can never bear a brother on the throne; and has his mutes too, a set of nodders, winkers, and whisperers, whose business is to strangle all other offsprings of wit in their birth. The new translator of Homer is the humblest slave he has, that is to say, his first minister; let him receive the honours he gives him, but receive them with fear and trembling let him be proud of the approbation of his absolute lord, I appeal to the people as my rightful judges and masters; and if they are not inclined to condemn me, I fear no arbitrary high-flying proceeding from the small court faction at Button's. But after all I have said of this great man, there is no rupture between us. We are each of us so civil and obliging, that neither thinks he is obliged; and I, for my part, treat with him as we do with the Grand Monarch; who has too many great qualities not to be respected, though we know he watches any occasion to oppress us."

Pope was fully convinced that the translation, published as Tickell's, was the work of Addison. He tells Spence: "Soon after it was generally known that Mr. Tickell was publishing the first book of the Iliad, I met Dr. Young in the street, and upon our falling into that subject, the Doctor expressed a great deal of surprise at Tickell's having such a translation by him so long. He said that it was inconceivable to him; and that there must be some mistake in the matter; that he and Tickell were so intimately acquainted at

Oxford, that each used to communicate to the other whatever verses they wrote, even to the least things; that Tickell could not have been busied in so long a work there, without his knowing something of the matter; and that he had never heard a single word of it, till on this occasion. This surprise of Dr. Young, together with what Steele has said against Tickell in relation to this affair, make it highly probable that there was some underhand dealing in that business and indeed Tickell himself, who is a very fair, worthy, man, has since, in a manner, as good as owned it to me." No positive evidence, however, has been brought forward to show that Addison was the translator of the piece in question; and without the most decided proof, one is unwilling to give credit to a fact which would throw a stain on the character of so great and so good a man. That it was published under his special patronage is unquestionable.

From this time he and Pope lived on terms of cold civility, till a meeting was brought about between them, which ended in a manner that rendered reconciliation hopeless. The only account of this unfortunate interview has been preserved by Ayre: it must have taken place about 1716. "Some years after, and at the Desire of Sir Richard Steele, they met; at first a very cold Civility, and nothing else appear'd on either Side, for Mr. Addison had a natural Reserve and

1 Spence's Anecdotes, ed Singer, p. 147.

Gloom at the Beginning of an Evening, but Wine and Conversation at last generally open'd his Mouth. Sir Richard Steele begg'd him to perform his Promise in making up the Breach with Mr. Pope, and Mr. Pope desir'd the same, as well as to be made sensible how he had offended; said the Translation of Homer, if that was the great crime, was at the Request and almost Command of Sir Richard Steele, and intreated Mr. Addison to speak candidly and friendly, though it might be with ever so much Severity, rather than by keeping up any Forms of Complaisance to conceal any of his Faults. This Mr. Pope spoke in such a Manner as plainly shew'd he thought Mr. Addison the Aggressor, and expected him to condescend and own himself the Cause of the Breach between them. But he was deceiv'd, for Mr. Addison, without appearing to be in Anger, though quite overcome with it, begun a formal Speech, said, that he always had wish'd him well, and often had endeavour'd to be his Friend, and as such advis'd him, if his Nature was capable of it, to divest himself of Part of his Vanity which was too great for his Merit, said that he had not arriv'd yet to that Pitch of Excellence he might imagine, or think his most partial Readers imagined, said when he and Sir Richard Steele corrected his Verses, they had a different Air; he reminded Mr. Pope of the Amendments of a Line in the Poem call'd Messiah, by Sir Richard Steele,

He wipes the Tears for ever from our eyes,

Which is taken from the prophet Isaiah, The Lord God will wipe away Tears from off all Faces.' Sir Richard express'd it in this verse,

From every Face he wipes off every Tear;

and it stands so alter'd in the newer Editions of Mr. Pope's Works. He proceeded to lay before him all the Mistakes and Inaccuracies hinted at by the Crowd of Scribblers and Writers, some good, some bad, who had attack'd Mr. Pope, and added many Things which he himself objected to: speaking of Mr. Pope's Homer, he said to be sure he was not to blame to get so large a Sum of Money, but it was an ill executed thing and not equal to Tickell's, who had all the Spirit of Homer. (This afterwards appears to be wrote by Mr. Addison himself, tho' Tickell's Name was made use of). Mr. Addison concluded still in a low hollow Voice of feign'd Temper, that he was not solicitous about his own Fame as a Poet, but of Truth, that he had quitted the Muses to enter into the Business of the Public, and all that he spoke was through Friendship and a Desire that Mr. Pope, as he would do if he was much humbler, might look better to the World. Mr. Gay spoke a few Words in Answer before Mr. Pope, but his Expectations from the Court made him very cautious it was not so with our Poet, he told Mr. Addison he appeal'd from his Judgment, did not esteem him able to correct him, and that he had long known him too well to expect any Friendship, upbraided him with being a Pensioner from

his Youth, sacrificing the very Learning that was purchased with the public Money to a mean Thirst of Power, that he was sent abroad to encourage Literature, and had always endeavour'd to cuff down new-fledg'd Merit: At last the Contest grew so warm, that they parted without any Ceremony, and Mr. Pope immediately wrote those Verses which are not thought by all to be a very false character of Mr. Addison."1 We shall finish the account of this memorable quarrel with the words of Pope to Spence : "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 admit of a settled friendship between us; and to convince me of what he had said, assured me that Addison had 'encouraged Gildon to publish those scandals, [about Pope and his relations] 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 severely of him in return for it, it should not be in such a dirty way; that I should rather tell himself fairly of his faults, and allow his good qualities; and that it should be something in the following manner.

I

2 Mr. Roscoe has shown that the reasoning of Sir William Blackstone on this subject (Biog. Brit. ed. Kippis), being chiefly founded on mistaken dates, is entitled to little consideration.