iendship; and wrote to Pope that Addison once suspected him of
too close a confederacy with Swift, but was now satisfied with his
conduct. To this Pope answered, a week after, that his engagements to
Swift were such as his services in regard to the subscription demanded,
and that the tories never put him under the necessity of asking leave to
be grateful. "But," says he, "as Mr. Addison must be the judge in what
regards himself, and has seemed to be no just one to me, so I must own
to you I expect nothing but civility from him." In the same letter he
mentions Philips, as having been busy to kindle animosity between them;
but in a letter to Addison, he expresses some consciousness of
behaviour, inattentively deficient in respect.

Of Swift's industry in promoting the subscription there remains the
testimony of Kennet, no friend to either him or Pope.

"Nov. 2, 1713, Dr. Swift came into the coffee-house, and had a bow from
every body but me, who, I confess, could not but despise him. When I
came to the ante-chamber to wait, before prayers, Dr. Swift was the
principal man of talk and business, and acted as master of requests.
Then he instructed a young nobleman, that the _best poet in England_ was
Mr. Pope, a papist, who had begun a translation of Homer into English
verse, for which _he must have them all subscribe_; for, says he, the
author _shall not_ begin to print till _I have_ a thousand guineas for
him."

About this time it is likely that Steele, who was, with all his
political fury, good-natured and officious, procured an interview
between these angry rivals, which ended in aggravated malevolence. On
this occasion, if the reports be true, Pope made his complaint with
frankness and spirit, as a man undeservedly neglected or opposed; and
Addison affected a contemptuous unconcern, and, in a calm even voice,
reproached Pope with his vanity, and, telling him of the improvements
which his early works had received from his own remarks and those of
Steele, said, that he, being now engaged in publick business, had no
longer any care for his poetical reputation, nor had any other desire,
with regard to Pope, than that he should not, by too much arrogance,
alienate the publick.

To this Pope is said to have replied with great keenness and severity,
upbraiding Addison with perpetual dependance, and with the abuse of
those qualifications which he had obtained at the publick cost, and
charging him with mean endeavours to obst