Encouragement of Wit, have been often shewn in the rightt Place. The Author of that Epiftle muft certainly think fo, if he has the fame Opinion of his own Merit as Authors generally have; for he has been favoured by this very Perfon. Why, in God's Name, muft a Portrait apparently collected from twenty different Men, be applied to one only? Has it his Eye? No, it is very unlike. Has it his Nofe or Mouth? No, they are totally differing. What then, I beseech you? Why it has the Mole on his Chin. Very well; but muft the Picture therefore be his, and has no other Man that Blemifh. Could there be a more melancholy Inftance how much the Taste of the Publick is vitiated, and turns the most seasonable and falutary Phyfick into Poifon, than if amidst the Blaze of a thousand bright Qualities in a great Man, they should only remark there is a Shadow about him, as what Eminence is without ? I am confident the Author was incapable of imputing any fuch to one, whofe whole Life (to ufe his own Expreffion in Print of him) is a continued Series of good and generous Actions. I know no Man would be more concerned, if he gave the least Pain or Offence to any innocent Perfon; and none who would be lefs concerned, if the Satire were challenged by any one at whom he would really aim at. If ever that happens, I dare engage he will own it, with all the Freedom of one whose Cenfures are just, and who fets his Name to them. But this Letter did not do, neither one that he wrote to the Duke, wherein he protefts himself innocent, and that the Infult to his Grace, was from the Malignity of those who had rais'd the Report, and made the Refemblance. The Town ftill conti nued rued unconvinced of this, and Mr. Pope's Character lay under a most violent Lash, by the Imputation of this Scandal; it was faid, that no one would foon be fafe, and that nothing but a publick Disowning of thefe Verses, as meant to fignfy the Character of the Duke, could poffibly be fufficient to obviate the Sentence the Town must pass against him; this, in fome Measure, he complied with, having Leave from the Earl of Burlington to address it to him, it is in a Letter dated March 7, 1731. My Lord, TH HE Clamour rais'd about my Epiftle to you, could not give me fo much Pain, as I receiv'd Pleasure in feeing the general Zeal of the World in the Cafe of a great Man, who is beneficent; and the particular Warmth of your Lordship in that of a private Man, who is innocent. It was not the Poem that deferv'd this from you; for as I had the Honour to be your Friend, I could not treat you quite like a Poet: But fure the Writer deferv'd more Candor, even in those who knew him not, than to promote a Report, which, in regard to to that noble Perfon, was impertinent; in regard to me, villainous. Yet I had no great Cause to wonder, that a Character belonging to twenty, fhould be applied to one, fince, by that Means, nineteen would escape the Ridicule. I was too well content with my Kuowledge of that noble Perfon's Opinion in this Affair, to trouble the Publick about it. But fince Malice and Mistake are fo long a dying, I have taken this Opportunity of a third Edition to declare his Belief, not only of my Innocence, but of their Malignity, of the former of which my own Heart is as confcious, as I fear fome of theirs must be of the latter. His Humanity feels feels a Concern for the Injury done to me, while his Greatness of Mind can bear with Indifference the Infult offered to himself.* However, my Lord I own, that Criticks of this Sort can intimidate me, nay half incline me to write no more: That would be making the Town a Compliment it deferves; and which fome, I am fure, would take very kindly. This Way of Satire is dangerous, as long as Slander rais'd by Fools of the lowest Rank can find any Countenance from thofe of a higher. Even from the Conduct fhewn on this Occafion, I have learnt there are some who would rather be wicked than ridiculous; and therefore it may be fafer to attack Vices than Follies. I will therefore leave my Betters in the quiet Poffeffion of their Idols, their Groves, and their high Places; and change my Subject from their Pride to their Meanness, from their Vanities to their Miferies: And as the only certain Way to avoid Misconftructions, to leffen Offence, and not to multiply ill-natur'd Applications, I may probably, in my next, make use of real Names, and not of Fictitious Ones. 1 am, my Lord, A. POPE. This at laft cool'd the falfe Rage of the Town, and was look'd upon as a full Denial of the Character of Lord Timon belonging to the beforementioned Duke, and as it could now belong to no Body, it remains the imaginary Timon. In the winding up of this Poem, he mentions opening Harbours, making publick Ways, and building Churches, Bridges, and other *Alludes to the Letter the Duke of Chandos wrote to Mr. Pope. other useful Parts of Architecture, which would be come a Prince: These are Imperial Works, and worthy Kings! For this Poem was publifh'd in the Year 1732: When fome of the new built Churches, by the Act of Q Anne, were ready to fall, being founded in boggy Land, and others vilely executed, thro' fraudulent Cavils between Undertakers, Officers, &c. when Dagenham Breach had done very great Mischiefs; when the Propofal of building a Bridge at Weftminfter had been petition'd againft, and rejected when many of the Highways throughout England were hardly paffable, and moft of thofe that were repair'd by Turnpikes, made Jobbs for private Luére, and infamoufly executed, even to the Entrances of London itself. These four original Epiftles, we defire to distinguish from thofe wrote when our Poet was younger, as well as from thofe wherein he profeffes to imitate Horace, and Dr. Donne, thefe being purely his own Wit and Philofophy, and are fufficient, had he wrote nothing else, to have prov'd him a very great Poet and nice Thinker, where nothing but Morals were to be difcours'd of; of this Sort, or very like, we have one more to Dr. Arbuthnot, which contains an Apology of Mr. Pope for himself and Writings; it was drawn up at feveral Times, as Occafion offer'd; he had no Thought of publishing it, till it pleas'd fome Perfons of Rank and Fortune to attack, in a very extraordinary Manner, not only his Writings, but his Morals, Perfon, and Family, of which he therefore thought himself oblig'd to give fome Ac count. Dr. Arbuthnot was befides an excellent Phyfician, a very ingenious Gentleman, his Epitaph on Col Chartres fhows it: It was reported that he, as well as as Mr. Pope, had a Hand in the Comedy call'd, Mr. Pope us'd to fay, and has confefs'd it in Writing, that if it had not been for Dr. Arbuthnots he should not have had fufficient Health to apply himfelf to Study, fo that much of Mr. Pope's Writings, must be allowed to be owing to his Care of him; he had a Brother of the greatest Affability and good Nature, of whom Mr. Pope, writing to Mr. Digby then at Bath, fpeaks, September 1, 1722. D Octor Arbuthnot is going to Bath, and will stay there a Fortnight or more: Perhaps you would be comforted to have a Sight of, whether you need him or not. I think him as good a Doctor as any Man for one that is ill, and a better Doctor for one that is well. He would do admirably for Mrs. Mary Digby: She needed only to follow his Hints, to be in eternal Bufinefs and Amusement of Mind, and as active as she could deftre. But indeed I fear fhe would out-walk him; for (as Dean Swift obferv'd to me the very first Time I faw the Doctor) He is a Man that can do every Thing, but walk." His Brother, who is lately come into England, goes alfo to the Bath; and is a more extraordinary Man than he, worth your going thither on purpose to know him. The Spirit of Philanthropy, fo long dead |