eminent rank and large fortune, the ward of an unkle, who, having given her a proper education, expected like other guardians that the fhould make at least an equal match; and fuch he proposed to her, but found it rejected in favour of a young gentleman of inferior

condition.

Having difcovered the correspondence between the two lovers, and finding the young lady determined to abide by her own choice, he supposed that separation might do what can rarely be done by arguments, and fent her into a foreign country, where he was obliged to converse only with those from whom her unkle had nothing to fear.

Her lover took care to repeat his vows; but his letters were intercepted and carried to her guardian, who directed her to be watched with still greater vigilance; till of this restraint fhe grew fo impatient, that the bribed a woman-servant to procure her a fword, which fhe directed to her heart.

From this account, given with evident intention to raife the Lady's character, it does not appear that the had any claim to praise, nor much to compaffion. She feems to have been impatient, violent, and ungovernable. Her unkle's power could not have lafted long; the hour of liberty and choice would have come in time. But her defires were too hot for delay, and the liked felf-murder better than fufpence.

Nor is it difcovered that the unkle, whoever he was, is with much juftice delivered to pofterity as a falfe Guardian; he feems to have done only that for which a guardian is appointed; he endeavoured to direct his niece till she should be able to diert herself. Poetry has not often been worfe employed than in dignifying the amorous fury of a raving girl.

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Not long after, he wrote the Rape of the Lock, the moft airy, the most ingenious, and the most delightful of all his compofitions, occafioned by a frolick of gallantry, rather too familiar, in which Lord Petre cut off a lock of Mrs. Arabella Fermor's hair. This, whether stealth or violence, was fo much refented, that the commerce of the two families, before very friendly, was interrupted. Mr. Caryl, a gentleman who, being fecretary to King James's Queen, had followed his Mistress into France, and who being the author of Sir Solomon Single, a comedy, and fome tranflations, was entitled to the notice of a Wit, folicited Pope to endeavour a reconciliation by a ludicrous poem, which might bring both the parties to a better temper. In compliance with Caryl's request, though his name was for a long time marked only by the first and last letter, C-1, a poem of two cantos was written (1711), as is said, in a fortnight, and fent to the offended Lady, who liked it well enough to fhew it; and, with the ufual process of literary transactions, the author, dreading a furreptitious edition, was forced to publifh it.

The event is faid to have been fuch as was defired; the pacification and diversion of all to whom it related, except Sir George Brown, who complained with fome bitterness that, in the character of Sir Plume, he was made to talk nonfenfe. Whether all this be true, I have fome doubt; for at Paris, a few years ago, a niece of Mrs. Fermor, who prefided in an English Convent, mentioned Pope's work with very little gratitude, rather as an infult than an honour; and the may be fuppofed to have inherited the opinion of her family.

At its first appearance it was termed by Addison merum fal. Pope, however, faw that it was capable of improve

improvement; and, having luckily contrived to borrow his machinery from the Roficrucians, imparted the fcheme with which his head was teeming to Addison, who told him that his work, as it stood, was a delicious little thing, and gave him no encouragement to re

touch it.

This has been too haftily confidered as an inftance. of Addison's jealoufy; for as he could not guess the conduct of the new defign, or the poffibilities of pleafure comprised in a fiction of which there had been no examples, he might very reasonably and kindly perfuade the author to acquiefce in his own profperity, and forbear an attempt which he considered as an unneceffary hazard.

Addison's counsel was happily rejected. Pope forefaw the future efflorefcence of imagery then budding in his mind, and refolved to spare no art, or industry. of cultivation. The foft luxuriance of his fancy was already fhooting, and all the gay varieties of diction were ready at his hand to colour and embellish it.

His attempt was juftified by its fuccefs. The Rape of the Lock ftands forward, in the claffes of literature, as the most exquifite example of ludicrous poetry. Berkeley congratulated him upon the display of powers more truly poetical than he had fhewn before; with elegance of defcription and juftnefs of precepts, he had now exhibited boundless fertility of invention.

He always confidered the intermixture of the machinery with the action as his moft fuccefsful exertion of poetical art. He indeed could never afterwards produce any thing of fuch unexampled excellence. Thofe performances, which ftrike with wonder, are combinations of fkilful genius with happy cafualty; VOL. IV.

C

and

and it is not likely that any felicity, like the discovery of a new race of preternatural agents, should happen twice to the fame man.

Of this poem the author was, I think, allowed to enjoy the praise for a long time without disturbance. Many years afterwards Dennis published fome remarks upon it, with very little force, and with no effect; for the opinion of the publick was already fettled, and it was no longer at the mercy of criticifm.

About this time he published the Temple of Fame, which, as he tells Steele in their correfpondence, he had written two years before; that is, when he was only twenty-two years old, an early time of life for fo much learning and fo much obfervation as that work exhibits.

On this poem Dennis afterwards published some remarks, of which the most reasonable is, that some of the lines represent motion as exhibited by sculpture.

Of the Epiftle from Eloifa to Abelard, I do not know the date. His firft inclination to attempt a compofition of that tender kind arose, as Mr. Savage told me, from his perufal of Prior's Nut-brown Maid. How much he has furpaffed Prior's work it is not neceffary to mention, when perhaps it may be said with justice, that he has excelled every compofition of the fame kind. The mixture of religious hope and refignation gives an elevation and dignity to disappointed love, which images merely natural cannot beftow. The gloom of a convent ftrikes the imagination with far greater force than the folitude of a grove.

This piece was, however, not much his favourite in his latter years, though I never heard upon what principle he flighted it.

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In

In the next year (1713) he published Windfor Foreft; of which part was, as he relates, written at fixteen, about the fame time as his Paftorals, and the latter párt was added afterwards: where the addition begins, we are not told. The lines relating to the Peace confefs their own date. It is dedicated to Lord Landfdowne, who was then high in reputation and influence among the Tories; and it is faid, that the conclufion of the poem gave great pain to Addifon, both as a poet and a politician. Reports like this are often fpread with boldness very difproportionate to their evidence. Why should Addison receive any particular disturbance from the last lines of Windfor Foreft? If contrariety of opinion could poifon a politician, he would not live a day; and, as a poet, he must have felt Pope's force of genius much more from many other parts of his works.

The pain that Addison might feel it is not likely that he would confefs; and it is certain that he fo well fuppreffed his discontent, that Pope now thought himfelf his favourite; for, having been confulted in the revifal of Cato, he introduced it by a Prologue; and, when Dennis published his Remarks, undertook not indeed to vindicate but to revenge his friend, by a Nar rative of the Frenzy of John Dennis.

There is reafon to believe that Addifon gave no encouragement to this difingenuous hoftility; for, fays Pope, in a Letter to him, " indeed your opinion, that "'tis entirely to be neglected, would be my own in 66 my own cafe; but I felt more warmth here than I ❝ did when I first saw his book against myself (though "indeed in two minutes it made me heartily merry)." Addifon was not a man on whom fuch cant of fenfibility could make much impreffion. He left the pam

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phlet