The full title of this poem is A Farewell to London. In the Year 1715 (erroneously 1714 in surviving manuscripts and in the first printing). It was not published until 1775, and never acknowledged by Pope even in private. However, a combination of internal and external evidence makes it virtually certain that he wrote the Farewell about the start of June 1715. This came at the juncture when he was able to quit the capital after a long period of work, leading up to the publication of the first volume of his Iliad translation on 4 June. One of the strongest indications of authenticity is an endorsement, “Mr. P— private”, found in a manuscript copy belonging to Edward Harley, later second Earl …
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Citation: Rogers, Pat. "A Farewell to London. In the Year 1715". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 May 2022 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40841, accessed 08 September 2024.]