The room called the Study, was evidently altered for Pope's convenience. The stone mullions and foliated heads of the windows were taken out, and plain wooden ones introduced, and the room entirely wainscoted. The middle story (which remains in its original state) is not wainscoted, but whitewashed. On the opposite page is a sketch of the study. At the time when Pope visited Stanton-Harcourt, and wrote his graphic description of it to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (see Vol. I. p. 133 of this edition) the old tower formed part of the mansion of Lord Harcourt, but towards the latter end of the last century the whole of the house, with the exception of this tower, and the very remarkable kitchen, with a small portion adjoining, was pulled down, and the site has been converted into a garden. The original gateway has been transformed into a parsonage-house. SAVAGE.-It may be worth mentioning, as further illustrating the interest which Pope took in the fortunes of Savage, that a narrative of the unfortunate duel in which one Mr. James Sinclair was killed, and for which Savage and a Mr. Gregory were convicted of murder, exists at Maple-Durham, in Pope's handwriting. The statement fills two large folio pages, but contains no new facts, and is apparently copied, for the satisfaction of the ladies at Maple-Durham, from some periodical of the day. GRAY'S OPINION OF POPE.-Mr. Rogers has transcribed, in a blank leaf of his copy of Warton's Pope, the following passage in one of Gray's letters to Walpole :-" I can say no more for Mr. Pope (for what you keep in reserve may be worse than all the rest). It is natural to wish the finest writer-one of them-we ever had, should be an honest man. It is the interest even of that virtue, whose friend he professed himself, and whose beauties he sung, that he should not be found a dirty animal. But, however, this is Mr. Warburton's business, not mine, who may scribble his pen to the stumps, and all in vain, if these facts are so. It is not from what he told me about himself that I thought well of him, but from a humanity and goodness of heart, ay, and greatness of mind, that runs through his private correspondence, not less apparent than are a thousand little vanities and weaknesses mixed with those good qualities, for nobody ever took him for a philosopher." In Mr. Norton Nicholl's reminiscences of Gray we have similar testimony: "Pope's translation of the Iliad stood very high in his estimation; and when he heard it criticized as wanting the simplicity of the original, or being rather a paraphrase than a translation, and not giving a just idea of the poet's style and manner, he always said, 'There would never be another translation of the same poem equal to it.' He liked the poetry of Pope in general, and approved an observation of Shenstone, that 'Pope had the art of condensing a thought.' He said of his letters, that they were not good letters, but better things. He thought that Pope had a good heart, in spite of his peevish temper.' "1 Pope's filial affection, his manly and liberal sentiments on religious toleration, and his contempt for infidel philosophers and affected virtuosi, were features in his character that must have won the approbation and even the love of Gray. His choice, condensed expression, and fine diction, must also have delighted one who was no less accomplished in those graces of the poet and scholar. It is to be regretted that we have no record of the personal intercourse between Gray and Pope, alluded to in the first of the above extracts. It was probably slight, as Gray did not return from his continental tour till September, 1741, and afterwards resided chiefly at Cambridge. Walpole's charge against the poet's memory most likely referred to the affair of the Duchess of Marlborough and the imputed bribe of £1000, as related in Walpole's Reminiscences. (See Life of Pope in this edition, vol. i. p. 301.) Most of the critics who have honoured this edition of Pope's Works with their notice, reject the supposition that the poet accepted a sum of money from the Duchess of Marlborough for suppressing the character of Atossa. The evidence on the other side seems, however, since the publication of the Marchmont Papers, to be conclusive; and the Editor can only beg a careful and dispassionate consideration of the facts. 1 Gray's Works, vol. v. p. 37. Pickering, 1843. INDEX. AARON HILL's appreciation of Pope's Abbé Southcote, Pope's grateful remem- Abelard and Eloisa, memoir of, ii. 251. Acquaintance of Pope with Swift, i. 68. Cato, prologue by Pope to, ii. 185. offer of political service declined by Additional notes to the Epilogue to the Additional notes to the Moral Essays, iv. Additional notes to the Prologue to the Additional notes to the Satires, iv. 133. Administration, fall of Bolingbroke's, i. 86. to the Imitations of Horace, iv. 12s. Advice of Walsh to Pope, i. 28. Affections, unsettled state of the poet's, Alexander the Great depreciated by pope, Alexis, a pastoral, ii. 109. Annuity settled by Pope on Teresa Blount Antiquity of Tyburn gallows, iii. 175. --, Pope's letter upon the marriage of, Arbuthnot (Dr.), epistle addressed to, i. 222. ---- Arbuthnot's last letter to Pope, i. 223. Arnall (William), life and death of, iii. 217. Artemisia, doubts as to the party satirized Attack on Pope's Essay, by Dennis, i. 60. 178. (Bishop), friendship for Pope, i. 153. to the second volume of poems, ii. 7. BAD writers, tenderness to, iii. 196. Alps, simile of the, used by Pope and Baimbridge, the jailer of Fleet prison, iv. Drummond, ii. 196. Ambrose Philips' "Thule," iii. 192. Anecdotes of Sir Godfrey Kneller, i. 166; 202. Banks and Broome, the dramatists, iii. 186. Bath, a day's amusement at, i. 113. Belinda at her toilette, ii. 227. Bethel (Mr.), account of, iv. 140. 165. Blount (Mr. Charles), life and works of, Blount (Misses), death of the, ii. 279. Bond (Dennis), notice of, iv. 53. Boyer (Abel), notice of, iii. 222. Broome and Pope, iii. 116. Bubb Dodington, memoir of, iv. 93. Burlington, memoir of the Earl of, iv. 92. CAMILLO QUERNO, account of, iii. 198. Carleton (Lord), memoir of, iv. 214. Chaucer, Pope's translations from, ii. 52, 73. speech against the Dramatic Licens- Chimney-sweeps (the) and the Duchess of Chorus of youths and virgins, ii. 176. play of the Nonjuror, i. 149. Cicero, disputes about the pronunciation of Clarke (Dr. Samuel), memoir of, iii. 101. Cobham, memoir of Lord, iv. 14. Colley Cibber's epitaph on Pope, i. 300. Concanen (Matthew), history of, iii. 217. -, Pope dedicates his Homer to, i. 94.! Controversy regarding Pope's intimacy with Cooke and Concanen, account of, iii. 202. Cornbury Viscount), anecdote of, iv. 159. Catholics forbidden to approach within ten Correspondence of Pope. [See Letters.] miles of London, i. 289. severe laws against the, i. 12. -, vulgar animosity against the, i. 63. Pope's defence of, and attack upon Cave of Poverty and Poetry, the, iii. 172. Centlivre (Mrs.), memoir of, iii. 220. Correspondence of Pope, mystery regard- Countess of Suffolk, memoir of the, iv. 40. |