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 spent wholly in reading and writing. As he read the Clafficks, he amufed himself with tranflating them; and at fourteen made a version of the firft book of the Thebais, which, with fome revision, 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 publifhed, 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 Epiftle 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 versification, and in the fi.oothness of his numbers furpaffed his original: but this is a small 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 himself new fources of knowledge, by making himself 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 tranflated Tully on old Age; and that, besides 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 multifarious; for his early pieces fhew, with fufficient evidence, his knowledge of books.

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

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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 firft entrance into the world, and his entrance was very early, he was admitted to familiarity with those whofe 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 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 published till five years afterwards.

Cowley, Milton, and Pope, are diftinguished 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 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 praife, which he was charged by Dennis with writing to himself, and they agreed for a while to flatter one another. It is pleasant to remark how foon

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Pope learned the cant of an author, and began to treat criticks with contempt, though he had yet fuffered nothing from them.

But the fondness of Wycherley was too violent to laft. His efteem of Pope was fuch, that he submitted fome poems to his revision; and when Pope, perhaps proud of fuch confidence, was fufficiently bold in his criticifms, and liberal in his alterations, the old fcribbler was angry to fee 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 criticism; 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 fhe 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 firft encouragers. His regard was gained by the Paftorals, and from him Pope received the council by which he feems to have regulated his ftudies. Walsh advised him to correctness, which, as he told him, the English poets had hitherto neglected,

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and which therefore was left to him as a basis 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 design 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-house on the north fide of Ruffel-ftreet in Covent-garden, where the wits of that time used 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 expensive pleasures, and having certainly 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 presented with undistinguishing 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 style 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 amufement, from twenty to twenty-feven for improvement and instruction; that in the first part of this time he defired only to know, and in the fecond he endeavoured to judge.

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