which we shall give at length, both as it is fomething curious, and as it may ferve for an apology for ourfelves.

TO HENRY CROMWELL, Efq.

A

June 27, 1727.

FTER fo long a filence as the many

and great oppreffions I have fighed under have occafioned, one is at a lofs how to begin a letter to fo kind a friend as yourself. But as it was always my refolution, if I must fink, to do it as decently (that is, as filently) as I could; fo when I found myself plunged into unforeseen, and unavoidable ruin, I retreated from the world, and in a manner buried myfelf in a difmal place, where I knew none, and none knew me. In this dull unthinking way, I have protracted a lingering death (for life it cannot be called) ever fince you faw me, fequeftered from company, deprived of my books, and nothing left to converse with, but the letters of my dead or absent friends; among which latter I always placed yours, and Mr. Pope's in the first rank. I lent fome of them indeed to an ingenious perfon, who was fo delighted with the specimen, that he importuned me for a fight of the reft, which having obtained,

4

tained, he conveyed them to the press, I must not fay altogether with my confent, nor wholly without it. I thought them too good to be loft in oblivion, and had no cause to apprehend the disobliging of any. The public, viz. all perfons of taste and judgment, would be pleased with so agreeable an amufement; Mr. Cromwell could not be angry, fince it was but justice to his merit, to publifh the folemn and private profeffions of love, gratitude, and vencration, made him by so celebrated an author; and fincerely Mr. Pope ought not to refent the publication, fince the early pregnancy of his genius was no difhonour to his character. And yet had either of you been afked, common modefty would have obliged you to refuse, what you would not be difpleased with, if done without your knowledge. And befides, to end all dispute, you had been pleased to make me a free gift of them, to do what I pleased with them; and every one knows, that the perfon to whom a letter is addreffed, has the fame right to dispose of it, as he has of goods purchafed with his money. I doubt not but your generosity and honour will do me the right, of owning by a line that I came honestly by them. I flatter myself, in a few months I fhall again be visible to the world; and whenever thro' good providence that turn shall happen, I fhall

a 2

I fhall joyfully acquaint you with it, there being 'none more truly your obliged fervant,

than, Sir,

Your faithful, and

most humble Servant,

E. THOMAS

P. S. A Letter, Sir, directed to Mrs. Thomas, to be left at my house, will be fafely tranfmitted to her, by

Yours, &c.

E. CURLL.

1

W

To Mr. Pope.

Epfom, July 6, 1727.

HEN these letters were first printed,

I wondered how Curll could come by them, and could not but laugh at the pompous

title; fince whatever you wrote to me was humour, and familiar raillery. As foon as I came from Epfom, I heard you had been to see me, and I writ you a fhort letter from Will's, that I longed to fee you. Mr. D-s, about that time charged me with giving them to a miftrefs, which I pofitively denied: not in the leaft, at that time, thinking of it; but fome time after, finding in the News papers Letters

from Lady Packington, Lady Chudleigh, and Mr. Norris to the fame Sappho or E. T. I began to fear that I was guilty. I have never seen thefe Letters of Curll's, nor would go to his shop about them; I have not seen this Sappho alias E. T. these feven years.---Her writing, That I gave her 'em, to do what I would with 'em, is ftraining the point too far. I thought not of it, nor do I think she did then; but fevere neceffity which catches hold of a twig, has produced all this; which has lain hid, and forgot, by me fo many years. Curll sent me a letter laft week, defiring a pofitive answer about this matter, but finding I would give him none, he went to E. T. and writ a postscript in her long romantick letter, to direct my anfwer to his house; but they not expecting an anfwer, fent a young man to me, whose name, it féems, is Pattifon. I told him I should not write any thing, but I believed it might be fo as the writ in her letter. I am extremely concerned that my former indiscretion in putting them into the hands of this Pretieuse, should have given you so much disturbance; for the last thing I should do would be to disoblige you, for whom I have ever preferved the greatest esteem, and shall ever be, Sir,

Your faithful Friend, and

moft humble Servant,

a 3

HENRY CROmwell.

To Mr. P OPE.

Aug. 1, 1727.

any

TH HO' I writ my long narrative from Epfom 'till I was tired, yet was I not fatisfied; left doubt fhould rest upon your mind. I could not make proteftations of my innocence of a grievous crime; but I was impatient till I came to town, that I might fend you thofe Letters, as a clear evidence that I was a perfect stranger to all their proceeding. Should I have protested against it, after the printing, it might have been taken for an attempt to decry his purchase; and as the little exception you have taken has served him to play his game upon us for these two years, a new incident from me might enable him to play it on for two more.---The great value she expreffes for all you write, and her paffion for having them, I believe, was what prevailed upon me to let her keep them. By the interval of twelve years at least, from her poffeffion to the time of printing them, 'tis manifest, that I had not the leaft ground to apprehend fuch a defign: but as people in great ftraits, bring forth their hoards of old gold and most valued

jewels;