acutely, nor quote very correctly, even from his friend's or his own pamphlet; I am, nevertheless, thankful for parts of his letter. He tells us, that Mr. BOWLES's Answer has been acknowledged by Mr. CAMPBELL himself to be a perfect vindication of his friend from the charges that were hastily made against him; which I should not have credited without so indisputable an assurance; and he recommends me to see Mr. BowLES's letter to CAMPBELL, as conclusive on the subject. Upon his recommendation, " seen it I have," and I think it the narrowest and feeblest defence "that e'er "my vagrant reading coped withal," on the point at issue between the Rev. LISLE BOWLES and the Reviewer of SPENCE; coming as it does from the former, who seized the opportunity "as the last "that might offer" (it will not be quite the last) of defending himself against his opponents. Mr. CAMPBELL says of his editor, that "he has kept "in the shade POPE's good qualities, and exagge "rated his bad;" Lord BYRON goes further, and asserts, that with candour on his tongue he had gall at his heart: "bitter words these, gossip!" Now how does Mr. BowLES reply to Mr. CAMPBELL? He tells us that HORACE WALPOLE had declared that POPE received a thousand pounds of the Duchess of MARLBOROUGH, on condition of suppressing the character of Atossa, and that having pocketed the money, he published the satire,

"A story so base," says Mr. BowLES, "ought "not for a moment to be admitted solely on the "testimony of WALPOLE. POPE certainly was not "afavourite (on account of political differences) with "the WALPOLES, though he received civilities "from Sir ROBERT; and till there is other proof, "besides the exparte evidence and sole assertion "of WALPOLE, the same candour which made us "regret what, upon no better foundation, was said "of ADDISON, ought to make us reject, with equal "readiness, the belief of a circumstance so derogatory to the character of POPE."

All this seems candid, and even lofty,-excepting the insinuation of civilities received by POPE from Sir ROBERT WALPOLE: but why all the vacillating and doubt about the fact, between WALPOLE's assertion, and the salvo in ADDISON'S favour, when Mr. BOWLES knew that the charge must be false, and Mr. BowLES must have been aware of the falsehood even from WARTON'S pages; since the character of Atossa, for whoever designed, was not printed till years after POPE was gathered to the grave of his fathers. Why was this kept out of sight in BOWLES's Life of POPE; why, with so unequivocal an evidence of WALPOLE'S untruth, was the tale repeated at all! This head and front of Mr. BowLES's defence offers a sorry example of "candour;" the rest is all begging of the question, or taking for granted.

In saying this I allude to the connection of POPE'S name with CURLL, and ADDISON and Lady MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE. Your correspondent says, "Mr. BowLES has advanced some facts relating "to POPE's life which have not been attempted to "be disproved: he has drawn inferences from

these, not in the spirit of spleen or sarcasm, but "with the full admission of the virtues of the great "poet." The friendship of your correspondent has, I fear, beguiled his judgment; and his deduction has, I suspect, been made without examination. It is my deliberate opinion, not hastily formed, that Mr. BOWLES has not contributed one indisputable fact to the life of POPE; and when I assert that he has charged the poet with meanness, evasion, hypocrisy, and falsehood, I am persuaded, that more facts than we are at present in the possession of are necessary to warrant such imputations.

It is not without reason that CAMPBELL, Lord BYRON, and, as Mr. BowLES complains, many others, have resented the aspersions cast on POPE's moral character: they have many of the disgusting features of the war that was once waged against BEN JOHNSON, and against MILTON, on account of his politics, and are, I persuade myself, like those, capable of satisfactory solution. Your pages may be more profitably employed than in controversy, of which no one can anticipate the termination; but to announce my determination of entering

upon the many controvertible points in POPE's life and character is the object of this communication. How far the enquiry may carry me, or how I shall succeed in my purpose, I will not venture to anticipate,—but I shall enter upon the undertaking, as the Apostle has it, "nothing doubting;" nor shall I be deterred by the terror of great names from examining those doubtful points of the letters printed by CURLL, POPE's dispute with ADDISON, nor his quarrel with that " piece of "virtue"-as CORIOLANUS says the Lady MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE.

The authority of "so respectable a name as Mr. "CAMPBELL'S" seems to have great weight with your correspondent, and well it may; and, if it were "my cue to speak," I, as you well know, Mr. Editor, could speak to Mr. CAMPBELL's personal kindnesses to myself, under very peculiar circumstances, as well as to his deserved reputation. But the merit of the enquiry I propose to myself to institute, must be decided by something more substantial than a name; at the same time, that your correspondent may not suppose that I intend to shrink from the responsibility of what is done, or what I hope to do, I shall to the latter, as well as to what is now before you, Mr. Editor, affix the signature of

OCTAVIUS GIlchrist.

Mr.OCTAVIUS GILCHRIST's unique letter is here given to the public, to shew why the article in the Quarterly is attributed to him. First, because I think any one who compares the style, the mode of argument, and the subject laid down, will exclaim, "Aut OCTAVIUS, aut DIABOLUS.' And secondly, because I believe "moral nature," "a l'outrance,' never produced, or could produce, two such critics in one age.

Mr. POPE, as a set-off to the opinion of those who abused him, produced, placing the various passages, pro and con, in columns parallel to each other, the testimonia autorum in his favour.

My relation, in opposition to GILCHRIST, his solitary slanderer, could shew a list of names equally high and honourable in the literary world. He has allowed me to copy one, in the course of this letter; and I am permitted to add a few more, as follow:

Mr. BOWLES has distinguished himself, in this idle controversy, by his observations on the character of

POPE, and his recent pamphlet on The invariable "Principles of Poetry."Quarterly Review.

Not such is the opinion of the author of "Lalla Rook." Not such is the opinion of the author of the "Last of "the Goths."