Left me to fee neglected Genius bloom, My Verfe, and QUEENSB'RY weeping o'er thy urn! NOTES. Oh against whom the king immediately conceived a violent indignation, because a poet should dare to busy himself with politics. Racine had the weakness to take this anger so much to heart, that it brought on a low fever which haftened his death. The Duchefs of Queensberry would not so have betrayed her poetical friend Gay. WARTON. VER. 256. GAY;] Warton fays, Spence informed him that Addifon accused himself on his death-bed to Gay, of having injured him. This, no doubt, came from Pope; but the real cause of Gay's being neglected at Court, appears in Coxe's Walpole. He expected preferment through the intereft of Mrs. Howard, miftrefs to George II., afterwards countefs of Suffolk. As this point is fo curious, and fo clearly afcertained, I beg to quote the words of that interefting and able Hiftorian: "Swift was convinced that the minifter had prevented the bounty of Queen Caroline from being fhewn to the author of the Hare and many Friends; and he obferves, alluding to it in a copy of verfes addreffed to Gay; "Fain would I think our female friend fincere, Till Bob, the poet's foe, poffeft her ear," &c. In another place, Swift afferts, that it was principally owing to the dedication prefixed to the Pastorals, in honour of Bolingbroke, and to fome expreffions in his fables, which displeased the court. He repeats this accufation in his letters and works. and had even the rudeness to hint it to Sir Robert Walpole him. felf, when he dined with him at Chelsea. Gay was of the fame opinion; and in the fecond part of his fables, which were not printed till after his death, is full of farcaftic and splenetic allufions to the minifter. But as Walpole was neither of a jealous or vindictive difpofition, there is no reason to give credit to the afperfions of his enemies, and to fuppofe that he ufed his influence over Oh let me live my own, and die fo too! 261 (To live and die is all I have to do :) Maintain a Poet's dignity and ease, And see what friends, and read what books I please : Above a Patron, tho' I condescend Sometimes to call a Minister my friend. I was not born for Courts or great affairs; I pay my debts, believe, and say my pray❜rs; NOTES. 265 Can over queen Caroline, for the purpose of injuring Gay, particularly when another, and a more natural, motive of her conduct may be suggested. In fact, Gay was the innocent cause of his own disgrace; for he thought that Mrs. Howard was all-powerful at court, and that he, whom Swift humorously calls one of her led captains, fhould rife by her recommendation. Pope alfo, in a letter to Swift, alluding to Mrs. Howard, fays, Gay puts his whole trust in that Lady whom I defcribed to you, and whom you take to be an allegorical creature of fancy. And Gay thus expreffes himself to Swift, "Mrs. Howard has declared herself very frongly, both to the king and queen, as my protector." But in thefe words, they unconsciously declare the cause of his disfavour. The queen's jealoufy of the interference and credit of the miltress obftructed his promotion; and his own indifcretion afterwards, deftroyed every hope. Soon after this disappointment, he produced the Beggars Opera; and both his conversation and writings were so full of invectives against the court, that all expectations of further notice from the queen were obviously relinquished " Coxe's Memoirs. VER. 261. Oh let me live] In the first edition; Give me on Thames's banks, in honest ease, To fee what friends, or read what books I please. VER. 264. And fee what friends, &c.] This probably alludes to the circumftance of his windows having been broken by the mob, when Atterbury, &c. was with him. It is impoffible to read the paffage refpecting "his great condefcenfion in calling a minister his friend," without thinking of his own Memoirs of P. P." or the Importance of a Man to himself.” Can fleep without a Poem in my head, Why am I afk'd what next shall see the light? 270 274 "I found him clofe with Swift-Indeed? no doubt (Cries prating Balbus) fomething will come out." 'Tis all in vain, deny it as I will; "No, fuch a Genius never can lie ftill;" And then for mine obligingly mistakes The firft Lampoon Sir Will. or Bubo makes. 280 Poor VARIATIONS. After Ver. 270. in the MS. Friendships from youth I fought, and feek them still: * By not making the World his School, he means, he did not form his fyftem of morality on the principles or practice of men in business. NOTES. VER. 270. if Dennis be alive, &c.] This is the ftrongest proof of the contrary: Dennis would not have been mentioned, if Pope was fo indifferent. VER. 271. Why am I afk'd, &c.] This is intended as a reproof of thofe impertinent complaints, which were continually made to him by thofe who called themselves his friends, for not entertaining the Town as often as it wanted amusement.— A French Writer fays well on this occafion - Dès qu'on est auteur, il femble qu'on foit aux gages d'un tas de fainéans, pour leur fournir de quoi amufer leur oifiveté. WARBURTON. VER. 280. Sir Will.] Sir William Young. VER. 280. or Bubo makes.] By Bubo, it is univerfally con. fidered, Pope meant Bubb Dodington, afterwards Lord Mel combe. Poor guiltlefs I! and can I chuse but smile, When ev'ry Coxcomb knows me by my Style? VARIATIONS. After Ver 282. in the MS. P. What if I fing Auguftus, great and good? P. Be nice no more, but, with a mouth profound, As rumb'ling D -s or a Norfolk hound; NOTES. Curft With combe. By the kindness of Mr. Wyndham, member for Wiltshire, I have been able to examine all Lord Melcombe's correfpondence with many of the first characters in point of rank and literature and it is fingular, though there are letters from fo many literary men, and upon literary fubjects, particularly from Voltaire, Young, Thomfon, &c. Pope's name is never once mentioned. Dodington, although it appears his governing principle was to fide with that party by which he could get moft, had in other refpects many good qualities. He was a liberal patron,. and kind friend. His magnificent houfe at Eafbury was the refort of men of genius. Thomfon was enabled, by his liberal bounty, to travel into France and Italy; and his letters to Dodington from thence are very interefting, and expreffive of the utmoft refpect and gratitude. He was handfome, and of a ftriking figure, and was certainly poffeffed of wit and talents, if not of great parts. Some of his verses are written with great elegance and beauty, and are particularly animated. Lady M. W. Montagu in her letter calls him, "the all-accomplished Mr. Dodington." The manfion, which he built at Eafbury, near Blandford, did not long furvive him. It came into the poffeffion of the Marquis of Buckingham, and was taken down a few years fince. Part of the offices were left standing, and have been turned into a very convenient and handsome houfe, now in the poffeffion of J. Wedgewood, Efq. who purchased the estate of the Marquis of Buckingham. VER. 282. When ev'ry Coxcomb knows me by my Style?] The discovery of a concealed author by his Style, not only requires a Curst be the verse, how well foe'er it flow, That tends to make one worthy man my foe, VARIATIONS. With GEORGE and FRED'RIC roughen ev'ry verfe, A. No the high tafk to lift up Kings to Gods, NOTES. Give perfect intimacy with his writings, but great skill in the nature of compofition. But, in the practice of thefe Critics, knowing an Author by his ftyle, is like judging of a man's whole perfon from the view of one of his moles. When Mr. Pope wrote the Advertisement to the fift edition of the New Dunciad, intimating, that " it was by a different hand from the other, and found in detached pieces, incorrect and unfinifhed," I objected to him the affectation of ufing fo unpromifing an attempt to mislead his Reader. He replied, that I thought too highly of the public taite; that, moft commonly, it was formed on that of half a dozen people in fafhion; who took the lead, and who fometimes have intruded on the Town the dulleft performances, for works of wit: while, at the fame time, fome true effort of genius, without name or recommendation, hath passed by the public eye unobferved or neglected: That he once before made the trial, I now objected to, with fuccefs, in the Efay on Man: which was at firit given (as he told me) to Dr. Young, to Dr. Defaguliers, to Lord Bolingbroke, to Lord Paget, and, in short, to every body but to him who was capable of writing it. However, to make him amends, this fame Public, when let into the fecret, would, for fome time after, fuffer no poem with a moral title, to pass for any man's but his. So the Effay on Human Life, the Effay on Reafon, and many others cf a worfe tendency, were very liberally beftowed upon him. WARBURTON. 3 |