by the mention of any recent theatrical tranfactions, he faid, that he once thought to have introduced his lovers disguised in a Mummy and a Crocodile. "This," fays he, "was received with loud claps, which indi"cated contempt of the play." Pope, who was behind the scenes, meeting him as he left the ftage, attacked him, as he fays, with all the virulence of a Wit out of bis fenfes; to which he replied, "that he would take no "other notice of what was faid by fo particular a man "than to declare, that, as often as he played that ❝he would repeat the fame provocation."

part,

He fhews his opinion to be, that Pope was one of the authors of the play which he so zealously defended; and adds an idle ftory of Pope's behaviour at a tavern.

The pamphlet was written with little power of thought or language, and, if fuffered to remain without notice, would have been very foon forgotten. Pope had now been enough acquainted with human life to know, if his paffion had not been too powerful for his understanding, that, from a contention like his with Cibber, the world seeks nothing but diverfion, which is given at the expence of the higher character. When Cibber lampooned Pope, curiofity was excited; what Pope would fay of Cibber nobody enquired, but in hope that Pope's afperity might betray his pain and leffen his dignity.

He fhould therefore have fuffered the pamphlet to flutter and die, without confeffing that it ftung him. The dishonour of being fhewn as Cibber's antagonist could never be compenfated by the victory. Cibber had nothing to lofe; when Pope had exhausted all his malignity upon him, he would rife in the efteem both of his friends and his enemies. Silence only could have made

made him defpicable; the blow which did not appear to be felt, would have been ftruck in vain.

But Pope's irafcibility prevailed, and he refolved to tell the whole English world that he was at war with Cibber; and to fhew that he thought him no common adverfary, he prepared no common vengeance; he published a new edition of the Dunciad, in which he degraded Theobald from his painful pre-eminence, and enthroned Cibber in his ftead. Unhappily the two heroes were of oppofite characters, and Pope was unwilling to lose what he had already written; he has therefore depraved his poem by giving to Cibber the old books, the cold pedantry, and fluggish pertinacity of Theobald.

Pope was ignorant enough of his own intereft, to make another change, and introduced Ofborne contending for the prize among the book fellers. Ofborne was a man intirely destitute of shame, without sense of any difgrace but that of poverty. He told me, when he was doing that which raised Pope's refentment, that he fhould be put into the Dunciad; but he had the fate of Caffandra; I gave no credit to his prediction, till in time I saw it accomplished. The fhafts of fatire were directed equally in vain against Cibber and Of berne; being repelled by the impenetrable impudence of one, and deadened by the impaffive dulnefs of the other. Pope confeffed his own pain by his anger; but he gave no pain to those who had provoked him. He was able to hurt none but himself; by transferring the fame ridicule from one to another, he deftroyed its efficacy; for, by fhewing that what he had faid of one he was ready to fay of another, he reduced himfelf to the infignificance of his own magpye, who from his cage calls cuckold at a venture.

Cibber, according to his engagement, repaid the Dunciad with another pamphlet, which, Pope faid, would be as good as a dofe of hartfhorn to him; but his tongue and his heart were at variance. I have heard Mr. Richardfon relate, that he attended his father the painter on a vifit, when one of Cibber's pamphlets came into the hands of Pope, who faid, Thefe things are my diverfion. They fat by him while he perused it, and faw his features writhen with anguifh; and young Richardfon faid to his father, when they returned, that he hoped to be preferved from fuch diverfion as had been that day the lot of Pope *.

From this time, finding his diseases more oppreffive, and his vital powers gradually declining, he no longer ftrained his faculties with any original compofition, nor propofed any other employment for his remaining life than the revifal and correction of his former works; in which he received advice and affiftance from Warburton, whom he appears to have trufted and honoured in the highest degree.

.

He laid aside his Epick Poem, perhaps without much lofs to mankind; for his hero was Brutus the Trojan, who, according to a ridiculous fiction, established a colony in Britain. The fubject therefore was of the fabulous age; the actors were a race upon whom imagination has been exhaufted, and attention wearied, and to whom the mind will not cafily be recalled, when it is invited in blank verfe, which Pope had adopted with great imprudence, and I think without due confideration of the nature of our language. The fketch is, at leaft in part, preferved by Ruffhead; by which it appears, that Pope was thoughtless enough to model the

* This I alfo have heard the younger Richardfon relate.

names

names of his heroes with terminations not confiftent with the time or country in which he places them.

He lingered through the next year; but perceived himself, as he expreffes it, going down the hill. He had for at least five years been afflicted with an afthma, and other disorders, which his phyficians were unable to relieve. Towards the end of his life he confulted Dr. Thomson, a man who had, by large promifes, and free cenfures of the common practice of phyfick, forced himself up into fudden reputation. Thomfon declared his distemper to be a dropfy, and evacuated part of the water by tincture of jalap; but confeffed that his belly did not fubfide. Thomfon had many enemies, and Pope was perfuaded to difmifs him.

While he was yet capable of amusement and converfation, as he was one day fitting in the air with Lord Bolingbroke and Lord Marchmont, he faw his favourite Martha Blount at the bottom of the terrace, and asked Lord Bolingbroke to go and hand her up. Bolingbroke, not liking his errand, croffed his legs, and fat ftill; but Lord Marchmont, who was your ger and lefs captious, waited on the Lady; who, when he cante to her, asked, What, is he not dead yet? She is faid to have neglected him, with fhameful unkindnefs, in the latter time of his decay; yet, of the little which he had to leave, she had a very great part. Their acquaintance began early; the life of each was pictured on the other's mind; their converfation therefore was endearing, for when they met, there was an immediate coalition of congenial notions. Perhaps he confidered her unwillingnefs to approach the chamber of ficknefs as female weakness, or human frailty; perhaps he was confeious to himself of peevifhnefs and impatience, or, though

he was offended by her inattention, might yet confider her merit as overbalancing her fault; and, if he haď fuffered his heart to be alienated from her, he could have found nothing that might fill her place; he could have only fhrunk within himself; it was too late to transfer his confidence or fondness.

In May 1744, his death was approaching; on the fixth, he was all day delirious, which he mentioned four days afterwards as a fufficient humiliation of the vanity of man; he afterwards complained of feeing things as through a curtain, and in falfe colours; and one day, in the presence of Dodfley, asked what arm it was that came out from the wall. He said that his greatest inconvenience was inability to think.

Bolingbroke fometimes wept over him in this ftate of helpless decay; and being told by Spence, that Pope, at the intermiffion of his delirioufnefs, was always faying fomething kind either of his prefent or abfent friends, and that his humanity feemed to have furvived his understanding, answered, It has fo. And added, I never in my life know a man that had so tender a heart for his particular friends, or more general friendship for mankind. At another time he faid, I bave known Pope thefe thirty years, and value myself more in his friendship than-his grief then fuppreffed his voice.

Pope expreffed undoubting confidence of a future ftate. Being asked by his friend Mr. Hooke, a papist, whether he would not die like his father and mother, and whether a prieft fhould not be called, he answered, I do not think it effential, but it will be very right; and Ï thank you for putting me in mind of it.

In the morning, after the priest had given him the laft facraments, he faid, "There is nothing that is me