3»* S. N« 86., Sept. 6. '56.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



181 



LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1856. 



^0trif. 



Pope's Letters to Cromwell. — A writer in The 

 AtheiKBum some two or tliree years since pave 

 gome curious specimens of the manner in which 

 Pope doctored his published correspondence. I 

 have just found another illustration of it, which 

 furnishes at the same time what I think must be 

 a satisfactory proof that the Familiar Letters to 

 Henry Cromivell, Estj.^ by Mr. Pope., which are 

 included by Pope and Warburton in the "Cata- 

 lojrue of Surreptitious and Incorrect Editions of 

 Mr. Pope's Letters," as published in 1727, were 

 really published about that time, although it is 

 understood that no copy of such an edition can be 

 found either in the British Museum, the Bodleian, 

 or in the library of any known collector of Pope's 

 works. 



The proof I refer to is found in the Dedication 

 to a Satirical Poem published in 1728, and the 

 title of which I may as well give at lenjith : " The 

 Knight of the Kirk, or the Ecclesiastical Adven- 

 tures of Sir John Presbyter : 



" French Epiques and Burlesque the Age adorn, 

 And Ordination sounds the Church's horn." 



Incertl Auth. 



The Second Edition. London : Printed for M. 



Smith in Corvhill. 1728. {Price \s. Qd.)" 



This Dedication is addressed "To Messieurs 

 Cnurayer and Voltaire," and concludes with the 

 following : 



" P. S. Alexander Pope, Esq., in his Familiar Letters 

 to Henry Cromwell, Esq., pag. 50. and 51., hath in Honour 

 of the Church, made the following Comparison between 

 Clergymen and Constables, viz. : 



" ' Pkiests indeed in their Character, as they represent 

 Gon, are sacred ; and so are Constables as they repre- 

 sent the King; but you will own a great manj' "of them 

 are very odd Fellows, and the Devil a Bit of Likeness in 

 'em. And so much for Priests hi general, now for Tkapp 

 in particular, whose Translations from Ovid I have not so 

 good an Opinion of as you ; but as to the Psalm, he has 

 paraphrased, I think David is much more beholden to 

 him than Ovid, and as he treated the Roman like the Jew, 

 so he has made the Jew speak like a Roman.' 



" These Lettehs of Mr. Pope's are in Two Volumes, 

 Price but 5s., and ought to be read in all Christian Fa- 

 milies. 



" Speedily will be publish'd Familiar Letters. The 

 last Volume by Mr. Pope and Company. Price 2s. 6d." 



So stood most probably the passage in the original 

 letter. But when it came to be revised for an 

 authorised edition, Trapp's name was altogether 

 omitted. For at p. 104. of The Works of Alex- 

 ander Pope, Esq. Vol. V. Consisting of Letters 

 wherein to tho.<ie of the Author's own Edition, are 

 added all that are genuine from the former Impres- 

 sions, with some never before printed. London: 



Printed for J. Roberts, mdccxxxvii. ; as also in 

 Warburton's edition (1751), vol. vii. pp. 136 — 

 137, the concluding passage reads as follows : — 



" Yet I can assure you, I honour the good as much as 

 I detest the bad, and I think, that in condemning these, 

 we praise those. The translations from Ovid I have not 

 80 f'ood an opinion of as you, because I tliiiik they have 

 little of the main characteristic of this author, a graceful 

 easiness. For let the sense be ever so exactly render'd, 

 unless an author looks like himself, in his air, habit, and 

 manner, 'tis a disguise, and not a translation. But as to 

 the Psalm, I think David is much more beholden to the 

 translator than Ovid ; and as he treated tiie Roman like 

 a Jew, so he has made the Jew speak like a Roman." 



But it is also curious that while the letter itself 

 is altogether omitted from Pppe's acknowledged 

 edition, the 4to. of 1735, it occurs in Curll's 

 edition of Pope's Letters, published in that same 

 year, 1735 (vol. i. pp.299, 300.), and also in the 

 edition " Printed and sold by the Booksellers of 

 London and Westminster, mdccxxxv." (pp. 150, 

 151.), with another^Veading, making a third ver- 

 sion of this same passage : 



" Yet I can assure you, I honor the good as much as I 

 detest the bad, and I think, that in condemning these, 

 we praise those. I am so far from esteeming even the 

 worst unworthy of my protection, that I have defended 

 their character (in Congreve's and Vanlirugh's Plays) 

 even against their own Brethren. And so much for 

 Priests in general, now for Trapp in particular, whose 

 Translations from Ovid I have not so good an opinion of 

 as you ; not (I will assure you) from any sort of prejudice 

 to him as a Priest, bur hecause 1 think he has liftie'of the 

 main chnracteristick of his Author, a graceful easine.ss. 

 For let the sense be ever so exactly rendered, unless an 

 Author looks like himself, in his air, hal)it, manner, 'tis a 

 Disfruise and not a Translation. But as to the P.-^alm, I 

 think David is much more beholden to him than Ovid; 

 and as he treated the Roman like a Jew, so he has made 

 the Jew speak like a Roman," 



If you agree with me in thinking this little fact 

 deserves the attention of Pope's intending 

 editors, you will perhaps give it a corner in " N. 

 & Q." C. P. 



" Rape of the Lock." — A correspondent (1" S. 

 iv. 315.), speaking of Upton Court, which be- 

 longed to the Perkins' family, refers to a tradition 

 " that Pope wrote the Rape of the Lock there:" 

 and he wishes to know, " if any of your corre- 

 spondents can confirm this fact from authentic 

 evidence?" I think not. The poem was written 

 and published, and remodelled and republished 

 with a Dedication, before Arabella Fermor of 

 Tusmore became Mrs. Perkins of Upton Court. 

 I know of no circumstance that should lead us to 

 infer that Pope even knew Mr. Perkins before the 

 marriage ; none that he visited him after the mar- 

 riage. I doubt indeed whether Pope knew the 

 lady when the poem was written ; and, though he 

 had certain formul communications with her about 

 the Dedication, I do not remember any circum- 

 stances that should lead us to believe that he 



