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letter I sent you: °T'was a meer piece of rail- 
lery, as youll see (if you have not yet done 
justice upon them,) being only Mrs. N—’s 
verses on your lady, alterd in a whimsical 
way and applied to yourself 
My most hunible service attends the whole 
family. 
I have given order to Lewis to send two of 
the Essays to Ladyholt. 
To John Caryll, jun. Esq. at 
Ladyholt, in Sussex. 
Binfield, 
DEAR SIR, December 5, 1712. 
WHILE you are pursuing the sprightly 
delights of the field, springing up with ac- 
tivity at the dawning day, rouzing a whole 
country with shouts and horns, and in- 
spiring animalls and rationalls with like 
fury and ardour: while your blood boils 
in every vein, your heart bounds in your 
breast, and as vigorous a confluence of 
spirits rushes to it at the sight of a fox as 
cou’d be stirred up by that of an army of 
invaders; while the zeal of the chace de- 
vours the whole man, and moves him no 
Jess than the love of our country or the de- 
fence of our altars could do:—While, I say, 
(and I think I say it like a modern orator, 
considering the length of my period and 
the little sence that is to follow it)—while 
you are thus imployed, I am just in the 
reverse of all this spirit and life, confin’d 
to a narrow closet, lolling on an arm chair, 
nodding away my days over a hire, like 
the picture uf January in an old Salisbury 
Primer. I believe no mortal ever liv’d in 
such indolence and inactivity of body, 
tho’ my mind be perpetually rambling, (it 
no more knows whither than poor Adri- 
an’s did when he lay a dying). Like a 
witch whose carcass lyes motionless on 
the floor, while she keeps her airy sab- 
baths, and enjoys a thousand imaginery 
entertainments abroad, in this world, and 
in others, I seem to sleep in the midst 
of the hurry, even as you wou’d sweara 
top stands still when ’tis in the whirle of 
its giddy motion. Tis no: figure, but a 
serious truth I tell you, when I say that 
my days and nights are so much alike, so 
equally insensible of any moving power 
but fancy, that I have sometimes spoke 
of things in our family as truths and real 
accidents, which I only dreamt of; and ~ 
again when some things that acti ally hap- 
en’d came into my head, have thought 
(till I enquired) that I had only dream’d 
ofthem. This will show you how litile I 
feel in this state either of pleasure or pain: 
Tam fixt in a stupid settled medium be- 
tween both. 
Original Letters of Alexander Pope, Esq. 
[Jan. 4, 
But possibly some of my good friends 
whom we have lately spoke of in our last 
letters may give me amore lively sence 
of things in a short time, and awaken my 
intellects to a perfect feeling of myself 
and them. Dull fellows that want witt, 
(like those very dull fellows that want 
lechery) may, by well-apply’d stroaks 
and scourges, be fetch’d up into a little 
of either. I therefore have some rea- 
son to hope, no man that calls himself 
my friend (except it be suchan obstinate, 
refractory personas yourself )will do me the 
injury to hinder these well-meaning gen~ 
tlemen from beating up my understanding. 
Whipt wits, like whipt creams, afford a 
most ‘sweet and delectable syllabub to 
the taste of the towne, and often please 
them better with the dessert, than all the 
meal they had before. So if Sir Plume 
should take the pains to dress nie, I might 
possibly make the last course better than 
the first. When a stale cold fool is well 
heated, and hash’d by a satyrical ceoke, 
he may be tost up into a kickshaw not 
disagreeable. 
What you mention of the satisfaction 
I may take in secing an enemy punish 
himself and become ridiculous by attack- 
ing me, I must honestly tell you is, and 
can be, none to me. I can hate no man 
so much as to feel a pleasure in what can 
possibly do my person no good, his expos- 
ing himself. I am no way the wiser for 
another’s being a fool, and receive no ad- 
dition.of credit from anothe:’s loss of it.— 
As to the other case which you own would 
give a man the spleen, (the being miscon- 
strued by the very people we indeavour 
to serve), I have ever made it my fixt 
maxime never to seek for any thing from 
a good action but the action itself, and the 
conscious pleasure of a sincere intention. 
As some proof that this is my real thought, 
I was not ignorant of such misconstruction 
even during the time I press’d the most 
to serve that lady. It may perhaps be 
often a blessing of God that a man wants 
the fortune and power he wishes for; 
which if he had, he wou’d imploy, pos- 
sibly, in some sort of services to others, 
which might be fatall to himself. 
I beg you to believe I.am very sensible 
of your good will towards me, which’ you 
express so much in taking notice of every 
thing which I seem concern’d about. I 
cou’d be very glad to be with you and 
Mr, Stafford at Finden, tho’ I- verily be- 
beve you would run away from me as 
fast as your horses cou’d carry you. Be- 
sides two accidental reasons that make 
nic very desirous of knowing Mr, Stafford, 
(one, 
