ce to two booksellers; to Curll, who was likely to seize them as a
prey; and to Lintot, who might be expected to give Pope information of
the seeming injury. Lintot, I believe, did nothing; and Curll did what
was expected. That to make them publick was the only purpose, may be
reasonably supposed, because the numbers offered to sale by the private
messengers showed that hope of gain could not have been the motive of
the impression.

It seems that Pope, being desirous of printing his letters, and not
knowing how to do, without imputation of vanity, what has in this
country been done very rarely, contrived an appearance of compulsion;
that, when he could complain that his letters were surreptitiously
published, he might decently and defensively publish them himself.

Pope's private correspondence, thus promulgated, filled the nation with
praises of his candour, tenderness, and benevolence, the purity of his
purposes, and the fidelity of his friendship. There were some letters
which a very good or a very wise man would wish suppressed; but, as they
had been already exposed, it was impracticable now to retract them.

From the perusal of those letters, Mr. Allen first conceived the desire
of knowing him; and with so much zeal did he cultivate the friendship
which he had newly formed, that, when Pope told his purpose of
vindicating his own property by a genuine edition, he offered to pay the
cost.

This, however, Pope did not accept; but, in time, solicited a
subscription for a quarto volume, which appeared, 1737, I believe, with
sufficient profit. In the preface he tells, that his letters were
reposited in a friend's library, said to be the earl of Oxford's, and
that the copy thence stolen was sent to the press. The story was
doubtless received with differe at degrees of credit. It may be
suspected that the preface to the Miscellanies was written to prepare
the publick for such an incident; and to strengthen this opinion, James
Worsdale, a painter, who was employed in clandestine negotiations, but
whose veracity was very doubtful, declared that he was the messenger who
carried, by Pope's direction, the books to Curll.

When they were thus published and avowed, as they had relation to recent
facts, and persons either then living or not yet forgotten, they may be
supposed to have found readers; but as the facts were minute, and the
characters, being either private or literary, were little known, or
little regarded, they a