but fince we have the day before us, methinks, it would be very pleasant for you to reft a-while under the woods. When we were alighted, "See here, "what a mighty pretty Horace I have in my pocket! "what if you amused yourself in turning an ode, till "we mount again? Lord! if you pleased, what a "clever Mifcellany might you make at leisure hours?” Perhaps I may, faid I, if we ride on; the motion is an aid to my fancy, a round rot very much awakens my spirits; then jog on apace, and I'll think as hard as I can. Silence enfued for a full hour; af which Mr. broke out, Lintot lugged the reins, ftopped fhort, and Seven miles. anfwered, hought in Mate Oldf ates ng you had done feven ftanzas. Oldfworth "ramble round Wimbleton-hill, would trani "whole ode in half this time. I'll fay that for "worth (though I loft by his Timothy's) he tran "an ode of Horace the quickest of any man in E "land. I remember Dr. King would write ve " in a tavern three hours after he could not speak "and there's Sir Richard, in that rumbling ol "chariot of his, between Fleet-ditch and St. Giles "pound, fhall make you half a Job." Pray, Mr. Lintot, (faid I,) now you talk of Tranflators, what is your method of managing them? "Sir, * Of the Commons, Author of the Art of Cookery and other forgotten Poetry. WARTON. rfes a "Sir, (replied he,) those are the faddeft pack of rogues in the world: in a hungry fit, they'll swear they understand all the languages in the universe; "I have known one of them take down a Greek "book upon my counter, and cry, Ah, this is He"brew, I must read it from the latter end. By "G-d I can never be fure in these fellows, for I "neither understand Greek, Latin, French, nor "Italian myself. But this is my way; I agree with "them for ten fhillings per fheet, with a provifo, "that I will have their doings corrected by whom Į "please; fo by one or other they are led at laft to "the true fenfe of an author; my judgment giving "the negative to all my translators." But how are you secure those correctors may not impose upon you? "Why I get any civil gentleman (especially any 66 Scotchman) that comes into my shop, to read the "original to me in English; by this I know whether my first tranflator be deficient, and whether my "corrector merits his money or not, * "I'll tell you what happened to me last month: I 66 bargained with S for a new verfion of Lucretius "to publifh against Tonfon's; agreeing to pay the "author fo many fhillings at his producing so many "lines. He made a great progress in a very short "time, and I gave it to the corrector to compare " with the Latin; but he went directly to Creech's "tranflation, and found it the fame word for word, all but the first page. Now, what d'ye think I "did? I arrefted the tranflator for a cheat; nay, and "I ftopt the corrector's pay too, upon this proof "that he had made ufe of Creech instead of the "original." Pray tell me next how you deal with the Critics? "Sir, faid he, nothing more eafy. I can filence the "most formidable of them: the rich ones for a sheet "apiece of the blotted manufcript, which coft me "nothing; they'll go about with it to their acquaint66 ance, and pretend they had it from the author, "who fubmitted to their correction: this has given "fome of them fuch an air, that in time they come "to be confulted with, and dedicated to, as the top "Critics of the town.-As for the poor Critics, "I'll give you one inftance of my management, by "which you may guefs at the reft: A lean man, "that looked like a very good scholar, came to me "t'other day; he turned over your Homer, fhook "his head, fhrugg'd up his fhoulders, and pifh'd 66 at every line of it: One would wonder (fays he) at "the ftrange prefumption of fome men; Homer is 66 no fuch eafy tafk, that every ftripling, every verfi"fier-He was going on, when my wife called to "dinner: Sir, faid I, will you please to eat a piece of "beef with me? Mr. Lintot, faid he, I am forry you "fhould be at the expence of this great book, I am really concerned on your account-Sir, I am much "obliged to you: if you can dine upon a piece of beef, together with a flice of pudding-Mr. Lintot, "I do not fay but Mr. Pope, if he would condescend "to advise with men of learning-Sir, the pudding "is upon the table, if you please to go in-My Cri"tic complies, he comes to a taste of your poetry, "and tells me in the fame breath, that the book is "commendable, and the pudding excellent. "Now, Sir, (concluded Mr. Lintot,) in return to "the frankness I have fhewn, pray tell me, is it the .. opinion of your friends at court that my Lord "Lanfdown will be brought to the bar or not?" I told him I heard he would not, and I hoped it, my Lord being one I had particular obligations to. "That may be, (replied Mr. Lintot,) but by G-d if "he is not, I fhall lofe the printing of a very good "Trial." Thefe, my Lord, are a few traits by which you difcern the genius of Mr. Lintot, which I have chosen for the fubject of a letter. I dropt him as foon as I got to Oxford, and paid a visit to my Lord Carleton at Middleton. The converfations I enjoy here are not to be prejudiced by my pen, and the pleasures from them only to be equalled when I meet your Lordship. I hope in a few days to caft myself from your horfe at your feet. I am, etc. LETTER XII. TO THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. [In answer to a Letter in which he inclosed the Description of Buckingham-Houfe, written by him to the D. of Sh.] PLINY was one of those few authors who had a warm house over his head, nay two houses, as appears by two of his epiftles. I believe, if any of his contemporary authors durft have informed the public where they lodged, we fhould have found the garrets of Rome as well inhabited, as thofe of Fleet-street: but it is dangerous to let creditors into fuch a fecret; therefore we may prefume that then, as well as nowa-days, nobody knew where they lived but their bookfellers. It seems that when Virgil came to Rome, he had no lodging at all*: he first introduced himself to Auguftus *But Virgil, afterwards, poffeffed a fine house at Rome, and villa at Naples. And Horace, fays Swift, I am fure kept his coach. Lucan and Silius Italicus dwelt in marble palaces, and had their gardens adorned with the moft exquifite ftatues of Greece. Of modern poets, Triffino and Voltaire seem to have had the most fuperb houfes. The former, who was a skilful architect as well as poet, was rich enough to build a palace from a defign of his own, under the direction of the celebrated Palladio. And the chateau of Voltaire, at Ferney, has been vifited by fo many Englishmen, as to render a defcription of it fuperfluous. Mr. Harte related to me, that Pope, in one of their usual walks together, defired him to go with him to a house in the Hay market, |