te dam, fays he, that where it was my Defign to fend you a Letter of Excufe and Compliment, I ❝am fallen into one of Love; but I wifh all the other Defects you fhall find in it were as pardonable as that. In the mean Time let me affure you, "that I have not of a long Time been fo engaged, " and that there are many in the World to whom I ❝ would not fay fo much, even though they held a Dagger at my Throat."

To this Letter Mr. Pope receiv'd an Answer, in which the Lady let him-understand, that it was no Ways difagreeable to her; and gives him Liberty, though in an indirect Manner, to ftyle himfelf her Admirer! She takes Occafion to fpeak of Alexander the Great in her Letter, and fays feveral very witty and obliging Things in fuch a Manner, as if the was at the fame Time ignorant of it, leaving the Applications to him, who fhe knew was fufficiently able .to make them, and this was Caufe of another Letter of Compliment and Thanks from Mr. Pope:

Dear Madam,

TH

HOUGH my Liberty were, as you say, greater than Alexander's, it were more than recompenced by the Thanks you have been pleased to return it. Even his Ambition; infatiable as it was, would by fo extraordinary a Favour have been limited. He would have valued this Honour more highly than the Perfian Diademy and he would not have envied Achilles the Praifes of Homer, might he have had your's. In like Manher, Madam, confidering the Reputation you do me, if I envy his, it is not fo much that which he hath acquired, as that you have beftowed on him, and he hath received no Honours, which I do not look upon my own; unlefs it be that you do him, when you call him your Gallant:

E 2

Gallant. Neither his own Vanity, nor his Flatterers have ever advanced any Thing fo advantagious to him, and the Quality of the Son of Jupiter Ammon was not fo glorious as that. But if nothing can cure me of the Jealousy I have of it, yet, Madam, knowing you as I do, I am confident if you do him a Favour, it is not fo much because he is the greatest of Mankind, as because it, is two Thousand Years fince he was. However it be, we may fee, in this, the Greatness of his Fortune, which, not able to forfake him fo many Years after his Death, adds to his Conquefts a Perfon, which celebrates them more than the Wife and Daughter of Darius; and hath re-infufed into him a Soul greater than that of the World he hath fubdued.

I fhould fear by your Example to write in too high a Style, but can a Man aim at one too high, speaking of you and Alexander? I befeech you, Madam, to affure yourself I have for you the fame Paffion you have for him; and that the Admiration of Virtues fhall ever engage me to be, your

Dear Madam, &c.

L

The Merits of this Lady and Mr. Pope's Gallantry had almoft hurried us beyond the Thoughts of the Epiftle of the Characters of Women. A certain Lady, whofe Name for Virtue and Rectitude of Manners has been too confpicuous not to be seen by every Body who has the, leaft Knowledge of her, and who in her Youth was thought one of the handfomeft Wor men of Quality, took Mr. Pope to Talk about the aforefaid Epiftle, pointing out feveral Places fatirical enough, about which he excufed himself with faying, that there were Women (though happily unknown to her Ladyfhip) of fuch Characters, and by that Means thought to get off from a Rebuke he knew

The

3 The would give him, if he could fix any Thing on him, at laft, fays fhe, Mr. Pope, you say here,

Men fome to Business, fome to Pleasure take,
But every Woman is at Heart a Rake.

Do you think, Sir, that I am, or ever have been a Rake in my Heart? If not, you will find, I make no Quefion you have abus'd a great many Women more befides me; this Accufation is quite general, therefore I now acquit myself, and prove the Guilt of Falfhood upon you. To this Mr. Pope immediately replied, I should think very ill of myself, if I had in Thought abus'd your Ladyship, no Madam, I muft intreat of you to observe, that I only fay:

But every WOMAN is at Heart a Rake.

This no Way affects your Ladyfhip, who was an Angel when you were young, and now advancing into Life, are almoft already become a Saint. At this Door did Mr. Pope escape, for the Lady was Woman enough to be pleas'd with the Compliment, and only faid, O fie, O fie, you Wits will always make Things out either a great deal worse, or better than they are.

Rough as this Epiftle may feem to be, forough that it drew, at the Inftance of a great Lady, fome fevere, tho' anonymous Lines, against Mr. Pope.

Yet fpare the Dead, and at the utmost dare
To mention Fame with them and afk a Share;
They who have gain'd themselves immortal Names
Without the mean Abufe of gentle Dames;
High was their Satire, ftruck at Vice alone,
And touching fuch as thee, tho' naming none;
Parnaffus Height they gain'd by manly Ways
And grudg'd not any, for they help'd to praife.

A few Lines after he is made to fpeak;

E 3

But

But I muft write or burft, my Gallo'erflows;
I lofe my Quiet by the World's Repofe;
My Vitals wafte if I my Pen restrain-
Write more Epiftles, that's your prefent Vein,
From ARBUTHNOT, whofe real Worth and Skill
Wants not the glazing of thy partial Quill,

Down to low PETRUS, be whofe zealous Lines,
Give thee fuch Qualms, and Bigot Fits at Times ;
Or lower yet, to that UNTHINKING PEER,
Who whispers Smut to thy confenting Ear.

I say, notwithstanding the Characters of Women are so keenly handled in this Epistle, it concludes in very fober and gentle Terms:

And yet believe me, good as well as ill,
Woman's at best a Contradiction ftill.
Heav'n, when it ftrives to polish all it can
Its laft, beft Work, but forms a fofter Man;
Picks from each Sex, to make the Fav'rite bleft,
Your Love of Pleafure, our Defire of Reft,
Blends, in Exception to all gen'ral Rules,
Your Tafte of Follies, with our Scorn of Fools,
Referve with Franknefs, Art with Truth ally'd,
Courage with Softness, Modefty with Pride,
Fix'd Principles, with Fancy ever new;
Shakes all together, and produces-You.

Ev'n fuch is Woman's Fame: With this unbleft,
Toasts live a Scorn, and Queens may die a Jest.
This Phoebus promis'd, (I forget the Year,)
When those blue Eyes firft open'd on the Sphere;
Afcendant Phoebus watch'd that Hour with Care,
Averted half your Parents fimple Pray'r,

And

A certain Papift Pricft, a regular Friar, who us'd to teize Mr. Pope, and tell him he was a lukewarm Catholick.

i

And gave you Beauty, but deny'd the Pelf

That buys your Sex a Tyrant o'er itfelf:

The gen'rous God, who Wit and Gold refines,
And ripens Spirits as he ripens Mines,

Kept Drofs for Ducheffes, the World shall know it, To you gave Senfe, Good-humour, and a Poet.

We defire the Fair who fhall ever look over this Epiftle, to confider, it was defign'd only to expose real Vices, and Frailties through Habit, not to invent and stick any upon them, of which none are guilty, they may fee, that when Ladies lead fuch Lives as beft become them, he diftinguishes them by the Name of good Women, and certainly means no more, than that every bad Woman, meer Woman, (without the moral Attainments requifite to elevate her fomething higher) is at Heart a Rake, or has no Character at all, i. e. no good, or fix'd Rule, to characterize her by.

There are many Ladies not in the leaft offended with any Thing in this Poem, and Mrs. Blount never thought herfelf leffen'd by any Reflection upon any bad, or foolish Woman, throughout the Piece.

Whoever has been but a little acquainted with either Mr. Pope, or his Writings, will obferve how many Opportunies he lays hold of to fpeak well of many Ladies and Women of his Acquaintance, what extraordinary great Characters he gives them, both living and after Death; of this latter Sort please to take one from a Letter he wrote to Mrs. Blount, ill and under other Affliction of Mind

when he was to one of her's.

2.

befides, it is

Dearest Madam,

Could never believe it poffible, that the Receipt

of a Letter from you,

fhould add to my Affliction,