who has done me fo many favours, that I am almost inclin'd to think my Friends infect one another, and that your converfation with him has made him as obliging to me as yourself. I can affure you he has a fincere respect for you, and this I believe he has partly contracted from me, who am too full of you not to overflow upon those I converse with. But I muft now be contented to converfe only with the Dead of this world, that is to fay, the dull and obfcure, every way obfcure, in their intellects as well as their perfons: Or elfe have recourfe to the living Dead, the old Authors with whom you are fo well acquainted, even from Virgil down to Aulus Gellius, whom I do not think a Critic by any means to be compar'd to Mr. Dennis: And I muft declare pofitively to you, that I will perfift in this opinion, till' you become a little more civil to Atticus. Who cou'd have imagin'd, that he who had efcaped all the misfortunes of his Time, unhurt even by the Profcriptions of Anthony and Auguftus; fhou'd in these days find an Enemy more fevere and barbarous than those Tyrants? and that Enemy the gentleft too, the best-natur'd of mortals, Mr. C ? Whom I must in this compare, once more to Auguftus; who feem'd not more unlike himself, in the Severity of one part of his life and the Clemency of the other, than you. T 3

I leave

I leave you to reflect on this, and hope that time (which mollifies rocks, and of stiff things makes limber) will turn a refolute critic to a gentle reader; and instead of this pofitive, tremendous,new-fafhion'd Mr. C reftore unto us our old acquaintance, the foft, beneficent, and courteous Mr. C.

I expect much, towards the civilizing of you in your critical capacity, from the innocent Air and Tranquillity of our Forest, when you do me the favour to vifit it. In the mean time, it wou'd do well by way of Preparative, if you wou'd duly and conftantly, every morning read over a Paftoral of Theocritus or Virgil, and let the Lady Ifabella put your Macrobius and Aulus Gellius fomewhere out of your way, for a month or fo. Who knows, but Travelling and long Airing in an open field, may contribute more fuccefsfully to the cooling a Critic's feverity, than it did to the affwaging of Mr. Cheek's Anger, of old? In thefe fields you will be fecure of finding no enemy, but the most faithful and affectionate of friends, &c.

your

S

May

A

FTER I had recover'd from a dangerous Illness which was first contracted in Town, about a fortnight after my coming hither I troubled you with a letter, and a paper inclos'd, which you had been fo obliging as to defire a fight of when laft I faw you, promifing me in return some tranflations of yours from Ovid. Since when, I have not had a fyllable from your hands, fo that 'tis to be fear'd that tho' I have efcaped Death, I have not Oblivion. I fheu'd at leaft have expected you to have finish'd that Elegy upon me, which you told me you was upon the point of beginning when I was fick in London; if you will but do fo much for me first, I will give you leave to forget me afterwards; and for my own part will die at difcretion, and at my leifure. But I fear I must be forc'd like many learned Authors, to write my own Epitaph, if I wou'd be remember'd at all. Monfieur de la Fontaine's wou'd fit me to a hair, but it is a kind of Sacrilege, (do you think it is not?) to fteal Epitaphs. In my prefent, living dead condition, nothing wou'd be properer than Oblitufque meorum, oblivifcendus & illis, but that unluckily I can't forget my friends, and the civilities I receiv'd from yourfelf,

T 4

and

and fome others. They fay indeed 'tis one quality of generous minds to forget the obligations they have conferr'd, and perhaps too it may be fo to forget thofe on whom they conferr'd 'em? Then indeed I must be forgotten to all intents and purposes! I am, it must be own'd, dead in a natural capacity, according to Mr. Bickerstaff; dead in a poetical capacity, as a damn'd author; and dead in a civil capacity, as a useless member of the Common-wealth. But reflect, dear Sir, what melancholy effects may enfue, if Dead men are not civil to one another? If he who has nothing to do himfelf, will not comfort and fupport another in his Idlenefs? If thofe who are to die themselves, will not now and then pay-the charity of vifiting a Tomb and a dead friend, and ftrowing a few flow'rs over him? In the fhades where I ain, the Inhabitants have a mutual compaffion for each other: Being all alike Inanes, and Umbratiles, we faunter to one another's habitations, and daily affift each other in doing nothing at all; this I mention for your edification and example, that Tout plein du vie as you are, yet you may not fometimes difdain-defipere in loco. Tho you are no Papift, and have not so much regard to the dead as to address yourself to them, (which I plainly perceive by your filence) yet I hope you are not one of thofe

Here

Heterodox, who hold them to be totally infenfible of the good offices and kind wishes of their living friends, and to be in a dull State of Sleep, without one dream of those they left behind them? If you are let this Letter convince you to the contrary, which affures you, I am still, tho' in a State of Separation,

Your, &c.

P. S. This letter of Deaths, puts me in mind of poor Mr. Betterton's; over whom I wou'd have this Sentence of Tully for an Epitaph.

ར Vita bene actæ jucundiffima eft Recordatio.

'T

June 24, 1710. IS very natural for a young Friend, and a young Lover, to think the perfons they love have nothing to do but to please them; when perhaps they, for their parts, had twenty other engagements before. This was my cafe when I wonder'd I did not hear from you; but I no fooner receiv'd your fhort letter, but I forgot your long filence; and fo many fine things as you faid of me cou'd not but have wrought a cure on my own Sickness, if it had not been of the nature of that, which is deaf to the Voice of the Charmer. 'Twas impoffible you

cou'd