He died in the evening of the thirtieth day of May, 1744, fo placidly, that the attendants did not difcern the exact time of his expiration. He was buried at Twickenham, near his father and mother, where a monument has been erected to him by his commentator, the Bishop of Gloucefter. He left the care of his papers to his executors, first to Lord Bolingbroke, and if he should not be living to the Earl of Marchmont, undoubtedly expecting them to be proud of the truft, and eager to extend his fame. But let no man dream of influence beyond his life. After a decent time Dodsley the bookseller went to folicit preference as the publisher, and was told that the parcel had not been yet inspected; and whatever was the reafon, the world has been disappointed of what was referved for the next age. He loft, indeed, the favour of Bolingbroke by a kind of pofthumous offence. The The political pamphlet called The Patriot King had put into his hands that he might procure the impreffion of a very few copies, to been be diftributed according to the author's direction among his friends, and Pope affured him that no more had been printed than were allowed; but, foon after his death, the printer brought and refigned a complete edition of fifteen hundred copies, which Pope had ordered him to print, and to retain in fecret. He kept, as was obferved, his engagement to Pope better than Pope had kept it to his friend; and nothing was known of the tranfaction, till, upon the death of his employer, he thought himself obliged to deliver the books to the right owner, who, with great indignation, made a fire in his yard, and delivered the whole impreffion to the flames. Hitherto nothing had been done which was not naturally dictated by refentment of violated faith; refentment more acrimonious, as the violator had been more loved or more trufted. But here the anger might have ftopped; the injury was private, and there was little danger from the example. Bolingbroke, however, was not yet fatiffied; his thirft of vengeance excited him to blast blaft the memory of the man over whom he had wept in his laft ftruggles; and he employed Mallet, another friend of Pope, to tell the tale to the publick, with all its aggravations. Warburton, whofe heart was warm with his legacy, and tender by the recent feparation, thought it proper for him to interpofe; and undertook, not indeed to vindicate the action, for breach of truft has always fomething criminal, but to extenuate it by an apology. Having advanced, what cannot be denied, that moral obliquity is made more or less excufable by the motives that produce it, he enquires what evil purpofe could have induced Pope to break his promife. He could not delight his vanity by ufurping the work, which, though not fold in shops, had been shewn to a number more than fufficient to preferve the author's claim; he could not gratify his avarice; for he could not fell his plunder till Bolingbroke was dead; and even then, if the copy was left to another, his fraud would be defeated, and if left to himself, would be ufelefs. Warburton Warburton therefore fuppofes, with great appearance of reason, that the irregularity of his conduct proceeded wholly from his zeal for Bolingbroke, who might perhaps have destroyed the pamphlet, which Pope thought it his duty to preferve, even without its author's approbation. To this apology an answer was written in a Letter to the most impudent man living. He brought fome reproach upon his own memory by the petulant and contemptuous mention made in his will of Mr. Allen, and an affected repayment of his benefactions. Mrs. Blount, as the known friend and favourite of Pope, had been invited to the houfe of Allen, where the comported herself with fuch indecent arrogance, that the part ed from Mrs. Allen in a ftate of irreconcileable diflike, and the door was for ever barred against her. This exclufion fhe refented with fo much bitterness as to refuse any legacy from Pope, unless he left the world with a difavowal of obligation to Allen. Having been long under her dominion, now tottering tottering in the decline of life, and unable to refift the violence of her temper, or, perhaps with the prejudice of a lover, perfuaded that she had fuffered improper treatment, he complied with her demand, and polluted his will with female refentment. Allen accepted the legacy, which he gave to the Hospital at Bath; obferving that Pope was always a bad accomptant, and that if to 1507. he had put a cypher more, he had come nearer to the truth, THE |