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PREFACE

Of the Publisher of the Surreptitious Edition, 1735.

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E prefume we want no apology to the reader for this publication, but fome may be thought needful to Mr. Pope: however he cannot think our offence fo great as theirs, who first feparately published what we have here but collected in a better form and order. As for the letters we have procured to be added, they ferve but to complete, explain, and fometime's fet in a true light, those others, which it was not in the writer's, or our power to recall. bakodra

This collection hath been owing to feveral cabinets: fome drawn from thence by accidents, and others (even of thofe to ladies) voluntarily given. It is to one of that fex we are beholden for the whole correfpondence' with H. C. efq. which letters being lent her by that gentleman, he took the liberty to print; as appears by the following, which we shall give at length, both as it is fomething curious, and as it may ferve for an apology for ourselves, fr

COVOL. VIII.

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To HENRY CROMWELL, Efq.

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June 27, 1727.

FTER fo long a fo long a filence as the many and great A oppreffions I have fighed under have bed

ed, one is at a lofs how to begin a letter To kind a friend as yourself. But as it was always my refolution, if I mult fink, to do it as decently (that is, as filently) as I could; fo when I found myself

plunged into unforeseen voidable ruin, I

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retreated from the world, and in a manner buried myfelfo difmal place, where I knew none, and none knew me. In this dull unthinking way, I have dane protracted a lingering death (for life it cannot be called) ever fince you faw me, fequeftered from company, deprived of my books, and nothing left to converse with, but the letters of my dead or abfent friends; among which latter I always placed yours, and Mr. Pope's in the firft rank. I lent fome of them indeed to an ingenious perfon, who was fo delighted with the fpecimen, that he importuned me for a fight of the reft, which having obtained, he conveyed them to the prefs, I must not fay, altogether with my confent, nor wholly without it. I thought them too good to be loft in oblivion, and had no caufe to apprehend the difobliging of any, The public, viz. all perfons of taste and judgment, would be pleased with so agreeable an amusement; Mr. Cromwell could not be angry, fince it was but JMV juftice

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juftice to his merit, to publish the folemn and private profeffions of love, gratitude, and veneration, made him by fo celebrated an author; and fincerely Mr. Pope ought not to refent the publication, fince the early pregnancy of his genius was no difhonour to his character. And yet, had either of you been afked, common modefty would have obliged you to refufe, what you would you would not be difpleafed with, if done without your knowledge. And befides, to end all dispute, you had been pleased to make me a free gift of them, to do what I pleafed with them; and every one knows, that the perfon to whom a letter is addreffed, has the fame right to difpofe of it, as ed, as hard with his he has of goods purchafed with his money. I doubt not but your generofity and honour will do me the right, of owning by a line that I came honestly by them. I flatter myfelf, in a few months I shall again be visible to the world; and whenever thro' good providence that turn fhall happen, I fhall joyfully acquaint you with it, there being none more truly your obliged fervant, than, Sir, Ingible

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Your faithful, and

ed banisico gTLIKLAR ‚sgoile yaz son fimoft humble Servant, go tunduve ylloda zou lapiga E. THOMAS. P. S. A Letter, Sir, directed to Mrs. Thomas, to be left at my houfe, will be fafely tranfmitted to her, by list to cooling its

Yours, &c. ! es

E. CURLL.

To Mr. POPE.

Epfom, July 6, 1727

HEN thefe letters were first printed, I won

W dered how curll could come by them, and

could not but laugh at the pompous title; fince whatever you wrote to me was humour, and fami liar raillery. As foon as I came from Epfom, I heard you had been to fee me, and I writ you a fhort letter from Will's, that I longed to fee you. Mr. Ds, about that time charged me with giving them to a mistress, which I pofitively denied: not in the leaft, at that time, thinking of it; but fome time after, finding in the News papers Letters from Lady Packington, Lady Chudleigh, and Mr. Norris, to the fame Sappho or E. T. I began to fear I was guilty. I have never feen thefe Letters of Curll's, nor would go to his fhop about them; I have not feen this Sappho alias E. T. these feven years.-Her writing, That I gave her 'em, to do what he would with 'em, is ftraining the point too far. I thought not of it, nor do I think he did then; but severe neceffity which catches hold of a twig, has produced. all this; which has lain hid, and forgot, by me fo many years. Curll fent me a letter laft week, defiring a pofitive answer about this matter, but finding I would give him none, he went to E. T. and writ a poftfcript in her long romantick letter, to direct my anfwer to his houfe; but they not expecting an anfwer, fent a young man to me, whofe name, it feems,

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