LETTER XIII. A winter invitation to a fire-fide. XIV. From Mr. Digby. A letter of friendship. The XV. On the fame fubject. XVI. XVII. On the feafon of Christmas: Cuftoms of hofpita- XVIII. To the Hon. Edward Digby, on his brother's death. LETTERS to and from Dr. ATTERBURY, Bifhop of From 1716 to 1723. P. 318. V. On the fate of the South-Sea. VI. From the Bishop of Rochester. Of Mr. Dryden's monument: The Arabian Tales: The South-Sea VII. From the fame. On a manufcript of Huetius, and IX. From the Bishop of Rochester. On his ill health. Waller's verfes on fickness. Mr. Prior's funeral. XIII. To the Bishop in the country: Wishes for his quiet. XIV. From the Bishop of Rochester, his defire of quiet, XV. An invitation to Twickenham: The vanity and XVI. From the Bishop of Rochefter. An anfwer to the XVIII. From the fame. More concerning men of quality. XIX. The Duke of Marlborough's funeral. The au- XX. From the Bishop. Answer to the former. Ap- plication of fome verfes of Horace to the Duke of XXI. From the Bishop of Rochester in the Tower. XXIII. The author's laft letter to the Bishop of Rochefter.. PREFACE OF THE PUBLISHER of the SURREPTITIOUS EDITION, 1735 WE prefume we want no apology to the Reader for this publication, but fome may be thought needful to Mr. Pope: however, he cannot think our offence fo great as theirs, who firft Separately published what we have here but collected in a better form and order. As for the letters we have procured to be added, they ferve but to complete, explain, and fometimes fet in a true light, thofe others, which it was not in the Writer's or our power to recall. This Collection hath been owing to feveral cabinets : Some drawn from thence by accidents, and others (even of thofe to ladies) voluntarily given. It is to one of that fex we are beholden for the whole correfpondence with H. C. Efq. which letters being lent her by that gentleman, She took the liberty to print; as appears by the following, which we shall give at length, both as it is fomething cu rious, and as it may ferve for an apology for ourselves. To HENRY CROMWELL, Efq. June 27, 1727. AFTER fo long a filence as the many and great oppreffions I have fighed under have occafioned, one is at a loss how to begin a letter to fo kind a friend as yourself. But as it was always my refolution, if I must fink, to do it as decently (that is, as filently) as I could; fo when I found myself plunged into unforefeen and unavoidable ruin, I retreated from the world, and in a manner buried myself in a dismal place, where I knew none, and none knew me. In this dull unthinking way, I have protracted a lingering death (for life it cannot be called) ever fince you saw me, fequeftered from company, deprived of my books, and nothing left to converse with, but the letters of my dead or absent friends; among which latter I always placed yours, and Mr. Pope's, in the first rank. I lent fome of them indeed to an ingenious person, who was fo delighted with the fpecimen, that he importuned me for a fight of the reft, which having obtained, he conveyed them to the prefs, I must not fay altogether with my confent, nor wholly without it. I thought them too good to be left in oblivion, and had no caufe to apprehend the difobliging of any. The public, viz. all persons of taste and judgment, would be pleased with fo agreeable an amufement; Mr. Cromwell could not be angry, fince it was but juftice to his merit, to publish the folemn and private profeffions of love, gratitude, and veneration, made him by fo celebrated an author; and fincerely Mr. Pope ought not to refent the publication, fince the early pregnancy of his genius was no difhonour to his character. And yet had either of you been afked, common modesty would have obliged you to re fuse what you would not be displeased with, if done without your knowledge. And befides, to end all difpute, you had been pleased to make me a free gift of them, to do what I pleased with them; and every one knows, that the person to whom a letter is addressed, has the fame right to difpofe of it, as he has of goods purchafed with his money. I doubt not but your generosity and honour will do me the right, of owning by a line that I came honeftly by them. I flatter myself, in a few months I fhall again be visible to the world; and whenever through good providence that turn shall happen, I fhall joyfully acquaint you with it, there being none more truly your obliged fervant, than, Sir, Your faithful, and moft humble Servant, E. THOMAS. P. S. A Letter, Sir, directed to Mrs. Thomas, to be left at my houfe, will be fafely transmitted to her, by, Yours, etc. To Mr. POPE. E. CURLL. Epfom, July 6, 1727. HEN thefe letters were firft printed, I wondered WHEN how Curl could come by them, and could not but laugh at the pompous title; fince whatever you wrote to me was humour, and familiar raillery. As foon as I came from Epfom, I heard you had been to fee me, and I writ you a fhort letter from Will's, that I longed to see you. Mr. D -s, about that time, charged me with giving them to a miftrefs, which I pofitively denied: not in the leaft, at that time, thinking of it; but fome time after, finding in the News-papers Letters from Lady Packington, Lady |