Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, VARIATIONS. 205 Like After Ver. 208. in the MS. Who, if two Wits on rival themes conteft, Approves of each, but likes the worst the beft. Alluding to Mr. P.'s and Tickell's Tranflation of the first Book of the Iliad. NOTES. though he had been more roughly treated by Swift than Pope's nature would fuffer him to treat any one. But the reafon is plain. Swift was Addison's rival only in politics: Pope was his rival in poetry; an oppofition lefs tolerable, as more perfonal. However Addifon's focial talents, in the entertainment and enjoyment of his intimate friends, charmed both Pope and Swift alike; as a quality far fuperior to any thing that was to be found in any other man. WARBURTON. VER. 193 But were there One whofe fires, &c.] The ftrokes in this Character are highly finished. Atterbury fo well understood the force of them, that in one of his letters to Mr. Pope he says, "Since you now know where your Strength lies, I hope you will not fuffer that talent to lie unemployed." He did not; and, by that means, brought satiric poetry to its perfection. WARBURTON. He declared that he would not give up Swift, to be made chief governor of the kingdom; and indeed fo high was his character, that Swift himself fays of him: "Mr. Addison's election has paffed eafy and undifputed, and I believe, if he had a mind to be chofen King, he would hardly be refused." Why fhould he be jealous and fplenetic, only, when Pope was concerned? Like Cato, give his little Senate laws, While Wits and Templars ev'ry fentence raise, 210 Who NOTES. VER. 193. Bear, like the Turk,] This is from Bacon de Aug. Scient. lib. 3. p. 180. And the thought was alfo used by Ld. Orrery, and by Denham. WARTON. VER. 2C9. Like Cato, give] In the fecond volume of the Biographia Britannica is a vindication of Addison, by a writer who, to a confummate knowledge of the laws and hiftory of his country, added a most exquifite tafte in literature, I mean Sir William Blackftone; who thus concludes this vindication: "Nothing furely could justify fo deep a refentment, unless the story be true of the commerce between Addison and Gildon; which will require to be very fully proved, before it can be believed of a gentleman who was fo amiable in his moral character, and who (in his own cafe) had two years before exprefsly disapproved of a perfonal abufe of Mr. Dennis. The perfon, indeed, from whom Mr. Pope feems to have received this anecdote, about the time of his writing the character, (viz. about July 1715,) was no other than the Earl of Warwick, fon in-law to Mr. Addison himfelf: and the fomething about Wycherley (in which the story supposes that Addifon hired Gildon to abufe Pope and his family) is explained by a note on the Dunciad, to mean a pamphlet containing Mr. Wycherley's Life. Now it happens, that in July 1715, the Earl of Warwick (who died at the age of twenty-three, in August 1721) was only a boy of feventeen, and not likely to be entrusted with fuch a fecret, by a ftatesman between forty and fifty, with whom it does not appear he was any way connected or acquainted; for Mr. Addison was not married to his mother, the Countess of Warwick, till the following year 1716: nor would Gildon have been employed in July 1715 to write Mr. Wycherley's Life, who lived till the December following. As therefore fo many inconfiftencies are evident in the ftory itself, which never found its way into print till near fixty years after it is faid to have happened, it will be no breach of charity to fuppofe that the whole of it was founded D4 Who but must laugh, if fuch a man there be? Who would not weep, if ATTICUS were he? NOTES. What founded on fome misapprehenfion in either Mr. Pope or the Earl; and unless better proof can be given, we fhall readily acquit Mr. Addison of this most odious part of the charge." I beg leave to add, that as to the other accufation, Dr. Young, Lord Bathurst, Mr. Harte, and Lord Lyttelton, each of them affured me that Addison himself certainly tranflated the first Book of Homer. An able vindication of Addison was written by Mr. Jeremiah Markland, then a young man, and afterwards the celebrated Critic. Both were printed together, by Curll, fo early as 1717. And perhaps this circumftance may furnish a clue to what has been fo ably difcuffed by Judge Blackstone, in the "Biographia Britannica," under the article Addison. The epiftle to Arbuthnot was not published till January 1735; that to Auguftus, with fome others, appeared in 1738.-" I have feen Mr. Pope's best performances, and find that he pleases the town most when he is most out of humour with the court. He has made very free with his gracious majesty, in the Epistle to Auguftus. But he had loft his favourite bill; even my Lord Harvey had carried a point against him; and while he is angry, he will never be idle. In this laft Epiftle he feems to have recanted all he had before faid of Addifon," viz. "(Excufe fome courtly ftains) "No whiter page than Addison remains," &c. From a manufcript letter of Mr. Clarke, who wrote on Ancient Coins, to his learned printer and friend Mr. Bowyer; July 6, 1738. WARTON. VER. 214 Who would not weep, if ATTICUS were he?] But when we come to know it belongs to Atticus, i. e. to one whofe more obvious qualities had before engaged our love or esteem, then friendship, in fpite of ridicule, will make a feparation; our old impreffions will get the better of our new; or, at least, suffer themselves to be no further impaired than by the admiffion of a mixture of pity and concern. WARBURTON. VER. 214. if ATTICUS were he?] I have fuffered Warburton's note to remain entire, that it may not be faid any thing has been What tho' my Name stood rubric on the walls, Or plaister'd pofts, with claps, in capitals? 216 NOTES. Or been fuppreffed that could be ftated in Pope's favour. A few obfervations I have made on it, as I went along. What I have further to offer, I trust will not be imputed to any defire of leffening Pope's character; but merely to do that justice to Mr. Addifon which truth feems to require. Mr. Addison is accused of "mean jealousy towards Pope; that he encouraged Pope's abufers; that he objected to the fineft part of the Rape of the Lock, from envy and jealousy; that he produced, in oppofition, a translation of the first Book of Homer, which was given to the world oftenfibly as Tickell's, but which was in reality the work of Addison, who was actuated in the attempt by the defire of "injuring Pope's reputation;" that finally, Lord Warwick, Addison's fon in law, had himself confeffed that it was in vain for Pope to endeavour to be well with. Addison, and that he had hired Gildon to abuse him." These are fevere charges, and they ought to be fupported by certain proof, or the ftrongeft probabilities. With respect to the first charge, it is not impoffible but that Pope, and this I have no doubt was the cafe, really thought, when he became, in the eye of the public and in his own of course, so great a man, that every one who had a high literary character muft certainly be jealous of him. Once poffeffed with this idea, which was the natural confequence of his own felf-importance, he saw the cloven foot of envy and jealousy in every thing connected with the name of Addison. If Philips, the rival Arcadian, hung up a rod at Button's Coffee-houfe to chaftife Pope, the rival Paftoralfwain, Addifon was the inftigator If Gildon, foured by poverty, attacked the more fuccefsful bard with fcurrility and anger, Addifon bribed him! If a tranflation of Homer comes out at the fame time with Pope's, certainly there can be but one cause― Addison's jealousy: Addison suggested it, Addifon ‚mended it, Addison wrote it! Pope has faid himself, that "all feems yellow to the jaundiced eye." Was his eye quite clear in his view of things refpecting Addison? We have his own ideas and affertions. Are thefe Or fmoaking forth, a hundred hawkers load, On wings of winds came flying all abroad? NOTES. I fought these to be trufted, unsupported by other evidence? We have the "ipfe dixit" of one party against the other? The world is ap pealed to; it naturally afks, is fuch a charge admitted by Pope's cotemporaries? I exclude his own particular friends. Does Craggs, the friend of both, feem to believe it? Pope wrote to him on the fubject,- he received no anfwer. What are Addison's and Pope's refpective characters? has the firft ever been charged with duplicity, even by his enemies? Has the other escaped the charge? Have there been no unequivocal proofs against him in that refpect? Look at Addifon's warm, manly, difiutere fted, and honeft conduct to Swift? remember his liberal and humane mode of difavowing Pope's perfonal attack on Dennis, on account of his Criticisms on Cato? recollect the uniform teftimony, not only of his friends, but of all with whom he affociated; confider the proofs of his candor and kindness, in almost every situation; and reflect, that nothing was urged with the lealt, appearance of weight against him, even from those who were hoftile to him in politics, till after his death? and from whom do they come, from one man, that man angry and interested, and that man, whofe character, compared to Addifon's, was, as perhaps Johnson might fay, like Tortuofity oppofed to Rectitude. Thefe things are fo; - Pope poffibly may have been right in his judgment, but Addifon ought not to be condemned by candid and impartial judges, unlefs there was collateral and much stronger evidence, than the ex parte evidence of Pope. Neither candour, nor equity, nor justice allow it. Let us now go a step further, and confider the more specific and severe charges brought with apparently direct proof. Lord Warwick's teflimony is adduced against Addifon, folemnly and decifively. This has been clearly proved to be impoffible, at leaft fo utterly improbable, that no one can believe it (íce Warton's note on ver. 209.). The strongest proof falls at once to the ground; it was invented, and is proved to be falfe. What then are we to think of te deliberate inventor, and what credit is due to his bare fufpicions, without any attempt at proof at all, and which are contradicted by Addifon's general character, and by his acknowledged honour and worth? |