or propriety in them attones for the liberty: Mr. Dryden has been too free of these, especially in his latter works. I am of the fame opinion as to Triple Rhimes.

5. I could equally object to the Repetition of the fame Rhimes within four or fix lines of each other, as tiresome to the ear thro' their Monotony.

6. Monofyllable Lines, unless very artfully managed, are stiff, or languishing: but may be beautiful to exprefs Melancholy, Slownefs, or Labour.

7. To come to the Hiatus, or Gap between two words, which is caus'd by two vowels opening on each other, (upon which you defire me to be particular) I think the rule in this cafe is either to use the Cafura, or admit the Hiatus, juft as the ear is least shock'd by either: For the Cæfura fometimes offends the ear more than the Hiatus itself, and our language is naturally overcharg'd with confonants: As for example; If in this verse,

The old have Int'reft ever in their eye, we should fay, to avoid the Hiatus,

But th' old have int'reft

The Hiatus which has the worst effect, is when one word ends with the fame vowel that begins the following; and next to this, those vowels whofe founds come nearest to each other are most to be avoided. O, A, or U, will bear a more full and graceful Sound than E, I, or Y. I know fome people will think these Observations trivial, and therefore I am glad to corroborate them by fome great authorities, which I have met with in Tully and Quintilian. In the fourth book of Rhetoric

E 4

to

to Herennius, are these words: Fugiemus crebras vo calium concurfiones, quæ vaftam atque hiantem reddunt orationem; ut hoc eft, Bacca aneæ amæniffimæ impendebant. And Quintilian 7. 9. cap. 4. Vocalium concur fus cum accidit, biat interfiflit, & quafi laborat oratio. Peffimi longe qua eafdem inter fe literas committunt, fonabunt: Præcipuus tamen erit hiatus earum quæ cavo aut patulo ore efferuntur. E plenior litera eft, I anguftior. But he goes on to reprove the excefs on the other hand of being too folicitous in this matter, and fays admirably, Nefcio an negligentia in hoc, aut folicitudo fit pejor. So likewife Tully (Orator ad Brut.) Theopompum reprebendunt, quod eas literas tanto opere fugerit, etfi idem magifter ejuft Ifocrates: which laft author, as Turnebus on Quintilian obferves, has hardly one Hiatus in all his works. Quintilian tells us that Tully and Demofthenes did not much obferve this nicety, tho' Tully himself fays in his Orator, Crebra ifta vocum concurfio, quam magna ex parte vitiofam, fugit Demofthenes. If I am not mistaken, Malherbe of all the moderns has been the moft fcrupulous in this point; and I think Menage in his obfervations upon him fays, he has not one in his poems. To conclude, I believe the Hiatus fhould be avoided with more care in poetry than in Oratory; and I would conftantly try to prevent it, unlefs where the cutting it off is more prejudicial to the found than the Hiatus itself. I am, &c.

the

A. POPE.

Mr. Walsh died at 49 years old, in the year 1708, year before the Effay on Criticifm was printed, which concludes with bis Elogy.

LETTERS

LETTERS

TO and FROM

H. CROMWELL, Efq;

From 1708, to 1711.

* LETTER I.

March 18, 1708.

Believe it was with me when I left the Town, as it is with a great many men when they leave the

as that of their friends whom they leave behind in it. For I do not know one thing for which I can envy London, but for your continuing there. Yet I guefs you will expect me to recant this expreffion, when I tell you that Sapho (by which heathenish name you have chriften'd a very orthodox Lady) did not accompany me into the Country. Well, you have your Lady in the Town ftill, and I have my Heart in the Country ftill, which being wholly unemploy'd as yet, has the more room in it for my friends, and does not want a corner at your fervice. You have extreamly oblig'd me by your franknefs and kindness; and if I have abus'd it by too much freedom on my part, I hope you will attribute it to the natural openness of my

temper

temper, which hardly knows how to show Respect, where it feels Affection. I would love my Friend, as my Mistress, without ceremony; and hope a little rough ufage fometimes may not be more difpleafing to the one, than it is to the other.

If you have any curiofity to know in what manner I live, or rather lofe a life, Martial will inform you in one line:

Prandeo, poto, cano, ludo, lego, cano, quiefco.

Every day with me is literally another yesterday, for it is exactly the fame: It has the fame bufiness, which is Poetry, and the fame pleasure, which is Idlenefs. A man might indeed pass his time much better, but I queftion if any man could pass it much easier. If you will visit our fhades this spring, which I very much defire, you may perhaps inftruct me to manage my game more wifely; but at present I am fatisfy'd to trifle away my time any way, rather than let it ftick by me; as fhop-keepers are glad to be rid of those goods at any rate, which would otherwise always be lying upon their hands.

Sir,if you will favour me fometimeswith your letters, it will be a great fatisfaction to me on feveral accounts; and on this in particular, that it will show me (to my comfort) that even a wife man is fometimes very idle; for so you must needs be when you can find leisure to write to

Your, &c.

LETTER

* LETTER II.

April 27, 1708. I Have nothing to fay to you in this letter; but I was refolv'd to write to tell you fo. Why should not I content my felf with fo many great examples of deep Divines, profound Cafuifts, grave Philofophers; who have written, not letters only, but whole Tomes and voluminous Treatifes about Nothing? Why fhou'd a fellow like me, who all his life does nothing, be afham'd to write nothing? and that to one who has nothing to do but to read it? But perhaps you'll fay, the whole world has fomething to do, fomething to talk of, fomething to wish for, fomething to be imploy'd about: But pray, Sir, caft up the account, put all these fomethings together, and what is the fum total but juft nothing? I have no more to fay, but to defire to give you my fervice (that is nothing) to your friends, and to believe that I am nothing more than Your, &c.

Ex nibilo nil fit. LUCR.

* LETTER III.

May 10, 1708.

YOU talk of fame and glory, and of the great men of Antiquity: Pray tell me, what are all your great dead men, but fo many little living letters? What a vaft reward is here for all the ink wafted by

Writers,