The.

“that means let us into the knowledge of what passed "in the famous governments of Greece and Rome. "We have already most of their historians in our own "" tongue and what is still more for the honour of our language, it has been taught to express with elegance "the greatest of their poets in each nation. "illiterate among our countrymen may learn to judge "from Dryden's Virgil, of the most perfect Epic per"formance: and those parts of Homer which have "already been published by Mr. Pope, give us reason to think the Iliad will appear in English with as "little disadvantage to that immortal poem."

Notwithstanding all this, Mr. Pope believed, and his friends, as was natural, believed with him, that in 1715 Mr. Addison either translated himself, or employed Mr. Tickell to translate, the first book of the Iliad, in opposition to him.

If we ask on what grounds this extraordinary charge is brought against such a man as Mr. Addison, we are only told of some slight and vague suspicions, without any thing that looks like a proof, either external or internal. What there is of the latter tends to confute

the charge. For whoever is acquainted with Mr. Addison's style and manner, must be certain that the translation was not his own, though Steele, in a peevish letter written against Tickell*, bas, it seems, insinuated some such thing. And for external proof, we have absolutely nothing but a report from hearsay evidence, that Mr. Addison had expressed himself civilly of Tickell's performance; whence it is concluded that this translation was, at least, undertaken by Mr. Addison's advice and authority, if not made by himself.

* Dedication of the Drummer to Mr. Congreve.

Still, it will be owned, that so generous a man as Mr. Pope must believe he had some proof of this charge against his friend: and I think, I have, at length discovered what it was.

I have seen a printed copy* of Tickell's translation, in which are entered many criticisms and remarks in Mr. Pope's own hand. And from two of these, compared together, I seem to collect the true ground of the suspicion. But the reader shall judge for himself.

To the translation, are prefixed a DEDICATION, and ADVERTISEMENT. The latter is in these words. "I must inform the reader, that, when I began this first book, I had some thoughts of translating "the whole Iliad: but had the pleasure of being di"verted from that design, by finding the work was "fallen into a much abler hand. I would not there"fore be thought to have any other view in publishing "this small specimen of Homer's Iliad, than to << bespeak, if possible, the favour of the Public to a translation of Homer's Odysseis, wherein I have "already made some progress.'

To the words in this advertisement-when I began this first book-Mr. Pope affixes this note-See the first line of the Dedication.

Turning to the dedication, we find it begin thus"When I first entered upon this translation I was "ambitious of dedicating it to the late Lord Halifax."

* It was then in Mr. Warburton's hands. It was afterwards sold, by mistake, among the other books which he had at his house in town, to Mr. T. Payne, and came at length into the possession of Isaac Reed, Esq. of Staple-Inn; who was so obliging as to make me a present of it, to be kept in the library at Hartlebury (in which that of Mr. Pope is included), where it now remains.

VOL. I.

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Over

-Over against which words is, likewise, entered, in Mr. Pope's hand, the following note.

The translator was first known to him [Lord Halifax] four months before his death. He died in May 1715.

Now, from comparing these two notes together, one sees clearly how Mr. Pope reasoned on the matter. He concluded from Tickell's saying-when he first entered on this translation, that is, began this first book, he thought of dedicating his work to Lord Halifaxthat he could not have entertained this thought, if he had not at that time been known to Lord Halifax. But it was certain, it seems, that Mr. Tickell was first known to that Lord only four months before his death, in May 1715. Whence it seemed to follow, that this first book had been written within, or since, that time.

Admitting this conclusion to be rightly made by Mr. Pope, it must indeed be allowed that he had much reason for his charge of insincerity on Mr. Addison, who, as a friend that had great influence with the translator, would not have advised, or even permitted, such a design to be entered upon and prosecuted by him at this juncture. But there seems not the least ground for such a conclusion. Lord Halifax was the great, patron of wits and poets: and if Tickell had formed his design of translating the Iliad long before Mr. Pope. was known to have engaged in that work, he might very well be supposed to think of dedicating to this Mæcenas, as much a stranger as he then was to him. Nothing is more common than such intentions in literary men; although Mr. Pope might be disposed to conduct himself, in such a case, with more delicacy or dignity.

I see, then, no reason to infer from the premises, that Mr. Tickell began his first book but four months

before Lord Halifax's death. For any thing that appears to the contrary, he might have begun, or even finished it, four years before that event, and have only relinquished the thoughts of prosecuting his translation from the time that he found this work had fallen, as he says, into an abler, that is, Mr. Pope's hand.

These passages, however, of the Advertisement and Dedication, reflected upon and compared together, furnished Mr. Pope, as I suppose, with the chief of those odd concurring circumstances, which, as we are told *, convinced him that this translation of the first book of the Iliad was published with Mr. Addison's participation, if not composed by him. If the work had been begun but four months before its appearance, it must have been at least by his allowance and participation if before that time (Mr. Tickell's acquaintance with Lord Halifax not being of so early a date) it was, most probably, his own composition. And to this latter opinion, it seems, Mr. Pope inclined.

How inconclusive these reasonings are, we have now seen. All that remains therefore is to account for the publication at such a time. And for this, I see not why Mr. Tickell's own reason may not be accepted as the true one that he had no other view in publishing this specimen, than to bespeak the favour of the public to a translation of the Odysseis, in which he had made some progress.

The time, it must be owned, was an unlucky one. But if Mr. Addison had reason to believe his friend's motive to be that which he professed, he might think it not fit to divert him from a work which was likely to serve his interest (poetical translation being at that time the most lucrative employment of a man of

* In the notes on Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot.

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letters),

letters), and though it had less merit than Mr. Pope's, to do him some credit. And for the civility of speaking well of his translation afterwards, or even of assisting him in the revisal of it, this was certainly no more than Mr. Addison's friendship for the translator required.

That Mr. Addison had, in fact, no unfriendly intention in the part he had taken in this affair, is certain from the passage before cited from the Freeholder, where he speaks so honourably, in May 1716, of Mr. Pope's translation, after all the noise that had been made about Mr. Tickell's first book in the summer of 1715. We may indeed impute this conduct to fear, or dissimulation: but a charge of this nature ought surely not to be made, but on the clearest and best grounds.

I have the rather introduced these observations into the account of my friend's life, as he himself had been led by Mr. Pope's authority to credit the imputation on Mr. Addison; and, on more occasions than one, had given a countenance to it. And it is but justice to him, to assure the reader that when, some years before his death, I shewed him this Vindication, he professed himself so much satisfied with it, as to say, if he lived to see another edition of Mr. Pope's works, he would strike out the offensive reflexions on Mr. Addison's character.

To return now to our subject.-We left Mr. Warburton illustrating the works of one of our great poets, and vindicating the moral character of another. But whatever amusements, or friendly offices, might employ his pen, he never lost sight of what he had most at heart, the defence of Religion. And a controversy then carrying on, concerning the miraculous powers of the Christian Church, between Dr. Middleton and