afraid of nothing fo much as to impose any thing on the world which is unworthy of its acceptance. As to the last period of your letter, I shall be very ready and glad to contribute to any design that tends to the advantage of mankind, which, I am fure, all yours do. I wish I had but as much capacity as leifure, for I am perfectly idle (a fign I have not much capacity). If you will entertain the best opinion of me, be pleased to think me your friend. Affure Mr. Addifon of my most faithful service, of every one's esteem he must be affured already. I am LETTER VII. TO MR. STEELE. Your, etc. November 29, 1712. I AM forry you published that notion about Adrian's verses as mine: had I imagined you would use my name, I should have expreffed my fentiments with more modesty and diffidence. I only fent it to have your opinion, and not to publifh my own, which I distrusted. But, I think the fuppofition you draw from the notion of Adrian's being addicted to magic, is a little uncharitable, (" that he might fear no fort "of deity, good or bad,") fince in the third verfe he plainly testifies his apprehenfion of a future state, by being folicitous whither his foul was going. As to what you mention of his using gay and ludicrous expreffions, I have owned my opinion to be, that the expreffions are not fo, but that diminutives are as often, in the Latin tongue, used as marks of tendernefs and concern. Anima is no more than my foul, animula has the force of my dear foul. To fay virgo bella is not half fo endearing as virguncula bellula; and had Auguftus only called Horace lepidum hominem, it had amounted to no more than that he thought him a pleasant fellow it was the homunciolum that expreffed the love and tenderness that great Emperor had for him. And perhaps I fhould myself be much better pleased, if I were told you called me your little friend, than if you complimented me with the title of a great genius, or an eminent hand, as Jacob does all his authors. I am Your, etc. LETTER VIII. FROM MR. STEELE. THIS is to defire of make an Ode as of a chearful dying spirit, that is to fay, the Emperor Adrian's Animula vagula put into two or three ftanzas for mufic. If you comply with this, and fend me word fo, you will.very particularly oblige Your, etc. LETTER IX. I Do not fend you word I will do, but have already done the thing you desired of me. You have it (as Cowley calls it) juft warm from the brain. It came to me the first moment I waked this morning: Yet, you'll fee, it was not fo abfolutely inspiration, but that I had in my head not only the verses of Adrian, but the fine fragment of Sappho, etc. THE THE DYING CHRISTIAN TO HIS SOUL. ODE. I. Vital spark of heavenly flame! II. Hark! they whisper; Angels say, What is this abforbs me quite, III. The world recedes; it difappears! O Death! where is thy Sting? LETTER X. TO MR. ADDISON. July 20, 1713, I AM more joyed at your return than I should be at that of the fun, fo much as I wifh for him this melancholy wet feafon; but it is his fate too, like yours, to be difpleafing to Owls and obfcene animals, who cannot bear his luftre. What put me in mind of these night-birds was John Dennis, who, I think, you are best revenged upon, as the Sun was in the fable upon these bats and beaftly birds above-mentioned, only by shining on. I am fo far from efteeming it any misfortune, that I congratulate you upon having your share in that, which all the great men and all the good men that ever lived have had their part of, Envy and Calumny. To be uncenfured and to be obfcure, is the fame thing. You may conclude from what I here fay, that it was never in my thoughts to have offered you my pen in any direct reply to such a Critic, but only in some little raillery ; not in defence of you, but in contempt of him*. But This relates to the paper occafioned by Dennis's Remarks upon Cato, called Dr. Norris's Narrative of the Frenzy of John Dennis. POPE. A mean |