author are a paraphrase on Psalm xxiii. On Lessius; Epitaph on Mr. Ashton; Wishes to his supposed Mistress; and the Dies Ira.

LETTER XXVII.

TO MR. CROMWELL.

December 30, 1710.

I RESUME my old liberty of throwing out myself upon paper to you, and making what thoughts float uppermost in my head the subject of a letter. They are at present upon laughter, which (for aught I know) may be the cause you might sometimes think me too remiss a friend, when I was most entirely so: for I am never so inclined to another from Catullus. His 23rd Psalm is not equal to that of Sandys, whose Psalms deserve much more attention than they meet with. Roscommon has borrowed many lines from the Dies Ira of Crashaw, particularly Stanza 17:

"My God, my Father, and my Friend,

Do not forsake me in my end!"

Crashaw gives it thus, page 194 of his Poems, 1670:

་ ་ ་

My Hope, my Fear, my Judge, my Friend,

Take charge of me and of my end!"

Pope has taken many expressions and lines from this author, who, having been a convert to popery, we may imagine was recommended to our author in his younger years. It is in his Eloisa to Abelard, that many expressions and thoughts of Crashaw chiefly occur; particularly his description of a religious house, from Barclay; the situation of the Paraclete; and also line 347, from the complaint of Alexias, the forsaken wife of Alexis, though much heightened and improved. Cowley wrote a poem on Crashaw's death, whom he highly celebrates. He died of a fever at Loretto, being newly chosen canon of that church.

Warton.

mirth as when I am most pleased and most easy, which is in the company of a friend like yourself.

As the fooling and toying with a mistress is a proof of fondness, not disrespect, so is raillery with a friend. I know there are prudes in friendship, who expect distance, awe, and adoration; but I know you are not of them: and I, for my part, am no idol-worshipper, though a papist. If I were to address Jupiter himself in a heathen way, I fancy I should be apt to take hold of his knee in a familiar manner, if not of his beard like Dionysius; I was just going to say, of his buttons; but I think Jupiter wore none (however I won't be positive to so nice a critic as you, but his robe might be subnected with a Fibula). I know some philosophers define laughter, a recommending ourselves to our own favour, by comparison with the weakness of another: but I am sure I very rarely laugh with that view, nor do I believe children have any such consideration in their heads, when they express their pleasure this way. I laugh full as innocently as they, for the most part, and as sillily. There is a difference too betwixt laughing about a thing, and laughing at a thing: one may find the inferior man (to make a kind of casuistical distinction) provoked to folly at the sight or observation of some circumstances of a thing, when the thing. itself appears solemn and august to the superior man, that is, our judgment and reason. Let an Ambassador speak the best sense in the world, and deport himself in the most graceful manner before

a Prince, yet if the tail of his shirt happen (as I have known it happen to a very wise man) to hang out behind, more people shall laugh at that than attend to the other; till they recollect themselves, and then they will not have a jot the less respect for the minister. I must confess the iniquity of my countenance before you; several muscles of my face sometimes take an impertinent liberty with my judgment, but then my judgment soon rises, and sets all right again about my mouth: and I find I value no man so much, as him in whose sight I have been playing the fool. I cannot be sub personâ before a man I love; and not to laugh with honesty, when nature prompts, or folly, (which is more a second nature than any thing I know,) is but a knavish hypocritical way of making a mask of one's own face. To conclude, those that are my friends I laugh with, and those that are not I laugh at; so am merry in company, and if ever I am wise, it is all by myself. You take just another course, and to those that are not your friends, are very civil; and to those that are, very endearing and complaisant: thus when you and I meet, there will be the Risus et Blanditia united together in conversation, as they commonly are in verse. But without laughter on the one side, or compliment on the other, I assure you I am, with real esteem, Your, &c.

LETTER XXVIII.

FROM MR. CROMWELL.

October 16, 1711.

MR. Wycherley visited me at Bath in my sickness, and expressed much affection to me: hearing from me how welcome his letters would be, he presently writ to you; in which I inserted my scrawl, and after, a second. He went to Gloucester in his way to Salop, but was disappointed of a boat, and so returned to the Bath; then he shewed me your answer to his letters, in which you spoke of my good-nature, but I fear you found me very froward at Reading; yet you allow for my illness. I could not possibly be in the same house with Mr. Wycherley, though I sought it earnestly; nor come up to town with him, he being engaged with others; but, whenever we met, we talked of you. He praises your Poem,* and even outvies me in kind expressions of you. As if he had not wrote two letters to you, he was for writing every post; I put him in mind he had already. Forgive me this wrong; I know not whether my talking so much of your great humanity and tenderness to me, and love to him, or whether the return of his natural disposition to you, was the cause; but certainly you are now highly in his favour: now he will come this winter to your house, and I must go with him; but first he will invite you speedily to Essay on Criticism. Pope.

town. I arrived on Saturday last much wearied, yet had wrote sooner, but was told by Mr. Gay (who has writ a pretty poem to Lintot, and who gives you his service) that you was gone from home. Lewis shewed me your letter, which set me right, and your next letter is impatiently expected from me. Mr. Wycherley came to town on Sunday last, and kindly surprized me with a visit on Monday morning. We dined and drank together; and I saying, To our loves, he replied, It is Mr. Pope's health. He said he would go to Mr. Thorold's, and leave a letter for you. Though I cannot answer for the event of all this, in respect of him, yet I can assure you, that, when you please to come, you will be most desirable to me, as always by inclination, so now by duty, who shall ever be

Your, &c.

LETTER XXIX.

TO MR. CROMWELL.

November 12, 1711..

I RECEIVED the entertainment of your letter the day after I had sent you one of mine, and I am but this morning returned hither. The news you tell me of the many difficulties you found in your return from Bath, gives me such a kind of pleasure as we usually take in accompanying our friends in their mixed adventures; for, methinks, I see you labouring through all your inconveniences of the