How did they fume, and ftamp, and roar, and chafe! And swear, not ADDISON himself was safe. Peace to all fuch! but were there One whofe fires True Genius kindles, and fair Fame inspires; NOTES. VER. 192. And fwear, not ADDISON himself was fafe.] This is an artful preparative for the following transition; and finely obviates what might be thought unfavourable of the feverity of the fatire, by those who were strangers to the pro vocation. VER. 193. but were there One whofe fires, &c.] Our Poet's friendship with Mr. Addison began in the year 1713. It was cultivated, on both fides, with all the marks of mutual efteem and affection, and a conftant intercourse of good Offices. Mr. Addifon was always commending moderation; warned his friend against a blind attachment to party; and blamed Steele for his indifcreet zeal. The tranflation of the Iliad being now on foot, he recommended it to the public, and joined with the Tories in pufhing the fubfcription; but at the fame time advised Mr. Pope not to be content with the applause of one half of the nation. On the other hand, Mr. Pope made his friend's intereft his own (fee note on Ver. 215. 1 Ep. B ii. of Hor.) and, when Dennis fo brutally attacked the Tragedy of Cato, he wrote the piece called A narrative of bis madness. : Thus things continued till Mr. Pope's growing reputation, and fuperior genius in Poetry, gave umbrage to his friend's falfe delicacy and then it was he encouraged Philips and others (fee his Letters) in their clamours against him as a Tory and Jacobite, who had affifted in writing the Examiners; and, under an affected care for the Government, would have hid, even from himself, the true grounds of his difguft. But his jealoufy foon broke out, and discovered itself, first to Mr. Bleft with each talent and each art to please, 195 NOTES. Pope, and, not long after, to all the world. The Rape of the Lock had been written in a very hasty manner, and printed in a collection of Mifcellanies. The fuccefs it met with encouraged the Author to revife and enlarge it, and give it a more important air; which was done by advancing it into a mock-epic poem. In order to this it was to have its Machinery; which, by the happieft invention, he took from the Rofycrucian Syftem. Full of this noble conception, he communicated his fcheme to Mr. Addifon; who, he imagined, would have been equally delighted with the improvement. On the contrary, he had the mortification to fee his friend. receive it coldly; and even to advise him against any alteration; for that the poem, in its original state, was a delicious little thing, and, as he expreffed it, merum fal. Mr. Pope was fhocked for his friend; and then firft began to open his eyes to his Character. Soon after this, a translation of the first book of the Iliad appeared under the name of Mr. Tickell; which coming out at a critical juncture, when Mr. Pope was in the midst of his engagements on the fame fubject, and by a creature of Mr. Addison's, made him fufpect this to be another fhaft from the fame quiver: And after a diligent enquiry, and laying many odd circumstances together, he was fully convinced that it was not only published with Mr. Addison's participation, but was indeed his own performance. Mr. Pope, in his first refentment of this ufage, was refolved to expofe this new Verfion in a fevere critique upon it. I have now by me the Copy he had marked for this purpose; in which he has claffed the feveral faults in tranflation, language, and numbers, under their proper heads. But the growing fplendor of his own works fo eclipfed the faint efforts of this oppofition, that he View him with fcornful, yet with jealous eyes, NOTES. trusted to its own weakness and malignity for the juftice due unto it. About this time, Mr. Addifon's fon-in-law, the E. of Warwick, told Mr. Pope, that it was in vain to think of being well with his Father, who was naturally a jealous man; that Mr. Pope's talents in poetry had hurt him; and to fuch a degree, that he had underhand encouraged Gildon to write a thing about Wycherley; in which he had fcurriloufly abufed Mr. Pope and his family; and for this fervice he had given Gildon ten guineas, after the pamphlet was printed. The very next day, Mr. Pope, in great heat, wrote Mr. Addison a Letter, wherein he told him, he was no ftranger to his behaviour; which, however, he should not imitate: But that what he thought faulty in him, he would tell him fairly to his face; and what deserved praise he would not deny him to the world; and, as a proof of this difpofition towards him, he had fent him the inclosed; which was the CHARACTER, firft published feparately, and afterwards inferted in this place of the Epift. to Dr. Arbuthnot. This plain dealing had no ill effect. Mr. Addifon treated Mr. Pope with civility, and, as Mr. Pope believed, with juftice, from this time to his death; which happened about three years after. Ibid. but were there One whofe fires, &c.] The ftrokes in this Character are highly finished. Atterbury fo well underftood the force of them, that in one of his letters to Mr. Pope he fays, "Since you now know where your Strength "lies, I hope you will not fuffer that talent to lie unem Alike referv'd to blame, or to commend, 205 And fit attentive to his own applause; 210 While Wits and Templars ev'ry sentence raise, And wonder with a foolish face of praise-- VARIATION S. After Ver 208. in the MS. Who, if two Wits on rival themes conteft, Alluding to Mr. P.'s and Tickell's Translation of the first NOTES. "ployed." He did not; and, by that means, brought fatiric poetry to its perfection. VER. 208. And fo obliging, that he ne'er oblig'd;] He was one of thofe obliging perfons who are the bumble Servants of all Mankind. Mr. Pope therefore did wifely; he foon returned his share in him, to the common stock. An agreeable French writer of the fair fex defcribes this fort of Character well-" Rempli de ces defauts qui aident à plaire, et empêchent de fervir." VER. 212. And wonder with a foolish face of praife.] When men, out of flattery, extol what they are confcious they do not understand, as is fometimes the cafe in men of education, the fear of praifing in the wrong place is likely enough to give a foolish turn to the air of an embarrassed countenance. Who but must laugh, if such a man there be? Who would not weep, if ATTICUS were he! What tho' my Name ftood rubric on the walls, Or plaister'd posts, with claps, in capitals? 216 Or fmoaking forth, a hundred hawkers load, On wings of winds came flying all abroad? I fought no homage from the race that write; I kept, like Afian Monarchs, from their fight: 220 NOTES. VER. 213. Who but must laugh, if fuch a man there be?] While fuch a Character is unapplied, all the various parts of it will be confidered together; and if the affemblage of them be as incoherent as in this before us, it cannot fail of being the object of a malignant pleasantry. VER. 214. Who would not weep, if ATTICUS were he!] But when we come to know it belongs to Atticus, i. e. to one whose more obvious qualities had before engaged our love or esteem; then friendship, in fpite of ridicule, will make a feparation our old impreffions will get the better of our new; or, at least, suffer themselves to be no further impaired than by the admiffion of a mixture of pity and concern. Ibid. ATTICUS] It was a great falfhood, which some of the libels reported, that this Character was written after the Gentleman's death; which fee refuted in the Testimonies prefixed to the Dunciad. But the occafion of writing it was fuch as he would not make public out of regard to his memory: and all that could further be done was to omit the name, in the Edition of his Works. P. VER. 216. claps, in capitals?] The bills of Quack-Doctors and Quack-Bookfellers being ufually pafted together on the fame pofts. VER. 218. On wings of winds came flying all abroad?] Hopkins, in the civth Pfalm. P. |