tired, and I am not writing only to poets and philofophers.

The Iliad was published volume by volume, as the tranflation proceeded; the first four books appeared in 1715, The expectation of this work was undoubtedly high, and every man who had connected his name with criticism, or poetry, was defirous of fuch intelligence as might enable him to talk upon the popular topick. Halifax, who, by having been firft a poet, and then a patron of poetry, had acquired the right of being a judge, was willing to hear fome books while they were yet unpublished. Of this rehearsal Pope afterwards gave the following account

*

Spence.

"The

"The famous Lord Halifax was ra

"ther a pretender to taste than really "poffeffed of it.-When I had finifhed "the two or three firft books of my "tranflation of the Iliad, that Lord de"fired to have the pleasure of hearing "them read at his houfe.-Addison, "Congreve, and Garth, were there at "the reading. In four or five places, "Lord Halifax ftopt me very civilly, "and with a fpeech each time, much "of the fame kind, I beg your par

"don, Mr. Pope; but there is fome

66

thing in that paffage that does not

"quite please me.-Be fo good as to "mark the place, and confider it a little "at your leifure.-I'm fure you can "give it a little turn.' I returned from

"Lord

"Lord Halifax's with Dr. Garth, in his

chariot; and, as we were going along, "was faying to the Doctor, that my "Lord had laid me under a good deal of difficulty by fuch loofe and general"obfervations; that I had been think

66

ing over the paffages almoft ever fince, "and could not guefs at what it was "that offended his Lordship in either of them. Garth laughed heartily at my "embarraffment; faid, I had not been long enough acquainted with Lord "Halifax to know his way yet; that I "need not puzzle myself about look(6 ing thofe places over and over, when

"" I home. • got

All you need do (fays

'he) is to leave them juft as they are;.

call on Lord Halifax two or three

"months

months hence, thank him for his kind "obfervations on thofe paffages, and

then read them to him as altered. I

have known him much longer than -66 you have, and will be anfwerable for

the event.' I followed his advice; waited on Lord Halifax fome time "after; faid, I hoped he would find "his objections to thofe paffages re

moved; read them to him exactly as "they were at firft: and his Lordship "was extremely pleafed with them, and cried out, Ay, now they are perfealy "right: nothing can be better.”

It is feldom that the great or the wife fufpect that they are despised or cheated. Halifax, thinking this a lucky opportunity of fecuring immortality, made

fome advances of favour and fome over

tures of advantage to Pope, which he feems to have received with fullen coldness. All our knowledge of this transaction is derived from a fingle Letter (Dec. 1, 1714), in which Pope fays, "I am obliged to you, both for the fa"vours you have done me, and those "you intend me. I diftruft neither 6.6 your will nor your memory, when it "is to do good; and if I ever become "troublesome or folicitous, it must not "be out of expectation, but out of gra

titude. Your Lordship may cause me "to live agreeably in the town, or con"tentedly in the country, which is real"ly all the difference I fet between an

eafy fortune and a fmall one. It is "" indeed