poor poetical gallant, that a Queen, if she had to do with a groom, would expect a mark of his kindness from him, though 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 it is the only difpute in which I might hope to have the better of you.

Now, Sir, to make you another excufe for my boldness in inviting you to town, I defigned to leave with you fome more of my papers (fince these return fo much better out of your hands than they went from mine); for I intended (as I told you formerly) to spend a month or fix weeks this fummer, near you in the country. You may be affured there is nothing I defire so much, as an improvement of your friendship.

LETTER XI.

April 10, 17c6.

BY

y one of your's of the last month, you defire me to felect, if poffible, fome things from the "first volume of your Mifcellanies, which may be altered so as to appear again. I doubted your meaning in this; whether it was to pick out the best of those verses (as those on the Idleness of business, on Igno

Printed in folio, in the year 1704.

rance,

POPE.

rance, on Lazinefs, etc.) to make the method and numbers exact, and avoid repetitions? For though (upon reading them upon this occafion) I believe, they might receive such an alteration with advantage; yet they would not be changed fo much, but any one Would know them for the fame at firft fight. Or if you mean to improve the worst pieces? which are fuch, as, to render them very good, would require great addition, and almoft the entire new writing of them. Or, laftly, if you mean the middle fort, as the Songs and Love-verses? For these will need only to be shortened, to omit repetition; the words remaining very little different from what they were before. Pray let me know your mind in this, for I am utterly at a lofs. Yet I have tried what I could do to some of the fongs, and the poems on Laziness, and Ignorance, but can't (even in my own partial judgment) think my alterations much to the purpose. So. that I must needs defire you would apply your care wholly at prefent to those which are yet unpublished, of which there are more than enough to make a confiderable volume, of full as good ones, nay, I believe, of better than any in Vol. I. which I could wish you would defer, at least till you have finished these that are yet unprinted.

I send you a fample of fome few of thefe; namely, the verses to Mr. Waller in his old age; your new ones on the Duke of Marlborough, and two others. I have done all that I thought could be of advantage

to

to them: Some I have contracted, as we do funbeams, to improve their energy and force; fome I have taken quite away, as we take branches from a tree, to add to the fruit; others 1 have entirely new expreffed, and turned more into poetry. Donne (like one of his fucceffors) had infinitely more wit than he wanted verfification; for the great dealers of wit, like those in trade, take leaft pains to fet off their goods; while the haberdashers of small wit spare for no decorations or ornaments. You have commiffioned me to paint your shop, and I have done my best to brush you up like your neighbours ". But I can no more pretend to the merit of the production, than a midwife to the virtues and good qualities of the child fhe helps into the light.

The few things I have entirely added, you will excufe; you may take them lawfully for your own, because they are no more than sparks lighted up by your fire and you may omit them at last, if you think them but fquibs in your triumphs.

I am, etc.

Several of Mr. Pope's lines, very eafy to be diftinguished, may be found in the Pofthumous Editions of Wycherley's Poems; particularly in thofe on Solitude, on the Public, and on the Mixed Life. WARBURTON.

LETTER XII.

FROM MR. WYCHERLEY.

Nov. 11. 1707.

I RECEIVED yours of the 9th yesterday, which has (like the rest of your letters) at once pleased and inftru&ted me; fo that I affure you, you can no more write too much to your absent friends, than speak too much to the present. This is a truth that all men own, who have either feen your writings, or heard your difcourfe; enough to make others fhew their judgment, in ceafing to write or talk, especially to you, or in your company. However, I fpeak or write to you, not to please you, but myself; fince I provoke your answers; which, whilst they humble me, give me vanity; though I am leffened by you, even when you commend me; fince you commend my little fense with so much more of yours, that you put me out of countenance, whilft you would keep me in it. So that you have found a way (against the custom of great wits) to fhew even a great deal of good-nature with a great deal of good sense.

I thank you for the book you promised me, by which I find you would not only correct my lines, but my life.

As to the damned verfes I entrusted you with, I hope you will let them undergo your purgatory, to fave them from other people's damning them: fince

the

the critics, who are generally the first damned in this life, like the damned below, never leave to bring thofe above them under their own circumstances. I beg you to peruse my papers, and felect what you think beft or moft tolerable, and look over them again; for I refolve fuddenly to print fome of them, as a hardened old gamester will (in spite of all former ill ufage by fortune) push on an ill hand in expectation of recovering himself; especially fince I have fuch a Croupier or Second to ftand by me as Mr. Pope.

LETTER XIII.

Nov. 20, 1707.

MR. Englefyld being upon his journey to London, tells me I muft write to you by him, which I do, not more to comply with his defire, than to gråtify my own; though I did it fo lately by the meffenger you fent hither: I take it too as an opportunity of fending you the fair copy of the poem on Dulnefs, which was not then finished, and which I should not care to hazard by the common poft. Mr. Englefyld is ignorant of the contents, and I hope your prudence

• The original of it in blots, and with figures of the References from copy to copy, in Mr. Pope's hand, is yet extant, among other fuch Broüillons of Mr. Wycherley's Poems, corrected by him. WARBURTON..