of congratulation upon this scandal; for I think nothing more honourable than to be involved in the fame fate with all the great and the good that ever lived; that is, to be envied and cenfured by bad writers.

You do more than answer my expectations of you, in declaring how well you take my freedom, in fometimes neglecting, as I do, to reply to your letters fo foon as I ought. Those who have a right taste of the substantial part friendship, can wave the ceremonial: a friend is the only one that will bear the omiffion; and one may find who is not fo by the very trial

of it.

of

As to any anxiety I have concerning the fate

of my Homer, the care is over with me: the world must be the judge, and I shall be the first to consent to the juftice of its judgment, whatever it be. I am not fo arrant an author as even to defire, that if I am in the mankind should be fo.

wrong, all

I am mightily pleased with a saying of Monfieur Tourreil; "When a man writes he ought "to animate himself with the thoughts of "pleafing all the world: but he is to renounce "that defire or hope, the very moment the "book goes out of his hands."

I write this from Binfield, whither I came yesterday, having pafs'd a few days in my way

with my Lord Bolingbroke; I go to London in three days, time, and will not fail to pay a vifit to Mr. M—, whom I faw not long fince at my Lord Hallifax's. I hoped from thence he had fome hopes of advantage from the present administration: for few people (I think) but I, pay respects to great men without any profpects. I am in the faireft way in the world of being not worth a groat, being born both a Papist and a Poet. This puts me in mind of reacknowledging your continued endeavours to enrich me. But, I can tell you, 'tis to no purpofe, for without the Opes, aquum mi animum ipfe parabo.

TH

the town.

LETTER XXVIII.

To Mr. CONGREVE.

March 19, 1714-15.

HE Farce of the What-d'ye-call-it a has occafioned many different fpeculations in Some look'd upon it as a mere jest 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 astonished to find the audience laugh; a Written by Mr. Gay. X

VOL. VII.

and

and says the Prince and Princess must doubtless be under no lefs 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 so much, that they forgot the design they came with. The Court in general has in a very particular manner come into the jest, and the three first nights (notwithstanding two of them were court-nights) were distinguished by very full audiences of the firft 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 alfo took the hint, and have ever fince been very loud in their claps. There are still some 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 defign, it is refolved a Preface shall 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 forry I can be of no other opinion than yours, as to his whole carriage and writings of late. But certainly he has not only been punished by others,

others, but suffered 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 party-fpirit, 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 so much natural good humour as, I think, Mr. Steele is poffeffed of.

I am, &c.

MR

LETTER XXIX.

To Mr. CONGREVE.

April 7, 1715.

R. Pope is going to Mr. Jervas's, where Mr. Addison is fitting for his picture; in the mean time amidst clouds of Tobacco at a coffee-house I write this letter. There is a

grand revolution at Will's; Morice has quitted for a coffee-house in the city, and Titcomb is reftored, to the great joy of Cromwell, who was at a great lofs for a perfon to converse with upon the fathers and church-history; the

knowledge I gain from him, is entirely in painting and poetry; and Mr. Pope owes all his skill in astronomy to him and Mr. Whiston, fo celebrated of late for his difcovery of the longitude in an extraordinary copy of verses a. Mr. Rowe's Jane Gray is to be play'd in Easterweek, 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 caufes the fheets to be long a drying this gives Mr. Lintot great uneafinefs, who is 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 Criticism lately published 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 Progress being read, which, he fays, is directly levell'd at Cato's reading Plato; to back this cenfure, he goes on to tell you, that the Pilgrim's Progress being mentioned to be the eighth edition, makes the

:

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

P.

7

reflection