lowed. Such opinions are often admitted, and difmiffed, without nice examination. Who is there that has not found reason for changing his mind about questions of greater importance?

Warburton, whatever was his motive, undertook, without folicitation, to refcue Pope from the talons of Croufaz, by freeing him from the imputation of favouring fatality, or rejecting revelation; and from month to month continued a vindication of the Essay on Man, in the literary journal of that time called The Republick of Letters.

Pope, who probably began to doubt the tendency of his own work, was glad that the pofitions, of which he perceived himself not to know the full meaning, could by any mode of interpretation be made to mean well. How much he was pleased with his gratuitous defender, the following Letter evidently fhews :

"SIR,

March 24, 1743.

"I have juft received from Mr. R. two more of your Letters. It is in the greatest

hurry imaginable that I write this; but I "cannot help thanking you in particular « for your third Letter, which is fo extreme

ly clear, fhort, and full, that I think Mr. "Croufaz ought never to have another "anfwer, and deferved not fo good an one. "I can only fay, you do him too much "honour, and me too much right, fo odd

as the expreffion feems; for you have "made my system as clear as I ought to have * done, and could not. It is indeed the "same system as mine, but illustrated with of your own, as they fay our natural

a ray body is the fame ftill when it is glorified, "I am fure I like it better than I did before, "and fo will every man else. I know I meant

juft what you explain; but I did not ex+

plain my own meaning fo well as you. "You understand me as well as I do myself; "but you exprefs me better than I could exprefs myself. Pray, accept the fincereft acknowledgements. I cannot but wifh "these Letters were put together in one Book, and intend (with your leave) to

A

procure a tranflation of part, at least, of all of them into French; but I fhall not pro

"cced

ceed a step without your confent and opi"nion, &c."

By this fond and eager acceptance of an exculpatory comment, Pope teftified that, whatever might be the feeming or real import of the principles which he had received from Bolingbroke, he had not intentionally attacked religion; and Bolingbroke, if he meant to make him without his own confent an inftrument of mifchief, found him now engaged with his eyes open on the side of truth.

It is known that Bolingbroke concealed from Pope his real opinions. He once difcovered them to Mr. Hooke, who related them again to Pope, and was told by him that he must have mistaken the meaning of what he heard; and Bolingbroke, when Pope's uneafiness incited him to defire an explanation, declared that Hooke had mifunder stood him.

Bolingbroke hated Warburton, who had drawn his pupil from him; and a little before Pope's death they had a difpute,

from

from which they parted with mutual averfion.

From this time Pope lived in the closest intimacy with his commentator, and amply rewarded his kindness and his zeal; for he introduced him to Mr. Murray, by whose interest he became preacher at Lincoln's Inn, and to Mr. Allen, who gave him his niece and his eftate, and by consequence a bishoprick. When he died, he left him the property of his works; a legacy which may be reasonably estimated at four thousand pounds.

Pope's fondness for the Essay on Man appeared by his defire of its propagation. Dobfon, who had gained reputation by his verfion of Prior's Solomon, was employed by him to tranflate it into Latin verfe, and was for that purpose fome time at Twickenham; but he left his work, whatever was the reafon, unfinished; and, by Benson's invitation, undertook the longer talk of Paradife Loft. Pope then defired his friend to find a scholar who should turn his Effay into Latin profe; but no fuch performance has ever appeared.

Pope

Pope lived at this time among the great, with that reception and refpect to which his works entitled him, and which he had not impaired by any private misconduct or factious partiality. Though Bolingbroke was his friend, Walpole was not his enemy; but treated him with fo much confideration as, at his request, to folicit and obtain from the French Minister an abbey for Mr. Southcot, whom he confidered himself as obliged to reward, by this exertion of his intereft, for the benefit which he had received from his attendance in a long illness.

It was faid, that, when the Court was at Richmond, Queen Caroline had declared her intention to visit him. This may have been only a careless effufion, thought on no more: the report of fuch notice, however, was foon in many mouths; and, if I do not forget or misapprehend Savage's account, Pope, pretending to decline what was not yet offered, left his house for a time, not, I fuppose, for any other reason than left he should be thought to stay at home in expectation of an honour which would not be conferred. He was therefore