fourth part I have wholly added, as a climax which fums up all the praise, advantage, and happiness of Dulnefs in a few words, and ftrengthens them by the oppofition of the difgrace, disadvantage, and unhappiness of Wit, with which it concludes b.

Tho' the whole be as short again as at first, there is not one thought omitted, but what is a repetition of fomething in your first volume, or in this very paper: fome thoughts are contracted, where they seem'd encompass'd with too many words; and fome new express'd, or added, where I thought there wanted heightning, (as you'll fee particularly in the Simile of the clock-weights) and the versification through

b This is totally omitted in the present Edition: Some of the lines are these :

"Thus Dulness, the fafe opiate of the mind,
"The laft kind refuge weary wit can find;
"Fit for all stations, and in each content,
"Is fatisfy'd, fecure, and innocent;
"No pains it takes, and no offence it gives,
"Unfear'd, unhated, undisturb'd it lives, &c.
• It was originally thus exprefs'd:

"As Clocks run fafteft when moft lead is on."
in a Letter of Mr. Pope to
Mr. Wycherley, dated April
3, 1705, and in a paper of
verfes of his, To the Author
of a poem call'd Succeffio,
which got out in a Mifcellany

in 1712, three years before Mr. Wycherley died, and two after he had laid afide the whole defign of publishing any poems. P. These two fimiles of the

out

out is, I believe, fuch as no body can be fhock'd at. The repeated permiffions you give me of dealing freely with you, will (I hope) excufe what I have done: for if I have not fpar'd you when I thought severity would do you a kindness, I have not mangled you where I thought there was no abfolute need of amputation. As to particulars, I can fatisfy you better when we meet; in the mean time pray write to me when you can, you cannot too often.

LETTER XIV.

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

Nov. 22, 1707.

OU may see by my style, I had the happi

You

nefs and fatisfaction to receive yesterday, by the hands of Mr. Englefyld, your extreme kind and obliging letter of the 20th of this month; which, like all the rest of yours, did at once mortify me, and make me vain; fince it tells me with fo much more wit, fenfe, and kindness than mine can

Biafs of a Bowl, and the Weights of a Clock were at length put into the first book of the Dunciad. And thus we

exprefs, that my letters

have the hiftory of their birth, fortunes, and final establishment.

are

are always welcome to you.

your

So that even

whilst kindness invites me to write to you, your wit and judgment forbid me; fince I may return you a letter, but never an answer.

you

Now, as for my owning your affistance to me, in over-looking my unmufical numbers, and harsher fenfe, and correcting them both with your genius, or judgment; I must tell I always own it (in fpite of your unpoetic modefty) who would do with your friendship as your charity; conceal your bounty to magnify the obligation; and even whilft you lay on your friend the favour, acquit him of the debt: but that shall not serve your turn; I will always own, 'tis my infallible Pope has, or would redeem me from a poetical damning, the fecond time; and fave my rhimes from being condemn'd to the critics flames to all eternity; but (by the faith you profess) you know your of fupererogation, transfer'd upon an humble, acknowledging finner, may fave even him: having good works enough of your own befides, to enfure yours, and their immortality.

works

And now for the pains you have taken to recommend my Dulness, by making it more methodical, I give you a thousand thanks; since true and natural dulness is shown more by its pretence to form and method, as the fpright

I

linefs

a

linefs of wit by its defpifing both. I thank you a thousand times for your repeated invitations to come to Binfield: You will find, it will be as hard for you to get quit of my mercenary kindness to you, as it would for me to deserve, or return to yours; however it shall be the endeavour of my future life, as it will be to demonstrate myself

Your, &c.

LETTER XV.

Nov. 29, 1707.

THE compliments you make me, in regard of any inconfiderable fervice I could do you, are very unkind, and do but tell me in other words, that my friend has fo mean an opinion of me, as to think I expect acknowledgments for trifles: which upon my faith I fhall equally take amifs, whether made to myself, or to any other. For God's fake (my dear friend) think better of me, and believe I defire no fort of favour fo much, as that of serving

you more confiderably than I have been yet

able to do.

I fhall proceed in this manner with fome others of your pieces; but fince you defire I would not deface your copy for the future, and only mark the repetitions; I muft, as foon as I've mark'd these, transcribe what is left on another paper; and in that, blot, alter, and add all I can devife, for their improvement. For you are fenfible, the omiffion of Repetitions is but one, and the easiest part, of yours and my defign; there remaining befides to rectify the Method, to connect the Matter, and to mend the Expreffion and Verfification. I will go next upon the poems of Solitude, on the Public, and on the mixt Life; the bill of. Fare; the praises of Avarice, and fome others.

I must take notice of what you say, of

my pains to make your dulnefs methodical;" and of your hint, "that the fprightliness of "wit despises method." This is true enough, if by wit you mean no more than fancy or conceit; but in the better notion of wit, confider'd as propriety, furely method is not only neceffary for perfpicuity and harmony of parts, but gives beauty even to the minute and particular thoughts, which receive an additional advantage from thofe which precede or follow in their due place. You remember a fimile

Mr.