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LETTER IV.

DEAR MR. GAY, Sept. 23, 1714. Elcome to your native foila! welcome to your friends! thrice welcome to me! whether returned in glory, bleft with court-interest, the love and familiarity of the great, and fill'd with agreeable hopes; or melancholy with dejection, contemplative of the changes of fortune, and doubtful for the future: Whether return'd a triumphant Whig, or a defponding Tory, equally all hail! equally beloved and welcome to me! If happy, I am to partake in your elevation; if unhappy, you have still a warm corner in my heart, and a retreat at Binfield in the worst of times at your service. If you are a Tory, or thought fo by any man, I know it can proceed from nothing but your gratitude to a few people who endeavour'd to ferve you, and whose politics were never your concern. If you are a Whig, as I rather hope, and, as I think, your 'principles and mine (as brother poets) had ever a bias to the fide of Liberty, I I know you will be an honeft man, and an in

a In the beginning of this they returned to England: year Mr. Gay went over to and it was on this occafion Hanover with the Earl of that Mr. Pope met him with Clarendon, who was fent thi-this friendly welcome. ther by Q.Anne, On her death

offenfive

offenfive one. Upon the whole, I know, you are incapable of being fo much of either party as to be good for nothing. Therefore, once more, whatever you are, or in whatever state you are, all hail!

One or two of your own friends complain'd they had heard nothing from you fince the Queen's death; I told them no man living lov'd Mr. Gay better than I, yet I had not once written to him in all his voyage. This I thought a convincing proof, how truly one may be a friend to another without telling him fo every month. But they had reasons too themselves to alledge in your excufe; as men who really value one another, will never want fuch as make their friends and themselves eafy. The late Univerfal concern in public affairs, threw us all into a hurry of fpirits: even I, who am more a Philofopher than to expect any thing from any Reign, was born away with the current, and full of the expectation of the Succeffor; During your journeys I knew not whither to aim a letter after you; that was a fort of shooting flying: add to this the demand Homer had upon me, to write fifty verses a day, besides learned notes, all which are at a conclufion for this year. Rejoice with me, O my friend, that my labour is over; come and make merry with me in much feasting We will feed among the lilies (by the lilies I

mean the Ladies). Are not the Rofalinda's of Britain as charming as the Bloufalinda's of the Hague? or have the two great Paftoral poets of our nation renounced love at the fame time? for Philips, immortal Philips hath deserted, yea, and in a ruftic manner kicked, his Rofalind. Dr. Parnelle and I have been infeparable ever fince you went. We are now at the Bath, where (if you are not, as I heartily hope, better engaged) your coming would be the greatest pleasure to us in the world. Talk not of expences Homer fhall fupport his children. I beg a line from you directed to the post-house in Bath. Poor Parnelle is in an ill state of health.

Pardon me if I add a word of advice in the poetical way. Write something on the King, or Prince, or Princess. On whatsoever foot you may be with the court, this can do no harmI shall never know where to end, and am confounded in the many things I have to say to you, tho' they all amount but to this, that I am entirely, as ever,

Your, &c.

LE T

I

LETTER V.

London, Nov. 8, 1717.

AM extremely glad to find by a Letter of yours to Mr. Fortescue, that you have received one from me; and I beg you to keep as the greatest of curiofities, that letter of mine which you received, and I never writ.

But the truth is, that we were made here to expect you in a short time, that I was upon the ramble most part of the Summer, and have concluded the season in grief, for the death of my poor father.

I fhall not enter into a detail of my concerns and troubles, for two reafons; because I am really afflicted and need no airs of grief, and because they are not the concerns and troubles of any but myself. But I think you (without too great a compliment) enough my friend, to be pleas'd to know he died easily, without a groan, or the fickness of two minutes; in a word, as filently and peacefully as he lived.

Sic mihi contingat vivere, ficque mori!

I am not in the humour to fay gay things, nor in the affectation of avoiding them. I can't pretend to entertain either Mr. Pulteney or you, as you have done both my Lord Burlington and

L 4

me,

me, by your letter to Mr. Lowndesa. I am only forry you have no greater quarrel to Mr. Lowndes, and wish you paid fome hundreds a year to the land-tax. That gentleman is lately become an inoffenfive perfon to me too; so that we may join heartily in our addreffes to him, and (like true patriots) rejoice in all that good done to the nation and government, to which we contribute nothing ourselves.

I should not forget to acknowledge your letter fent from Aix; you told me then that writing was not good with the waters, and, I find fince, you are of my opinion, that 'tis as bad without the waters. But, I fancy, it is not writing but thinking, that is fo bad with the waters; and then you might write without any manner of prejudice, if you writ like our brother Poets of these days.

The Duchefs, Lord Warwick, Lord Stanhope, Mrs. Bellenden, Mrs. Lepell, and I can't tell who elfe, had your letters: Dr. Arbuthnot and I expect to be treated like Friends. I would fend my fervices, to Mr. Pulteney, but that he is out of favour at court; and make fome compliment to Mrs. Pulteney, if she were not a Whig. My Lord Burlington tells me the

a A Poem intituled, To my ingenious and worthy friend W. Lowndes, Efq; Author of

that celebrated treatife in Folio, call'd the LAND-TAXBILL,

has