pity they are fo healthy. But I fay nothing that may destroy their good opinion of me: I have not quoted one Latin author fince I came down, but have learn'd without book a fong of Mr. Thomas Durfey's, who is your only Poet of tolerable reputation in this country. He makes all the merriment in our entertainments, and but for him, there would be fo miferable a dearth of catches, that, I fear, they would put either the Parfon or me upon making fome for 'em. Any man, of any quality, is heartily welcome to the best toping-table of our gentry, who can roar out fome Rhapfodies of his works: fo that in the fame manner as it was faid of Homer to his detractors; What, dares any man speak against him who has given fo many men to eat? (meaning the Rhapfodifts who liv'd by repeating his verses) thus may it be faid of Mr. Durfey to his detractors Dares any one defpife him, who has made fo many men drink? Alas, Sir! this is a glory which neither you nor I must ever pretend to. Neither you with your Ovid, nor I with my Statius, can amufe a board of justices and extraordinary 'fquires, or gain one hum of approbation, or laugh of admiration. These things (they would fay) are too ftudious, they may do well enough with fuch as love reading, but give us your ancient Poet Mr. Durfey! 'Tis mortifying enough, it must be confefs'd; but however let us proceed in the way that nature has directed us

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Multi multa fciunt, fed nemo omnia, as it is faid in the almanack. Let us communicate our works for our

mutual comfort; fend me elegies, and you shall not want heroics. At prefent, I have only thefe Argu-. ments in profe to the Thebaid, which you claim by. promife, as I do your Translation of Pars me Sulmo tenet-and the Ring; the reft I hope for as foon as you can conveniently transcribe them, and whatfo-. ever orders you are pleas'd to give me fhall be punc-. tually obey'd by Your, &c.

I'

LETTER XII.

May 10, 1710.

Had not fo long. omitted to express my acknowledgments to you for so much good-nature and friendship as you lately fhow'd me; but that I am but juft return'd to my own hermitage, from Mr C's, who has done me fo many favours, that I am almost inclin'd to think my friends infect one another, and › that your conversation with him has made him as obliging to me as yourself. I can affure you, he has a fincere refpect for you, and this, I believe, he has partly contracted from me, who am too full of you not to overflow upon those I converfe with. But I must now be contented to converfe only with the dead of this world, that is to say, the dull and obfcure, every way obfcure, in their intellects as well as their perfons: or else have recourse to the living dead, the old Authors with whom you are fo well acquainted, even from Virgil down to Aulas Gellius,

you

whom I do not think a critic by any means to be compar'd to Mr. Dennis: And I muft declare pofitively to you, that I will perfift in this opinion, till become a little more civil to Atticus. Who could have imagin'd, that he, who had efcap'd all the miffortunes of his time, unhurt even by the profcriptions of Antony and Auguftus, should in these days find an enemy more fevere and barbarous than those tyrants? and that enemy the gentleft too, the beftnatur'd of mortals, Mr. Cromwell, whom I muft in this compare once more to Auguftus: who feem'd not more unlike himself, in the severity of one part of his life and the clemency of the other, than you. I leave you to reflect on this, and hope that time (which mollifies rocks, and of stiff things makes limber) will turn a refolute critic to a gentle reader; and instead of this pofitive, tremendous, new-fafhion'd Mr. Cromwell, restore unto us our old acquaintance the foft, beneficent, and courteous Mr. Cromwell.

I expect much, towards the civilizing of you in your critical capacity, from the innocent air and tranquillity of our Foreft, when you do me the favour to vifit it. In the mean time, it would do well by way of preparative, if you would duly and conftantly every morning read over a paftoral of Theocritus or Virgil; and let the lady Ifabella put your Macrobius and Auius Gellius fomewhere out of your way, for a month or fo. Who knows, but travelling and long airing in an open field, may contribute

more fuccefsfully to the cooling a critic's feverity, than it did to the affuaging of Mr. Cheek's anger, of old? In these fields, you will be fecure of finding no enemy, but the most faithful and affectionate of your friends, &c.

LETTER XIII.

May 17, 1710.

A

FTER I had recover'd from a dangerous illnefs which was firft contracted in town, about á fortnight after my coming hither I troubled you with à letter, and * paper inclos'd, which you had been fo obliging as to defire a fight of when laft I faw you, promifing me in return fome tranflations of yours from Ovid. Since when, I have not had a fyllable from your hands, fo that 'tis to be fear'd that tho' I have escap'd death, I have not oblivion. I should at least have expected you to have finished that elegy upon me, which you told me, you was upon the point of beginning when I was fick in. London; if you will but do fo much for me first, I will give you leave to forget me afterwards; and for my own part will die at difcretion, and at my leifure. But I fear I must be forced, like many learned authors, to write my own epitaph, if I would be remembered at all. Monfieur de la Fontaine's

* Verfes on Silence, in imitation of the Earl of Rochester's poem on Nothing; done at fourteen years old.

would fit me to a hair; but it is a kind of facrilege (do you think it is not ?) to fteal epitaphs. In my prefent, living dead condition, nothing would be properer than Oblitufque meorum, oblivifcendus & illis, but that unluckily I can't forget my friends, and the civilities I received from yourself, and fome others. They say indeed 'tis one quality of generous minds to forget the obligations they have conferred, and perhaps too it may be fo to forget those on whom they conferr'd 'em : Then indeed I must be forgotten to all intents and purposes! I am, it must be own'd, dead in a natural capacity, according to Mr. Bickerstaff; dead in a poetical capacity, as a damn'd author; and dead in a civil capacity, as a useless member of the Common-wealth. But reflect, dear Sir, what melancholy effects may enfue, if dead men are not civil to one another! If he who has nothing to do himself, will not comfort and fupport another in his idlenefs: If thofe who are to die themselves, will not now and then pay the charity of vifiting a tomb and a dead friend, and ftrowing a few 'flowers over him: In the fhades where I am, the Inhabitants have a mutual compaffion for each other being all alike Inanes; we faunter to one another's habitations, and daily affift each other in doing nothing at all. This I mention for your edification and example, that all alive as you are, you may not fometimes difdain-defipere in loco. Tho' you are no Papift, and have not so much regard to the dead as to address yourself to them (which I plainly perceive

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