LETTERS

TO AND FROM

Mr. WY CHER LE Y*.

From the Year 1704 to 1710.

I

LETTER I.

Binfield in Windfor Foreft, Dec. 26, 1764 ↑.

T was certainly a great fatisfaction to me to fee and converse with a man, whom in his writings I had fo long known with pleasure ; but it was a high addition to it, to hear you, at our very firft meeting, doing juftice to your dead friend Mr. Dryden. I was not fo happy as to know him: Virgilium tantum vidi. Had I been born early enough, I must have known and lov'd him: For I have been affured, not only by yourself, but by Mr. Congreve and Sir William Trumbul, that his perfonal qualities were as amiable as his Poetical, notwithstanding the many libellous misrepresentations of them, a

If one were to judge of this fet of Letters, by the manner of thinking and turn of expreffion, one should conclude they had been all miftitled; and that the letters given to the boy of fixteen, were written by the man of seventy, and fo on the contrary: fuch fober sense, such gravity of manners, and fo much judgment, and knowledge of compofition, enlivened with the fprightlinets of manly wit, diftingu:sh those of Mr. Pope : while, on the other hand, a childish jealoufy, a puerile affectation, an attention and lying at catch for turns and points, together with a total ignorance and contenipt of ordei, of method, and of all relation of the parts to one another to compɔíe a reafonable whole, make up the character of thofe of Mr. Wycherley. The Author's Age then fixteen, VOL. III.

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gainst

gainst which the former of these Gentlemen has told me The will one day vindicate him *. 1 fuppofe thofe injuries were begun by the violence of Party, but 'tis no doubt they were continued by envy at his fuccefs and fame. And thofe Scriblers who attacked him in his latter times, were only like gnats in a fummer's evening, which are never very troublefome but in the finest and moft glorions feafon; for his fire, like the fun's, shined cleareft towards its fetting.

You must not therefore imagine, that when you told me my own performances were above those Critics, I was fo vain as to believe it; and yet I may not be fo humble as to think myself quite below their notice. For critics, as they are birds of prey, have ever a natural inclination to carrion and tho' fuch poor writers as I are but beggars, no beggar is fo poor but he can keep a cur, and no author is fo beggarly but he can keep a critic. I am far from thinking the attacks of fuch people either any honour or dishonour even to me, much less to Mr. Dryden. I agree with you, that whatever leffer Wits have rifen fince his death, are but like ftars appearing when the fun is fet, that twinkle only in his abfence, and with the rays they have borrowed from him. Our wit (as you call it) is but reflection or imitation, therefore scarce to be called ours. True Wit, I believe, may be defined a juftness of thought, and a facility of expreffion; or (in the midwives phrafe) a perfect conception, with an easy delivery. However, this is far from a complete definition; pray help me to a better, as I doubt not, you can,

I am, etc.

* He fice did fo, in his Dedication to the Duke of Newcastle, prefix'd to the duodecimo Edition of Dryden's Flays, 1717.

LETTER

LETTER II.

From Mr. WYCHERLEY.

Jan. 25, 1704-5.

I Have been fo bufy of late in correcting and tran

fcribing fome of my madrigals for a great man or two who defired to fee them, that I have (with your pardon) omitted to return you an answer to your moft ingenious letter: fo fcriblers to the public, like bankers to the public, are profuse in their voluntary loans to it, whilft they forget to pay their more private and particular, as more juft debts, to their beft and nearest friends. However, I hope, you who have as much good nature as good fenfe (fince they generally are companions) will have patience with a debtor who has an inclination to pay you his obligations, if he had wherewithal ready about him; and in the mean time fhould confider, when you have obliged me beyond my prefent power of returning the favour, that a debtor may honeft man, if he but intends to be just when he is able, tho' late. But I should be less just to you, the more I thought I could make a return to fo much profufeness of Wit and Humanity together; which tho' they feldom accompany each other in other men, are in you fo equally met, I know not in which you most abound. But fo much for my opinion of you, which is, that your Wit and Ingenuity is equalled by nothing but your Judgment, or Modefty, which (though it be to please myfelf) I muft no more offend, than I can do either right.

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Therefore I will fay no more now of them, than that your good wit never forfeited your good judgment, but in your partiality to me and mine; fo that if it were poffible for a hardened fcribler to be vainer than he is, what you write of me would make me more conceited than what I fcribble myself: yet, I muft confefs, I ought to be more humbled by your praife than exalted, which commends

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commends my little fenfe with fo much more of yours, that I am difparaged and difheartened by your commendations; who give me an example of your wit in the firft part of your letter, and a definition of it in the laft; to make writing well (that is, like you) more difficult to me than ever it was before. Thus the more great and juft your example and definition of wit are, the lefs I am capable to follow them. Then the best way of fhewing my judgment, after having feen how you write, is to leave off writing; and the beft way to fhew my friendfhip to you, is to put an end to your trouble, and to conclude

Yours, etc.

LETTER III.

March 25, 1705.

HEN I write to you, I foresee a long letter, and ought to beg your patience before hand; for if it proves the longeft, it will be of course the worst I have troubled you with. Yet to exprefs my gratitude at large for your obliging letter, is not more my duty than my intereft, as fome people will abundantly thank you for one piece of kindness, to put you in mind of beftowing another, The more favourable you are to me, the more diftin&tly I fee my faults: Spots and blemishes, you know, are never fo plainly discovered as in the brighteft funshine, Thus I am mortified by thofe commendations which were defigned to encourage me for praife to a young wit, is like rain to a tender flower; if it be moderately bestowed, it chears and revives; but if too lavifhly, overcharges and depreffes him. Moft men in years, as they are generally difcouragers of youth, are like old trees, that being paft bearing themfelves, will fuffer no young plants to flourish beneath them but, as if it were not enough to have outdone all your coevals in wit, you will excell them in good-nature too. As for my green effays, if you His Paftorals, written at fixteen years of age.

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