LETTERS TO AND FROM MR. WY CHERLE Y'. From the Year 1704 to 1710. LETTER I Binfield in Windfor Foreft, Dec. 26, 1704 *. T was certainly a great fatisfaction to me to fee and converse with a Man, whom in his writings I had fo long known with pleasure; but it was a high addition to it, to hear you, at our very first meeting, doing juftice to your dead friend Mr. Dryden. I was not fo happy as to him: Virgilium tan» I If one were to judge of this fet-of Letters by the manner of thinking and turn of expreffion, one fhould conclude they had been all miftitled; and that the Letters given to the boy of fixteen, were written by the man of feventy, and fo on the contrary: fuch fober fenfe, fuch gravity of manners, and fo much judgment, and knowledge of compofition, enlivened with the fprightliness of manly wit, diftinguish thofe of Mr. Pope while on the other hand, a childish jealoufy, a puerile affectation, an attention and lying at catch for turns and points, together with a total ignorance and contempt of order, of method, and of all relation of the parts to one another to compofe a reasonable whole, make up the character of thofe of Mr. Wycherley. 2 The Author's Age then Sixteen. tam vidi 3. Had I been born early enough, I mult have kown and lov'd him: For I have been affured, not only by yourself, but by Mr. Congreve and Sir William Trumbul, that his personal Qualities were as amiable as his Poetical, notwithstanding the many libellous mifreprefentations of them, against which the former of thefe Gentlemen has told me he will one day vindicate hin 4. I fuppofe thofe injuries were begun by the violence of Party, but 'tis no doubt they were continued by envy at his fuccefs and fame 5: And thofe Scriblers who attaked him in his latter times, were only like gnats in a fummer's evening, which are never very troublefome but in the finest and not glorious feafon; for his fire, like the fun's, fhined cleareft towards its fetting. You must not therefore imagine, that when you told me my own performances were above thofe Cri "ticks, 1 was fo vain as to believe it; and yet I may not be fo humble as to think myfelf quite below their notice. For critics, as they are birds of prey, have ever a natural inclination to carrion: and tho' fuch poor writers as I are but beggars, no beggar is fo poor but he can keep a cur, and no author is fo beggarly but he can keep a critic. I am far from thinking the attacks of such people either any honour 3 When a very young Boy, he prevailed with a friend to carry him to a Coffee-houfe which Dryden frequented; where he had the fatisfaction he speaks of. 4. He fince did fo, in his dedication to the Duke of Newcaftle, prefix'd to the duodecimo Edition of Dryden's Plays 1717. P. 5 The fact feems to have been just the reverfe. One of the first Satires against him was the Duke of Buckingham's Rehearsal ; and one of the laft, Montague's parody of his Hind and Panther. or difhonour even to me, much lefs to Mr. Dryden. I agree with you, that whatever leffer Wits have rifen fince his death, are but like ftars appearing when the fun is fet, that twinkle only in his abfence, and with the rays they have borrowed from him. Our wit (as you call it) is but reflection or imitation, therefore fcarce to be called ours. True Wit, I believe, , may be defined a juftness of thought, and a facility of expreffion; or (in the midwives phrase) a perfect conception, with an eafy delivery 6. Howe. ver, this is far from a complete definition; pray help me to a better 7, as, I doubt not, you can. I LETTER II. I am, &c. From MR. WYCHERLEY Jan. 25, 1704 - 5. Have been fo bufy of late in correcting and tranfcribing fome of my madrigals for a great man or two who defired to fee them, that I have (with your pardon) omitted to return you an answer to your most ingenious letter: fo fcriblers to the public, like bankers to the public, are profufe in voluntary, loans to it, whilft they forget to pay their more private and particular, as more juft debts, to their best 6 This is no definition of wit at all, but of good writing in general. 7. Mr. Locke had given a better. But his Essay was not our young Poet's taste. He had met with it early; but he used to fay, he had then no relifh for it. |