fure be equally excufed, if they should notwithstand. ing look upon him as their Enemy. But to my Purpofe. Whatever might be his real Objections to it, Mr. Pope is at leaft fo juft to the Play, as to own it had great Succefs, though it grieved him to fee it; perhaps too he would have been more grieved, had he then known, that his late Majefty, when I had the Honour to kiss his Hand, upon my presenting my Dedication of it, was graciously pleased, out of his Royal Bounty, to order me two Hundred Pounds for it. Yes, Sir! 'tis true-fuch was the Depravity of the Times, you will fay, and fo enormous was the Reward of fuch a Play as the Nonjuror ! He expoftulates with him concerning the various Strokes he has given him in the Dunciad, and pleading his own Cause not amifs, proves himself (Odes and Tragedies excepted) no Dunce. Then proceeds to the Line above quoted: And has not Colley too his Lord and Whore, To this he pleads guilty in a Manner, though he denies it to be poffible for Mr. Pope to have certain Knowledge of any Amour of his, but charges it back upon him, to which, he fays, he was an Eyewitness; and tells a comical loofe Story of a Nobleman, who enticed Mr. Pope from Button's to a Brothel: The particular Circumstances are nothing to the Proof which was pofitive, and Mr. Cibber dragged him from the private Room; my Lord all the while ftanding tittering without, called Mr. Cibber Puppy for fpoiling the Diverfion he propofed himself. In this Manner he revenged himself, and indeed we think fairly, on Mr. Pope, whofe Friend's Reply (who is but a Bungler) made still more Sport for the Town, Town, and caus'd another Letter, and fuppofing the Advocate of Mr. Pope's to be a Parfon (and really by the miserable Stile we should guefs fo) Mr. Cibber fays: "Would it not become a Divine (though a Poet "might say any Thing) when he detracts from any Man's Character in fo publick a Manner, to have his Affertions (though they were true) back'd with a little better Evidence? Left the Licence of "his Pen fhould be thought a Vice of a deeper Dye, than any you have accus'd me of?" If this Perfon does no better for Mr. Pope in other Things, than he has done in this, we believe he had better (if his Intereft don't fuffer by it) let his, i.c. Mr. Pope's Fame and Writings quite alone; we are particularly fearful for the Effay on Criticism, on which we have not yet had Time (as not having much Leisure for Trifles) to read the Commentation. But we were speaking of the Epiftle to Dr. Arbuth not, in which he does not forget Mr. Ambrofe Philips, there having been Enmity fown between them ever fince the Writing of Mr. Pope's Paftorals which grew by Degrees to almoft the Breach of the Peace between them; it was reported, that Mr. Philips procur'd a great Rod, fhow'd it at Button's Coffee-Houfe, then reforted to by all the reigning Wits and Poets, and had it ftuck up in the publick Coffee Room, vowing to exercise it upon Mr. Pope whenever he should meet him there; but this is not true, he faid fome foolish Things once concerning Mr. Pope, but not what was reported; for a Proof of this, we refer to a Letter of Mr. Pope's to an honourable Gentleman, dated June 8, 1714. HE Queftion you afk in Relation to Mr. Addifon and Philifs, I fhall answer in a few Words. TH G 4 Mr. Mr. Philips did exprefs himself with much Indignation against me one Evening at Button's Coffee-houfe (as I was told) faying, That I was entered into a Cabal with Dean Swift and others, to write against the Whig-Intereft, and in particular to undermine his own Reputation, and that of his Friends Steele and Addifon. But Mr. Philips never open'd his Lips to my Face, on this or any other like Occafion, tho' I was almost every Night in the fame Room with him, nor ever offer'd me any Indecorum. Mr. Addifon came to me a Night or two after Philips had talk'd in this idle Manner, and affured me of his Difbelief of what had been faid, of the Friendship we fhould always maintain, and derfir'd I would fay nothing further of it. My Lord Halifax did me the Honour to ftir in this Matter, by speaking to several People to ob viate a false Asperfion, which might have done me no fmall Prejudice with one Party. However Philips did all he could, fecretly to continue the Report with the Hanover Club, and kept in his Hands the Subfcriptions paid for me to him, as Secretary to that Club. The Heads of it have fince given him to understand, that they take it ill; but (upon the Terms I ought to be with a Man whom I think to be a Scoundrel) I would not even ask him for this Money, but commiffioned one of the Players, his Equals, to receive it. This is the whole Matter; but as to the fecret Grounds of Philips's Malignity, they will make a very pleafant Hiftory when we meet. Mr. Congreve and fome others have been much diverted with it, and moft of the Gentlemen of the Hanover Club have made it the Subject of their Ridicule on their Secretary. It is to this Management of Philips that the World owes Mr. Gay's Paftorals. The ingenious Author is extremely your Servant, and would have comply'd with your kind Invitation, but that he he is just now appointed Secretary to my Lord Clarendon, in his Embafly to Hanover. I am fenfible of the Zeal and Friendship with which I am fure you will always defend your Friend in his Abfence, from all thofe little Tales and Calumnies, which a Man of any Genius or Merit is born to. I fhall never complain while I am happy in fuch noble Defenders, and in fuch contemptible Opponents. May their Envy and ill Nature ever increase, to the Glory and Pleafure of those they would injure; may they reprefent me reprefent me what they will, as long as you think me what I am, Your most devoted Servant, &c. A. POPE. This we hope will clear Mr. Philips from such illmanner'd and unlawful Intentions, without that, there was enough pafs'd to keep up perpetual Animosity, and draw from Mr. Pope in the Epiftle we are fpeaking of, the following Lines: The Bard whom pilf'red Paftorals renown, And ftrains, from hard-bound Brains, eight Lines a All these my modeft Satire bade tranflate, This Gentleman was, as he is often ftil'd, the ingenious Author of the Difirefs'd Mother, chiefly a Tranfla Tranflation from Rapin, for in that Tragedy is contain'demoft, if not all of his Ingenuity, Paftorals and Free Thinkers excepted; he us'd to write Verfes on Infants, in a ftrange Stile, which Dean Swift calls the Namby Pamby Stile, two of these elegant Pieces we have thought worth inferting, left what we have faid might look only like a bare Affertion. To Mifs Charlotte Pulteney, in her Mother's Arms. Every Morn and every Night, And |