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over the mind of our poet. He left her the greatest part of his fortune: and, to oblige her, he ungenerously quarrelled with the Man of Bath. Cæfar governed the world; but a woman governed Cæfar. An old story, and no new cafe. The neighbourhood of Twickenham was credulous and cenforious, like all country villages. "On eagle's wings immortal fcandals fly," fays Juvenal, in English. No court of enquiry was set up to gratify the malignity of curiofity. It ought to have been obferved before, that it is not agreed whether Addison or Pope were most to blame for their jealoufy of each other. The vindication of the conduct of the first has made its appearance in a long note, under his article, in the new edition of the Biogra phia, composed by one who decided, for a great number of years, in points of more difficulty and importance, in Westminster hall. His philofopher and guide, says Hurd, 'tis well known, ftuck clofe to him, till another and brighter ftar (Warburton) had got the afcendant. Lord Bolingbroke never forgave Pope for leaving him and becoming the pu

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pil of Warburton. Pope afforded a handle, which his old patron feized, to cast a revengeful dishonour upon his memory. For in the cafe of his conduct to Lord Bolingbroke on the Patriot King (which only told, as Warburton afferts, what every body knew before), Pope certainly could not be juf tified, even by his advocate, Some anec, dotes, printed the other day, of what Bolingbroke faid to a Mr. Fraigneau, pointing to the fpot in his yard at Battersea, where the fifteen hundred copies, brought thither by the boneft printer lately mentioned, were burned in one common fire," in the words of Mallet the editor, fhew his unforgiving anger. The offence was no less than a breach of truft, which, as Johnson, our Purdy moralif, fays, has always fomething criminal. But Pope poffibly faw it in another light. Warburton allows, that Bolingbroke, though the last in pity, was the first in justice to complain. It appears, from the printed letters of his fifter, Lady Luxborough, that The joined in the cry against Pope, and gave into her brother's refentments, on this viola

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tion of confidence. Was not this treatment injudicious, and too fevere against the man who had praised him to the skies; by whom even his political character was exalted in poetry, whilft it was degraded in history; to whom his Lordship infcribes fo many of his metaphyfical effays; and who was not alive to defend himself? How highly must Bolingbroke at one time have thought of Pope, when in a letter to Mr. Pouilly (a predeceffor of Montefquieu's) he mentions three perfons of fufficient knowledge and temper to govern the world, and means himself, Pouilly, and Pope! How infatuated muft his judgement have been, if he could fufpect that Pope, for the paltry profit of an edition of his Patriot King, could be a traitor to his Patron!

There are two ways of telling a story, and Pope might have told it very differently, or have taken ample revenge. A pen that can whiten, may blacken. A faftidious reader, who is every moment expecting novelties, may exclaim, and perhaps has done it already" All that I have hitherto read, may be true; but I have met with it elsewhere."

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Let him be fatisfied with an answer from Father Paul. 66 Every book fhould be as compleat as poffible within itself; and should never refer, for any thing material, to other books." The wifh of this writer would be, to leave common things to books, as Burnet fays of his intentions refpecting his history, and to make up their deficiencies.

As there are readers of all forts, and thoufands who are not yet become readers, this volatile performance may have a chance to be taken up, from a parlour window-feat, and occupy an hour of indolence or leifure; and a reader, not acquainted with what others have said upon this fubject, may get fome information from this piece. There are millions where the English language prevails (" obliged in bufinefs or in arts to drudge") to whom little more than the name of Mr. Pope is yet known. It has been obferved, that Pope was never feen to laugh. Johnfon afferts of the mifanthropic Swift, that he ftubbornly refifted any tendency to laughter. I cannot recollect, fays Mrs. Pilkington, that ever I faw the Dean laugh: perhaps he thought it be

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neath him; for when any pleafantry paffed, which might have excited it, he used to fuck his cheeks to avoid rifibility. The people of Iceland, according to Mr. Troil, are remarkably grave, and are hardly ever seen to laugh. Laughter feems to be as effectually banished as by a proclamation. Certainly Pope was neither Heraclitus nor Democritus. He had never been in the Cave of Trophonius, nor perhaps thought it beneath the dignity of a great man to laugh, as Lord Chefterfield afferts it to be. "I am fure, fince I have had the full ufe of my reafon, fays that polite nobleman to his fon, to whom he writes the fentiments of his heart, nobody has heard me laugh." Pope was naturally ferious and calm, except when he put on the Sardonic fmile.

Of all the wits and authors of his acquaintance, it is apparent, that Pope was the fondeft of Gay; and with the greatest reason, for he had the least to apprehend from him: For in all cafes, where there is fear, there can be no love. And yet, fays Mrs. Pilkington, Pope could not forbear, in his Letters to Swift,

a great

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