accounts, for me to interpofe in things of this nature; which I never understood well, and now understand somewhat lefs than ever I did. But I can deny you nothing; especially fince you have had the goodness often, and patiently, to hear what I have faid against rhyme, and in behalf of blank verfe; with little difcretion perhaps, but, I am fure, without the least prejudice: being myself equally incapable of writing well in either of those ways, and leaning therefore to neither fide of the queftion, but as the appearance of reason inclines me. Forgive me this error, if it be one; an error of above thirty years ftanding, and which therefore I fhall be very loth to part with. In other matters which relate to polite writing, I fhall feldom differ from you: or, if I do, fhall, I hope, have the prudence to conceal my opinion. I am as much as I ought to be, that is, as much as any man can be, Your, &c. LETTER II. The Bishop of ROCHESTER to Mr. POPE. Feb. 18, 1717. I Hop'd to find you laft night at Lord Bathurst's, and came but a few minutes after you had left him. I brought Gorbodoc* with me; and Dr. Arbuthnot telling me he should see you, I depofited the book in his hands: out of which, I think, * A Tragedy, written in the Reign of Edward the fixth (and much the best performance of that Age) by Sackvil, afterwards Earl of Dorfet, and Lord Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth. It was then very scarce, but lately reprinted by R. Dodsley in Pall-mall. P. my my Lord Bathurst got it before we parted, and from him therefore you are to claim it. If Gorboduc fhould ftill mifs his way to you, others are to answer for it; I have delivered up my trust. I am not forry your † Alcander is burnt; had I known your intentions, I would have interceded for the first page, and put it, with your leave, among my curiofities. In truth, it is the only inftance of that kind I ever met with, from a perfon good for any thing else, nay for every thing elfe to which he is pleas'd to turn himself. Depend upon it, I fhall fee you with great pleafure at Bromley; and there is no requeft you can make to me, that I fhall not moft readily comply with. I wish you health and happiness of all forts, and would be glad to be inftrumental in any degree towards helping you to the leaft fhare of either. I am always, every where, moft affectionately and faithfully Your, &c. I LETTER III. The Bishop of ROCHESTER to Mr. POPE. Bromley, Nov. 8, 1717. Have nothing to fay to you on that melancholy fubject, with an account of which the printed papers have furnifh'd me, but what you have already faid to yourself. When you have paid the debt of tenderness you owe to the memory of a Father, I doubt not but you will turn your thoughts towards improving that accident to your own ease and happiness. You An Heroic Poem writ at 15 years old. P. have it now in your power, to pursue that method of thinking and living which you like beft. Give me leave, if I am not a little too early in my applications of this kind, to congratulate you upon it; and to affure you that there is no man living, who wishes you better, or would be more pleas'd to contribute any ways to your fatisfaction or ser vice. I return you your Milton, which, upon collation, I find to be revised, and augmented, in feveral places, as the title page of my third edition pretends it to be. When I fee you next, I will fhew you the several paffages alter'd, and added by the author, befide what you mentioned to me. I proteft to you, this last perusal of him has given me fuch new degrees, I will not fay of pleafure but of admiration and aftonishment, that I look upon the fublimity of Homer, and the majefty of Virgil with somewhat lefs reverence than I ufed to do. I challenge you, with all your partiality, to fhew me in the firft of these any thing equal to the Allegory of Sin and Death, either as to the greatness and juftnefs of the invention, or the height and beauty of the colouring. What I look'd upon as a rant of Barrow's, I now begin to think a serious truth, and could almost venture to fet my hand to it, Hæc quicunque legit, tantum cecinie putabit Maoniden Ranas, Virgilium Culices. But more of this when we meet. When I left the town the D. of Buckingham continued fo ill that he receiv'd no meffages; oblige me fo far as to let me know how he does; at the fame time I fhall know how you do, and that will be a double fatisfaction to Your, &c. LET LETTER IV. The Anfwer. MY LORD, Nov. 20, 1717. I Am truly obliged by your kind condolence on my Father's death, and the defire you exprefs that I fhould improve this incident to my advantage. I know your Lordship's friendship to me is fo extenfive, that you include in that with both my fpiritual and my temporal advantage; and it is what I owe to that friendship, to open my mind unreservedly to you on this head. It is true, I have loft a parent for whom no gains I could make would be any equivalent. But that was not my only tye: I thank God another ftill remains (and long may it remain) of the fame tender nature: Genitrix eft mihi-and excufe me if I fay with Euryalus, nequeam lacrymas perferre parentis. A rigid divine may call it a carnal tye, but fure it is a virtuous one: at least I am more certain that it is a duty of nature to preferve a good parent's life and happiness, than I am of any fpeculative point whatever. Ignaram hujus quodcunque pericli For fhe, my Lord, would think this feparation more grievous than any other, and I, for my part, know as little as poor Euryalus did, of the fuccefs of fuch an adventure, (for an Adventure it is, and no small one, in fpite of the most pofitive divinity.) Whether the change would be to my fpiritual advantage, God only knows: this I know, that I mean as well in the religion I now profefs, as I I can poffibly ever do in another. Can a man who thinks f, juftify a change, even if he thought both equally good? To fuch an one, the part of Joyning with any one body of Chriftians might perhaps be eafy, but I think it would not be fo, to Renounce the other. Your Lordship has formerly advis'd me to read the best controverfies between the Churches. Shall I tell you a fecret? I did fo at fourteen years old, (for I loved reading, and my father had no other books) there was a collection of all that had been written on both fides in the reign of King James the fecond: I warm'd my head with them, and the confequence was, that I found myself a Papist and a Proteftant by turns, according to the last book I read *. I am afraid most Seekers are in the fame cafe, and when they ftop, they are not fo properly converted, as outwitted. You see how little glory you would gain by my converfion. And after all, I verily believe your Lordship and I are both of the same religion, if we were thoroughly understood by one another, and that all honeft and reasonable christians would be fo, if they did but talk enough together every day; and had nothing to do together, but to ferve God, and live in peace with their neighbour. As to the temporal fide of the question, I can have no difpute with you; it is certain, all the beneficial circumftances of life, and all the shining ones, lie on the part you would invite me to. But if I could bring myself to fancy, what I think you do but fancy, that I have any talents for active life, I want health for it; and befides it is a real This is an admirable defcription of every Reader labouring in religious controverfy, without poffeffing the principles on which a right judgment of the points in queftion is to be regulated. truth, |
