But, I can tell you, 'tis to no purpose, for without the Opes, æquum mi animum ipfe parabo.

LETTER XXVIII.

To Mr. CONGREVE.

March 19, 1714-15.

THE 'HE Farce of the What-d'ye-call-it * has occafioned many different fpeculations in the town. Some look'd upon it as a mere jeft upon the Tragic poets, others as a fatire upon the late War. Mr. Cromwell hearing none of the words, and feeing the action to be tragical, was much aftonifhed to find the audience laugh; and fays the Prince and Princess muft doubtless be under no less amazement on the fame account. Several Templars and others of the more vociferous kind of critics, went with a refolution to hiss, and confefs'd they were forced to laugh fo much, that they forgot the defign they came with. The court in general has in a very particular manner come into the jeft, and the three first nights (notwithstanding two of them were court-nights) were diftinguished by very full audiences of the first quality. The common people of the pit and gallery received it at first with great gravity and fedateness, fome few with tears; but after the third day they also took the hint, and have ever fince been very loud in their claps. There are still fome fober men who cannot be of the general opinion; but the laughers are fo much the majority, that one or two critics feem determined to undeceive the town at their proper coft, by writing grave differtations against it: to encourage them in which laudable design, it is refolved a preface fhall be prefix'd to the Farce, in vindication of the nature and dignity of this new way of writing.

Yesterday Mr. Steele's affair was decided: I am sorry I can be of no other opinion than yours, as to his whole carriage and writings of late. But certainly he has not

* Written by Gay.

only

only been punished by others, but fuffered much even from his own party in the point of character, nor (I believe) received any amends in that of intereft, as yet, whatever may be his profpects for the future.

This gentleman, among a thousand others, is a great inftance of the fate of all who are carried away by partyfpirit of any fide. I wish all violence may fucceed as ill but am really amazed, that fo much of that four and pernicious quality fhould be joined with fo much natural good humour as, I think, Mr. Steele is poffeffed of.

LETTER XXIX.

To Mr. CONGREVE.

I am, &c.

April 7, 1715.

MR. Pope is going to Mr. Jervas's, where Mr. Addifon is fitting for his picture; in the mean time, amidft clouds of tobacco at a coffee-houfe, I write this letter. There is a grand revolution at Will's; Morrice has quitted for a coffee-house in the city, and Titcomb is restored, to the great joy of Cromwell, who was at a great lofs for a perfon to converfe with upon the fathers and church hiftory: the knowledge I gain from him, is entirely in painting and poetry; and Mr. Pope owes all his skill in aftronomy to him and Mr. Whifton, so celebrated of late for his discovery of the longitude in an extraordinary copy of verfes *. of verfes*. Mr. Rowe's Jane Gray is to be play'd in Eafter-week, when Mrs. Oldfield is to perfonate a character directly oppofite to female nature; for what woman ever defpifed Sovereignty? You know Chaucer has a tale where a knight faves his head by difcovering it was the thing which all women moft coveted. Mr. Pope's Homer is retarded by the great rains that have fallen of late, which causes the fheets to be long a drying this gives Mr. Lintot great uneafiness, who is

* Call'd, An Ode on the Longitude, in Swift and Pope's Mifcellanies.

now

now endeavouring to corrupt the Curate of his parish to pray for fair weather, that his work may go on. There is a fix-penny Criticifm lately publifhed upon the tragedy of the What-d'ye-call-it, wherein he with much judgment and learning calls me a blockhead, and Mr. Pope a knave. His grand charge is against the Pilgrim's Progrefs being read, which, he fays, is directly levell'dat Cato's reading Plato: to back this cenfure, he goes on to tell you, that the Pilgrim's Progrefs being mentioned to be the eighth edition, makes the reflection evident, the Tragedy of Catoing juft eight times (as he quaintly expreffes it) vifited the prefs. He has also endeavoured to show, that every particular paffage of the play alludes to fome fine part of tragedy, which, he fays, I have injudiciously and profanely abufed *. Sir Samuel Garth's poem úpon my Lord Clare's houfe, I believe, will be publish'd in the Eafter-week,

Thus far Mr. Gay, who has in his letter foreftall'd ali the fubjects of diverfion, unless it should be one to you to fay, that I fit up till two a clock over Burgundy and Champagne; and am become fo much a rake, that I fhall be afhamed, in a fhort time, to be thought to do any fort of bufinefs. I fear I must get the gout by drinking, purely for a fashionable pretence to fit ftill long enough to tran flate four books of Homer. I hope you'll by that time be up again, and I may fucceed to the bed and couch of ny predeceffor; pray caufe the ftuffing to be repaired, and the crutches fhorten'd for me. The calamity of your gout is what all your friends, that is to fay, all that know you, muft fhare in; we defire you, in your turn, to condole with us, who are under a perfecution, and much afflicted with a diftemper which proves mortal to many poets, a Criticifm. We have indeed fome relieving intervals of laughter (as you know there are in fome diseases); and it is the opinion of divers good gueffers, that the laft fit will

* This curious piece was intitled, A compleat Key to the What-d’ye-call-it, written by one Griffin a Player, affifted by Lewis Theobald.

VOL. IV,

hot

not be more violent than advantageous; for poet's af, fail'd by critics, are like men bitten by Tarantulas, they dance on fo much the fafter...

Mr. Thomas Burnet hath play'd the precurfor to the coming of Homer, in a treatife called Homerides. He has fince rifen very much in his criticifm, and after af faulting Homer, made a daring attack upon the Whatd'ye-call-it. Yet there is not a Proclamation iffued for the burning of Homer and the Pope by the common hangman; nor is the What-d'ye-call-it yet filenced by the Lord Chamberlain,

Your, &c.

LETTER XXX.

Mr. CONGREVE to Mr. POPE.

May 6. Have the pleasure of your very kind letter, I have always been oblig'd to you for your friendship and concern for me, and am more affected with it, than I will take upon me to exprefs in this letter. I do affure you there is no return wanting on my part, and am very forry I had not the good luck to fee the Dean before I left the town: it is a great pleasure to me, and not a little vanity to think that he miffes me. As to my health, which you are so kind to enquire after, it is not worse than in London: I am almoft afraid yet to say that it is better, for I cannot reafonably expect much effect from these waters in fo fhort a time; but in the main they feem to agree with me. Here is not one creature that I know, which, next to the few I would choofe, contributes very much to my fatisfaction. At the fame time that I regret the want of your conversation, I please myself with thinking that you are where you firft ought to be, and engaged where you cannot do too much, Pray give my

L

* In one of his papers call'd The Grumbler.

humble

humble fervice and best wishes to your good mother. I am forry you don't tell me how Mr. Gay does in his health; I should have been glad to have heard he was better. My young Amanuenfis, as you call him, I am afraid, will prove but a wooden one: and you know ex quovis ligno, &c. You will pardon Mrs. R -'s pedantry, and believe me to be

Your, &c.

P. S. By the inclofed you will fee I am like to be imprefs'd, and enroll'd in the lift of Mr. Curll's Authors; but, I thank God! I fhall have your company. I believe it is high time you should think of adminiftering another Emetic.