unfortunate lady's name was
Withinbury[1], corruptly pronounced Winbury; that she was in love with
Pope, and would have married him; that her guardian, though she was
deformed in person, looking upon such a match as beneath her, sent her
to a convent; and that a noose, and not a sword, put an end to her life.
H. (Footnote 1: According to Warton, the lady's name was Wainsbury.
ED.)]

[Footnote 149: Bentley was one of these. He and Pope, soon after the
publication of Homer, met at Dr. Mead's at dinner; when Pope, desirous
of his opinion of the translation, addressed him thus: "Dr. Bentley, I
ordered my bookseller to send you your books: I hope you received them."
Bentley, who had purposely avoided saying any thing about Homer,
pretended not to understand him, and asked, "Books! books! what
books?"--" My Homer," replied Pope, "which you did me the honour to
subscribe for."--"Oh," said Bentley, "aye, now I recollect--your
translation:--it is a pretty poem, Mr. Pope; but you must not call it
Homer." H.

Some good remarks on Pope's translation may be found in the work of
Melmoth, entitled Fitzosborne's Letters. ED.]

[Footnote 150: In one of these poems is a couplet, to which belongs a
story that I once heard the reverend Dr. Ridley relate:

"Slander or poison dread from Delia's rage;
Hard words, or hanging, if your judge be ...,"

Sir Francis Page, a judge well known in his time, conceiving that his
name was meant to fill up the blank, sent his clerk to Mr. Pope, to
complain of the insult. Pope told the young man that the blank might be
supplied by many monosyllables, other than the judge's name:--"but,
sir," said the clerk, "the judge says that no other word will make sense
of the passage."--"So then it seems," says Pope "your master is not only
a judge but a poet; as that is the case, the odds are against me. Give
my respects to the judge, and tell him, I will not contend with one that
has the advantage of me, and he may fill up the blank as he pleases."
H.]

[Footnote 151: See note, by Gifford, on Johnson's criticism here in
Massinger's works.]

[Footnote 152: Johnson, I imagine, alludes to a well-known line by
Rochester:

The best good man with the worst-natur'd muse. ]

[Footnote 153: Major Bernardi, who died in Newgate, Sept. 20, 1736. See
Gent. Mag. vol. 1. p. 125. N.]

[Footnote 154: This was altered much for the better, as it now stands on
the monument in the abbey, erected to Rowe and his daughter. WA