"There had been a coldness," said Mr. Pope, "between Mr. Addison and
me for some time, and we had not been in company together, for a
good while, anywhere but at Button's Coffee House, where I used to
see him almost every day. On his meeting me there, one day in
particular, he took me aside and said he should be glad to dine with
me at such a tavern, if I stayed till those people were gone
(Budgell and Philips). He went accordingly, and after dinner Mr.
Addison said 'that he had wanted for some time to talk with me:
that his friend Tickell had formerly, whilst at Oxford, translated
the first book of the Iliad; that he designed to print it, and had
desired him to look it over; that he must therefore beg that I would
not desire him to look over my first book, because, if he did, it
would have the air of double-dealing.' I assured him that I did not
at all take it ill of Mr. Tickell that he was going to publish his
translation; that he certainly had as much right to translate any
author as myself; and that publishing both was entering on a fair
stage. I then added that I would not desire him to look over my
first book of the Iliad, because he had looked over Mr. Tickell's,
but could wish to have the benefit of his observations on my second,
which I had then finished, and which Mr. Tickell had not touched
upon. Accordingly I sent him the second book the next morning, and
Mr. Addison a few days after returned it, with very high
commendations. Soon after it was generally known that Mr. Tickell
was publishing the first book of the Iliad, I met Dr. Young in the
street, and upon our falling into that subject, the doctor expressed
a great deal of surprise at Tickell's having had such a translation
so long by him. He said that it was inconceivable to him, and that
there must be some mistake in the matter; that each used to
communicate to the other whatever verses they wrote, even to the