mains are fallen into fuch hands as may render 'em reputable to the one, and beneficial to the other. Befides the publick acquaintance I long had with that poor man, I also had a flender knowledge of his parts and capacity by private converfation, and ever thought it pity he was neceffitated by the ftraitnefs of his fortune, to act (and efpecially to his latest hours) an imaginary and fictitious part, who was capable of exhibiting a real one, with credit to himself, and advantage to his neighbour.

I hope your health permitted you to execute your defign of giving us an imitation of Pollio, I am fatisfy'd 'twill be doubly divine and I fhall long to fee it. I ever thought church-musick the most ravishing of all harmonious compofitions, and must also believe facred subjects, well handled, the most inspiring of all poetry.

But where hangs the Lock now? (tho' I know that rather than draw any just reflection upon your felf of the least fhadow of ill-nature, you would freely have fuppreft one of the beft of poems.) I hear no more of it will it come out in Lintot's Mifcellany or not? I wrote to Lord Petre upon the fubject of the Lock, fome time fince, but have as yet had no anfwer, nor indeed do I know when he'll be in London. I have fince I faw you correfponded with Mrs. W. I hope fhe is now with her Aunt, and that her journey thither was fomething facilitated by my writing to that lady as preffingly as poffible, not to let any thing whatsoever obftruct it. I fent her obliging anfwer to the party it most concern'd; and when I hear Mrs. W. is certainly there, I will write again to my Lady, to urge as much as poffible the effeting the only thing that in my opinion can make

her

her niece easy. I have run out my extent of paper,

and am

Your, &c.

LETTER VI.

The Answer.

May 28, 1712.

IT is not only the difpofition I always have of con

verfing with you, that makes me fo fpeedily anfwer your obliging letter, but the apprehenfion left your charitable intent of writing to my Lady A. on Mrs. W's. affair fhould be fruftrated, by the fhort ftay the makes there. She went thither on the 25th with that mixture of expectation and anxiety, with which people ufually go into unknown or half difcover'd countries, utterly ignorant of the difpofitions of the inhabitants, and the treatment they are to meet with. The unfortunate of all people are the moft unfit to be left alone; yet we fee the world generally takes care they fhall be fo: whereas if we took a confiderate profpect of the world, the busipefs and ftudy of the happy and easy fhou'd be to divert and humour, as well as comfort and pity, the diftreffed. I cannot therefore excufe fome near Allies of mine for their conduct of late towards this Lady, which has given me a great deal of anger as well as forrow all I fhall fay to you of 'em at prefent is, that they have not been my Relations these two months. The confent of opinions in our minds, is certainly a nearer tye than can be contracted by all the blood in

Our

our bodies; and I am proud of finding I have something congenial with you. Will you permit me to confefs to you, that all the favours and kind offices you have shewn towards me, have not so strongly cemented me yours, as the discovery of that generous and manly compaffion you manifefted in the cafe of this unhappy Lady? I am afraid to infinuate to you how much I efteem you: Flatterers have taken up the ftile which was once peculiar to friends, and an honeft man has now no way left to exprefs himself befides the common one of knaves: fo that true friends now-a-days differ in their address from flatterers, much as right maftiffs do from spaniels, and show themselves by a dumb furly fort of fidelity, rather than by a complaifant and open kindness. - Will you never leave commending my poetry? In fair truth Sir, I like it but too well my self already: expofe me no more I beg you to the great danger of Vanity, (the rock of all men, but most of young men) and be kindly content for the future when you would please me thoroughly, to fay only you like what I write. Yours, &c.

LETTER VII.

Decemb. 5, 1712.

OU have at length comply'd with the request I have often made you, for you have shown me, I must confefs, feveral of my faults in the fight of those letters. Upon a review of them, I find many things that would give me fhame, if I were not more defirous

to

to be thought honeft than prudent: fo many things freely thrown out, fuch lengths of unreserv'd friendfhip, thoughts juft warm from the brain, without any polifhing or drefs, the very difhabille of the underftanding. You have prov'd your felf more tender of another's embryo's than the fondett mothers are of their own, for you have preferv'd every thing that I mifcarry'd of. Since I know this, I fhall in one refpect be more afraid of writing to you than ever, at this carelefs rate, because I fee my evil works may again rife in judgment againft me: yet in another refpect I fhall be lefs afraid, fince this has given me fuch a proof of the extreme indulgence you afford to my flighteft thoughts. The revifal of thefe letters has been a kind of examination of confcience to me; fo fairly and faithfully have I fet down in 'em from time to time the true and undifguifed state of my mind. But I find, that these which were intended as sketches of my friendship, give as imperfect images of it, as the little landscapes we commonly fee in black and white do of a beautiful country; they can represent but a very fmall part of it, and that depriv'd of the life and luftre of nature. I perceive that the more I endeavour'd to render manifeft the real affection and value I ever had for you, I did but injure it by reprefenting lefs and less of it: as glaffes which are defign'd to make an object very clear, generally contract it. Yet as when people have a full Idea of a thing first upon their own knowledge, the leaft traces of it ferve to refresh the remembrance, and are not displeasing on that fcore; fo I hope the foreknowledge you had of my efteem for you, is the reason that you do not dislike my letters.

They will not be of any great fervice (I find) in the defign I mentioned to you: I believe I had bet

ter

ter fteal from a richer man, and plunder your letters, (which I have kept as carefully as I would Letters Patents, fince they intitle me to what I more value than titles of honour.) You have fome caufe to apprehend this ufage from me, if what fome fay be true, that I am a great borrower; however I have hitherto had the luck that none of my creditors have challeng'd me for it: and those who say it are fuch, whose writings no man ever borrow'd from, fo have the leaft reafon to complain, and whose works are granted on all hands to be but too much their own. Another has been pleas'd to declare, that my verfes are corrected by other men: I verily believe theirs were never corrected by any man: but indeed if mine have not, 'twas not my fault, I have endeavour'd my utmoft that they fhould. But these things are only whisper'd, and I will not encroach upon Bays's province and pen whispers, fo haften to conclude

Your, &c.

O. 21, 1713.

I Am pleas'd beyond measure wwh your denge of

tranflating Homer: The tryals which you have already made and published on fome parts of that author have fhewn that you are equal to fo great a task: and you may therefore depend upon the utmost fervices I can do you in promoting this work, or any thing that may be for your fervice.

I hope Mr. Stafford for whom you was pleas'd to concern your felf, has had the good effects of the

Queen's