From Mr. EDWARD CAVE to Dr. WATTS. LETTER I. REVEREND SIR, St. John's Gate, Dec. 16, 1734• As a stranger I ought to make some apology for giving you this trouble; but your goodnature will excufe my prefumption, and your known attachment to the Belles Lettres is encouragement enough to expect your attention to what is offered you by one who is a well-wisher to the sciences. The undertaker of the Gentleman's Magazine, a monthly book, which you have poffibly heard of (I dare not prefume it has merit enough to deserve a place in your library) for the entertainment of his readers, and as a fpur to ingenuity, annually propofes a fubject to exercife the wits of the age, and to fpirit emulation, annexes a prize to the best performances. The first subject of this kind he offered the public was, on Her Majefty's Grotto, and the poems wrote thereon were inferted in feveral magazines in the year 1733, and published in a separate pamphlet, called The Contest; and the prizes were adjudged according to the impartial opinion of fome gen tlemen who were fo kind as to undertake that office. The fubject given out for a prize for the year 1734, was Aftronomy. Four poems have been wrote upon it, which you will find, p. 503, 562, 563, 564; and the prize being to be determined this month, three of the writers, the fourth is unknown to us, unanimoufly refer the decifion to your judgment and determination, declaring their entire fatisfaction in your opinion, to whomfoever it fhall give the preference; only please to obferve, there are two degrees of merit; the firft is entitled to the best prize, the other to the fecond beft. If you will be fo good as to comply with their request, they will efteem it as a peculiar favour, and you will alfo hereby oblige him, who is, with true refpect, and very great efteem, your humble fervant, LETTER REVEREND SIR, EDW. CAVE, II. St. John's Gate, March 11, 1735• I Am commiffioned by the gentlemen, who are candidates for the prize, to return you their most grateful acknowledgments for the pains you have fo kindly taken, in difcuffing their respective claims. They did not expect fo learned and cri tical a differtation on their feveral pieces, whofe merit, they imagined, was far from entitling them to so great an honour. But fince you have condescended, in fo polite and candid a manner to examine their feveral pretenfions to the prize, it is the least part of their gratitude to declare their unanimous fatisfaction in your opinion of their deferts, and accordingly have amicably adjufted the difference betwixt themselves. With regard to what you have added in the poftfcript to your letter, I muft allow, Sir, there has been too much reafon for the cenfure you have paffed on the Magazine; but it fhall be my future care to let nothing pafs of that kind, and to convince the world I am much better pleased with ingenuity of a more ferious turn, I have proposed a confiderable reward for poems on five fublime fubjects; on which, if it fuited your leifure, and you have not taken an abfolute leave of the Muses, I fhould be proud of a poem from Dr. Watts. I must own myself tardy in not paying you my respects till now; but multiplicity of business, and a great deal of illness has been the reafon, which I trust your goodness will take as an excufe for a neglect not intended by your very humble servant, From the Bishop of YORK to Dr. WATTS. REV. SIR, Downing-ftreet, Weftminster, O&t. 16, 1739. I Have received your favour of the 10th of this month, and have great pleasure in observing, that my fmall benevolence to Mr. Leland will be doubled to the good man by your leave to find its way to him through the hands of fo good and valuable a friend. On that account alfo it is, that I take the liberty to ask the further favour of knowing from you, if the good man's papers have escaped the flames, and that we may yet hope to fee the reply which we have heard he was preparing to a fecond volume, not long fince publifhed by the fhameless enemy of the perfon and doctrine of our bleffed Saviour. May the good God of heaven and earth support and affift us all in our just endeavours to repel, with vigour, the virulent and impious affaults on the whole fabrick of our common faith; and to detect, with temper, the fallacious and unmanly arts employed by the modern adverfaries of our holy religion, with a degree of boldness and inve teracy, |