met with, an admirable genius in thofe Poems, not only because they were Milton's, † or were approved by Sir Hen. Wootton, but because you had commended them; and give me leave to tell you, that I know no body fo like

* Secretary of State to King William the Third.

+ L'Allegro, il Penferofo, Lycidas, and the Mafque of Comus.

R

to equal him, even at the age he wrote most of them, as your felf. Only do not afford more cause of complaints against you, that you fuffer nothing of yours to come abroad; which in this age, wherein wit and true fenfe is more scarce than money, is a piece of fuch cruelty as your best friends can hardly pardon. I hope you will repent and amend; I could offer many reafons to this purpose, and fuch as you cannot answer with any fincerity; but that I dare not enlarge, for fear of engaging in a ftile of compliment, which has been fo abufed by fools and knaves, that it is become almost fcandalous. I conclude therefore with an affurance which shall never vary, of my being ever, &c.

LETTER LXXI.

From Sir WILLIAM TRUMBULL.

April 9, 1708.

Have this moment receiv'd the favour of yours of the 8th inftant; and will make you a true excufe, (tho' perhaps no very good one) that I deferr'd the troubling you with a letter, when I fent back your papers, in hopes of feeing you at Binfield before this time. If I had met with any fault in your performance, I fhould freely now (as I have done too prefumptuously in converfation with you) tell you my opinion; which I have frequently ventur'd to give you, rather in compliance with your defires than that I could think it reasonable. For I am not yet fatisfied upon what grounds I can pretend to judge of poetry, who never have been practic'd in the art. There may poffibly be fome happy genius's, who may judge of fome of the natural beauties of a poem, as a man may of the proportions of a building, without having read

Vitruvius, or knowing any thing of the rules of architecture: but this, tho' it may fometimes be in the right, must be subject to many mistakes, and is certainly but a fuperficial knowledge; without entring into the art, the methods, and the particular excellencies of the whole compofure, in all the parts of it.

Befides my want of skill, I have another reason why I ought to suspect my self, by reason of the great affection I have for you; which might give too much biafs to be kind to every thing that comes from you. But after all, I must say (and I do it with an old-fashion'd fincerity) that I entirely approve of your tranflation of those pieces of Homer, both as to the verfification and the true sense that shines thro' the whole: Nay I am confirmed in my former application to you, and give me leave to renew it upon this occafion, that you wou'd proceed in tranflating that incomparable Poet, to make him speak good English, to dress his admirable characters in your proper, fignificant, and expreffive conceptions, and to make his works as ufeful and inftructive to this degenerate age, as he was to our friend Horace, when he read him at Prænefte: Qui, quid fit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non, &c. I break off with that quid non? with which I confess I am charm'd.

Upon the whole matter I entreat you to fend this presently to be added to the Miscellanies, and I hope it will come time enough for that purpose.

I have nothing to fay of my Nephew B's obfervations, for he sent them to me fo late, that I had not time to confider them; I dare fay he endeavor'd very faithfully (tho' he told me very haftily) to execute your commands.

All I can add is, that if your excefs of modefty fhou'd hinder you from publishing this Effay, I fhall only be forry that I have no more credit with you, to perfuade you to oblige the publick, and very particularly, dear Sir, Your, &c.

I

LETTER LXXII.

From Sir WILLIAM TRUMBULL.

March 6, 1713.

Think a hafty fcribble shows more what flows from the heart, than a letter after Balzac's manner in ftuddied phrases; therefore I will tell you as fast as I can, that I have receiv'd your favour of the 26th past, with your kind prefent of The Rape of the Lock. You have given me the trueft fatisfaction imaginable, not only in making good the just opinion I have ever had of your reach of thought, and my Idea of your comprehensive genius; but likewife in that pleasure I take as an English Man to fee the French, even Boileau himself in his Lutrin, out-done in your Poem: for you descend, leviore plectro, to all the nicer touches, that your own observation and wit furnish, on such a subject as requires the fineft ftrokes and the livelieft imagination. But I must say no more (tho' I could a great deal) on what pleases me fo much: and henceforth I hope you will never condemn me of partiality, fince I only swim with the ftream, and approve what all men of good tafte (notwithstanding the jarring of Parties) muft and do univerfally applaud. I now come to what is of vast moment, I mean the preservation of your health, and beg of you earnestly to get out of all Tavern-company, and fly away tanquam ex incendio. What a misery it is for you to be destroy'd by the foolish kindness ('tis all one whether real or pretended) of those who are able to bear the poison of bad wine, and to engage you in fo unequal a combat? As to Homer, by all I can learn your business is done; therefore come away and take a little time to breathe in the coun