gain your praise, but your Affection. Be fo much my friend as to appear my enemy, and tell me my faults, if not as a young Man, at least as an unexperienced Writer.

I am, &c.

LETTER IV.

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

March 29, 1705.

Y

OUR letter of the twenty-fifth of March I have received, which was more welcome to me than any thing could be out of the country, tho' it were one's rent due that day; and I can find no fault with it, but that it charges me with want of fincerity, or juftice, for giving you your due; who fhould not let your modefty be fo unjust to your merit, as to reject what is due to it, and call that compliment, which is so short of your defert, that it is rather degrading than exalting you. But if compliment be the smoke only of friendship (as you fay) however, you must allow there is no smoke but there is fome fire; and as the facrifice of incenfe offered to the Gods would not have been half so sweet to others, if it had not been for its smoke; fo friendfhip, like love, cannot be without some incense, to perfume the name it would praise and immortalize. But fince you say you do not write to me to gain my praise, but my affection, pray how is it poffible to have the one without the other? we must admire before we love. You affirm, you would have me fo much your friend as to appear your enemy, and find out your faults rather than your perfections; but (my friend) that would be fo hard to do, that I, who love no difficulties, can't be perfuaded to it. Besides,

the

the vanity of a fcribler is fuch, that he will never part with his own judgment to gratify another's; especially when he must take pains to do it: and tho' I am proud to be of your opinion, when you talk of any thing or man but yourself, I cannot fuffer you to murder your fame with your own hand, without oppofing you; efpecially when you fay your laft letter is the worst (fince the longeft) you have favoured me with; which I therefore think the best, as the longest life (if a good one) is the best; as it yields the more variety, and is the more exemplary; as a chearful fummer's day, tho' longer than a dull one in the winter, is lefs tedious and more entertaining. Therefore let but your friendship be like your letter, as lafting as it is agreeable, and it can never be tedious, but more acceptable and obliging

to

Your, &c.

LETTER V

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

April 7, 1705.

Have received yours of the fifth, wherein your

I modesty refuses the juft praises I give you, by

which you lay claim to more, as a bishop gains his bishopric by faying he will not epifcopate; but I must confefs, whilft I displease you by commending you, I please myself: juft as incenfe is sweeter to the offerer than the deity to whom 'tis offered, by his being fo much above it: For indeed every man partakes of the praise he gives, when it is fo juftly given.

As to my enquiry after your intrigues with the Mufes, you may allow me to make it, fince no old B 4

man

man can give fo young, so great, and able a favourite of theirs, jealoufy. I am, in my enquiry, like old Sir Bernard Gafcoign, who used to say, that when he was grown too old to have his vifits admitted alone by the ladies, he always took along with him a young man to enfure his welcome to them; for had he come alone he had been rejected, only because his vifits were not fcandalous to them. So I am (like an old rook, who is ruined by gaming) forced to live on the good fortune of the pushing young men, whofe fancies are fo vigorous that they enfure their fuccefs in their adventures with the Mufes, by their ftrength of imagination.

Your papers are fafe in my cuftody (you may be fure) from any one's theft but my own; for 'tis as dangerous to truft a fcribler with your wit, as a gamester with the cuftody of your money.-If you happen to come to town, you will make it more difficult for me to leave it, who am

Your, &c.

I

LETTER VI.

April 30, 1705.

Cannot contend with you: You must give me leave at once to wave all your compliments, and to collect only this in general from them, that your defign is to encourage me. But I feparate from all the reft that paragraph or two, in which you make me fo warm an offer of your Friendship. Were I poffeffed of that, it would put an end to all those fpeeches with which you now make me blush; and change them to wholfome advices, and free fentiments, which might make me wifer and happier. I know 'tis the general opinion, that friendship is best contracted betwixt perfons of equal age; but I have

fo

fo much intereft to be of another mind, that you muft pardon me if I cannot forbear telling you a few notions of mine, in oppofition to that opinion.

In the first place 'tis obfervable, that the love we bear to our friends, is generally caufed by our finding the fame difpofitions in them, which we feel in ourfelves. This is but felf-love at the bottom: whereas the affection betwixt people of different ages cannot well be fo, the inclinations of fuch being commonly various. The friendship of two young men is often occafioned by love of pleasure or voluptuoufnefs, each being defirous for his own fake of one to affift or encourage him in the courses he purfues; as that of two old men is frequently on the fcore of fome profit, lucre, or defign upon others. Now, as a young man who is lefs acquainted with the ways of the world, has in all probability lefs of intereft; and an old man, who may be weary of himself, has, or should have lefs of felf-love; fo the friendship between them is the more likely to be true, and unmixed with too much felf-regard. One add to this, that fuch a friendship is of greater may use and advantage to both; for the old man will grow gay and agreeable to please the young one; and the young man more difcreet and prudent by the help of the old one: fo it may prove a cure of those epidemical diseases of age and youth, fourness and madness. I hope you will not need many arguments to convince you of the poffibility of this; one alone abundantly fatisfies me, and convinces to the heart, which is, that * young as I am, and old as you are, I am your entirely affectionate, &c.

Mr. Wycherley was at this time about seventy years old, Mr. Pope under feventeen.

P.

LET

I

LETTER VIL

June 23, 1705.

Should believe myself happy in your good opinion, but that you treat me fo much in a style of compliment. It hath been obferved of women, that they are more fubject in their youth to be touched with vanity, than men, on account of their being generally treated this way; but the weakest women are not more weak than that clafs of men, who are thought to pique themfelves upon their Wit. The world is never wanting, when a coxcomb is accomplishing himfelf, to help to give him the finishing stroke.

Every man is apt to think his neighbour overftock'd with vanity, yet, I cannot but fancy there are certain times, when moft people are in a difpofition of being informed; and 'tis incredible what a vaft good a little truth might do, fpoken in fuch feafons. A finall alms will do a great kindness, to people in extreme neceffity.

I could name an acquaintance of yours, who. would at this time think himself more obliged to you for the information of his faults, than the confirmation of his follies. If you would make those the fubject of a letter, it might be as long as I could wifh your letters always were.

I do not wonder you have hitherto found some difficulty (as you are pleased to fay) in writing to me, fince you have always chofen the task of commending me: take but the other way, and, I dare engage, you will find none at all.

As for my verfes, which you praife so much, I may truly fay they have never been the cause of any vanity in me, except what they gave me when they firft occafioned my acquaintance with you. But I have feveral times fince been in danger of this vice;