6. Concerning an Object of their common Charity 7. His Solicitude for his Friends S. An Account of his laft ill State of Health LETTERS to Mr. Warburton. LIT. r. His Acceptance of the Commentary on the Effay on Man 2. On the fame 3. On the fame 4TF 412 413 414 45 4. On the fame On the fame 6. His Expectation of feeing him in Town 7. His Opinion of the Divine Legation; and his Defire to have the Effay on Man thought as favourable to the Interefts of Religion as of Virtue ib. 416 417 418 419 8. His Project of procuring a Piofe Translation of his Effay into Latin, and his Approbation of a Specimen fint to him of it g. His Chagrin on Somebody's having printed a new Volume of his Letters in Ireland 420 421 c. His Satisfaction on the Prospect of meeting his Friend in Town 422 1. Acquainting him with his Obligations to a noble Lord 423 12. An Account of his Project for adding a fourth Book to the Dunciad 424 3. Invites his Friend to Bath ib. 14. On the fame Subject 15. Relating to the projected Edition of his Works 16. On the fame, and the fourth Book of the Dunciad 17. On the fame 426 427 ib. 428 18. On a noble Lord who made Profeffions of Service 429 19. A Character of their common. Friend His Amufements in his Ga den, and Solicitude for the projected Edition 430 20. Defires his Friend to correct the Effay on Homer 431 23. Thanks him for having done it 432 zz. Account of the Publication of the Dunciad 23. Of his ill State of Health. The Edition of his Works. The Laureat and the Clergy 433 ib. 24. The Increase of his Difo:der, and the Forefight of its Confequences 434 25. On the fame 435 The lafl Will of Mr. Pope 437 LETTER S ΤΟ AND FROM SEVERAL PERSONS, From the Year 1711 to 1714. I LETTER I. To the Hon. J. C. Efq; June 15, 1711. Send you Dennis's remarks on the Effay; which equally abound in juft criticisms and fine railleries. The few obfervations in my hand in the margins, are what a morning's leifure permitted me to make purely for your perufal. For I am of opinion that such a critic, as you will find him by the latter part of his book, is but one way to be properly answered, and that way I would not take after what he informs me in his preface, that he is at this time perfecuted by fortune. This I knew not before; if I had, his name had been spared in the Essay, for that only reason. I can't conceive what ground he has for fo exceffive a refentment: nor imagine how these † three lines can be called a reflection on his perfon, which only * On Criticism + But Appius reddens at cach word you speak, And ftares tremendous with a threat'ning eye, B 2 defcribe defcribe him fubject a little to anger on fome occafions. I have heard of combatants fo very furious, as to fall down themselves with that very blow which they defign'd to lay heavy on their antagonists. But if Mr. Dennis's rage proceeds only from a zeal to discourage young and unexperienced writers from fcribling, he should frighten us with his verse, not profe: for I have often known, that, when all the precepts in the world would not reclaim a finner, fome very fad example has done the bufinefs. Yet, to give this man his due, he has objected to one or two lines with reafon, and I will alter them in case of another edition; I will make my enemy do me a kindness where he meant an injury, and so serve instead of a friend. What he obferves at the bottom of page 20 of his reflec tions, was objected to by yourself, and had been mended but for the hafte of the prefs: I confefs it what the English call a Bull, in the expreffion, though the sense be manifest enough: Mr. Dennis's Bulls are feldom in the expreffion, they are generally in the sense. I fhall certainly never make the least reply to him; not only because you advife me, but because I have ever been of opinion, that, if a book can't answer for itself to the public, 'tis to no fort of purpose for its author to do it. If I am wrong in any fentiment of that effay, I proteft fincerely, I don't defire all the world should be deceived (which would be of very ill confequence) merely that I myself may be thought right (which is of very little confequence.) I would be the first to recant, for the benefit of others, and the glory of myfelf; for (as I take it) when a man own's himself to have been in an error, he does but tell you in other words, that he is wifer than he was. But I have had an advantage by the publishing that book, which otherwife I fhould never have known; it has deen the ocafion of making me friends and open abettors, of feveral gentlemen of known sense and wit; and of proving to me what I have till now doubted, that my writings are taken fome notice of by the world or I should never be attacked thus in particular. I have read |