THE moft captivating trait of Pope's character is his duty and filial affection to his parents, particularly to his aged and infirm mother. "Whatever was his pride, to them (fays Johnson) he was obedient; and whatever was his irritability, to them he was gentle."

Another pleafing and interefting circumftance in his life, befides his exemplary condu&t and attachment to his parents, appears to be his warm and long-continued friendship with Gay.

The reason of this unvarying kindness and tenderness to him, may be found in Gay's peculiar talents and character. By all accounts, he appears to have been the leaft offenfive of human beings; gifted with various powers, yet never obtruding on the province or sphere of talent in others; regarding Pope with a quiet and conftant veneration, and pleased and flattered with his regard; without difguife, and without affectation; fimple, yet capable of pleasing, and even of fhining; according to his own Fable,

His care was never to offend,

And every creature was his friend.

It is impoffible but that a mind, irritable and irritated as Pope's was, muft dwell with peculiar complacency on a connection and communication, fuch as it had with Gay. The vehement and lofty, yet polished character of Atterbury; the amiable but uninterefting fimplicity of Digby; the aspiring ambition, and conscious aristocracy of Bolingbroke; the eccentric benevolence and affectation of Swift; could not mingle, if I may say so, with the fream of a mind like his. In almoft all of thefe, there was at times a fomething that fretted and difcompofed him: Atterbury wishing him to change his religion; Digby keeping him in perpetual fervor to say something fine; Bolingbroke aftonishing him, and flattering him, but not foothing him; and Swift, after the long-promised happiness of living near him, leaving his house with the short ceremony of faying, "Two fick friends cannot live together." Gay had juft that lower ftep of ftation and abilities, that prevented rivalship, and fecured complacency and regard on one fide, which was preferved by unaffuming and unaffected gentleness on the other.

The reader, in contemplating Gay's general character, cannot, I think, avoid drawing a kind of parallel between him and Goldfmith. Goldsmith was more vain, and more irritable; but he had a fimplicity so apparently like Gay's, that no one could perceive under it the penetration that was able to produce fuch accurate delineations of character, as are exhibited in "Retaliation;" fuch humour and infight into life, as could produce the comedy of the "Mistakes of a Night;" and fuch sweetness of verfification, and command of imagery, which should diftinguish the “Traveller," and "Deserted Village ;" not to mention the fimplicity of pathos in "Turn, Angelina." Like Gay, alfo, Goldsmith had a particular literary friend *, for whom he felt the fame impreffion of kindness and veneration; and if, in a moment of vanity, he was fometimes disposed to rebel, the feelings of unequal competition were foon loft in returning warmth and tenderness. Perhaps I have faid already too much; but I cannot conclude without wishing the Reader to keep in mind Gay's parallel character of outward fimplicity, and those powers of mind, fo apparently contrary, which produced the humour and novelty of the Beggars' Opera, and the "What d'ye call it ;" the characteristic traits and pleafing pictures of the "Welcome from Greece;" the Poems of Trivia, and Rural Sports, and the exquifitely fimple Ballads, "All in the Downs," and ""Twas when the feas were roaring."

Goldsmith and Gay were nearly in the fame circumstances; but one gained, or might have gained, a comfortable independence from the Bookfellers, which the other in vain expected from the precarious favour of the Great. The real caufe, however, of Gay's disappointment, has been before explained. Both received very confiderable fums from the Theatre, and both were equally care lefs and improvident in the application.

* Dr. Johnfon.

LETTERS

TO AND FROM

MR. GA Y.

From the Year 1712 to 1732.

LETTER I.

Binfield, Nov. 13, 1712.

γου

writ me a very kind letter fome months ago, and told me you were then upon the point of taking a journey into Devonshire. That hindered my answering you, and I have fince feveral times inquired of you, without any fatisfaction; for fo I call the knowledge of your welfare, or of any thing that concerns you. I paffed two months in Suffex *, and fince my return have been again very ill. I writ to Lintot in hopes of hearing of you, but had no answer to that point. Our friend Mr. Cromwell too has been filent all this year: I believe he has been displeased at fome or other of my freedoms, which I very innocently

take,

At his friend Caryl's probably, who is mentioned in the Rape of the Lock. He lived at Weft Grinstead Park.

'We fee by the Letters to Mr. Cromwell, that Mr. Pope was wont to rally him on his turn for trifling and pedantic criticism, So he loft his two early friends, Cromwell and Wycherley, by his zeal to correct the bad poetry of the one, and the bad taste of the other. WARBURTON.

take, and most with those I think most my friends. But this I know nothing of; perhaps he may have opened to you and if I know you right, you are of a temper to cement friendships, and not to divide them. I really much love Mr. Cromwell, and have a true affection for yourself, which, if I had any interest in the world, or power with those who have, I should not be long without manifefting to you. I defire you will not, either out of modefty, or a vicious distrust of another's value for you, (those two eternal foes to merit,) imagine that your letters and converfation are not always welcome to me. There is no man more entirely fond of good-nature or ingenuity than myself, and I have feen too much of thofe qualities in you to be any thing less than

Your, etc.

LETTER II.

Dec. 24, 1712.

IT

T has been my good fortune within this month past, to hear more things that have pleased me than (I think) almost in all my time befide. But nothing upon my word has been fo home-felt a fatisfaction as the news you tell me of yourself: and you are not in the least mistaken, when you congratulate me upon your own good fuccefs: for I have more people out of whom to be happy, than any ill-natured man can

boaft

boast of. I may with honesty affirm to you, that notwithstanding the many inconveniencies and disadvantages they commonly talk of in the res angufta domi, I have never found any other, than the inability of giving people of merit the only certain proof of our value for them, in doing them fome real fervice. For after all, if we could but think a little, felf-love might make us philofophers, and convince us quantuli indiget Natura! Ourselves are eafily provided for; 'tis nothing but the circumftantials, and the Apparatus or equipage of human life, that cofts fo much the furnishing. Only what a luxurious man wants for horfes and footmen, a good-natured man wants for his friends or the indigent.

allow

loft

I fhall fee you this winter with much greater pleafure than I could the laft; and, I hope, as much of your time, as your attendance on the Duchefs will you to spare to any friend, will not be thought upon one who is as much fo as any man. I muft alfo put you in mind, though you are now Secretary to this Lady, that you are likewife Secretary to nine other Ladies, and are to write fometimes for them too. He who is forced to live wholly upon thofe Ladies' favours is indeed in as precarious a condition as any He who does what Chaucer fays for fuftenance; but they are very agreeable companions, like other Ladies, when a man only paffes a night or fo with them at his leifure, and away. Your, etc.

b

I am

Duchefs of Monmouth, to whom he was juft then made Secretary.

VOL. VIII.

N

POPE.