much better gratify'd by employing not your own, but fome of those low and ignoble pens to do you this mean office. I dare engage you'll have them for less than I gave Mr. Broom, if your friends have not rais'd the market: Let them drive the bargain for you, my Lord; and you may depend on feeing, every day in the week, as many (and now and then as pretty) Verses, as these of your Lordship.

And would it not be full as well, that my poor perfon fhould be abus'd by them, as by one of your rank and quality? Cannot Curl do the fame ? nay has he not done it before your Lordship, in the fame kind of Language, and almost the fame words? I cannot but think, the worthy and difcreet Clergyman himself will agree, it is improper, nay unchriftian, to expofe the perfonal defects of our brother: that both fuch perfect forms as yours, and fuch unfortunate ones as mine, proceed from the hand of the fame Maker, who fashioneth his Veffels, as he pleaseth, and that it is not from their shape we can tell whether they are made for honour or difhonour. In a word, he would teach you Charity to your greatest enemies; of which number, my Lord, I cannot be reckon'd, fince, tho' a Poet, I was never your flatterer.

Next, my Lord, as to the Obfcurity * of my Birth (a reflection copy'd also from Mr. Curl and his brethren) I am forry to be obliged to fuch a prefumption as to name my Family in the fame leafwith your Lordship's: but my Father had the honour in one instance to resemble you, for he was a younger Brother. He did not indeed think it a happiness to bury his elder Brother, tho' he had one, who wanted fome of thofe good qualities which yours poffeft. How fincerely glad could I be, to pay to that young Nobleman's memory the debt I

Hard as thy Heart, and as thy Birth obfcure.

ow'd to his friendship, whofe early death depriv'd your family of as much Wit and Honour as he left behind him in any branch of it. But as to my Father, I could affure you, my Lord, that he was no mechanic (neither a hatter, nor, which might please your Lordship yet better, a Cobler) but in truth, of a very tolerable family: And my Mother of an ancient one, as well born and educated as that Lady, whom your Lordship made choice of to be the Mother of your own Children; whose merit, beauty, and vivacity (if transmitted to your posterity) will be a better prefent than even the noble blood they derive only from you. A Mother, on whom I was never oblig'd fo far to reflect, as to fay, the spoiled me*. And a Father, who never found himself oblig'd to fay of me, that he disapprov'd my Conduct. In a word, my Lord, I think it enough, that my Parents, fuch as they were, never coft me a Blush; and that their Son, fuch as he is, never coft them a Tear.

I have purposely omitted to confider your Lordfhip's Criticifms on my Poetry. As they are exactly the fame with thofe of the foremention'd Authors, I apprehend they would justly charge me with partiality, if I gave to you what belongs to them; or paid more diftinction to the fame things when they are in your mouth, than when they were in theirs. It will be fhewing both them and you (my Lord) a more particular respect, to obferve how much they are honour'd by your Imitation of them, which indeed is carried thro' your whole Epiftle. I have read fomewhere at School (tho' I make it no Vanity to have forgot where) that Tully naturaliz'd a few phrases at the inftance of fome of his friends. Your Lordship has done more in ho

* A noble Father's heir spoil'd by his Mother.

His Lordship's account of himself. p. 7.

nour

nour of these Gentlemen; you have authoriz'd not only their Affertions, but their Style. For example, A Flow that wants fkill to refrain its ardour,-A Dictionary that gives us nothing at its own expence.

As luxuriant branches bear but little fruit, jo Wit unprun'd is but raw fruit-While you rehearfe ignorance, you ftill know enough to do it in Verfe-Wits are but glittering ignorance. The account of how we pass our time-and, The weight on Sir R.W-'s brain. You can ever receive from no head more than fuch a head (as no head) has to give: Your Lordfhip would have faid never receive inftead of ever, and any head inftead of no head: but all this is perfectly new, and has greatly enrich'd our language. You are merry, my Lord, when you fay, Latin and Greek

Have quite deferted your poor John Trot-head, And left plain native English in their flead. for (to do you juftice) this is nothing less than plain English. And as for your John Trot-head, I can't conceive why you should give it that name; for by fome* papers I have fign'd with that name, it is certainly a head very different from your Lordship's.

Your Lordship feems determined to fall out with every thing you have learn'd at school: you complain next of a dull Dictionary,

That gives us nothing at its own expence, But a few modern words for ancient Senfe. Your Lordship is the firft man that ever carried the love of Wit fo far, as to expect a witty Distionary. A Dictionary that gives us any thing but words, must not only be an expensive but a very

See fome Treatifes printed in the Appendix to the Craftsman, about that time.

extravagant

extravagant Dictionary t. But what does your Lordship mean by its giving us but a few modern words for ancient Senfe? If by Senfe (as I fufpect) you mean words (a mistake not unusual) I muft do the Dictionary the juftice to say, that it gives us juft as many modern words as ancient ones. Indeed, my Lord, you have more need to complain of a bad Grammar, than of a dull Dictionary.

Doctor Freind, I dare answer for him, never taught you to talk

of Sapphic, Lyric, and Iambic Odes.

Your Lordship might as well bid your prefent Tutor, your Taylor, make you a Coat, Suit of Cloaths, and Breeches; for you must have forgot your Logic, as well as Grammar, not to know, that Sapphic and Iambic are both included in Lyric; that being the Genus, and those the Species.

For all cannot invent who can tranflate,

"

No more than those who cloath us, can create, Here your Lordship feems in labour for a mean ing. Is it that you would have Tranflations, Originals? for 'tis the common opinion, that the bufinefs of a Tranflator is to tranflate, and not to invent, and of a Taylor to cloath, and not to create. But why fhould you, my Lord, of all mankind, abuse a Taylor not to fay blafpheme him; if he can (as. fome think) at leaft go halves with God Almighty in the formation of a Beau. Might not Doctor Sherwin rebuke you for this, and bid you Remember your Creator in the days of your Youth ?

From a Taylor, your Lordship proceeds (by a beautiful gradation) to a Silkman.no

Yet we have feen many of thefe extravagant Dictionaries, and are likely to fee many more, in an age fo abounding in science.

Thus

Thus P-pe we find

The gaudy Hinchcliff of a beauteous mind. Here too is fome ambiguity. Does your Lordship. ufe Hinchcliff as a proper name? or as the Ladies fay a Hinchcliff or a Colmar, for a Silk or a Fan? I will venture to affirm, no Critic can have a perfect taste of your Lordship's works, who does not underftand both your Male Phrafe and your Female Phrafe.

Your Lordship, to finish your Climax, advances up to a Hatter; a Mechanic, whofe Employment you inform us, is not (as was generally imagined). to cover people's heads, but to dress their brains *. A moft ufeful Mechanic indeed! I can't help wifhing to have been one, for fome people's fake.-But this too may be only another Lady-Phrafe: Your Lordship and the Ladies may take a Head-drefs for a Head, and understand, that to adorn the Head is the fame thing as to dress the Brains.

Upon the whole, I may thank your Lordship for this high Panegyric: For if I have but dress'd up Homer, as your Taylor, Silkman, and Hatter have equipp'd your Lordship, I must be own'd to have drefs'd him marvellously indeed, and no wonder if he is admir'd by the Ladies +.

After all, my Lord, I really wish you would learn your Grammar. What if you put yourself awhile under the Tuition of your Friend Wm? May not I with all refpect fay to you, what was faid to another Noble Poet by Mr. Cowley, Pray, Mr. Howardt, if you did read your Grammar, what harm would it do you? You yourself with all Lords

*For this Mechanic's, like the Hatter's pains, Are but for dreing other people's brains.

by Girls admir'd. p. 6.

The Honourable Mr. Edward Howard, celebrated for his poetry. 3

would