mon life, fometimes vexed, and fometimes pleafed, with the natural emotions of com

mon men.

His fcorn of the Great is repeated too often to be real; no man thinks much of that which he despises; and as falfehood is always in danger of inconfiftency, he makes it his boast at another time that he lives among them.

It is evident that his own importance fwells often in his mind. He is afraid of writing, left the clerks of the Poft-office fhould know his fecrets; he has many enemies; he confiders himself as furrounded by universal jealoufy; after many deaths, and many difperfions, two or three of us, fays he, may fill be brought together, not to plot, but to divert ourselves, and the world too, if it pleases; and they can live together, and hew what friends wits may be, in spite of all the fools in the world. All this while it was likely that the clerks did not know his hand; he certainly had no more enemies than a publick character like his inevitably excites, and with what degree of friendship the wits might live, very few were fo much fools as ever to enquire.

Some part of this pretended difcontent he learned from Swift, and expreffes it, I think, most frequently in his correspondence with him. Swift's refentment was unreasonable, but it was fincere; Pope's was the mere mimickry of his friend, a fictitious part which he began to play before it became him. When he was only twenty-five years old, he related that a glut of study and retirement had thrown him on the world, and that there was danger left a glut of the world fhould throw him back upon study and retirement. To this Swift answered with great propriety, that Pope had not yet either acted or fuffered enough in the world to have become weary of it. And, indeed, it must be fome very powerful reafon that can drive back to folitude him who has once enjoyed the pleasures of fociety.

In the Letters both of Swift and Pope there appears fuch narrowness of mind, as makes them infenfible of any excellence that has not fome affinity with their own, and confines their efteem and approbation to fo small a number, that whoever fhould form his opinion of the age from their representation,

would

would fuppofe them to have lived amidst ignorance and barbarity, unable to find among their contemporaries either virtue or intelligence, and perfecuted by thofe that could not understand them.

When Pope murmurs at the world, when he profeffes contempt of fame, when he speaks of riches and poverty, of fuccefs and disappointment, with negligent indifference, he certainly does not exprefs his habitual and fettled fentiments, but either wilfully difguifes his own character, or, what is more likely, invests himself with temporary qualities, and fallies out in the colours of the present moment. His hopes and fears, his joys and forrows, acted strongly upon his mind; and if he differed from others, it was not by careleffness; he was irritable and refentful; his malignity to Philips, whom he had first made ridiculous, and then hated for being angry, continued too long. Of his vain defire to make Bentley contemptible, I never heard any adequate reafon. He was fometimes wanton in his attacks; and, before Chandos, Lady Wortley, and Hill, was mean in his retreat.

The

The virtues which feem to have had most of his affection were liberality and fidelity of friendship, in which it does not appear that he was other than he defcribes himfelf. His fortune did not fuffer his charity to be fplendid and confpicuous; but he affifted Dodfley with a hundred pounds, that he might opent a fhop; and of the fubfcription of forty pounds a year that he raised for Savage, twenty were paid by himself. He was accused of loving money, but his love was eagerness to gain, not folicitude to keep it.

In the duties of friendship he was zealous and conftant: his early maturity of mind commonly united him with men older than himself, and therefore, without attaining any confiderable length of life, he faw many companions of his youth fink into the grave; but it does not appear that he loft a fingle friend by coldnefs or by injury; those who loved him once, continued their kindness. His ungrateful mention of Allen in his will, was the effect of his adherence to one whom he had known much longer, and whom he naturally loved with greater fondness. His violation

violation of the trust repofed in him by Bolingbroke could have no motive inconfiftent with the warmeft affection; he either thought the action fo near to indifferent that he forgot it, or fo laudable that he expected his friend to approve it.

It was reported, with fuch confidence as almoft to enforce belief, that in the papers intrufted to his executors was found a defamatory Life of Swift, which he had prepared as an inftrument of vengeance to be used, if any provocation should be ever given. About this I enquired of the Earl of Marchmont, who affured me that no fuch piece was among his remains,

The religion in which he lived and died was that of the Church of Rome, to which in his correspondence with Racine he profeffes himself a fincere adherent. That he was not fcrupulously pious in fome part of his life, is known by many idle and indecent applications of fentences taken from the Scriptures; a mode of merriment which a good man dreads for its profaneness, and a witty man disdains for its eafinefs and vulgarity. But VOL. IV.

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