I found this was not all: Ill fuccefs in that had tranfported them to Perfonal abufe, either of himself, or (what I think he could less forgive) of his Friends. They had called Men of virtue and honour bad Men, long before he had either leifure or inclination to call them bad Writers: And fome had been fuch old offenders, that he had quite forgotten their perfons as well as their flanders, 'till they were pleased to revive them.

Now what had Mr. POPE done before, to incenfe them? He had published those works which are in the hands of every body, in which not the least mention is made of any of them. And what has he done fince? He has laughed, and written the DUNCIAD. What has that faid of them? A very ferious truth, which the public had faid before, that they were dull: And what it had no fooner faid, but they themselves were at great pains to procure, or even purchase room in the prints to testify under their hands to the truth of it.

I should still have been filent, if either I had feen any inclination in my friend to be serious with fuch accufers, or if they had only meddled with his Writings; fince whoever publishes, puts himself on his trial by his Country. But when his Moral character was attacked, and in a manner from which neither truth nor virtue can fecure the most innocent; in a manner, which, though it annihi

lates the credit of the accufation with the juft and impartial, yet aggravates very much the guilt of the accufers; I mean by Authors without names; then I thought, fince the danger was common to all, the concern ought to be so; and that it was an a& of justice to detect the Authors, not only on this account, but as many of them are the fame who for feveral years past have made free with the greatest names in Church and State, expofed to the world the private misfortunes of Families, abufed all, even to women, and whose prostituted papers (for one or other Party, in the unhappy divifions of their Country) have infulted the Fallen, the Friendless, the Exil'd, and the Dead.

Befides this, which I take to be a public concern, I have already confeffed I had a private one. I am one of that number who have long loved and efteemed Mr. POPE; and had often declared it was not his capacity or writings (which we ever thought the least valuable part of his character) but the honeft, open, and beneficent man, that we most esteemed, and loved in him. Now, if what these people fay were believed, I must appear to all my friends either a fool, or a knave; either impofed on myfelf, or impofing on them; fo that I am as much interested in the confutation of these calumnies, as he is himself.

I am no Author, and confequently not to be

I

fufpected either of jealoufy or refentment against any of the Men, of whom fcarce one is known to me by fight; and as for their Writings, I have fought them (on this one occafion) in vain, in the clofets and libraries of all my acquaintance. I had ftill been in the dark, if a Gentleman had not procured me (I fuppofe from fome of themfelves, for they are generally much more dangerous friends than enemies) the paffages I fend you. I folemnly protest I have added nothing to the malice or abfurdity of them; which it behoves me to declare, fince the vouchers themselves will be fo foon and fo irrecoverably loft. You may in fome measure prevent it, by preferving at least their Titles, and difcovering (as far as you can depend on the truth of your information) the Names of the concealed authors.

The first objection I have heard made to the Poem is, that the perfons are too obfcure for fatire. The perfons themselves, rather than allow the objection, would forgive the fatire; and if one could be tempted to afford it a ferious anfwer, were not all affaffinates, popular infurrections, the infolence of the rabble without doors, and of domeftics within, moft wrongfully chaftifed, if the Meannefs of offenders indemnified them from punish

a Which we have done in a Lift printed in the Appendix,

ment? On the contrary, Obfcurity renders them more dangerous, as lefs thought of: Law can pronounce judgment only on open facts: Morality alone can país censure on intentions of Misch ef; fo that for fecret calumny, or the arrow flying in the dark, h there is no public punishment left, but what a good Writer inflicts.

The next objection is, that these fort of authors are poor. That might be pleaded as an excufe at the Old Baily, for leffer crimes than Defamation, (for 'tis the cafe of almost all who are tried there) but fure it can be none here: For who will pretend that the robbing another of his Reputation supply the want of it in himself? I queftion not but fuch authors are poor, and heartily wish the objection were removed by any honeft livelihood, But Poverty is here the accident, not the subject: He who defcribes Malice and Villainy to be pale and meagre, expreffes not the least anger against Paleness or Leannefs, but againft Malice and Villany. The Apothecary in Romeo and Juliet is poor; but is he therefore juftified in vending poi, fon? Not but Poverty itself becomes a juft fubje& of fatire, when it is the confequence of vice, prodigality, or neglect of one's lawful calling; for then it increases the public burden, fills the streets and highways with Robbers, and the Garrets with Clippers, Coiners, and Weekly Journalists.

But admitting that two or three of thefe offend lefs in their morals, than in their writings; must Poverty make nonsense facred? If so, the fame of bad authors would be much better confulted than that of all the good ones in the world; and not one of an hundred had ever been called by his right name.

They mistake the whole matter: It is not charity to encourage them in the way they follow, but to get them out of it; for men are not bunglers because they are poor, but they are poor because they are bunglers.

Is it not pleasant enough, to hear our authors crying out on the one hand, as if their persons and characters were too facred for fatire; and the public objecting on the other, that they are too mean even for ridicule? But whether Bread or Fame be their end, it must be allowed, our author, by and in this Poem, has mercifully given them a little of both.

There are two or three, who by their rank and fortune have no benefit from the former objections, fuppofing them good, and these I was forry to fee in fuch company. But if, without any provocation, two or three Gentlemen will fall upon one, in an affair wherein his interest and reputation are equally embarked; they cannot certainly, after they have been content to print themselves his enemies, complain of being put into the number of them.