ther. Let the young Ladies be affured I make nothing new in my Gardens, without wishing to fee the Print of their fairy Steps in every Part of 'em. I have put the laft Hand to my Works of this Kind, in happily finishing the fubterraneous Way and Grotto: I there found a Spring of the clearest Water, which falls in a perpetual Rill, that ecchoes thro' the Cavern Day and Night. From the River Thames, you fee thro' my Arch up a Walk of the Wilderness to a Kind of open Temple, wholly com. pos'd of Shells in the ruftick Manner; and from that Distance under the Temple you look down thro' a floping Arcade of Trees, and fee the Sails on the River paffing fuddenly and vanishing, as through, a perfpective Glass. When you fhut the Doors of this Grotto, it becomes on the Inftant, from a luminous Room, a Camera obfcura; on the Walls of which all the Objects of the River, Hills, Woods, and Boats, are forming a moving Picture in their vifible Radiations; and when you have a Mind to light it up, it affords you a very different Scene; it is finifhed with Shells interfperfed with Pieces of Lookingglass in angular Forms; and in the Cieling is a Star of the fame Material, at which when a Lamp (of an orbicular Figure of thin Alabafter) is hung in the Middle, a thoufand pointed Rays glitter and are reflected over the Place. There are connected to this Grotto by a narrower Paflage two Porches, one towards the River of fmooth Stones full of Light and open; the other toward the Garden fhadow'd with Trees, rough with Shells, Flints, and Iren-ore. The Bottom is paved with fimple Pebble, as is also the adjoining Walk up the Wilderness to the Temple, in the natural Tafte, agreeing not ill with the little dripping Murmur, and the aquatick Idea of the whole Place. It wants nothing to compleat it but a

good

good Statue with an Infcription, like that beautiful antique one which you know I am fo fond of;

Hujus Nympha loci, facri cuftodia fontis
Dormio, dum blanda fentio murmur aquæ.
Parce meum, quifquis tangis cava marmora fomnum
Rumpere, feu bibas, five lavere, tace.

Nymph of the Grot, thefe facred Springs I keep,
And to the Murmur of these Waters fleep;
Ah spare my Slumbers, gently tread the Cave!
And drink in Silence, or in Silence lave!

You'll think I have been very poetical in this Defcription, but it is pretty near the Truth. I wish you were here to bear Teftimony how little it owes to Art, either the Place itself, or the Defcription I give of it.

I am, &c.

Here is no great Matter of Wonder, if what feem'd a little Vanity should appear, though in Reality there might be none; but wearied out with the Impertinence of troublesome Vifitants, which prevented him from enjoying that Privacy and Retirement he lov'd, might make him speak in Terms feeming to fay, that he was indeed above thofe Intrufions, and thofe berus'd Parfons (as he calls them) and maudlin Poeteffes fhould have known it, have waited his Leifure, and not have behav'd with fo little Decency, as to ftop his Chariot, or rush into his House and Gardens, without knowing whether it would incommode him or no.

Here, in all Likelihood, the Vein of Satire had ftopp'd, had not many Perfons, taking Shame to themselves, made a great Stir about these Epiftles; and a certain Lady of Quality and a great Wit took

Offence;

Offence; (once in Efteem enough to have the following Character :)

1.

IN Beauty, or Wit,

as

To queftion your Empire has dar'd;
But Men of Difcerning,
Have thought that in Learning,
To yield to a Lady was hard.

II.

Impertinent Schools,
With mufty dull Rules,
Have Reading to Females deny'd,
So Papifts refuse

The BIBLE to use,

Left Flocks fhould be wife as their Guide.

III.

'Twas a WOMAN at firft,
(Indeed fhe was curft)

In Knowledge that tasted Delight;

And Sages agree,
That Laws fhou'd decree,

To the first Poffeffor the Right.

IV.

Then bravely, fair Dame,
Refume the old Claim,

Which to your whole Sex does belong;

And let MEN receive,

From a Second bright EVE,
The Knowledge of Right and of Wrong.

VOL. II.

AVA

But if the First EVE
Hard Doom did receive,
When only One Apple had the,
What a Punilhment new,
Shall be found out for you,
Who, tafting, have robb'd the whole Tree.

7

But (fuch is the Uncertainty of all Things) now from one Step of Diflike and Difguft to another, there was a total Mifunderstanding between Mr. Pope and her; and as fhe took all Occafions to infinuate Things to the World difadvantagious to Mr. Pope, that he did not understand! Greek, but was forc❜d to hire Perfons to tranflate Homer, and then have no farther Labour than to put it into Rhyme; that he was a Man of an unquiet Spirit and dangerous Converfation that he was a Tool for Rome, and a great many other Reports, the bafer for being falfe; fo he, on the other Hand, (as 'twas reported to her) gave himself great Liberties about her; and great Mockery was made, and much loud Laughter, at the Story of a Vifit, it was pretended the faid Lady was permitted to make to the Seraglio, when her Hufband was Ambaffador at the Porte. It is certain, let the Tale arife from whence it will, it was very fcandalous, neither can we think (if true) that it could poffibly have ever come to their Knowledge; for it is to be thought, that, the Lady, for the Sake of her own Fame, would never have divulg'd fo ftrange a Secret 3 feeing that the World afforded no Remedy for the one Act, and the other flight Injury of being obliged to conform to the Custom of the East, a little Time would repair. However, as moft Stories of the like Nature do, it gained Credit, and III Omoft

0

moft prodigiously exafperated the Lady, who neglected no Opportunity of raifing whoever she could againft Mr. Pope and his Writings; imagining him the great Difperfer of this Tale, and, perhaps, he was not entirely clear. He, on the defenfive Part, flies to Horace and Dr. Donne, and imitates the former and modernizes the latter, which he introduces into the World by Advertisement:

ΤΗ

HE Occafion of publishing thefe Imitations was the Clamour raised on fome of my Epiftless. An Answer from Horace was both more full, and of more Dignity, than any I could have made in my own Perfon; and the Example of fo much greater Freedom in fo eminent a Divine as Dr. Donne, feem'd a Proof with what Indignation and Contempt a Chriftian may treat Vice or Folly, in ever so low, or ever so high a Station. Both thefe Authors were acceptable to the Princes and Minifters under whom they lived: The Satires of Dr. Donne I verfify'd, at the Defire of the Earl of Oxford while he was Lord Treasurer, and of the Duke of Shrewsbury who had been Secretary of State; neither of whom look'd upon a Satire on vicious Courts as any Reflection on those they serv'd in. And indeed there is not in the World a greater Error, than that which Fools are fo apt to fall into, and Knaves with good Reafon to encourage, the mistaking a Sa tyrift for a Libeller; whereas to a true Satyrift nothing is fo odicus as a Libeller, for the fame Reason as to a Man truly virtuous nothing is fo hateful as a Hypocrite.

In the firft Satyr of Horace imitated, he vindicates himself, and shows the Reasons why he writes fo feverely, and then declares, that he would not fpare even himself:

1