_Pope's Translations or Imitations of Horace_ (Vol. i., p. 230.; Vol.
iv., pp. 58. 122.).--I am much obliged to MR. CROSSLEY for having
corrected the error (for which I cannot account) in the _title_ of the
pamphlet in question, which was certainly not by "_the author of the
Critical History of England_," and certainly was by Dennis, as is marked
by Pope's own hand in the copy now before me. As MR. CROSSLEY puts
hypothetically the correctness of my quotation, I subjoin the whole
passages.
"After having been for fifteen years as it were an imitator, he
has made no proficiency. His first imitations, though bad, are
rather better than the succeeding, and this last Imitation of
HORACE the most execrable of them all."--P. 7.
Again:
"An extravagant libel, ridiculously called an imitation of
Horace."--P. 11.
And again:
"Of all these libellers the present Imitator is the most impudent
and incorrigible."--P. 15.
MR. CROSSLEY says he has a fragment of the "Imitation of the second
satire of the first book of Horace," published by Curll in 1716. This,
which I never saw, nor before heard of, would solve the difficulty; and
I respectfully request MR. CROSSLEY to favour us with a transcript of
the title-page, which is the more desirable, because all Pope's
biographers, and indeed _he himself_ (to Spence), have attributed his
first imitation of Horace to a _much_ later date, certainly subsequent
to 1723. The imitation, therefore, of that satire of Horace, printed in
1716 by Curll, is valuable as to Pope's history, and great curiosity and
as MR. CROSSLEY states that _Lady Mary_ is not mentioned in that
edition, I am curious to know how Pope managed the _rhyme_ now made by
_her name_.
MR. CROSSLEY adds that this imitation was reproduced in "folio, printed
by J. Boreman about 1734, with some alterations from the former
edition." Would it be trespassing too much on your space and his
kindness, to request him to give us a few specimens of the alterations,
particularly the "change of _initials_" which MR. CROSSLEY mentions. MR.
CROSSLEY seems to think that this poem was not reprinted after the folio
in 1734, till it appeared in a supplement to Cooper's edition in 1756.
This is a mistake. It was published by Pope himself, with his other
imitations of Horace, in the collection of his works by Dodsley in 1738;
and though only entitled "_in the manner of Mr. Pope_,", excited very
natural surprise and disgust. His having deliberately embodied it in the
general collection of his works, is Warton's only excuse for having
reproduced it.