was no Latin tranflation of that commentator. "Alexander Politi (if I remember right) began that "work fome years afterwards, but never proceeded "far in it. The perfon employed by Mr. Pope was "not at leifure to go on with the work; and Mr. "Pope (by his bookseller, I suppose,) sent to Jefferies, "a bookfeller at Cambridge, to find out a ftudent "who would undertake the tafk. Jefferies applied "to Dr. Thirlby, who was my tutor, and who

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pitched upon me. I would have declined the “work, having, as I told my tutor, other studies to "pursue, to fit me for taking my degree. But he"qui quicquid volebat valdè volebat,—would not hear " of any excufe. So I complied. I cannot recollect "what Mr. Pope allowed for each book of Homer; "I have a notion that it was three or four guineas. "I took as much care as I could to perform the task "to his fatisfaction; but I was afhamed to defire my "tutor to give himself the trouble of overlooking my operations; and he, who always used to think and

66

speak too favourably of me, faid, that I did not "want his help. He never perused one line of it "before it was printed, nor perhaps afterwards.

"When I had gone through fome books, (I forget "how many,) Mr. Jefferies let us know that Mr. "Pope had a friend to do the reft, and that we "might give over.

"When I fent my papers to Jefferies, to be con"veyed to Mr. Pope, I inferted, as I remember, "fome

"fome remarks on a paffage, where Mr. Pope, in 66 my opinion, had made a mistake. But, as I was "not directly employed by him, but by a bookseller, "I did not inform him who I was, or fet my name

"to my papers.

be

"When that part of Homer came out in which I had been concerned, I was eager, as it may "fuppofed, to see how things ftood; and much "pleased to find that he had not only used almost "all my notes, but had hardly made any alteration "in the expreffions. I obferved alfo, that, in a "fubfequent edition, he corrected the place to "which I had made objections.

"I was in fome hopes, in those days, (for I was "young,) that Mr. Pope would make inquiry about "his co-adjutor, and take fome civil notice of him. "But he did not; and I had no notion of obtruding "myself upon him.-I never faw his face."

*

The first four books were published 1715, and the largeness of the fubfcription enabled him alfo to purchase the house at Twickenham, befides the annuities above-mentioned; to which he removed, having perfuaded his father to fell his little property at Binfield.

But

* Dr. Johnson fays, the firft confiderable work published by fubfcription was Dryden's Virgil; but the folio edition of Paradife Loft was fo published fome years before.

But now the pleasure he took in the fuccefs of his great undertaking, was diminished and interrupted by an unforeseen accident. At the very time when the First Volume of Pope's Iliad was published, a Tranflation of the Firft Book appeared under the name of Tickell; and though Addifon lived in terms of friendship with Pope, and had warmly encouraged him to undertake this work, yet Pope had reafon to think that this First Book was the work of Addison himself, and not of Tickell. The reafons of this fufpicion, and of a conduct fo unaccountable in a man of Addifon's character, are given by Pope himself in the following words, faithfully transcribed by me from Spence's Anecdotes.

"There had been a coldnefs between Mr. Addifon "and me for fome time; and we had not been in "company together, for a good while, any where "but at Button's coffee-house, where I used to fee "him almost every day. On his meeting me there "one day in particular, he took me aside, and faid "he fhould be glad to dine with me at fuch a if I ftaid, till thofe people were gone (Budget and Philips). We went accordingly; "and after dinner Mr. Addison faid, "That he had "wanted for fome time to talk with me; that his friend "Tickell had formerly, whilst at Oxford, translated "the First Book of the Iliad; that he defigned to print it, and had defired him to look it over; that he.

tavern,

"must

"muft therefore beg that I would not defire him

66

to look over my First Book, because, if he did, it "would have the air of double-dealing." I affured "him that I did not at all take it ill of Mr. Tickell "that he was going to publish his Translation; that "he certainly had as much right to tranflate any "Author as myself; and that publishing both was "entering on a fair ftage. I then added, that I "would not defire him to look over my First Book "of the Iliad, because he had looked over Mr. "Tickell's; but could wish to have the benefit of " his obfervations on my Second, which I had then finished, and which Mr. Tickell had not touched upon. Accordingly I fent him the Second Book "the next morning; and Mr. Addison a few days "after returned it with very high commendations. "Soon after it was generally known that Mr. "Tickell was publishing the First Book of the Iliad, "I met Dr. Young in the street; and, upon our

66

66

falling into that fubject, the Doctor expreffed a great deal of furprise at Tickell's having had fuch

a Translation fo long by him. He faid, that it was "inconceivable to him, and that there must be some "mistake in the matter; that each used to commu"nicate to the other whatever verfes they wrote, " even to the least things; that Tickell could not "have been bufied in fo long a work there, without "his knowing fomething of the matter; and that he "had never heard a fingle word of it till on this "occafion,

b3

"occafion. This furprise of Dr. Young, together " with what Steele has said against Tickell in rela❝tion to this affair, makes it highly probable that "there was fome underhand dealing in that business; " and indeed Tickell himself, who is a very fair "worthy man, has fince, in a manner, as good as "owned it to me."

Great and just was Pope's indignation on this occafion, especially when Addison declared at Button's, that both verfions were good; but that Tickell had more of Homer. "I appeal, faid Pope, to the people as my rightful judges, and while they are not inclined "to condemn me, fhall not fear the high-fliers at "Button's."

At one time he intended to print together all the four versions that had been given of this First Book, by Dryden, Maynwaring, himself, and Tickell*; at another, to make a close, and minute, and rigorous criticism on every paffage of the laft that feemed defective. In the collection of his Letters, in this edition, many particulars of this unhappy quarrel, and the fentiments of his friends, may be found, which are not therefore here detailed. Every candid reader must wish that the charge against fo amiable a man as was Addison, could be totally refuted. It most

certainly

*Mr. Watts the printer, a man of integrity, affured a friend of Mr. Nicols, that the Translation of the First Book of the Iliad was in Tickell's hand-writing, but much corrected and interlined by Addifon.