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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42746	Miscellaneous letters and essays on several subjects philosophical, moral, historical, critical, amorous, &c., in prose and verse : directed to John Dryden, Esq., the Honourable Geo. Granvill, Esq., Walter Moile, Esq., Mr. Dennis, Mr. Congreve, and other eminent men of th' age / by several gentlemen and ladies.	Gildon, Charles, 1665-1724.; Moyle, Walter, 1672-1721.; Dryden, John, 1631-1700.	1694 (1694)	Wing G732; ESTC R14504	119,130	250

on no very great Matter but have scarce met with a Return answerable to my Expectation In short Urania 't wou'd be tedious to tell you all my thoughts of Pollio now what they were when I wrote the following Verses these will let you see the effect they had I shall conclude this Letter with To POLLIO The COMPLAINT I. 'T Is now dead Night and hush'd is e'ery thing The busie Cit and the laborious Clown The cringing Parasite and haughty Gown The Plotting Statesman too And with his Gilded Cares the King Are all at sweet Repose What when awake they all refuse And Sleep Death's Image seem'd as Death will do T o've equall'd the poor Cottage and the Crown No Wretch but me so much Unblest As not to be at Rest Of Hope forsaken and by Fate Opprest Despair with all its wild Anxieties Drives Quiet from my Mind and Slumbers from my Eyes II. Why do I Live Why hug my boundless Woe When Friendly Death sets wide the Gate That leads to a more happy State For not at all to be Is better than the ills of Life to know When Priestly Barbarism does reign Almost in e'ry Heart And scarce one good Samaritan is found That with one sordid Ragg will part To Cloath the shuddring Wretch or bind his gaping Why sooth I then my present Pain Wound With the faint Shadow of a fansy'd Ease Rather than Cure the Disease With Balmy Death its sure and lasting Remedy III. When th'ills of Life too great and num'rous grow They are the Summoners of Fate And 't is too foolish a Debate Punish'd by present Pain To argue if we shou'd Obey or no. In tort'ring Dreams I 've often found My self with threatning Dangers compass'd round O'er Hills I flie o'er Vales o'er Shades in vain The fansy'd Terror meets me when I light Or close behind Pursues my Imaginary Flight But when my Lab'ring Mind From near Destruction can no Refuge find I Wake and all the racking Scene withdraws The Horrors past are lost in present Joys IV. So in the gloomy Dream of Life I see My tatter'd Bark in Fortune's boistrous Sea To e'ry Wind in vain I shift my Sail Sinister Faie allows no Prosp'rous In vain I strive to reach the distant Shoar For all around the angry Billows roar And on each side encrease th' unequal War Ten thousand Waves each big with certain Fate On one poor sinking Bark with fury Beat My Sails are useless and my Rudder lost By clashing Surges to and fro I 'm tost Within no help no Succour from without Despair and Ruin hem me round about Approach then Death this racking Scene destroy Ah! Wake this Tempest-beaten wretch to long sought Calms and Joy V. Night Ha! what bright Dawn thus breaks this dismal What Welcome Beams their friendly force unite To raise my drooping Soul with their auspicious Light Behold the golden Glory spreads apace The Heavens assume a calmer Face And all the loud tumultuous Billows cease The threatning Storm is Over-blown The scatter'd Clouds now disappear And the grim Terrors of Despair Are all dispers'd and gone Whence Ah! whence these Rays Divine That with so strong so kind a Lustre Shine VI. Lo now the Heavenly Cause draws near See see the mighty Goddess Hope appear Her fluid Robes which subtle Threads compose From the thin Brains of fond Projectors Spun Her naked Beauties to the Eye disclose Beauties far brighter than the Mid-day Sun Fairer than Fancy e'er drew Woman-kind Tho' the vain fancy of a Love-sick Mind Her spacious Front and her inviting Eye Are fill'd with humble Majesty False Joys around her smiling Visage Play To sooth depending Wretches Pain In spight of damn'd Delay And its long Melancholy Train Her Head with Lawrel and with Myrtle's Crown'd With her left Hand where e'er she goes She thinly strows The Warriour's and the Lover's Wreaths But Courtiers flat'ring Promises With liberal Hand she scatters all around VII Her right Hand boundless Stores does hold Of Liberty of Happiness and Gold Which tho' she seem to promise e'ery one That waits about her Visionary Throne Yet fast she grasps the wish'd for Treasure And does in scanty Portions Measure To Few and Late the tardy Pleasure A Thousand curling Clouds she sits upon Of Colour various and of Matter rare As Acme Beauteous subtle as the Air Soft as the Downy Bosom of that Charming Fair. Exhal'd from the Wanton Wishes of Mankind And all the Numerous Vanities of his sickly Mind Avarice Ambition Love untasted Bliss With all the gandy Train of fond Desire The Bigots future Joy and States-Man's coming That set the foolish World on Fire Happiness The Pompous Pageant 's mighty Frame support Num'rous and vast is the Resort That throng her wide Imaginary Court. As far as e'er her friendly Beams extend Rang'd in their differing Stations they attend All near or distant dart a longing Eye On this Lov'd flattering Deity Beyond the reach of whose enlivening day Beyond the Influence of one kind Ray Despair in tatter'd sable Weeds Array'd Lurks with a gastly Troop within the baneful Shade VIII Hark! hark methinks her melting Voice I hear Her Voice that 's softer far Than happy Lovers Billing Whispers are Gently methinks the Goddess Chides My causeless fond Despair While Pollio lives who never Wretch deny'd That on his bounteous Nature yet rely'd And spight of the effects of black Ingratitude To damp the gen'rous Flame Bounty and he are so the same To imploring Want he must nay will do Good Let Galba Laugh Eat Drink and Whore And in that thoughtless Circle spend his Store And when he 's Dead be never thought on more So let him die like other Sots and Brutes Oblivion best a Life like Galba's suits But since a more Heroic Fire Does wiser Pollio's Breast Inspire And moves him to Dispense To drooping Poesie a kind Influence Let him but cast one Smile on me By which from Anxious Cares set free In Verse Immortal l'd convey his Name To the last Boundaries of Fame And late Posterity shou'd see him sit Among the Sacred Patrons of Almighty Wit For of their Patrons Poets have these Odds They Poets make but Poets make them Gods To Mortal Glory give Eternal Date And rescue Merit from destructive Fate By this last Stanza my dear Urania you find what I then thought of Pollio but I must tell you my opinion is much alter'd by his Carriage since Not because he comply'd not with my Desires but because he has not dealt like a Gentleman by me If Oftentation be the Motive of his great Actions and a present Vain-Glory be the mover of his Liberality he has a great many of his Rank that carry a mighty Name in the World for few have learned this noble Maxim that Vertue is its own Reward And yet methinks the present Applause of Fools should not be grateful to a Man of Sense But if Pollio had not that Nobleness of Spirit to do a private Good yet methinks

sure of Success in his Resolution of settling the Reformed Religion of which he was a zealous Asserter securing the Professors thereof from the Popish Bishops Fury and Rage he perswades the King to ally himself to some Protestant Prince and accordingly a Match was made with the Lady Ann Sister to the Prince of Cleve by whose Protection the Protestants were very much Emboldn'd to a more public P●…osession of their Religion Thus did he fortunately carry on the Reformation to the larger growth whereof he gave an extraordinary assistance by obtaining from the King a Grant for publishing the Bible in the English Tongue whereby many were help'd to discern the Fallacies and Heresies of the R●…omish Faith who before had taken up with what Trash the Priests had put upon ' em Who now are importunate for a Convocation which the King summon'd to adjust Matters of Religion in this Assembly Cromwell takes place of all the Clergy by the Title of Vicar General and disputes strennously for the Protestant Faith But his Zeal on this Account procur'd him not a few considerable ●…nemies of whom Bishop Gardiner the most subtle and inveterate of all others was still labouring to bring about his ruin which at length with a great deal of Joy he thought he saw a fit time for the accomplishment of and herein indeed he was not mistaken The King by an inconstancy natural to him was grown weary of his Queen and his Love was now plac'd upon the Lady Katherine Howard this Gardiner observing took the Liberty to tell the King that 't was absolutely necessary for the Quiet of the Kingdom and Security of the Succession to have an English Queen and at same time with abundance of Cunning he in●…igates the King against Cromwell as the sole Cause of his unhappy Marriage with Q. Ann and this so wrought upon his Majesty who was ever violent in his Love and Hatred that imagining Cromwell was the only Obstacle to the Repudiation of his Wife and his Match with Katherine he so hearkn'd to the Accusations of his Enemies as to give Consent that he should be Arrested 〈◊〉 And accordingly by the Duke of Norfolk he was Arrested in the Council Chamber and committed to the Tower where he lay not long before h●… was attainted of High Treason Some of the Articles against him were That he had dispersed many Erroneous Books contrary to the Faith of the Sacrament that he had Licens'd many Preachers suspected of Heresie that he said he would not turn to the Pope's Obedience tho' the King turn'd but if the King did turn he would fight in person against him and drawing out hi●… Dagger wish'd that might pierce him to the Heart if he shou'd not do it that hearing some Lords were plotting against him he threaten'd he 'd raise great Stirs in England Tho' accus'd both of High Treason and Heresie his Enemies durst not b●…ing him to a Tryal but against all Law and Justice he was condemn'd while confin'd to the Tower during his Imprisonment he requested one of the Commissioners sent to treat with him to carry from him a Letter to the King which he refusing with passion and saying he 'd carry no Letter from a Traytor Cromwell ask'd him only to deliver a Message from him and upon his Consent You shall recommend me to the King says Cromwell and let him understand that by that time he hath so well try'd you and thoroughly prov'd you as I have done he shall find you as false a Man as ever came about him In all his adversity he was patient to a Miracle and when on the 28th of July he was brought to the Scaffold and beheaded on Tower-Hill he behav'd himself with all the Gallantry and Constancy of a Resolv'd Christian. He utter'd fervent Prayers and made a short Speech wherein he said he dy'd in the Catholic Faith meaning thereby no more as from his whole Life and even at his Death wherein he us'd no Popish Ceremony it must be concluded than that he dy'd in the true Christian Catholic Faith Thus fell this Great Man and with him for a long time did the Reformation seem to lie dead his Death who was the chief Instrument in it putting such a stop to that imperfect work that not Cran●… himself in that King's Reign cou'd ever afterwards gain any Ground for it Nay rather did it decline for several Preachers of the Reformed R●…ligion were burnt in a short time after by all which it appears how great a Loss the Church sustain'd in being depriv'd of so able and powerful a Member who more than any oppos'd himself with Great Zeal against the Impudences and Contrivances of the Pope's Subtle and Malicious Agents I shall not tire your patience if I recite a passage or two of this Brave Man's extraordinary Generosity It is but too common for those who from a low degree are rais'd to a high Estate to look with the greatest Contempt upon such who have most oblig'd them but our Cromwell in the full Enjoyment of all his Dignities bore himself with a Moderation peculiar to himself Witness his taking notice of a poor Woman who kept a Victualling-House and had formerly trusted him to the value of 4●… s. whom espying as he was riding thro' Cheapside he order'd to be call'd to him and after having acknowledg'd the Debt he sent her to his House discharged that and gave her an Annual Pension of Four Pound and a Livery during Life But what follows is much more remarkable As he was riding with some Nobles to the King's Palace he saw one footing it in the Streets whom he thought he knew immediately ord'ring his whole Train to await him he lights off his Horse upon Enquiry finding him the Man he took him for he embraces the Mean Stranger and to the Wonderment of all about him invites him to Dinner his hast at that time prevented a longer stay and therefore he left the amazed Stranger who Enquiring his Name of my Lord's Attendants began to be troubled with the reflections which this unexpected Accident gave him Cromwell who had stay'd some time with the King at his return home finds him attending in the Court Yard where again Embracing him he takes him to his Table and after some time finding the Lords who accompanied him no less surpriz'd at his Condescention than was the Stranger he makes 'em this Relation You wonder to see me thus Obliging but you will be more amaz'd when I tell you I am more Indebted to this Very Man than to the whole World beside for after the defeat of Gatillion I came to Florence so needy that being forced to beg an Alms this Worthy Merchant Mr. Francis Frescobald seeing I knew not what in my Face that pleas'd him upon Enquiry of what Country I was pitying me in my Necessity he took me home and gave me a Suit of Apparrel a Horse and 16 Ducats of Gold to bear my Expences to England and now turning

Harmonious Majesty that what Rapin and some other Critics say of Homer is justly his due they give a noble Beauty to the meanest things 'T is true the Words he sometimes uses by their absol●…teness renders some of his Expressions a little dark but then we must remember the great alteration our Language has undergone since his time but examine well the sense of his Words you 'l seldom find him guilty of Bombast tho' laid to his charge by Mr. Rymer that is Words and Thoughts ill match'd On the contrary they are generally so well sorted that they present us with so lively and sensible an Image of what they import that it fixes it self in our Minds with an extream satisfaction and the more we view it the more it gains upon us I shall hereafter step into the Scenes with Mr. Rymer and also examine his Narrations Deliberations Didactic and Pathetic Discourses which are all that are made use of in Tragedy in which if he sometimes err he has yet perform'd well and amidst his faults you shall find some thoughts of a great Genius I shall only now observe en passant in defence of that Scene betwixt Jago and Othello that we ought not to be imposed on by positive assertions or think because Mr. Rymer tells us so that half words and ambiguous Reflexions do not naturally work up Jealousie or that 't is not natural for Othello to catch at e'ry blown surmise These Assertions of our Critic shew him to be very ignorant of the very nature of this Passion for as 't is reduc'd to the primitive Desire by the Moralists so 't is thus by them defin'd Jealousie is a fear of loosing a good we very much value and esteem arising from the least causes of Suspicion now 't is evident even from the trifling and false Objections of his enemies that Shakespear had this very notion of this passion For this reason 't is he makes Othello swallow the very first bait laid by Jago for him Cassio is found with Desdemona and on Othello's approach consciously retires which tho' he did to avoid his Anger not Jealousie yet Jago improves the opportunity to his purpose with an I like not that then to awake the Moors Jealousie by degrees he takes occasion from Cassio's departure to question him did Cassio when you woo'd my Lady know of your Love Which he pursues with half-words and ambiguous Reflexions that plainly imply more than they barely express in which he discover'd fear to speak out what he desir'd Othello shou'd know the natural consequence of which is the touching a jealous Nature with curiosity in a thing that so nearly related to his Happiness E'ry word rous'd some surmrize and as Ovid observes cuncta 〈◊〉 Amantes Lovers fear any Appearance But more of this hereafter In the in the mean while I 'm pretty confident e'ry Man 's own Sence will supply my defect of a particular defence of the working up of Othello's passion of Jealousie And now Sir 't is time to turn my Thoughts from a defence of Shakespear to an excuse of my own Transgression in addressing this Essay to you without asking your Leave I 'm not for asking pardon for an Offence before I have committed it and then I am willing if possible to extenuate it from all its heightning Circumstances and Sir I hope I have enough to say for my Self in committing this First I knew your Nature so well that tho' no Name cou'd have given more Authority to my defence of Shakespear yet wou'd you never have consented to the manner I thought my self oblig'd to treat his accuser in for tho' he has had no regard to the public Friendship you have express'd for him yet I know you have not resented the grosness of his public abuse of you with indignation enough to permit me to deal with him in the same manner for what was said of a great Lord is fully as true of you viz. that you are The best natur'd Man with the worstnatur'd Muse for tho' there is nothing so strong and so cutting as your Satire yet is there nothing ●…o easie and so affable as your Temper and Conversation Pardon me I will speak what I know of you and let my Enemies make the best on 't whose Malice I value not if I can but prevail with you to forgive this boldness The Ingenious and Honourable Theocrine to Theopompus shewing Her the faithfullest of Lovers and most Pious of Children ALL your Letters are at last arriv'd safe tho' it happen'd with them as in a great many other things what shou'd a came first came last by which I 'm sorry to find that one who is to judge of Souls knows no better how to judge of Merit else whatever your request had been it had been granted I wish all that can serve the generous Theopompus had my sense of his deserts then shou'd the Friend of my dear Poliarchus be rais'd as far above those self Interest'd Wretches as his Soul now is and Generosity was above theirs For most of the sordid World neither know how to reward the living nor how to do justice to the dead but these are crimes unknown to all that were inspir'd with the Friendship for our dear Poliarchus There are few of the Troubles that attend us in this Life but when we seriously examine their Cause we shall find we our selves in one kind or other have in some degree contributed to ' em For who can be of a generous Temper and not bear a part with the Afflicted this has as it it does with all that are good made you sensible of my sufferings which has by an unforeseen Consequence brought the trouble of many impertinent Letters on your self for 't is impossible to suffer you ever to give over that pleasing Melancholy Subject you so ingeniously entertain me with The Death of my Poliarchus is as lasting in my Memory as I am and as I am the most unfortunate of Women by his loss so can all other Afflictions be but like drops of Water into the abyss of the Sea Yet have I met lately with an additional Grief that bears a much greater proportion That dear Mother I have been in care for is now taken from me to augment the number of the blest above my tender Love and grateful Duty was such for my unequal'd Parent that had I not known how to live after the Loss and Affliction you saw me in I cou'd scarce have supported this but That has made me know that there is a vast difference betwixt Tears shed for those whom Death chooses and Those who make choice of Death rather than live without what they too much valu'd This vast conflux of misfortunes gives me a greater desire to be assur'd what knowledge my departed Friends will have of me at our meeting in their blest abode for since I 've committed the sacred Memory of Poliarchus to your care which whilst I live can never dye I am

aerio So weak was the Power of a God to keep her a Maid Nay they make her very Fruitful too for besides Sons by this Amour with 〈◊〉 they give her fifty Daughters Where three Ways meet the Ancients us'd to perform the Rites of Hecate who is call'd by three several Names Luna Artemis and Hecate About the New of the Moon the Richer sort us'd to send a Collation to those Places where three ways met in the Evening as a Supper for Hecate but the Poor us'd to devour these Nocturnal ●…unkets of this Goddess and give out that she her self had eat them as the Priests and their Tribe in Daniel tho' indeed these Suppers were but very Parsimonious so that an ill Supper got the Proverbial Name of a Feast for Hecate for the Poetical Divinity taught that the Ghosts wou'd subsist with very little Nourishment But that Hecate was the same with Luna ●…or Diana is evident from several Places particularly from Raphael Regius in his Comments on the 7th Book of Ovid's Metam And here I think 't is time to make an end of this Lunary Essay lest I be thought to take so much pains about her Goddess-ship for the Influence she has on me I wou'd not incur the Imputation of a Madman for her sake whatever I might for the sake of some Earthly Cynthia perhaps fully as Inconstant and might deserve a greater variety of Names from her numerous Follies than Diana from the several Places of her Worship But whatever Influence the Ethereal or Terrestrial Cynthia's may have on me I 'm confident that neither they nor any other Cause can be Powerful enough to turn me to any thing that should diminish my Value and Esteem for you or the pleasure I take in being what I shall ever Subscribe my self SIR Your Obliged and faithful Friend and Humble Servant Charles Gildon An ESSAY at a Vindication of the Love-Verses of Cowley and Waller c. In Answer to the Preface of a Book Intituled Letters and Uerses Amorous and Gallant Directed to Mr. CONGREVE AS in my two former Critical Discourses of this Book against Mr. Rymer's Short view of Tragedy a Zeal for the Honour of my Country in its greatest Ornaments her Poets Engag'd me so here I cannot help challenging the same Pretence since I can't suppose them deficient in Love without derogating from the Justness of their Characters But I must confess I have not the same hopes of Success in this for there I had to do with an impotent Opiniator but here with a Gentleman of a great deal of Wit and fine Sense There I address'd to Parties already sensible of the Justice of my Cause here to one who is prepossess'd of the contrary But on the other hand I have the greater satisfaction here of being Worsted by one whose Wit can better defend an Error than I the Truth and I 'm of Opinion that 't is a nobler Fate to fall by the Hand of an Hero than Conquer a Dastard Pretender And tho' my Prudence might be call'd in Question by this Attempt yet my generous Ambition will merit a Magnis tamen excidit Ausis One thing I must possess you of in my favour that my unhappy Circumstances allow me not time to use all the Caution I ought or search all the Reasons might be urg'd in this noble Cause so that I am not only Viribus but Opibus impar However I hope the Design will gain me the Opinion of a Good English Man if my Performance shou'd not attain that of a good Critic which will sufficiently compensate my trouble for I shou'd be prouder to be thought a Zealot for the Glory as well as Interest of my Country than the greatest Wit and most Learned Arguer I shall never deny the Ancients their just Praise of the Invention of Arts and Sciences but I cannot without contradicting my own Reason allow them the Perfecters of 'em so far that they must be our uncontroverted Patterns and Standard For our Physicians have found the Prescripts of Hippocrates very Defective And as in Physic so in Poetry there must be a regard had to the Clime Nature and Customs of the People for the Habits of the Mind as well as those of the Body are influenc'd by them and Love with the other Passions vary in their Effects as well as Causes according to each Country and Age nay according to the very Constitution of each Person affected This makes me hope that the Ingenious Author of the Letters and Verses Amorous and Gallant guides himself by a fallacious Rule when he makes the Ancients the Standard of the Excellence of the Moderns or indeed when by exalting those he wholly deprives these of all Honour in Love-Uerses His Charge is reducible to these two Heads viz. The Occasions and the Performances He will have it that the Occasions on which their Poems are written are sought out and that none meet with 'em but themselves whilst those of the Ancients are such as happen almost to e'ry Man in Love Next That the Verses of the Moderns are fill'd with Thoughts that are indeed Surprizing and Glittering but not Tender Passionate or Natural for e'ry Man in Love to think This is the sum of his Charge against 'em of which in the Order I 've plac'd ' em First As for the Occasions I cannot remember any Subject chosen by either Cowly or Waller for we 've nothing to do here with Petrarch a Foreigner that seems to be sought out or unnatural for a Man in Love to choose and if some of 'em do not happen to e'ry Man in Love they are yet on an equal Bottom with the Ancients many of whose Subjects or Occasions are far from happening to all Lovers as none who can pretend to any knowledge of their Writings can deny Corinna's Parrot dy'd and Ovid writes its Funeral Elegy but sure none will contend that this is an Accident common to all Ladies who have Lovers and those Poets too Catullus addresses one Copy of Verses to the very Sparrow of Lesbia and in another deplores its Death A great many Lovers may have Mistresses who never take a Voyage during their Amour and yet Ovid has an Elegy ad Amicam Navigantem and so may ten thousand true Lovers especially such as are Poets never venture on any other Billows but the Frown of their Fair ones and yet Propertius toss'd in another Storm Writes to Cynthia upon it And indeed to reduce the Subjects or Occasions of Love-Uerses to any particular Standard is highly Irrational and must only be the effect of want of Consideration for the various Circumstances and Fortunes of the Lovers must diversifie and alter the Occasions of writing to their Mistresses So that there is no Occasion that is General and that can reach all Men in Love but the Cruelty of their Mistresses on their first Addresses that is their not immediate Compliance for Jealousie is not Universal or at least to extend to the Beating