invention but in Defamation*, and charge him with felling another man's labours printed with his own name Fye, my Lord, you forget yourfelf. He printed not his name before a line of the perfon's you mention; that perfon himself has told you and all the world in the book itself, what part he had in it, as may be seen at the conclufion of his notes to the Odysfey. I can only suppose your Lordship (not having at that time forgot your Greek) despis'd to look upon the Tranflation; and ever fince entertain'd too mean an Opinion of the Translator to cast an eye upon it. Befides, 'my Lord, when you faid he fold another man's works, you ought in justice to have added that he bought them, which very much alters the Cafe. What he gave him was five hundred pounds: his receipt can be produced to your Lordship. I dare not affirm he was as well paid as fome Writers (much his inferiors) have been fince; but your Lordship will reflect that I am no man of Quality, either to buy or fell fcribling fo high and that I have neither Place, Penfion, nor Power to reward for fecret Services. It canot be, that one of your rank can have the least Envy to fuch an author as I; but were that posible, it were much better gratify'd by employing not your own, but fome of thofe 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:

* to his eternal shame,

Prov'd he can ne'er invent but to defame,

↑ And fold Broom's labours printed with Pope's Name, p. 7.

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) Verfes, as thefe 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 almoft the fame words? I cannot but think, the worthy and difcreet Clergyman himself will agree, it is improper, nay unchristian, to expose 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 fhape we can tell whether they are made for honour or dishonour. 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 leaf with your Lordfhip's: but my Father had the honour in one inftance 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 some of those good qualities which yours, poffeft. How fincerely Hard as thy Heart, and as thy Birth obfcure.

glad could I be, to pay to that young Nobleman's memory the debt I 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; whofe merit, beauty, and vivacity (if transmitted to your posterity) will be a better present 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 say, she spoil'd me*. And a Father, who never found himself oblig'd to say of me that he difapprov'd my Conduct. In a word, my Lord, I think it enough, that my Parents, fuch as they were, never cost me a Blush; and that their Son, such as he is, nëver coft them a Tear.

I have purposely omitted to confider your Lordfhip's Criticifins on my Poetry. As they are exactly the fame with those of the forementioned 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 VOL. VI.

A noble Father's heir fpoil'd by his Mother,
His Lordship's account of himself, p. 7.

fhewing both them and you (my Lord) a more particular refpect, to obferve how much they are honour'd by your Imitation of them, which indeed is carried thro' your whole Epistle. I have read fomewhere at School (tho' I make it no Vanity to have forgot where) that Tully naturaliz'd a few phrafes at the inftance of fome of his friends. Your Lordship has done more in honour of these Gentlemen; you have authoriz'd not only their Afertions, but their Style. For example, A Flow that wants skill to refrain its ardour,—a Dictionary that gives us nothing at its own expence.-As luxuriant branches bear but little fruit, fo Wit unprun'd is but raw fruit-While you rehearfe ignorance, you still know enough to do it in Verfe-Wits are but glittering ignorance. The account of how we pass our timeand, 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 Lordship would have faid never receive instead 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 say, Latin and Greek

Have quite deferted your poor John Trot-head,
And left plain native English in their stead.

for (to do you justice) this is nothing less than plain Eng-
lib. And as for your John Trot-head, I can't conceive why
fhould give it that name; for by fome
you
* papers I
* See fome Treatifes printed in the Appendix to the Craft
man, about that time.

have seen 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 first man that ever carried the love of Wit fo far, as to expect a witty Dictionary. A Dictionary that gives us any thing but words, must not only be an expensive, but a very extravagant Dictionary. But what does your Lordship mean by its giving us but a few modern words for ancient Sense? If by Senfe (as I fufpect) you mean words (a mistake not unufual) I must do the Dictionary the juftice to say, that it gives us just 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 Eriend, 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 thofe the Species.