aut pròeliatur, aut rusticatur; ant abit peregre, aut redit, aut nubit, aut eft, aut non eft, (nam etiam mortuis isti canunt) cui non illi extemplo cadunt Epicedia, Genethliaca, Protreptica, Pa-` negyrica, Epithalamia, Vaticinia, Propemptica, Soterica, Parænetica, Nanias, Nugas. As to the fuccefs which, you fay, my part has met with, it is to be attributed to what you was pleas'd to fay of me to the world; which you do well to call your prophecy, fince whatever is said in my favour, must be a prediction of things that are not yet; you, like a true Godfather, engage on my part for much more than ever I can perform. My paftoral Mufe, like other country girls, is put out of countenance, by what you courtiers fay to her; yet I hope you would not deceive me too far, as knowing that a young fcribler's vanity needs no recruits from abroad: for nature, like an indulgent mother, kindly takes care to fupply her fons with as much of their own, as is neceffary for their fatisfaction. If my verfes fhould meet with a few flying commendations, Virgil has taught me, that a young author has not too much reafon to be pleas'd with them, when he confiders the natural confequence of praise is envy and calumny.

-Si ultra placitum laudarit, baccare frontem
Cingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro.

When once a man has appear'd as a poet, he may give up his pretenfions to all the rich and thriving arts: those who have once made their court to those miftreffes without portions, the Mufes, are never like to fet up for fortunes. But for my part, I shall be satisfied if I can lofe my time agreeably this way, without lofing my reputation: as for gaining any, I am as indifferent in the matter as Falstaffe was, and may fay of fame as he did of honour, "If it comes, it comes unlook'd for; and there's an end

on't." I can be content with a bare faving game, without being thought an eminent hand, (with which title Jacob has graciously dignify'd his adventurers and voluntiers in poetry.) Jacob creates poets, as Kings fomeVOL. III.

S s

times

times do knights, not for their honour, but for their mo ney. Certainly he ought to be efteem'd a worker of miracles, who is grown rich by poetry.

What Authors lofe, their Bookfellers have won,
So Pimps grow rich, while Gallants are undone.

I am your, etc.,

LETTER XX.

From Mr. WY CHERLEY.

May 26, 1709.

THE laft I received from you was dated the 22d of May. I take your charitable hint to me very kindly, wherein you do like a true friend, and a true christian, and I fhall endeavour to follow your advice as well as your example.-As for your wifhing to fee your friend an Hermit with you, I cannot be faid to leave the world, fince I fhall enjoy in your converfation all that I can defire of it; nay, can learn more from you alone, than from my long experience of the great, or little vulgar in it.

As to the fuccefs of your poems in the late mifcellany, which I told you of in my laft; upon my word I made you no compliment, for you may be aflur'd that all fort of readers like them, except they are writers too; but for them (I muft needs fay) the more they like them, they ought to be the lefs pleas'd with 'em: fo that you do not come off with a bare faving game (as you call it) but have gain'd fo much credit at first, that you must needs fupport it to the laft: fince you fet up with fo great a flock of good fense, judgment, and wit, that your judgment enfures all that your wit ventures at. The falt of your wit has been enough to give a relifh to the whole infipid hotchpotch it is mingled with; and you will make Jacob's Ladder raise you to immortality, by which others are turn'd off shamefully to their damnation (for poetic thieves as they

they are) who think to be fav'd by others good works, how faulty foever their own are: but the coffee-houfe wits, or rather anti-wits the critics, prove their judgments by approving your wit; and even the news-mongers and poet's will own, you have more invention than they ; nay, the detracters or the envious, who never fpeak well of any body (not even of thofe they think well of in their abfence) yet will give you even in your abfence their good word; and the critics only hate you, for being forced to speak well of you whether they will or no: All this is true upon the word of Your, etc.

LETTER XXI.

From Mr. WY CHERLEY.

Aug. 11, 1709.

My letters, fo much inferior to yours, can only make

MY

up their fearcity of fenfe by their number of lines: which is like the Spaniards paying a debt of gold with a load of brafs money. But to be a plain-dealer, I must tell you, I will revenge the raillery of your letters by printing them (as Dennis did mine) without your knowledge too, which would be a revenge upon your judgment for the raillery of your wit; for fome dull rogues (that is the moft in the world) might be fuch fools as to think what you have faid of me was in earneft: It is not the first time, your great wits have gain'd reputation by their paradoxical or ironical praises; your forefathers have done it, Erafmus and others. For all mankind who know me muft confefs, he must be no ordinary genius, or little friend, who can find out any thing to commend in me seriously; who have given no fign of my judgment but my opinion of yours, nor mark of my wit, but my leaving off writing to the public now you are beginning to fhew the world what you can do by yours: whofe wit is as fpiritual as your judgment infallible; in whofe judgment I have an implicit faith, and fhall always fubfcribe to it to fave my

works, in this world, from the flames and damnation. Pray, prefent my moft humble fervice to Sir William Trumbull; for whom and whofe judgment I have so profound a respect, that his example had almost made me marry, more than my Nephew's ill carriage to me; having once refolv'd to have revenged myself upon him by my marriage, but now am refolv'd to make my re venge greater upon him by His marriage,

I Have had

LETTER XXII.

From Mr. WY CHERLEY.

April 1, 1710.

Have had yours of the 30th of the laft month, which is kinder than I defire it should be, fince it tells me you could be better pleas'd to be fick again in Town in my company, than to be well in the Country without it; and that you are more impatient to be depriv'd of happiness than of health: Yet, my dear friend, fet raillery or compliment afide, I can bear your abfence (which procures your health and cafe) better than 1 can your company when you are in pain: for I cannot fee you fo without being fo too. Your love to the Country I do not doubt, nor do you (I hope) my love to it or you, fince there I can enjoy your company without feeing you in pain to give me fatisfaction and pleasure; there I can have you without riyals or difturbers; without the too civil, or the too rude without the noife of the loud, or the cenfure of the filent; and would rather have you abuse me there with the truth, than at this diftance with your compliment: fince now your bufinefs of a friend, and kindness to a friend, is by finding fault with his faults, and mending them by your obliging feverity. I hope (in point of your good-nature) you will have no cruel charity for thofe papers of mine, you are fo willing to be troubled with; which I take moft infinitely kind of

you

you, and shall acknowledge with gratitude, as long as Į live. No friend can do more for his friend than preferving his reputation (nay, not by preserving his life) fince by preferving his life he can only make him live about threefcore or fourfcore years; but by preserving his reputation, he can make him live as long as the world lafts; fo fave him from damning, when he is gone to the devil. Therefore, I pray, condemn me in private, as the thieves do their accomplices in Newgate, to fave them from condemnation by the public. Be moft kindly unmerciful to my poetical faults, and do with my papers as you country gentlemen do with your trees, flash, cut, and lop off the excrefcencies and dead parts of my wither'd bays, that the little remainder may live the longer, and increase the value of them by diminishing the number. I have troubled you with my papers rather to give you pain than pleasure, notwithstanding your compliment, which says you take the trouble kindly; such is your generofity to your friends, that you take it kindly to be defired by them to do them a kindness; and you think it done to you, when they give you an opportunity to do it them. Wherefore you may be sure to be troubled with my letters out of intereft, if not kindness; fince mine to you will procure yours to me: fo that I write to you more for my own fake than yours; less to make you think I write well, than to learn from you to write better. Thus you fee intereft in my kindness, which is like the friendship of the world, rather to make a friend than be a friend; but I am yours, as a true Plain-dealer.

LETTER