her head-dress, and the alternate agonies that both gave her, made it hard to determine which she thought of greatest value. But, however, the scene was not so diverting but I was glad to get rid of it, and be thrown into the little boat, though with some hazard of breaking my neck. It brought me safe hither; and I cannot help looking with partial eyes on my native land. That partiality was certainly given us by nature, to prevent rambling, the effect of an ambitious thirst after knowledge, which we are not formed to enjoy. All we get by it is a fruitless desire of mixing the different pleasures and conveniences which are given to different parts of the world, and cannot meet in any one of them. After having read all that is to be found in the languages I am mistress of, and having decayed my sight by midnight studies, I envy the easy peace of mind of a ruddy milkmaid, who, undisturbed by doubt, hears the sermon with humility every Sunday, having not confused the sentiments of natural duty in her head by the vain enquiries of the schools, who may be more learned, yet, after all, must remain as ignorant. And, after having seen part of Asia and Africa, and almost made the tour of Europe, I think the honest English squire more happy, who verily believes the Greek wines less delicious than March beer; that the African fruits have not so fine a flavour as golden-pippins; and the becafiguas of Italy are not, so well tasted as a rump of beef; and that, in short, there is no perfect enjoyment of this life out of Old England. I pray God I may think so for the rest of my life; and, since I must be contented with our scanty allowance of daylight, that I may forget the enlivening sun of Constantinople.

To MR. P. [POPE].

I am, &c. &c.

Dover, Nov. 1 [1718].

I HAVE this minute received a letter of yours,' sent me from Paris. I believe and hope I shall very soon see both you and Mr. Congreve; but as I am here in an inn, where we stay to regulate our march to London, bag and baggage,

1 See letter from Pope, dated Sept. 1 [1718], post.-T.

I shall employ some of my leisure time in answering that part of yours that seems to require an answer.

1

;

I must applaud your good nature, in supposing that your pastoral lovers (vulgarly called haymakers) would have lived in everlasting joy and harmony, if the lightning had not interrupted their scheme of happiness. I see no reason to imagine that John Hughes and Sarah Drew were either wiser or more virtuous than their neighbours. That a well-set man of twenty-five should have a fancy to marry a brown woman of eighteen, is nothing marvellous and I cannot help thinking, that, had they married, their lives would have passed in the common track with their fellow parishioners. His endeavouring to shield her from the storm, was a natural action, and what he would have certainly done for his horse, if he had been in the same situation. Neither am I of opinion, that their sudden death was a reward of their mutual virtue. You know the Jews were reproved for thinking a village destroyed by fire more wicked than those that had escaped the thunder. Time and chance happen to all men. Since you desire me to try my skill in an epitaph, I think the following lines perhaps more just, though not so poetical as yours:

Here lie John Hughes and Sarah Drew;
Perhaps you'll say, what's that to you?

1 Lady Mary had originally written "Hewet," which was the true name, as appears from the inscription on the monument; but a name of two syllables was evidently unsuited to the first line of her verses.-T. [One curious result of Pope's strange quarrel with Lady Mary seems to have been, according to Mr. Carruthers, his denial of the authorship of the letter with the Hewet and Drew epitaph, to which the above, by Lady Mary, was the reply. In Pope's own edition of his Correspondence (1737) the letter which procured the above reply is printed (with some difference) as written by Gay; because, as Mr. Carruthers suggests, "having quarrelled with Lady Mary, he (Pope) would not acknowledge her as a correspondent." Another view is that the letter here attributed to Pope was written by him and Gay. Roscoe's edition of Pope puts the matter better before the world by printing both forms of the letter. See Roscoe's Pope, 1824, ix. pp. 100-105, and x. p. 72; also Carruthers' "Life of Pope" (Bohn's Illustrated Library), 1857, p. 188. If, however, the attribution to Gay was simply a fabrication by Pope it is one that will not soon die, seeing that Goldsmith refers to the Hewet and Drew epitaph (Pope's) as by "Mr. Gay" in chap. viii. of the "Vicar of Wakefield."]

Believe me, friend, much may be said
On this poor couple that are dead.

On Sunday next they should have married;
But see how oddly things are carried!
On Thursday last it rain'd and lighten'd;
These tender lovers, sadly frighten'd,
Shelter'd beneath the cocking hay,
In hopes to pass the storm away;
But the bold thunder found them out
(Commission'd for that end, no doubt),
And, seizing on their trembling breath,
Consign'd them to the shades of death.
Who knows if 'twas not kindly done?
For had they seen the next year's sun,
A beaten wife and cuckold swain
Had jointly curs'd the marriage chain;
Now they are happy in their doom,
For P. has wrote upon their tomb.

I confess these sentiments are not altogether so heroic as yours; but I hope you will forgive them in favour of the two last lines. You see how much I esteem the honour you have done them; though I am not very impatient to have the same, and had rather continue to be your stupid living humble servant, than be celebrated by all the pens in Europe.

I would write to Mr. C. [Congreve], but suppose you will read this to him, if he enquires after me.

LETTERS FROM POPE.1

[1716-1721.]

FROM POPE.

Tuesday morning (July, 1716].

MADAM, So natural as I find it is to me, to neglect every body else in your company, I am sensible I ought to do any thing that might please you, and I fancied, upon recollection, our writing the letter you proposed was of that nature. I therefore sate down to my part of it last night, when I should have gone out of town. Whether or no you will order me, in recompense, to see you again, I leave to you; for indeed I find I begin to behave myself worse to you than to any other woman, as I value you more; and yet if I thought I should not see you again, I would say some things here which I could not to your person. For I would not have you die deceived in me, that is, go to Constantinople without knowing that I am, to some degree of extravagance, as well as with the utmost reason, Madam,

Your most faithful and most obedient humble servant.2

All the letters of Pope to Lady Mary are now published from the originals, except where otherwise stated in notes. See another note attributed by Mr. Dallaway to Pope among " Miscellaneous Correspondence."-T.

2 In the so-called "spurious" editions of Pope's Letters (1735) is one "To a Lady, written on one column of a letter while Lady M. writ to the lady's husband on the other." Mr. Roscoe surmised, no doubt correctly, that this was Pope's portion of the joint letter above referred to, and that it was addressed to Lady Mary's friend, Lady Rich, the wife of "Sir Robert." It is as follows: "The wits would say, that this must needs be a dull letter, because it is a marry'd one. I am afraid, indeed, you will find what spirit there is must be on the side of the wife

FROM POPE.1

Aug. 18 [1716].

MADAM,-I can say little to recommend the letters I am beginning to write to you, but that they will be the most impartial representations of a free heart, and the truest copies you ever saw, though of a very mean original. Not a feature will be softened, or any advantageous light employed to make the ugly thing a little less hideous, but you shall find it in all respects most horribly like. You will

and the husband's part as usual will prove the dullest. What an unequal pair are put together in this sheet! in which though we sin, it is you must do penance. When you look on both sides of this paper, you may fancy that our words (according to a scripture expression) are as a two-edged sword, whereof Lady M. is the shining blade, and I only the handle. But I can't proceed without so far mortifying Sir Robert as to tell him, that she writes this purely in obedience to me, and that it is but one of those honours a husband receives for the sake of his wife.

"It is making court but ill to one fine woman to shew her the regard we have for another: and yet I must own there is not a period of this epistle but squints towards another over against it. It will be in vain to dissemble: your penetrating eyes cannot but discover, how all the letters that compose these words lean forward after Lady M.'s letters, which seem to bend as much from mine, and fly from them as fast as they are able. Ungrateful letters that they are! which give themselves to another man, in the very presence of him who will yield to no mortal, in knowing how to value them.

"You will think I forget myself, and am not writing to you; but let me tell you 'tis you forget yourself in that thought, for you are almost the only woman to whom one can safely address the praises of another. Besides, can you imagine a man of my importance so stupid, as to say fine things to you before your husband? Let us see how far Lady M. herself dares do anything like it, with all the wit and address she is mistress of. If Sir Robert can be so ignorant (now he is left to himself in the country) to imagine any such matter, let him know from me that here in town every thing that lady says, is taken for satire. For my part, every body knows it is my constant practice to speak truth, and I never do it more than when I call myself, your, &c."-T.

1 This letter was first published among others in 1735, but afterwards [1737] in Pope's own edition of his letters, in the "Table of Contents," it is said to be "To a Lady Abroad." In this, as in the case of later letters, Pope's published versions have variations and omissions, the most important of which will be found mentioned in notes, post. They are thought worth preserving, as indicating in some cases Pope's feeling towards Lady Mary in 1735-37, a period at which they had long been at open variance.-T.