think the worst of the Ethicks, and liable to fome Exception, efcap'd the Verfificating Ninnyhammers fpoke of in the Dunciad. Being naturally now led to the Epiftle of the Characters of Women, which is a Corollary to the other Epiftle; we heg Pardon of our Readers, being refoly'd to make no Quotations from it that may offend the Fair, to whom we bear a more tender Regard, than to repeat, what is enough that it has been once faid. Mr Pope, as we imagine, took the Liberty to addrefs it to Mrs. Blount, though fome few Lines in it may seem to the contrary: She is a Lady to whom Mr. Pope has had an uncommon Refpect and Regard for many Years; he had a very early Acquaintance with her, and foon diftinguished her from the Croud, by a Letter he wrote in Verfe, which he fent to her with the Works of Voiture, in which he compares her to Madamoifelle Paulet, the firft Favourite of that French Wit, and imagines him plac'd in the Elyfian Fields, while he beholds her perufing his Lines, at the fame Time confeffing her fairer than the Rambouillet. Soon after the Coronation, this young Lady was oblig❜d to leave the Town, and in that Time of Abfence, Mr. Pope first felt how uneafy it was, to live without the Sight and Company of the Perfon that takes up moft of our Thoughts, nor that he imagin'd their Friendship would ever be carried to fuch Heights as it afterwards was; a young Lady in the very Bloom of her Youth, Miftrefs of fuch agreeable Qualifications, both acquir'd and natural, it might have been thought would have been too vain and fickle to remain long in one Mind, as to Profeffions of Friendship, of how little Value are they in common among Men? Few Women are capable, that is, have Conftancy enough, to abide long by any Refolution, as yet none was made, it was only the the Hope and Wifh of our Author, that he might be fix'd in the fame Degree of Efteem with that Lady, as fhe was with him, though as yet she knew of no particular Regard he had for her; fhe imagin'd his Civility arofe from his Youth, Complaifance to her Sex, and Respect to her Family, all which were us'd as Pleas for more frequent Opportunities of converfing with her; but this was now put an End to for the prefent, if fhe went a little unwillingly from the Town it is no Wonder, for fhe was a great Admirer of Musick, and the publick Diverfions, (as moft at the Age fhe was then at do) and the Place fhe went to was as retir'd and little vifited, or lefs than a Nunnery, with no Company in the scatter'd Neighbourhood, that could give the leaft Relief to the Solitude: On the contrary, Mr. Pope, who could with great Delight have enjoy'd that very Solitude, (without enquiring who was his Neighbours) was by reafon of transacting fome Affairs, under an Obligation of being in Town: He conceal'd his real Concern for this Separation, and wrote Mifs Blount a Letter, being the second he had wrote to her in Verse, wherein he confeffes, (without feeming te do it formally) that she is seldom or ever out of his Thoughts: It has a great deal of Liveliness and Spirit in it, and is very fine Poetry, though he has taken the Liberty (a poetical Liberty perhaps rather too great in a Poem of this Kind) of making Ufe of double Rhymes in more Places than one; to be fure it gives a greater Air of Freedom, but then it takes from the Exactnefs, the Neatness he should have ap pear'd in before that Lady. However, gentle Reader, judge thou. S fome fond Virgin, whom her Mother's Care Juft A Juft when fhe learns to roll a melting Eye, She went to Plain-work and to purling Brooks, Old fashion'd Halls, dull Aunts, and croaking Rooks, She went from Op'ra, Park, Affembly, Play, To Morning Walks, and Pray'rs three Hours a Day; To part her Time 'twixt Reading and Bohea, To mufe, and fpill her folitary Tea, Or o'er cold Coffee trifle with the Spoon, Count the flow Clock, and dine exact at Noon; There ftarve and pray, for that's the Way to Heav'n. Some Squire, perhaps, you take Delight to rack; Whose Game is Whisk, whose Treat a Toast in Sack, Who vifits with a Gun, presents you Birds, Then gives a fmacking Bufs, and cries-No Words ! Or with his Hound comes hallowing from the Stable, Makes Love with Nods, and kneels beneath a Table; Whofe Laughs are hearty, tho' his Jefts are coarse, And loves you beft of all Things-but his Horse. In fome fair Evening, on your Elbow laid, You dream of Triumphs in the rural Shade, In penfive Thought recall the fancy'd Scene, See Coronations rife on ev'ry Green, Before you pafs th' imaginary Sights Of Lords, and Earls, and Dukes, and garter'dKnights; While the spread Fan o'erfhades your clofing Eyes; Then give one Flirt, and all the Vision flies: Thus Thus vanish Sceptres, Coronets, and Balls, So when your Slave, at fome dear, idle Time, Gay pats my Shoulder, and you vanish quite ; Her Return to London was very great Matter of Confolation to Mr. Pope, he now began publickly to avow a lafting Love and Friendship for her, and writing to his very dear and valuable * Correfpondent, October 21, 1721, he says, Believe, dear Sir, I truly love and value you; let Mrs. Blount know that fhe is in the Lift of my Memento Domine's Famulorum Famularumque's, &c. And in a Letter to her, wrote by the Way as he went to Oxford, fairly protefts, that he loves no Woman but her and prefers her, in a genteel Comparison, to a Dutchefs. you YOU can't be furpriz'd to find him a dull Correfpondent whom you have known so long for a dull Companion. And tho' I am pretty sensible, that if I have any Wit, Imay as well write to fhow it, as not; (becaufe any Lady that has once feen me, will naturally afk, what I can show that is better?) yet I'll content myself with giving you as plain a Hiftory of my Pilgrimage, as Purchas himself, or VOL. II. D as * Mr. Blount. as John Bunyan could do of his walking through the Wilderness of the World. First then I went by Water to Hampton-Court, unattended by all but my own Virtues; which were not of fo modeft a Nature as to keep themselves, or me, conceal'd: For I met the Prince with all his Ladies on Horfeback, coming from Hunting. Mrs. Bellenden and Mrs. Lepell took me into Protection (contrary to the Laws against harbouring Papifts). and gave me a Dinner, with fomething I lik'd better, an Opportunity of Converfation with Mrs. Howe We all agreed, that the Life of a Maid of Honour, was of all Things the moft miserable; and wish'd that every Woman who envy'd it had a Specimen of it. To cat Weftphalia-Ham in a Morning, ride over Hedges aud Ditches on borrow'd Hacks, come home in the Heat of the Day with a Fever, and, (what is worse a hundred Times) with a red Mark in the Forehead from an uneafy Hat; all this may qualify them to make excellent Wives for Fox-Hunters, and bear Abundace of ruddy complexion'd Children. As foon as they can wipe off the Sweat of the Day, they muft fimper an Hour and catch cold, in the Princess's Apartment; from thence (as Shakespear has it) To Dinner, with what Appetite they mayand after that, 'till Midnight, walk, work, or think, which they pleafe? I can eafily believe no LoneHoufe in Wales, with a Mountain and Rookery, is more contemplative than this Court; and as a Proof of it I need only tell you Mrs. Lepell walk'd alone with me three or four Hours by Moonlight, and we met no Creature of any Quality but the King, whờ gave Audience to the Vice Chamberlain, all alone,, under the Garden Wall. In fhort, I heard of no Ball, Affembly, BaffetTable, or any Place where two or three were ga thered |