partial judgment) think my alterations much to the purpose. So that I muft needs defire you would apply your care wholly at prefent to those which are yet unpublished, of which there are more than enough to make a confiderable volume, of full as good ones, nay, I believe, of better than any in Vol. I. which I could wifh you would defer, at least till you have finifh'd these that are yet unprinted.

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I send you a fample of fome few of these; namely, the verfes to Mr. Waller in his old age; your new ones on the Duke of Marlborough, and two others. I have done all that I thought could be of advantage to them; fome I have contracted, as we do fun-beams, to improve their energy and force: fome I have taken quite away, as we take branches from a tree, to add to the fruit; others I have entirely new exprefs'd, and turn'd more into poetry. Donne (like one of his fucceffors) had infinitely more wit than he wanted verfification: for the great dealers of wit, like thofe in trade, take least pains to fet off their goods; while the haberdashers of finall wit, fpare for no decorations or ornaments. You have commiffion'd me to paint your fhop, and I have done my best to brush you up like your neighbours. (a) But I can no more pretend to the merit of the production, than a midwife to the vir tues and good qualities of the child fhe helps into the light.

(<) Several of Mr. Pope's lines, very easy to be distinguish'd, may be found in the Pofthumous Editions of Wycherley's Poems: particularly in those an Solitude, on the Public, and on the Mixed life.

The few things I have entirely added, you will excufe; you may take them lawfully for your own, because they are no more than fparks lighted up by your fire: and you may omit them at laft, if you think them but fquibs in your triumphs.

I am, &c.

LETTER XII.

From MR.

WYCHER LE Y.

Nov. 11. 1707.

I received yours of the 9th yesterday, which has

(like the rest of your letters) at once pleas'd and inftructed me; fo that, I affure you, you can no more write too much to your absent friends, than speak too much to the prefent. This is a truth that all men own, who have either feen your writings, or heard your difcourfe; enough to make others show their judgment, in ceafing to write or talk, especially to you, or in your company. However, I fpeak or write to you, not to please you, but myself; fince I provoke your anfwers; which whilst they humble me, give me vanity; tho' I am leffen'd by you even when you commend me: fince you commend my little fenfe with fo much more of yours, that you put me out of countenance, whilft you would keep me in it. So that you have found a way (against the custom of great wits) to fhew even a great deal of good nature with a great deal of good fenfe.

I thank you for the book you promis'd me, by which I find you would not only correct my lines, but my life.

As to the dainn'd verfes I entrusted you with, I hope you will let them undergo your purgatory, to fave them from other people's damning them fince the critics, who are generally the first damn'd in this life, like the damn'd below, never leave to bring thofe above them under their own circunftances. I beg you to perufe my papers, and select what you think beft or most tolerable, and look over them again; for I resolve suddenly to print some of them, as a harden'd old gamefter will (in fpite of all former ill ufage by fortune)' pufh on an ill hand in expectation of recovering himself; especially fince I have fuch a Croupier or Second to stand by me as Mr. Pope.

M

LETTER XIII.

Nov. 20. 1707.

[r. Englefyld being upon his journey to London, tells me I must write to you by him, which I do, not more to comply with his defire, than to gratify my own; tho' I did it fo lately by the meffenger you fent hither: I take it too as an opportunity of fending you the fair copy of the poem (a) on Dulness, which was not then finish'd,

(4) The original of it in blots, and with figures of the References from copy to copy, in Mr. Pope's hand is yet extant

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and which I fhould not care to hazard by the common poft. Mr. Englefyld, is ignorant of the contents, and I hope your prudence will let him re main fo, for my fake no less than your own: fince if you fhould reveal any thing of this nature, it would be no wonder reports fhould be rais'd, and there are thofe (I fear) who would be ready to im prove them to my disadvantage. I am forry you told the great man, whom you met in the court of requests, that your papers were in my hands: no man alive shall ever know any fuch thing from me; and I give you this warning befides, that tho' yourself fhould fay I had any ways affifted you, I am notwithstanding refolv'd, to deny it.

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The method of the copy I fend you is very different from what it was, and much more regular: for the better help of your memory, I defire you to compare it by the figures in the margin, answering to the fame in this letter. The poem is now divided into four parts, mark'd with the literal figures 1. 2. 3. 4. The firft contains the Praise of Dulness, and fhews how upon feveral fuppofitions it paffes for 1. religion. 2. philofophy. 3. example. 4. wit. and 5, the caufe of wit, and the end of it. The second part contains the Advantages of Dulness; 1ft, in business; and 2dly. at Court; where the fimilitudes of the Byafs of a bowl, and the Weights of a clock, are directly tending to the fubject, tho' introduced before in a place where there was no men

among other fuch Brouillons of Mr. Wycherley's poems, corrected by him.... P.

tion made of thofe advantages (which was your only objection to my adding them.) The third contains the Happiness of Dulnefs in all ftations, and fhews in a great many particulars, that it is fo fortunate as to be efteem'd fome good quality or other in all forts of people; that it is thought quiet, fenfe, caution, policy, prudence, majefty, valour, circumfpection, honesty &c. The fourth part I have wholly added, as a climax which fums up all the praife, advantage, and happiness of Duinefs in a few words, and strengthens them by the oppofition of the dif grace, difadvantage, and unhappiness of Wit, with which it concludes. (b)

Tho' the whole be as fhort again as at first, there is not one thought omitted, but what is a repetition of fomething in your first volume, or in this very paper: fome thoughts are contracted, where they feem'd encompass'd with too many words; and fome new exprefs'd, or added, where I thought there

(6) This is totally omitted in the prefent Edition: Some of the lines are thefe:

Thus Dulness, the fate opiate of the mind,
,,The laft kind refuge weary wit can find;
"Fit for all stations, and in each content,

ls fatisfy'd, fecure, and innocent;
,,No pains it takes, and no offence it gives,
,,Unfear'd, unĥated, undisturb'd it lives, &c.

It was originally thus exprefs'd:

"As Clocks run fastest when most lead is on,"

in a Letter of Mr. Pope to Mr. Wycherley, dated April 3. 1705. and in a paper of verfes of his to the Author of a poem call'd Succeffio, which got out in a Mifcellany in 1712. three years before Mr. Wycherley died, and two after he had laid afide the whole design of publishing any poems, a P.

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