But now the pleasure he took in the fuccefs of his great undertaking, was diminished and interrupted by an unforeseen accident. At the very time when the First Volume of Pope's Iliad was published, a Tranflation of the First Book appeared under the name of Tickell; and though Addison lived in terms of friendship with Pope, and had warmly encouraged him to undertake this work, yet Pope had reafon to think that this Firft Book was the work of Addifon himself, and not of Tickell. The reafons of this fufpicion, and of a conduct fo unaccountable in a man of Addifon's character, are given by Pope himself in the following words, faithfully transcribed by me from Spence's Anecdotes.

2.

There had been a coldness between Mr. Addifon and me for fome time; and we had not been in company together, for a good while, any where but at Button's coffee-houfe, where I ufed to fee him almost every day. On his meeting me there "one day in particular, he took me afide, and faid he fhould be glad to dine with me at fuch a tavern, if I ftaid till thofe people were gone "(Budget and Philips). We went accordingly; "and after dinner Mr. Addison faid, "That he had "wanted for fome time to talk with me; that his friend "Tickell had formerly, whilft at Oxford, tranflated "the First Book of the Iliad; that he defigned to print it, and had defired him to look it over; that he

"muft

"must therefore beg that I would not defire him "to look over my First Book, because, if he did, it "would have the air of double-dealing." I affured "him that I did not at all take it ill of Mr. Tickell "that he was going to publish his Tranflation; that "he certainly had as much right to translate any "Author as myself; and that publishing both was entering on a fair stage. I then added, that I "would not defire him to look over my First Book "of the Iliad, because he had looked over Mr. "Tickell's; but could wish to have the benefit of "his obfervations on my Second, which I had then "finifhed, and which Mr. Tickell had not touched

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upon. Accordingly I fent him the Second Book "the next morning; and Mr. Addison a few days "after returned it with very high commendations. "Soon after it was generally known that Mr. "Tickell was publishing the First Book of the Iliad, "I met Dr. Young in the street; and, upon our falling into that fubject, the Doctor expressed a great deal of furprise at Tickell's having had fuch

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cr

a Translation fo long by him. He said, that it was "inconceivable to him, and that there must be some mistake in the matter; that each used to commu"nicate to the other whatever verfes they wrote,

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even to the leaft things; that Tickell could not "have been bufied in fo long a work there, without "his knowing fomething of the matter; and that he "had never heard a fingle word of it till on this ❝ occafion.

b 3

" occafion. This furprise of Dr. Young, together ❝ with what Steele has faid against Tickell in rela

tion to this affair, makes it highly probable that ❝ there was fome underhand dealing in that business;

and indeed Tickell himself, who is a very fair "worthy man, has fince, in a manner, as good as owned it to me."

Great and just was Pope's indignation on this occafion, especially when Addison declared at Button's, that both verfions were good; but that Tickell had more of Homer. "I appeal, faid Pope, to the people as

my rightful judges, and while they are not inclined to condemn me, fhall not fear the high-fliers at Button's."

At one time he intended to print together all the four verfions that had been given of this First Book, by Dryden, Maynwaring, himself, and Tickell*; at another, to make a close, and minute, and rigorous criticism on every paffage of the last that feemed defective. In the collection of his Letters, in this edition, many particulars of this unhappy quarrel, and the fentiments of his friends, may be found, which are not therefore here detailed. Every candid reader must wish that the charge against fo amiable a man' as was Addifon, could be totally refuted. It most certainly

Mr. Watts the printer, a man of integrity, affured a friend of Mr. Nicols, that the Translation of the First Book of the Iliad was in Tickell's hand-writing, but much corrected and interlined by Addifon,

certainly is not, though it was expected it would have been done effectually in what has been lately faid on the subject by the learned Author of Warburton's Life, who is of opinion, that Tickell might have begun and finifhed his Firft Book of Homer four years before Lord Halifax's death, though known to Lord Halifax only four months before his death, and might intended to have dedicated the work to this Lord. Well convinced of the rashness and uncertainty of judging merely by different styles, I hardly venture to fay, that the style of this verfion is apparently very unlike Tickell's way of writing. With his usual franknefs and good-nature, Steele once endeavoured to reconcile these two great angry rivals; but, in the interview he procured, they fo bitterly upbraided each other with envy, arrogance, and ingratitude, that they parted with increased averfion and ill-will. Pope was chiefly irritated at the calm and contemptuous unconcern with which Addison affected to addrefs him in this converfation.

With refpect to Pope's Tranflation, in general, it is certainly very spirited and splendid throughout; an unwearied fire, anapalov up, pervades the whole work; but it must be allowed to be too full of antithefis, hyperbole, and exaggeration; every part and every object is equally ornamented; "the naked "nature, "is covered with gold and jewels." No two things can be fo unlike, as the Iliad of Homer, and the Iliad of Pope; "to colour the images;" "to " point

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"point the fentences;"" to lavish Ovidian graces,” on the fimple Grecian, is to put a bag-wig on Mr. TOWNLEY'S fine bufto of the venerable old bard.

Pope had now leisure and ability to gratify his favourite paffion of laying out grounds, which he displayed with taste and judgment, at his pleasant villa, close to the banks of the Thames; where, by a happy contrivance to join two pieces of ground together, he built a beauty on neceffity, and turned a fubterraneous paffage into a romantic grotto, which he adorned with valuable ores, fpars, and minerals ; many of which were presented to him by Dr. Borlafe, the celebrated antiquary and hiftorian of Cornwall. The spot was vifited and admired by the first men of this country, and frequently by Frederic Prince of Wales, who was happy to contribute to its beauty and ornament, as will be feen by the Letter here annexed *.:

His father did not live long to behold and to enjoy the profperity and reputation of his fon, but died at Twickenham, 1717, fuddenly, and without a "groan," in his feventy-fifth year; and was cele brated

"Dear Sir,

Since my laft, I have received His Royal Highness's commands, to let you know, that he has a mind to prefent you with fome urns, or vafes, for your garden; and defires you would write me word, what number, and fize, will fuit you beft. You may have fix fmall ones for your laurel circus, or two large ones to terminate points, as you like beft. He wants to have your anfwer foon.-Adieu."