A TRUE CHARACTER of Mr. POPE.
The SECOND EDITION.

I Have read over the Libel, which I received from you the Day before Yeſterday. Yeſter⯑day I received the ſame from another Hand, with this Character of the Secret Author of ſo much ſtupid Calumny.

That he is one, whom God and Nature have mark'd for want of Common Honeſty, and his own Contemptible Rhimes for want of Common Senſe, that thoſe Rhimes have found great Succeſs with the Rabble, which is a Word almoſt as comprehenſive as Mankind; but that the Town, which ſup⯑ports him, will do by him, as the Dolphin did by the Ship⯑wrack'd Monkey, drop him as ſoon as it finds him out to be a Beaſt, whom it fondly now miſtakes for a Human Creature. 'Tis, ſays he, a very little, but very comprehenſive Creature, in whom all Contradictions meet, and all Contrarieties are reconcil'd; when at one and the ſame time, like the Ancient Centaurs, he is a Beaſt and a Man, a Whig and a Tory, a vi⯑rulent Papiſt, and yet forſooth, a Pillar of the Church of Eng⯑land, a Writer at one and the ſame time, of GUARDIANS and of EXAMINERS, an aſſertor of Liberty and of the Diſpenſing Power of Kings; a Rhimeſter without Judgment or Reaſon, and a Critick without Common Senſe; a Jeſuiti⯑cal [2] Profeſſor of Truth, a baſe and foul Pretender to Candour; a Barbarous Wretch, who is perpetually boaſting of Huma⯑nity and Good Nature, a lurking way-laying Coward, and a Stabber in the Dark; who is always pretending to Magnani⯑mity, and to ſum up all Villains in one, a Traytor-Friend, one who has betrayed all Mankind, and ſeems to have taken his great Rule of Life from the following Lines of Hudibras.

He is a Profeſſor of the worſt Religion, which he laughs at, and yet has moſt inviolably obſerv'd the moſt execrable Maxim in it, That no Faith is to be kept with Hereticks. A Wretch, whoſe true Religion is his Intereſt, and yet ſo ſtu⯑pidly blind to that Intereſt, that he often meets her, without knowing her, and very groſly Affronts her. His Villainy is but the natural Effect of his want of Underſtanding, as the ſowerneſs of Vinegar proceeds from its want of Spirit; and yet, ſays my Friend, notwithſtanding that Shape and that Mind of his, ſome Men of good Underſtanding, value him for his Rhimes, as they would be fond of an Aſſeinego, that could ſing his part in a Catch, or of a Baboon that could whiſtle Walſingham. The groſſer part of his gentle Readers be⯑lieve the Beaſt to be more than Man; as Ancient Ruſticks took his Anceſtors for thoſe Demy Gods they call Fauns and Satyrs.

This was the Character, which my Friend gave of the Au⯑thor of this miſerable Libel, which immediately made me ap⯑prehend that it was the very ſame Perſon, who endeavour'd to expoſe you in a Billinſgate Libel, at the very time that you were doing him a Favour at his own earneſt Deſire, who attempted to undermine Mr. PHILIPS in one of his Guardians, at the ſame time that the Crocodile ſmil'd on him, embrac'd him, and called him Friend, who wrote a Prologue in praiſe of CATO, and teas'd Lintott to publiſh Remarks upon it; who at the ſame time, that he openly extoll'd Sir Richard Steele in the higheſt manner, ſecretly publiſh'd the Infamous Libel of Dr. Andrew Tripe upon him; who, as he is in Shape a Monkey, is ſo in his every Action; in his ſenſeleſs Chattering, and his merry [3] Grimaces, in his doing hourly Miſchief and hiding himſelf in the variety of his Ridiculous Poſtures, and his continual Shiftings, from Place to Place, from Perſons to Perſons, from Thing to Thing. But whenever he Scribbles, he is emphatically a Monkey, in his awkard ſervile Imitations. For in all his Productions, he has been an Imitator, from his Imitation of VIRGILS Bucolicks, to this preſent Imitation of HORACE.—His Paſtorals were writ in Imitation of VIR⯑GIL,—His Rape of the Lock of BOILEAU,—His Eſſay on Cri⯑ticiſm, of the preſent Duke of Buckingham, and of my Lord Rofcommon.—His Windſor-Foreſt of Sir John Denham,—His Ode upon St. Caecilia of Mr. Dryden, and—His Temple of Fame, of CHAUCER.

Thus for fifteen Years together this Ludicrous Animal has been a conſtant Imitator. Yet he has rather mimick'd theſe great Genius's, than he has Imitated them. He has given a Falſe and a Ridiculous Turn to all their good and their great Qualities, and has, as far as in him lies, Burleſqu'd them with⯑out knowing it. But after having been for fifteen Years as it were an Imitator, he has made no Proficiency. His firſt Imita⯑tions, tho' bad, are rather better than the Succeeding, and this laſt Imitation of HORACE, the moſt execrable of them all.

If you ſhould chance, Sir, to ſhew this LETTER to any of your Acquaintance who have perus'd his Senſeleſs Calum⯑nies, they may think perhaps that we follow his Example, and retort Slander upon him. I deſire that you would have the Goodneſs to aſſure ſuch, that in the Moral part of his Character, and all that relates to matter of Fact, there is no manner of Rhetorick us'd, all is exactly and literally true, [4] for which we appeal to thoſe Poetical Perſons, with whom we have been moſt converſant in Covent-Garden. We have always been of Opinion that he who invents, or pretends, or falſifies Matter of Fact, in order to ſlander any one, deſerves an In⯑famous Puniſhment, and we have always had before our Eyes the following Verſes out of Horace.

As to what relates to the Perſon of this wretched Libeller, if in that there may be ſome trifling Exaggerations, yet even that is not deſign'd to Deceive or Impoſe upon any to whom you mey happen to ſhew it, but is intended to lead them to an exact Knowledge of the Truth by a very little enlarging upon it.

But if any one appears to be concern'd at our upbraiding him with his Natural Deformity, which did not come by his own Fault, but ſeems to be the Curſe of God upon him; we deſire that Perſon to conſider, that this little Monſter has up⯑braided People with their Calamities and their Diſeaſes which are either falſe or paſt, or which he himſelf gave them by adminiſtring Poiſon to them; we deſire that Perſon to conſider that Calamities and Diſeaſes, if they are neither falſe nor paſt, are common to all Men; that a Man can no more help his Calamities and his Diſeaſes, than a Monſter can his De⯑formity; that there is no Misfortune, but what the Genera⯑lity of Mankind are liable too; and that there is no one Diſ⯑eaſe, but what all the reſt of Men are ſubject too; whereas the Deformity of this Libeller is Viſible, Preſent, Laſting, Unalterable, and Peculiar to himſelf. 'Tis the mark of God and Nature upon him, to give us warning that we ſhould hold no Society with him, as a Creature not of our Original, nor of our Species. And they who have refus'd to take this Warning which God and Nature have given them, and have in ſpight of it, by a ſenſeleſs Preſumption, ventur'd to be fa⯑miliar [5] with him, have ſeverely ſuffer'd for it, by his Perfidi⯑ouſneſs. They tell me, he has been lately pleas'd to ſay, That 'tis Doubtful if the Race of Men are the offspring of Adam or of the ^* Devil. But if 'tis doubtful as to the Race of Men, 'tis cer⯑tain at leaſt, that his Original is not from Adam, but from the Devil. By his conſtant and malicious Lying, and by that Angel Face and Form of his, 'tis plain that he wants nothing but Horns and Tail, to be the exact Reſemblance, both in Shape and Mind, of his Infernal Father. Thus, Sir, I return you Truth for Slander, and a juſt Satire for an Extravagant Libel, which is therefore ridiculouſly called an Imitation of Horace, you know very well, Sir, that the Difference between Horace, and ſuch an Imitation of him, is almoſt Infinite; and I leave you to conſider what Influence ſuch an Imita⯑tion muſt have upon his Readers of both Kinds, both upon thoſe who are acquainted with that Great Poet, and with thoſe that know him not; how contemptible it muſt render Horace to the latter, and his Imitator to the former, who when they ſhall behold the Ghoſt of their old and their valu⯑ed Friend, raiſed up before them, by this awkard Conjurer, in a Manner ſo ridiculouſly frightful, when they behold him thus miſerably mangled, and reflect at once with Contempt and Horrour, upon this Barbarous Uſage of him, will not be able to refrain from exclaiming in the moſt vehement Manner.

They muſt think that their old and valued Friend had a Prophetick Spirit, and ſeem'd to foretel the Uſage, which he has lately received from this Barbarian and his Brethren, when in the fourth Ode of his Third Book he cryed,

But as for the other ſorts of Readers, the Readers who have no knowledge of Horace, but from this contemptible Imitati⯑on; what muſt they think, Sir, of thoſe great Men, who ex⯑tol him, for the ſecond Genius of the Roman-Empire, Illuſtri⯑ous for ſo many great Qualities which are to be ſound in him [6] alone. Muſt they not look upon all his Admirers, as ſo ma⯑ny Learned Ideots, and upon the Roman-Empire it ſelf, as a vaſt Nation of Fools.

You know very well, Sir, that as Horace had a firmneſs of Judgment, and a ſureneſs and truth of Taſte; he never once form'd a wrong Judgment to himſelf, either of the Actions of Men in general, or of the particular Worth and Merit of Authors; he had an Honour and a Rectitude of Soul, that would have oblig'd him to die a thouſand times rather than to Write any thing againſt his Conſcience.

He was capable indeed of being provok'd to expoſe either a Fool or a Knave, whom otherwiſe he might have ſuffer'd to have remain'd in Obſcurity; but the moſt barbarous Uſage of his moſt Malicious Enemy, could never urge him to ſlan⯑der that Enemy. From this Force and Clearneſs of his Un⯑derſtanding, and this Noble Rectitude of his Will, it has pro⯑ceeded that all his Cenſures are like ſo many Decrees, that have been all affirm'd by Poſterity, the only Supream Court of Judicature, for the Diſtribution of Fame and Infamy, from which Mankind can have no Appeal. That Supream, Impartial, Incorruptible Judicature, has the ſame Opinions of Perſons and Things, and eſpecially of Authors that he had. The ſame high Value for Tibullus, for Pollio, for Varius, for Virgil; and the ſame Contempt for Bavius, for Maevius, for Cri⯑ſpinus, for Alpinus, for Fannius, and for a Thouſand more.

The ſame Juſtneſs and Fineneſs of Diſcernment and the ſame noble Rectitude of will, appear in the French Satiriſt, which make the moſt conſiderable Share of his Merit, and the moſt Diſtinguiſhing part of his Character, if we will believe what he ſays of himſelf, in his Admirable Epiſtle to Monſieur SEIGNELEY. You know, Sir, that what Boileau ſays there of himſelf is exactly true in Fact. The Perſons whom he has attack'd in his Writings have been for the moſt part Authors and moſt of thoſe Authors Poets. The Cenſures which he has paſs'd on them have been confirm'd by all Europe. But at the ſame time that judicious Poet, has been as liberal of his Praiſe to his Contemporaries, who were excellent in their Kinds, as Corneille, Racine, Moliere, and La Fontaine; Nay, he [7] was generous enough to defend Racine, and to ſupport and ſtrengthen him, when a Clamorous croud of miſerable Au⯑thors endeavoured to oppreſs him, as appears by his Admirable Epiſtle addreſt to that Tragick Poet.

You, and I, both know very well, Sir, that there has been never wanting a Floud of ſuch Authors, neither in England nor France, who being like this Imitator, in ev'ry Reſpect, the reverſe of Horace, in Honour, in Diſcernment, in Genius; have always combin'd to atack any thing that has apear'd above their own dull Level, while they have hug'd and admir'd each other, Authors who have thought to be too hard for their Adverſaries by oppoſing Billinſgate to Reaſon, and Dogmatical Aſſertion to Moral Demonſtration; and who have been Ideots enough to belive that their Noiſe and Impudence could alter the Nature of Things, and the Notions of Men of Senſe.

Of all theſe Libellers, the preſent Imitator is the moſt Im⯑pudent, and the moſt Incorrigible, who has lately peſter'd and plagued the World with Five or Six Scandalous Libels in Proſe, that are all of them at once ſo ſtupid and ſo Ma⯑licious, that Men of Sence are Doubtful, if they ſhould at⯑tribute them to the Libellers Native Idiotiſm or to Acci⯑dental Madneſs.

In all theſe Libels, the chief Objects of his Scandal and Malice, have been Perſons of diſtinguiſh'd Merit and among theſe he has fallen upon none ſo foully as his Friends and Benefactors. Among theſe latter, he has attack'd no one ſo often, or with ſo much ridiculous, impotent Mallice, as Sir Richard Blackmore; who is Eſtimable for a thouſand good and great Qualities. And what time has he choſen to do this. Why juſt after that Gentelman had laid very great Oblega⯑tions on him; and juſt after he had oblig'd the World with, ſo many Editions of his Excellent Poem upon CREATION, which Poem alone is worth all the Folios, that this Libeller will ever write and which will render its Author the Delight and Admiration of Poſterity. So that 'tis hard to deter⯑mine whether this Libeller is more remarkable for his Judg⯑ment or his Gratitude.

I dare venture to affirm, that there is not an Author living ſo little Qualified for a Cenſurer as himſelf. I know nothing for which he is ſo ill Qualified as he is for Judg⯑ing [8] unleſs it be for Tranſlating HOMER. He has neither Taſte nor judgment, but is, if you will pardon a Quibble, the very neceſſity of Parnaſſus; for he has none of the Poetical Laws; or if he has the Letter of any, He has it without the Spirit. Whenever he pretends to Criticiſe, I fancy I ſee Sham⯑well or Cheatly in the Squire of Alſatia, cutting a Sham or Banter to abuſe ſome Bubble. The Preſace is full of groſs Er⯑rours, and he has ſhewn himſelf in it, a Dogmatical, Ignorant Impudent Second Hand Critick. As for the Poem, however he may cry up HOMER for being every where a Graecian—Trumpeter in the Original, I can ſee no Trumpeter in the Tranſlator, but the King of Spain's. But ſince his Friends will alledge 'tis eaſie to ſay this, I deſire it may go for nothing till I have ſo plainly prov'd it, that the moſt Fooliſh, and the moſt Partial of them ſhall not be able to deny it.

As for what they call his Verſes, he has, like Mr. Bayes, got a notable knack of Rhiming and Writing ſmooth verſe, but without either Genius or Good Senſe, or any tolerable Knowledge of Engliſh, as I believe I ſhall ſhew plainly, when I come to the reſt of his Imitations. As for his Tranſlation of HOMER, I could never borrow it till this very Day, and de⯑ſign to read it over to Morrow; ſo that ſhortly you may ex⯑pect to hear more of it. I will only tell you beforehand, that HOMER ſeems to me to be untranſlatable in any Modern Language. That great Poet is juſt in his Deſings, admirable in his Characters, and for the moſt part exact in his Rea⯑ſoning and correct in his Noble Sentiments; but theſe are Ex⯑cellencies, which may be already ſeen in the Proſe Tranſlati⯑ons of Him.

The Qualities which ſo admirably diſtinguiſh HOMER from moſt other Writers, and which therefore a Tranſlator in Verſe is particularly oblig'd to ſhow, becauſe they cannot be ſhown in Proſe, are the Beauty of his Diction, and the va⯑rious Harmony of his Verſification. But 'tis as Ridiculous to pretend to make theſe Shine out in Engliſh Rhimes, as it would be to Emulate upon a Bag-pipe, the Solemn and Ma⯑jeſtick Thorough Baſſe of an Organ.

But you may ſuddenly expect more of this, if what I have already ſaid, happens to entertain you.