tion was as free from detraction, as her Opinions from prejudice or prepoffeffion. As her thoughts were her own, fo were her Words; and fhe was as fincere in uttering her judgment, as impartial in forming it. She was a fafe Companion, many were ferv'd, none ever fuffer'd by her acquaintance: inoffenfive, when unprovoked; when provoked, not stupid: But the moment her enemy ceased to be hurtful, fhe could ceafe to act as an enemy. She was therefore not a bitter but confiftent enemy: (tho' indeed, when forced to be fo, the more a finish'd one for having been long a making.) And her proceeding with ill people was more in a calm and fteddy course, like Juftice, than in quick and paffionate onsets, like Revenge. As for those of whom fhe only thought ill, fhe confidered them not fo much as once to wish them ill; of fuch, her Contempt was great enough to put a stop to all other paffions that could hurt them. Her Love and Averfion, her Gratitude and Refentment, her Efteem and Neglect, were equally open and strong, and alterable only from the alteration of the perfons who created them. Her Mind was too noble to be infincere, and her Heart too honeft to ftand in need of it; fo that he never found cause to repent her conduct either to a friend or an enemy. There remains only to fpeak of her Perfon, which was most amiably majestic; the niceft eye could find no fault in the outward lineaments of her Face or proportion of her Body; it was fuch, as pleas'd whereever she had a defire it should; yet fhe never envied that of any other, which might better pleafe in gene

ral: In the fame manner, as being content that her merits were esteemed where she desired they should, the never depreciated those of any other that were esteem. ed or preferred elsewhere. For fhe ained not at a general love or a general esteem where he was not known; it was enough to be poffefs'd of both wherever she was. Having lived to the age of Sixty-two years; not courting Regard, but receiving it from all who knew her; not loving Business, but discharging it fully wherefoever duty or friendship engaged her in it; not following Greatnefs, but not declining to pay refpect, as far as was due from independency and difintereft; having honourably abfolv'd all the parts of life, fhe forfook this World, where he had left no act of duty or virtue undone, for that where alone fuch acts are rewarded, on the 13th Day of March, 1742-3*.

I

Mr POPE to JAMES MOYSER of Beverly, Efq;

DEAR SIR,

Bath, July 11. 1743. Am always glad to hear of you, and where I can

I always enquire of you. But why have you omit ted to tell me one word of your own health? The account of our Friend's † is truly melancholy, added to the circumstance of his being detained (1 fear, without much hope) in a foreign country, from the comfort of feeing (what a good man most desires and best deserves

"The above Character was written by Mr Pope fome years "before her Grace's Death." So the printed Edition.

+ Mr Bethel..

to fee to the laft hour) his Friends about him. The public news indeed gives every Englishman a reasonable joy, and I truly feel it with you, as a national joy, not a party one; nay as a general joy to all nations where bloodfhed and mifery must have been introduced, had the ambition and perfidy of prevail'd.

I come now to answer your friend's question. The whole of what he has heard of my writing the Character of the old || Duke of Buckingham is untrue. I do not remember ever to have feen it in MS. nor have I ever feen the pedigree he mentions, otherwise than after the Duchefs had printed it with the Will, and fent one to me, as, 1 fuppofe, fhe did to all her acquaintance. I do not wonder it should be reported I writ that Character, after a ftory which I will tell you in your ear, and to yourself only. There was another Character written of her Grace by herself (with what help, I know not) but she fhewed it me in her blots, and preffed me, by all the adjurations of Friendship, to give her my fincere opinion of it. I acted honeftly, and did fo. She feemed to take it patiently, and, upon many exceptions which I made, engaged me to take the whole, and to select out of it just as much as I judged might stand, and return her the Copy. I did fo. Immediately he picked a quarrel. with me, and we never faw each other in five or fix years. In the mean time, the fhewed this Character (as much as was extracted of it in my hand-writing) as a The Victory at Dettingen.

He fays the old Duke, because he wrote a very fine Epitaph for the Son.

compofition of my own, in her praife. And very pro bably it is now in the hands of Lord Harvey. Dear Sir, I fincerely wish you, and your whole family (whofe welfare is fo clofely connected) the beft health and trueft happiness; and am (as is alfo the Mafter of this place)

Your, &c.

A LETTER to a NOBLE LORD.

On occafion of fome Libels written and propagated at Court, in the Year 1732-3.

MY LORD,

YOUR

Nov. 30. 1733.

QUR Lordship's * Epiftle has been publish'd fome days, but I had not the pleasure and pain of feeing it till yesterday: Pain, to think your Lordship should attack me at all; Pleasure, to find that you can attack me fo weakly. As I want not the humility, to think myself in every way but one your inferior, it seems but reasonable that I should take the only method either of felf-defence or retaliation, that is left me, against a perfon of your quality and power. And as by your choice of this weapon, your pen, you generoufly (and modeftly too, no doubt) meant to put yourself upon a level with me; I will as foon believe

*Intitled, An Epifle to a Doctor of Divinity from a Nobleman. at Hampton-Court, Aug. 28. 1733, and printed the November following for J. Roberts, Fol.

that your Lordship would give a wound to a man unarm'd, as that you would deny me the use of it in my own defence.

I prefume you will allow me to take the fame liberty, in my answer to fo candid, polite, and ingenious a Nobleman, which your Lordship took in yours, to fo grave, religious, and refpectable a Clergyman: As you answered his Latin in English, permit me to anfwer your Verse in Profe. And tho' your Lordship's reafons for not writing in Latin, might be ftronger than mine for not writing in Verfe, yet I may plead Two good ones, for this conduct: the one, that I want the Talent of fpinning a thousand lines in a Day † (which, I think, is as much Time as this fubject deferves) and the other, that I take your Lordship's Verse to be as much Profe as this letter. But no doubt it was your choice, in writing to a friend, to renounce all the pomp of Poetry, and give us this excellent model of the familiar.

When I confider the great difference betwixt the rank your Lordship holds in the World, and the rank which your writings are like to hold in the learned world, I presume that distinction of style is but neceffary, which you will fee obferv'd thro' this letter. When I speak of you, my Lord, it will be with all the deference due to the inequality which Fortune has made between you and myself: but when I speak of your writings, my Lord, I muft, I can do nothing but trifle.

• Dr S.

+ And Pope with juftice of fuch lines may fay,

is Lordship fins a thoufand in a day. Epift. p. 6.