Dr. Garth's poem I have not feen, but believe I shall be of that critic's opinion you mention at Will's, who fwore it was good: for though I am very cautious of fwearing after critics, yet I think one may do it more fafely when they commend, than when they blame.

I agree with you in your cenfure of the use of featerms* in Mr. Dryden's Virgil; not only because Helenus was no great prophet in these matters, but because

"The fpreading oak, the beech, and tow'ring pine,
Glaz'd over, in the freezing æther shine;
The frighted birds the rattling branches fhun,

That wave and glitter in the distant fun."

Pope has spoken very differently of Philips in other places of his works; but it must be confeffed, that nothing can be more contemptible than Philips's "Namby Pamby" Verses, as they are called.

* As to the Tarpawlin phrafe, how is this criticifm blown away, though in fome refpects it is juft, by Falconer's pathetic and truly poetical Shipwreck; where he has introduced almoft every fea-phrafe, with an art and effect that are truly astonishing. Read only the description of the weighing-up the anchor, &c. "All hands unmoor! proclaims a boisterous cry: All hands unmoor! the cavern'd rocks reply. Rouz'd from repose, aloft the failors swarm, And with their LEVERS foon the windlass arm. The order given, up fpringing with a bound, They lodge the bars, and wheel their engine round; At every turn the clanging pauls refound. Up torn reluctant from its oozy cave, The ponderous anchor rifes o'er the wave. Along their flippery mafts the yards afcend, And high in air their canvas wings extend; Redoubling cords the lofty canvas guide, And thro' inextricable mazes glide."

because no terms of art or cant-words fuit with the majesty and dignity of style which epic poetry requires.Cui mens divinior atque os magna fonaturum.

-The Tarpawlin phrase can please none but such qui aurem habent Batavam; they must not expect auribus Atticis probari, I find by you. (I think I have brought in two phrases of Martial here very dextroufly.)

Though you fay you did not rightly take my meaning in the verfe I quoted from Juvenal, yet I will not explain it; because, though it seems you are refolved to take me for a critic, I would by no means be thought a commentator.-And for another reason too, because I have quite forgot both the verfe and the application.

I hope it will be no offence to give my moft hearty service to Mr. Wycherley, though I perceive, by his last to me, I am not to trouble him with my letters, fince he there told me he was going inftantly out of town, and till his return was my servant, etc. I guefs by yours he is yet with you, and beg you to do what you may with all truth and honour, that is, affure him I have ever borne all the refpect and kindnefs imaginable to him. I do not know to this hour what it is that has estranged him from me; but this I know, that he may for the future be more fafely my friend, fince no invitation of his fhall ever more make me so free with him. I could not have thought any man so very cautious and fufpicious, as not to · credit

credit his own experience of a friend. Indeed, to believe nobody, may be a maxim of fafety, but not fo much of honesty. There is but one way I know of converfing fafely with all men; that is, not by concealing what we fay or do, but by faying or doing nothing that deserves to be concealed, and I can truly boast this comfort in my affairs with Mr. Wycherley. But I pardon his Jealoufy, which is become his nature, and shall never be his enemy whatsoever he says of me.

Your, etc.

I

LETTER XXI.

FROM MR. CROMWELL

Nov. 5, 1710. FIND I am obliged to the fight of your love-verses, for your opinion of my fincerity; which had never been called in queftion, if you had not forced me, upon fo many other occafions, to exprefs my esteem.

I have just read and compared Mr. Rowe's verfion of the ixth of Lucan, with very great pleasure, where I find none of thofe abfurdities fo frequent in

: Pieces printed in the 6th vol. of Tonfon's Mifcellanies.

that

POPE.

that of Virgil, except in two places, for the fake of lashing the priests; one where Cato fays

-Sortilegis

egeant dubii-and one in the fimile of the Hæmorrhois -fatidici Sabai-He is fo arrant a whig, that he ftrains even beyond his author, in paffion for liberty, and averfion to tyranny; and errs only in amplification. Lucan ix. in initio, describing the seat of the Semidei manes, fays,

Quodque patet terras inter lunæque meatus,
Semidei manes habitant.

Mr. Rowe has this Line,

Then looking down on the Sun's feeble Ray.

Pray your opinion, if there be an Error-Sphæricus

in this or no?

Your, etc.

LETTER XXII.

Nov. 11, 1710.

γου
ou mistake me very much in thinking the free-
dom you kindly ufed with my love verses, gave
me the first opinion of your fincerity: I affure you
it only did what every good-natured action of yours
has done fince, confirmed me more in that opinion.
The fable of the Nightingale in Philip's Paftorals is
taken from Famianus Strada's Latin poem on the
fame fubject, in his Prolufiones Academica; only the
tomb he erects at the end, is added from Virgil's con-
clufion of the Culex. I can't forbear giving a paf-
fage out of the Latin poem I mention, by which you
will find the English poet is indebted to it:

Alternat mira arte fides: dum torquet acutas,
Inciditque, graves operofo verbere pulsat.

Jamque manu per fila volat; fimul hos, fimul illos
Explorat numeros, chordaque laborat in omni.-
Mox filet. Illa modis totidem refpondet, et artem
Arte refert. Nunc ceu rudis, aut incerta canendi,
Præbet iter liquidum labenti e pectore voci,
Nunc cæfim variat, modulifque canora minutis
Delibrat vocem, tremuloque reciprocat * ore.

This poem was many years fince imitated by Crashaw, out of whofe verfes the following are very remarkable:

From

* Neither of these words are used by Horace or Virgil: reciprocat is to be found in Lucretius, Book iii. 1101, but in an

other fenfe.

WARTON.