LETTER LXI. Mr. POPE to Dr. SWIFT. Feb. 16, 1732-3. T is indeed impoffible to fpeak on fuch a fubject as the lofs of Mr. Gay, to me an irreparable one. But I fend you what I intend for the infcription on his tomb, which the Duke of Queensbury will set up at Westminster. As to his writings he left no Will, nor spoke a word of them, or any thing else, during his short and precipitate illness, in which I attended him to his laft breath. The Duke has acted more than the part of a brother to him, and it will be ftrange if the fifters do not leave his papers totally to his difpofal, who will de the fame that I would do with them. He has managed the Comedy (which our poor friend gave to the playhouse the week before his death) to the utmost advantage for his relations; and proposes to do the fame with fome Fables he left finished. There is nothing of late which I think of more than mortality, and what you mention, of collecting the best monuments we can of our friends, their own images in their writings: (for thofe are the beft, when their minds are fuch as Mr. Gay's was, and as yours is.) I PA am preparing alfo for my own; and have nothing fo much at heart as to fhew the filly world that men of Wit, or even Poets may be the moft moral of mankind. A few loose things fometimes fall from them, by which cenforious fools judge as ill of them as poffibly they can for their own comfort: and indeed when fuch unguarded and trifling Jeux d'Efprit have once got abroad, all that prudence or repentance can do, fince they cannot be denyed, is to put 'em fairly upon that foot; and teach the publick (as we have done in the preface to the four volumes of mifcellanies) to distinguish betwixt our ftudies and our idleneffes, our works and our weakneffes, that was the whole end of the laft Vol. of Mifcellanies, without which our former declaration in that preface, "That thefe volumes contained all that we had ever "offended in that way,"would have been difcredited. It went indeed to my heart, to omit what you called the libel on Dr. Delany and the best panegyrick on myfelf that either my own times or any other could have afforded, or will ever afford to me. The book as you obferve was printed in great hafte; the cause whereof was that the bookfellers here were doing the fame, in collecting your pieces, the corn with the chaff; I don't mean that any thing of yours is chaff, but with other wit of Ireland which was fo, and the whole in your name. I mean principally to oblige a feparation of what what you writ feriously from what you writ carelessly and thought my own weeds might pafs for a fort of wild flowers, when bundled up with them. It was I that fent you thofe Books into Ireland, and fo I did my Epiftle to Lord Bathurst even before it was published, and another thing of mine which is a * Parody from Horace, writ in two mornings. I never took more care in my life of any poem than of the former of thefe, nor lefs than of the latter: yet every friend has forc'd me to print it, tho' in truth my own fingle motive was about a score of lines towards the latter end, which you will find out. I have declined opening to you by letters the whole scheme of my prefent Work, expecting ftill to do it in a better manner in perfon: but you will fee pretty foon, that the letter to Lord Bathurst is a part of it, and you will find a plain connexion between them, if you read them in the order juft contrary to that they were publifh'd in. I imitate thofe cunning tradefinen, who fhow their best filks laft: or, (to give you a truer idea, tho' it founds too proudly) my works will in one refpect be like the works of Nature, much more to be liked and understood when confider'd in the relation they bear with each other, than when ignorantly look'd upon one by one; and often, thofe parts Sat. 1. Lib. 2. which which attract most at first fight, will appear to I am pleas'd and flattered by your expreffion of Orna me. The chief pleasure this work can give me is, that I can in it, with propriety, decency, and justice, infert the name and character of every friend I have, and every man that deferves to be lov'd or adorn'd. But I fmile at your applying that phrase to my vifiting you in Ireland; a place where I might have fome apprehenfion (from their extraordinary paffion for poetry, and hospitality in entertaining) of being adorn'd to death, and buried under the weight of garlands, like a Lady I have read of fomewhere or other. My mother lives (which is an answer to that point) (and I thank God) tho' her memory be in a manner gone, is yet awake and fenfible to me, tho' fcarce to any thing elfe; which doubles the reafon of my attendance, and at the fame time fweetens it. I wish (beyond any other wish) you could pass a fummer here; I might (too probably) return with you, unless you preferr'd to see France first, to which country I think you would have a ftrong invitation- -Lord Peterborow has narrowly escaped death, and yet keeps his chamber: he is perpetually speaking in the most affectionate manner of you: he has written you two letters which you never received, and by that has been difcourag'd from writing more. I can well believe the poft office office may do this, when fome letters of his to me have met the fame fate, and two of mine to him. Yet let not this discourage you from writing to me, or to him inclos'd in the common way, as I do to you: Innocent men need fear no detection of their thoughts; and for my part, I wou'd give 'em free leave to fend all I write to Curl, if moft of what I write was not too filly. I defire my fincere fervices to Dr. Delany, who I agree with you is a man every way efteemable: my Lord O-ry is a most virtuous and good-natur'd Nobleman, whom I should be happy to know better. Lord B. received your letter thro' my hands; it is not to be told you how much he wishes for you: The whole lift of perfons to whom you fent your services return you theirs, with proper fenfe of the diftinction. Your Lady friend is Semper Eadem, and I have written an Epiftle to her, on that qualification in a female character; which is thought by my chief Critick in your absence to be my Chef d'Oeuvre: but it cannot be printed perfectly in an age fo fore of fatire, and fo willing to misapply characters, As to my own health, it is as good as ufual. I have lain ill feven days of a flight fever (the complaint here) but recovered by gentle fweats, and the care of Dr. Arbuthnot. The play Mr. Gay left fucceeds very well; it is another original in its kind. Adieu. God preserve your life, |