No more disgraceful imputation could have been made upon Curll, or Curll's miserable dependents.

A man who could so prostitute his talents must have been utterly vile.

Pope has sins enough to answer for; but his other meannesses were either sacrifices to his morbid vanity, or (like his offence against Swift, or his lies to Aaron Hill and Chandos) collateral results of spasmodic attempts to escape from humiliation.

In money-matters he seems to have been generally independent.

He refused gifts from his rich friends, and confuted the rather similar calumny that he had received 500_l._ from the Duke of Chandos.