ERRATA. Page 1. Note, 1.9 for pueriel, r. puerile. 52. 1.23. for pefimi longe, r. peffime longes 61. 1. 14. for borea, r. borea. 64. Letter VII.1. 10. for cætera reliquo, r. certò reliqua. 96. 1. 14. after either, add, according to the. 1 LETTERS TO AND FROM Mr. WYCHERLEY*. From the Year 1704 to 1710. LETTER I. Binfield in Windfor Foreft, Dec. 26, 1704 t T was certainly a great fatisfaction to me to see and converse with a Man, whom in his writings I had fo long known with pleasure; but it I was a high addition to it, to hear you, at our very first meeting, doing justice to your dead friend Mr. Dryden. I was not fo happy as to know him: * If one were to judge of this set of Letters by the manner of thinking and turn of expreffion, one fhould conclude they had been all mis titled; 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 sprightlinefs of manly wit, diftinguish thofe of Mr. Pope: while, on the other hand, a childish jealousy, a pueriel affectation, an attention and lying at catch for turns and points, together with a total ignorance of order, of method, and of all relation of the parts to one another to compofe a reafonable whole, make up the character of thofe of Mr. Wycherley. The author's Age then Sixteen. VOL. II. B P. Virgilium Virgilium tantum vidi*. Had I been born early enough, I must have known and lov'd him: For I have been affured, not only by yourself, but by Mr. Congreve and Sir William Trumbul, that his perfonal Qualities were as amiable as his Poetical, notwithstanding the many libellous mifrepresentations of them, against which the former of these Gentlemen has told me he will one day vindicate him †. 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: And thofe Scriblers who attacked him in his latter times, were only like gnats in a fummer's evening, which are never very troublesome but in the finest and most glorious feafon; for his fire, like the fun's, fhined clearest towards its fetting. You must not therefore imagine, that when you told me my own performances were above those Critics, I was fo vain as to believe it; and yet I may not be fo humble as to think myself 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 fuch people either any honour or dishonour even to me, much less to. Mr. Dryden. I agree with you, that whatever leffer * 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. He fince did fo, in his dedication to the Duke of Newcastle, prefix'd to the duodecimo Edition of Dryden's Plays, 1717. P. The fact feems to have been just the reverse. 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. 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 phrafe) a perfect conception, with an eafy delivery *. However, this is far from a complete definition; pray help me to a better †, as, I doubt not, you can. I am, &c. LETTER II. 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 moft ingenious letter: fo fcriblers to the public, like bankers to the public, are profuse in their voluntary loans to it, whilft they forget to pay their more private and particular, as more juft debts, to their beft and nearest friends. However, I hope, you who have as much good-nature as good fenfe (fince they generally are companions ‡) will have *This is no definition of wit at all, but of good writing in general. + Mr. Locke had given a better. But his Effay was a work our young Poet did not then relish. He had met with it early; but he used to fay, it was quite infipid to him. But I Good nature and good fenfe generally are companions, yet wit and humanity feldom accompany each other. they might keep company or not, juft as they pleased, for the author was gone in fearch of Witticisms. B 2 patience patience with a debtor who has an inclination to pay you his obligations, if he had wherewithal ready about him; and in the mean time fhould confider, when you have obliged me beyond my prefent power of returning the favour, that a debtor may be an honeft man, if he but intends to be just when he is able, tho' late. But I fhould be less just to you, the more I thought I could make a return to fo much profuseness of Wit and Humanity together; which tho' they feldom accompany each other in other men, are in you fo equally met, I know not in which you moft abound. But fo much for my opinion of you, which is, that your Wit and Ingenuity is equalled by nothing but your Judgment, or Modefty, which (tho' it be to please myself) I must no more offend, than I can do either right. Therefore I will fay no more now of them, than that your good wit never forfeited your good judgment, but in your partiality to me and mine; fo that if it were poffible for a hardened fcribler to be vainer than he is, what you write of me would make me more conceited than what I fcrible myself: yet, I must confefs, I ought to be more humbled by your praise than exalted, which commends my little fenfe with fo much more of yours, that I am disparaged and difheartened by your commendations; who give me an example of your wit in the first part of your letter, and a definition of it in the laft; to make writing well (that is, like you) more difficult to me than ever it was before. Thus the more great and just your example and definition of wit are, the lefs I am capable to follow them. Then the best way of fhewing my judgment, after having feen how you write, is to leave off writing; and the best way to fhew my friendship to you, is to put an end to your trouble, and to conclude Yours, &c. LET |