The natural imbecillity of my body, join'd now to this acquired old age of the mind, makes me at least as old as you, and we are the fitter to crawl down the hill together: I only defire I may be able to keep pace with you. My first friendship at fixteen, was contracted with a man of feventy, and I found him not grave enough or confiftent enough for me, tho' we lived well to his death. I fpeak of old Mr. Wycherley; fome letters of whom (by the by) and of mine the Booksellers have got and printed, not without the concurrence of a noble friend of mine and yours d. I don't much approve of it; tho' there is nothing for me to be afham'd of, because I will not be afham'd of any thing I do not do myself, or of any thing that is not immoral but merely dull (as for inftance, if they printed this letter I am now writing, which they easily may, if the underlings at the Post-office please to take a copy of it.) I admire on this confideration, your fending your last to me quite open, without a feal, wafer, or any clofure whatever, manifefting the utter openness of the writer. I would do the fame by this, but fear it would look like affectation to fend two letters fo together. I will fully reprefent to our friend (and, I doubt not, it will touch

d See the occafion in the of the Preface to the first fecond and third Paragraphs Volume of Letters.

his

his heart) what you fo feelingly fet forth as to the badness of your Burgundy, &c. He is an extreme honeft man, and indeed ought to be fo, confidering how very indifcreet and unreferved he is: But I do not approve this part of his character, and will never join with him in any of his idleneffes in the way of wit. You know my maxim to keep as clear of all offence, as I am clear of all intereft in either party. I was once difpleas'd before at you, for complaining to Mr. of my not having a penfion, and am fo again at your naming it to a certain Lord. I have given proof in the courfe of my whole Life, (from the time when I was in the friendfhip of Lord Bolingbroke and Mr. Craggs, even to this when I am civilly treated by Sir R. Walpole) that I never thought myself fo warm in any party's caufe as to deferve their money; and therefore would never have accepted it: But give me leave to tell you, that of all mankind the two perfons I would leaft have accepted any favour from, are thofe very two, to whom you have unluckily spoken of it. I defire you to take off any impreffions which that dialogue may have left on his Lordship's mind, as if I ever had any thought of being beholden to him, or any other, in that way. And yet, you know, I am no enemy to the present Conftitution; I believe, as fincere a well-wifher to

it, nay, even to the church. establish'd, as any Minister in, or out of employment whatever; or any Bishop of England or Ireland. Yet am I of the Religion of Erafmus, a Catholic; fo I live, fo I fhall die; and hope one day to meet you, Bishop Atterbury, the younger Craggs, Dr. Garth, Dean Berkley, and Mr. Hutchenfon, in that place, To which God of his infinite mercy bring us, and every body!

Lord B's answer to your letter I have just receiv'd, and join it to this pacquet. The work he speaks of with such abundant partiality, is a fyftem of Ethics in the Horatian way.

LETTER XLV.

April 14, 1730.

TH

HIS is a letter extraordinary, to do and fay nothing but recommend to you (as a Clergyman, and a charitable one) a pious and a good work, and for a good and an honeft man: Moreover he is above feventy, and poor, which you might think included in the word honeft. I fhall think it a kindness done myfelf; if you can propagate Mr. Weftley's fubfcription for his Commentary on Job, among your Divines, (Bifhops excepted, of whom there is no hope) and among such as are believers, or readers, of Scripture: even the cu

rious may find fomething to please them, if they scorn to be edified. It has been the labour of eight years of this learned man's life; I call him what he is, a learned man, and I engage you will approve his profe more than you formerly could his poetry. Lord Bolingbroke is a favourer of it, and allows

your

beft

you to do to ferve an old Tory, and a fufferer for the Church of England, tho' you are a Whig, as I

am.

We have here fome verfes in your name, which I am angry at. Sure you would not use me fo ill as to flatter me? I therefore think it fome other weak Irishman.

P. S. I did not take the pen out of Pope's hands, I protest to you. But fince he will not fill the remainder of the page, I think I may without offence. I seek no epiftolary fame, but am a good deal pleas'd to think that it will be known hereafter that you and I liv'd in the most friendly intimacy together. - Pliny writ his letters for the public, fo did Seneca, so did Balfac, Voiture, &c. Tully did not, and therefore these give us more pleasure than any which have come down to us from antiquity. When we read them, we pry into a fecret which was intended to be kept from us. That is a pleafure. We fee Cato, and Brutus, and Pompey,

and

and others, fuch as they really were, and not fuch as the gaping multitude of their own age took them to be, or as Hiftorians and Poets have represented them to ours. That is another pleasure. I remember to have seen a proceffion at Aix la Chapelle, wherein an image of Charlemagne is carried on the shoulders of a man, who is hid by the long robe of the imperial Saint. Follow him into the veftry, you see the bearer flip from under the robe, and the gigantic figure dwindles into an image of the ordinary fize, and is fet by among other lumber. -I agree much with Pope, that our climate is rather better than that you are in, and perhaps your public spirit would be lefs grieved, or oftner comforted, here than there. Come to us therefore on a vifit at leaft. It will not be the fault of feveral perfons here, if you do not come to live with us. But great good will, and little power produce fuch flow and feeble effects as can be acceptable to heaven alone, and heavenly men. I know

you

with me, will be angry if I fay nothing to you of a poor woman, who is ftill on the other fide of the water in a most languishing state of health. If the regains ftrength enough to come over, (and fhe is better within these few weeks) I fhall nurse her in this farm with all the care and tenderness poffible. If fhe does not, I must pay

her the

laft