Among the number of his most intimate friends was Lord Oxford, whom Pope has fo finely complimented upon the delicacy of his choice. For him, thou oft haft bid the world attend, Pope himself was not only exceffively fond of his company, but under feveral literary obliga tions to him for his affiftance in the translation of Homer. Gay was obliged to him upon another account; for being always poor, he was not above receiving from Parnell the copy-money which the latter got for his writings. Several of their letters, now before me, are proofs of this, and as they have never appeared before, it is probable the reader will be much better pleafed with their idle effufions, than with any thing I can hammer out for his amusement. Dear SIR, I Binfield, near Oakingham, Tuesday.. Believe the hurry you were in hindred your giving me a word by the last poft, so that I am yet to learn whether you got well to town • or or continue fo there? I very much fear both for 'your health and your quiet; and no man living can be more truly concerned in any thing that touches either than myself. I would comfort 'myself, however, with hoping that your business ⚫ may not be unfuccefsful, for your fake; and that, at least, it may foon be put into other proper hands. For my own, I beg earnestly of you to return to us as foon as poffible. You know how • very much I want you, and that however your bufinefs may depend upon any other, my bufinefs depends entirely upon you, and yet still I » hope you will find your man, even though I lose C the mean while. At this time the more I • love you the more I can spare you; which alone your will, I dare fay, be a reason to you to let me • have you back the fooner. The minute I lost a you, Euftathius with nine hundred pages, and • nine thousand contractions of the Greek character, arofe to my view! Spendanus, with all his auxiliaries, in number a thoufand pages, (value three fhillings) and Dacier's three volumes, • Barne's two, Valterie's three, Cuperus, half in Greek, Leo Allatius, three parts in Greek; Sca.. liger, Macrobius, and (worse than them all) Aulus Gellius! All these rushed upon my foul at once, and whelmed me under a fit of the headach. I curfed them all religioufly, damn'd my beft friends among the reft, and even blafphemed Homer himself. Dear Sir, not only as you ' are , are a friend, and a good natured man; but as you are a chriftin and a divine, come back fpeedily, and prevent the increase of my fins; for at the rate I have begun to rave, I fhall not only damn all the poets and commentators who have gone beforè me, but be damn'd myself by all who come after me. To be ferious, you have not only left me to the laft degree impatient for your return, who at all times 'fhould have been fo; (tho' never fo much as • fince I knew you in beft health here) but you have wrought feveral miracles upon our family; you have made old people fond of a young and gay perfon, and inveterate papifts of a clergyman of the church of England; even nurse herself is in danger of being in love in her old age, and " (for all I know) would even marry Dennis for 'your fake, because he is your man, and loves his mafter. In fhort, come down forthwith, or give me good reasons for delaying, though but for a ' day or two, by the next poft. If I find them just, I will come up to you, though you know how precious my time is at present; my hours were never worth fo much money before; but perhaps you are not fenfible of this, who give away your C own works. You are a generous author, I a hackney fcribbler; you are a Grecian, and bred at an university; I a poor Englishman, of my f own educating; you are a reverend parfon, I a 6 wagg; wagg; in fhort, you are Dr. Parnelle, (with an E at the end of your name) and I 6 • Your moft obliged and • Affectionate friend and Faithful fervant, < A. POPE. My hearty fervice to the Dean, Dr. Arbuth not, Mr. Ford, and the true genuine fhepherd, J. Gay of Devon, I expect him down with "you." We may eafily perceive by this, that Parnell was not a little neceffary to Pope in conducting. his tranflation; however he has worded it fo ambiguously, that it is impoffible to bring the charge directly against him. But he is much more explieit, when he mentions his friend Gay's obliga-, tions in another letter, which he takes no pains to conceal. I Dear SIR, Write to you with the fame warmth, the fame zeal of good will and friendship with s which I used to converse with you two years ago, and can't think myself abfent, when I feel you fo much at my heart; the picture of you, ' which which Jervas brought me over, is infinitely lefs lively a representation, than that I carry about 'with me, and which rifes to my mind whenever I think of you, I have many an agreeable reverie, ⚫ through those woods and downs, where we once rambled together; my head is fometimes at the Bath, and fometimes at Letcomb, where the Dean makes a great part of my imaginary entertainment, this being the cheapest way ◄ of treating me; I hope he will not be difpleafed "at this manner of paying my refpects to him, inftead of following my friend Jervas's example, which to fay the truth, I have as much inclination to do as I want ability. I have been ever fince December laft in greater variety of business than any fuch men as you (that is, divines and "philofophers,) can poffibly imagine a reasonable creature capable of. Gay's play, among the reft, has coft much time and long fuffering, to ftem a • tide of malice and party, that certain authors have raised againft it; the best revenge upon fuch fellows, is now in my hands, I mean your Zoilus, which really tranfcends the expectation I ⚫ had conceived of it. I have put it into the press, beginning with the poem Batrachom: for you feem by the first paragraph of the dedication to it, to defign to prefix the name of fome particular perfon. I beg therefore to know for whom you intend it, that the publication may not be delayed on this account, and this as foon as is * poffible. |