One of his Points must be to have many Readers_: He considers,
that my Face and Name are more known than _those of_ many
_Thousands of more Consequence_ in the Kingdom, that, therefore,
_right or wrong_, a Lick at the Laureat will always be a sure Bait,
_ad captandum vulgus_, to catch him little Readers: _And that to
gratify the unlearned, by now and then interspersing those merry
Sacrifices of an old Acquaintance to their Taste, in a Piece of
quite right Poetical Craft_."

Now, Sir, is there any thing in this Paragraph (which you have so maim'd
and sneer'd at) that, taken all together, could merit the injurious
Reception you have given it? Ought I, for this, to have had the stale
Affront of _Dull_, and _Impudent_, repeated upon me? or could it have
lessen'd the Honour of your Understanding, to have taken this quiet
Resentment of your frequent ill Usage in good part? Or had it not rather
been a Mark of your Justice and Generosity, not to have pursued me with
fresh Instances of your Ill-will upon it? or, on the contrary, could you
be so weak as to Envy me the Patience I was master of, and therefore
could not bear to be, in any light, upon amicable Terms with me? I hope
your Temper is not so unhappy as to be offended, or in pain, when your
Insults are return'd with Civilities? or so vainly uncharitable as to
value yourself for laughing at my Folly, in supposing you never had any
real malicious Intention against me? No, you could not, sure, believe,
the World would take it for granted, that _every_ low, vile Thing you
had said of me, was evidently _true_? How then can you hold me in such
Derision, for finding your Freedom with my Name, a better Excuse than
you yourself are able to give, or are willing to accept of? or,
admitting, that my deceived Opinion of your Goodness was so much real
Simplicity and Ignorance, was not even That, at least, pardonable?
Might it not have been taken in a more favourable Sense by any Man of
the least Candour or Humanity? But--I am afraid, Mr. _Pope_, the
severely different Returns you have made to it, are Indications of a
Heart I want a Name for.

Upon the whole, while you are capable of giving such a trifling Turn to
my Patience, I see but very little Hopes of my ever removing your
Prejudice: for in your Notes upon the above Paragraph (to which I refer
the Reader) you treat me more like a rejected Flatterer, than a Critick:
But, I hope, you now find that