they openly bestow on the greatest Men in the Miniftry, and out of the Ministry, for which they are all unpunish'd, and moft rewarded: In any of thefe Cafes, indeed, I might have judged him too prefumptuous, and perhaps have trembled for his Rafhnefs. I could not but hope better for this small and modeft Epiftle, which attacks no one Vice whatfoever; which deals only in Folly, and not Folly in general, but a fingle Species of it; that only Branch, for the oppofite Excellency to which, the noble Lord to whom it is written muft neceffarily be celebrated. I fancied it might escape Cenfure, especially feeing how tenderly thofe Follies are treated, and really lefs accus'd, than apologiz❜d for. Yet hence the Poor are cloth'd, the Hungry fed, Is this fuch a Crime, that to impute it to a Man muft be a grievous Offence? 'tis an innocent Folly, and much more beneficent than the Want of it; for ill Tafte employs more Hands, and diffuses Expence more than a good one. Is it a moral Defect? No, it is but a natural one; a want of Tafte. It is what the best good Man living may be liable to: The worthieft Peer may live exemplary in an ill-favour'd Houfe, and the best reputed Citizen may be pleas'd with a vile Garden. I thought (I fay) the Author had the common Liberty to obferve a Defect, and to compliment a Friend for a Quality that distinguishes him: Which I know not how any Quality fhould do, if we were not to remark that it was wanting in others. But they fay the Satire is Perfonal. I thought it could not be fo, because all its Reflections, are on Things. His Reflections are not on the Man, but on his House, Garden, &c. Nay, he refpects (as one may fay) the Perfons of the Gladiator, Amphitheatre, the Nile, and the Triton: He is only forry to fee them (as he might be to see any of his Friends) ridiculous, by being in the wrong Place, and in bad Company. Some fancy, that to say a Thing is perfonal, is the fame as to fay it is unjust, not confidering, that nothing can be just that is not perfonal. I am afraid, that all fuch Writings and Difcourfes as touch no Man, will mend no Man." The Good natur'd, indeed, are apt to be alarm'd at any Thing like Satire; and the Guilty readily confer with the Weak for a plain Reason, because the Vicious look upon Folly as their Frontier: No wonder those who know Ridicule belongs to them find an inward Confolation in removing it from themfelves as far as they can; and it is never fo far, as when they can get it fix'd upon the best Characters: No wonder those who are Food for Satirifts, fhould rail at them as Creatures of Prey; every Beaft born for our Ufe would be ready to call a Man fo. I know no Remedy, unless People in our Age would as little frequent the Theatres, as they begin to do the Churches; unless Comedy were forfaken, Satire filent, and every Man left to do what seems good in his own Eyes, as if there were no King, no Prieft, no Poet in Ifrael. But I find myself oblig'd to touch a Point, on which I must be more ferious; it well deferves I should I mean the malicious Applicatiou of the Character of Timon, which I will boldly fay, they would impute to the Perfon the moft different in the World from a Man-hater, and the Perfon whofe Taste and Encourage Encouragement of Wit, have been often fhewn in the righteft Place. The Author of that Epiftle muft certainly think fo, if he has the fame Opinion of his own Merit as Authors generally have; for he has been favoured by this very Perfon. Why, in God's Name, muft a Portrait apparently collected from twenty different Men, be applied to one only? Has it his Eye? No, it is very unlike. Has it his Nofe or Mouth? No, they are totally dif fering. What then, I befeech you? Why it has the Mole on his Chin. Very well; but muft the Picture therefore be his, and has no other Man that Blemish. Could there be a more melancholy Instance how much the Tafte of the Publick is vitiated, and turns the most seasonable and falutary Phyfick into Poison, than if amidst the Blaze of a thousand bright Qualities in a great Man, they fhould only remark there is a Shadow about him, as what Eminence is without? I am confident the Author was incapable of imputing any fuch to one, whofe whole Life (to use his own Expreffion in Print of him) is a continued Series of good and generous Actions. I know no Man would be more concerned, if he gave the least Pain or Offence to any innocent Perfon; and none who would be lefs concerned, if the Satire were challenged by any one at whom he would really aim at. If ever that happens, I dare engage he will own it, with all the Freedom of one whofe Cenfures are just, and who fets his Name to them. But this Letter did not do, neither one that he wrote to the Duke, wherein he protefts himfelf innocent, and that the Infult to his Grace, was from the Malignity of those who had rais'd the Report, and made the Refemblance. The Town ftill contiписе nued unconvinced of this, and Mr. Pope's Character lay under a most violent Lafh, by the Imputation of this Scandal; it was faid, that no one would foon be fafe, and that nothing but a publick Difowning of thefe Verfes, as meant to fignfy the Character of the Duke, could poffibly be fufficient to obviate the Sentence the Town must pass against him; this, in fome Measure, he complied with, having Leave from the Earl of Burlington to address it to him, it is in a Letter dated March 7, 1731. My Lord, HE Clamour rais'd about TH my Epiftle to you could not give me fo much Pain, as I receiv'd Pleasure in feeing the general Zeal of the World in the Cafe of a great Man, who is beneficent; and the particular Warmth of your Lordfhip in that of a private Man, who is innocent. It was not the Poem that deferv'd this from you; for as I had the Honour to be your Friend, I could not treat you quite like a Poet: But fure the Writer deferv'd more Candor, even in those who knew him not, than to promote a Report, which, in regard to to that noble Perfon, was impertinent; in regard to me, villainous. Yet I had no great Caufe to wonder, that a Character belonging to twenty, fhould be applied to one, fince, by that Means, nineteen would escape the Ridicule. I was too well content with my Kuowledge of that noble Perfon's Opinion in this Affair, to trouble the Publick about it. But fince Malice and Mistake are fo long a dying, I have taken this Opportunity of a third Edition to declare his Belief, not only of my Innocence, but of their Malignity, of the former of which my own Heart is as confcious, as I fear fome of theirs must be of the latter. His Humanity feels feels a Concern for the Injury done to me, while his Greatnefs of Mind can bear with Indifference the Infult offered to himself.* However, my Lord I own, that Criticks of this Sort can intimidate me, nay half incline me to write no more: That would be making the Town a Compliment it deferves; and which fome, I am fure, would take very kindly. This Way of Satire is dangerous, as long as Slander rais'd by Fools of the lowest Rank can find any Countenance from those of a higher. Even from the Conduct fhewn on this Occafion, I have learnt there are fome who would rather be wicked than ridiculous; and therefore it may be fafer to attack Vices than Follies. I will therefore leave my Betters in the quiet Poffeffion of their Idols, their Groves, and their high Places; and change my Subject from their Pride to their Meannefs, from their Vanities to their Miferies: And as the only certain Way to avoid Mifconftructions, to leffen Offence, and not to multiply ill-natur'd Applications, I may probably, in my next, make use of real Names, and not of Fictitious Ones. I am, my Lord, A. POPE. This at laft cool'd the falfe Rage of the Town, and was look'd upon as a full Denial of the Character of Lord Timon belonging to the beforementioned Duke, and as it could now belong to no Body, it remains the imaginary Timon. In the winding up of this Poem, he mentions opening Harbours, making publick Ways, and building Churches, Bridges, and other * Alludes to the Latter the Duke of Chandos wrote to Mr. Pope. |