To thofe verfes it would not have been just to deny regard; for they contain fome of the most elegant encomiaftick strains; and, among the innumerable poems of the fame kind, it will be hard to find one with which they need to fear a comparison. It may deferve obfervation, that when Pope wrote long afterwards in praise of Addison, he has copied, at least has refembled, Tickell.

Let joy falute fair Rosamonda's shade,
And wreaths of myrtle crown the lovely maid.
While now perhaps with Dido's ghost she roves,
And hears and tells the story of their loves,
Alike they mourn, alike they bless their fate,
Since Love, which made them wretched, made
them great;

Nor longer that relentless doom bemoan,
Which gain'd a Virgil and an Addison.

TICKELL,

Then future ages with delight shall see How Plato's, Bacon's, Newton's, looks agree; Or in fair feries laurel'd bards be shown, A Virgil there, and here an Addison.

POPE

He produced another piece of the fame kind at the appearance of Cato, with equal fkill, but not equal happiness.

When

When the minifters of queen Anne were negotiating with France, Tickell published The Profpect of Peace, a poem, of which the tendency was to reclaim the nation from the pride of conqueft to the pleasures of tranquillity. How far Tickell, whom Swift afterwards mentioned as Whiggiffimus, had then connected himself with any party, I know not; this poem certainly did not flatter the practices, or promote the opinions, of the men by whom he was afterwards befriended.

Mr. Addison, however he hated the men then in power, fuffered his friendship to prevail over his publick fpirit, and gave in the Spectator fuch praises of Tickell's poem, that when, after having long wished to peruse it, I laid hold on it at laft, I thought it unequal to the honours which it had received, and found it a piece to be approved rather than admired. But the hope excited by a work of genius, being general and indefinite, is rarely gratified. It was read at that time with so much favour, that fix editions were fold.

At

At the arrival of king George he fung The Royal Progrefs; which being inferted in the Spectator is well known, and of which it is just to say that it is neither high nor low.

The poetical incident of moft importance in Tickell's life was his publication of the first book of the Iliad, as tranflated by himself, an apparent oppofition to Pope's Homer, of which the firft part made its entrance into the world at the fame time.

Addison declared that the rival verfions were both good; but that Tickell's was the best that ever was made; and with Addison the wits, his adherents and followers, were certain to concur. Pope does not appear to have been much difmayed; for, fays he, I have the town, that is, the mob, on my fide. But he remarks, that it is common for the fmaller party to make up in diligence what they want in numbers; he appeals to the people as his proper judges; and if they are not inclined to condemn him, he is in little care about the high-flyers at Button's.

Pope

Pope did not long think Addison an impartial judge; for he confidered him as the writer of Tickell's verfion. The reasons for his fufpicion I will literally transcribe from Mr. Spence's Collection.

"There had been a coldness between Mr. “Addison and me for fome time; and we "had not been in company together, for a

good while, any where but at Button's "coffee-house, where I used to see him al"most every day.-On his meeting me there, one day in particular, he took me afide, " and faid he should be glad to dine with

me, at such a tavern, if I ftaid till those

people were gone (Budgel and Philips). "We went accordingly; and after dinner "Mr. Addison faid, 'That he had wanted "for fome time to talk with me; that his "friend Tickell had formerly, whilft at Ox"ford, tranflated the first book of the Iliad; "that he defigned to print it, and had de"fired him to look it over; that he muft "therefore beg that I would not defire him "to look over my first book, becaufe, if "he did, it would have the air of doubledealing.' I affured him that I did not

"at all take it ill of Mr. Tickell that he was going to publifh his tranflation; that he certainly had as much right to tranflate any author as myself; and that publishing "both was entering on a fair stage. I then "added, that I would not defire him to look

over my first book of the Iliad, becaufe "he had looked over Mr. Tickell's; but "could wish to have the benefit of his ob"fervations on my fecond, which I had "then finished, and which Mr. Tickell had

not touched upon. Accordingly I fent "him the fecond book the next morning; "and Mr. Addifon a few days after returned હ it, with very high commendations.-Soon "after it was generally known that Mr. "Tickell was publishing the first book of the "Iliad, I met Dr. Young in the street; and,

upon our falling into that fubject, the "Doctor expreffed a great deal of furprize

at Tickell's having had fuch a translation "fo long by him. He faid, that it was in"conceivable to him, and that there must "be fome mistake in the matter; that each "ufed to communicate to the other what

ever verses they wrote, even to the leaft

ແ things; that Tickell could not have been "bufied

I