it. This difrelifh for politics, continued through out his whole life: and farther than a warm love for his country, which never could mislead him, and for his friends, which fometimes, perhaps, did, (that is, his judgment only) his indifference at last ended in averfion. In a word, his early ftudies were confined to poetry, and the Belles Lettres*. But ftill, as he affures us, he read without any defign but that of pleasing himself. He profecuted fuch ftudies as accident threw in his way, or as the caprice of fancy inclined him to pursue. He used to obferve, that, during this time, he was like a boy gathering flowers in the fields and woods, juft as they rofe before him; and he always spoke of these four or five years, which were paffed in mere curiofity and amufement, as the moft pleafing part of his life.

Whenever he met with any paffage or ftory which delighted him more than common, it was his cuftom to imitate it. But he has often declared, that the firft propenfity to imitation, proceeded rather from motives of modefty, than vanity. He perceived how defective his own productions were, and endeavoured to mend his compofition by copying the capital ftrokes of others and thus he became a poet, as the best artifts have become painters, by copying from

*He used to declare, that of the Latin poets, he preferred Statius next after Virgil; and that of the Italian, he liked Taffo better than Ariofto. His tafte in this latter respect had not been viciated like Milton's, by much reading of the Gothic romances of chivalry.

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the

the antients; with this difference only, that as he frequently copied the best moderns likewise, which those painters had not the fame opportunity of doing in their art, he as commonly excelled as he copied.

Mr. POPE's difcernment, however, was too acute not to perceive the defects of fuch irregular and defultory habits of ftudy. For though a retentive memory and correct judgment enabled him to remedy many of those defects, they at the fame time contributed to render him more fenfible of them all. At twenty therefore, when the impetuofity of his fpirits began to fubfide, and his genius grew more patient of reftraint, he subjected himself to the toil of renewing his ftudies from the beginning, and went through the feveral parts of a learned education, upon a more regular and well-digefted plan. He penetrated into the general grounds and reafons of fpeech; he learnt to distinguish the feveral species of ftile; he ftudied the peculiar idiom of each language, with the genius and character of each author; he mastered those parts of philofophy and history *, which mostly contributed to enrich the ftore of fentiment:

* Our author, in his riper years, used to fay, that the true ufe of reading was not to know facts, but to underftand human nature, and therefore recommended the study of history." I fhould read, faid he, in a very different manner now than when I had my early fit of reading, from 14 to 20. Then it was merely from the amusement the ftory afforded me, now it fhould be with the view of learning how to make myfelf and others better."

I

and laftly, he reduced his natural talent for poetry, to a science.

From the age of twenty to twenty-feven, he pursued this fyftem with unremitted attention and feverity; and he used to fay, that he had fpent these seven years, in unlearning all that he had acquired before.

Many circumftances, however, contributed to fix him in a habit of perfevering industry. His conftitution was too infirm and delicate to fuftain the violent agitations of licentious pleasures: fo that his tender frame preferved him from those modes of intemperance, to which genius, in particular, has often proved a victim. The ftrength of the paffions, as has been hinted, will always be in proportion to the vigour of the imagination. For true genius, as is well obferved by a critic whom I fhall shortly have occafion to mention, rarely refides in a cold phlegmatic conftitution. But his fickly state of health foon making him fenfible of fenfual exceffes, he was early checked from giving way to thofe allurements, which, unlefs the mind is armed with a due portion of firmnefs, lead to every fpecies of inertnefs and diffipation.

Perhaps too the uncomelinefs of his perfon, might not be without fome effect. It has been well remarked by Lord Bacon, that whoever hath any thing fixed in his perfon, that doth induce contempt, hath alfo a perpetual fpur within himself, to refcue and deliver himself from fcorn. This confideration, therefore, might

render

render our poet more affiduous to cultivate his mental faculties, that he might atone for the defects of an ungraceful figure, by the accomplishments of an elegant and polished mind.

As these confiderations were incentives to his industry, fo the condition of his circumftances proved propitious to the perfection of his studies. For, in the early part of his life, he inherited a decent competence, fufficient to defray all the expences which his conftitution and appetites required. Being free from want and dependance, he was under no neceffity to produce fugitive incorrect pieces for a prefent fupply; or to prostitute his talents to serve the intereft of a bookfeller, or flatter the depravity of the times.

During his retirement in Windfor-Foreft, he became acquainted with Sir William Trumball *, who, in the year 1691, was appointed one of the principal fecretaries of ftate, which office he refigned in the year 1697, and retired to Eaft-Hamstead, the place of his nativity, which was near Binfield; and it was not long before Mr. POPE was introduced to him. Sir William delighted in learned converse, being of a ftudious turn, and particularly inclined to claffical and polite literature. Our poet, therefore, could

Among other fingularities in the character of this ftatesman, it is faid, that in the year 1687, being appointed ambaffador to the Ottoman Porte, he performed the journey en foot.

not fail of being agreeable to one with whom nature had formed him to affimilate, notwithftanding the inequality of their years and Sir William foon admitted him to a fhare of his friendship. They affociated together on terms of intimacy, and, when they were feparated, a literary correfpondence fubfifted between them, fo long as Sir William lived; and at his death, Mr. POPE did juftice to his memory, by the epitaph now extant among his works.

This retirement in the foreft, could not be otherwise than grateful to a ftudious mind, and we may judge of the impreffions it made, from our poet's having, about this time, compofed his Ode on Solitude, which is the firft fruit now extant of his poetical genius, and which strongly paints that tranquil, contemplative, and moral caft of mind, which diftinguished the writer *.

In this retreat likewife, he first became acquainted with the writings of Waller, Spencer and Dryden. The works of Spencer, he perufed with great delight, and renewed his acquaintance with them in his riper years. But on the first view of Dryden's works, he was fo ftruck with the excellence of a writer, whose

*We must not infer from hence, however, what a learned critic would infinuate, that Mr. POPE's genius was confined, and that he was not mafter of a creative and glowing imagination, the " Acer fpiritus ac vis.” But the nature, force, and extent of his genius, will be best determined by a progreffive and candid examination of his feveral pieces.

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