ledging your continued endeavours to enrich me. But, I can tell you, 'tis to no purpofe, for without the Opes, aquum mi animum ipfe parabo..

March 19, 1714-154

HE of the What-d'ye-call it) has oc

Tcafioned many different fpeculations in the town. Some look'd upon it as a mere jeft upon the Tragic poets, others as a fatire upon the late War. Mr. Cromwell, hearing none of the words, and fee ing the action, to be tragical, was much astonished to find the audience laugh; and fays the Prince and Princess, must doubtless be under no lefs amazement on the fame account. Several templars and others of the more vociferous kind of critics, went with a resolution to hiss, and confefs'd they were forced to laugh fo much, that they forgot the design they came with. The Court in general has in a very particular manner come into the Jeff, and the three first nights (notwithstanding two of them were court-nights) were distinguished by very full audiences of the first Quality. The common people of the pit and gallery received it at first with great gravity and fedatenefs, fome few with tears; but after the third day they alfo took the hint, and have ever fince been very loud in their claps. There are ftill fome fober men who cannot be of the general opinion; but the laughers are fo much the majority, that one or two critics feem determined to undeceive the town at their proper coft, by writing grave differtations against it: to encourage them in which laudable defign, it is re

folved a Preface fhall be prefix'd to the Farce, in vindication of the nature and dignity of this new way of writing.

Yesterday Mr. Steele's affair was decided: I am forry I can be of no other opinion than yours, as to his whole carriage and writings of late. But certainly he has not only been punished by others, but fuffered much even from his own party in the point of character, nor (I believe) received any amends in that of intereft, as yet, whatever may be his profpects for the future.

This Gentleman, among a thousand others, is a great inftance of the fate of all who are carried away by party-fpirit, of any fide. I wifh all violence may fucceed as ill: but am really amazed that fo much of that four and pernicious quality fhould be joined with fo much natural good humour as, I think, Mr. Steele is poffeffed of.

I am, &c.

LETTER XXIX.

To Mr. CONGREVE.

April 7, 1715.

R. Pope is going to Mr. Jervas's, where Mr. Addifon is fitting for his picture; in the mean time amidft clouds of Tobacco at a coffee-house I write this letter. There is a grand revolution at Will's; Morice has quitted for a coffee-house in the city, and Titcomb is reftored, to the great joy of Cromwell, who was at a great lofs for a person to converse with upon the fathers and church-history; the knowledge I gain from him, is entirely in painting and poetry; and Mr. Pope owes all his fkill in aftronomy to him and Mr. Whifton, so celebrated

of

of late for his discovery of the longitude in an extraordinary copy of verfes*. Mr. Rowe's Jane Gray is to be play'd in Eafter-week, when Mrs. Oldfield is to perfonate a character directly oppofite to female nature; for what woman ever despised Sovereignty? You know Chaucer has a tale where a knight faves his head, by discovering it was the thing which all women moft coveted. Mr. Pope's Homer is retarded by the great rains that have fallen of late, which caufes the fheets to be long a drying t this gives Mr. Lintot great uneafinefs, who is now endeavouring to corrupt the Curate of his parish to pray for fair weather, that his work may go on. There is a fix-penny Criticism lately published upon the tragedy of the What-d'ye call-it, wherein he with much judgment and learning calls me a blockhead, and Mr. Pope a knave, His grand charge is against the Pilgrim's Progrefs being read, which, he fays, is directly levell'd at Cato's reading Plato; to back this cenfure, he goes on to tell you, that the Pilgrim's Progrefs being mentioned to be the eighth edition, makes the reflection evident, the Tragedy of Cato having juft eight times (as he quaintly expreffes it) vifited the prefs. He has alfo endeavour ed to fhow, that every particular paffage of the play alludes to fome fine part of tragedy, which, he fays, I have injudiciously and profanely abufed +. Sir Samuel Garth's poem upon my Lord Clare's house, I believe, will be published in the Eafter-week.

Thus far Mr. Gay, who has in his letter forestall'd all the subjects of diverfion; unless it should

Call'd, An Ode on the Longitude, in Swift and Pope's Miscellanies.

P.

+ This curious piece was entituled, A compleat Key to the What-d'ye call-it, written by one Griffin a Player, affifted by Lewis Theobald.

P.

be

be one to you to fay, that I fit up till two a clock over. Burgundy and Champagne; and am become fo much a rake, that I fhall be ashamed in a fhort time to be thought to do any fort of bufinefs. I fear I muft get the gout by drinking; purely for a fafhionable pretence to fit ftill long enough to tranflate four books of Homer. I hope you'll by that time be up again, and I may fucceed to the bed and couch of my predeceffor: pray cause the stuffing to be repaired, and the crutches fhorten'd for me.. The calamity of your gout is what all your friends, that is to say, all that know you, must share in ; we defire you in your turn to condole with us, who are under a perfecution, and much afflicted with a diftemper which proves mortal to many poets, a Criticifm. We have indeed fome relieving intervals of laughter (as you know there are in fome difeafes) and it is the opinion of divers good gueffers, that the last fit will not be more violent than advantageous; for poets affail'd by critics, are like men bitten by Tarantula's, they dance on fo much the faster.

Mr. Thomas Burnet hath play'd the precursor to the coming of Homer, in a treatife called Homerides. He has fince rifen very much in his criticifms, and, after aflaulting Homer, made a daring attack upon the What-d'ye-call-it. Yet is there not a Proclamation iffued for the burning of Homer and the Pope by the common hangman; nor is the Whatd'ye-call it yet filenced by the Lord chamberlain."

I

LETTER XXX.

Mr. CONGREVE to Mr. PORE.

May 6. Have the pleasure of your very kind letter. I have always been obliged to you for your friendfhip and concern for me, and am more affected with it, than I will take upon me to express in this letter. I do affure you there is no return wanting on my part, and am very forry I had not the good luck to fee the Dean before I left the town: it is a great pleasure to me, and not a little vanity to think that he miffes me. As to my health, which you are so kind to enquire after, it is not worfe than in London: I am almoft afraid yet to say that it is better, for I cannot reasonably expect much effect from these waters in so short a time; but in the main they seem to agree with mé. Here is not one creature that I know, which, next to the few I would chufe, contributes very much to my fatisfaction. At the fame time that I regret the want of your conversation, I please myself with thinking that you are where you firft ought to be, and engaged where you cannot do too much. Pray, give my humble service, and beft wishes to your good mother. I am sorry you don't tell me how Mr. Gay does in his health; I should have been glad to have heard he was better. My young Amanuenfis, as you call him, I am afraid, will prove but a wooden one: and you know ex quovis ligno, &c. You will pardon Mrs. R-'s pedantry, and believe me to be Your, &c.

P. S. By the inclofed you will fee I am like to be imprefs'd, and enroll'd in the lift of Mr. Curll's Authors; but, I thank God! I fhall have your company. I believe it high time you should think of adminiftring another Emetic.

VOL. VII.

LET.