Lady Mary was credited, perhaps
unjustly, with an abusive performance called a "Pop upon Pope," relating
how Pope had been soundly whipped by a couple of his victims--of course
a pure fiction. Some such vengeance, however, was seriously threatened.
As Pope was dining one day at Lord Bathurst's, the servant brought in
the agreeable message that a young man was waiting for Mr. Pope in the
lane outside, and that the young man's name was Dennis. He was the son
of the critic, and prepared to avenge his father's wrongs; but Bathurst
persuaded him to retire, without the glory of thrashing a cripple.
Reports of such possibilities were circulated, and Pope thought it
prudent to walk out with his big Danish dog Bounce, and a pair of
pistols. Spence tried to persuade the little man not to go out alone,
but Pope declared that he would not go a step out of his way for such
villains, and that it was better to die than to live in fear of them. He
continued, indeed, to give fresh provocation. A weekly paper, called the
Grub-street Journal, was started in January, 1730, and continued to
appear till the end of 1737. It included a continuous series of epigrams
and abuse, in the Scriblerian vein, and aimed against the heroes of the
Dunciad, amongst whom poor James Moore-Smythe seems to have had the
largest share of abuse. It was impossible, however, for Pope, busied as
he was in literature and society, and constantly out of health, to be
the efficient editor of such a performance; but though he denied having
any concern in it, it is equally out of the question that any one really
unconnected with Pope should have taken up the huge burden of his
quarrels in this fashion.
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