"Upon reading the third volume of Pope's Mif "cellanies, I found five lines which I thought excellent; "and happening to praise them, a gentleman produced 66 a modern comedy (the Rival Modes) published last where were the fame verfes to a tittle. year, "These gentlemen are undoubtedly the first pla"giaries, that pretend to make a reputation by steal"ing from a man's works in his own life-time, and "out of a public print." Let us join to this what is written by the author of the Rival Modes, the faid Mr. James-Moore Smith, in a letter to our author himfelf, who had informed him a month before that play was acted, Jan. 27, 1726-7, that " These verses, which " he had before given him leave to infert in it, would "be known for his, fome copies being got abroad. "He defires, nevertheless, that fince the lines had "been read in his comedy to several, Mr. P. would "not deprive it of them," &c. Surely, if we add the teftimonies of the Lord BOLINGBROKE, of the Lady ¦ to whom the faid verfes were originally addreffed, of Hugh Bethel, Efq; and others, who knew them as our author's, long before the faid gentleman compofed his play; it is hoped, the ingenuous that affect not error, will rectify their opinion by the fuffrage of fo honourable perfonages. And yet followeth another charge, infinuating no lefs than his enmity both to Church and State, which ■ Daily Journal, March 18, 1728. could could come from no other informer than the faid Mr. JAMES-MOORE SMITH. 33 ❝a The Memoirs of a Parish Clerk was a very dull "and unjust abuse of a person who wrote in defence "of our Religion and Constitution, and who has been "dead many years." This feemeth also most untrue; it being known to divers that these Memoirs were written at the feat of the Lord Harcourt in Oxfordshire, before that excellent person (bishop Burnet's) death, and many years before the appearance of that history, of which they are pretended to be an abuse. Most true it is, that Mr. Moore had fuch a defign, and was himself the man who prest Dr. Arbuthnot and Mr. Pope to affift him therein; and that he borrowed thofe Memoirs of our author, when that history came forth, with intent to turn them to fuch abuse. But being able to obtain from our author but one fingle hint, and either changing his mind, or having more mind than ability, he contented himself to keep the said Memoirs, and read them as his own to all his acquaintance. A noble perfon there is, into whofe company Mr. Pope once chanced to introduce him, who well remembereth the converfation of Mr. Moore to have turned upon the "Con"tempt he had for the work of that reverend prelate, "and how full he was of a design he declared himself "to have of expofing it." This noble Perfon is the Earl of PETERBOROUGH. VOL. III. a Daily Journal, April 3, 1728. D Here 34 Here in truth fhould we crave pardon of all the forefaid right honourable and worthy perfonages, for having mentioned them in the fame page with fuch weekly riff-raff railers and rhymers; but that we had their ever-honoured commands for the fame; and that they are introduced not as witnesses in the controversy, but as witneffes that cannot be controverted: not to difpute, but to decide. Certain it is, that dividing our writers into two claffes, of fuch who were acquaintance, and of fuch who were ftrangers to our author ; the former are thofe who fpeak well, and the other thofe who speak evil of him. Of the first clafs, the moft noble JOHN DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM fums up his character in these lines : "b And yet fo wondrous, fo fublime a thing, "As the great Iliad, scarce could make me fing, "Unless I juftly could at once commend "A good companion, and as firm a friend; "One moral, or a mere well-natur'd deed, "Can all defert in fciences exceed." So alfo is he decypher'd by the honourable SIMON HARCOURT. [chufe, 66 C Say, wondrous youth, what column wilt thou "What laurel'd arch, for thy triumphant Muse? "Though each great ancient court thee to his fhrine, b Verfes to Mr. P. on his tranflation of Homer. Poem prefixed to his works. "Go "Go to the good and just, and awful train! "Thy foul's delight, " 35 Recorded in like manner for his virtuous difpofition, and gentle bearing, by the ingenious Mr. WALTER HART. in this apoftrophe: ❝d Oh! ever worthy, ever crown'd with praise! "Bleft in thy life, and blest in all thy lays, "Add, that the Sifters every thought refine, “ And ev❜n thy life be faultless as thy line, "Yet envy still with fiercer rage pursues, "Obscures the virtue, and defames the Mufe. "A foul like thine, in pain, in grief, refign'd, "Views with juft fcorn the malice of mankind.” The witty and moral fatirist Dr. EDWARD YOUNG, wishing some check to the corruption and evil manners of the times, calleth out upon our poet to undertake a task fo worthy of his virtue : 66 C Why flumbers Pope, who leads the Muse's train, "Nor hears that Virtue, which he loves, complain ?” Mr. MALLET, in his Epiftle on Verbal Criticism : "Whose life, feverely scan'd, transcends his lays; That delicate and correct imitator of Tibullus, in his d In his Poems, printed for B. Lintot. e Univerfal Paffion, Sat. i. D 2 "Now, "Now, fir'd by Pope and Virtue, leave the age, "In low pursuit of felf-undoing wrong, "And trace the author through his moral page, "Whose blameless life ftill anfwers to his fong." Mr. THOMSON, in his elegant and philofophical poem of the Seafons : "Although not fweeter his own Homer fings, "Yet is his life the more endearing fong." To the fame tune alfo fingeth that learned clerk, of Suffolk, Mr. WILLIAM BROOME, ❝f Thus, nobly rifing in fair Virtue's cause, "From thy own life transcribe th' unerring laws.” And, to clofe all, hear the reverend dean of St. Patrick's: "A Soul with every virtue fraught, By Patriots, Priests, and Poets taught. "Whofe filial Piety excells "Whatever Gr.cian ftory tells. "A genius for each bufinefs fit, "Whose meaneft talent is his Wit," &c. Let us now recreate thee by turning to the other fide, and fhewing his Character drawn by those with whom he never converfed, and whofe countenances he could not know, though turned against him: First again commencing with the high voiced and never enough quoted Mr. JOHN DENNIS, f In his Poems, and at the end of the Odyffey. Who, |