Of this Effay Pope declared that he did not expect the fale to be quick, because not one gentleman in fixty, even of liberal education, could understand it. The gentlemen, and the education of that time, feem to have been of a lower character than they are of this. He mentioned a thoufand copies as a numerous impreffion.

Dennis was not his only cenfurer; the zealous papifts thought the monks treated with too much contempt, and Erasmus too ftudioufly praised; but to thefe objections he had not much regard.

The Efay has been tranflated into French by Hamilton, author of the Comte de Grammont, whofe verfion was never printed, by Robotham, fecretary to the King for Hanover, and by Refnel; and commented by Dr. War burton, who has discovered in it fuch order and connection as was not perceived by Addifon, nor, as is faid, intended by the author.

Almost every poem, confifting of precepts, is fo far arbitrary and immethodical, that many

many of the paragraphs may change places with no apparent inconvenience; for of two or more pofitions, depending upon fome remote and general principle, there is feldom any cogent reason why one should precede the other. But for the order in which they stand, whatever it be, a little ingenuity may easily give a reason. It is poffible, fays Hooker, that by long circumduction, from any one truth all truth may be inferred. Of all homogeneous truths at leaft, of all truths refpecting the fame general end, in whatever feries they may be produced, a concatenation by intermediate ideas may be formed, fuch as, when it is once fhewn, shall appear natural; but if this order be reverfed, another mode of connection equally fpecious may be found or made. Ariftotle is praised for naming Fortitude first of the cardinal virtues, as that without, which no other virtue can steadily be practised; but he might, with equal propriety, have placed Prudence and Justice before it, fince without Prudence Fortitude is mad; without Justice, it is mifchievous,

As the end of method is perfpicuity, that feries is fufficiently regular that avoids obC 4 fcurity;

fcurity; and where there is no obfcurity it will not be difficult to difcover method.

In the Spectator was published the Meffiah, which he first fubmitted to the perufal of Steele, and corrected in compliance with his criticisms.

It is reasonable to infer, from his Letters, that the verses on the Unfortunate Lady were written about the time when his Essay was published. The Lady's name and adventures I have fought with fruitless enquiry.

I can therefore tell no more than I have learned from Mr. Ruffhead, who writes with the confidence of one who could truft his information. She was a woman of eminent rank and large fortune, the ward of an unkle, who, having given her a proper education, expected like other guardians that she should make at least an equal match; and fuch he propofed to her, but found it rejected in favour of a young gentleman of inferior condition.

Having discovered the correspondence between the two lovers, and finding the young

lady

lady determined to abide by her own choice, he fuppofed that feparation might do what can rarely be done by arguments, and fent her into a foreign country, where she was obliged to converfe only with thofe 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 ftill greater vigilance; till of this restraint fhe grew fo impatient, that she bribed a woman-fervant to procure her a fword, which fhe directed to her heart.

From this account, given with evident intention to raise the Lady's character, it does not appear that she 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 she liked self-murder better than suspense.

Nor is it difcovered that the unkle, whoever he was, is with much juftice delivered

to

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 direct herself. Poetry has not often been worse employed than in dignifying the amorous fury of a raving girl.

Not long after, he wrote the Rape of the Lock, the most 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 secretary to King James's Queen, had followed his Mistress into France, and as the author of Sir Solomon Single, a comedy, and fome translations, was entitled to the notice of a Wit, folicited Pope to endeavour a reconcilation 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