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Dr ARBUTHNOT to Mr POPE.

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Dear Sir,

Hampstead, July 17, 1734.

Little doubt of your kind Concern for me, nor of that of the Lady you mention. I have nothing to repay my Friends with at prefent, but prayers and good wishes. I have the fatisfaction to find that I am as officioufly ferv'd by my Friends, as he that has thousands to leave in Legacies; befides the Affurance of their Sincerity. God Almighty has made my bodily diftrefs as eafy as a thing of that nature can be: I have found fome relief, at least fometimes, from the Air of this Place. My Nights are bad, but many poor Creatures have worse.

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As for you, my good Friend, I think fince our firft acquaintance there has not been any of those little Sufpicions or Jealoufies that often affect the fincereft Friendships; I am fure not on my fide. I must be fo fincere as to own, that tho' I could not help valuing you for thofe Talents. which the World prizes, yet they were not the Foundation of my Friendship: They were quite of another fort; nor fhall I at prefent offend you by enumerating them: And I make it my Laft Requeft, that you continue that noble Difdain and Abhorrence of Vice, which you seem naturally endu'd with, but ftill with a due regard to your own Safety; and ftudy more to reform than chastise, tho' the one often cannot be effected without the other.

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Lord Bathurst I have always honour'd for every good Quality, that a Perfon of his Rank ought to have: Pray give my Refpects and kindest Wishes

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to the Family. My Venifon Stomach is gone, but I have those about me, and often with me, who will be very glad of his Prefent. If it is left at my house it will be tranfmitted fafe

to me.

A Recovery in my Cafe, and at my Age, is impoffible; the kindest Wish of my Friends is Euthanafia. Living or dying, I fhall always be

Your most faithful Friend,

And bumble Servant,

Jo. ARBUTHNOT,

LETTERS

LETTERS

OF

Mr POPE to H. C. Efq;

From 1708, to 1711.

March 18. 1708.

BELIEVE it was with me when I left the Town, as it is with a great many Men when they leave the World, whofe lofs itself they do not fo much regret, as that of their Friends

whom they leave behind in it. For I do not know one thing for which I can envy London, but for your continuing there. Yet I guess you will expect I should recant this Expreffion, when I tell you, that Sapho (by which heathenish Name you have chriften'd a very orthodox Lady) did not accompany me into the Country. However, I will confefs my felf the lefs concern'd on that Account, because I have no very violent Inclination to lofe my Heart, especially in fo wild and favage a place as this Foreft is: In the Town, 'tis ten to one but a young Fellow may find his ftray'd Heart again, with fome

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Wild-ftreet or Drury-lane Damfel; but here, where I could have met with no redress from an unmerciful, virtuous Dame, I must for ever have loft my little Traveller in a Hole, where I could never rummage to find him again.-Well, Sir, you have your Lady in the Town ftill, and I have my Heart in the Country ftill, which being wholly unemploy'd as yet, has the more room in it for my Friends, and does not want a Corner at your Service. To be ferious, you have extremely oblig'd me by your Frankness and Kindness to me: And if I have abus'd it by too much Freedom on my part, I hope you will attribute it to the natural Opennefs of my Temper, which hardly knows how to fhow Refpect where I feel Affection. I wou'd love my Friend, as my Miftrefs, without Ceremony; and hope a little rough Ufage fometimes may not be more difpleafing to the one, than it is to the other.

If you have any Curiofity to know in what manner I live, or rather lofe a Life, Martial will inform you in one Line: (the Tranflation of which cost a Friend of ours three in English)

One short, one long,
One foft, one strong.
One right, one wrong.

Prandes, poto, cano, ludo, lego, cœno, quiefco.

Every Day with me is literally another yesterday; for it is exactly the fame; it has the fame Business, which is Poetry; and the fame Pleasure, which is Idlenefs. A Man might indeed pafs his Time much better, but I quefton if any Man could pass it much eafier. If you will vifit our Shades this Spring, which I very much defire, you may perhaps inftruct me to manage my Game more wifely; but at pre

fent

fent I am fatisfy'd to trifle away my Time any way, rather than let it ftick by me; as Shop-keepers are glad to be rid of those Goods at any rate, which would otherwife always be lying upon their hands.

Sir, if you will favour me fometimes with your Letters, it will be a great Satisfaction to me on several Accounts; and on this in particular, that it will fhow me (to my comfort) that even a wife Man is fometimes very idle; for so you must needs be when you can find leifure to write to

Your, &c.

I

April 27. 1708.

HAVE nothing to fay to you in this Letter; but I was refolv'd to write to tell you fo. Why fhould not I content my self with so many great Examples, of deep Divines, profound Cafuifts, grave Philofophers, who have written, not Letters only, but whole Tomes and voluminous Treatifes about nothing? Why fhou'd a Fellow like me, who all his life does nothing, bé afham'd to write nothing? and that to one who has nothing to do but to read it? But perhaps you'll fay, the whole World has fomething to do, fomething to talk of, fomething to wish for, fomething to be imploy'd about: But pray, Sir, caft up the Account, put all these Somethings together, and what is the Sum Total but just Nothing? I have no more to fay, but to defire you to give my Service (that is nothing) to your Friends, and to believe that I am nothing more than

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