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temptible opponents. May their envy and ill nature ever increafe, to the glory and pleafure of those they wou'd injure; may they reprefent me what they will, as long as you think me what I am,

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July 13, 1714. OU mention the account I gave you fome time ago of the things which Philips faid in his foolishness; but I can't tell from any thing in your Letter, whether you receiv'd a long one from me aut bout a fortnight fince. It was principally intended to thank you for the laft obliging favour you did nie; and perhaps for that reafon you pafs it in filence..

I there launched into fome account of my tem poral affairs, and intend now to give you fome hints of my fpiritual. The conclu fion of your Letter draws this upon you, where you tell me, you pray'd for me: Your proceeding, Sir, is contrary to that of most other Friends, who never talk of praying for a Man after they have done

him

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him a fervice, but only when they will do him none. Nothing can be more kind. than the hint you give me of the vanity of human Sciences, which I affure you I am daily more and more convinc'd of; and indeed I have for fome years past, look'd upon all of 'em no better than amufements. To make them the ultimate end of our purfuit, is a miserable and short ambition, which will drop from us at ev'ry little dif appointments here, and even in cafe of no difappointmentr here, will infallibly defert us hereafter. The utmost fame they are capable of bestowing, is never worth the pains they coft us, and the time they lofe us. If attain the top you of your defires that way, all thofe who envy you will do you harm, and of thofe who admire you, few will do you good. The unsuccessful writers are your declared enemies, and probably the fuccefsful your fecret ones: For thofe hate not more to be excelled, than thefe to be rivalled. And at the upfhor, after a life of perpetual application, to reflect that you have been doing nothing for yourself, and that the fame or lefs Induftry might have gain'd you a Friendship that can never deceive or end, a fatisfaction which praise cannot beftow, nor vanity feel, and a glory which (tho' in one respect like fame, not to be had 'till after death,) yet

fhall

fhall be felt and enjoy'd to eternity. Thefe, dear Sir, are unfeignedly my fentiments, whenever I think at all; for half the things that employ our heads deferve not the name of thoughts, they are only ftronger dreams or impreffions upon the imagination: Our fchemes of government, our fyftems of philofophy, our golden worlds of poetry, are all but fo many fhadowy images, and airy prof pects, which arife to us but fo much the livelier and more frequent, as we are more o'ercaft with the darkness, and disturb'd with the fumes of human vanity.

The fame thing that makes old men willing to leave this world, makes me willing to leave poetry, long-habit, and wearinets of the fame track. Homer will work a cure upon me; fifteen thoufand verfes are equivalent to fourfcore years, to make one old in Rhime: And I fhou'd be forry and afhamed, to go on jingling to the laft step, like a waggoner's horfe, in the fame road, and fo leave my Bells to the next filly animal that will be proud of 'em. That man makes a mean figure in the eyes of reason, who is measuring fyllables and coupling rhimes, when he fhould be mending his own Soul, and fecuring his own immortality. If I had not this opinion, I fhould be unwor thy even of thofe fmall and limited parts

which God has given me; and unworthy of the friendship of fuch a man as you.

I am

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> Your, &c.

I

To the fame.

July 25, 1714, Have no better excufe to offer you, that I have omitted a task naturally fo pleafing to nie as converfing upon paper with you; but that my time and eyes have been wholly employ'd upon Homer, whom I almoft fear I fhall find but one way of imita ting, which is, in his blindness. I am per petually afflicted with headach's, that very much affect my fight; and indeed fince my coming hither I have fcarce paffed an hour agreeably, except that in which I read your letter. I would ferioufly have you think, you have no man who more truly knows to place a right value on your friendship, than he who leaft deferves it on all other accounts than his due fenfe of it. But let me tell you, you can hardly guess what a task you undertake, when you profefs your felf my friend; there are fome Tories who will take you for a Whig, fome Whigs

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who will take you for a Tory, fome Proteftants who will efteem you a rank Papift, and fome Papists who will account you a Heretick.

I find by dear experience, we live in an age, where it is criminal to be moderate; and where no one man can be allowed to be just to all men. The notions of right and wrong are fo far ftrain'd, that perhaps to be in the right fo very violently, may be of worfe confequence than to be easily and quietly in the wrong. I really wish all men to well, that I am fatisfied but few can wish me fo; but if those few are fuch as tell me they do, I am content, for they are the best people I know: While you believe me what I profefs as to Religion, I can bear any thing the Bigotted may fay; while Mr. Congreve likes my poetry, I can endure Dennis and a thousand more like him; while the most honest and moral of each party think me no ill man, I can eafily fupport it, tho' the moft violent and mad of all parties rofe up to throw dirt at me.

I must expect an hundred attacks upon the publication of my Homer. Whoever in our times would be a profeffor of learning above his fellows, ought at the very first to enter the world with the conftancy and refolution of a primitive Chriftian, and be prepared to fuffer all forts of publick Perfe

cution.

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