Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

quated, poetical pufs, whom you would keep in countenance, by faying fhe has once been tolerable, and'. wou'd yet pafs mufter by a little licking over; it is true that (like most vain, antiquated jades, which have once been paffable) fhe yet affects youthfulness in her age, and wou'd still gain a few admirers (who the more fhe feeks or labours for their liking, are but more her contemners) Nevertheless, he is refolved henceforth to be fo cautious as to appear very little more in the world, except it be as an attendant on your muse, or as a foil, not a rival to her wit, or fame: fo that let your Country gentlwoman appear when he will in the world, my old worn-out jade of a loft reputation. shall be her attendant into it, to procure her admirers ; as an old whore, who can get no more friends of her own, bawds for others, to make sport or pleasure yet, one way or other, for mankind. I approve of your making Tonfon your mufes introductor into the world, or master of the ceremonies, who has been fo long a pimp, or gentleman-ufher to the Mufes.

I wish you good fortune; fince a man with store of wit, as store of money, without the help of good fortune, will never be popular; but I wish you a great

• This, and what follows, is a full Confutation of John Dennis and others, who affert, that Mr Pope wrote thele verses on himfelf (tho' published by Mr Wycherley fix years before his death.) We find here, it was a voluntary Act of his, promis'd before-hand, and written while Mr Pope was abfent. The first Brouillon of the verfes, and the fecond Copy with corrections, are both yet extant in Mr Wycherley's own hand: In another of his letters of May 18, 1708, are these words. "I have made a damn'd Compliment in verfe upon the printing your Paftorals, which you fhall fee when you fee me.

many admirers, which will be some credit to my judgment as well as your wit, who always thought you had a great deal, and am

Your, &c.

I

LETTER XVIII.

From Mr WY CHERLEY.

May 13. 1709.

Muft thank you for a book of your Mifcellanies, which Tonfon fent, me, I fuppofe, by your order; and all I can tell you of it is, that nothing has lately been better received by the public, than your part of it. You have only difpleafed the critics by pleafing them too well; having not left them a word to say for themfelves, against you and your performances; fo that, now your hand is in, you must persevere, 'till my prophecies of you be fulfill'd. In earnest, all the best judges of good fenfe or poetry, are admirers of yours; and like your part of the book fo well, that the rest is lik'd the worse. This is true upon my word, without compliment; fo that your first fuccefs will make you for all your life a poet, in fpite of your wit; for a poet's fuccess at firft, like a gamster's fortune at first, is like to make him a lofer at laft, and to be undone by his good fortune and merit.

But hitherto your mifcellanies have fafely run the gantlet, through all the coffee-houses; which are now entertain'd with a whimsical new news-paper, call'd the TATLER, which I suppose you have seen. This is the newest thing I can tell you of, except it be of the

Peace, which now (most people fay) is drawing to fuck a conclufion, as all Europe is, or must be fatisfy'd with; fo Poverty, you fee, which makes peace in Weftminster-hall, makes it likewife in the camp or field, throughout the world. Peace then be to you, and to me, who am now grown peaceful, and will have no conteft with any man, but him who says he is more your friend or humble fervant, than

Your, &c.

I

LETTER XIX.

*

May 20. 1709..

Am glad you received the Mifcellany, if it were only to fhow you that there are as bad poets in this nation as your fervant. This modern cuftom of appearing in mifcellanies, is very useful to the poets, who, like other thieves, efcape by getting into a crowd, and herd together like Banditti, fafe only in their multitude. Methinks Strada has given a good defcription of these kind of collections; Nullus hodie mortalium aut nafcitur, aut moritur, aut præliatur, aut rusticatur, aut abit peregre, aut redit, aut nubit, aut eft, aut non eft, (nam etiam mortuis isti canunt) cui non illi extemple cudant Epicedia, Genethliaca, Protreptica, Panegyrica, Epithalamia, Vaticinia, Propemtica, Soterica, Paraneti·ca, Nenias, Nugas. As to the fuccefs which, you say, my part has met with, it is to be attributed to what you was pleas'd to fay of me to the world; which you do well to call your prophecy, fince whatever is faid in my favour, must be a prediction of things that are not

Jacob Tonfon's fixth Vol. of Mifcellany Poems.

yet; you, like a true Godfather, engage on my part. for much more than ever I can perform. My paftoral Mufe, like other country girls, is but put out of countenance, by what you courtiers fay to her; yet I hope you would not deceive me too far, as knowing that a young scribler's vanity needs no recruits from abroad: for nature, like an indulgent mother, kindly takes care to lupply her fons with as much of their own as is necessary for their fatisfaction. If my verfes fhould meet with a few flying commendations, Virgil has taught me, that a young author has not too much reason to be pleas'd with them, when he confiders that the natural confequence of praise is envy and calumny.

-Si ultra placitum laudarit, baccare frontem
Cingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro.

When once a man has appear'd as a poet, he may
give up his pretensions to all the rich and thriving arts :
those who have once made their court to those mistres-
fes without portions, the Mufes, are never like to fet
up for fortunes. But for my part, I fhall be fatisfied
if I can lose my time agreeably this way, without lo-
fing my reputation: as for gaining any, I am as in-
different in the matter as Falftaffe was, and may
fay of fame as he did of honour,
"If it comes,
"it comes unlook'd for; and there's an end on't.”
I can be content with a bare faving game, without be-
ing thought an eminent hand, (with which title Jacob
has graciously dignify'd his adventurers and voluntiers
in poetry.) Jacob creates poets as Kings fometimes
VOL. V.

E

'dó knights, not for their honour, but for their money. Certainly he ought to be esteem'd a worker of miracles, who has grown rich by poetry.

What Authors lofe, their Bookfellers have won,
So Pimps grow rich, while gallants are undone.

T

LETTER XX.

I am your, &c.

From Mr WY CHERLEY.

of May.

May 26. 1709.

HE laft I received from you was dated the 22d I take your charitable hint to me very kindly, wherein you do like a true friend, and a true christian, and I fhall endeavour to follow your advice, as well as your example.-As for your wishing to fee your friend an Hermit with you, I cannot be faid to leave the world, fince I fhall enjoy in your converfation all that I can defire of it; nay, can learn more from you alone, than from my long experience of the great, or little vulgar in it.

As to the fuccefs of your poems in the late mifcelMany which I told you of in my laft; upon my word I made you no compliment, for you may be affur'd that all fort of readers like them, except they are writers too; but for them (I must needs fay) the more they like them, they ought to be the lefs pleas'd with 'em: fo that you do not come off with a bare saving game (as you call it) but have gain'd so much credit at first, that you must needs fupport it to the laft:

« ZurückWeiter »