1769.

Mr. Horne's moved all difficulties, by engaging to furnish pr. vifions, artillery, ammunition, pioneers, and whatever elfe fhould be needed. Trufting to this, Charles gave orders to open the trenches before the Town. It quickly appeared, that Maurice's eagerness to reduce the capital of thefe dominions, which he expected as his reward for taking arms against his kinfman, and deferting the proteftant caule, had led him to promife what exceeded his power to perform, a battering train was, indeed car ied fafely down the Elbe from Diesden to Wittemberg; but as Maurice had not fufficient force to preferve a fecure communication between his terr.toies and the camp of the beliegers, Count Mansfeldt, who commanded a body of electoral troops, deftroyed a convoy of provifions and military flores, and difperfed a band of pioneers defines for the fervice of the imperials. This put a stop to the progress of the fiege, and convinced the emperor that as he could not rely on Maurice's promiles, recourfe ought to be had to fome more expeditious, as well as more certain method of getting poffeffion of the town.

[To be continued in our next.]

II. Serious Hints to Administration by a Member of P-m-t, 8vo. Risley, 18.

This pamphlet is fabrica ed from the news-papers, and contains little more than what has been faid a thousand times in those publications, on Eat-India matrers, the exceffive price of provifions, the nullum tempus, and the venality of our parliamentary elec

Ill. Punch a Panegyric, 18. 4to. Walter. This article is written in profeffed imitation of Milton's epiftle, but like all other imitations appears more defective when placed in a comparat ve view with a mafterly or ginal. But, indeed, it fignifies little to Ly whofe ftile the author has copied, becaufe the poem, though nnocent, is not calclated to give much entertainment, or infruction to his read-r.

IV. The Fair Sex vindicated from Fully and Extravagance; an Ejly. By the Rev. James Penn, Vicar of Clavering, Effex, 8vo. 6d. Bladon.

The rev. author of this little piece would have been more happy had he called it an apology instead of vindication-fut he acknowleges both the charges from which he would wingly clear the laster, and only pleads in extenuation of their conduct that the men have fet them the example of fully as well extravagance. To remedy the evil however he propofes an immediately reformation in the manners of the latter, and is confident that the fair will as readily adopt what is en ently otherwife.

V. A Srmon by the Reverend John Horne, Minifter of New Brentford. 8vo. 15. Almon.

The text of this fermon is talen from the 11th and 14th verfes of the lyth Palm which

Sermon, &c.

159 contain thefe words:" It was not an open enemy that hath done me this dishonourfor then I could have borne it. But it was even thou, my companion, my guide, and my own familiar friend."

Mr. Hone in his difcourfe defcants upon the inftability of worldly friendships, and advifes his readers to put their truft wholly in God. This doctrine, though in the general exceeedingly jut, Mr. Horne nevertheless pushes to the utmo extremity; he seems difinclined to make ufe of any human means, and fays,In our fickness we call not upon the Lord, but upon the phyfician; as if God could not heal. We put our truft in man, as if God was not the Lord faithful and true, and we labour for wealth as if the earth was not his, nor he all fufficient."-Now, the it is perfectly proper to place our chief dependence upon the divine being, fill we are to do fomething for ourselves, and to employ thofe inftruments, either in the removal of our difficul ies, or in the advancement of our welfare, which he has been graciously pleafed to bless us with.-In our fickness it is under his good providence that we are to be recovered, but the phyfician is the agent of that providence, and we cannot imagine, that Mr. Horne himself, was he attacked with a fever, would neglect to call his phyfician in.In like manner the earth is the Lord's, but he requires us to cultivate it for our own fupport, and we are of opin on, that the Reverend Gentleman under our confideration, if he has a garden at Brentford, thinks it very necesary to prune his trees and fet his cabbages. But Mr. Horne is guilty, if poffible, of a greater abfurdity than we have mentioned, for he gloomily advises us to put no confidence whatever in man, and dedicates his own fermon to James Townshend, Eq; telling the whole world at the fame time that this gentleman i fafely to be relied on, from the uncommon warmth of his friendship, and the particular rectitude of his principles.

VI. The Life of Alexander Pope, Efq; compiled from original Manufcripts, with a critical Efay on bis Writings and Genius. By Orven Ruffhead, Elg, 8vo. 7. Rivington.

This volume is compiled from fome papers which the prefent Bishop of Gloucefter lent Mr. Ruffhead for the purpose, and may poffibly afford amufement to the admirers of the celebrated poet. In this performance the character of Lord Bolingbroke appears to great difadvantage, who was the first to treat Mr. Pope's memory with contempt, nutwithstanding the regard he affected for him when living, the realon of which ungenerous conduct in that nobleman is thus accounted for.

"About the year 1742, fome time before his lo dhip's return to England, Mr. Warburton was with Mr. Pope, at Twickenham, who shewed b`m a printed book of his

Letters

160

Anecdotes of Pope, &c.

Letters on the Study aud Ufe of Hiftory, and defired his opinion of it. It was the firft volume of the work fince published under that name. Mr. Warburton on turning it over, told him his thoughts of it with great freedom. What he faid to Mr. Pope of the main fubject is not material, but of the digreffion concerning the authenticity of the Old Teftament, he obferved to his friend, that the author's arguments, poor as they were, were all borrowed from other writers; and had been confuted again and again, to the entire fatisfaction of the learned world: that the author of thefe letters, whoever he was, had mistaken fome of tho'e rea'onings; had mifreprefented others, and had added fuch mistakes of his own, as muft difcredit him with the learned, and difhonour him with all honeft men, that therefore, as he underftod the author was his friend, he could not do him a better fervice than to advife him to ftrike out this digreffion; which had nothing to do with his fubject, and would fet half his readers against the work, whenever it fhould be published. Mr. Pope faid his friend (whofe name he kept fecret) was the most candid of men, and that Mr. Warburton could not do him a greater pleafure than to tell him his thoughts freely on this occafion. He urged this fo warmly, that his friend complied, and, as they were then alone, fcribbled over half a dozen fheets of paper before he rofe from the table at which they were fitting. Mr. Pope having read what he had written, approved it, and to convince him that he did fo, he took up the printed volume, and croifed our the whole digreffion with his pen. The animadverfions were written with all the civility the writer was likely to ufe to a friend, Mr. Pope appeared to reverence, but the word prevarication, or fomething like it, chanced to escape his pen. The papers were fent to Paris, and received with unparalleled indignation. Little broke out; but fomething did; and Mr. Pope found he had not paid his court by this officious fervice. However with regard to the writer of the papers, all was carried, when his lordship came over, (as he foon afterwards d d) with fingular politeness; and fuch a ftrain of cumpliment, as men are wont to b-ftuw on those, whofe homage they intend to gain. Yet all this time his lordship was meditating and compiling an angry and elaborate answer to thefe private, hafty and well meant animadverhons. And it was as much as they could do, who had most interest with him, to perfuade him at length to burn it. The event has fince fhewn, that it had ben happy for his lordship's reputation, had the advice to ftrike out the digreffion been followed, as it is that chiefly which has tunk him in the popular opinion, and lost him the merit of the very best of all his compofitions.

Mr. Pope, nevertheless, was ill courted

March

and careffed and the vengeance treasured up against him for the impiety of erafing thofe facred pages, broke not out till the poet's death.

It is not to be wondered that his lordship fhould harbour fuch a pitiful refentment, when his character is confidered; which was vain, arrogant, and vindictive. Being difappointed in his views of taking the lead in the political world, he as vainly attemptes to prefide in the literary republic: and as he could not endure a collegue in politics, neither could he bear a rival in letters. be oppofed in either, mortified his pi e, and provoked his malice; and he became the calumniator of his friend, from the fame principe that he turned a rebel to his country. Mr. Pope's better judgment might have taught him, that the man who was talfe to his public, would never be true to his private connexions."

To

Mr. Pope's extravagant attachment to Mrs Blount (as well as to Lord Bolingor.ke) is well known and strongly difplayed in bis will itself. About a y ar before Mr Pope's death. this lady, at the defire of Mr. Hope and Mr. Allen, paid a vifit to the latter at Prior Park, where the behaved herself in fo arrogant and unbecoming a manner, that it 0.calioned an irreconcileable breach between her and fome part of Mr. Allen's family. As Mr. Pope's extreme friendship and affection for Mrs. Blount, made him confult her in all his concerns, fo when he was about making his last will, he advifed with her oa the occation; and the declared to him that The would not accept the large prov:fion made by it for herself, unless he returned back, by way of legacy, all that he had received of Mr. Ailen, on any account': and Mr. Pope with the greatest reluctance, complied with the infirmity of fuch a vindictive spirit.

Mr. Allen on reading this claufe, and obferving the fum mentioned, fmiled and faid "Poor Mr. Pope was always a bad acComptant; however, fays he, I will cove the legacy (as Mrs. Blount is the reliduary legater) and give it to the Bath hospital:” which he accordingly did. And to fhew that has a ection to Mr. Pope was fill the fame (taying all that was blameable in this afar to the charge of Mrs. Blount) he doubled the legacy Mr. Pope left to his faithful and favourite fervant John Searl, and took him and his family into his protection.

One of Mr. Pope's intimate friends, who was obliged to him for all he had, being difappointed by his will, had the infolence to obferve on this occafion, that "the public faid (hiding his own rancour under a name which will bear every thing) that Mr. Pope had divided his fortune without any other regard than to his fame and his miltrefs." So early wer: thefe returns for the pureft friend hip paid to his memory.

It is certain, however, that Mr. Pope in 5 this,

1769.

Anecdote of Mr. Wycherley,

this, as in the cafe of Lord Bolingbroke, deferved pity instead of blame. For though he bad the strongeft friendship and affection for Mrs. Blount, yet it was of a kind the moft innocent and pure, notwithstanding what malignant and mirthful people might fuggeft to the contrary, either in jest or eara. But no excufe can be made for Mrs. 3nt's ab ife of the influence she had over him; or for the indifference and neglect the hewed to him throughout his whole lat ilinefs. In short, it was his fortune, like Manley's in the Plain Dealer, to be egiegoully cuped by his friend, and his miftreff. The mafk of rigid, favage virtue, which the former affumed when he turned philofopher, and tenderness of friendship which he thought he faw in the other, made a sport of one of the beft heads and hearts that ever was."

Mr. Ruffhead having endeavoured to do juffice to Mr. Pope's moral character, "It will perhaps (fays be) be expected that fome notice should be taken of his religion. It may appear frange, that one of his ftrong fenfe and liberal mind, fhould perfift in profeffing a religion, founded in the groffeft error and abfurdity, and fupported by the moft manifeft fraud and tyranny.

But this feems rather to have been owing to the tenderness of his heart, than the weakness of his head.

When we confider how deeply thofe printiples are imprinted, which we imbibe in our youth, and the reverence we entertain for the opinions of our parents, more efpecially when filial affection comes in aid of parental authority; when we reflect on the regard we pay to our earliest and most intimate friendships and connections, which we hould forfeit by abandoning thofe principles, we fhall find that it requires fomething more than a ftrong understanding, to make an open renunciation of opinions, which would be attended with the lofs of all those heart felt pleasures, which we derive from the love of our parents, and the esteem of eur earliest friends.

Thefe were, no doubt, among the obftades which reftrained Mr. Pope from publicly renouncing a religion, the bigotry of which he has more than once expofed and ridiculed in his writings.

He tells us himself, that he lived under penal laws, and many other disadvantages; not for want of honefty or confcience, but merely for want of having too weak a head, or too tender a heart.

As no one can fuppofe it owing to the

161.

former, candour must neceffarily impute it to
the latter: and that this was the true caufe,
is farther evident from the pious declaration
he made on Lord Oxford's expreffing his,
concern, that he fhould be incapable of tak-
ing a place. "Which, faid our author, I
could not be capable of without giving a great
deal of concern to my father and mother;
fuch concern,' he added emphatically,

66

as I would not give to either of them, for all the places he could have given me.'

But the powerful effect of Mr. Pope's filial piety and affection, cannot be better exempified than by the following anecdote.

The queen declared her intention of honouring him at Twickenham with a vifit, His mother was then alive; and left the vifit fhould give her pain, on account of the danger his religious principles might incur by an intimacy with the court, his piety made him, with great duty and humility, beg that he might decline this honour *.

The following anecdore of Mr. Wycherley taken alfo from this work must be enter taining to our readers.

"Mr. Wycherly had often told his acquaintance, that he would marry as foon as his life was defpaired of. Accordingly, a few days before his death, he underwent the ceremony; and joined together thofe two facraments, which, wife men fay, fhould be the laft we receive: "For; if you cbferve, fays our author, matrimony is placed after extreme uction in our catechifm, as a kind of hint of the order of time in which they are to be taken. The old man then lay down, fatisfied in the confcience of having by this one act, paid his just debts, obliged a woman, who (he was told) had merit, and fhewn an heroic refentment of the ill-ufage of his next heir. Some hundred pounds, which he had with the lady, discharged those debts; a jointure of tour hundred a year, made her a recompence; and the nephew he left to comfort himself, as well as he could, with the miferable remains of a mortgaged eftate. I faw our friend twice after this was done; lefs peevish in his fickness, than he ufed to be in his health; nei her much afraid of dying, nor (which in him had been more likely) much ashamed of marrying. The evening before he expired, he called his young wife to the bedfide, and earnetly intreated her not to deny him one request, the laft he should make. Upon her affurances of confenting to it, he told her, my dear, it is only this, that you will never marry an old man again. I cannot help remarking,

"Some years after, his mother being then dead, the Prince of Wales condefcended to do bim the bonour of a vifi:: when Mr. Pope met him at the water fide, be expressed the fenfe of the bonour done bim in very proper terms, joined with the most dutiful expreffions of attachment. On which the prince faid. "It is very well; but bow shall we reconcile your love to a prince, with your profeffed indijp fuion to kings: fince princes will be kings in time?" Sir, replied Pope, I condrregaty under that noble and authorized typ of the lion, while be is young, and before bis Rails are grown, be approached, and care/fed with jafety and pleasure. X

March, 1769.

be may

that

1

POETICAL ESSAYS in MARCH, 1769.

that fickness, which deftroys both wit and wifdom, yet feldom has power to remove that talent which we call humour: Mr. Wycherly fhewed his, even in this laft compliment; though I think his requeft a little hard, for why should he bar her from doubling her jointure on the fame eafy terms." VII. Lectures on the Catechism of the Church of England, with a Difcourfe on Confirmation.

POETICAL ESSAY S.

POETICAL ESSAYS in MARCH, 1769.