or prejudice. I fee nothing to be added to your work; only fome commendatory deviations from the argument itself, in my favour, I ought to think might be omitted. I must repeat my urgent defire to be previously acquainted with the precife time of your vifit to London; that I may have the pleasure to meet a man in the manner I would, whom I must esteem one of the greateft of my benefactors. I am with the most grateful and affectionate regard, &c. LETTER CIII. April 16, 1740. YOU not me main to OU could not give me more pleasure than by your that I may hope to fee you fo foon. Let us meet like men who have been many years acquainted with each other, and whofe friendship is not to begin, but continue. All forms fhould be paffed, when people know each other's mind fo well. I flatter myself you are a man after my own heart, who seeks content only from within, and fays to greatnefs, Tuas habeto tibi res, egomet habebo meas. But as it is but juft your other friends fhould have fome part of you, I infift on my making you the first vifit in London; and thence after a few days, to carry you to Twickenham, for as many as you can afford me. the prefs be to take up any part of your time, the sheets may be brought you hourly by my waterman: And you will have more leifure to attend to any thing of that fort than in town. I believe alfo I have most of the books you can want, or can eafily borrow them. I earneftly defire a line may be left at Mr. R.'s, where and when I fhall call upon you; which I will daily enquire for, whether I chance to be here or in the counCc 2 If try. try. Believe me, Sir, with the trueft regard, and the fincereft wish to deferve, Yours, &c. LETTER CIV. IT Twitenham, June 24, 1740. T is true that I am a very unpunctual correfpondent, though no unpunctual agent or friend; and that in the commerce of words, I am both poor and lazy. Civility and compliment generally are the goods that letter-writers exchange; which, with honeft men, seems a kind of illicit trade, by having been, for the most part, carried on, and carried furtheft by defigning men. I am therefore reduced to plain inquiries, how my friend does, and what he does? and to repetitions, which I am afraid to tire him with, how much I love him. Your two kind letters gave me real fatisfaction, in hearing you were fafe and well; and in fhewing me you took kindly my unaffected endeavours to prove my efteem for you, and delight in your converfation. Indeed my languid ftate of health, and frequent deficiency of fpirits, together with a number of diffipations, et aliena negotia centum, all confpire to throw a faintness and cool appearance over my conduct to thofe I beft love which I perpetually feel, and grieve at: But, in earnest, no man is more deeply touched with merit in general, or with particular merit towards me, in any one. You ought therefore, in both views, to hold yourself what you are to me in my opinion and affection; fo high in each, that I may perhaps feldom attempt to tell it you. The greatest juftice, and favour too, that you can do me, is to take it for granted. neg Do not therefore commend my talents, but inftruct me by your own. I am not really learned enough to he a judge in works of the nature and depth of yours. But I travel through your book as through an amazing Scene fcene of ancient Egypt or Greece; ftruck with veneration and wonder; but at every step wanting an inftructor to tell me all I wish to know. Such you prove to me in the walks of antiquity; and fuch you will prove to all mankind; But with this additional character, more than any other fearcher into antiquities, that of a genius equal to your pains, and of a taste equal to your learning. * I am obliged greatly to you for what you have projected at Cambridge, in relation to my Essay ; but more for the motive which did originally, and does confequentially in a manner,animate all your goodness to me, the opinion you entertain of my honeft intention in that piece, and your zeal to demonftrate me no irreligious man. I was very fincere with you in what I told you of my own opinion of my own character as a poet, and I think I may confcientiously say, I fhall die in it. I have nothing to add, but that I hope fometimes to hear you are well, as you certainly fhall now and then hear the beft I can tell you of myself. LETTER CV. Oct. 27, 1740. I AM grown fo bad a correfpondent, partly through the weakness of my eyes, which has much increased of late, and partly through other difagreeable accidents (almoft peculiar to me), that my oldeft, as well as beft friends, are reasonable enough to excuse me. I know you are of the number who deferve all the teftimonies of any fort, which I can give you of esteem and friendfhip; and I confide in you, as a man of candour enough, to know it cannot be otherwise, if I am an honeft one. So I will fay no more on this head, but proceed to thank you for your conftant memory of whatever may be fer Cc 3 viceable Mr. Pope defired Mr. Warburton to procure a good translation of the Effay on Man into Latin profe. are viceable or reputable to me. The translation you a much better judge of than I, not only because you un derstand my work better than I do myfelf, but as your continued familiarity with the learned languages, makes you infinitely more a mafter of them. I would only recommend that the tranflator's attention to Tully's Latinity may not preclude his ufage of fome terms which may be more precife in modern philofophy than fuch as he could ferve himself of, especially in matters metaphyfical. I think this fpecimen close enough, and clear alfo, as far as the claffical phrafes allow; from which yet I would rather he fometimes deviated, than fuffered the fenfe to be either dubious, or clouded too much. You know my mind perfectly as to the intent of fuch a verfion; and I would have it accompanied with your own remarks tranflated, fuch only I mean as are general, or explanatory of thofe paffages, which are concife to any degree of obfcurity, or which demand perhaps too minute an attention in the reader. I have been unable to make the journey I defigned to Oxford, and Lord Bathurst's, where I hoped to have made you of the party. I am going to Bath for near two months. Yet pray let nothing hinder me sometimes from hearing you are well. I have had that contentment from time to time from Mr. G. Seriblerust will or will not be published, according to the event of fome other papers coming, or not coming out; which it will be my utmost endeavour to hinder‡. I will not give you the pain of acquainting you what they are. Your fimile of B. and his nephew, would make an excellent epigram. But all fatire is become fo ineffectual, (when the laft ftep that Virtue can stand upon, hame, is taken away), that Epigram must expect to do nothing even in its own little province, and upon its own little fubjects. Adieu. Believe I wish you nearer us; the only power I wish, is that of at taching rus. Of his Efay on Man into Latin profe. The Memoirs of Scrible taching, and at the fame time fupporting, fuch congenial bodies, as you are to; dear Sir, Your, &c. LETTER CVI. Bath, Feb. 4, 1740-1. ; IF I had not been made by many accidents fo fick of letter-writing, as to be almoft afraid of the shadow of my own pen, you would be the perfon I fhould ofteneft pour myself out to: Indeed for a good reafon for you have given me the strongest proofs of understanding, and accepting my meaning in the beft manner; and of the candour of your heart, as well as the clearness of your head. My vexations I would not trouble you with, but I must just mention the two greatest I now have. They have printed in Ireland, my letters to Dr. Swift, and (which is the ftrangeft circumftance) by his own confent and direction, without acquainting me till it was done. The other is one that will continue with me till fome profperous event to your fervice fhall bring us nearer to each other. I am not content with thofe glimpfes of you, which a fhort Spring-vifit affords ; and from which you carry nothing away with you, but my fighs and wishes, without any real benefit. I am heartily glad of the advancement of your fecond volume; and particularly of the digreffions, for they are so much more of you; and I can truft your judgment enough to depend upon their being pertinent. You will, I queftion not, verify the good proverb, That the furtheft way about is the nearest way home: And much better than plunging through thick and thin, more theologorum; and perfifting in the fame old track, where fo many have either broken their necks, or come off very lamely. This leads me to thank you for that very entertain *Of the Divine Legation. ing, |