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has that faid of them? A very serious truth, which the public had faid before, that they were dull: And what it had no fooner faid, but they themselves were at great pains to procure, or even purchase room in the prints to testify under their hands to the truth of it.

I should still have been filent, if either I had seen any inclination in my friend to be ferious with fuch accufers, or if they had only meddled with his Writings; fince whoever publishes, puts himself on his trial by his Country. But when his moral character was attacked, and in a manner from which neither truth nor virtue can fecure the most innocent; in a manner which though it annihilates the credit of the accufation with the just and impartial, yet aggravates very much the guilt of the accufers; I mean by Authors without names; then I thought, fince the danger was common to all, the concern ought to be fo; and that it was an act of justice to detect the Authors, not only on this account, but as many of them are the fame, who, for feveral years paft, have made free with the greatest names in Church and State, exposed to the world the private misfortunes of Families, abused all, even to women, and whofe prostituted papers (for one or other Party, in the unhappy divifions of their Country) have infolted the Fallen, the Friend lefs, the Exil'd, and the Dead.

Besides this, which I take to be a public concern, I have already confeffed I had a private one. I am one of that number who have long loved and esteemed Mr POPE; and had often declared it was not his capacity or writings (which we ever thought the least valuable part of his character) but the honeft, open,

and beneficent man, that we most esteemed, and loved in him. Now, if what these people say were believed, I must appear to all my friends either a fool, or a knave; either imposed on myself, or impofing on them; fo that I am as much interested in the confutation of thefe calumnies, as he is himself.

I am no Author, and consequently not to be suspected either of jealoufy or refentment against any of the Men, of whom scarce one is known to me by fight; and as for their Writings, I have fought them (on this one occafion) in vain, in the closets and libraries of all my acquaintance. I had ftill been in the dark, if a Gentlemen had not procured me (I suppose from some of themselves, for they are generally much more dangerous friends than enemies) the paffages I fend you. I folemnly proteft I have added nothing to the malice. or abfurdity of them; which it behoves me to declare, fince the vouchers themselves will be fo foon and fo

irrecoverably loft You may in some measure prevent -
it, by preferving at least their Titles, and difcovering
(as far as you can depend on the truth of your inform-
ation) the Names of the concealed authors.

The

The first objection I have heard made to the Poem is, that the perfons are too obfcure for fatire. perfons themselves, rather than allow the objection, would forgive the fatire; and if one could be tempted to afford it a ferious anfwer, were not all affaffinates, popular infurrections, the infolence of the rabble without doors, and of domestics within, moft wrongfully chaftifed, if the Meanness of offenders indemnified them

Which we have done in a Lift printed in the Appendix.

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from punishment? On the contrary, Obscurity renders them more dangerous, as less thought of: Law can pronounce judgment only on open facts: Morality alone can pass cenfure on intentions of Mifchief; fo that for fecret calumny, or the arrow flying in the dark, there is no public punishment left, but what a good Writer inflicts.

The next objection is, that these sort of authors are poor. That might be pleaded as an excufe at the Old Baily for leffer crimes than Defamation, (for 'tis the case of almost all who are tried there); but fure it can be none here: For who will pretend that the robbing another of his reputation supplies the want of it in himfelf? I question not but such authors are poor, and heartily with the objection were removed by any honest livelihood. But Poverty is here the accident, not the fubject: He who defcribes Malice and Villany to be pale and meagre, expresses not the least anger against Paleness and Leannefs, but against Malice and Villany. The Apothecary in Romeo and Juliet is poor; but is he therefore justified in vending poifon? Not but Poverty itself becomes a juft fubject of fatire, when it is the confequence of vice, prodigality, or neglect of one's lawful calling; for then it increases the public burden, fills the streets and highways with Robbers, and the Garrets with Clippers, Coiners, and Weekly Jounalists.

But admitting that two or three of thefe offend less in their morals, than in their writings; muft Poverty make nonsense facred? if fo, the fame of bad authors would be much better consulted than that of all the

good ones in the world; and not one of an hundred had ever been called by his right name.

They mistake the whole matter: It is not charity to encourage them in the way they follow, but to get them out of its for men are not bunglers because they are poor, but they are poor because they are bunglers.

Is it not pleasant enough, to hear our authors crying out on the one hand, as if their perfons and characters were too facred for fatire; and the public objecting on the other, that they are too mean even for ridicule? But whether Bread or Fame be their end, it must be allowed, our author, by and in this Poem, has mercifully given them a little of both.

There are two or three, who by their rank and fortune have no benefit from the former objections, fuppofing them good, and these I was forry to fee in fuch company. But if, without any provocation, two or three Gentlemen will fall upon one, in an affair wherein his interest and reputation are equally embarked; they cannot certainly, after they have been content to print themselves his enemies, complain of being put into the number of them.

Others, I am told, pretend to have been once his Friends. Surely they are their enemies who fay fo, fince nothing can be more odious than to treat a friend as they have done. But of this I cannot perfuade myfelf, when I confider the constant and eternal averfion of all bad writers to a good one.

Such as claim a merit from being his Admirers, I would gladly afk, if it lays him under a perfonal obligation? At that rate, he would be the moft obliged

humble fervant in the world. I dare fwear for these in particular, he never defired them to be his admirers, nor promised in return to be theirs: That had truly been a fign he was of their acquaintance; but would not the malicious world have fufpected fuch an Approbation of some motive worse than ignorance, in the author of the Effay on Criticism? Be it as it will, the reasons of their Admiration and of his Contempt are equal ly fubfifting; for his works and theirs are the very fame that they were.

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One, therefore, of their affertions I believe may be true, "That he has a contempt for their writings.' And there is a another, which would probably be fooner allowed by himself than by any good judge, befide, "That his own have found too much fuccefs "with the public." But as it cannot confist with bis modesty to claim this as a Justice, it lies not on him, but entirely on the public, to defend its own judg

ment.

There remains what in my opinion might feem a better plea for these people, than any they have made ufe of. If Obscurity or Poverty were to exempt a man from fatire, much more should Folly or Dulness, which are still more involuntary; nay, as much fo as perfonal Deformity. But even this will not help them: Deformity becomes an object of Ridicule when a man Tets up for being handfome; and fo must Dulnefs when he sets up for a Wit. They are not ridiculed, because Ridicule in itself is, or ought to be, a pleasure ; but because it is just to undeceive and vindicate the ho

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