beautiful idea in our own brain, than our endeavours to express it can fet to the view of others; and still do but labour to fall fhort of our firft imagination. The gay colouring which fancy gave at the first tranfient glance we had of it, goes off in the execution: like thofe various figures in the gilded clouds, which while we gaze long upon, to separate the parts of each imaginary image, the whole faints before the eye, and decays into confufion.

I am highly pleased with the knowledge you give me of Mr. Wycherley's present temper, which seems fo favourable to me. I fhall ever have fuch a fund of affection for him as to be agreeable to myfelf when

I

am so to him, and cannot but be gay when he is in good humour, as the surface of the earth (if you will pardon a poetical fimilitude) is clearer or gloomier, just as the fun is brighter or more over-cast *.—I should be glad to fee the verses to Lintot which you mention, for, methinks, fomething oddly agreeable may be produced from that fubject-For what remains, I am fo well, that nothing but the affurance of your being fo can make me better; and if you would have me live with any fatisfaction thefe dark days in which I cannot fee you, it must be by your writing fometimes to

Your, etc.

* This was written, I have no doubt, with a view of Wycherley's feeing it, fo early had Pope learned "ftratagem :" one can hardly otherwife account for fuch hyperbolical praife.

MR.

LETTER XXX.

FROM MR. CROMWELL.

December 7, 1711.

R. Wycherley has, I believe, fent you two or three letters of invitation; but you, like the fair, will be long folicited before you yield, to make the favour the more acceptable to the lover. He is much yours by his talk; for that unbounded genius, which has ranged at large like a libertine, now feems confined to you: and I should take him for your miftress too, by your fimile of the fun and earth: 'tis very fine, but inverted by the application; for the gaiety of your fancy and the drooping of his by the withdrawing of your luftre, perfuades me it would be jufter by the reverfe. Oh happy favourite of the Mufes! how pernoctare all night long with them? but alas! you do but toy, but fkirmish with them, and decline a clofe engagement. Leave elegy and tranflation to the inferior clafs, on whom the Mufes only glance now and then, like our winter-fun, and then leave them in the dark. Think on the dignity of Tragedy, which is of the greater poetry, as Dennis fays, and foil him at his other weapon, as you have done in Criticifm. Every one wonders that a genius like yours will not fupport the finking Drama; and Mr.

*

*He fhewed his excellent good fenfe, by not attempting a fpecies of poetry to which he was fo much difinclined; I do not say unequal. WARTON.

i

Mr. Wilks (though I think his talent is Comedy) has expreffed a furious ambition to fwell in your bufkins. We have had a poor Comedy of Johnson's (not Ben) which held feven nights, and has got him three hundred pounds, for the town is fharp-fet on new plays. In vain would I fire you by interest or ambition, when your mind is not fufceptible of either; though your authority (arifing from the general esteem, like that of Pompey) muft infallibly affure you of fuccefs; for which in all your wishes you will be attended with those of

LETTER XXXI.

Your, etc.

December 21, 1711

F I have not writ to you fo foon as I ought, let my writing now atone for the delay; as it will infal libly do, when you know what a facrifice I make you at this time, and that every moment my eyes are employed upon this paper, they are taken off from two of the finest faces in the univerfe. But indeed 'tis fome confolation to me to reflect, that while I but write this period, I efcape fome hundred fatal darts from those unerring eyes, and about a thousand deaths or better. Now you, that delight in dying, would not once have dreamt of an absent friend in these circumstances;

VOL. VII.

M

cumstances; you that are so nice an admirer of beauty, or (as a Critic would fay after Terence) fo elegant Spectator of forms; you must have a fober difh of coffee, and a solitary candle at your fide, to write an epistle lucubratory to your friend, whereas I can do it as well with two pair of radiant lights, that outfhine the golden god of day and filver goddess of night, and all the refulgent eyes of the firmament.-You fancy now that Sappho's eyes are two of these my tapers, but it is no fuch matter; thefe are eyes that have more perfuafion in one glance than all Sappho's oratory and gefture together, let her put her body into what moving postures fhe pleases. Indeed, indeed, my friend, you never could have found fo improper a time to tempt me with intereft or ambition : let me but have the reputation of these in my keeping, and as for my own, let the devil, or let Dennis, take it for ever. How gladly would I give all I am worth, that is to fay, my Paftorals, for one of them, and my Effay for the other; I would lay out all my Poetry in Love; an Original for a Lady, and a Translation for a Waiting-maid! Alas! what have I to do with Jane Gray, as long as Mifs Molly, Mifs Betty, or Mifs Patty are in this world? Shall I write of beauties murdered long ago, when there are thofe at this inftant that murder me? I'll e'en compofe my own Tragedy,

and.

* This evidently alludes to the circumftance of Pope's being half-perfuaded to attempt a Tragedy on the fubject of Lady Jane Gray.

and the Poet shall appear in his own person, to move compaffion : 'twill be far more effectual than Bays's entering with a rope about his neck, and the world will own, there never was a more miserable object brought upon the stage.

Now you that are a critic, pray inform me, in what manner I may connect the foregoing part of this letter with that which is to follow, according to the rules? I would willingly return Mr. Gay my thanks for the favour of his poem, and in particular for his kind mention of me; I hoped, when I heard a new Comedy had met with fuccefs upon the ftage, that it had been his, to which I really wifh no lefs; and (had it been any way in my power) fhould have been very glad to have contributed to its introduction into the world. His verses to Lintot * have put a whim into my head, which you are like to be troubled with in the oppofite page: take it as you find it, the production of half an hour t'other morning. I defign very foon to put a task of a more serious nature upon you, in reviewing a piece of mine that may better deserve criticism; and by that time you have done with it, I hope to tell you in person with how much fidelity I

am

Your, etc.

Thefe verfes are printed in Dr. Swift's and our Author's Mifcellanies. WARBURTON.