ded on that alone, and devoted a long life to
study, and the production of various historical and
theological works; as well as a "History of Ireland,"
published in 1773. He died in 1785.--ED.

[171] In a rough attack on Warburton, respecting Pope's privately
printing 1500 copies of the "Patriot King" of Bolingbroke,
which I conceive to have been written by Mallet, I find a
particular account of the manner in which the "Essay on Man"
was written, over which Johnson seems to throw great doubts.

The writer of this angry epistle, in addressing Warburton,
says: "If you were as intimate with Mr. Pope as you pretend,
you must know the truth of a fact which several others, as
well as I, who never had the honour of a personal acquaintance
with Lord Bolingbroke or Mr. Pope, have heard. The fact was
related to me by a certain Senior Fellow of one of our
Universities, who was very intimate with Mr. Pope. He started
some objections, one day, at Mr. Pope's house, to the doctrine
contained in the Ethic Epistles: upon which Mr. Pope told him
that he would soon convince him of the truth of it, by laying
the argument at large before him; for which purpose he gave
him _a large prose manuscript_ to peruse, telling him, at the
same time, the author's name. From this perusal, whatever
other conviction the doctor might receive, he collected at
least this: that Mr. Pope had from his friend not only the
_doctrine_, but even the _finest and strongest ornaments of
his Ethics_. Now, if this fact be true (as I question not but
you know it to be so), I believe no man of candour will
attribute such merit to Mr. Pope as you would insinuate, for
acknowledging the wisdom and the friendship of the man who was
his instructor in philosophy; nor consequently that this
acknowledgment, and the _dedication of his own system, put
into a poetical dress by Mr. Pope_, laid his lordship under
the necessity of never resenting any injury done to him by the
poet afterwards. Mr. Pope told no more than literal truth, in
calling Lord Bolingbroke his _guide, philosopher, and
friend_." The existence of this very manuscript volume was
authenticated by Lord Bathurst, in a conversation with Dr.