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prefs his rifing merit. "It is certain," fays the author of the effay on Pope, "that Addifon difcouraged Pope from inferting the machinery in the Rape of the Lock that he privately infinuated that Pope was a tory and a jacobite, and had a hand in writing the Examithat Addifon himself translated the first book of Homer, publifhed under Tickel's name : and that he fecretly

Concerning this accufation, there are fome circumftances in Pope's letters, that serve to prove it very clearly. Dr. Parnell writes to him, " I have feen the first book of Homer, which came out at a time when it could not but appear as a kind of fetting up against you. My opinion is, that you may, if you pleafe, give them thanks who writ it. Neither the numbers nor the spirit have an equal mastery with your's; but what furprizes me more is, that a fcholar being concerned, there fhould happen to be fome miftakes in the author's

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cretly encouraged Gildon to abuse Pope in a virulent pamphlet, for which Ad

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fenfe; fuch as putting the light of Pallas's eyes into the eyes of Achilles, making the taunt of Achilles to Agamemnon (that he fhould have fpoils when Troy fhould be taken) to be a cool and ferious propofal."-Pope's Works, vol. viii. P. 264.

And Dr. Berkley as follows," Some days ago three or four gentlemen and my felf, exerting that right which all readers pretend to over authors, fat in judgment upon the two new translations of the first Iliad. Without any partiality to my countrymen, I affure you, they all gave the preference where it was due; being unanimously of opinion that your's was equally just to your fenfe with Mr. 's, and without comparison more eafy, more poetical, and more fublime." And Mr. Gay. I have juft fet down Sir Samuel

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He bid me tell you, that every body is pleafed with your tranflation, but a few at Button's; and that Sir Richard Steel told him, that Mr. Addifon faid the other tranflation

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difon paid Gildon ten guineas*." The letters which had paffed between thefe two poets, that are published in Mr. Pope's works, contain many compliments from Addison to Pope on his translation of Homer. But what the latter's opinion was of his fincerity, may

was the best that ever was in any language.- [ am informed that at Button's your character is made very free with as to morals, &c. and Mr. Addifon fays, that your tranflation and Tickell's are both very well done, but that the latter has more of Homer." Dr. Arbuthnot writes to him, "I congratulate you upon T* 's first book. It does not indeed want its merit; but I was ftrangely disappointed in my expectation of a translation nicely true to the original; whereas in those parts where the greatest exactness seems to be demanded, he has been the leaft careful, I mean the history of antient ceremonies and rites, &c. in which you have with great judgment been exact." Ib. P. 265, 266,

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be gathered from one of his letters to Jarvis, who, it feems, wrote to him concerning a propofal to ftrengthen the pretended friendship between them; and in answer to it, among other things, Mr. Pope fays, "what you mention of the friendly office you endeavoured to do between Mr. Addifon and me, deferves acknowledgments on my part. You' thoroughly know my regard to his character, and my propensity to teftify it by all ways in my power. You as thoroughly know the fcandalous meanness of that proceeding which was ufed by Philips, to make a man I fo highly value fufpect my difpofitions towards him. But as, after all, Mr. Addison must be the judge in what regards himfelf, and has feemed to be no very juft one to me; fo I muft own to you, pect nothing but civility from him, how

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much foever I wish for his friendship. As for any offices of real kindness or fervice, which it is in his power to do me, I fhould be afhamed to receive them from any man who had no better opinion of my morals, than to think me a partyman; nor of my temper, than to believe me capable of maligning, or envying another's reputation as a poet. So I believe it time to convince him as to both, to show him the fhallow depths of thefe half-witted creatures who mifinformed him, and to prove that I am incapable of endeavouring to leffen a perfon whom I should be proud to imitate, and therefore afhamed to flatter. In a word, Mr. Addison is fure of my respect at all times, and of my real friendship whenever he shall think fit to know me for what I am."

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