faving, I I have fuffered a great deal of difcontent that you do not, tho I fo little merit that you should.

I muft complain of the fhortness of your laft: Thofe who have moft Wit, like thofe who have moft Money, are fparing of either.

Mr. WY CHERLEY'S Anfwer.

Y

Nov. s. 1705.0

OURS of the 26th of October I have

as I have always done yours, with no little Satisfaction, and am proud to difcover by it, that you find fault with the fhortnefs of mine, which I think the beft Excufe for it: And tho' they (as you fay) who have moft Wit or Money, are moft fparing of either; there are fome who appear Poor to be thought Rich, and are Poor, which is my Cafe: I cannot but rejoice, that you have undergone so much difcontent for want of my company; but if you have a mind to punifh me for my fault, (which I could not help) defer your coming to Town, and you will do it ef fectually. But I know your Charity always exceeds your Revenge, fo that I will not

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despair

defpair of feeing you, who, in return to your inviting me to your Foreft, invite you to my Foreft, the Town where the

Beafts that inhabit, tame or wild, of long Ears or Horns, purfue one another either out of Love or Hatred. You may have the Pleasure to fee one Pack of Bloodhounds purfue another Herd of Brutes, to bring each other to their Fall, which is their whole Sport: Or, if you affect a lefs bloody Chace, you may fee a Pack of Spaniels, called Lovers, in a hot pursuit of a two-legg'd Vixen, who only flies the whole low'd Pack to be fingled out by one Dog, who runs mute to catch her up the fooner from the reft, as they are making a Noife, to the Lofs of their Game. In fine, this is the Time for all forts of Sport in the Town, when those of the Country ceafe; therefore leave your Foreft of Beafts, for ours of Brutes, call'd Men, who now in full Cry, (pack'd by the Court or Country) run down in the Houfe of Commons, a deferted horned Beaft of the Court, to the fatisfaction of their Spectators: Befides, (more for your Diverfion) you may fee not only the two great Play-houfes of the Nation, thofe of the Lords and Commons, in Difpute with one another; but the two other Play-houses in high Contest, because the Members of one House are remov'd

up

up tontother, (as it is often done by the Court for Reasons of State.) Infomuch that the lower Houfes, I mean the Playhouses, are going to act Tragedies on one another without Doors, and the Sovereign is put to it (as it often happens in the other two Houses) to filence one or both, to keep Peace between them. Now I have told you all the News of the Town.

Mr. WY CHERLEY to Mr. POPE.

I'

HAVE receiv'd your kind Letter, with my Paper to Mr. Dryden corrected. I own you have made more of it by making it lefs, as the Dutch are faid to burn half the Spices they bring home to inhance ethe Price of the remainder, fo to be greater Gainers by their Lofs, (which is indeed Cafe now.) Well; you have prun'd my fading Laurels of fome fuperfluous, faplefs,

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my

* The fame em. which was printed in the Year 1717, în a Mifcellany of Bern. Lintot's, and in the prefent Edition of the Pofthumous Works of Mr. Wycher ey, mudimoM ods

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and

and dead Branches, to make the remainder fivethe longer; thus like your Mafter Apollo, you are at once a Poet and a Phyfician. VAD

Now, Sir, as to my impudent invitation of you to the Town, your Good-Nature was the firft Caufe of my confident requeft ; but excufe me, I muft fee fay no more upon this Subject, fince I find you a little too nice to be dealt freely with: tho' you have given me fome Encouragement to hope, our Friendship tho' young might be without Shynefs, or criminal Modefty; for a Friend, like a Mistress, tho he is not to be mercenary to be true, yet ought not to refufe a Friend's kindness because it is fmall or trivial: I have told you (I think) that a Spanish Lady faid to her poor, poetical Gallant, that a Queen if the lay with a Groom, would expect a mark of his kindnefs from him, tho' it were but his Curry-comb. But you and I will difpute this Matter when I am fo happy as to fee you here; and perhaps 'tis the only Difpute in which I might hope to have the better of you.

for

ર

Now, Sir, to make you another excufe my boldnefs in inviting you to Town, I defign'd to leave with you fome more of my Papers, (fince thefe return fo much better out of your Hands than they went from mine) for I intended (as I told you formerly)

to

you

to spend a Month, or fix Weeks this Summer, near you in the Country; for y may be affured there is nothing I defire fo much, as an Improvement of your Friendship

Mr. WYCHERLEY to Mr. POPE.

I

March 22, 1705-6.

MUST lay a penance upon you, which is to defire you to look over that damn'd Mifcellany of Madrigals of mine, to pick out (if poffible) fome that may be fo alter'd that they may yet appear in Print again, I hope with better fuccefs than they hitherto have done. I will give you my Reafon for this Requeft of mine, when I fee youg which I am refolv'd fhall be when I have done here, and at the Bath, where I defign to go, and afterwards to fpend two Months (God willing) with you at Binfield, or near it