One may add to this, that fuch a friendship is of greater ufe and advantage to both; for the old man will grow gay and agreeable to please the young one; and the young man more difcreet and prudent by the help of the old one; fo it may prove a cure of those epidemical diseases of age and youth, fournefs and maduefs, I hope you will not need many arguments to convince you of the poffibility of this; one alone abundantly fatisfies me, and convinces to the heart; which is, that young as I am, and old as you are, I am your entirely affectionate, &c.

LETTER VII.

June 23, 1705.

I Should believe myself happy in your good opinion, but that you treat me fo much in a ftyle of compliment. It hath been observed of women, that they are more fubject in their youth to be touched with vanity than men, on account of their being generally treated this way; but the weakest women are not more weak than that clafs of men, who are thought to pique themselves upon their Wit. The world is never wanting, when a coxcomb is accomplishing himself, to help to give him the finishing stroke.

Every man is apt to think his neighbour overftock'd with vanity, yet, I cannot but fancy there are certain times, when moft people are in a disposition of being informed; and 'tis incredible what a vast good a little truth might do, spoken in fuch feafons. A fmall alms will do a great kindness, to people in extreme neceflity.

Mr. Wycherley was at this time about seventy years old, Mr. Pope under feventeen.

I could name an acquaintance of yours, who would at this time think himself more obliged to you for the information of his faults, than the confirmation of his follies. If you would make those the fubject of a letter, it might be as long as I could wish your letters always were.

I do not wonder you have hitherto found fome difficulty (as you are pleased to fay) in writing to me, fince you have always chofen the task of commending me: take but the other way, and, I dare engage, you will find none at all.

As for my verfes, which you praise so much, I may truly fay they have never been the cause of any vanity in me, except what they gave me when they firft occafioned my acquaintance with you. But I have several times fince been in danger of this vice; as often, I mean, as I received any letters from you. 'Tis certain, the greatest magnifying glaffes in the world are a man's own eyes, when they look upon his own perfon; yet even in those, I cannot fancy myself so extremely like Alexander the Great, as you would perfuade me. If I must be like him, 'tis you will make me fo by complimenting me into a better opinion of myself than I deferve: They made him think he was the fon of Jupiter, and you affure me I am a man of parts. But is this all you can fay to my honour? you faid ten times as much before, when call'd me your you friend. After having made me believe I poffefs'd a share in your affection, to treat me with compliments and fweet fayings, is like the proceeding with poor Sancho Panca: they perfuaded him that he enjoy'd a great dominion, and then gave him nothing to fubfift upon but wafers and marmalade. In our days the greatest obligation you can lay upon a Wit, is to make a tool of him. For as when madmen are found incurable, wife men give them

their way, and please them as well as they can; so when those incorrigible things, Poets, are once irrecoverably be-mus'd, the best way both to quiet them, and fecure yourself from the effects of their frenzy, is to feed their vanity; which indeed, for the most part, is all that is fed in a poet.

You may believe me, I could be heartily glad that all you fay were as true, applied to me, as it would be to yourself, for feveral weighty reafons; but for none so much as that I might be to you what you deferve; whereas I can now be no more than is confift ent with the small tho' utmost capacity of, &c.

I

LETTER VIII.

Oct. 26, 1705.

Have now changed the scene from the town to the country; from Will's coffee-houfe to Windfor-forest. I find no other difference than this, betwixt the common town-wits, and the downright country fools; that the firft are pertly in the wrong, with a little more flourish and gayety; and the last neither in the right nor the wrong, but confirm'd in a ftupid fettled medium betwixt both. However, methinks, these are moft in the right, who quietly and eafily refign themselves over to the gentle reign of dulnefs, which the Wits must do at laft, tho' after a great deal of noise and refiftance. Ours are a fort of modeft inoffenfive people, who neither have fenfe, nor pretend to any, but enjoy a jovial fort of dulnefs: They are commonly known in the world by the name of honeft, civil gentlemen: They live, much as they ride, at random; a kind of hunting life, purfuing with earnestness and hazard fomething not worth the catching; neyer

the way, nor out of it. I can't but prefer folitude to the company of all these; for tho' a man's felf may poffibly be the worst fellow to converfe with in the world, yet one would think the company of a perfon whom we have the greatest regard to and affection for, could not be very unpleafant. As a man in love with a mistress, defires no converfation but hers, fo a man in love with himself (as moft men are) may be bet pleased with his own. Befides, if the trueft and most ufeful knowledge be the knowledge of ourselves, folitude, conducing moft to make us look into ourselves, fhould be the most instructive state of life. We fee nothing more commonly, than men, who for the sake of the circumstantial part and mere outside of life, have been half their days rambling out of their nature, and ought to be fent into folitude to ftudy themselves over again. People are ufually fpoiled, inftead of being taught, at their coming into the world; whereas, by being more converfant with Obscurity, without any pains, they would naturally follow what they were meant for. In a word, if a man be a coxcomb, Solitude is his best School; and if he be a fool, it is his best Sanctuary.

These are good reasons for my own ftay here, but I wish I could give you any for your coming hither, except that I earnestly invite you. And yet I can't help faying I have suffered a great deal of difcontent that you do not come, tho' I fo little merit that you fhould.

I must complain of the fhortnefs of your last. Thofe who have most wit, like those who have most money, are generally moft fparing of either.

You

LETTER IX.

From Mr. WY CHERLEY.

Nov. 5, 1705.

Ours of the 20th of October I have received, as I have always done yours, with no little fatisfaction, and am proud to discover by it, that you find fault with the shortnefs of mine, which I think the best excufe for it: And tho' they (as you fay) who have most wit or money are moft sparing of either; there are fome who appear poor to be thought rich, and are poor, which is my cafe. I cannot but rejoice, that you have undergone fo much discontent for want of my company; but if you have a mind to punish me for my fault (which I could not help) defer your coming to town, and

you will do it effectually. But I know your charity always exceeds your revenge, fo that I will not despair of seeing you, and, in return to your inviting me to your foreft, invite you to my forest, the town; where the beafts that inhabit, tame or wild, of long ears, or horns, purfue one another either out of love or hatred. You may have the pleasure to fee one pack of bloodhounds purfue another herd of brutes, to bring each other to their fall, which is their whole fport: Or if you affect a lefs bloody chace, you may fee a pack of fpaniels, called Lovers, in a hot purfuit of a twolegged vixen, who only flies the whole loud pack to be fingled out by one dog, who runs mute to catch her the fooner from the reft, as they are making a noise to the lofs of their game. In fine, this is the time for all forts of sport in the town, when thofe of the coun-try ceafe; therefore leave your foreft of beafts for ours of brutes, called men, who now in full cry (pack'd by the court or country) run down in the house of com

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