y HAVE now little to fay of your tragedy, which
I return with my thanks for your indulgence to
my opinion, which I fee fo abfolutely deferred to, that
I wifh I had croffed lefs frequently. I cannot find
another thing I think a fault in you.
But my Lord thinks three things may yet be re-
confidered. Brutus, on fight of the warrant figned
for his death, takes at once the refolution of murder-
ing Casfar, as none of his father, Quere, Whether
in
34 8 LETTERS TO AND
in the fcene that follows between him and Caefar, all
tendernefs on the fide of Brutus, and all beyond the
point of honour that friendfhip exa&ed, fhould not
rather be avoided than heightened ?
Another quere is, Whether it would not beget more
indignation in the audience againft Caffius, and more
compaffion for Csefar, to mew that Caflius fufpe&ed
Brutus to be Casfar's fon, and therefore exafted from
Brutus the oath of fparing neither father., relation,
etc.
The third thing is, Whether the efforts made by
Caefar to prevent the civil war, not only by the equal
offer he made, while the matter was under debate in
the fenate, (and which the confuls Lentulus and Mar-
cellus refufed to report to the fenate,) but by the
meffage he fent to Pompey, when he was at Brundu-
fmm, to defire a meeting, to fettle the matter, and
avoid the civil war. Vid. C#f. Com. de Bell. Civili,
lib. i. The mention of thefe fomewhere in the play
might help to remove the prepoifeffion againft Caefar.
After our little cavils (for fo we will rather call mi-
nute and verbal points of criticifm) we owe you the
juflice to extol highly, what we highly approve, and
you need not defire us to fpeak as we think: 'tis
what we have (in different ways) done all our lives,
where it was to our prejudice, and cannot but do
here, where it is to our honour. I only wifh you a
ftage, actors, and an audience worthy of you, and it.
I have often wimed to live to fee the day when pro-
3 logues
FROM AARON HILL, ESQ^ 349
logues and epilogues mould be no more. I wifli a
great genius would break through the filly, ufelefs
formality. But at lead I would have one try, to
leave the audience full of the effefts of a good tra-
gedy, without an epilogue. Let me add another hint,
concerning the apparatus and circumftantials of your
play, (fince I have nothing left more to wifh in the
play itfelf,) that you would intitle it barely, The Tra-
gedy of Cafar, and give no intimation of his being a
patriot ; for I fear, inflead of preparing the audience,
it might revolt them, and put all the little critics upon
carping previoufly at the very defign and character ;
which would appear by degrees, and with the proper
preparations, in the piece on the ilage. Another thing
was a thought of my Lord's, that it mould be printed
before acting, a day or two ; for the fentiments are fo
thick-fown, and the fenfe fo deep fometimes, that they
require more attention and thought than the hearer
may be apt to give on the fir ft reprefentation. I am
not pofitive, either as to his, or my thought, but fub-
mit them to your confideration.
I have nothing to add, but to lament our unhappi-
nefs, that we cannot fee you perfonally to confirm
what thefe letters tell you, of our real opinion of your
work, efteem of its author, and wifhes for your fuc-
cefs, in this, and every thing. 1 am, Sir,
Your, etc.
35 LETTERS TO AND
JB-'iOfyr I*-' <( r- *''" ""? Of* F'"ifB '- * l~i /
LETTER XXL
TO THE SAME.
Dear Sir, Nov. 5, i 73 g.
rpnis is quite a letter of bufmefs, and therefore ex-
cufe it ; I will not mix in it a word of affection,
which I have not a moment's time to exprefs, and will
not prejudice the facred idea of friendfhip.
It is near a month ago that I tried to fee Mr. Thom-
fon, to know the time of his tragedy : he was not
within my reach ; and therefore at laft I wrote to him,
and alfo to Mr. M , to let them both know the
deference you paid them, and the heroic (I will not
call it lefs) difmtereflednefs you expreffed in regard
to them. I have not yet been able to hear where they
are, or any way to have an anfwer, further than
I have learned it will be impoflible for either of them
to bring on their plays early (a friend of theirs telling
me they are in no forwardnefs) till the middle or end
of the winter ; therefore you may have room. I wifh
from my foul you may get yours firft, as well afted
as it deferves. A better, that may eclipfe it, or even
worthily follow it, I hardly expect to fee. But, upon
this notice, I believe you may fafely advance it, the
fooner the better.
My Lord B. is yet with me, more properly I yet
belong to him, body as well as mind (for my mind is
every-where his). I would to God you had any
oppor-
FROM AARON HILL, ESQ^ 35!
opportunity of feeing us before we part ; my houfe
fhould be yours, as much of it as is not his. I be-
lieve I mail foon go with him on a little journey be-
fore he quits England. You'll forgive the abrupt
conclufion of this ; yet it may tell you all the longed
and beft written letter could tell you, that I am very
fmcerely, Sir,
Your, etc.
'\ .:ij <r;
LETTER XXH.
iDr-v Hfc.nijs LIutQ I
TO THE SAME.
'..-:'.J , :;'i; . "J >7 ft.
Dear Sir, December 8, 1738.
y HAVE been confirmed by Mr. Thomfon as to the
retardment of his play, of which he has written
but two a6ls. I have fince feen Mr. M , who has
finifhed his, but is very willing yours mould be firft
brought on, in January as you propofe, or after his in
February, whichfoever may be moft agreeable to
you. He farther offers any affiflance he can give you,
in cafe of your own abfence, as to treating with Mr.
F (with whom he thinks you cannot be too care-
ful or explicit), or attending the rehearfals for you,
which he promifes to undertake with all diligence, if
you are not provided with another friend in that cafe.
He has heard of fome impertinence which may be
apprehended from one perfon's refufal or unwillingnefs
to
352 LETTERS TO AND
to aft, and believes he can employ fome proper influ-
ence to bring him to a right behaviour. Thefe, with
any other fervices in which you may pleafe to employ
him, he bids me afiure you, it will be a high fatisfac-
tion to him to engage in.
I mufl exprefs, on my own part, a real regret to
be fo little ufeful to you. I can do no more than
join with Lord B. in paying due praifes to fo merito-
rious a work ; our fuffrage is an airy tribute, from
whence no folid good redounds to you ; and I find
myfelf flill more inclined to the man, than the author^
if I could be any way instrumental to the happinefs
or eafe of fo generous an one. I could almoft wifh
myfelf a minifler to patronize fuch a genius, and 1
could almoft wifh my Lord one again, for no other
reafon ; even though his country wants fuch an one,
as well as his friends.
I have never once been able to fee Mr. Thomfon
in perfon ; when I do (and it mail be foon) he mail
know how much he is obliged to you for that plan of
an alteration of his tragedy, which is too good for
me, with any honefty, to put upon him as my own.
Believe me, Sir, with great truth, and the warmeft
difpofition to do you juftice (before men and angels),
Your, etc.
FROM AARON HILL, ES(^ 353
LETTER XXIU.
TO THE SAME.
Dear Sir, London, February 12, 1738-9.
T HAVE felt an uneafmefs of mind (occafioned by a
confcious fenfe, how unequally I have exprefied
my anger and contempt, at the treatment of your
Caefar by the man of the ftage) ever fince I laft wrote
to you j and an hundred interruptions from day to
day (for I have lived in the world, and a bufy and
idle world both, it is) have ever fince hindered me
from enjoying one hour of collected thought. Yet I
am the lefs concerned, fince, by my delay, I can now
tell you I have laft night feen Mr. Mallet's play, the
fifth aft of which I had not before read, through
thofe interruptions I have mentioned. It fucceeded
(hitherto at leaft ; for yefterday was the firft day) as
well as I could expecl: : but fo vilely a&ed in the
womens parts and the mens (except two) that I won-
der it could fucceed. Mr. Thomfon, after many
mameful tricks from the manager, is determined to
aft his play at the other theatre, where the advantage
lies as to the women, and the fuccefs of his will de-
pend upon them (I heartily wifli you would follow his
example, that we might not be deprived of Csefar).
I have yet feen but three a&s of Mr. Thomfon's, but
I am told, and believe by what I have feen, that it ex-
cels in the pathetic. The dignity of fentiment, and
VOL. viii. A A grandeur
354 LETTERS TO AND
grandeur of character, will ftill be Csefar's, as in his
hiftory, fo in your poetry, fuperior to any.
The perfon to whom you intended fo great a com-
pliment as to addrefs that piece to his name, is very
fenfible of your delicate manner of thinking : he bids
me aflure you, his own knowledge of your intention
is fufficient pleafure to him, and defires you would
not think of doing him either favour or juftice, till the
world knows better how to do itfelf the former, in
doing you the latter. He is ftill detained here by the
perverfenefs of his affairs; and wilhes, as I mofl
heartily do alfo, that fortune did not treat you fo
much alike. The ftage is as ungrateful to you, as
his country to him : you are both fure of poflerity,
and may fay in the mean time with Scipio, Ingrata
patria, ne offa quidem habeas ! Believe me moft truly,
Sir,
Your, etc.
LETTER XXIV.
TO THE SAME.
SIR, January, 26, 1730-1.
T AM obliged to you for your compliment, and can
truly fay, I never gave you juft caufe of com-
plaint. You once miftook on a bookfeller's idle re-
port, and publicly exprefled your miftake ; yet you
miftook a fccond time, that two initial letters, only*
were
FROM AARON HILL, ESQ.^ 355
were meant of you, though every letter in the alpha-
bet was put in the fame manner : and, in truth, (ex-
cept fome few,) thofe letters were fet at random to
occafion what they did occafion, the fufpicion of bad
and jealous writers, of which number I could never
reckon Mr. Hill, and moil of whofe names I did not
know.
Upon this miftake you were too ready to attack
me, in a paper of very pretty verfes, in fome public
journal. I mould imagine the Dunciad meant you a
real compliment, and fo it has been thought by
many, who have alked, to whom that pafiage made
that oblique panegyric ? As to the notes, I am weary
of telling a great truth, which is, that I am not
author of 'em ; though I love truth fo well, as fairly
to tell you, Sir, I think even that note a commend-
ation, and mould think myfelf not ill ufed to have
the fame words faid of me : therefore, believe me, I
never was other than friendly to you, in my own
mind.
Have I not much more reafon to complain of The
Caveat ? Where give me leave, Sir, to tell you, with
the fame love of truth, and with the franknefs it in-
fpired, (which, I hope, you will fee, through this
whole letter,) I am falfely abufed, in being reprefented
" fneakingly to approve, and want the worth to chert/h,
" or befriend men of merit." It is indeed, Sir, a very
great error : I am forry the author of that reflection
knew me no better, and happened to be unknown to
A A 2 thofe
356 LETTERS TO AND
thofe who could have better informed him : for I
have the charity to think, he was mifled only by his
ignorance of me, and the benevolence to forgive the
woril thing that ever (in my opinion) was faid of me,
<5n that fuppofition.
1 do faithfully affure you, I never was angry at any
criticifm, made on my poetry, by whomfoever : if I
could do Mr. Dennis any humane office, I would,
though I were fure he would abufe me perfonally to-
morrow ; therefore it is no great merit in me, to find,
at my heart, I am your fervant. I am very forry
you ever was of another opinion. I fee, by many
marks, you diftinguifhed me from my cotemporary
writers : had we known one another, you had diftin-
guifhed me from others, as a man, and no ill, or ill-
natured one. I only wifh you knew, as well as I
do, how much I prefer qualities of the heart to thofe
of the head : I vow to God, I never thought any
great matters of my poetical capacity ; I only thought
it a little better, comparatively, than that of fome
very mean writers, who are too proud. But, I do
know certainly, my moral life is fuperior to that of
moft of the wits of thefe days. This is a filly letter,
but it will mew you my mind honeftly, and, I hope,
convince you, I can be, and am, Sir,
Your, etc.
FROM AARON HILL, ESQ^ 357
LETTER XXV.
FROM MR. HILL TO MR. POPE.
SIR, January 28, 1730-1.
UR anfwer, regarding no part of mine but the
conclufion, you muft pardon my compliment to
the clofe of yours, in return ; if I agree with you,
that your letter is weaker, than one would have ex-
pefted.
You affure me, that I did not know you fo well,
as I might, had I happened to be known to others,
who could have inftrufted my ignorance ; and I be-
gin to find, indeed, that I was lefs acquainted with
you, than I imagined: but your laft letter has en-
lightened me, and I can never be hi danger of mif-
taking you, for the future.
Your enemies have often told me, that your fpleen
was, at leail, as diftinguifhable, as your genius : and it
will be kinder, I think, to believe them, than impute
to rudenefs, or ill manners, the return you were
pleafed to make, for the civility, with which I ad-
drefled you.
I will, therefore, fuppofe you to have been peevijh,
or in pain, while you were writing me this letter:
and, upon that fuppofition, mail endeavour to unde-
ceive you. If I did not love you, as a good man,
while I efteem you, as a good writer, I mould read
A A 3 you
358 LETTERS TO AND
you without reflection : and it were doing too much
honour to your friends, and too little to my own dif-
cernment, to go to them for a character of your mind,
which I was able enough to extract from your writ-
ings.
But, to imitate your love of truth, with the frank-
nefs you have taught me, I wifh the great qualities of
your heart were as ftrong in you as the good ones :
you would then have been above that emotion and
bitternefs, wherewith you remember things which
want weight to deferve your anguifh.
Since you were not the writer of the notes to the
Dunciad, it would be impertinent to trouble you with
the complaint I intended : I will only obferve, that
'the author was in the right, to believe me capable of
a fecond repentance ; but, I hope, I was incapable of
that fecond fin, which mould have been previous to
his fuppofition. If the initial letters A. H. were not
meant to ftand for my name, yet, they were, every-
where, read fo, as you might have feen in Mift's
Journal, and other public papers ; and I had fhewn
Mr. Pope an example, how reafonable I thought it to
clear a miflake, publicly, which had been publicly
propagated. One note, among fo many, would have
done me this juftice : and the generofity of fuch a
proceeding could have left no room, for that offen-
five fneakingfy, which, though, perhaps, too harfh a
word, was the propereft a man could chufe, who was
fatirizing an approbation, that he had never obferved
warm
FROM AARON HILL, ESQ^ 359
warm enough to declare itfelf to the world, but in de-
fence of the great, or the popular.
Again, if the author of the notes knew, that A. H.
related not to me, what reafon had he to allude to
that character, as mine, by obferving, that I had pub-
limed pieces bordering upon bombaji a circumftance
fo independent on any other purpofe of the note, that
I mould forget to whom I am writing, if I thought it
wanted explanation.
As to your oblique panegyric, I am not under fo
blind an attachment to the goddcfs I was devoted to
in the Dunciad, but that I knew it was a commend-
ation ; though a dirtier one than I wifhed for ; who
am, neither fond of fome of the company, in which
I was lifted the noble reward, for which I was to
become a diver ; the allegoric muddinefs, in which
I was to try my Hull ; nor the inftitutor of the
games, you were fo kind to allow me a mare in.
Since, however, you could fee, fo clearly, that I
ought to be fatisfied with the praife, and forgive the
dirt it was mixed with, I am forry, it feemed not as
reafonable, that you mould pardon me for returning
your compliment, with more, and opener, praife,
mixed with lefs of that dirtinefs, which we have, both,
the good tafte to complain of.
The Caveat, Sir, was mine. It would have been
ridiculous to fuppofe you ignorant of it : I cannot
think, you need be told, that it meant you no harm ;
and it had fcorned to appear under the borrowed
A A 4 name
360 LETTERS TO AND
name it carries, but that the whimfical turn of the
preface, would have made my own a contradiction.
I promife you, however, that for the future, I will
publifh nothing, without my name, that concerns
you, or your writings. I have now, almoft finimed,
An EJfay on Propriety, and Impropriety, in Defign,
Thought, and Exprejfion, illuftrated, by Examples, in
both Kinds, from the Writings of Mr. Pope ; and, to
convince you how much more pleafure it gives me,
to diftinguifli your lights, than yourjhades ; and that
I am as willing as I ought to be, to fee, and acknow-
ledge my faults ; I am ready, with all my heart, to
let it run thus, if it would, otherwife, create the leaft
pain in you : An Effay on Propriety, and Impropriety,
etc. illuftrated by Examples, ofthefrft, from the Writ-
ings of Mr. Pope, and of the la/I, from thofe of the
Author.
I am forry to hear you fay, you never thought any
great matters of your poetry. It is, in my opinion,
the characteriftic you are to hope your diftinftion
from : to be honeft is the duty of every plain man !
Nor, fmce the foul of poetry is fentiment, can a great
poet want morality. But your honejly you poflefs in
common with a million, who will never be remembered',
whereas your poetry is a peculiar, that will make it
impoflible, you mould be forgotten.
If you had not been in thejpleen, when you wrote
me this letter, I perfuade myfelf, you would not, im-
mediately after cenfuring the pride of writers, have
afferted,
FROM AARON HILL, ESQ^ 361
afferted, that you, certainly, know your moral life,
above that of moft of the wits of thefe days : at any
other time, you would have remembered, that humi-
lity is a moral virtue. It was a bold declaration ; and
the certainty with which you know it, ftands in need
of a better acquaintance than you feem to have had
with the tribe ; fince you tell me, in the fame letter,
that many of their names were unknown to you.
Neither would it appear, to your own reafon, at a
cooler juncture, over-confiflent with the morality you
are fo fure of, to fcatter the letters of the whole al-
phabet, annexed, at random, to characters of a light
and ridiculous caft, confufedly, with intent to pro-
voke jealous writers into refentment, that you might
take occafion, from that refentment, to expofe and
depreciate their characters.
The fervices you tell me, you would do Mr. Den.
nis, even though he mould abufe you, in return, will, I
hope, give him fome title to expeft an exertion of your
recommendatory influence in his behalf: a man, fo
popular, as you, might fecure him a great fubfcription :
this would merit to be called zfervice; and, the more
the world mould find you abufed in the works you
had recommended, fo much the more glorious proof
would they fee, that your morals were, in truth, as fu-
perior, as you reprefent them, to thofe of your co-
temporaries. Though you will pardon me the pride
of wondering, a little, how this declaration came to be
made to me, whofe condition not (landing in need of
3 fuch
362 LETTERS, &c.
fuch fer vices, it was not, I think, fo neceiTary, you
mould have taken the trouble to talk of them.
Upon the whole, Sir, I find, I am fo fincerely your
friend, that it is not in your own power, to make me
your memy - elfe, that unneceffary air of negled and
fuperiority, which is fo remarkable, in the turn of
your letter, would have nettled me to the quick ; and
I mud triumph, in my turn, at the ftrength of my
own heart, who can, after it, ftill find, and profefs
myfelf, mod affectionately and fincerely
Your, etc.
LETTERS
TO
LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE.
The following unpublimed Letters of Mr. POPE to the Right
Honourable Lady MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE, are faithfully
copied from the Originals, communicated to the Editor by the
favour of the Lord Bimop of St. David's.
LETTER I.
MR. POPE TO LADY M. W. MONTAGUE.
Madam, September i.
j HAVE been (what I never was till now) in debt to
you for a letter fome weeks. I was informed you
were at fea, and that 'twas to no purpofe to write
till fome news had been heard of your arriving fome-
where or other. Befides, I have had a fecond dan-
gerous illnefs, from which I was more diligent to be
recovered than from the firft, having now fome hopes
of feeing you again. If you make any tour in Italy,
I (hall not eafily forgive you for not acquainting me
foon enough to have met you there. I am very cer-
tain I can never be polite unlefs I travel with you :
and
364 LETTERS TO
and it is never to be repaired, the lofs that Homer has
fuftained, for want of my tranflating him in Afia.
You will come hither full of criticifms againfl a man,
who wanted nothing to be in the right but to have
kept you company j you have no way of making me
amends, but by continuing an Afiatic when you re-
turn to me, whatever Englifh airs you may put on to
other people.
I prodigioufly long for your Sonnets, your Re-
marks, your Oriental Learning ; but I long for no-
thing fo much as your Oriental felf. You muft of
neceffity be advanced fo far back into true nature and
fimplicity of manners, by thefe three years* refidence
in the Eafl, that I mail look upon you as fo many
years younger than you was, fa much nearer inno-
cence, (that is, truth,) and infancy (that is, open-
nefs). I expeft to fee your foul as much thinner
dreffed as your body ; and that you have left off, as
unwieldy and cumberfome, a great many damned
European habits. Without offence to your modefly
be it fpoken, I have a burning defire to fee your foul
ftark naked, for I am confident 'tis the prettiefl kind
of white foul in the univerfe. But I forget whom I
am talking to j you may poflibly by this time believe,
according to the Prophet, that you have none ; if fo,
mew me that which comes next to a foul ; you may
eafily put it upon a poor ignorant Chriftian for a foul,
and pleafe him as well with it ; I mean your heart ;
Mahomet, I think, allows you hearts j which (to-
gether
LADY M. W. MONTAGUE. 365
gather with fine eyes and other agreeable equivalents)
are worth all the fouls on this fide the world. But if
I muft be content with feeing your body only, God
fend it to come quickly : I honour it more than the
diamond-calket that held Homer's Iliads ; for in the
very twinkle of one eye of it there is more wit, and in
the very dimple of one cheek of it there is more
meaning, than all the fouls that ever were cafually put
into women fmce men had the making of them.
I have a mind to fill the reft of this paper with an
accident that happened juft under my eyes, and has
made a great impreflion upon me. I have juft paft
part of this fummer at an old romantic feat of my
Lord Harcourt's, which he lent me. It overlooks a
common-field, where, under the (hade of a haycock,
fat two lovers, as conftant as ever were found in
Romance, beneath a fpreading beech. The name of
the one (let it found as it will) was John Hewet, of
the other Sarah Drew. John was a well-fet man
about five and twenty, Sarah a brown woman of eigh-
teen. John had for feveral months borne the labour
of the day in the fame field with Sarah ; when (he
milked, it was his morning and evening charge to
bring the cows to her pail. Their love was the talk,
but not the fcandal, of the whole neighbourhood ; for
all they aimed at was the blamelefs pofleflion of each
other in marriage. It was but this very morning that
he had obtained her parents* confent, and it was but
till the next week that they were to wait to be happy.
Perhaps
366 LETTERS TO
Perhaps this very day, in the intervals of their work,
they were talking of their wedding cloaths ; and John
was now matching feveral kinds of poppies and field-
flowers to her complexion, to make her a prefent of
knots for the day. While they were thus employed,
(it was on the laft of July,) a terrible ftorm of thun-
der and lightning arofe, that drove the labourers to