acknowledging your continued Endeavours to enrich me: But I can tell you 'tis to no purpose, for without the Opes, Equum animum mi ipfe parabo.

I am

Your, &c.

Mr POPE to Mr CONGREVE.

MARCH 19. 1714-15.

TH HE Farce of the What-dye-call it, has occafioned many different Speculations in the Town. Some look'd upon it as meer Jeft upon the Tragic Poets, others as a Satire 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 Princess muft doubtless be under no lefs amazement on the fame Account. Several Templers, and others of the more Vociferous kind of Critics, went with a Refolution to hifs, and confefs'd they were forced to laugh fo much, that they forgot the Defign they came with. The Court in general has in a very particular Manner come into the Jeft, and the three firft Nights, (notwithstanding two of them were Court-nights) were diftinguifh'd by very full Audiences of the first Quality. The common People of the Pit and Gallery receiv'd it at firft with great Gravity and Sedatenefs, 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 Critics feem determin'd. to undeceive the Town at their proper Coft, by writing grave Differtations

against

against it: To encourage them in which laudable Defign, 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 your's, 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 Profpects for the Future.

a great

This Gentleman, among a Thousand others, is Inftance of the Fate of all who are carried away by Party-fpirit, of any fide. I wish all violence may fucceed as ill; but am really amazed that fo much of that fowre and pernicious Quality fhou'd be joined with fo much natural good humour as I think Mr Steele is poffefs'd of.

I am, &c.

To Mr CONGRE VE.

APRIL 7. 1715.

MR Pope is going to Mr fervas's, where Mr Addifon is fitting for his Picture; in the mean Time amidst Clouds of Tobacco at a Coffee-House I write this Letter. There is a grand Revolution at Will's, Morrice has quitted for a Coffee-House in the City, and Titcomb is reftor'd to the great Joy of Cromwell, who was at a great Lofs for a Perfon to converse 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 for 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 faves his Head, by difcovering 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 Sheets to be long a drying; this gives Mr Lintot great uneafinefs, who is now endeavouring to corrupt the Curate of his Parish to pray for fair Weather, that his Work may go on. There is a Six-penny Criticifm lately publish'd upon the Tragedy of the What-d'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 levell'd at Cato's reading Plato; to back this cenfure, he goes on to tell you, that the Pilgrims Progrefs being mentioned to be the eighth Edition, makes the Reflection evident, the Tragedy of Cato having juft eight times (as he quaintly expreffes it) vifited the Prefs. He has alfo endeavoured to fhow, that every particular paffage of the Play alludes to fome fine part of Tragedy, which he fays I have injudiciously and profanely abufedt. Sir Samuel Garth's Poem upon my Lord Clare's House, I believe, will be publifh'd in the Eafter-Week.

Thus far Mr Gay- who has in his Letter fore→ ftall'd all the Subjects of Diverfion; unless it shou'd

*Called, An Ode on the Longitude, in Swift's and Pope's Miscellanies. †This curious Piece was intituled, A compleat Key to the What-d'yecall-it. It was written by one Griffin a Player, aflifted by Lewis Theobald,

be

be one to you to fay, that I fit up till two o'Clock over Burgundy and Champagne; and am become fo much a Rake, that I fhall be afhamed in a fhort Time to be thought to do any fort of Bufinefs. I fear I must get the Gout by Drinking, purely for a fashionable Pretence to fit ftill long enough to tranflate four Books of Homer. I hope you'll by that time be up again, and I may fucceed to the Bed and Couch of my Predeceffor: Pray cause the Stuffing to be repaired, and the Crutches fhortened for me. The Calamity of your Gout is what all your Friends, that is to say all that know you, must share in; we defire you in your turn to condole with us, who are under a Perfecution, and much afflicted with a Diftemper which proves grievous to many Poets, a Criticifm. We have indeed fome relieving Intervals of laughter, (as you know there are in fome Diseases) and it is the Opinion of divers good Gueffers, that the laft Fit will not be more violent than advanta geous; for Poets affail'd by Critics, are like Men bitten by Tarantula's, they dance on so much the fafter.

Mr Thomas Burnet hath play'd the Precurfor to the coming of Homer, in a Treatife called Homerides. He has fince rifen very much in his Criticisms, and after affaulting Homer, made a daring Attack upon the* What-dye-call-it. Yet is there not a Proclamation issued for the burning of Homer and the Pope by the common Hangman; nor is the Whatd'ye-call-it yet filenc'd by the Lord Chamberlain. They fhall furvive the Conflagration of his Father's Works, and live after they and he are damned (for that the B-p of S. already is fo, is the Opinion of Dr Sacheverel and the Church of Rome).

I am, &c.

* In one of his Papers call'd The Grumbler, long fince dead.

Mr

Mr POPE to the Earl of B

My LORD,

121

IF your Mare could fpeak, fhe wou'd give you an Account of the extraordinary Company fhe had on the Road; which fince fhe cannot do, I will.

It was the enterprizing Mr Lintott, the redoubtable Rival of Mr Tonfon, who, mounted on a Stonehorfe, (no difagreeable Companion to your Lordfhip's Mare) overtook me in Windfor-Foreft. He faid he heard I defign'd for Oxford, the Seat of the Mufes, and would, as my Bookfeller, by all means, accompany me thither.

I ask'd him where he got his Horfe? He answered, he got it of his Publisher: "For that Rogue my Printer (faid he) difappointed me: I hoped

to put him in good humour by a Treat at the "Tavern, of a brown Fricaffee of Rabbets, which "coft two Shillings, with two Quarts of Wine, be"fides my Converfation, I thought myself cock"fure of his Horfe, which he readily promifed me, "but faid, that Mr Tonfon had just such another defign of going to Cambridge, expecting there "the Copy of a Comment upon the Revelations; "and if Mr Tonfon went, he was pre-engaged to "attend him, being to have the Printing of the "faid Copy."

So in short, I borrow'd this Stone-horfe of my Publifher, which he had of Mr. Oldmixon for a Debt; he lent me too the pretty Boy you fee after me; he was a smutty Dog yefterday, and coft me near two hours to wash the Ink off his Face: But the Devil is a fair-condition'd Devil, and very forward in his Catechife: If you have any more Bags, he fhall carry them. I thought