the great Love and Esteem there was between them, that we do not find the Earl of Burlington's Name in Mr. Pope's Will, we do not mean otherwise than that it might have been expected, that out of Mr. Pope's Collection of Books, and other Curiofities, fomething might have been found, which might have remain'd with my Lord, as a Memorial of the long Friendfhp between them--This Epiftle, of which we are now about to speak, is a Corollary to the preceeding. Ás that treated of the Extremes of Avarice and Profufion, this takes up one Branch of the latter, the Vanity of Expence in People of Quality or Fortune, and the Poet admires that Mifers fhould be fo anxious to heap up Riches, which they never can have Enjoyment of, and Prodigals fpend fo much Money, in what they have no Tafte of; he ridicules feveral patch'd Buildings, and Buildings of ill Tafte, to tafte Architecture he fays, Senfe fhould be previous, of which the chief Proof is to follow Nature, and adapt all to the Nature and Ufe of the Place, the Beauties not forced into it, but refulting from it. After this, Mr. Pope goes on with a Description, intended to comprize the Principles of a false Tafte of Magnificence, and to exemplify what was faid before, that nothing but good Senfe can attain it; the first wrong Principle is to think that true Greatness confifts in Size and Dimenfion, whereas, let the Work be ever so vaft, unless the Parts cohere in one Harmony, it will be but a great many Littlenesles put together, there must be no Difproportion, nor the Ends and Bounds must not be feen at once, which, however large, will diminish both the Grandeur and the Surprize. Mr. Pope fays thus: At Timon's Villa let us pafs a Day, Where all cry out, "what Sums are thrown away! So So proud, fo grand, of that stupendous Air, Lo, what huge Heaps of Littleness around! My Lord advances with majeftick Mien, དམན་ E Lo fome are Vellom, and the Reft as good buc ba T 6 v BTW AY JA 2. Ꭲ . 61 Leave, Thefe "ino grodna tor a *This is a Tet, a Reverend Dean of Peterborough preaching at Court, threathed the Sinner with Punishment Gina Pace which he thought it not decent to name in fo polite an Affembly," ་་ a Thefe Lines to a certain Grandee, no less than à Duke, gave great Offence, the Defeription was too plaih not to be known (as the malicious Town faid) who was pointed at at first Sight," and many Persons began to think that Mr. Pope was out of his Place in attacking à Peer and one of the firft Rank, in fo publick a Manner, and Terms of fo little Refpect, Numbers of Complaints were made, the Duke himfelf wrote Mr. Pope a Letter, and made him fenfible, that he ought to have confin'd himself to a made Character, and not pretend to give for a real one, what altogether belong'd to no Body in fhort, Mr. Pope began to wifh he had not pufh'd the Matter fo far, but there was no receding, all he could do was a little to palliate the Bufinefs, and partly deny that the Character was meant for that noble Duke, and this he chofe to do, or rather got Mr. Cleland to do, in a Letter to his dear and intrinfick Friend Mr. Gay, dated December 16, 17 ng 80 A son 14 2016 I Am 3 Am astonish'd at the Complaints occafioned by a late Epiftle to the Earl of Burlington ;_and I fhould be afflicted, were there the leaft juft Ground for them. Had the Writer attack'd Vice, at a Time when it is not only tolerated, but triumphant, and fo far from being conceal'd as a Defect, that it is proclaim'd with Oftentation as a Merit; I should have been apprehenfive of the Confequence: Had he fatiriz'd Gamefters of a hundred thoufand Pounds Fortune, acquir'd by fuch Methods as are daily in Practice, and almoft univerfally encourag'd: Had he over warmly defended the Religion of his Country, against fuch Books as come from every Prefs, are publickly vended in every Shop, and greedily bought by almoft every Rank of Men; or had he called our excellent Weekly Writers by the fame Names which * they they openly beftow on the greatest Men in the Miniftry, and out of the Miniftry, for which they are all unpunish'd, and most rewarded: In any of thefe Cafes, indeed, I might have judged him too prefumptuous, and perhaps have trembled for his Rafhness. I could not but hope better for this mall and modeft Epiftle, which attacks no one Vice whatsoever; which deals only in Folly, and not Folly in general, but a fingle Species of it; that only Branch, for the oppofite Excellency to which, the noble Lord to whom it is written muft neceffarily be celebrated. I fancied it might escape Cenfure, especially feeing how tenderly thofe Follies are treated, and really lefs accus'd, than apologiz❜d for. Yet hence the Poor are cloth'd, the Hungry fed Health to himself, and to his Infants Bread, Lab'rer bears ay Is this fuch a Crime, that to impute it to a Man muft be a grievous Offence? 'tis an innocent Folly, and much more beneficent than the Want of it; for ill Tafte employs more Hands, and diffufes Expence more than a good one. Is it a moral Defect? No, it is but a natural one a want of Tafte. It is what the beft good Man living may be liable to: The worthieft Peer may live exemplary in an ill-favour'd Houfe, and the beft reputed Citizen may be pleas'd with a vile Garden. I thought (I fay) the Author had the common Liberty to obferve a Defect, and to compliment a Friend for a Quality that distinguishes him: Which I know not how any Quality fhould do, if we were not to remark that it was wanting in others. " But they fay the Satire is Perfonal. I thought it could not be fo, because all its Reflections are on Things. His Reflections are not on the Man, but on |