Here he planted the vines and the quincunx which his verses mention; and being under the neceffity of making a fubterraneous paffage to a garden on the other fide of the road, he adorned it with foffile bodies, and dignified it with the title of a grotto; a place of filence and retreat, from which he endeavoured to perfuade his friends and himself that cares and paffions could be excluded.

A grotto is not often the wish or pleasure of an Eng lishman, who has more frequent need to folicit than exclude the fun; but Pope's excavation was requifite as an entrance to his garden, and, as fome men try to be proud of their defects, he extracted an ornament from an inconvenience, and vanity produced a grotto where neceffity enforced a paffage. It may be frequently remarked of the ftudious and fpeculative, that they are proud of trifles, and that their amusements feem frivolous and childish; whether it be that men confcious of great reputation think themselves above the reach of cenfure, and safe in the admiffion of negligent indulgences, or that mankind expect from elevated genius an uniformity of greatnefs, and watch its degradation with malicious wonder, like him who having followed with his eye an eagle into the clouds, fhould lament that the ever defcended to a perch.

While the volumes of his Homer were annually published, he collected his former works (1717) into one quarto volume, to which he prefixed a Preface, written with great fpritelinefs and elegance, which was afterwards reprinted, with fome paffages fubjoined that he at first omitted; other marginal additions of the fame kind he made in the later editions of his poems. Waller remarks, that poets lofe half their

praife,

praife, because the reader knows not what they have blotted. Pope's voracity of fame taught him the art of obtaining the accumulated honour both of what he had published, and of what he had fuppreffed.

In this year his father died fuddenly, in his seventyfifth year, having paffed twenty-nine years in privacy. He is not known but by the character which his fon has given him. If the money with which he retired was all gotten by himself, he had traded very fuccessfully in times when fudden riches were rarely attainable.

The publication of the Iliad was at last completed in 1720. The fplendor and fuccefs of this work raised Pope many enemies, that endeavoured to depreciate his abilities. Burnet, who was afterwards a Judge of no mean reputation, cenfured him in a piece called Homerides before it was published. Ducket likewife endeavoured to make him ridiculous. Dennis was the perpetual perfecutor of all his ftudies. But, whoever his criticks were, their writings are loft; and the hames which are preferved, are preferved in the Dunciad

In this difaftrous year (1720) of national infatuation, when more riches than Peru can boaft were expected from the South Sea, when the contagion of avarice tainted every mind, and even poets panted after wealth, Pope was feized with the univerfal paffion, and ven tured fome of his money. The ftock rose in its price; and he for a while thought himself the Lord of thousands. But this dream of happinefs did not laft long; and he feems to have waked foon enough to get clear with the loss only of what he once thought hinifelf to have won, and perhaps not wholly of that.

Next

Next year he published some select poems of his friend Dr. Parnell, with a very elegant Dedication to the Earl of Oxford; who, after all his ftruggles and dangers, then lived in retirement, ftill under the frown of a victorious faction, who could take no pleasure in hearing his praise.

He gave the fame year (1721) an edition of ShakeSpeare. His name was now of fo much authority, that Tonfon thought himself entitled, by annexing it, to demand a fubfcription of fix guineas for Shakespeare's plays in fix quarto volumes; nor did his expectation mach deceive him; for of feven hundred and fifty which he printed, he difperfed a great number at the price propofed. The reputation of that edition indeed funk afterwards fo low, that one hundred and forty copies were fold at fixteen fhillings each.

On this undertaking, to which Pope was induced by a reward of two hundred and feventeen pounds welve fhillings, he seems never to have reflected afterwards without vexation; for Theobald, a man of heavy diligence, with very flender powers, firft, in a book called Shakespeare Reftored, and then in a formal edition, detected his deficiencies with all the infolence of victory; and, as he was now high enough to be feared and hated, Theobald had from others all the help that could be fupplied, by the defire of humbling a haughty character.

From this time Pope became an enemy to editors, collaters, commentators, and verbal criticks; and hoped to perfuade the world, that he miscarried in this undertaking only by having a mind too great for fueli minute employment.

Pope

Pope in his edition undoubtedly did many things wrong, and left many things undone; but let him not be defrauded of his due praife. He was the first that knew, at least the first that told, by what helps the text might be improved. If he inspected the early editions negligently, he taught others to be more accurate. In his Preface he expanded with great skill and elegance the character which had been given of Shakespeare by Dryden; and he drew the publick attention upon his works, which, though often mentioned, had been little read.

Soon after the appearance of the Iliad, refolving not to let the general kindness cool, he published propofals for a translation of the Odyssey, in five volumes, for five guineas. He was willing, however, now to have affociates in his labour, being either weary with toiling upon another's thoughts, or having heard, as Ruffhead relates, that Fenton and Broome had already begun the work, and liking better to have them confederates than rivals.

In the patent, instead of saying that he had tranflated the Odyssey, as he had faid of the Iliad, he fays that he had undertaken a tranflation: and in the proposals the fubfcription is said to be not solely for his own use, but for that of two of his friends who have affifted him in this work.

In 1723, while he was engaged in this new verfion, he appeared before the Lords at the memorable trial of Bishop Atterbury, with whom he had lived in great familiarity, and frequent correfpondence. Atterbury had honeftly recommended to him the ftudy of the popish controverfy, in hope of his converfion; to which Pope answered in a manner that cannot much

recom

recommend his principles, or his judgement. In queftions and projects of learning, they agreed better. He was called at the trial to give an account of Atterbury's domeftick life, and private employment, that it might appear how little time he had left for plots. Pope had but few words to utter, and in thofe few he made feveral blunders.

His Letters to Atterbury exprefs the utmost efteem, tenderness, and gratitude: perhaps, fays he, it is not only in this world that I may have caufe to remember the Bishop of Rochester. At their laft interview in the

Tower, Atterbury prefented him with a Bible.

Of the Odyssey Pope tranflated only twelve books; the reft were the work of Broome and Fenton: the notes were written wholly by Broome, who was not over-liberally rewarded. The Publick was carefully kept ignorant of the feveral shares; and an account was fubjoined at the conclufion, which is now known not to be true.

The first copy of Pope's books, with thofe of Fenton, are to be feen in the Mufeum. The parts of Pope are lefs interlined than the Iliad; and the latter books of the Iliad lefs than the former. He grew dexterous by practice, and every fheet enabled him to write the next with more facility. The books of Fenton have very few alterations by the hand of Pope. Those of Broome have not been found; but Pope complained, as it is reported, that he had much trouble in correcting them.

His contract with Lintot was the fame as for the Iliad, except that only one hundred pounds were to be paid him for each volume. The number of fubfcribers was five hundred and feventy-four, and of copies eight VOL. IV. hundred

E