July 5th. 1755
Dr. Sr.,
I recd. yr. Whimsical Notion
Which quite* broke my fast & spoild my Devotion;
When I saw yr. whole force in Battle Array'd
And in each Rank & File yr. whole Fury display'd
With trembling amazemt. I instantly paus'd
Of such great Effects to pick out the Cause;
Thought I a Death warrant this surely must be
You being Neerly prepard for Physick's Degree
Or else an Entreaty, in Verse to bemoan
Yr. helpless condition now yr. Pegasus's gone.
With many more gloomy Conjectures I had
Before I attempted its Contents to read.
When I'd made a begginning I saw such bold threats
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As covered My Body with Death-boding Sweats.
I labourd it through with Anxious concern
And when I had done the whole I could learn
By your frightfull, & Friendly & threatning Touze1
Was the Mountain had travail'd & brought forth a Mouse.
Yet I could but condole the Effects of yr. Dearth
Which made you Man-Midwife to such a poor Birth.
However tho' a Mouse yet I suppose 'twas Sharp bitten
As appears by the Satyre with wch. you have written.
I wish Mice could spit, for I hate to suppose
You'll Spit back with Intrest as I see you propose
But to help that defect & to credit yr. Tongue
Instead of base Spit you have paid me good Dung
For Watch has got Freinds Sure a Mouse can't defend him
And now's he gone forth 'tis too late to Amend him
A Freind to a Dog! that's genrous & kind
For he was yr. Freind when alive as we find
He rousd up yr. Muse & convey'd their Produce
And his ready Address for dull lines was Excuse
When Pegasus stumbled he snapped at his Heels
And Spur'd the Dull Horse wn. backwar.d he Reels
But Pegasus Scorning with Whip to be driven
And snarl'd by a Dog, took passage for Heaven
There summon'd the Dog to Answer his Crime
And left the poor Poet to bewale them in Rhyme
Bereaft of yr. Horse & full as dear Dog
(For we know without him the Horse would not Jog)
You mourn without bounds & Rave without Measure
And to honour yr. Freinds expose all yr. Treasure
Indite his best Freind Who to honour his Name
Has hung up his Corpse in the Banner of Fame.
Urg'd on to Revenge with a freind helping Fury
Commission yrself Judge, Lawyer & Jury
Then easily foreseeing the Case to be lost
You summon the Defendant to Appear & bring Cost
For where such Justice and Truth do always preside
We may depend they'll take care to favr. their Side.
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I can but Observe that admidst all yr. Threats
It greives you to see me with Sorrow besett
Then as Naturall is, you expostulate why
The Effects of such Sins I attempted to try?
Why I murthred Verse, since it never hurt me
And not let some Others its Officer be?
But sure you've forgot what's said of the Heathen,
That when their Great ones dye, for a very good reason
They drag on their Servants, some offspring to attend them
Because when theyre dead they cannot defend 'em.
Thus Watch being gone, & yr. Verse wanting Aid
I thought they might well in the same Grave be laid
So I kill'd it & sent it to him to take care on't
Since there was nobody here it could Call a Parent.
But to end the dispute & to set matters right
It was not for Fame I attempted to write
Had that been the Case I had grac'd it with Latin
Not minding the sence if it would but come Pat in
And am quite of yr. Mind how vain it had been
To pull down yr. Fame my Own to begin
To Imagine my Glory would ever accrue
From a Foundation that never brought Honor to you.
Yr. mistaken my Freind wn. you tax me wth. spight
Or say Virtue & Worth my Spleen doth excite
Twas Error & Foible those villains & Rogues
At wch. my Spleen pointed, cause so much in Vouge
I neer Rob my Neighbours to fatten my Self
Nor rekon my pleasure on ill gotten Pelf
I admire to praise Merit where ever tis cast
But neer think it true if it wont bear a Blast
Its good to praise Merit without its alloy
But ill placing the same will its spirit destroy
To praise a Freind's fault does but Injure his Cause
Besides the Affront to Virtues Strict Laws
To Encourage a Freind is the Duty of All
But to Lampoon his Faults may save him a fall
Thus I think tho' with Boldness I venterd to do it
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Thank Freindship for help I've fairly got thro it
I thank you for putting my Neck in the Collar
And I assure you lye Joy in these Evils these follow.
* recd. on Fast day morning before breakfast