No recorded investigations are sufficiently advanced to be of service, and in the matter of the numbering of the lines or neglect to number, one theory is as plausible as another. It is granted, however, that the editions of the First Epistle with "Part I." on the title-page were earlier printed than those bearing "Epistle I."
The wording of the third title-page is the same as the second, with the substitution of "Epistle III." for "Epistle II.," but they are differently set up. In the imprint of Epistle II, "J. Wilford" is in lower case italics, in Epistle III in small capitals; "Chapter-House" in Epistle III is in lower case italics, and not in Epistle II.
In the Address to the Reader preceding Epistle II, Pope says, "The Author has been induced to publiſh these Epiſtles separately for two Reaſons; The one, that he might not impose upon the Publick too much at once of what he thinks incorrect; The other, that by this Method, he might profit of its Judgement on the Parts, in order to make the Whole less unworthy of it."
Collation: I. Title with ornament containing two birds, A1 (verso blank). "To the Reader," beginning "As the Epiſtolary Way of Writing," etc., A2. Text, B1-E2 (verso blank), in twos. Pages 1-19.
II. Title with ornament containing a lion rampant, A1 (verso blank). "To the Reader," A2 (verso blank). Text, B1-E1, in twos. Pages 1-18.
III. Half-title, A1 (verso blank). Title with ornament containing an open book, A2 (verso blank). Text, B1-E2, ending with "N. B. The Reſt of this Work will be publiſhed the next Winter." Pages 1-20.
POPE, Alexander.—(I.) An Essay on Man. in Epistles to a Friend. Epistle I. Corrected by the Author. London: Printed for J. Wilford, at the Three Flower-de-luces, be-hind the Chapter-houſe, St. Pauls. [Price One Shilling.] [1734] (II.) An Essay on Man. In Epistles to a Friend. Epistle II. London: Printed for J. Wilford, at the Three Flower-de-Luces, behind the Chapter-Houſe, St. Paul's. [Price One Shilling.] (III.) [Same title as III. in the preceding edition] (IV.) An Essay on Man. In Epistles to a Friend. Epistle IV. London: Printed for J. Wilford, at the Three Flower-de-Luces, behind the Chapter-Houſe, St. Paul's. [Price one Shilling.] Folio, red levant morocco, Janseniste, gilt edges, by R. W. Smith.
First edition of Epistle IV. Epistle I, although it contains only five lines more than in the first edition, i.e., 286, is considerably altered: e.g., between lines 22 and 23, six lines are inserted in the present edition; lines 29-34 are here omitted, and 35-42 of the first are transposed after 60; 95-100 and 111-114 in the first edition are omitted in the second; 115-116 in the second are new; 149 in the first is omitted in the second, and 142 in the second is new. These are a few of the alterations.
In Epistle II the lines are not numbered, except line 175, although the number is the same as in the first edition.
Epistle III is printed from the same forms of type as the first edition.