you

came out at a time when it could not but appear as a kind of fetting up against you. My opinion is, that may, if you please, give them thanks who writ it. Neither the numbers, nor the spirit, have an equal mastery with yours; but what furprizes me more is, that a scholar being concerned, there fhould happen to be fome mistakes in the author's fenfe; fuch as putting the light of Pallas's eyes into the eyes of Achilles, making the taunt of Achilles to Agamemnon (that he should have spoils when Troy should be taken) to be a cool and ferious propofal; the tranflating what you call Ablution by the word offals, and so leaving Water out of the rite of luftration, &c. but you must have taken notice of all this before. I write not to inform you, but to fhew I always have you at heart.

I am, &c.

Extract from a LETTER of the

Rev. Dr. BERKLEY, Dean of Londonderry.

July 7, 1715.

-Some days ago, three or four gentlemen and myself, exerting that right which all readers pretend to over authors, fat in judgment upon the two new Tranflations of the firft Iliad. Without partiality to my countrymen, I affure you, they all gave the preference where it was due; being unanimously of opinion, that yours was equally juft to the fenfe with Mr.'s, and without comparison, more eafy, more poetical, and more fublime. But I will fay no more on fuch a thread-bare subject, as your late performance is at this time.

I am, &c.

Extract

Extract from a LETTER of

Mr. GAY to Mr. POPE.

July 8, 1715.

-I have just fet down Sir Samuel Garth at the Opera. He bid me tell you, that every body is pleas'd with your tranflation, but a few at Button's; and that Sir Richard Steele told him, that Mr. Addison said the other translation was the beft that ever was in any language *. He treated me with extreme civility, and, out of kindness, gave me a squeeze by the fore finger.-I am inform'd, that at Button's your character is made very free with as to Morals, &c. and Mr. Addison fays, that your Tranflation and Tickell's are both very well done, but that the latter has more of Homer.

I am, &c.

Extract from a LETTER of

Dr. ARBUTHNOT to Mr. POPE.

July 9, 1715.

I congratulate you upon Mr. T*'s firft book. It does not indeed want its merit; but I was ftrangely difappointed in my expectation of a tranflation nicely true to the Original; whereas in those parts where the greatest exactness seems to be demanded, he has been the leaft careful, I mean the hiftory of ancient ceremonies and rites, &c, in which you have with great judgment been exact,

I am, &c.

Sir Richard Steele afterwards, in his Preface to an Edition of the Drummer, a Comedy, by Mr. Addison, shews it to be his opinion, that Mr. Addison himself was the person who translated this book."

I

LETTER XXVI.

Mr. POPE to the Hon. JAMES CRAGGS, Efq;

July 15, 1715. Lay hold of the opportunity given me by my Lord bý Duke of Shrewsbury, to affure you of the continuance of that efteem and affection I have long borne you, and the memory of fo many agreeable converfations as we have pafs'd together. I wish it were a compliment to fay, fuch converfations as are not to be found on this fide of the water; for the Spirit of diffention is gone forth among us; nor is it a wonder that Button's is no longer Button's, when old England is no longer old England, that region of hofpitality, fociety, and good humour. Party affects us all, even the wits, tho' they gain as little by politics, as they do by their wit. We talk much of fine sense, refin'd fenfe, and exalted fenfe; but for ufe and happiness, give me a little common fenfe. 1 fay this in regard to fome gentlemen, profefs'd Wits of our acquaintance, who fancy they can make Poetry of confequence at this time of day, in the midft of this raging fit of Politicks. For they-tell me, the bufy part of the nation are not more divided about Whig and Tory, than thefe idle fellows of the feather about Mr. T*'s and my Tranflation. I (like the Tories) have the town in general, that is, the mob, on my fide; but it is ufual with the fmaller party to make up in induftry what they want in number, and that is the cafe with the little fenate of Cato. However, if our principles be well confidered, I must appear a brave Whig, and Mr. T. a rank Tory: I tranflated Homer for the public in general, he to gratify the inordinate defires of one man only. We have, it feems, a great Turk in poetry, who can never bear a brother on the throne; and has his mutes too, a fet of nodders, winkers, and whifperers, whose business is to ftrangle all other offsprings of wit in their birth. The new tranflator of Homer is the humblest flave he has, that is to fav, his firft Minit

ter; let him receive the honours he gives me, but receive them with fear and trembling; let him be proud of the approbation of his abfolute Lord, I appeal to the people, as my rightful judges and masters; and if they are not inclined to condemn me, I fear no arbitrary high-flying proceeding from the small Court-faction at Button's. But after all I have said of this great man, there is no rupture between us. We are each of us fo civil and obliging, that neither thinks he is obliged; and I, for my part, treat with him, as we do with the Grand Monarch, who has too many great qualities not to be respected, though we know he watches any occafion to opprefs us.

When I talk of Homer, I must not forget the early prefent you made me of Monfieur de la Motte's book: and I can't conclude this letter without telling you a melancholy piece of news, which affects our very entrails; L* is dead, and foupes are no more! You fee I write in the old familiar way." This is not to the minifter, but "to the friend +." However, it is fome mark of uncommon regard to the minifter, that I fteal an expreffion from a Secretary of State.

I am,

&c.

LETTER XXVII.

To Mr. CONGREVE.

Jan. 16, 1714-15.

Methinks when I write to you, I am making a confeffion; I have got (I can't tell how) such a custom of throwing myself out upon paper without referve. You were not mistaken in what you judged of my temper of mind when I writ laft. My faults will not be hid from you, and perhaps it is no difpraife to me that they will not: the cleanness and purity of one's mind is never bet ter proved, than in discovering its own faule at first view; Is bas Rigcs

† Alluding to St. John's Letter to Prior, published in the Report of the Secret Committee.

as

as when a ftream fhews the dirt at its bottom, it fhews also the tranfparency of the water.

My spleen was not occafioned, however, by any thing an abufive angry critic could write of me. I take very kindly your heroic manner of congratulation upon this fcandal; for I think nothing more honourable, than to be involved in the fame fate with all the great and the good that ever lived; that is, to be envied and cenfured by bad writers.

You do no more than answer my expectation of you, in deelaring how well you take my freedom, in fometimes neglecting, as I do, to reply to your letters so soon as I ought. Those who have a right tafte of the fubftantial part of friendship, can wave the ceremonial: a friend is the only one that will bear the omiffion; and one may find who is not fo, by the very trial of it.

As to any anxiety I have concerning the fate of my Homer, the care is over with me: the world must be the judge, and I fhall be the first to consent to the juftice of its judgment, whatever it be. I am not fo arrant an author as even to defire, that if I am in the wrong, all mankind fhould be fo.

I am mightily pleafed with a faying of Monfieur Tour reil: "When a man writes, he ought to animate him"felf with the thoughts of pleasing all the world: but "he is to renounce that defire or hope the very moment "the book goes out of his hands."

I write this from Binfield, whither I came yefterday, having pafs'd a few days in my way with my Lord Bo lingbroke; I go to London in three days time, and will not fail to pay a visit to Mr. M, whom I saw not long fince at my Lord Hallifax's. I hoped from thence he had fome hopes of advantage from the prefent administration; for few people (I think) but I, pay respects to great men without any prospects, I am in the faireft way in the world of being not worth a groat, being born both a Papist and a Poet. This puts me in mind of reacknowledging your continued endeavours to enrich me,