tue of a free spirit is worth more than all the virtues put together of all the narrow-fouled people in the world. I am

LETTER XVI.

TO MR. ADDISON.

Your, etc.

October 10, 1714.

I

i

HAVE been acquainted by one of my friends, who omits no opportunities of gratifying me, that you have lately been pleased to speak of me in a manner which nothing but the real respect I have for you can deferve. May I hope that fome late malevolencies have loft their effect? Indeed it is neither for me nor my enemies, to pretend to tell you whether I am your friend or not; but if you would judge by probabilities, I beg to know which of your poetical acquaintance has fo little interest in pretending to be fo? Methinks no man fhould question the real friendship of one who defires no real service. I am only to get as much from the Whigs, as I got from the Tories, that is to fay, Civility; being neither fo proud as to be infenfible of any good office, nor fo humble, as not to dare heartily to despise any man who does me an injustice.

I will

See a Letter from Mr. Jervas, and the Answer to it.

No. 22, 23.

P.

I will not value myself upon having ever guarded all the degrees of respect for you: for (to say the truth) all the world speaks well of you, and I fhould be under a neceffity of doing the fame, whether I cared for you or not.

As to what you have faid of me, I shall never believe that the author of Cato can speak one thing and think another. As a proof that I account you fincere, I beg a favour of you: it is, that you would look over the two first books* of my translation of Homer, which are in the hands of my Lord Halifax. I am fenfible how much the reputation of any poetical work will depend upon the character you give it: 'tis therefore fome evidence of the truft I repofe in your goodwill, when I give you this opportunity of speaking ill of me with justice; and yet expect you will tell me your trueft thoughts, at the fame time that you tell moft favourable ones.

others

your

I have a farther request, which I must press with earnestness. My bookseller is reprinting the Effay on Criticism, to which you have done too much honour in your Spectator of No. 253. The period in that paper, where you fay, "I have admitted some strokes "of ill-nature into that Effay," is the only one I could wish omitted of all you have written; but I would not defire it fhould be fo, unlefs I had the merit of

removing

*This must have been a mortifying and an embarraffing requeft to Addison, if at that time he had actually translated the first book of Homer. This is the laft letter to Addison in this collection.

**

removing your objection. I beg you but to point out those strokes to me, and, you may be affured, they fhall be treated without mercy.

Since we are upon proofs of fincerity (which I am pretty confident will turn to the advantage of us both in each other's opinion) give me leave to name another paffage in the fame Spectator, which I wish you would alter. It is where you mention an observation upon Homer's Verses of Sifyphus's Stone, as never having been made before by any of the Critics: I happened to find the fame in Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus's Treatife, Περὶ συνθέσεως ονομάτων, who treats very largely upon these verses. I know you will think fit to soften your expreffion, when you see the paffage; which you must needs have read, though it be fince flipt out of your memory. I am, with the utmost esteem,

Your, etc.

* The mention of these two paffages in the Spectator must have been difpleafing to Addison; especially that relating to Dionyfius, whofe remark Addison had adopted and used as his own.

* Thefe words are fince left out in Mr. Tickell's Edition, but were extant in all during Mr. Addison's life.

P.

There is a long note of Broome's in the Eleventh Book of the Odyffey, on the first verses of this description being clogged with fpondees, and long fyllables, and an hiatus; whereas, in the last line, there is but one fpondee, not one monofyllable, nor one hiatus.

LETTER XVII.

TO THE HONOURABLE

June 8, 1714.

THE

HE queftion you ask in relation to Mr. Addison and Philips, I fhall answer in a few words. Mr. Philips did exprefs himself with much indignation against me one evening at Button's Coffee-house (as I was told) faying, that I was entered into a cabal * with Dean Swift and others to write against the WhigIntereft, and in particular to undermine his own reputation, and that of his friends Steele and Addison: but Mr. Philips never opened his lips to my face, on

this

* I read in Mr. Spence's papers the following account of this quarrel.

66

Philips feemed to have been encouraged to abuse me in coffeehoufes and converfations: and Gildon wrote a thing about Wycherley, in which he had abused both me and my relations very grofsly. Lord Warwick himself told me one day, that it was in vain for me to endeavour to be well with Mr. Addison; that his jealous temper would never admit of a settled friendship between us and, to convince me of what he had faid, affured me that Addison had encouraged Gildon to publish those scandals, and had given him ten guineas after they were published. The next day, while I was heated with what I had heard, I wrote a letter to Mr. Addison, to let him know that I was not unacquainted with this behaviour of his; that if I was to speak severely of him, in return for it, it should be in fuch a dirty way, that I should rather tell him, himself, fairly of his faults, and allow his good qualities; and that it should be fomething in the following manner: I then adjoined the first sketch of what has fince been called my Satire on Addison: Mr. Addison ufed me very civilly ever after."

this or any like occafion, though I was almost every night in the fame room with him, nor ever offered me any indecorum. Mr. Addifon came to me a night or two after Philips had talked in this idle manner, and affured me of his disbelief of what had been faid, of the friendship we should always maintain, and defired I would fay nothing further of it. My Lord Halifax did me the honour to ftir in this matter, by speaking to several people to obviate a false afperfion, which might have done me no small prejudice with one party. However Philips did all he could fecretly to continue the report with the Hanover Club, and kept in his hands the subscriptions paid for me to him, as Secretary to that Club. The heads of it have fince given him to understand, that they take it ill; but (upon the terms I ought to be with fuch a man) I would not ask him for this money, but commiffioned one of the Players, his equals, to receive it. This is the whole matter; but as to the secret grounds of this malignity, they will make a very pleasant history when we meet. Mr. Congreve and fome others have been much diverted with it, and most of the gentlemen of the Hanover Club have made it the fubject of their ridicule on their Secretary. It is to this management of Philips that the world owes Mr. Gay's Paftorals. The ingenious author is extremely your fervant, and would have complied with your kind invitation, but that he is just now appointed Secretary to my Lord Clarendon, in his embaffy to Hanover.