fitive, lovers, batchelors, and married. Virgil in his Georgics, lib. ii. Horace Ode xv. lib. ii. Platanus calebs evincet ulmos. Epod. ii. Ergo aut adulta vi tium propagine Altas maritat populos. a very Dolcepiccante; for after the Juftly find, you fmooth your rigour:

Your critique is many faults you but an obliging

thing is owing (you think) to one who fo much efteems and admires you, and who shall ever be

Your, &c.

*

LETTER XVIII.

August 21, 1710.

YOUR Letters are a perfect charity to a man in retirement, utterly forgotten of all his friends but you; for fince Mr. Wycherley left London, I have not heard a word from him; tho' juft before, and once fince, I writ to him, and tho' I know myfelf guilty of no offence but of doing fincerely just what he bid me-Hoc mihi libertas, hoc pia lingua dedit! But the greatest injury he does me is the keeping me in ignorance of his welfare, which I am always very folicitous for, and very uneafy in the fear of any indifpofition that may befal him. In what I fent you fome time ago, you have not verse enough to be fevere upon, in revenge for my laft criticism: In one point I must perfift, that is to say,

* Correcting his verfes. See the letters in 1706, and the following years, of Mr. Wycherley and Mr. Pope,

my

my diflike of your Paradife, in which I take no pleafure; I know very well that in Greek 'tis not only us'd by Xenophon, but is a common word for any garden; but in English it bears the fignification and conveys the Idea of Eden, which alone is (I think) a reafon against making Ovid ufe it; who will be thought to talk too much like a Chriftian in your version at least, whatever it might have been in Latin or Greek. As for all the rest of my remarks, fince you do not laugh at them as at this, I can be fo civil as not to lay any ftrefs upon them (as, I think, I told you before) and in particular in the point of trees enjoying, you have, I must own, fully fatisfied me that the expreffion is not only defenfible, but beautiful. I fhall be very glad to fee your tranflation of the elegy, Ad amicam navigantem, as soon as you can; for (without a compliment to you) every thing you write, either in verfe or profe, is welcome to me; and you may be confident, (if my opinion can be of any fort of confequence in any thing) that I will never be unfincere, tho' I may be often mistaken. To ufe fincerity with you is but paying you in your own coin, from whom I have experienced fo much of it; and I need not tell you, how much I really esteem you, when I efteem nothing in the world fo much as that quality. I know, you fometimes fay civil things to me in your epifto lary ftyle, but thofe I am to make allowance for, as particularly when you talk of admiring; 'tis a word you are fo us'd to in converfation of Ladies, that it

will creep into your discourse, in spite of you, even to your friends. But as women, when they think themselves fecure of admiration, commit a thousand negligences, which fhow them fo much at difadvantage and off their guard, as to lofe the little real love they had before: fo when men imagine others entertain some esteem for their abilities, they often expose all their imperfections and foolish works, to the difparagement of the little wit they were thought masters of. I am going to exemplify this to you, in putting into your hands (being encouraged by fo much indulgence) some verses of my youth, or rather childhood; which (as I was a great admirer of Waller) were intended in imitation of his manner;* and are, perhaps, fuch imitations, as thofe you fee in aukward country dames, of the fine and wellbred ladies of the court. If you will take them with you into Lincolnshire, they may fave you one hour from the converfation of the country gentlemen and their tenants (who differ but in drefs and name) which, if it be there as bad as here, is even worse than my poetry. I hope your stay there will be no longer than (as Mr. Wycherley calls it) to rob the country, and run away to London with your money. In the mean time I beg the favour of a line from you, and am (as I will never cease to be) Your, &c.

* One or two of these were fince printed among other Imitas tions done in his youth.

LET

LETTER XIX.

O&. 12, 1710.

I

man

Deferred answering your last, upon the advice I receiv'd, that you were leaving the town for fome time, and expected your return with impatience, having then a defign of feeing my friends there, among the first of which I have reafon to account yourself. But my almost continual illnesses prevent that, as well as moft other fatisfactions of my life: However, I may fay one good thing of fickness, that it is the best cure in nature for ambition, and defigns upon the world or fortune: It makes a pretty indifferent for the future, provided he can but be easy, by intervals, for the prefent. He will be content to compound for his quiet only, and leave all the circumftantial part and pomp of life to those, who have a health vigorous enough to enjoy all the mif treffes of their defires. I thank God, there is nothing out of myself which I would be at the trouble of feeking, except a friend; a happiness I once hop'd to have poffefs'd in Mr. Wycherley; but→ Quantum mutatus ab illo !-I have for fome years been employ'd much like children that build houfes with cards, endeavouring very bufily and eagerly to raise a friendship, which the first breath of any illnatur'd by-ftander could puff away. - But I will trouble you no farther with writing, nor myself with thinking, of this fubject.

I was mightily pleased to perceive by your quotation from Voiture, that you had track'd me fo far as France. You see 'tis with weak heads as with weak ftomachs, they immediately throw out what they received laft; and what they read, floats upon the furface of the mind, like oil upon water, without incorporating. This, I think, however, can't be faid of the love-verfes I laft troubled you with, where all (I am afraid) is fo puerile and fo like the author, that no body will fufpect any thing to be borrow'd. Yet you (as a friend, entertaining a better opinion of them) it seems, fearch'd in Waller, but fearch'd in vain. Your judgment of them is (I think) very right,-for it was my own opinion before. If you think 'em not worth the trouble of correcting, pray tell me fo freely, and it will fave me a labour; if you think the contrary, you would particularly oblige me by your remarks on the feveral thoughts as they occur. I long to be nibling at your verses, and have not forgot who promis'd me Ovid's elegy Ad Amicam navigantem. Had Ovid been as long compofing it, as you in fending it, the lady might have fail'd to Gades, and receiv'd it at her return. I have really a great itch of criticism upon me, but want matter here in the country; which I defire you to furnish me with, as I do you in the

town,

Sic fervat ftudii fædera quifque fui.

I am