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in the knowledge of simples; and I am of opinion, that he ought always to attend the censors of the college, in their visitation of apothecaries shops.

I am told, that the new sect of herb-eaters* intend to follow him into the fields, or to beg him for a clerk of their kitchen; and that there are many of them now thinking of turning their children into woods to graze with the cattle, in hopes to raise a healthy and moral race, refined from the corruptions of this luxurious world.

He sings naturally several pretty tunes of his own composing, † and with equal facility in the chromatic, inharmonic, and diatonic style; and consequently must be of infinite use to the academy in judging of the merits of their composers, and is the only person, that ought to decide betwen Cuzzoni and Faustina. I cannot omit his first notion of clothes, which he took to be the natural skins of the creatures that wore them, and seemed to be in great pain for the pulling off a stocking, thinking the poor man was a-flaying.

I am not ignorant, that there are disaffected people, who say he is a pretender, and no genuine wild man. This calumny proceeds from the false notions they have of wild men, which they frame from such as they see about the town, whose actions are rather absurd than wild; therefore it will be incumbent on all young gentlemen who are ambitious to excel in this character, to copy this true original of

nature.

The senses of this wild man are vastly more acute

* Dr Cheyne's followers.

In fact Peter could sing a little, and could repeat a tune after having heard it once or twice.

Two rival singers at that time in the Italian operas here.-H.

than those of a tame one; he can follow the track of a man, or any other beast of prey. A dog is an ass to him for finding truffles; his hearing is more perfect, because his ears not having been confined by bandages, he can move them like a drill, and turn them towards the sonorous object.

"Let us pray the Creator of all beings, wild and tame, that as this wild youth by being brought to court has been made a Christian; so such as are at court, and are no Christians, may lay aside their savage and rapacious nature, and return to the meekness of the Gospel."

THE

NARRATIVE

OF

DR ROBERT NORRIS,

CONCERNING

THE STRANGE AND DEPLORABLE FRENZY OF

MR JOHN DENNIS,

AN OFFICER OF THE CUSTOM-HOUSE.

Being an exact Account of all that passed between the said Pa. tient and the Doctor till this present Day; and a full Vindica tion of himself and his Proceedings from the extravagant Re. ports of the said Mr JOHN DENNIS.

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THE

NARRATIVE

OF

DR ROBERT NORRIS.

POPE being sufficiently sore, under the repeated assaults of Dennis, was ready to embrace the first favourable opportunity of retaliation. This, he conceived, was offered him by the severe remarks which Dennis gave the world upon the tragedy of Cato, then in the zenith of its reputation. Most readers are familiar with this rough specimen of criticism, from the extracts which Johnson has inserted in the life of Addison; and it is undeniable, that Dennis has acutely pointed out, and exposed the awkward inconsistencies into which the ingenious and amiable author of Cato was seduced by a determined and rigid adherence to the unity of place. These failures were, however, pointed out in the rude and indecent style of acrimony peculiar to the unfortunate critic, and, in Pope's opinion, authorized a bitter and personal retaliation. We do this celebrated and beautiful poet no injustice in remarking, that a system of stratagem was not excluded from his literary warfare, and that he was fully sensible how much more graceful an attack upon Dennis might appear, if made in vindication of Addison's reputation, then to revenge the insults offered to himself. Accordingly he sent forth, among the hawkers, the following compound of humour and scurrility, in which he used the name of Dr Robert Norris, a celebrated quack-doctor. Dennis is said to have felt the satire keenly; and Addison, who probably discerned and appretiated the motives of his voluntary ally, requested his friend, Steele, to vindicate him from any accession to such rude and personal retaliation, by the following letter to the bookseller:

MR LINTOT,

Mr Addison desired me to tell you he wholly disapproves the manner of treating Mr Dennis, in a little pamphlet by way of Dr Norris's Account. When he thinks fit to take notice of Mr Dennis's objections to his writings, he will do it in a way Mr Dennis shall have no just reason to complain of; but when the papers above-mentioned were offered to be communicated to him, he said he could not, either in honour or conscience, be privy to such a treatment, and was sorry to hear of it.

Your

I am, Sir,
very humble servant,

RICHARD STEELE.

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