Montagu met, wrote to and collaborated with Gay and Pope (work mostly customarily credited to her). When the abnormally short Pope became infatuated with and rejected by her, he turned on her ferociously in print. Astell was a close friend, and Fielding her younger second cousin, whom she encouraged to write. Sloane, a friend, was present when she had her son inoculated against smallpox (she famously introduced inoculation to the west from Turkey). Addison pleaded with her not to publish her criticism of his play, but followed most of her suggestions. Walpole, visited by her in Italy, was spiteful about her ways.