Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

LETTERS

TO and FROM

Mr. WYCHERLEY.

From Year 1704 to 1710.

I

LETTER I.

Binfield in Windfor Foreft, Decemb. 26, 1704. T was certainly a great fatisfaction to me to fee and converse with a Man, whom in his writings I

had fo long known with pleasure; but it was a high addition to it, to hear you, at our very firft meeting, doing juftice to your dead friend Mr. Dryden. I was not fo happy as to know him: Virgilium tantum vidi. Had I been barn early enough, I must have known and lov'd him: For I have been affured, not only by your felf, but by Mr. Congreve and Sir William Trumbul, that his perfonal Qualities were as amiable as his Poetical, notwithftanding the many libellous mifrepresentations of them, against which the former of thefe Gentle

The Author's Age then Sixteen.

B

men

men has told me he will one day vindicate him. * I fuppofe thofe injuries were begun by the violence of Party, but 'tis no doubt they were continued by envy at his fuccefs and fame: And those Scriblers who attacked him in his latter times, were only like gnats in a fummer's evening, which are never very troublesome but in the finest and most glorious feafon; for his fire, like the fun's fhined clearest towards its fetting.

You must not therefore imagine, that when you told me my own performances were above those Critics, I was fo vain as to believe it; and yet I may not be fo humble as to think my self quite below their notice. For critics, as they are birds of prey, have ever a natural inclination to carrion and tho' fuch poor writers as I are but beggars, no beggar is fo poor but he can keep a cur, and no author is fo beggarly but he can keep a critic. I am far from thinking the attacks of fuch people either any honour or dif honour even to me, much lefs to Mr. Dryden. I agree with you, that whatever leffer Wits have risen fince his death, are but like ftars appearing when the fun is fet, that twinkle only in his abfence, and with the rays they have borrowed from him. Our wit (as you call it) is but reflection or imitation, therefore scarce to be called ours. True Wit, I believe, may be defined a juftness of thought, and a facility of expreffion; or (in the midwives phrase) a perfect conception, with an eafy delivery. However this is far from a compleat definition; pray help me to a better, as I doubt not you can. I am, &c.

He fince did fo, in his dedication to the Duke of Newcastle, prefix'd to the duodecimo Edition of Dryden's Plays, 1717.

I

*LETTER II.

From Mr. Wycherley.

Jan. 25, 1704-5. I have been fo bufy of late in correcting and tranfcribing fome of my madrigals for a great man or two who defired to fee them, that I have (with your pardon) omitted to return you an anfwer to your moft ingenious letter: fo fcriblers to the public, like bankers to the public, are profuse in their voluntary loans to it, whilft they forget to pay their more private and particular, as more juft debts, to their best and nearest friends. However, I hope, you who have as much good-nature as good fenfe, (fince they generally are companions) will have patience with a debtor who has an inclination to pay you his obligations, if he had wherewithal ready about him; and in the mean time should confider, when you have obliged me beyond my present power of returning the favour, that a debtor may be an honeft man, if he but intends to be juft when he is able, tho' late. But I fhould be lefs juft to you, the more I thought I could make a return to fo much profufeness of Wit and Humanity together; which tho' they feldom accompany each other in other men, are in you fo equally met, I know not in which you most abound. But fo much for my opinion of you, which is, that your Wit and Ingenuity is equalled by nothing but your Judgment, or Modefty, which (tho' it be to please my felf) I must no more offend, than I can do either right. Ji3619

*N. B. The Letters thus marked throughout thefe Volumes, are what Mr. Pope thought fit to reject, and omitted in bis own Edition.

B 2

Therefore

Therefore I will fay no more now of them, than that your good wit never forfeited your good judgment, but in your partiality to me and mine; fo that if it were poffible for a hardened scribler to be vainer than he is, what you write of me would make me more conceited than what I fcribble my felf: : yet I must confefs I ought to be more humbled by your praife than exalted, which commends my little fenfe with fo much more of yours, that I am difparaged and difheartened by your commendations; who give me an example of your wit in the first part of your letter, and a definition of it in the laft; to make writing well (that is, like you) more difficult to me than ever it was before. Thus the more great and just your example and definition of wit are, the lefs I am capable to follow them. Then the best way of showing my judgement, after having seen how you write, is to leave off writing; and the best way to fhew my friendship to you, is to put an end to your trouble, and to conclude

Yours, &c.

LETTER III.

March 25, 1705.

WHEN I write to you, I foresee a long letpster, and ought to beg your patience beforehand for if it proves the longeft, it will be of courfe the worst I have troubled you with. Yet to express my gratitude at large for your obliging letter, is not more my duty than my intereft; as fome people will abundantly thank you for one piece of kindness,

to

« AnteriorContinuar »