Speaking of Pope’s not having been known to excel in conversation, Johnson observes, that ’traditional memory retains no sallies of raillery, or[173] sentences of observation; nothing either pointed or solid, wise or merry[174]; and that one apophthegm only is recorded[175].’  In this respect, Pope differed widely from Johnson, whose conversation was, perhaps, more admirable than even his writings, however excellent.  Mr. Wilkes has, however, favoured me with one repartee of Pope, of which Johnson was not informed.  Johnson, after justly censuring him for having ’nursed in his mind a foolish dis-esteem of Kings,’ tells us, ’yet a little regard shewn him by the Prince of Wales melted his obduracy; and he had not much to say when he was asked by his Royal Highness, how he could love a Prince, while he disliked Kings[176]?’ The answer which Pope made, was, ’The young lion is harmless, and even playful; but when his claws are full grown he becomes cruel, dreadful, and mischievous.’

But although we have no collection of Pope’s sayings, it is not therefore to be concluded, that he was not agreeable in social intercourse; for Johnson has been heard to say, that ’the happiest conversation is that of which nothing is distinctly remembered but a general effect of pleasing impression.’  The late Lord Somerville[177], who saw much both of great and brilliant life, told me, that he had dined in company with Pope, and that after dinner the little man, as he called him, drank his bottle of Burgundy, and was exceedingly gay and entertaining.

I cannot withhold from my great friend a censure of at least culpable inattention, to a nobleman, who, it has been shewn[178], behaved to him with uncommon politeness.  He says, ’Except Lord Bathurst, none of Pope’s noble friends were such as that a good man would wish to have his intimacy with them known to posterity[179].’  This will not apply to Lord Mansfield, who was not ennobled in Pope’s life-time; but Johnson should have recollected, that Lord Marchmont was one of those noble friends.  He includes his Lordship along with Lord Bolingbroke, in a charge of neglect of the papers which Pope left by his will; when, in truth, as I myself pointed out to him, before he wrote that poet’s life, the papers were ’committed to the sole care and judgement of Lord Bolingbroke, unless he (Lord Bolingbroke) shall not survive me;’ so that Lord Marchmont had no concern whatever with them[180].  After the first edition of the Lives, Mr. Malone, whose love of justice is equal to his accuracy, made, in my hearing, the same remark to Johnson; yet he omitted to correct the erroneous statement[181].  These particulars I mention, in the belief that there was only forgetfulness in my friend; but I owe this much to the Earl of Marchmont’s reputation, who, were there no other memorials, will be immortalised by that line of Pope, in the verses on his Grotto: 

     ‘And the bright flame was shot through Marchmont’s soul.’