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fchemes of government, our fyftems of philofophy, our golden worlds of poetry, are all but fo many fhadowy images, and airy profpects, which arife to us but fo much the livelier and more frequent, as we are more overcast with the darkness, and disturb'd with the fumes, of human vanity.

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The fame thing that makes old men willing to leave this world, makes me willing to leave poetry, long habit, and weariness of the fame track. Homer will work a cure upon me; fifteen thousand verses are equivalent to fourfcore years, to make one old in rhime and I fhou'd be forry and ashamed, to go on jingling to the laft ftep, like a waggoner's horie, in the fame road, and fo leave my Bells to the next filly animal that will be proud of 'em. That man makes a mean figure in the eyes of reafon, who is measuring fyllables and coupling rhimes, when he fhou'd be mending his own foul, and fecuring his own immortality. If I had not this opinion, I fhould be unworthy even of those small and limited parts which God has given me; and unworthy of the friendship of fuch a man as you. I am

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Your, &c.

I

July 25, 1714.

Have no better excufe to offer you, that I have omitted a task naturally fo pleafing to me as converfing upon paper with you, but that my time and eyes have been wholly employ'd upon Homer, whom I almoft fear I fhall find but one way of imitating, which is, in his blindness. I am perpetually afflict

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ed with headach's, that very much affect my fight, and indeed fince my coming hither I have fcarce past an hour agreeably, except that in which I read your letter. I would seriously have you think, you have no man who more truly knows to place a right value on your friendship, than he who least deferves it on all other accounts than his due fenfe of it. But let me tell you, you can hardly guess what a task you undertake, when you profefs your felf my friend; there are fome Tories who will take you for a Whig, fome Whigs who will take you for a Tory, fome Proteftants who will efteem you a rank Papist, and fome Papifts who will account you a Heretick.

I find by dear experience, we live in an age, where it is criminal to be moderate; and where no one man can be allowed to be just to all men. The notions of right and wrong are so far ftrain'd, that perhaps to be in the right fo very violently, may be of worse confequence than to be eafily and quietly in the wrong. I really with all men fo well, that I am fatisfied but few can wish me fo; but if those few are fuch as tell me they do, I am content, for they are the best people I know: While you believe me what I profefs as to religion, I can bear any thing the bigotted may say: while Mr. Congreve likes my poetry, I can endure Dennis and a thousand more like him; while the most honest and moral of each party think me no ill man, I can easily bear that the most violent and mad of all parties rile up to throw dirt at me.

I must expect an hundred attacks upon the publication of my Homer. Whoever in our times would be a profeffor of learning above his fellows, ought at the very first to enter the world with the conftancy

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and resolution of a primitive christian, and be prepared to fuffer all fort of publick perfecution. It is certainly to be lamented, that if any man does but endeavour to diftinguifh himfelf, or gratify others by his ftudies, he is immediately treated as a common enemy, instead of being look'd upon as a common friend; and affaulted as generally, as if his whole defign were to prejudice the State or ruin the publick. I will venture to fay, no man ever rose to any degree of perfection in writing, but thro' obft inacy, and an inveterate refolution against the stream of mankind: So that if the world has receiv'd any benefit from the labours of the learned, it was in its own defpite. For when firft they effay their parts, all people in general are prejudiced against new beginners; and when they have got a little above contempt, then fome particular perfons, who were before unfortunate in their own attempts, are fworn foes to them only because they fucceed- Upon the whole, one may fay of the best writers, that they pay a fevere fine for their fame, which it is always in the pow'r of the most worthless part of mankind to levy upon them when they please.

I

LETTER XX.

To Mr. Jervas.

I am, &c.

July 28, 1714.

Am just enter'd upon the old way of life again, fleep and mufing. It is my employment to revive the old of paft ages to the prefent, as it is yours to tranfmit the young of the present, to the future.

I

I am copying the great Mafter in one art, with the fame love and diligence with which the Painters hereafter will copy you in another.

Thus I fhould begin my Epistle to you, if it were a Dedicatory one. But as it is a friendly letter, you are to find nothing mention'd in your own praife but what one only in the world is witness to, your particular good-natur'd offices to me.

I am cut out from any thing but common acknowledgements, or common difcourfe: The first you wou'd take ill, though I told but half what I ought; fo in fhort the laft only remains.

And as for the laft, what can you expect from a man who has not talk'd these five days? who is withdrawing his thoughts as far as he can, from all the prefent world, its customs and its manners, to be fully poffeft and abforpt in the paft? When people talk of going to Church, I think of facrifices and libations; when I fee the parfon, I addrefs him as Chryfes prieft of Apollo; and instead of the Lord's prayer, I begin

God of the filver Bow, &c.

While you in the world are concerned about the Proteftant Succeffion, I confider only how Menelaus may recover Helen, and the Trojan war be put to a fpeedy conclufion. I never inquire if the Queen be well or not, but heartily wish to be at Hector's funeral. The only things I regard in this life, are whether my friends are well? whether my Tranflation go well on ? whether Dennis be writing criticisms? whether any body will answer him, fince I don't? and whether Lintot be not yet broke?

I am, &c.

LETTER

LETTER XXI.

To the Jame.

Aug. 16, 1714.

Thank you for your good offices which are numberlefs. Homer advances fo fast, that he begins to look about for the ornaments he is to appear in, like a modifh modern author,

Picture in the front,

With bays and wicked ryme upon't.

I have the greateft proof in nature at prefent of the amusing power of Poetry, for it takes me up fo intirely that I fcarce fee what paffes under my nose, and hear nothing that is faid about me. To follow poetry as one ought, one muft forget father and mother, and cleave to it alone. My Rêverie has been fo deep, that I have scarce had an interval to think my felf uneafy in the want of your company. I now and then juft mifs you as I step into bed; this minute indeed I want extreamly to fee you, the next I fhall dream of nothing but the taking of Troy, or the recovery of Brifeis.

I fancy no friend fhip is fo likely to prove lasting as ours, because I am pretty fure there never was a friendship of fo eafie a nature. We neither of us demand any mighty things from each other; what Vanity we have expects its gratification from other People. It is not I, that am to tell you what an Artift you are, nor is it you that are to tell

me

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