I could name an acquaintance of yours, who wou'd at this time think himself more oblig'd to you for the Information of his Faults, than the Confirmation of his Follies. If you would make those the Subject of a Letter, it might be as long as I could wifh your Letters always were.

I do not wonder you have hitherto found fome difficulty (as you are pleas'd to fay) in writing to me, fince you have always chofen the Task of commending me: Take but the other way, and I dare ingage you will find none at all.

As for my Verfes which you praife fo much, I may truly fay they had never been the caufe of any Vanity in me, except what they gave me when they firft occafion'd my acquaintance with you. But I have feveral times fince been in danger of this Vice, as often I mean as I receiv'd any Letters from you.

'Tis certain, the greatest magnifying Glaffes in the World are a Man's own Eyes, when they look upon his own Perfon; yet even in thofe, I cannot fancy my felf fo extremely like Alexander the Great, as you wou'd perfuade me: If I must be like him, 'tis you will make me fo,

by

by complimenting me into a better opinion of my felf than I deferve: They made him think he was the Son of Jupiter, and you affure me I am a Man of Parts. But is this all you can say to my honour? You faid ten times as much before, when you call'd me your Friend. After having made me believe I poffefs'd a fhare in your Affection, to treat me with Compliments and fweet Sayings, is like the proceeding with poor Sancho Panca: They had perfuaded him that he enjoy'd a great Dominion, and then gave him nothing to fubfift upon but Wafers and Marmalade. In our Days, the greateft obligation you can lay upon a Wit, is to make a Fool of him. For as when Madmen are found incurable, wife Men give them their Way, and please them as well as they can; fo when those incorrigible things, Poets, are once irrecoverably Be-Mus'd, the best way both to quiet them, and fecure your felves from the effects of their Frenzy, is to feed their Vanity; (which indeed for the most part is all that is fed in a Poet.)

You may believe me, I could be heartily glad that all you fay were as true, apply'd to me, as it wou'd be to your felf, for feveral weighty Reasons; but for none fo much, as that I might be to what you

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you

deferve;

deferve; whereas I can now be no more, than is confiftent with the small, tho' utmoft Capacity of,

Dear Sir,

Mr. POPE to Mr. WYCHERLEY.

·Oct. 26. 1705.

HAVE now chang'd the Scene from the Town to the Country; from Will's Coffee-Houfe to Windfor Foreft. I find no other difference than this, betwixt the common Town-Wits, and the downright Country Fools; that the firft are pertly in the Wrong, with a little more Flourish and Gaiety, and the last neither in the Right nor the Wrong, but confirmed in a stupid, fettled Medium betwixt both.

However,

methinks these are moft in the Right, who quietly and eafily refign themselves over to the gentle Reign of Dulness, which the Wits must do at laft, tho' after a great deal of Noise, Pother, and Resistance. Ours are a fort of modeft, inoffenfive People, who neither have Senfe, nor pretend to any, but enjoy a jovial Sort of Dulnefs. They are commonly known in the World' by the Name of honeft, civil Gentlemen. They live much as they ride, at random a kind of hunting Life, purfuing with earneftness and hazard, fomething not worth the catching; never in the way, nor out of it. I can't but prefer Solitude to the Company of all thefe; for tho' a C Man's

1

Man's felf may poffibly be the worst Fellow to converfe with in the world, yet one would think the Company of a Perfon whom we have the greateft regard to, and affection for, could not be very unpleafant: As a Man in love with a Miftrefs, defires. no. converfation but hers, fo a, Man in love with himself, (as most Men are) may be beft pleased with his own. Befides, if the trueft and moft ufeful Knowledge, be the Knowledge of our felves, Solitude conducing moft to make us look into our felves, fhould be the most instructive State of Life. We fee nothing more commonly, than Men, who for the fake of the circumftantial Part, and meer outfide of Life, have been half their Days rambling, out of their Nature, and ought to be fent into Solitude to ftudy themselves over again. People are ufually fpoil'd inftead of being taught, at their coming into the World; whereas by being more converfant with Obfcurity, without any Pains, they would naturally follow what they were meant for. In a word, if a Man be a Coxcomb, Solitude is his beft School; and if he be a Fool, it is his best Sanctuary.

Thefe are good, Reafons for my own Stay here, but I wish I could give you any for your coming hither, except that Learneftly invite you. And yet I can't help faying,