true to the Original; whereas in those parts where the greatest exactness seems to be demanded, he has been the least careful, I mean the history of ancient ceremonies and rites, &c. in which you have with great judgment been exact. I am, &c. LETTER XXVI. Mr Pore to the Hon. JAMES. CRAGGS, Efq; July 15. 1715. Lay hold of the opportunity given me by my Lord Duke of Shrewsbury, to assure you of the continu ance of that esteem and affection I have long borne you, and the memory of fo many agreeable converfations as we have pafs'd together. I wish it were a compliment to say, fuch converfations as are not to be found on this fide of the water: for the Spirit of dif sention is gone forth among us: nor is it a wonder that Button's is no longer Button's, when old England is no longer old England, that region of hospitality, fociety, and good humour. Party affects us all, even the Wits tho' they gain as little by politics as they do by their wit. We talk much of fine sense, refin'd fenfe, and exalted fenfe; but for use and happiness, give me a little common fenfe. I fay this in regard to fome gentlemen, profess'd Wits of our acquaintance, who fancy they can make Poetry of confequence at this time of day, in the midft of this raging fit of Politics. For they tell me, the bufy part of the nation are not more divided about Whig and Tory, than thefe idle fellows of the feather about Mr T*'s and my Tranflation. I (like the Tories) have the town in general, that is, the mob, on my fide; but it is ufual with the smaller party to make up in industry what they want in number, and that is the cafe with the little fenate of Cato. However, If our principles be well confidered, I must appear a brave Whig, and Mr T. a rank Tory. I tranflated Homer for the public 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 set of nodders, winkers, and whisperers, whose business is to ftrangle all other offsprings of wit in their birth. The new tranflator of Homer is the humblest slave he has, that is to fay, his firft Minifter; let him receive the honours he gives me, but receive them with fear and trembling; let him be proud of the approbation of his abfolute Lord, I appeal to the people, as my rightful judges and masters: and if they are not inclined to condemn me, I fear no arbitrary high-flying proceeding from the fmall Court-faction at Button's. But af ter 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 Mo-narch; who has too many great qualities not to be refpected, though we know he watches any occafion to opprefs us. When I talk of Homer, I must not forget the early present you made me of Monfieur de la Motte's book: And I can't conclude this letter without telling you a melancholy piece of news, which affects our very en trails; L* is dead, and foupes are no more! You fee I write in the old familiar way. "This is not to the minister, but to the friend.*” However, it is fome mark of uncommon regard to the minister, that I steal an expression from a Secretary of State. LETTER XXVII. To Mr CONGREVE. I am, &c. Jan. 16. 1714 15. M Ethinks when I write to you, I am making a confeflion; I have got (can't tell how) fuch a custom of throwing myfelf out upon paper without reserve. You were not mistaken in what you judged of my temper of mind when I writ laft. My faults will not be hid from you, and perhaps it is no dispraise to me that they will not: the cleanness and purity of one's mind is never better proved, than in discovering its own fault at firft view; as when a stream fhews the dirt at its bottom, its fhews alfo the tranfparency of the water. My spleen was not occafioned, however, by any thing an abusive angry critic could write of me. I take very kindly your heroic manner of congratulation upon this scandal; for I think nothing more honourable, than to be involved in the fame fate with all the great and the good that ever lived; that is, to be envied and cenfured by bad writers. *Alluding to St John's letter to Prior. You do no more than answer my expectations of you, in declaring how well you take my freedom, in fometimes neglecting, as I do, to reply to your letters fo foon as I ought. Those who have a right taste of the fubftantial part of friendship, can wave the ceremonial: a friend is the only one that will bear the omission; and one may find who is not fo, by the very trial of it. As to any anxiety I have concerning the fate of my Homer, the care is over with me: the world must be the judge, and I shall be the first to confent to the juftice of its judgment, whatever it be I am not fo arrant an Author as even to defire, that if I am in the wrong, all mankind should be fo. I am mightily pleafed with a faying of Monfieur Tourreil: "When a man writes, he ought to animate "himself with the thoughts of pleafing all the world: "but he is to renounce that defire or hope the very "moment the book goes out of his hands." I write this from Binfield, whither I came yefterday, having pafs'd a few days in my way with my Lord Bolingbroke; I go to London in three days time, and will not fail to pay a visit to Mr whom I faw not long fince at my Lord Hallifax's. I hoped from thence he had fome hopes of advantage from the prefent administration: for few people (I think) but I, pay respects to great men without any profpects. I am in the fairest way in the world of being not worth a groat, being born both a Papist and a Poet. This puts me in mind of re-acknowledging your continued endeavours to enrich me. But, I can tell you, 'tis to no purpose, for without the Opes, æquum mi animum ipfe parabo. TH LETTER XXVIII. To Mr CONGREVE. March 19. 1714-15. HE Farce of the What-d'ye call it has occafioned many different fpeculations in the town. Some look'd upon it as a mere jeft upon the Tragic poets, others as a fatire upon the late War. Mr Crom. well hearing none of the words, and seeing the action to be tragical, was much aftonished to find the audience laugh; and fays the Prince and Princess must doubtless be under no lefs amazement on the fame account. Several templars and others of the more voci. ferous kind of critics, went with a refolution to hiss, and confefs'd they were forc'd to laugh so much, that they forgot the design they came with. the Court in general has in a very particular manner come into the jeft, and the three firft nights (notwithstanding two of them were court-nights) were distinguished by very full audiences of the first Quality. The common people of the pit and gallery received it at first with great gravity and fedatenefs, fome few with tears; but after the third day they also took the hint, and have ever fince been very loud in their claps. There are ftill fome fober men who cannot be of the general opinion; but the laughers are so much the majority, that one or two critics feem determined to undeceive the town at |