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I doubt not, will delight the eye and sense of the fair, as long as that agreeable machine shall play in the hands of pofterity. I am glad your fan is mounted fo foon, but I would have you varnish and glaze it at your leisure, and polish the sticks as much as you can. You may then cause it to be borne in the hands of both fexes, no lefs in Britain, than it is in China; where it is ordinary for a Mandarine to fan himself cool after a debate, and a Statesman to hide his face with it when he tells a

grave lie.
I am, &c.

LETTER IV.

DEAR MR. GAY,

WE

Sept. 23, 1714:

Elcome to your native foil +! welcome to your friends! thrice welcome to me! whether returned in glory, bleft with court-intereft, the love and familiarity of the great, and fill'd with agreeable hopes; or melancholy with dejection, contemplative of the changes of fortune, and doubtful for the future: Whether return'd a triumphant Whig, or a defponding Tory, equally all hail! equally beloved and welcome to me! If happy, I am to partake in your elevation; if unhappy, you have ftill a warm corner in my heart, and a retreat at Binfield in the worst of times at your fervice. If you are a Tory, or thought fo by any man, I know it can proceed from nothing but your gratitude to a few people who endeavour'd to serve you, and whose

In the beginning of this year Mr. Gay went over to Hanover with the Earl of Clarendon, who was fent thither by Q. Amne. On her death they returned to England and it was on this occafion that Mr. Pope met bim with this friendly welcome.

politics

politics were never your concern. If you are a Whig, as I rather hope, and, as I think, your principles and mine (as brother poets) had ever a bias to the fide of Liberty, I know you will be an honeft man, and an inoffenfive one. Upon the whole, I know, you are incapable of being fo much of either party as to be good for nothing. Therefore once more, whatever you are, or in what state you are, all hail!

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One or two of your old friends complain'd they had heard nothing from you fince the Queen's death; I told them no man living lov'd Mr. Gay better than I, yet I had not once written to him in all his voyage. This I thought a convincing proof, how truly one may be a friend to another without telling him fo every month. But they had reasons too themselves to alledge in your excufe ; as men who really value one another, will never want fuch as make their friends and themselves easy. The late Univerfal concern in public affairs, threw us all into a hurry of fpirits: even I, who am more, a Philofopher than to expect any thing from any Reign, was borne away with the current, and full of the expectation of the Succeffor: During your journeys I knew not whither to aim a letter after you; that was a fort of fhooting flying: add to this the demand Homer had upon me, to write fifty verfes a day, befides learned notes, all which are at a conclufion for this year. Rejoice with me, O my friend, that my labour is over; come and make merry with me in much feafting: We will feed among the lilies (by the lilies I mean the Ladies.) Are not the Rofalinda's of Britain as charming as the Bloufalinda's of the Hague? or have the two great Paftoral poets of our nation renounced love at the fame time? for Philips, immortal Philips hath deferted, yea, and in a ruftic manner kicked, his Rofalind. Dr. Parnelle and I have been infepa➡ rable

rable ever fince you went. We are now at the Bath, where (if you are not, as I heartily hope, better engaged) your coming would be the greatest pleasure to us in the world. Talk not of expences: Homer. fhall fupport his children. I beg a line from you directly to the post-house in Bath. Poor. Parnelle is in an ill ftate of health.

Pardon me if I add a word of advice in the poetical way. Write something on the King, or Prince, or Princefs. On whatsoever foot you may be with the court, this can do no harm-I fhall never know where to end, and am confounded in the many things I have to say to you, tho' they all amount but to this, that I am entirely, as ever,

I

Your, &c.

LETTER V.

London, Nov. 8, 1717.

am extremely glad to find by a Letter of yours to Mr. Fortefcue, that you have received one from me; and I beg you to keep as the greatest of curiofities, that letter of mine which you received, and I never writ.

But the truth is, that we were made here to expect you in a fhort time, that I was upon the ramble most part of the Summer, and have concluded the feafon in grief, for the death of my poor fa ther.

I fhall not enter into a detail of my concerns and troubles, for two reafons; because I am really afflicted and need no airs of grief, and because they are not the concerns and troubles of any but myself. But I think you. (without too great a compliment) enough my friend, to be pleas'd to know he died eafily, without a groan, or the fickness of two mi

nutes;

nutes; in a word, as filently and peacefully as he lived.

Sic mihi contingat vivere, ficque mori !

I am not in the humour to say gay things, nor in the affectation of avoiding them. I can't pretend to entertain either Mr. Pulteney of you, as you have done both my Lord Burlington and me, by your letter to Mr. Lowndes*. I am only forry you have no greater quarrel to Mr. Lowndes, and wish you paid fome hundreds a year to the land-tax. That gentleman is lately become an inoffenfive perfon to me too; fo that we may join heartily in our addreffes to him, and (like true patriots) rejoice in all that good done to the nation and government, to which we contribute nothing ourselves.

I fhould not forget to acknowledge your letter fent from Aix; you told me then that writing was not good with the waters, and, I find fince, you are of my opinion, that 'tis as bad without the waters. But, I fancy, it is not writing but thinking, that is fo bad with the waters; and then you may write without any manner of prejudice, if you writ like our brother Poets of thefe days.

The Duchefs, Lord Warwick, Lord Stanhope, Mrs. Bellenden, Mrs. Lepell, and I can't tell who elfe, had your letters: Dr. Arbuthnot and I expect to be treated like Friends. I would fend my fervices to Mr. Pulteney, but that he is out of favour at court; and make fome compliment to Mrs. Pulteney, if the were not a Whig. My Lord Burlington tells me she has much out-fhin'd all the French ladies, as fhe did the English before: 'I am forry for it, because it will be detrimental to our holy reli

* A Poem intituled, To my ingenious and worthy friend W. Lowndes, Efq. Author of that celebrated treatife in Folio, call'd the LAND-TAX BILL. 5

gion,

gion, if heretical women fhould eclipfe thofe Nuns and orthodox Beauties, in whofe eyes alone lie all the hopes we can have, of gaining fuch fine gentlemen as you to our church.

Your, &c.

I wifh you joy of the birth of the young prince, because he is the only prince we have, from whom you have had no expectations and no disappoint

ments.

LETTER VI.

From Mr. GAY to Mr. F-,

Stanton Harcourt, Aug. 9, 1718.

HE only news that you can expect to have

TH from me here, is news from heaven, for I'

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am quite out of the world, and there is scarce any thing can reach me except the noife of thunder, which undoubtedly you have heard too. We have read in old authors of high towers levell'd by it to the ground, while the humble valleys have efcap'd: the only thing that is proof againft it is the laurel, which, however, I take to be no great fecurity to the brains of modern authors. But to let you fee that the contrary to this often happens, I muft acquaint you, that the highest and most extravagant heap of towers in the univerfe, which is in this' neighbourhood, ftands ftill'undefaced, while a cock of barley in our next field has been confumed to afhes. Would to God that this heap of barley had been all that had perifhed! for unhappily beneath this little fhelter fat two much more conftant Lovers than ever were found in Romance under the fhade of a beech tree. John Hewet was a well-fet man VOL. VIII. I

of

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