Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

These voluntary offers, and this faint acceptance, ended without effect. The patron was not accustomed to such frigid gratitude; and the poet fed his own pride with the dignity of independence. They probably were suspicious of each other. Pope would not dedicate till he saw at what rate his praise was valued; he would be "troublesome out of gratitude, not ex"pectation." Halifax thought himself entitled to confidence; and would give nothing unless he knew what he should receive. Their commerce had its beginning in hope of praise on one side, and of money on the other, and ended because Pope was less eager of money than Halifax of praise. It is not likely that Halifax had any personal benevolence to Pope; it is evident that Pope looked on Halifax with scorn and hatred.

The reputation of this great work failed of gaining him a patron, but it deprived him of a friend. Addison and he were now at the head of poetry and criticism; and both in such a state of elevation, that, like the two rivals in the Roman state, one could no longer bear an equal nor the other a superior. Of the gradual abatement of kindness between friends, the beginning is often scarcely discernible to themselves, and the process is continued by petty provocations and incivilities, sometimes peevishly returned and sometimes contemptuously neglected, which would escape all attention but that of pride, and drop from any memory but that of resentment. That the quarrel of these two wits should be minutely deduced, is not to be expected from a writer to whom, as Homer says, nothing but rumour has reached, and who has no "personal knowledge."

66

Pope doubtless approached Addison, when the reputation of their wit first brought them together, with the respect due to a man whose abilities were acknowledged, and who, having attained that eminence to which he was himself aspiring, had in his hands the

distribution of literary fame. He paid court with sufficient diligence by his prologue to "Cato," by his abuse of Dennis, and with praise yet more direct, by his poem on the "Dialogues on Medals," of which the immediate publication was then intended. In all this there was no hypocrisy; for he confessed that he found in Addison something more pleasing than in any other man.

It may be supposed, that as Pope saw himself favoured by the world, and more frequently compared his own powers with those of others, his confidence increased and his submission lessened; and that Addison felt no delight from the advances of a young wit, who might soon contend with him for the highest place. Every great man, of whatever kind be his greatness, has among his friends those who officiously or insidiously quicken his attention to offences, heighten his disgust, and stimulate his resentment. Of such adherents Addison doubtless had many; and Pope was now too high to be without them.

From the emission and reception of the proposals for the "Iliad," the kindness of Addison seems to have abated. Jervas the painter once pleased himself (Aug. 20, 1714) with imagining that he had re-established their friendship; and wrote to Pope that Addison once suspected him of too close a confederacy with Swift, but was now satisfied with his conduct. To this Pope answered, a week after, that his engagements to Swift were such as his services in regard to the subscription demanded, and that the Tories never put him under the necessity of asking leave to be grateful. "But," says he," as Mr. Addison must "be the judge in what regards himself, and has seem"ed to be no very just one to me, so I must own to "you, I expect nothing but civility from him." In the same letter he mentions Philips, as having been busy to kindle animosity between them; but in a let

er to Addison, he expresses some consciousness of behaviour inattentively deficient in respect.

Of Swift's industry in promoting the subscription, there remains the testimony of Kennet, no friend to either him or Pope.

“Nov. 2, 1713, Dr. Swift came into the coffee"house, and had a bow from every body but me, "who, I confess, could not but despise him. When "I came to the anti-chamber to wait, before prayers, "Dr. Swift was the principal man of talk and busi

ness, and acted as master of requests.-Then he in"sructed a young nobleman that the best poet in "England was Mr. Pope (a papist), who had begun

a translation of Homer into English verse, for " which he must have them all subscribe; for, says he, "the author shall not begin to print till I have a "thousand guineas for him."

About this time it is likely that Steele, who was, with all his political fury, good-natured and officious, procured an interview between these angry rivals, which ended in aggravated malevolence. On this occasion, if the reports be true, Pope made his complaint with frankness and spirit, as a man undeservedly neglected or opposed; and Addison affected a contemptuous unconcern, and, in a calm even voice, reproached Pope with his vanity, and, telling him of the improvements which his early works had received from his own remarks and those of Steele, said, that he, being now engaged in publick business, had no longer any care for his poetical reputation, nor had any other desire, with regard to Pope, than that he should not, by too much arrogance, alienate the publick.

To this Pope is said to have replied with great keenness and severity, upbraiding Addison with perpetual dependence, and with the abuse of those qualifications which he had obtained at the publick cost, and charging him with mean endeavours to obstruct progress of rising merit. The contest rose so high

the

VOL. I.

d

that they parted at last without any interchange of civility.

The first volume of Homer was (1715) in time published; and a rival version of the first Iliad, for rivals the time of their appearance inevitably made them, was immediately printed, with the name of Tickell. It was soon perceived that, among the followers of Addison, Tickell had the preference, and the criticks and poets divided into factions. "I," says Pope," have the town, that is, the mob, on my "side; but it is not uncommon for the smaller party "to supply by industry what it wants in numbers. "I appeal to the people as my rightful judges, and, "while they are not inclined to condemn me, shall "not fear the high-flyers at Button's." This opposition he immediately imputed to Addison, and complained of it in terms sufficiently resentful to Craggs, their common friend.

When Addison's opinion was asked, he declared the versions to be both good, but Tickell's the best that had ever been written; and sometimes said, that they were both good, but that Tickell had more of Homer.

Pope was now sufficiently irritated; his reputation and his interest were at hazard. He once intended to print together the four versions of Dryden, Maynwaring, Pope, and Tickell, that they might be readily compared, and fairly estimated. This design seems to have been defeated by the refusal of Tonson, who was the proprietor of the other three versions.

Pope intended, at another time, a rigorous criticism of Tickell's translation, and had marked a copy, which I have seen, in all places that appeared defective ".

This copy, which was found some years ago by Mr. Isaac Reed, is now in the Bishop of Worcester's library at Hartlebury Castle, and Mr. Reed's transcript of it is in the possession of the writer of this note. C.

But, while he was thus meditating defence or revenge, his adversary sunk before him without a blow; the voice of the publick was not long divided, and the preference was universally given to Pope's perform

ance.

He was convinced, by adding one circumstance to another, that the other translation was the work of Addison himself; but if he knew it in Addison's lifetime it does not appear that he told it . He left his illustrious antagonist to be punished by what has been considered as the most painful of all reflections, the remembrance of a crime perpetrated in vain.

The other circumstances of their quarrel were thus related by Pope'.

"Philips seemed to have been encouraged to abuse "me in coffee-houses and conversations; and Gildon "wrote a thing about Wycherley, in which he had "abused both me and my relations very grossly. "Lord Warwick himself told me one day, that it was "in vain for me to endeavour to be well with Mr. "Addison; that his jealous temper would never ad"mit of a settled friendship between us; and, to con❝vince me of what he had said, assured me that Ad"dison had encouraged Gildon to publish those scan"dals, and had given him ten guineas after they were "published. The next day, while I was heated with "what I had heard, I wrote a letter to Mr. Addison, "to let him know that I was not unacquainted with “this behaviour of his; that, if I was to speak se

verely of him in return for it, it should be not in "such a dirty way; that I should rather tell him, "himself, fairly of his faults, and allow his good

66

qualities; and that it should be something in the

s Mr. Watts the printer, a man of integrity, assured a friend of Mr. Nichols, that the translation of the first book of the Iliad was in Tickell's handwriting, but much corrected and interlined by Addison. WARTON.

* Spence.

« ZurückWeiter »