it

I find fo many party ftrokes in it, that I am afraid may do your proposals more harm than good.

My Lord Halifax talked of a design to send for

you to Bushy-Park, I believe with a coach-and-fix, or light chaife, but did not name the precife time.-I, publish your having done the first book and begun. I received the cloak-bag fafe-I hope you did not pay carriage. I can't yet guess when I fhall be ready for Sir William's fervice.

I am, etc.

I

LETTER. LXXVI.

FROM THE SAME.

Dear Mr. Pope,

HAD your last in due time.

Shall I fend you the 100l. in bills or cash? and when?

Gay had a copy of the Farewell, with your injunctions. No other extant.

Lord Harvey had the Homer and letter, and bids me thank the author.

I hear nothing of the Sermon. The generality will take it for the Dean's, and that will hurt neither you nor him.

Gay

Gay will be with you on Saturday next. He also works hard.

Your old fword* went with the carrier, and was tyed to the other things with a cord, and my folks fay, very fast. You must make the carrier refponfible. Mine will fwear to the delivery, etc.

No books for you from Lintot.

Mrs. Raines, a young lady in the city, and one of my fhepherdeffes, takes one of the volumes, has paid her 2 guineas, and is to be a fubfcriber in your next

lift.

I also got 2 guineas from the Marquis of Dor.chester.

Philip fent me a note for receipts to be conveyed to the 11 members of the late Hanover club. Pray let me have their names by the firft. I fent to Mr. Merrils to-day, etc.

Lintot fent me Tickell's Homer for your govern. ment. I could not forbear comparing, and do not know what the devil is got into my head, but I fancy I could make a more poetical tranflation in a fortnight (excepting a very few lines.)

It seems it's publifht merely to fhow as a fpecimen of his ability for the Odyffes. Fortefcue would have Gay publish a verfion of the first book of the Odyffes, and tell the world 'tis only to bespeak their appro

bation

* What a good subject would this have been for fome of his contemporary fatirical wags!" Verfes on Mr. Pope's lofing his

old fword."

1

bation and favour for a tranflation of Statius, or any other poet. In fhort, we are merry, whether we are wife or no. My respects to dear Sir William, and his good lady and fon*, and am concerned for any deficiency in his countenance, but I am in no pain for the paltry Baffo Relievo.

LETTER LXXVII.

FROM

**

Yours, etc.

I

Dear Sir,

Saturday Night.

REALLY intended to have been with you to-day; but having been disappointed yesterday of meeting Mr. Selwyn, and going to the Exchequer about my falary to-day, and to Mrs. Howard's to meet him, made it too late; fo that I made a visit this morning to Mr. Congreve, where I found Lord Cobham. They both enquired kindly for you, and wifhed to fee you foon. Mr. Fortescue could not have come with me, but intends the latter end of next week to see you at Twickenham. I have feen our friend Dean Berkeley, who was very folicitous about your health and welfare.

Charles Wyndham, afterwards Earl of Egremont. There are in the Egremont collection of papers, communicated to me by Mr. Coxe, many curious Letters to him from Bolingbroke, when

abroad.

welfare. He is now fo full of his Bermudas project, that he hath printed his propofal, and hath been with the Bishop of London about it. Mrs. Howard defired me to tell you that she had a prefent of beech-maft, which this year hath been particularly good. When 'tis wanted she would have you send to her. I writ to you yesterday, and am in hopes that Mrs. Pope will foon be fo well that you may be able to come to town for a day or fo about your bufinefs. I really am this evening very much out of order with the cholic, but I hope a night's reft will relieve me. I wish Mrs. Pope and you all health and happiness. Pray give my service to her.

LETTER LXXVIII.

FROM MR. PITT, THE TRANSLATOR OF VIRGIL, TO MR. SPENCE.

I

Dear Jo,

July 18, Blandford, 1726.

AM entering into propofals with a bookfeller for printing a little mifcellany of my own perform. ances, confifting of fome originals and select Tranf lations. I beg you to be altogether filent in the matter. Mr. Pope has used fo little of the 23d Odyssey that I gave Dr. Younge, that if I put it in reft I fhall hardly incur any danger of the penalty concerning the patent. However, I will not prefume to

among

the

publish

if

publish a single line of it after Mr. Pope's Tranflation you advise me (as I defire you to do fincerely) to the contrary. I shall send you a small specimen of my Translation, which if you approve of, I can afsure you the remainder of the book is not inferior to it.

THE nurse all wild with transport feem'd to fwim,
Joy wing'd her feet and lighten'd ev'ry limb;
Then to the room with speed impatient borne,
Flew with the tidings of her lord's return.
There bending o'er the fleeping Queen, she cries,
Rife, my Penelope, my daughter, rife
To fee Ulyffes thy long-absent spouse,
Thy foul's defire, and lord of all thy vows:
Tho' late, he comes, and in his rage has flain,
For all their wrongs, the haughty fuitor train.
Ah Euryclea, the replies, you rave;

The gods refume that reafon which they gave;
For Heav'n deep wisdom to the fool fupplies,
But oft infatuates and confounds the wife.
And wisdom once was thine! but now I find
The gods have ruin'd thy diftemper'd mind.
How could you hope your fiction to impose?
Was it to flatter or deride my woes ?
How could you break a fleep with talk fo vain,
That held my forrows in fo foft a chain?

A fleep fo fweet I never could enjoy
Since my dear lord left Ithaca for Troy:
Curft Troy-oh! why did I thy name disclose?
Thy fatal name awakens all my woes :
But fly-fome other had provok'd my rage,
And you but owe your pardon to your age.

No artful tales, no ftudied lies, I frame,
Ulyffes lives (rejoins the rev'rend dame)
In that dishonour'd stranger's close disguife,
Long has he paft all unfufpecting eyes,

VOL. VIII.

A A

All