lighted with theatrical exhibitions, that he formed a kind of play from Ogylby's Iliad, with fome verfes of his own intermixed, which he perfuaded his fchoolfellows to act, with the addition of his master's gardener, who perfonated Ajax.

At the two laft fchools he used to reprefent himself as having loft part of what Taverner had taught him, and on his master at Twyford he had already exercised his poetry in a lampoon. Yet under thofe mafters he tranflated more than a fourth part of the Metamorphoses. If he kept the fame proportion in his other exercises, it cannot be thought that his lofs was great.

He tells of himself, in his poems, that he lifp'd in numbers; and used to say that he could not remember the time when he began to make verfes. In the ftyle of fiction it might have been faid of him as of Pin dar, that, when he lay in his cradle, the bees fwarmed about his mouth.

About the time of the Revolution, his father, who was undoubtedly difappointed by the fudden blast of popish prosperity, quitted his trade, and retired to Binfield in Windfor Foreft, with about twenty thou fand pounds; for which, being confcientioufly determined not to entrust it to the government, he found no better use than that of locking it up in a cheft, and taking from it what his expences required; and his life was long enough to confume a great part of it, before his fon came to the inheritance.

To Binfield Pope was called by his father when he was about twelve years old; and there he had for a few months the affiftance of one Deane, another prieft, of whom he learned only to conftrue a little of Tully's Of=

fices. How Mr. Deane could fpend, with a boy who had tranflated fo much of Ovid, fome months over a final part of Tully's Offices, it is now vain to enquire.

Of a youth fo fuccefsfully employed, and fo confpicuoufly improved, a minute account must be naturally defired; but curiofity muft be contented with confufed, imperfect, and fometimes improbable intelligence. Pope, finding little advantage from external help, refolved thenceforward to direct himself, and at twelve formed a plan of ftudy which he completed with little other incitement than the defire of excellence.

His primary and principal purpose was to be a poct, with which his father accidentally concurred, by proposing subjects, and obliging him to correct his performances by many revifals; after which the old gentleman, when he was fatisfied, would fay, these are good rhymes.

In his perufal of the English poets he foon diftinguifhed the verfification of Dryden, which he confidered as the model to be ftudied, and was impreffed with fuch veneration for his inftruéter, that he perfuaded fome friends to take him to the coffee-houfe which Dryden frequented, and pleafed himself with having feen him.

Dryden died May 1, 1701, fome days before Pope was twelve; fo early muft he therefore have felt the power of harmony, and the zeal of genius. Who does not wish that Dryden could have known the value of the homage that was paid him, and forefeen the greatnefs of his young admirer?

The earliest of Pope's productions is his Ode on Solitude, written before he was twelve, in which there is nothing more than other forward boys have attained, and which is not equal to Cowley's performances at the fame age.

His time was now fpent wholly in reading and writing. As he read the Clafficks, he amufed himfelf with tranflating them; and at fourteen made a verfion of the first book of the Thebais, which, with fome revifion, he afterwards publifhed. He must have been at this time, if he had no help, a confiderable proficient in the Latin tongue.

By Dryden's Fables, which had then been not long published, and were much in the hands of poetical readers, he was tempted to try his own skill in giving Chaucer a more fashionable appearance, and put January and May, and the Prologue of the Wife of Bath, into modern English, He tranflated likewife the Epistle of Sappho to Phaon from Ovid, to complete the verfion, which was before imperfect; and wrote fome other small pieces, which he afterwards printed.

He fometimes imitated the English poets, and profeffed to have written at fourteen his poem upon Silence, after Rochefter's Nothing. He had now formed his verfification, and in the fir.oothness of his numbers. furpaffed his original: but this is a fmall part of his praife; he discovers fuch acquaintance both with human life and public affairs, as is not eafily conceived. to have been attainable by a boy of fourteen in Windfor Foreft.

Next year he was defirous of opening to himfelf new fources of knowledge, by making himfelf ac. quainted with modern languages; and removed for a

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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; he, 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 himself at his

real value.

Most of his puerile productions were, by his maturer judgement, aftewards 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 translated Tully on cla Age; and that, befides his books of poerry and criticifin, he read Temple's Elays and Locke on human Understanding. His reading, though his favourite authors are not known, appears to have been fufficiently extenfive and multifarious; for his early pieces fhew, with fufficient evidence, his knowledge of books.

He that is pleafed with himfelf eafily imagines that he fhall pleafe others. Sir William Trumbal, who had been ambaffador at Conftantinople, and fecretary of state, when he retired from bufinefs,

fixed his refidence in the neighbourhood of Binfield. Pope, not yet fixteen, was introduced to the statesman of fixty, and fo diftinguished himself, that their interviews ended in friendship and correfpondence. Pope was, through his whole life, ambitious of fplendid acquaintance, and he feems to have wanted neither diligence nor fuccefs in attracting the notice of the great; for from his first entrance into the world, and his entrance was very early, he was admitted to familiarity with those whose rank or ftation made them moft confpicuous.

From the age of fixteen the life of Pope, as an author, may be properly computed. He now wrote his pastorals, 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 eleganț and learned in a high degree; they were, however, not published till five years afterwards.

Cowley, Milton, and Pope, are diftinguished among the English Poets by the carly 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 this time began his acquaintance with Wycherley, a man who seems to have had among his contemporaries his full share of reputation, to have been efteemed without virtue, and careffed without good-humour. Pope was proud of his notice; Wycherley wrote verfes in his praise, which he was charged by Dennis with writing to himself, and they agreed for a while to flatter one another. It is pleafant to remark how foon