tomed to such
incidents; he might be angry, but not astonished. I have been
reviewed in the Quarterly almost as often as Mr. Bowles, and have had
as pleasant things said, and some _as unpleasant_, as could well be
pronounced. In the review of "The Fall of Jerusalem" it is stated,
that I have devoted "my powers, &c. to the worst parts of
Manicheism;" which, being interpreted, means that I worship the
devil. Now, I have neither written a reply, nor complained to
Gifford. I believe that I observed in a letter to you, that I thought
"that the critic might have praised Milman without finding it
necessary to abuse me;" but did I not add at the same time, or soon
after, (a propos, of the note in the book of Travels,) that I would
not, if it were even in my power, have a single line cancelled on my
account in that nor in any other publication? Of course, I reserve to
myself the privilege of response when necessary. Mr. Bowles seems in
a whimsical state about the author of the article on Spence. You know
very well that I am not in your confidence, nor in that of the
conductor of the journal. The moment I saw that article, I was
morally certain that I knew the author "by his style." You will tell
me that I do _not know_ him: that is all as it should be; keep the
secret, so shall I, though no one has ever intrusted it to me. He is
not the person whom Mr. Bowles denounces. Mr. Bowles's extreme
sensibility reminds me of a circumstance which occurred on board of a
frigate in which I was a passenger and guest of the captain's for a
considerable time. The surgeon on board, a very gentlemanly young
man, and remarkably able in his profession, wore a _wig_. Upon this
ornament he was extremely tenacious. As naval jests are sometimes a
little rough, his brother officers made occasional allusions to this
delicate appendage to the doctor's person. One day a young
lieutenant, in the course of a facetious discussion, said, "Suppose
now, doctor, I should take off your _hat_,"--"Sir," replied the
doctor, "I shall talk no longer with you; you grow _scurrilous_." He
would not even admit so near an approach as to the hat which
protected it. In like manner, if any body approaches Mr. Bowles's
laurels, even in his outside capacity of an _editor_, "they grow
_scurrilous_." You say that you are about to prepare an edition of
Pope; you cannot do better for your own credit as a publisher, nor
for the redemption of Pope from Mr. Bowles, and of the public t