I wish it were in our power to perfuade all the nation into as calm and fteady a difpofition of mind.

We have received the late melancholy news with the ufual ceremony, of condeling in one breath for the lofs of a gracious Queen, and in another rejoicing for an illuftrious King. My views carry me no further, than to with the peace and welfare of my Country; and my morals and politics teach me to leave all that to Le adjufted by our representatives above, and to divine Providence. It is much at one to you and me, who fit the helm, provided they will permit us to fail quietly in the great ship. Ambition is a vice that is timely mortified in us poor Papifts; we ought in recompence to cultivate as many virtues in ourselves as we can, that we may be truly great. Among my Ambitions, that of being a fincere friend is one of the chief; yet I will confefs, that I have a fecret pleasure to have fome of my defcendants know, that their Ancestor was great with Mr. Pope *.

I am, etc.

His defcendants had much lefs pride in thinking "their anceftor was great with Mr. Pope," than this worthy gentleman, in his triumphant fimplicity, imagined they must have: but, fic tranfit gloria!

LETTER III.

FROM MR. BLOUNT.

Nov. 11, 1715.

IT is an agreement of long date between you and me, that you fhould do with my letters just as you pleased, and answer them at your leisure; and that is as foon as I fhall think you ought. I have so true a tafte of the fubftantial part of your friendship, that I wave all ceremonials; and I am fure to make you as many vifits as I can, and leave you to return them whenever you pleafe, affuring you they fhall at all times be heartily welcome to me.

The many alarms we have from your parts, have no effect upon the genius that reigns in our country, which is happily turned to preferve peace and quiet among us. What a difmal fcene has there been opened in the North! what ruin have thofe unfortunate rash gentlemen drawn upon themselves and their miferable followers, and perchance upon many others too, who upon no account would be their followers? However, it may look ungenerous to reproach peo

was

ple

The battle of Prefton, in which it has been fuppofed Blount engaged. This idea, however, I think, has but flender foundation; though may we not suppose that many overtures and promises were made to Blount, who, confcious of the implication of his character, ufes the remarkable words, " and perchance on many others too, who, upon no account, would be their followers!"

ple in diftrefs. I don't remember you and I ever ufed to trouble ourfelves about politics, but when any matter happened to fall into our difcourfe, we ufed to condemn all undertakings that tended towards the disturbing the peace and quiet of our Country, as contrary to the notions we had of morality and religion, which oblige us on no pretence whatsoever to violate the laws of charity. How many lives have there been loft in hot blood, and how many more are there like to be taken off in cold? If the broils of the nation affect you, come down to me, and though we are farmers, you know Eumeus made his friends welcome. You fhall here worship the Echo at your eafe; indeed we are forced to do fo, because we can't hear the first report, and therefore are obliged to listen to the fecond; which, for fecurity fake, I do not always believe neither.

It is a great many years fince I fell in love with the character of Pomponius Atticus: I longed to imitate him a little, and have contrived hitherto to be, like him, engaged in no party, but to be a faithful friend to fome in both: I find myself very well in this way hitherto, and live in a certain peace of mind by it, which, I am perfuaded, brings a man more

content

* This feems to allude to fomething more particular than what appears. It must be obvious, I think, that Blount, in this epiftle, performs fomething like the part of Echo himself, in replying to Pope with language and affected fentiments very little differing from thofe of his friend.

content than all the perquifites of wild ambition. I with pleasure join with you in wishing, nay I am not afhamed to fay, in praying for the welfare temporal and eternal of all mankind. How much more affectionately then fhall I do fo for you, fince I am in a moft particular manner and with all fincerity,

LETTER IV.

Your, etc.

Jan. 21, 1715-16.

I

KNOW of nothing that will be fo interesting to you at prefent, as fome circumstances of the laft act of that eminent comic poet, and our friend, Wycherley. He had often told me, as I doubt not he did all his acquaintance, that he would marry as foon as his life was defpaired of: Accordingly a few days before his death he underwent the ceremony; and joined together those two facraments which, wife men fay, should be the last we receive; for, if you obferve, Matrimony is placed after Extreme unction in our Catechism, as a kind of hint of the order of time in which they are to be taken. The old man then lay down, fatisfied in the confcience of having by this one at paid his juft debts, obliged a woman, who (he was told) had merit, and fhewn an heroic refentment of the ill-ufage of his next heir. Some hun

dred

dred pounds which he had with the Lady, discharged those debts; a jointure of four hundred a year made her a recompence; and the nephew he left to comfort himself as well as he could, with the miserable remains of a mortgaged estate. I faw our friend twice after this was done, lefs peevish in his fickness than he used to be in his health; neither much afraid of dying, nor (which in him had been more likely) much afhamed of marrying. The evening before he expired, he called his young wife to the bedfide, and earnestly entreated her not to deny him one request, the last he should make. Upon her affurances of confenting to it, he told her, "My dear, it is only "this, that you will never marry an old man again." I cannot help remarking, that fickness, which often destroys both wit and wisdom, yet feldom has power to remove that talent which we call Humour: Mr. Wycherley fhewed his, even in this' laft compliment : though I think his request a little hard, for why fhould he bar her from doubling her jointure on the fame easy terms?

So trivial as thefe circumstances are, I fhould not be displeased myself to know fuch trifles, when they concern or characterise any eminent perfon. The

wifeft

* Warton fays, "This is an obfervation founded on a deep knowledge of human nature." Surely, if this observation be worth making, it requires much greater proof. As to Wycherley, I do not perceive the leaft humour in his requeft; it was as abfurd as his conduct was unamiable. If Pope had faid "joking," inftead of "humour," perhaps he had been nearer the truth; but, after all, even the joke is contemptible.