Were others angry: I excus'd them too;
Well might they rage, I gave them but their due.
A man's true merit 'tis not hard to find;
But each man's fecret standard in his mind,
That Casting-weight pride adds to emptiness,
This, who can gratify? for who can guess?
The Bard whom pilfer'd Paftorals renown,
Who turns a Persian tale for half a Crown,
Just writes to make his barrenness appear,

175

180

And strains, from hard-bound brains, eight lines a

year;

He, who still wanting, tho' he lives on theft,

Steals much, spends little, yet has nothing left: - 184

And

NOTES.

On Milton's verse, did Milton comment?-Know,
A weak officious Friend becomes a Foe,

While he but fought his Author's fame to further,
The murd'rous Critic has aveng'd thy murder."

VER. 180. a Persian tale] Amb. Philips translated a Book called the Persian Tales, a book full of fancy and imagination.

POPE.

Philips, certainly not a very animated or first-rate writer, yet appears not to deserve quite so much contempt, if we look at his first and fifth pastoral, his epistle from Copenhagen, his ode on the Death of Earl Cowper, his translations of the two first Olympic odes of Pindar, the two odes of Sappho, and, above all, his pleasing tragedy of the Distress'd Mother. The fecret grounds of Philip's malignity to Pope, are said to be the ridicule and laughter he met with from all the Hanover Club, of which he was secretary, for mistaking the incomparable ironical paper in the Guardian, No. 40. which was written by Pope, for a ferious criticism on paftoral poetry. WARTON.

Philips, it is faid in Cibber's letter, hung up a rod at Button's, which he said was for Pope, who on that account left the society.

VOL. IV.

D

And He, who now to sense, now nonsense leaning,
Means not, but blunders round about a meaning:
And he, whose fustian's so sublimely bad,
It is not Poetry, but prose run mad:

All these, my modest Satire bade translate,
And own'd that nine such Poets made a Tate.

NOTES.

190 How

VER. 189. All these, my modest Satire bade translate,] See their works, in the Translations of classical books by several hands.

POPE.

VER. 190. And own'd that nine fuch Poets] Before this piece was published, Dr. Young had addressed two Epiftles to our Author, in the year 1730, concerning the Authors of the age; in which are many passages that bear a great resemblance to many of Pope's; though Pope has heightened, improved, and condensed the hints, images, and sentiments of Young.

Shall we not censure all the motley train,
Whether with ale irriguous or Champain ?
Whether they tread the vale of profe, or climb
And whet their appetite on cliffs of rhyme;
The college sloven, or embroider'd spark,
The purple prelate, or the parish clerk,
The quiet quidnunc, or demanding prig,
The plaintiff Tory, or defendant Whig;
Rich, poor, male, female, young, old, gay, or fad,
Whether extremely witty, or quite mad;
Profoundly dull, or shallowly polite,
Men that read well, or men that only write;
Whether peers, porters, taylors, tune their reeds,
And measuring words to measuring shapes fucceeds ?
For bankrupts write, when ruin'd shops are shut,
As maggots crawl from out a perish'd nut;
His hammer this, and that his trowel quits,
And, wanting sense for tradesmen, serve for wits;

Thus his material, paper, takes its birth,

From tatter'd rags of all the stuff on earth.

WARTON.

VER. 190. a Tate] There is great humour in this idea. Tate was poet laureat, and tranflated or rather paraphrafed the Pfalms in conjunction with Brady.

How did they fume, and stamp, and roar, and chafe! And fwear, not ADDISON himself was safe.

Peace to all fuch! but were there One whose fires

True Genius kindles, and fair Fame inspires;

NOTES.

Bleft

VER. 192. And swear, not ADDISON himself was fafe.] This is an artful preparative for the following transition; and finely obviates what might be thought unfavourable of the severity of the fatire, by those who were strangers to the provocation.

WARBURTON.

VER. 192. ADDISON was fafe.] This character of Addison has been confidered as Pope's master piece, in "hoc dicendi genere." It is certainly most successfully laboured; but how far it was a likeness, is with me very doubtful.

VER. 193 but were there One whose fires, &c.] Our Poet's friendship with Mr. Addison began in the year 1713. It was cultivated, on both fides, with all the marks of mutual esteem and affection, and a constant intercourse of good offices. Mr. Addifon was always commending moderation; warned his friend against a blind attachment to party; and blamed Steele for his indifcreet zeal. The translation of the Iliad being now on foot, he recommended it to the public, and joined with the Tories in pushing the subscription; but at the same time advised Mr. Pope not to be content with the applause of one half of the nation. On the other hand, Mr. Pope made his friend's interest his own, see note on Ver. 215. 1 Ep. B. ii. of Hor.) and, when Dennis so brutally attacked the Tragedy of Cato, he wrote the piece called A narrative of his madness.

Thus things continued till Mr. Pope's growing reputation, and fuperior genius * in Poetry, gave umbrage to his friend's false delicacy: and then it was he encouraged Philips and others (fee his

Let

* This statement of Warburton's is neither candid nor true : it is very easy to say, "Pope's growing reputation gave umbrage to Addifon; that Addison encouraged Philips, &c. in their clamours; that his jealousy at last broke out." But all this is directly contrary to the general tenor of Addison's life and character, and if I should make it appear, as I trust I shall, that part is untrue, we ought furely to give little credit to the reft.

Bleft with each talent and each art to please,
And born to write, converse, and live with ease :
Should fuch a man, too fond to rule alone,

Bear, like the Turk, no brother near the throne,

NOTES..

195

View

Letters) in their clamours against him as a Tory and Jacobite, who had assisted in writing the Examiners; and, under an affected care for the Government, would have hid, even from himself, the true grounds of his disgust. But his jealousy soon broke out, and discovered itself, first to Mr. Pope, and, not long after, to all the world. The Rape of the Lock had been written in a very hasty manner, and printed in a collection of Mifcellanies. The success it met with encouraged the Author to revise and enlarge it, and give it a more important air; which was done by advancing it into a mock-epic poem. In order to this it was to have its Machinery; which, by the happiest invention, he took from the Roficrucian System. Full of this noble conception, he communicated his scheme to Mr. Addison; who, he imagined, would have been equally delighted with the improvement. On the contrary, he had the mortification to see his friend receive it coldly; and even to advise him against any alteration; for that the poem, in its original state, was a delicious little thing, and, as he expressed it, merum fal. Mr. Pope was shocked for his friend; and then first began to open his eyes to his Character.

Soon after this, a tranflation of the first book of the Iliad appeared under the name of Mr. Tickell; which coming out at a critical juncture, when Mr. Pope was in the midst of his engagements on the same subject, and by a creature of Mr. Addison's, made him suspect this to be another shaft from the same quiver: And after a diligent enquiry, and laying many odd circumstances together, he was fully convinced that it was not only published with Mr. Addison's participation, but was indeed his own performance. And Sir R. Steele, in the ninth Edition of the Drummer (which Tickell had omitted to infert amongst Addison's Works) in a long epiftle to Congreve, affirms very intelligibly, that Addison, and not Tickell, was the tranflator of the first book of the Iliad, to which the latter had fet his name. Mr. Pope, in his first resentment of this usage, was refolved to expose this

new

View him with scornful, yet with jealous eyes,
And hate for arts that caus'd himself to rise;

NOTES.

200

Damn

new Verfion in a fevere critique upon it. I have now by me the Copy he had marked for this purpose; in which he has classed the feveral faults in tranflation, language, and numbers, under their proper heads. But the growing splendor of his own works fo eclipsed the faint efforts of this oppofition, that he trufted to its own weakness and malignity for the justice due unto it. About this time, Mr. Addison's fon-in-law, the E. of Warwick, told Mr. Pope, that it was in vain to think of being well with his Father, who was naturally a jealous man; that Mr Pope's talents in poetry had hurt him; and to fuch a degree, that he had underhand encouraged Gildon to write a thing about Wycherley; in which he had scurrilously abused Mr. Pope and his family; and for this service he had given Gildon ten guineas, after the pamphlet was printed. The very next day, Mr. Pope, in great heat, wrote Mr. Addison a Letter, wherein he told him, he was no stranger to his behaviour; which, however, he should not imitate: But that what he thought faulty in him, he would tell him fairly to his face; and what deferved praise he would not deny him to the world: and, as a proof of this disposition towards him, he had fent him the inclosed; which was the CHARACTER, first published separately, and afterwards inferted in this place of the Epift. to Dr. Arbuthnot. This plain dealing had no ill effect. Mr. Addison treated Mr. Pope with civility, and, as Mr. Pope believed, with justice, from this time to his death; which happened about three years after.

It appears, from a collection of Swift's Letters lately published, that Mr. Addison, when party was at its height, used Swift much better than he had used Pope, on that account, though

* It is faid that " Addison used Swift much better than he used Pope." Addison's conduct to Swift was generous and noble: They were of different parties: Addison was required to give up his acquaintance, but he constantly refused; he treated him with respect and kindness, though, by so doing, he difobliged Lord Sunderland.