About this time Paul Whitehead, a fmall poet, was fummoned before the Lords for a poem called Manners, together with Dodfley his publifher. Whitehead, who hung loofe upon fociety, fculked and efcaped; but Dodfley's fhop and family made his appearance neceffary. He was, however, foon difmiffed; and the whole process was probably -intended rather to intimidate Pope than to punish Whitehead.

Pope never afterwards attempted to join the patriot with the poet, nor drew his pen upon ftatefmen. That he defifted from his attempts of reformation is imputed, by his commentator, to his defpair of prevailing over the corruption of the time. He was not likely to have been ever of opinion that the dread of his fatire would countervail the love

of power or of money; he pleased himself with being important and formidable, and gratified fometimes his pride, and fometimes his refentment; till at laft he began to think he fhould be more fafe, if he were lefs bufy.

The

The Memoirs of Scriblerus, published about this time, extend only to the first book of a work, projected in concert by Pope, Swift, and Arbuthnot, who used to meet in the time of Queen Anne, and denominated themfelves the Scriblerus Club. Their purpofe was to cenfure the abuses of learning by a fictitious Life of an infatuated Scholar. They were difperfed; the defign was never completed; and Warburton laments its mifcarriage, as an event very disastrous to polite letters.

If the whole may be estimated by this fpecimen, which feems to be the production of Arbuthnot, with a few touches perhaps by Pope, the want of more will not be much lamented; for the follies which the writer ridicules are fo little practifed, that they are not known; nor can the fatire be understood but by the learned: he raifes phantoms of abfurdity, and then drives them away. He cures diseases that were never felt.

For this reafon the joint production of three great writers has never obtained any

notice from mankind; it has been little read, or when read has been forgotten, as no man could be wifer, better, or merrier, by remembering it.

The defign cannot boast of much origina lity; for, befides its general resemblance to Don Quixote, there will be found in it particular imitations of the History of Mr. Ouffle, ·

Swift carried fo much of it into Ireland as fupplied him with hints for his Travels; and with those the world might have been contented, though the reft had been fuppreffed.

Pope had fought for images and fentiments in a region not known to have been explored by many other of the English writers; he had confulted the modern writers of Latin poetry, a clafs of authors whom Boileau endeavoured to bring into contempt, and who are too generally neglected. Pope, however, was not ashamed of their acquaintance, nor ungrateful for the advantages which he might have derived from it. A fmall felection from the Italians who wrote in Latin had been published at London, about the latter end of

the

the last century, by a man who concealed his name, but whom his Preface fhews to have been well qualified for his undertaking. This collection Pope amplified by more than half, and (1740) published it in two volumes, but injuriously omitted his predeceffor's preface. To these books, which had nothing but the mere text, no regard was paid, the authors were still neglected, and the editor was neither praised nor cenfured.

He did not fink into idleness; he had planned a work, which he confidered as fubfequent to his Efay on Man, of which he has given this account to Dr. Swift.

८८

"March 25, 1736.

If ever I write any more Epistles in verse, one of them shall be addreffed to you. "I have long concerted it, and begun it; "but I would make what bears your name "as finished as my laft work ought to be, "that is to fay, more finished than any of "the reft. The fubject is large, and will "divide into four Epiftles, which naturally "follow the Effay on Man, viz. 1. Of the "Extent and Limits of Human Reafon and " Science.

Science. 2. A View of the useful and "therefore attainable, and of the unufeful " and therefore unattainable Acts. 3. Of "the Nature, Ends, Application, and Use " of different Capacities. 4. Of the Use of Learning, of the Science, of the World, " and of Wit. It will conclude with a "fatire against the Mifapplication of all these, exemplified by Pictures, Characters, and Examples."

This work in its full extent, being now afflicted with an afthma, and finding the powers of life gradually declining, he had no longer courage to undertake; but, from the materials which he had provided, he added, at Warburton's request, another book to the Dunciad, of which the defign is to ridicule fuch studies as are either hopeless or useless, as either purfue what is unattainable, or what, if it be attained, is of no ufe.

When this book was printed (1742) 'the laurel had been for fome time upon the head of Cibber; a man whom it cannot be fuppofed that Pope could regard with much kindness or esteem, though in one of the Imitations

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