delight in them, that he rarely stirred from home; which he would often say there was no good reason for doing, except necessary business, and the satisfaction of seeing a friend. What the world calls amusement from a change of the scene, passed for nothing with him, who was too well employed to be tired of his situation, or to have a thought of running away from himself; which, after all, they who are incessantly making the experiment, find impossible to be done. Yet he sometimes found himself obliged to go to London; as he did in the spring of the year 1740; and he took that opportunity of making his first visit to Mr Pope, of which he immediately gave Dr Middleton the following account: "I passed about a week at Twickenham in the most agreeable manner. Mr Pope is as good a companion as a poet; and what is more, appears to be as good a man."

The last was indeed the consideration, that so much endeared Mr Pope to him. He found him an honest and well principled man; zealous to promote the interests of virtue, and impressed with an awful sense of religion, natural and revealed. In short, he found an image of himself in his new acquaintance: no wonder then, their esteem and affection grew so fast as to give umbrage, in no long time, to a certain nobleman, who had taken to himself the honour of being the guide and philosopher of Mr Pope.

The acquisition of this new friend came very seasonably to support Mr Warburton under the loss of another, the excellent Bishop Hare, who died, after a short illness, the 6th of April this year.

How he felt that loss, the public has been informed by himself in the preface to the second volume of the 'Divine Legation,' and with a flow of sentiment and expression which only the truest friendship, operating on a mind like his, could inspire. But we are better pleased to hear him express his sense of it in a private letter to a friend. Speaking of the bishop's death to Dr Middleton, in the letter above-mentioned of May 6, 1740, he says" He has not left his fellow behind him for the love and encouragement of learning. I have had a great loss in his death. He honoured me with his esteem and friendship. This I esteemed a great obligation. I never sought to increase it by any other dependence upon him; and by the terms on which we kept up a correspondence, he did me the justice to believe, I expected no other."

This freedom of correspondence does honour to both parties; and was observed, with address, in this letter to Dr Middleton, who had conceived Bishop Hare to have taken a prejudice against himself, for his liberty in professing some sentiments, not conformable to his lordship's. He therefore insinuates there was no ground for such a suspicion, for that he himself, so much and so long in the bishop's favour, had lived

with him on the same free terms. He knew very well, that nothing could recommend his patron or himself to his friend's good opinion, more than such liberality on the one part, and so manly a conduct on the other.

But the truth is, though Mr Warburton very properly sought not to increase his obligation to Bishop Hare, he would certainly have received the highest, had it been in the bishop's power; which very probably ended with the queen's death.

In May, 1741, was published the second volume of the 'Divine Legation,' which completed the argument, although not the entire plan of that work. A work! in all views, of the most transcendant merit, whether we consider the invention, or the execution.

A plain simple argument, yet perfectly new, proving the divinity of the Mosaic law, and laying a sure foundation for the support of Christianity, is there drawn out to a great length by a chain of reasoning, so elegantly connected, that the reader is carried along it with ease and pleasure; while the matter presented to him is so striking for its own importance, so embellished by a lively fancy, and illustrated, from all quarters, by exquisite learning and the most ingenious disquisition, that, in the whole compass of modern or ancient theology, there is nothing equal or similar to this extraordinary performance.

Such is the general idea of the 'Divine Legation of Moses.' But for a more distinct conception of its frame; to see at once

"the bearings and the ties,

The strong connexions, just dependencies,"

the reader is referred to the recapitulation at the end of the sixth book, where the author himself has drawn up a brief comprehensive view of his whole scheme, with great spirit.

This year, but something earlier, came out Dr Middleton's famous History of the Life of Cicero;' which was received by the public, as it deserved to be, with great applause. Mr Warburton took the first occasion to compliment his friend upon it; and, as in the concluding part of that work Dr Middleton had controverted the account given of Cicero's philosophical opinions in the first volume of the 'Divine Legation,' he takes notice, that "he had a more particular pleasure in the last section, as he was more particularly interested in it;" and then proceeds to moralize in the following manner: "We perhaps shall neither of us be esteemed orthodox writers. But this we shall do, we shall give an example to the world, which orthodox writers rarely do, and perhaps of more use to mankind, than most of the refined subjects they engage in, that we can differ in many important points, and publicly avow our dif

ference, without the least interruption of the declared friendship and esteem we bear to each other. And the 'Life of Tully,' and the ‘Divine Legation' will be a rule, which few have set us, and perhaps few will follow, how men, who esteem and love each other, should comport themselves when they differ in opinion. So that whichever is right or wrong in opinion, the honest part of the world will judge both of us to be right in sentiment."

To whom Dr Middleton replies, with great complacency, in the same strain-" As to the circumstance, from which you draw so just and useful a lesson, of our differing from each other in some particular opinions, as I was always persuaded that it could not have any other effect upon you, so I have the comfort to assure you, that I never felt the least impression from it disadvantageous to our friendship. It is the necessary consequence of that privilege of our nature on which all men of sense set the highest value, the liberty of judging for ourselves; yet since it would be a great satisfaction to me in all cases to find my judgment confirmed by yours, so, when you are at full leisure, I should be glad to know the particular reasons which force you to differ from me on the subject of Cicero's opinions; to which alone our difference in the present case is to be referred, that as far as is possible we may come still nearer to each other."

Thus these two ingenious men; and the same spirit breathes through the rest of their letters: so that their whole temper seems to have resolved itself into a principle of general candour. Yet, within a month or two, a fresh difference of opinion taking place (though on a subject of no more importance than the other about Cicero, respecting only the origin of popish ceremonies) and neither side giving way, our two candid friends cooled insensibly towards each other, and seem, thenceforward, to have discontinued their correspondence; for I find no letters, that passed between them, of a later date than those of this year, which touch upon that difference. A memorable instance of our common weakness! which shows how little stress is to be laid on those professions of candour, with which our letters and conversations overflow; and how impossible it is for any lasting friendship to subsist between men of opposite principles and persuasions, however their feelings may for a time be dissembled, or disguised even to themselves, by a show of good breeding.

For a contrary reason, the conformity of their sentiments, the friendship between Mr Warburton and Mr Pope became every day closer and more confidential. In the beginning of this summer, when the business that had called him to London, on the publication of his book, was over, he went down again to Twickenham, and passed some weeks with Mr Pope

there and in a country ramble, which led them at last to Oxford. The university was naturally pleased at the arrival of two such strangers, and seemed desirous of enrolling their names among their graduates. The degree of doctor of divinity was intended for the divine, and that of doctor of law for the poet, as a testimony of their great respect for each. But intrigue and envy defeated this scheme; and the university lost the opportunity of decorating with its honours the two greatest geniuses of the age, by the fault of one or two of its members. Mr Pope retired with some chagrin to Twickenham, but consoled himself and his friend with this sarcastic reflection—" We shall take our degree together in fame, whatever we do at the university."

The time they spent together this summer gave occasion to some interesting conversations. Mr Warburton suggested many alterations and improvements of Mr Pope's moral writings, and particularly advised him to strike out "every thing in them that might be suspected of having the least glance towards fate or naturalism;" which he consented to, we are told, "with extreme pleasure." It was also at this time, that he concerted with him the plan of the fourth book of the 'Dunciad.'

Mr Pope lost no time in carrying it into execution. In November following he presses his friend to meet him at Prior Park, on the invitation of Mr Allen, with whom he then was, and tells him it was there that he should find most leisure to profit by the advice he had given him "to resume the studies, which he had almost laid aside by perpetual avocations and dissipations."

Here accordingly they met: a great part of the new poem was read and highly approved: the rest was finished in the course of the year 1742, and a project formed for making Mr Warburton the editor of the four books complete; which was executed very early in 1743, and so much to the author's satisfaction, that he afterwards engaged him to sustain the like office with regard to the rest of his works.

I shall find a fitter place, in the course of these reflections, to speak my own sentiments of the edition of Mr Pope's works. All I have now to add on this interesting part of Mr Warburton's life, is, that the most unreserved confidence continued between the two friends till Mr Pope's death, in May 1744, and with what warmth of affection on both sides, appears from the last will and testament of the latter, and from the zeal of the former to fulfill his intention, and to do all possible honour to his memory.

It must indeed be regretted that this memorable friendship commenced so late, and ended so soon. We might otherwise have seen the most valuable fruits of it. Their hearts and heads were exactly attuned to each other; and, had the life and health of Mr Pope permitted, this har

monious agreement in the powers and purposes of two such men, could not have failed to produce many a noble design in favour of virtue and religion.

6

The death of our great poet was an event that could not fail of putting the spirits of the ingenious in motion, and of exciting an emulation, among the lovers of polite literature, to adorn his memory and virtues. It accordingly produced Mr Brown's Essay on Satire,' which was addressed to Mr Warburton, and so far approved by him, as to be prefixed to his edition of Mr Pope's works. It also brought on the dawn of Mr Mason's genius, in 'The Monody,' entitled 'Musæus;' which gave so sure a presage of his future eminence in poetry, and so advantageous a picture of his mind, that Mr Warburton, on the sight of it,

"With open arms received one poet more."

Soon after Mr Pope's death, Mr Warburton received a letter from a learned and ingenious lady, Mrs Cockburne, lamenting that event, and making some inquiry after Mr Pope's works; but the real purpose of the letter writer was to draw Mr Warburton into an explanation of his system concerning moral obligation, as delivered in the first volume. of the 'Divine Legation,' it being different from one espoused by herself, which was that of Dr Samuel Clarke.

His answer to this lady is written with great civility and politeness, and was so well received, that when, a year or two afterwards, she drew up her confutation of Dr Rutherforth's 'Essay on Virtue,' she sent the manuscript to Mr Warburton, who was extremely pleased with it, and wrote a short preface in recommendation of that work. His letter may be seen in the Appendix B.

But to return to what I was saying of Mr Pope's friendship for Mr Warburton.

Next to the enjoyment itself of such a friendship, the chief benefit Mr Warburton derived from it, was the being introduced by his means to his principal friends; particularly Mr Murray and Mr Allen, two of the greatest and best men of the age. As I had myself the honour of being well acquainted with these excellent persons, and very much obliged to them, I may the rather be allowed to indulge myself in the recollection of their virtues.

Mr Murray, afterwards Earl of Mansfield and lord chief justice of England, was so extraordinary a person, and made so great a figure in the world, that his name must go down to posterity, with distinguished honour, in the public records of the nation. For his shining talents displayed themselves in every department of the state, as well as in the supreme court of justice, his peculiar province; which he filled with a