remove fuch and fuch mountains, alter the course of fuch and fuch rivers, place a large city on fuch a coaft, and raise another in another country. I have fet bounds to the fea, and faid to the land, Thus far shalt thou advance, and no farther*. In the mean time, I who talk and command at this rate, am in danger of lofing my horse, and ftand in fome fear of a country juftice +. To difarm me, indeed, may be but prudential, confidering what armies. I have at prefent on foot, and in' my fervice; an hundred thousand Grecians are no contemptible body; for all that I can tell, they may be as formidable as four thousand priefts; and they feem proper forces to fend against those in Barcelona. That fiege deferves as fine a poem as the Iliad, and the machining part of poetry would be the juster in it, as they fay the inhabitants expect angels from heaven to their affiftance. May I venture to fay, who am a Papist, and fay to you who are a Papist, that nothing is more aftonishing to me, than that people fo greatly warm'd with a fenfe of liberty, fhould be capa-. ble of harbouring fuch weak fuperftition, and that so much bravery and fo much folly can inhabit the fame breafts?

I could not but take a trip to London on the death of the Queen, mov'd by the common curiofity of mankind, who leave their own bufinefs to be looking upon that of other men's. I thank God, that, as for myself, I am below all the accidents of state-changes by my circumftances, and above them by my philofophy. Common charity of man to man, and univerfal good-will to all, are the points I have moft at heart; and I am fure, those are not to be broken for the fake of any governors, or government. I am willing to hope the beft; and what I more with than my own or any particular man's advancement, is, that this turn may put an end entirely to the divifions of Whig and Tory; that the parties may love each other as well as I love them both, or at leaft hurt

* This relates to the map of ancient Greece, laid down by our Author in his obfervations on the fecond Iliad.

Some of the laws were, at this time, put in force against the Papists.

each

each other as little as I would either: and that our own people may live as quietly as we shall certainly let theirs; that is to fay, that want of power itself in us may not be a furer prevention of harm, than want of will in them. I am fure, if all Whigs and all Tories had the spirit of one Roman Catholic that I know, it would be well for all Roman Catholics; and if all Roman Catholics had always had that fpirit, it had been well for all others; and we had never been charged with fo wicked a spirit as that of perfecution.

my

I agree with you in fentiments of the ftate of our nation fince this change: I find myself just in the fame fituation of mind you defcribe as your own, heartily wishing the good, that is, the quiet of my country, and hoping a total end of all the unhappy divifions of mankind by party-fpirit, which at beft is but the madness of many for the gain of a few.

IT

LETTER II.

From Mr. BLOUNT,

I am, &c.

T is with a great deal of pleasure I fee your letter, dear Sir, written in a style that fhews you full of health, and in the midft of diverfions: I think thofe two things neceffary to a man who has fuch undertakings in hand as yours. All lovers of Homer are indebted to you for taking fo much pains about the fituation of his Hero's kingdoins; it will not only be of great ufe with regard to his works, but to all that read any of the Greek hiftorians; who generally are ill underftood thro' the difference of the maps as to the places they treat of, which makes one think one author contradicts another. You are going to fet us right; and 'tis an advantage every body will gladly fee you engross the glory of.

You can draw rules to be free and easy, from formal pedants; and teach men to be short and pertinent, from tedious commentators. However, I congratulate your

happy

happy deliverance from fuch authors, as you (with all your humanity) cannot wish alive again to converfe with. Critics will quarrel with you, if you dare to please without their leave; and Zealots will fhrug up their fhoulders at a man, that pretends to go to Heaven out of their form, drefs, and diet. I would no more make a judgment of an author's genius from a damning critic, than I would of a man's religion from an unfaving zealot.

I could take great delight in affording you the new glory of making a Barceloniad (if I may venture to coin fuch a word :) I fancy you would find a jufter parallel than it seems at first fight; for the Trojans too had a great mixture of folly with their bravery; and I am out of countenance for them when I read the wife refult of their council, where, after a warm debate between Antenor and Paris about reftoring Helen, Priam fagely determines that they fhall go to fupper. And as for the Greeks, what can equal their fuperftition in facrificing an innocent lady?

Tantum Religio potuit, &c.

I have a good opinion of my politics, fince they agree with a man who always thinks fo juftly as you.. I wish it were in our power to perfuade all the nation into as calm and steady a difpofition of mind.

We have receiv'd the late melancholy news, with the ufual ceremony, of condoling in one breath for the lofs of a gracious Queen, and in another rejoicing for an illuftrious King. My views carry me no farther, than to wifh the peace and welfare of my country; and my morals and politics teach me to leave all that to be adjusted by our representatives above, and to divine providence. It is much at one to you and me, who fit at the helm, provided they will permit us to fail quietly in the great fhip. Ambition is a vice that is timely mortify'd in us poor papifts; we ought in recompence to cultivate as many virtues in ourselves as we can, that we may be truly great. Among my ambitions, that of being a fincere friend is one of the chief: yet I will confefs that I have VOL. IV. O

a fecret

a fecret pleasure to have some of my descendants know, that their Anceftor was great with Mr. Pope.

I am, &c.

LETTER III.

From Mr. BLOUNT.

Nov. 11, 1715.

IT T is an agreement of long date between you and me, that you fhould do with my letters juft as you pleased, and answer them at your leisure; and that is as foon as I fhall think you ought. I have so true a taste of the subftantial part of your friendship, that I wave all ceremonials; and am fure to make you as many vifits as I can, and leave you to return them whenever you please, afsuring you they shall at all times be heartily welcome to me.

The many alarms we have from your parts, have no effect upon the genius that reigns in our country, which is happily turn'd to preferve peace and quiet among us. What a difmal fcene has there been opened in the North, what ruin have thofe unfortunate rafh gentlemen drawn upon themselves and their miferable followers, and perchance upon many others too, who upon no account would be their followers? However, it may look ungenerous to reproach people in diftrefs. I don't remember you and I ever used to trouble ourselves about politics, but when any matter happened to fall into our discourse, we us❜d to condemn all undertakings that tended towards the difturbing the peace and quiet of our country, as contrary to the notions we had of morality and religion, which oblige us on no pretence whatsoever to violate the laws of charity. How many lives have there been loft in hot blood, and how many more are there like to be taken off in cold? If the broils of the nation affect you, come down to me; and though we are farmers, you know Eumeus made his friends welcome. You fhall here worship the Echo at your eafe; indeed we are forced to do so, because we can't hear the firft report, and therefore are obliged

obliged to liften to the fecond; which, for security fake, I do not always believe neither.

'Tis a great many years fince I fell in love with the character of Pomponius Atticus: I long'd to imitate him a little, and have contriv'd hitherto to be, like him, engaged in no party, but to be a faithful friend to fome in both: I find myself very well in this way hitherto, and live in a certain peace of mind by it, which, I am perfuaded, brings a man more content than all the perquifites of wild ambition. I with pleasure join with you wishing, nay, I am not ashamed to fay, in praying for the welfare, temporal and eternal, of all mankind. How much more affectionately then fhall I do fo for you, fince I am, in a moft particular manner, and with all fincerity, Yours, &c.

in

I

LETTER IV.

Jan. 24, 1715-16. Know of nothing that will be fo interefting to you at prefent, as fome circumftances of the last act of that eminent comic poet, and our friend, Wycherley. He had often told me, as I doubt not he did all his acquaintance, that he would marry as foon as his life was despair'd of: accordingly, a few days before his death, he underwent the ceremony, and join'd together those two facraments which, wife men fay, should be the laft we receive; for if you obferve, Matrimony is placed after Extreme unction in our Catechism, as a kind of hint of the order of time in which they are to be taken. The old man then lay down, fatisfy'd in the conscience of having by this one act paid his juft debts, obliged a woman, who (he was told) had merit, and fhewn an heroic refentment of the ill ufage of his next heir. Some hundred pounds which he had with the Lady, discharged thofe debts; a jointure of four hundred a year made her a recompence; and the nephew he left to comfort himself, as well as he could, with the miserable remains of a mortgaged eftate, I saw