cause you had commended them; and give me leave to tell you, that I know nobody so like to equal him as yourself. Only do not afford more cause of complaints against you that you suffer nothing of yours to come abroad; which in this age, in which wit and true sense is more scarce than money, is a piece of such cruelty as your best friends can hardly pardon. I hope you will repent and amend. I could offer many reasons to this purpose, and such as you cannot answer with any sincerity, but that I dare not enlarge, for fear of engaging in a style of compliment, which has been so abused by fools and knaves, that it is become almost scandalous."

In the year 1704 Pope had been introduced by Sir William Trumbull to Mr. Wycherley, who was then nearly seventy years of age; but the character of the parties was not to be determined by their time of life, and in temper and disposition Wycherley was perhaps the younger of the two. He had lived an irregular and dissipated life, and had injured his fortunes by an imprudent marriage with the Countess of Drogheda. On her death he was thrown into the Fleet prison, from which he was only released by the performance of his Plain Dealer, at which the king (James II.) attended. His reputation was still, however, considerable; and Pope at that early period of his life thought himself honoured by the acquaintance of a man, who ranked amongst the first writers of the age. The love of literature, and particularly of poetry,

became the

bond of their union, and a sincere and friendly attachment appears to have subsisted between them. One of Pope's biographers informs us, "that during this intercourse, the applause and compliments which they mutually bestowed on each other, were no less ridiculous, than a friendship between a sentimental libertine and a young man perfectly igno- • rant of the world, was unnatural." On this we may be allowed to observe, that with respect to a friendship between two persons, at such different periods of life, Pope has himself exercised his wit and good sense, in demonstrating that it has its advantages over more equal attachments. " I know," says he to Mr. Wycherley, (April 30, 1705,) "it is the general opinion, that friendship is best contracted between persons of equal age; but I have so much interest to be of another mind, that you must pardon me if I cannot forbear telling you a few notions of mine in opposition to that opinion. In the first place, it is observable that the love we bear to our friends, is generally caused by our finding the same dispositions in them which we feel in ourselves. This is but self-love at the bottom, whereas the affection between persons of different ages cannot well be so; the inclination of such, being commonly various. The friendship of two young men is often occasioned by love of pleasure, or voluptuousness; each being desirous for his own sake, of one to assist or encourage him in the course he pursues; as that of two old men is frequently on the score of some profit,

lucre, or design upon others. Now, as a young man, who is less acquainted with the ways of the world, has in all probability less of interest; and an old man, who may be weary of himself has, or should have, less of self-love; so the friendship between them is more likely to be true, and unmixed with too much self-regard. One may add to this, that such a friendship is of greater use and advantage to both; for the old man will grow gay and agreeable to please the young one, and the young man more discreet and prudent by the help of the old one; so it may prove a cure of those epidemical diseases of age and youth, sourness and madness. I hope you will not need many arguments of the possibility of this. One alone abundantly satisfies me, and convinces to the heart; which is, that young as I am, and old as you are, I am your entirely affectionate," &c.

That the friendship between Wycherley and Pope was cemented by an interchange of good offices there is every reason to believe; nor was it wholly deprived of those advantages to which Pope has so freely alluded in the foregoing passage, as may appear from the following extract from a letter of Wycherley.* "As to your hearing of my being ill, I am glad, and sorry, for the report. In the first place glad, that it was not true; and in the next, sorry that it should give you any disturbance or concern, more than ordi

nary, for me; for which, as well as your concern for my future well being in life, I think myself most eternally obliged to you; assuring your concern for either, will make me more careful of both. Yet, for your sake, I love this life so well, that I shall the less think of the other; but it is in your power to ensure my happiness in one and the other, both by your society and good example; so not only contribute to my felicity here, but hereafter."

tive

The advantages which Pope derived from this intercourse were of the highest importance to him, and opened the path in which he found his early and substantial fame. At the request of their author, he undertook the correction of Wycherley's fugipoems, in the execution of which he displayed a bold, correct, and manly style of criticism; neither servilely commending their beauties, nor sparing their defects. "I have done," says he,* "all that I thought could be of advantage to them. Some I have contracted, as we do sunbeams, to improve their energy and force; some I have taken quite away, as we take branches from a tree to add to the fruit; others I have entirely new expressed, and turned more into poetry. The few things I have entirely added, you will excuse. You may take them lawfully for your own, because they are no more than sparks, lighted up by your fire." Dr. Warton has observed, that several of Pope's

lines, very easy to be distinguished, may be found in the posthumous editions of Wycherley's Poems; particularly in those "on Solitude," " on the Public," and " on the mixed Life."

The critiques and emendations of Pope were for some time received with the warmest approbation by Wycherley, who expressed his gratitude to Pope in a Copy of Verses which the latter has prefixed to his works, and which do no discredit either to him or their author; but as this task was continued for several years, and as Wycherley, from a very defective memory, the consequence of a severe illness, continued to send pieces to Pope, in which the same ideas were perpetually repeated, Pope found it necessary to apprize him of this circumstance, and accordingly, in a letter dated April 15, 1710, he says: "Upon comparison with the former volume, I find much more repeated than I till now imagined, as well as in the present volume; which, if (as you told me last) you would have me dash over with a line, will deface the whole copy extremely, and to a degree that I fear may displease you. I have every where marked in the margins the page and line, both in this and the other part; but if you order me not to cross the lines, or would any way else limit my commission, you will oblige me by doing it in your next letter; for I am at once fearful of sparing you, and of offending you by too impudent a correction." To this, Wycherley, on the 27th of the same month, replies: