Return you the Book you were pleas'd to fend me, and with it your obliging letter, which deferves my particular acknowledgment; for next to the pleafure of enjoying the company of fo good a friend, the welcomeft thing to me is to hear from him. I expected to find, what I have met with, an admirable genius in thofe Poems, not only because they were Milton's, or were approved by Sir Hen.Wootton, but because you had commended them; and give me leave to tell you, that I know no body fo like to equal him, even at the age he wrote moft of them, as your felf. Only do not afford more caufe of com

*

Secretary of State to King William the Third. L'Allegro Il Penserofo, Lycidas, and the Mafque of Comus.

plaints

plaints against you, that you fuffer nothing of yours to come abroad; which in this age, wherein wit and true sense is more scarce than money, is a piece of fuch cruelty as your best friends can hardly pardon. I hope you will repent and amend; I could offer many reasons to this purpose, and fuch as you cannot answer with any fincerity; but that I dare not enlarge, for fear of ingaging in a ftile of Compliment, which has been fo abused by fools and knaves, that it is become almoft fcandalous. I conclude therefore with an affurance which shall never vary, of my being ever, &c.

I

LETTER II.

Sir William Trumbull to Mr. Pope.

April 9, 1708.

yours

Have this moment receiv'd the favour of of the 8th inftant; and will make you a true excufe, (tho' perhaps no very good one) that I deferr'd the troubling you with a letter, when I fent back your papers, in hopes of feeing you at Binfield before this time. If I had met with any fault in your performance, I fhould freely now (as I have done too prefumptuously in converfation with you) tell you my opinion; which I have frequently ventur'd to give you, rather in compliance with your defires than that I could think it reafonable. For I am not yet fatisfied upon what grounds I can pretend to judge of poetry, who never have been practic'd in the art. M

There

may

may poffibly be fome happy genius's, who may judge of fome of the natural beauties of a poem, as a man may of the proportions of a building, without having read Vitruvius, or knowing any thing of the rules of architecture: but this, tho' it may fometimes be in the right, must be fubject to many mistakes, and is certainly but a fuperficial knowledge; without entring into the art, the methods, and the particular excellencies of the whole compofure, in all the parts of it.

Befides my want of skill, I have another reason why I ought to fufpect my self, by reason of the great affection I have for you; which might give too much bias to be kind to every thing that comes from you. But after all, I must say (and I do it with an oldfashion'd fincerity) that I entirely approve of your tranflation of thofe pieces of Homer, both as to the verfification and the true fenfe that fhines thro' the whole: Nay I am confirmed in my former application to you, and give me leave to renew it upon this occafion, that you wou'd proceed in tranflating that incomparable Poet, to make him speak good English, to drefs his admirable characters in your proper, fignificant, and expreffive conceptions, and to make his works as useful and inftructive to this degenerate age, as he was to our friend Horace, when he read him at Prænefte: Qui, quid fit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non, &c. I break off with that quid non? with which I confefs I am charm'd.

Upon the whole matter I intreat you to fend this presently to be added to the Miscellanies, and I hope it will come time enough for that purpose.

I have nothing to fay of my Nephew B.'s obfervations, for he sent them to me fo late, that I had not time to confider them; I dare fay he endeavour'd

very faithfully (tho' he told me very haftily) to execute your commands.

All I can add is, that if your excess of modefty fhou'd hinder you from publishing this Effay, I fhall only be forry that I have no more credit with you, to perfuade you to oblige the publick, and very particularly, dear Sir, Your, &c.

I

LETTER III.

Sir William Trumbull to Mr. Pope.

March 6, 1713.

Think a hafty fcribble fhows more what flows

from the heart, than a letter after Balzac's manner in ftudied phrafes; therefore I will tell you as faft as I can, that I have receiv'd your favour of the 26th paft, with your kind present of The Rape of the Lock. You have given me the trueft fatisfaction imaginable, not only in making good the juft opinion I have ever had of your reach of thought, and my Idea of your comprehenfive genius; but likewife in that pleasure I take as an English Man to fee the French, even Boileau himself in his Lutrin, outdone in your poem: for you defcend, leviore plero, to all the nicer touches, that your own obfervation and wit furnish, on such a subject as requires the finest strokes and the livelieft imagination. But I muft fay no more (tho' I could a great deal) on what pleases me fo much and henceforth I hope you will never condemn me of partiality, fince I only fwim with the stream, and approve what all men of good tafte (notwithstanding the jarring of Parties) must and do M 2 univerfally

univerfally applaud. I now come to what is of vaft moment, I mean the preservation of your health, and beg of you earnestly to get out of all Tavern-company, and fly away tanquam ex incendio. What a mi. fery it is for you to be destroy'd by the foolish kind. nefs ('tis all one whether real or pretended) of those who are able to bear the poison of bad wine, and to engage you in fo unequal a combat? As to Homer, by all I can learn your business is done; therefore, come away and take a little time to breathe in the country. I beg now for my own fake, but much more for yours; methinks Mr.has said to you more

than once,

Heu fuge, nate dea, teque bis, ait, eripe flammis !

I am

Your, &c.

LETTER

IV.

To Sir William Trumbull.

March 12, 1713. Hough any thing you write is fure to be a pleafure to me, yet I muft own your last letter made me uneafy you really ufe a ftyle of compliment, which I expect as little as I deferve it. I know 'tis a common opinion that a young fcribler is as ill pleas'd to hear truth as a young lady. From the moment one fets up for an author, one must be treated as ceremoniously, that is as unfaithfully,