of my future madrigals: yet fo as to let the world know, my love or efteem for you are no more poetic than my talent in fcribling. But of all the arts of fiction, I defire you to believe I want that of feigning friendship, and that I am fincerely

Your, &c.

LETTER XVII.

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

May 13. 1708.

I have receiv'd yours of the fist of May.

Your

Paftoral mufe outfhines in her modeft and natural dress all Apollo's court-ladies, in their more art ful, labour'd, and coftly finery. Therefore I am glad to find by your letter you defign your country-beauty of a mufe fhall appear at court and in public: to out-fhine all the farded, lewd, confident, affected Town-dowdies, who aim at being honour'd only to their fhame: but her artful innocence (on the contrary) will gain more honour as fhe becomes public; and, in fpite of cuftom, will bring me. defty again into fashion, or at least make her filter rivals of this age blufh for fpite, if not for fhame. As for my ftale, antiquated, poetical pufs, whom you would keep in countenance by saying she has once been tolerable, and wou'd yet pass mufter by a lite le licking over; it is true that (like moft vain antiquated jades which have once been paffable) fhe yet affects youthfulness in her age, and wou'd still

gain a few admirers (who the more fhe feeks or labours for their liking, are but more her contemners.) Nevertheless fhe is refolv'd henceforth to be fo cautious as to appear very little more in the world, except it be as an Attendant on your Muse, or as a foil, not a pival to her wit, or fame: fo that let your Country-gentlewoman appear when fhe will in the world, (a) my old worn-out jade of a loft reputation fhall be her attendant inte it, to procure her admirers; as an old whore, who can get no mo re friends of her own, bawds for others, to make fport or pleasure yet, one way or other, for mankind. I approve of your making Tonson your mufe's introductor into the world, or mafter of the ce remonies, who has been fo long a pimp, or gentleman-ufher to the Mufes.

I wish you good fortune; fince a man with ftore of wit, as ftore of money, without the help of good fortune, will never be popular; but I wish you a great many admirers, which will be fome credit to my judginent as well as your wit, who always thought you had a great deal, and an

Your, &c.

(4) This, and what follows, is a full Confutation of John Dennis and others, who afferted that Mr. Pope wrote, these ver fes on himself (tho' publifh'd by Mr. Wycherley fix years before his death.) We find here, it was a voluntary Aa of his, promis'd before-hand, and written while Mr. Pope was abfent. The firft Brouillon of those verses, and the fecond Copy with corretions, are both yet extant in Mr. Wycherley's qwn hand: In another of his letters of May 18, 1708, are thefe words. „I trave ,,made a damn'd Compliment in verfe upon the printing your „Pastorals, which you shall see when you fee me." P.

I

LETTER

XVIII.

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

May, 17. 179.

muft, thank you for a book of your Miscellanies, which Tonfon fent me, I fuppofe, by your or der, and all I can tell you of it is, that nothing has lately been better receiv'd by the public, than your part of it. You have only difplèas'd the critics by pleafing them too well; having not left them a word to fay for themselves, against you and your perforinances: fo that, now your hand is in, you must perfevere, 'till my prophecies of you be fulfill'd. In earneft, all the best judges of good sense or poetry are admirers of yours; and like your part of the book fo well, that the reft is lik'd the worse. This is true upon my word, without compliment; fo that your first fuccefs will make you for all your life a poet, in spite of your wit; for a poet's fuccefs at first, like a gamester's fortuné at first, is like to make him a lofer at last, and to be undone by his good fortune and merit.

But hitherto your miscellanies have safely run the gantlet, through all the coffee-houses; which are now entertain'd with a whimfical new news-paper, call'd the TATLER, which I fuppofe you have feen. This is the newest thing I can tell you of, except you be of the Peace, which now (moft people fay) is drawing to fuch a conclufion, as all Europe is, or must be fatisfy'd with; fo Poverty, you fee, which VOL. VII.

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makes peace in Westminster-hall, makes it likewife in the camp or field, throughout the world. Peace then be to you, and to me, who am now grown peaceful, and will have no conteft with any man, but hin who fays he is more your friend or humble fervant than

Your, &c.

LETTER XIX.

May 20. 179.

I

in their multitude.

am glad you receiv'd the (b) Miscellany, if it were only to fhow you that there are as bad poets in this nation as your fervant. This modern custom of appearing in mifcellanies, is very useful to the poets, who, like other thieves, escape by getting into a crowd, and herd together like Banditti, fafe only Methinks Strada has given a good defcription of thefe kind of collections: Nullus hodie mortalium aut nafcitur, aut moritur, aut præliatur,, aut rufticatur, aut abit peregre, aut redit, aut nubit, aut est, aut non est, (nam etiam mortuis isti canunt) cui non illi extemplo cudant Epicedia, Genethliaca, Protreptica, Panegyrica, Epithalamia, Vaticinia, Propemptica, Soterica, Parenetica, Nænias, Nugas. As to the fuccefs which, you say, my part has met with, it is to be attributed to what you was pleas'd to fay of me to the world; which you do well to call your pro

(4) Jacob Tonfon's fixth Vol. of Miscellany Poems.

9

phecy; fince whatever is said in my favour, must be a prediction of things that are not yet; you, like a true Godfather, engage on my part for much more than ever I can perform. My paftoral Mufe, like other country girls, is but put out of countenance, by what you courtiers fay to her: yet I hope you, would not deceive me too far, as knowing that a young fcribler's vanity needs no recruits from abroad for nature, like an indulgent mother, kindly takes care to fupply her fons with as much of their own, as is neceffary for their fatisfaction. If my verfes fhould meet with a few flying commendations, Virgil has taught me, that a young author has not too much reason to be pleas'd with them, when he confiders that the natural confequence of praise is envy and calumny.

A

Si ultra placitum laudarit, baccare frontem Cingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro. When once a man has appear'd as a poet, he may give up his pretenfions to all the rich and thriving arts: those who have once made their court to thofe miftreffes without portions, the Mufes, are never like to fet up for fortunes. But for my part, I shall be fatisfy'd if I can lofe my time agreeably this way, without lefing my reputation: as for gaining any, I am as indifferent in the matter as Falitaffe was, and may fay of fame as he did of honour, "If it comes ,,it comes unlook'd for; and there's an end on't." I can be content with a bare saving game, without being thought an eminent hand, (with which title Jacob has graciously dignify'd his adventurers and voluntiers in poetry.) Jacob creates poets, as Kings C &