and the good that ever lived; that is, to be. envy'd and cenfur'd by bad writers.

You do no more than answer my expectations of you, in declaring how well you take my freedom in fometimes neglecting, as I do, to reply to your Letters fo foon as I ought; thofe who have a right tafte of the fubftantial part of friendship, can. wave the ceremonial. A friend is the only one that will bear the omiffion; and one may find who is not fo, by the very trial of it.

As to any anxiety I have concerning the fate of my Homer, the care is over with me. The world must be the judge, and I shall be the firft to confent to the juftice of its judgment, whatever it be. I am not fo arrant an Author, as even to defire, that if I am in the wrong, all mankind fhould be fo.

I am mightily pleas'd with a faying of Monfieur Tourreil: "When a Man writes, "he ought to animate himself with the "thoughts of pleafing all the world: but "he is to renounce that defire or hope, the "very moment the Book goes out of his "hands."

I write this from Binfield, whither I came yesterday, having paft a few days in my way with my Lord Bolingbroke: I go to London in three days time, and will not fail to pay a vifit to Mr. M--, whom I faw not long. fince at my Lord Halifax's. I hoped from

thence

thence he had fome hopes of advantage front the prefent adminiftration: for few people (I think) but I, pay refpects to great Men without any profpects. I am in the fairest way in the world of being not worth a groat, being born both a Papift and a Poet. This puts me in mind of reacknowledging your continued endeavours to enrich me: But I can tell you 'tis to no purpose, for without the Opes, Æquum animum mi ipfe parabo.

I am your, &c.!

Mr.POPE to Mr. CONGREVE.

TH

March 19, 1714-15•

HE Farce of the What-d'ye-call it, has occafioned many different fpeculations in the town. Some look'd upon it as meer jest upon the tragic poets, others as a fatire I upon the late war. Mr. Cromwell hearing none of the words, and feeing the action to be tragical, was much aftonished to find the audience laugh; and fays, the Prince and Princefs muft doubtless be under no less amazement on the fame account. Several. templers, and others of the more vociferous kind of criticks, went with a refolution to hifs, and confeft they were forced to laugh, fo much, that they forgot the design they came with. The Court in general has in a,

very

very particular manner come into the jeft, and the three firft Nights, (notwithstanding two of them were court-nights) were distinguish'd by very full audiences of the firft quality. The common people of the pit and gallery receiv'd it at firft with great gravity. and fedatenefs, fome few with tears; but after the third day they alfo took the hint, and have ever fince been very loud in their claps. There are ftill fome fober men who cannot be of the general opinion, but the laughers are fo much the majority, that one or two criticks feem determin'd to undeceive the town at their proper coft, by writing grave differtations against it: To encourage them in which laudable design, it is refolv'd a Preface fhall be prefixt to the Farce, in vindication of the nature and dignity of this new way of writing.!

Yesterday Mr. Steele's affair was decided : I am forry I can be of no other opinion than yours, as to his whole carriage and writings of late. But certainly he has not only been punish'd by others, but fuffer'd much even from his own party in the point of character, nor (I believe) receiv'd any amends in that of intereft, as yet; whatever may be his Profpeas for the future.

This Gentleman, among a thousand others, is a great inftance of the fate of all who are carried away by party-fpirit, of any fide. I wish all violence may fucceed.

M

as

as ill; but am really amazed that fo much. of that fower and pernicious quality fhou'd be joined with fo much natural good humour as I think Mr. Steele is poffefs'd of. I ain, &c.

To Mr. C.o NG R E V E.

April 7, 1715

R. Pope is going to Mr. Jervas's, where Mr. Addion is fitting for his picture; in the mean time amidft clouds of tobacco at a coffee-houfe I write this letter. There is a grand revolution at Will's, Morrice has quitted for a coffee-houfe in the city, and Titcomb is reftor'd to the great joy of Cromwell, who was at a great lofs for a perfon to converfe with upon the fathers and church hiftory; the knowledge I gain from him, is intirely in painting and poetry; and Mr. Pope owes all his skill in aftronomy to him and Mr. Whifton, fo celebrated of late or his discovery of the longitude in an extraordinary copy of Verfes.* Mr. Rowe's Jane Gray is to be play'd in Eafter Week, when Mrs. Oldfield is to perfonate a character directly oppofite to female nature; for what woman ever defpis'd Sovereignty? You know Chaucer has a tale where a knight

*Called, An Ode on the Longitude,in Swift's and Pope's Bifcellanies.

faves

faves his head, by discovering it was the thing which all women moft coveted. Mr. Pope's Homer is retarded by the great rains that have fallen of late, which caufes the fheets to be long a drying; this gives Mr. Lintot great uneafinels, who is now ende1vouring to corrupt the Curate of his parish to pray for fair weather, that his work may go on. There is a fix-penny Criticism lately publish'd upon the Tragedy of the Whatd'ye-call-it, wherein he with much judgment and learning calls me a blockhead, and Mr. Pope a knave. His grand charge is against the Pilgrims Progrefs being read,, which he' fays is directly level'd at Cato's reading Plato; to back this cenfure, he goes on to tell you, that the Pilgrims Progress being mentioned to be the eighth edition, makes the reflection evident, the Tragedy of Cato having juft eight times (as he quaintly expreffes it) visited the Prefs. He has also endeavoured to how, that every particular paffage of the play alludes to fome fine parc of Tragedy, which he fays I have injudiciously and profanely abufed. * Sir Samuel Garth's Poem upon my Lord Clare's houfe, I believe, will be publish'd in the Eafter-week. 1 Thus far Mr. Gay who has in his letter foreftall'd all the fubjects of diverfion; unless

*This curious

entitled, A compleat Key to the what-d'ye call-it. It was written by one Griffin a Player,

afted by Lewis Theobald.

M 2