The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-13 00:00:00

POPE AND 1116 FRIENDS.

You lire in them in the finest company in the world.
A little stately, perhaps; • little appret.: and conscious that
they are speaking to whole generations who are listening;
but in the tone of their voices—pitched, as no doubt they
are, beyond the mere conversation key—in the expression of
their thoughts, their varicose views and natures there is
something generous, and cheering, and ennobling. Yea
are in the society of men who have tilled the greatest parts
in the world's s'ory—you are with St. John the stateemsa,
Peterborough the conqueror, Swift, the greatest wit of all
times ; Gay, the kindliest laugher—it is a privilege to sit in
that company. Delightful anti generous banquet! with a
little faith and a little fancy any one of us here may enjoy it,
and conjure up those great figures out of the put, and listen
to their wit and wisdom. Mind that there is always a certain
cacAet about great men—they may be as mean on many points
as you or I, but they carry their great air—they speak of
common life more largely and generously than common
men do—they regard the world with a manlier counte-
nance, and see its real features more fairly than the timid
shuMers who only dare to look up at life through blinkers,
or to have an opinion when there is a crowd to back it. Ile
who reads these noble recoids of a put age salutes and
reverences the great spirits who adorn it. You may go
home n Ar and talk with St. John ; you may take a volume
' from your library and listen to Swift and Pops.
Might I give counsel to any young h , I would say
to him, try to frequent the company of your betters. In
books and life that is the most wholesome society; learn to
admire rightly; the great pleasure of life is that. Note
what the great men admired; they admired great,
' things ; narrow spirits admire basely, and worship
meanly. I know nothing in any story more gal- I
lent and cheering than the love and friendship
which this company of famous men bore towards one
another. There never I.as been a society of men more
friendly, u there never was one more illustrious. Who
dares quarrel with Mr. l'ope, great and famous himself, for
liking the society of men great and famous? and for liking
them for the qualities which made them so? A mere
pretty fellow from White's could not have written the
" Patriot King." and would very likely have despised little
Mr. Pope, the decrepit papist, whom the great St. John
held to be one of the beat and greatest of men ; a mere no-
bleman of the court could no more have won Barcelona,
than ho could have written Peterborough's letters to Pope,
which are as witty as Congieve : a mere Irish dean could
not:have written " Gulliver ; " and all these men loved
Pope, and Pope loved all these men. To name his friends
is to name the best men of his time. Addison had a senate ;
Pope reverenced his equals. He spoke of Swift with re-
spect and admiration always. His admiration far Boling.
broke was so great, that when setae one said of
his friend, "There is something in that great man which
looks as if he was placed here by mistake," "Yes," Pope
answered "and when the comet appeared to us a month or
I two ago, had sometimes an imagination that it might pos-
sibly be come to carry him home, as a coach comes to one's
door for visitors." So these great spirits spoke of one an-
other. Show me six of the dullest middle-aged gentlemen
that ever dawdled round • club-table, so faithful and so
friendly.