shall a regard for his virtues, be an inducement to conceal his failings.

The life of a ftudious man can confift of little else than a character of himself, and of his writings; and the hiftory of the author and of the man are fo intimately blended, that they ferve to illuftrate each other: fince, to an accurate obferver, the temper and morals of a writer generally breathe through his works.

In this history, therefore, which will contain the most interesting particulars of our poet's life, an account will be interwoven of his writings, as they are published in the octavo edition; with fuch animadverfions as they may occafionally furnish as likewife with remarks on fuch criticisms as have appeared on particular pieces and from this review of his writings, an attempt will be made to form a general critique, on the nature, force and extent of his genius.

As a critical difquifition of this nature, however, will be more peculiarly calculated for the entertainment of the learned, the reader's attention will be occafionally relieved, and his curiofity gratified, by a detail of several anecdotes, concerning our author and his cotemporaries; of which many have never yet been made public.

Several inftances likewife will be occafionally produced from his unpublished letters, of the

ftrict correspondence between his public and private fentiments. Such a comparison, it is apprehended, will be of fingular benefit; for a reader cannot fail to receive additional delight and profit, when he is convinced of the fincerity of the writer's fentiments: which cannot be better demonftrated, than by fuch an exemplification.

Laftly, his moral character will be particularly exemplified in all its various relations: and this part of the defign will be of the moft general ufe; for though, to many, the account of the author may be moft entertaining, yet the hiftory of the man will be found moft inftructive. All may, and ought to, emulate the latter, though very few are bleft with powers to rival the former.

Having thus ftated the plan of the enfuing hiftory, it next remains to make the reader acquainted with the circumftances of our author's life.

In the histories of celebrated persons, we frequently meet with fabulous relations of miraculous incidents, which attended them either in the womb, or in the cradle, as prophetic of their future eminence. We do not find, however, that any thing remarkable happened to our poet, either at his birth, or during his early infancy. No bees were feen to hang upon his lips, no doves bound his temples with the laurel of Apollo, or the myrtle of Venus.

He

He was born in London, on the 21st day of May, in the year 1688, and was chriftened by the name of Alexander. He defcended from a good family in Oxfordshire, and we are indebted to the base and illiberal afperfions * which malice attempted to throw on his character, for the following short account of his genealogy.

His father, whofe Chriftian name was likewife Alexander, was a confiderable merchant, and a diftant relation to the Earl of Downe," whofe fole heiress married the Earl of Lindfay. Our poet's mother, Editha, was the daughter of William Turner, Efq; of York. She had three brothers, one of whom was killed, another died, in the fervice of King Charles I. And the eldeft, becoming a general officer in Spain, left her what estate remained after the fequeftrations and forfeitures of her family.

Our bard was naturally of a tender and delicate conftitution, but of a temper nevertheless

In one of Curl's and other pamphlets, Mr. POPE'S father was faid to be a mechanic, a hatter, a farmer, nay a bankrupt; but what is ftrange, a nobleman (if fuch a reflection could be thought to come from a nobleman) had dropt an allufion to tha: pitiful untruth, in a paper, called An Epistle to a Docto. in Divinity. The following line

likewife

"Hard as thy heart, and as thy birth obfcure,"

fell from a like courtly pen, in certain verfes to the imitator of Horace. Our author, by way of refutation of thefe mean falfehoods, was tempted to publish the account of his genealogy which is given above.

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peculiarly fweet and engaging; thefe circumftances, no doubt, contributed to endear him to his parents, for, as on the one hand, the mildness and fuavity of his difpofition attracted their love, fo on the other hand, the imbecility of his frame, excited a tender commiferation; and thus both co-operated to increafe and confirm their paren

tal affection.

It was probably owing to their tenderness for him, that it was late before he was fent to school, having in his childhood been taught to read by an aunt. By the time he was feven or eight years old, he is faid to have taken un common delight in reading: and it is remarkable that he learnt to write by imitating print, which he copied with great correctnefs and exacnefs.

When he attained his eighth year, he was placed under the private tuition of one Taverner, a priest*, who lived fomewhere in Hampfhire; from him he learned the rudiments of the Latin and Greek tongues, and he made a very confiderable progress under the care of this inftructor.

At this very early age, he discovered the bent of his genius. About that time, he chanced to meet with Ogilby's translation of

His family was of the Romish religion, in which he himfelf was educated, and conftantly profeffed: but an occafion will occur hereafter to speak more particularly of his religious principles.

Homer,

Homer, and was fo fmitten with the fubject, that he read it with great avidity and delight; being then too young to be difgufted, by the poverty and infipidity of the verfion. He foon after took Sandys's Ovid in hand, and the agreeable impreffions he received from these indifferent tranflations, were fo powerful, that he ever after continued to speak of them with pleasure.

He did not remain long, however, under the tuition of the priest; he was fent from him, in a little time, to a private school at Twiford near Winchefter. Neither did he continue there any confiderable time; for in about a year he was removed from thence to a fchool near HydePark Corner, being then about ten years of age. At these schools, he made no proficiency, but rather loft, under these two last negligent masters, what he had acquired under the former. He was himself fo fenfible of the infufficiency of his mafter at Twiford, that, among his earliest pieces, he wrote a very juft fatire, expofing the failings and defects he had discovered in him.

In the courfe of his school exercises however, he tranflated above one fourth of Ovid's Metamorphofis, befides detached pieces here and there. The tranflation of the Thebaid of Statius, was likewife among the productions of his childhood, but finding the verses, on a review of them, better than he expected, he gave it fome correction in his riper years, and put it