LETTER X.

April 14, 1741.

You

'ou are every way kind to me; in your partiality to what is tolerable in me; and in your free dom where you find me in an error. Such, I own, is the inftance given of-You owe me much friendship of this latter fort, having been too profufe of the former.

I think every day a week till you come to town, which, Mr. G. tells me, will be in the beginning of the next month: when, I expect, you will contrive to be as beneficial to me as you can, by paffing with me as much time as you can: every day of which it will be my fault if I do not make of fome use to me, as well as pleasure. This is all I have to tell you, and, be affured, my fincereft esteem and affection are yours.

LETTER XI.

Twitenham, Aug. 12, 1741.

T

'HE general indisposition I have to writing, unless upon a belief of the neceffity or use of it, must plead my excufe in not doing it to you. I know it is not (I feel it is not) needful to repeat affurances

of

of the true and conftant friendship and esteem I bear you. Honest and ingenuous minds are fure of each other's; the tie is mutual and folid. The use of writing letters refolves wholly into the gratification given and received in the knowledge of each other's welfare: unless I ever fhould be fo fortunate (and a rare fortune it would be) to be able to procure, and acquaint you of, fome real benefit done you by my But fortune feldom fuffers one difinterested man to serve another. 'Tis too much an infult upon her to let two of those who most despise her favours, be happy in them at the fame time, and in the fame instance. I wish for nothing fo much at her hands, as that she would permit fome great Perfon or other to remove you nearer the banks of the Thames; though very lately a nobleman whom you esteem much more than you know, had destined, etc.

means.

I thank you heartily for your hints; and am afraid if I had more of them, not on this only, but on other fubjects, I should break my resolution, and become an author anew: nay a new author, and a better than I yet have been; or God forbid I should go on jingling only the fame bells!

I have received fome chagrin at the delay of your Degree at Oxon. As for mine, I will die before

I re

p This relates to an accidental affair which happened this fummer, in a ramble that Mr. P. and Mr. W. took together, in which Oxford fell in their way, where they parted; Mr. P. after one day's stay going weftward, and Mr. W. who staid a day after

I receive one, in an art I am ignorant of, at a place where there remains any fcruple of beftowing one on you, in a science of which you are fo great a master. In short, I will be doctored with you, or not at all. I am fure, wherever honour is not conferred on the deferving, there can be none given to the undeferving; no more from the hands of Priests, than of Princes. Adieu. God give you all true Blessings.

LETTER XII.

September 20, 1741.

9

IT is not my friendship, but the discernment of that nobleman I mentioned, which you are to thank for his intention to ferve you. And his judgment is fo uncontroverted, that it would really be a pleasure to you to owe him any thing; instead of a fhame, which often is the case in the favours of men of that rank. I am forry I can only wish you well, and not

do

him, to visit the Dean of C. C. returning to London. On this day the Vice-chancellor, the Rev. Dr. L. fent him a message to his lodgings, by a person of eminence in that place, with an unusual compliment, to know if a Doctor's degree in Divinity would be acceptable to him: to which such an answer was returned as fo civil a meffage deferved. About this time, Mr. Pope had the fame offer made him of a Doctor's degree in Law. And to the iffue of that unafked and unfought compliment these words allude.

W.

W.

do myself honour in doing you any good. But I comfort myself when I reflect, few men could make you happier, none more deferving than you have made yourself.

I don't know how I have been betrayed into a paragraph of this kind. I ask your pardon, though it be truth, for faying fo much.

r

If I can prevail on myself to complete the Dunciad, it will be published at the same time with a general edition of all my Verses (for Poems I will not call them); and, I hope, your Friendship to me will be then as well known, as my being an Author; and go down together to Pofterity: I mean to as much of Pofterity as poor moderns can reach to; where the Commentator (as usual) will lend a crutch to the weak Poet to help him to limp a little further than he could on his own feet. We fhall take our degree together in fame, whatever we do at the Univerfity and I tell you once more, I will not have it there without you.

! He had then communicated his intention to the Editor, of adding a fourth book to it, in pursuance of the Editor's advice. W.

$ This was occafioned by the Editor's requesting him not to flight the honour ready to be done him by the University; and especially, not to decline it on the Editor's account, who had no reafon to think the affront done him of complimenting him with an offer and then contriving to evade it, the act of that illuftrious body, but the exploit of two or three particulars, the creatures of a man in power, and the flaves of their own paffions and prejudices. However, Mr. P. could not be prevailed on to accept of any honours from them, and his refentment of this low trick gave birth to the celebrated lines, of Apollo's Mayor and Aldermen, in the fourth Dunciad.

W.

LETTER XIII.

Bath, Nov. 12, 1741.

I

AM always naturally fparing of my letters to my Friends; for a reafon I think a great one; that it is needless after experience, to repeat affurances of Friendship; and no lefs irksome to be fearching for words, to exprefs it over and over. But I have

First, to express

more calls than one for this letter. a fatisfaction at your refolution not to keep up the ball of dispute with Dr. M. † though, I am fatisfied, you could have done it; and to tell you that Mr. L. is pleased at it too, who writes me word upon this occafion, that he must infinitely esteem a Divine, and an Author, who loves peace better than Victory. Secondly, I am to recommend to you as an author, a bookseller in the room of the honest one you have lost, Mr. G. and I know none who is so worthy, and has fo good a title in that character to fucceed him, as Mr. Knapton. But my third motive of now troubling you is my own proper interest and pleasure. I am here in more leisure than I can poffibly enjoy ever in my own house, vacare literis. It is at this place, that your exhortations may be most effectual, to make me resume the ftudies I have almost laid afide, by perpetual avocations and diffipations. If it were practicable

† Dr. M. means Dr. Middleton, and Mr. L. means Mr. Lyttelton, and Mr. G. Mr. Gyles.