them but I hope your Judgment will fet me right. 86

I wou'd beg your opinion too as to another point: It is how far the liberty of Borrowing may extend? I have defended it fometimes by faying, that it feems not fo much the Perfection of Senfe, to fay things that have never been faid before, as to exprefs those best that have been faid ofteneft; and that Writers in the cafe of borrowing from others, are like Trees which of themfelves wou'd produce only one fort of Fruit, but by being grafted upon others, may yield variety. A mutual commerce makes Poetry flourish; but then Poets like Mer chants, Thou'd repay with fomething of their own what they take from others, not like Pyrates, make prize of all they meet. I de fire you to tell me fincerely, if I have not ftretch'd this Licence too far in thefe Paftorals? I hope to become a Critic by your Preceps, and a Poet by your Example. Since I have feen your Eclogues, I cannot be much pleas'd with my own; however you have not taken away all my Vanity, fo long as you give me leave to profefs my felf

Tours, &c.

Mr.

Mr. WALSH to Mr. POPE.

July 20, 1706.

Had fooner return'd you thanks for the favour of your Let, but that I was in hopes of giving you an account at the fame time of my Journey to Windfor; but I am now forc'd to put that quite off, being engag'd to go to my Corporation of Richmond in Torkfbire. I think you are per fectly in the right in your Notions of Paftoral, but I am of opinion, that the redundancy of Wit you mention, tho' 'tis what pleases the common people, is not what ever pleases the best judges. Paftor Fido indeed has had more admirers than Aminta; but I will venture to fay, there is a great deal of difference between the admirers of one and the other Corifca, which is a Character generally admir'd by the ordinary judges, is intolerable in a Paftorl; and Bonarelli's fancy of making his Shepherdefs in love with two men equally, is not to be defended, whatever pains he has taken to do it. As for what you ask of the Liberty of Borrowing; 'tis very evident the best Latin Poets have extended this very far; and none so far as Virgil, who is the bett

Virgil,

of

of them. As for the Greek Poets, if we cannot trace them fo plainly, 'tis perhaps because we have none before them; 'tis evi dent that most of them borrow'd from Homer, and Homer has been accus'd of burning thofe that wrote before him, that his Thefts might not be difcover'd. The beft of the modern Poets in all Languages, are thofe that have the neareft copied the Ancients. Indeed in all the common Subjects of Poetry, the Thoughts are fo obvious (at leaft if they are natural) that whoever writes laft, muft write things like what have been faid before: But they may as well applaud the Ancients for the Arts of eating and drinking, and accufe the Moderns of having ftol'n thofe Inventions from them; it being evident in all fuch cafes, that whoever live firft, muft firft find them out. 'Tis true, indeed, when

Fat T unusabter Affuitur pannus,

when there is one or two bright Thoughts ftol'n, and all the reft is quite different from a Poem makes a very foolish figure: But when 'tis all melted down together, and the Gold of the Antients for mixt with that of the Moderns, that none can diftinguifh the one from the other, I can never

find

find fault with it. I cannot however but own to you, that there are others of a dif ferent opinion, and that I have shewn your Verfes to fome who have made that objeation to them. I have fo much Company round me while I write this, and fuch a noife in my ears, that 'tis impossible I fhould write any thing but Nonfenfe, fo muft break off abruptly. I am, Sir,

26) Your most affectionate

good and wall and most bumble Servant.

Mr. WALSH to Mr. POPE.

A

Sept. 9, 1706.

T my return from the North I receiv'd the favour of your Letter, which had lain there till then. Having been abfent about fix weeks, I read over your Paftorals again, with a great deal of pleasure, and to judge the better read Vir gil's Eclogues, and Spenser's Calendar, at the fame time; and I affure you I continue the fame opinion I had always of them, By the little hints you take upon all occafions to improve them, 'tis probable you F 2 will

will make them yet better again Winter, tho there is a mean to be kept even in that too, and a Man may correct his Verfes till he takes away the true Spirit of them efpecially if he fubmits to the correction of fome who pafs for great Critics, by me chanical Rules, and never enter into the true Design and Genius of an Author. I have seen some of these that would hardly allow any one good Ode in Horace, who cry Virgil wants fancy, and that Homer is very incorrect. While they talk at this rate, one would think them above the com2 mon rate of mortals; but generally they are great admifers of Ovid and Lucan; and when they write themselves, we find out all the Mystery. They fcan their Verfes upon their Fingers; run after Conceits and glaring Thoughts; their Poems are all made up of Couplets, of which the firft may be laft, or the laft firft, without any fort of prejudice to their Works; in which there is no Defign, or Method, or any thing Natural or Juft. For you are certainly ins 'the right, that in all Writings whatsoever (not Poetry only) Nature is to be follow'dol and we fhou'd be jealous of our felves for being fond of Similes, Conceits, and what they call faying Fine Things. When we were in the North, my Lord Wharton fhew'd

me