Слике страница
PDF
ePub

LETTER XXIII.

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

April 11, 1710.

FI can do part of my business at Shrewsbury in a fortnight's time (which I propofe to do) I will be foon after with you, and trouble you with my company, for the remainder of the fummer: in the mean time I beg you to give yourself the pains of altering, or leaving out what you think fuperfluous in my papers, that I may endeavour to print fuch a number of them as you and I fhall think fit, about Michaelmas next. In order to which (my dear friend) I beg you to be fo kind to me, as to be fevere to them; that the critics may be lefs fo; for I had rather be condemn'd by my friend in private, than expos'd to my foes in public, the critics, or common judges, who are made fuch by having been old offenders themselves. Pray, believe I have as much faith

your friendship and fincerity, as I have deference to your judgment; and as the best mark of a friend is telling his friend his faults in private, fo the next is concealing them from the public, 'till they are fit to appear. In the mean time I am not a little fenfible of the great kindness you do me, in the trouble you take for me, in putting my Rhimes in tune, fince good founds fet off often ill sense, as the Italian fongs, whofe good airs, with the worst words or meaning, make the beft mufic; fo by your tuning my Welch-harp, my rough fenfe may be the lefs offenfive to the nicer ears of thofe critics, who deal more in found than fenfe. Pray then take pity at once both of my readers and me, in fhortning my barren abundance, and increafing their patience by it, as well as the obligations I have to you: and fince no madrigaller can entertain the head, unless he pleafes the ear; and fince the crouded Operas have left the beft Comedies with the leaf audiences, 'tis a fign found can prevail

ever fenfe; therefore foften my words, and ftrengthen my fenfe, and

Eris mihi magnus Apollo.

LETTER XXIV.

April 15, 1710.

I

Receiv'd your most extreme kind letter but juft now. It found me over those papers you mention, whick have been my employment ever fince Eafter-monday: I hope before Michaelmas to have discharg'd my task; which, upon the word of a friend, is the moft pleafing one I could be put upon. Since you are so near going into Shropshire (whither I fhall not care to write of this matter for fear of the miscarriage of any letters) I must desire your leave to give you a plain and fincere account of what Ihave found from a more serious application to them. Upon comparifon with the former volume, I find much more repeated than I till now imagin'd, as well as in the prefent volume, which, if (as you told me laft) you would have me dash over with a line, will deface the whole copy extremely, and to a degree that (I fear may difplease you. I have every where mark'd in the margins the page and line, both in this and the other part, But if you order me not to cross the lines, or would any way elfe limit my commiffion, you will oblige me by doing it in your next letter; for I am at once equally fearful of fparing you, and of offending you by too impudent a correction. Hitherto however I have cross'd 'em fo as to be legible, because you bade me. When i think all the repetitions are ftruck out in a copy, I fometimes find more upon dipping in the firft volume, and the number increases fo much, that I believe more fhartning will be requifite than you may be willing to bear with, unless you are in good earnest refolv'd to have no thought repeated. Pray, forgive this freedom, which sas I must be fincere in this cafe, fo I could not but take;

and

and let me know if I am to go on at this rate, or if yo would prefcribe any other method.

I am very glad you continue your refolution of seeing me in my Hermitage this fummer; the fooner you return, the fooner I fhall be happy, which indeed my want of any company that is entertaining or esteemable, together with frequent infirmities and pains, hinder me from being in your abfence. 'Tis (I am fure) a real truth, that my fickness cannot make me quite weary of myself when I have you with me; and I shall want no company but yours, when you are here.

You fee how freely and with how little care I talk rather than write to you: this is one of the many advantages of friendship, that one can fay to one's friend the things that ftand in need of pardon, and at the fame time be fure of it. Indeed I do not know whether or no the letters of friends are the worse for being fit for none else to read. 'Tis an argument of the truft repofed in a friend's good nature, when one writes fuch things to him as require a good portion of it. I have experienced yours fo often and fo long, that I can now no more doubt of the greatnefs of it, than I hope you do of the greatness of my af fection, or of the fincerity with which

LETTER XXV.

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

I am, etc.

April 27, 1710. You give me an account in your letter of the trouble you have undergone for me, in comparing my papers you took down with you, with the old printed volume, and with one another, of that bundle you have in your hands; amongft which (you fay) you find numerous Repetitions of the fame thoughts and subjects; all which, I must confefs, my want of memory has preyented me from imagining, as well as made me capable

of

of committing: fince, of all figures, that of Tautology is the laft I would use, or least forgive myself for. But feeing is believing; wherefore I will take fome pains to examine and compare thofe papers in your hands with one another, as well as with the former printed copies, or books of my damn'd Miscellanies; all which (as bad a memory as I have) with a little more pains and care ĺ İ think I can remedy. Therefore I would not have you give yourself more trouble about them, which may prevent the pleasure you have, and may give the world in writing upon new fubjects of your own, whereby you will much better entertain yourself and others. Now as to your remarks upon the whole volume of my papers; all that I defire of you is to mark in the margin (without defacing the copy at all) either any repetition of words, matter, or fenfe, or any thoughts, or words too much repeated; which if you will be fo kind as to do for me, you will fupply my want of Memory with your good one, and my deficiencies of fenfe with the infallibility of yours; which if you do, you will moft infinitely oblige me, who almost repent the trouble I have given you, fince fo much. Now as to what you call freedom with me, (which you defire me to forgive) you may be affur'd I would not forgive you unless you did ufe it; for I am so far from thinking your plainness an offence to me, that I think it a charity and an obligation; which I shall always acknowledge, with all fort of gratitude to you for it; who am, etc.

All the news I have to fend you is, that poor Mr Betterton is going to make his Exit from the ftage of this world, the Gout being gotten up into his head, and (as the Phyficians fay) will certainly carry him off fuddenly.

VOL. III.

T t

LETTER

I

LETTER XXVI.

May 10, 1710.

Am forry you perfift to take ill my not accepting your invitation, and to find (if I mistake not) your exception not unmixt with fome fufpicion. Be certain I fhall moft carefully obferve your requeft, not to cross over, or deface the copy of your papers for the future, and only to mark in the margin the Repetitions. But as this can ferve no further than to get rid of those repetitions, and no way rectify the Method, nor connect the Matter, nor improve the Poetry in expreffion or numbers, without further blotting, adding, and altering; so it really is my opinion and defire, that you should take your papers out of my hands into your own, and that no alterations may be made but when both of us are prefent; when you may be fatisfied with every blot, as well as every addition, and nothing be put upon the papers but what you fhall give your own fanction and affent to, at the fame time.

Do not be fo unjuft, as to imagine from hence that I would decline any part of this tafk; on the contrary, you know, I have been at the pains of transcribing some pieces, at once to comply with your defire of not defacing the copy, and yet to lofe no time in proceeding upon the correction. I will go on the fame way, if you please; tho' truly it is (as I have often told you) my fincere opinion, that the greater part would make a much better figure as Single Maxims and Reflections in profe, after the manner of your favourite Rochefoucault, than in verfe *: And this, when nothing more is done but marking the repetitions in the margin, will be an easy task to proceed upon, notwithstanding the bad Memory you complain of. I am unfeignedly, dear Sir, Your, etc.

A. POPE.

* Mr. Wycherley lived five years after, to December, 1715, but little progrefs was made in this design, thro' his old age, and the increase of his infirmities. However, fome of the verses, which had been touch'd by Mr. P. with CCCV111 of these Maxims in Profe, were found among his papers, which having the misfortune to fall into the hands of a Mercenary, were published in 1728, in octavo, under the title of The Posthumous Works of William Wycherley, Esq.

« ПретходнаНастави »