I diftrufted. But I think the Suppofition you draw from the Notion of Adrian's being addicted to Magic, is a little uncharitable, (" that he might fear "no fort of Deity, good or bad") fince in the third Verse he plainly teftifies his Apprehenfion of a future State, by being follicitous whither his Soul was going? As to what you mention of his ufing gay and ludicrous Expreffions, I have owned my Opinion to be that the Expreffions are not fo, but that diminutives are often in the Latin Tongue ufed as marks of tendernefs and concern.

Anima is no more than my Soul, Animula has the Force of my dear Soul. To fay Virgo Bella is not half fo endearing as Virguncula Bellula, and had Auguftus only call'd Horace Lepidum Hominem, it had amounted to no more than that he thought him a pleasant Fellow: 'Twas the Homunciolum that exprefs'd the Love and Tenderness that great Emperor had for him. And perhaps I should myfelf be much better pleas'd, if I were told you call'd me your little Friend, than if you complimented me with the Title of a great Genius, or an eminent Hand (as Jacob does all his Authors). I am

Your, &c.

YOU have at length comply'd with the Request

I have often made you, for you have fhown me, I must confefs, feveral of my Faults in the Sight of thofe Letters. Upon a Review of them, I find many things that would give me Shame, i I were not more defirous to be thought honeft tha i

.

prudent fo many things freely thrown out, such Lengths of unreferv'd Friendship, Thoughts juft warm from the Brain, without any polifhing or Drefs, the very Difhabille of the Understanding. You have prov'd yourself more tender of another's Embryo's than the fondeft Mothers are of their own, for you have preferv'd every thing that I mifcarry'd of. Since I know this, I fhall, in one refpect be more afraid of writing to you than ever, at this careless rate, because I fee my evil Works may again rife in judgment against me: Yet in another refpect I fhall be lefs afraid, fince this has given me fuch a Proof of the extreme Indulgence you afford to my flightest Thoughts. The Revifal of thefe Letters has been a kind of Examination of Confcience to me; fo fairly and faithfully have I fet down in 'em from time to time the true and undistinguish'd State of my Mind. But I find that these, which were intended as Sketches of my Frienfhip, give as imperfect Images of it, as the little Landscapes we commonly fee in black and white, do of a beautiful Country; they can represent but a very small part of it, and that depriv'd of the Life and Luftre of Nature. I perceive that the more I endeavoured to render manifeft the real Affection and Value I ever had for you, I did but injure it by representing less and lefs of it as Glaffes which are defign'd to make an Object very clear, generally contract it. Yet as when people have a full Idea of a thing, firft, upon their own Knowledge, the leaft Traces of it serve to refresh the Remembrance, and are not difpleafing on that Score: So I hope the Foreknowledge you had of my Efteem for you, is the Reason that you do not diflike my Letters.

They will not be of any great Service (I find) in the Defign I mention'd to you: I believe I had better steal from a richer Man, and plunder your

Let

ters,

ters (which I have kept as carefully as I would Letters Patents, fince they intitle me to what I more value than Titles of Honour). You have fome Caufe to apprehend this Ufage from me, if what fome fay be true, that I am a great Borrower; however, I have hitherto had the Luck, that none of my Creditors have challeng'd me for it; and those who say it are fuch, whofe Writings no Man ever borrow'd from, fo have the leaft Reason to complain Their Works are granted on all hands to be but too much their own. Another has been pleas'd to declare, that my Verses are corrected by other Men: I verily believe theirs were never corrected by any Man: But, indeed, if mine have not, 'twas not my Fault, I have endeavour'd my utmost that they fhould. But these things are only whisper'd, and I will not incroach upon Bays's Province and Pen-Whispers, fo haften to conclude

Your, &c.

Sir WILLIAM TRUMBULL to
Mr POPE.

MARCH 6, 1713.

ITHINK a hafty Scribble fhows more what flows from the Heart, than a Letter after Balzac's Manner in ftudied Phrases; therefore I will

tell

you as faft as I can, that I have receiv'd your Favour of the 26th paft, with your kind Present of The Rape of the Lock. You have given me the trueft Satisfaction imaginable, not only in making good the juft Opinion I have ever had of your Reach of Thought, and my Idea of your comprehenfive H 3

Genius;

Genius; but likewife in that Pleasure I take as an English Man to fee the French, even Boileau himfelf in his Lutrin, outdone in your Poem, for you defcend,, leviore plectro, to all the nicer Touches, that your own Obfervation and Wit furnish, on fuch a Subject as requires the finest Strokes, and the livelieft Imagination. But I muft fay no more (tho' I could a great deal) on what pleases me fo much; and henceforth I hope you will never condemn me of Partiality, fince I only fwim with the Stream, and approve what all Men of good Tafte (notwithftanding the jarring of Parties) muft and do univerfally applaud. I now come to what is of vaft moment, I mean the Prefervation of your Health, and beg of you earneftly to get out of all TavernCompany, and fly away tanquam ex incendio. What a Mifery it is for you to be deftroy'd by the foolish Kindness ('tis all one whether real or pretended) of those who are able to bear the Poifon of bad Wine, and to engage you in fo unequal a Combat As to Homer, by all I can learn your Business is done; therefore come away and take a little time to breathe in the Country. I beg now own fake, but much more for your's; mehas faid to you more than once,

for my

thinks Mr

Heu fuge, nate dea, teque his, ait, eripe flammis!

I am,

Your, &c.

Mr

Mr POPE to Sir WILLIAM
TRUMBULL.

MARCH 12, 1713.

THOUGH any thing you write is fure to be a Pleasure to me, yet I must own your laft Let, ter made me uneafy: You really ufe a Style of Compliment, which I expect as little as I deferve it. I know 'tis a common Opinion, that a young Scrib bler is as ill pleas'd to hear Truth of a young Lady, From the Moment one fets up for an Author, one muft be treated as ceremoniously, that is, as unfaithfully,

As a King's Favourite, or as a King.

This Proceeding, join'd to that natural Vanity which firft makes a Man an Author, is certainly enough to render him a Coxcomb for Life. But I muft grant it is but a juft Judgment upon Poets, that they whose chief Pretence is Wit, fhou'd be treated just as they themselves treat Fools, that is, be cajol'd with Praifes. And I believe, Poets are the only poor Fellows in the World whom any body will flatter.

I would not be thought, to say this, as if the obliging Letter you fent me deferv'd this Imputation, only it put me in mind of it; and I fancy one may apply to one's Friend what Cæfar faid of his Wife; It was not fufficient that he knew her to be chaft him Self, but he shou'd not be so much as fufpected by others.

As to the wonderful Difcoveries, and all the good News you are pleas'd to tell me of myfelf, I treat it you, who are in the Secret, treat common News, groundless Reports of Things at a distance, which I,

as

H 4

who