in, and wakes me from fo pleafing a dream, if it be a dream. I will dwell no more on œconomies than I have done in my former letter. Thus much only I will fay, that otium cum dignitate is to be had with 500 l. a-year as well as with 5000: the difference will be found in the value of the man, and not in that of the estate. I do affure you, that I have never quitted the defign of collecting, revifing, improving, and extending, feveral materials which are ftill in my power; and I hope that the time of fetting myself about this laft work of my life is not far off. Many papers of much curiofity and importance are loft, and fome of them in a manner which would furprise and anger you. However, I fhall be able to convey feveral great truths to pofterity, fo clearly and fo authentically, that the Burnets and Oldmixons of another age may rail, but not be able to deceive. Adieu, my friend. I have taken up more of this paper than belongs to me, fince Pope is to write to you. No matter: for, upon recollection, the rules of proportion are not broken; he will fay as much to you in one page, as I have faid in three. Bid him talk to you of the work he is about, I hope in good earneft; it is. a fine one; and will be, in his hands, an original *. His fole complaint is, that he finds it too eafy in the execution. This flatters his laziness; it flatters my judgement, who always thought, that (univerfal as his talents are) this is eminently and peculiarly his, above all the writers I know living or dead; I do not except Horace. Adieu. "dum lego, adfentior; cum pofui librum, et mecum ipfe de immortalitate animorum cœpi cogitare, adfenfio illa omnis elabitur." Cicero feems to have had but a confufed notion of the caufe, which the letter-writer has here explained, namely, that the imagination is always ready to indulge fo flattering an idea, but feverer reafon corrects and difclaims it. As to RELIGION, that is out of the queftion; for Tully wrote to his few philof plic friends. Warb.. *Effay on man. LETTER THIS How Nov. 28. 1729. HIS letter (like all mine) will be a rhapfody; it is many years ago fince I wrote as a witt. many occurrences or informations muft one omit, if one determined to fay nothing that one could not fay prettily? I lately received from the widow of one dead correfpondent, and the father of another, feveral of my own letters of about fifteen and twenty years old; and it was not unentertaining to myfelf to obferve, how and by what degrees I ceafed to be a witty writer; as either my experience grew on the one hand, or my affection to my correfpondents on the other. Now, as I love you better than most I have ever met with in the world, and efteem you too the more, the longer I have compared you with the reft of the world; fo inevitably I write to you more negligently, that is, more openly, and what all but fuch as love one another will call writing worse. I fmile to think how Curl would be bit, were our epiftles to fall into his hands, and how gloriously they would fall fhort of every ingenious reader's expectations? You can't imagine what a vanity it is to me, to have fomething to rebuke you for in the way of economy. I love the man that builds a houfe fubito ingenio, and makes a wall for a horse; then cries, "We wife men must think of nothing but getting ready money." I am glad you approve my annuity; all we have in this world is no more. than an annuity, as to our own enjoyment: but I will increafe your regard for my wifdom, and tell He used to value hi felf on this particular. Warb. you, you, that this annuity includes alfo the life of another, whofe concern ought to be as near me as my own, and with whom my whole profpects ought to finish. I throw my javelin of hope no farther, Cur brevi fortes joculamur avo→ &c. The fecond (as it is called, but indeed the eighth) edition of the Dunciad, with some additional notes and epigrams, fhall be fent you, if I know any opportunity; if they reprint it with you, let them by all means follow that octavo edition.- The Drapier's letters are again printed here, very laudably as to paper, print, &c.; for you know I difapprove Irish politics, (as my commentator tells you), being a strong and jealous subject of England. The lady you mention, you ought not to complain of for not acknowledging your prefent; fhe having lately received a much richer prefent from Mr. Knight of the South-fea; and you are fenfible she cannot ever return it to one in the condition of an outlaw. It is certain, as he can never expect any favour †, his motive must be wholly difinterested. Will not this reflection make you blufh? Your continual deplorings of Ireland make me with you were here long enough to forget thofe fcenes that fo afflict you : I am only in fear if you were, you would grow fuch a patriot here too, as not to be quite at ease, for your love of old England. ... It is very poffible, your journey in the time I compute, might exactly tally with my intended one to you; and if you muft foon again go back, you would not be unat tended. For the poor woman decays perceptibly every week; and the winter may too probably put an end to a very long, and a very irreproachable life. My conftant attendance on her does indeed affect my mind very much, and leffen extremely my defires of long life; fince I fee the best His mother's. He was mistaken in this. Mr. Knight was pardoned, and came home in the year 1742. Warb. that can come of it is a miferable benediction. I look upon myself to be many years older in two years fince you faw me: the natural imbecillity of my body, joined now to this acquired old age of the mind, makes me at least as old as you, and we are the fitter to crawl down the hill together: I only defire I may be able to keep pace with you. My first friendship at fixteen, was contracted with a man of feventy; and I found him not grave enough or confiftent enough for me, though we lived well to his death. I fpeak of old Mr. Wycherley; fome letters of whom (by the by) and of mine, the bookfellers have got and printed, not without the concurrence of a noble friend of mine and yours*. I don't much approve of it; though there is nothing for me to be ashamed of, because I will not be afhamed of any thing I do not do myself, or of any thing that is not immoral, but merely dull, (as for inftance, if they printed this letter i am now writing; which they cafily may, if the underlings at the post-office please to take a copy of it). I admire, on this confideration, your fending your last to me quite open without a feal, wafer, or any closure whatever, manifefting the utter openness of the writer. I would do the fame by this, but fear it would look like affectation to fend two letters fo together. I will fully reprefent to our friend, (and, I doubt not, it will touch his heart), what you so feelingly fet forth as to the badnefs of your Burgundy, &c. He is an extreme honeft man; and indeed ought to be fo, confidering how very indifcreet and un reserved he is: but I do not approve this part of his character, and will never join with him in any of his idleneffes in the way of wit. You know my maxim, to keep as clear of all offence, as I am *See the occafion, in the second and third paragraphs of the preface to the first volume of Pope's letters, the 7th of Warbu.ton's edition of his works, VOL. X. C clear you I was once dif clear of all intereft in either party. pleafed before at you, for complaining to Mr. *** of my not having a penfion, and am fo again at your naming it to a certain Lord. I have given proof in the course of my whole life, (from the time when I was in the friendship of Lord Bolingbroke and Mr. Craggs, even to this when I am civilly treated by Sir Robert Walpole), that I never thought myfelf fo warm in any party's caufe as to deferve their money; and therefore would never have accepted it but give me leave to tell you, that of all mankind the two perfons I would leaft have accepted any favour from, are thofe very two to whom have unluckily fpoken of it. I defire you to take off any impreffions which that dialogue may have left on his Lordship's mind, as if I ever had any thought of being beholden to him, or any other in that way. And yet you know I am no enemy to the prefent conftitution; I believe, as fincere a well-wifher to it, nay, even to the church established, as any minifter in or out of employment whatever; or any bishop of England or Ireland Yet am I of the religion of Erafmus, a Catholic: fo I live, fo I fhall die; and hope one day to meet you, Bishop Atterbury, the younger Craggs, Dr. Garth, Dean Berkeley, and Mr. Hutchinson, in that place to which God of his infinite mercy bring us, and every body! Lord B.'s answer to your letter I have juft received, and join it to this packet. The work he fpeaks of with fuch abundant partiality, is a fyftem of ethics in the Horatian way. LETTER |