"take the Watch I commonly wore, which the "King of Sardinia gave to the late Earl of "Peterborough, and he to me on his death"bed; together with one of the pictures of Lord Bolingbroke.

"Item, I defire Mr. Lyttelton to accept of "the bufts of Spencer, Shakespear, Milton, and Dryden, in marble, which his royal master "the Prince was pleafed to give me. I give "and devife my library of printed books to

Ralph Allen of Widcombe, Efq; and to the "Reverend Mr. William Warburton, or to the "furvivor of them (when thofe belonging to "Lord Bolingbroke are taken out, and when "Mrs. Martha Blount has chofen threefcore out "of the number.) I alfo give and bequeath to "the faid Mr. Warburton, the property of all "fuch of my works already printed, as he hath "written, or fhall write commentaries or notes upon, and which I have not otherwife difpofed

of, or alienated; and all the profits which fhall "arife after my death from fuch editions as he "fhall publifh without future alterations.

"Item, In cafe Ralph Allen, Efq; abovefaid "fhall furvive me, I order my executors to pay "him the fum of one hundred and fifty pounds,

being, to the beft of my calculation, the account of what I have received from him; "partly for my own, and partly for charitable "ufes. If he refufe to take this himself, I de"fire him to employ it in a way, I am per"fuaded

9

"fuaded he will not dislike, to the benefit of "the Bath hofpital *. "I give

*The reader cannot fail to be fmitten with the apparent coolness which Mr. POPE, by this extraordinary bequeft, betrays towards his truly amiable and generous friend Mr. Allen: and the impartiality of hiftory will not allow me to

conceal the cause.

Mr. POPE's extravagant attachment to Mrs. Blount is well known, and ftrongly difplayed in this Will itself. About a year before Mr. POPE's death, this Lady, at the defire of Mr. PoPE and Mr. Allen, paid a vifit to the latter at Prior Park, where fhe behaved herself in fo arrogant and unbecoming a manner, that it occafioned an irreconcileable breach between her and fome part of Mr. Allen's family. As Mr. POPE's extreme friendship and affection for Mrs. Blount, made him confult her in all his concerns, fo when he was about making his last will, he advifed with her on the occafion; and the declared to him fhe would not accept the large provifion made by it for herself, unless he returned back, by way of legacy, all that he had received of Mr. Allen, on any account: and Mr. POPE, with the greatest reluctance, complied with the infirmity of fuch a vindictive fpirit.

'

Mr. Allen, on reading this claufe, and obferving the fum mentioned, fmiled and faid-" Poor Mr. POPE was always "a bad accomptant; however," fays he, "I will receive "the legacy (as Mrs. Blount is the refiduary legatee) and "give it to the Bath hospital :" which he accordingly did. And to fhew that his affection to Mr. POPE was ftill the fame (laying all that was blameable in this affair to the charge of Mrs. Blount) he doubled the legacy Mr. POPE left to his faithful and favourite fervant John Searl, and took him and his family into his protection.

One of Mr. POPE's intimate friends, who was obliged to him for all he had, being disappointed by his will, had the infolence to obferve on this occafion, that "the public faid

Nn 2

(hiding

"I give and devife to my fifter-in-law, Mrs. Magdalen Racket, the fum of three hundred pounds; and to her fons, Henry, and Robert "Racket, one hundred pounds each. I alfo "releafe and give to her all my right and interest "in and upon a bond of five hundred pounds, "due to me from her fon Michael. I alfo give "her the family pictures of my father, mother, "and aunts, and the diamond ring my mother

wore, and her golden watch. I give to Eraf"mus Lewis, Gilbert Weft, Sir Clement Cotte"rell, William Rollinfon, Nathaniel Hook, Efquires, and to Mrs. Anne Arbuthnot, to "each the fum of five pounds, to be laid out in a ring, or any memorial of me; and to my

(hiding his own rancour under a name which will bear every thing) that Mr. Pope had divided his fortune without any "other regard than to his fame and his mistress." So early were thefe returns for the pureft friendship paid to his me

mory.

It is certain, however, that Mr. POPE in this, as in the cafe of Lord Bolingbroke, deferved pity instead of blame. For though he had the ftrongest friendship and affection for Mrs. Blount, yet it was of a kind the most innocent and pure, notwithstanding what malignant or mirthful people might fuggeft to the contrary, either in jeft or earnest. But no excufe can be made for Mrs. Blount's abufe of the influence he had over him; or for the indifference and neglect fhe fhewed to him throughout his whole laft illness.

In fhort, it was his fortune, like Manley's in the PLAIN DEALER, to be egregiously duped by his friend, and his miftrefs. The mafk of rigid, favage virtue, which the former affumed when he turned philofopher, and the tenderness of friendship which he thought he faw in the other, made a fport of one of the best heads and hearts that ever was.

" fer

fervant, John Searl, who has faithfully and

ably ferved me many years, I give and devife "the fum of one hundred pounds, over and "above a year's wages to himfelf and his wife; "and to the poor of the parish of Twickenham, "twenty pounds, to be divided among them by "the faid John Searl: And it is my will, if "the faid John Searl die before me, that the faid "fum of one hundred pounds go to his wife or "children.

" Item, I give and devife to Mrs. Martha "Blount, younger daughter of Mrs. Martha "Blount, late of Welbeck-ftreet, Cavendish

fquare, the fum of one thousand pounds im

mediately on my deceafe: and all the furni"ture of my grotto, urns in my garden, house"hold-goods, chattels, plate, or whatever is "not otherwife difpofed of in this my will, I

give and devife to the faid Mrs. Martha "Blount, out of a fincere regard, and long "friendship for her. And it is my will, that my abovefaid Executors, the furvivors or fur"vivor of them, fhall take an account of all my "eflate, money or bonds, &c. and, after paying

my debts and legacies, fhall place out all the "refidue upon government, or other fecurities, "according to their best judgment; and pay the "produce thereof, half-yearly, to the faid Mrs. "Martha Blount, during her natural life: and "after her deceafe, I give the fum of one thoufand "pounds to Mrs. Magdalen Racket, and her "fons, Robert, Henry, and John, to be divided "equally among them, or to the furvivors or "fur

Nn 3

"furvivor of them; and after the decease of "the faid Mrs. Martha Blount, I give the fum "of two hundred pounds to the abovefaid Gil"bert Weft; two hundred to Mr. George Ar"buthnot; two hundred to his fifter, Mrs. "Anne Arbuthnot; and one hundred to my "fervant, John Searl; to which foever of these "fhall be then living: And all the refidue and "remainder to be confidered as undifpofed of, "and go to my next of kin.

"This is my last will and teftament, written "with my own hand, and fealed with my feal, "this twelfth day of December, in the year of 66 our Lord, one thousand feven hundred and « forty-three.

"ALEX. POPE,

"Signed, fealed, and declared "by the Teftator, as his last "will and teftament, in "prefence of us,

"Radnor,

Stephen Hales, minifter of Ted

"dington.

"Jofeph Spence, profeffor of hif tory in the University of "Oxford."