eafily conceived to have been attainable by a boy of fourteen in Windfor Foreft.

Next year he was defirous of opening to himself new fources of knowledge, by making himself ac quainted with modern languages; and removed for a time to London, that he might ftudy French and Italian, which, as he defired nothing more than to read them, were by diligent application foon difpatched. Of Italian learning he does not appear to have ever made much ufe in his fubfequent ftudies.

He then returned to Binfield, and delighted himfelf with his own poetry. He tried all ftyles, and many fubjects. He wrote a comedy, a tragedy, an epick poem, with panegyricks on all the princes of Europe; and, as he confeffes, "thought himself "the greatest genius that ever was." Self-confidence is the first requifite to great undertakings, indeed, who forms his opinion of himself in folitude, without knowing the powers of other men, is very liable to errour: but it was the felicity of Pope to rate himfelf at his real value.

He,

Moft of his puerile productions were, by his maturer judgement, afterwards deftroyed; " Alcander," the epick poem, was burnt by the perfuafion of Atterbury. The tragedy was founded on the legend of St. Genevieve. Of the comedy there is no account,

Concerning his ftudies it is related, that he tranflated "Tully on Old Age;" and that, befides his books of poetry and criticism, he read "Temple's Effays" and "Locke on Human Understanding." His reading, though his favourite authors are not known, appears to have been fufficiently extenfive

and

and multifarious; for his early pieces fhew, with fufficient evidence, his knowledge of books.

He that is pleased with himself easily imagines that he shall please others. Sir William Trumbal, who had been ambaffador at Conftantinople, and fe. cretary of state, when he retired from bufiness, fixed his refidence in the neighbourhood of Binfield. Pope, not yet fixteen, was introduced to the statefman of fixty, and fo diftinguished himfelf, that their interviews ended in friendship and correfpondence. Pope was, through his whole life, ambitious of fplendid acquaintance; and he seems to have wanted neither diligence nor fuccefs in attracting the notice of the great; for from his firft entrance into the world, and his entrance was very early, he was admitted to familiarity with those whofe rank or station made them moft confpicuous.

From the age of fixteen the life of Pope, as an author, may be properly computed. He now wrote his paftorals, which were fhewn to the Poets and Criticks of that time; as they well deferved, they were read with admiration, and many praises were bestowed upon them and upon the Preface, which is both elegant and learned in a high degree; they were, however, not publifhed till five years afterwards.

Cowley, Milton, and Pope are distinguished among the English Poets by the early exertion of their powers; but the works of Cowley alone were published in his childhood, and therefore of him only can it be certain that his puerile performances received no improvement from his maturer ftudies.

At

At this time began his acquaintance with Wycherley, a man who feems to have had among his contemporaries his full share of reputation, to have been esteemed without virtue, and careffed without goodhumour. Pope was proud of his notice; Wycherley wrote verses in his praife, which he was charged by Dennis with writing to himfelf, and they agreed for a while to flatter one another. It is pleafant to remark how foon Pope learned the cant of an author, and began to treat criticks with contempt, though he had yet suffered nothing from them.

But the fondness of Wycherley was too violent to laft. His esteem of Pope was fuch, that he fub. mitted fome poems to his revifion; and when Pope, perhaps proud of such confidence was fufficiently bold in his criticisms, and liberal in his alterations, the old fcribbler was angry to see his pages defaced, and felt more pain from the detection than content from the amendment of his faults. They parted; but Pope always confidered him with kindness, and vifited him a little time before he died.

Another of his early correfpondents was Mr. Cromwell, of whom I have learned nothing particular but that he used to ride a hunting in a tye-wig. He was fond, and perhaps vain, of amufing himself with poetry and criticifm; and fometimes fent his performances to Pope, who did not forbear fuch remarks as were now-and-then unwelcome. Pope, in his turn, put the juvenile verfion of "Statius” into his hands for correction.

Their correfpondence afforded the publick its first knowledge of Pope's epiftolary powers; for his Letters were given by Cromwell to one Mrs. Thomas;

and

and the many years afterwards fold them to Curll, who inferted them in a volume of his Mifcellanies.

Walsh, a name yet preferved among the minor poets, was one of his first encouragers. His regard was gained by the Pastorals, and from him Pope received the courfel from which he feems to have regulated his ftudies. Walth advised him to correctness, which, as he told him, the English poets had hitherto neglected, and which therefore was left to him as a bafis of fame; and being delighted with rural poems, recommended to him to write a paftoral comedy, like those which are read fo eagerly in Italy; a defign which Pope probably did not approve, as he

did not follow it.

Pope had now declared himself a poet; and thinking himself entitled to poetical converfation, began at feventeen to frequent Will's, a coffee-houfe on the north fide of Ruffel-ftreet in Covent-garden, where the wits of that time ufed to affemble, and where Dryden had, when he lived, been accustomed to prefide.

During this period of his life he was indefatigably diligent, and infatiably curious; wanting health for violent, and money for expenfive pleasures; and having excited in himself very strong defires of intellectual eminence, he spent much of his time over his books; but he read only to ftore his mind with facts and images, feizing all that his authors prefented with undiftinguifhing voracity, and with an appetite for knowledge too eager to be nice. In a mind like his, however, all the faculties were at once involuntarily improving. Judgement is forced upon us by experience. He that reads many books must compare

one opinion or one ftyle with another; and, when he compares, muft neceffarily diftinguish, reject, and prefer. But the account given by himself of his ftudies was, that from fourteen to twenty he read only for amusement, from twenty to twenty-seven for improvement and inftruction; that in the first part of this time he defired only to know, and in the fecond he endeavoured to judge.

The paftorals, which had been for fome time handed about among poets and criticks, were at laft printed (1790) in Tonfon's Mifcellany, in a volume which began with the Paftorals of Philips, and ended with those of Pope.

The fame year was written the "Effay on Criti"cism;" a work which difplays fuch extent of comprehenfion, fuch nicety of diftinction, fuch acquaintance with mankind, and fuch knowledge both of ancient and modern learning, as are not often attained by the matureft age and longeft experience. It was published about two years afterwards; and, being praised by Addifon in the "Spectator" with fufficient liberality, met with fo much favour as enraged Dennis," who," he fays, "found himself attacked, with

out any manner of provocation on his fide, and at"tacked in his perfon, instead of his writings, by "one who was wholly a ftranger to him, at a time "when all the world knew he was perfecuted by "fortune and not only faw that this was attempted "in a clandeftine manner, with the utmoft falfehood “and calumny, but found that all this was done by "a little affected hypocrite, who had nothing in "his mouth at the fame time but truth, candour,

"friend