Pope was from his birth of a conftitution tender and delicate; but is faid to have fhewn remarkable gentleness and fweetness of difpofition. The weaknefs of his body continued through his life; but the mildness of his mind perhaps ended with his childhood. His voice, when he was young, was fo pleafing, that he was called in fondnefs the "little Nightingale."

Being not fent early to fchool, he was taught to read by an aunt; and when he was feven or eight years old, became a lover of books. He first learned to write by imitating printed books; a species of penmanship in which he retained great excellence through his whole life, though his ordinary hand was not elegant.

When he was about eight, he was placed in Hampshire under Taverner, a Romish priest, who, by a method very rarely practifed, taught him the Greek and Latin rudiments together. He was now firft regularly initiated in poetry by the perufal of

Ogilby's Homer," and "Sandys' Ovid." Ogilby's affiftance he never repaid with any praise; but of Sandys, he declared, in his notes to the Iliad," that English poetry owed much of its beauty to his tranflations. Sandys very rarely attempted original compofition.

From the care of Taverner, under whom his proficiency was confiderable, he was removed to a school

* This weakness was fo great that he conftantly wore stays, as I have been affured by a waterman at Twickenham, who, in lifting him into his boat, had often felt them. His method of taking the air on the water was to have a fedan chair in the boat, in which he sat with the glaffes down. H.

at Twyford near Winchefter, and again to another school about Hyde-park Corner; from which he ufed fometimes to ftroll to the playhouse; and was fo delighted with theatrical exhibitions, that he formed a kind of play from "Ogilby's Iliad," with fome verfes of his own intermixed, which he perfuaded his fchool-fellows to act, with the addition of his mafter's gardener, who perfonated Ajax.

At the two laft fchools he used to represent himself as having loft part of what Taverner had taught him; and on his mafter at Twyford he had already exercifed his poetry in a lampoon. Yet under those mafters he tranflated more than a fourth part of the "Metamorphofes." If he kept the fame proportion in his other exercises, it cannot be thought that his lofs was great,

He tells of himself, in his poems, that "he lifp'd "in numbers ;" and used to say that he could not remember the time when he began to make verfes. In the ftyle of fiction it might have been said of him as of Pindar, that, when he lay in his cradle," the "bees fwarmed about his mouth."

About the time of the Revolution, his father, who was undoubtedly disappointed by the sudden blaft of Popish profperity, quitted his trade, and retired to Binfield in Windsor Foreft, with about twenty thousand pounds; for which, being confcientiously determined not to entrust it to the govern ment, he found no better use than that of locking it up in a cheft, and taking from it what his expences required; and his life was long enough to confume a great part of it, before his fon came to the inheritance.

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To Binfield Pope was called by his father when he was about twelve years old; and there he had for a few months the affiftance of one Deane, another prieft, of whom he learned only to conftrue a little of "Tully's Offices." How Mr. Deane could spend, with a boy who had tranflated so much of " Ovid," some months over a small part of "Tully's Offices," it is now vain to enquire,

Of a youth so successfully employed, and fo confpicuously improved, a minute account must be naturally defired; but curiosity must be contented with confused, imperfect, and sometimes improbable intelligence. Pope, finding little advantage from external help, refolved thenceforward to direct himself, and at twelve formed a plan of study, which he completed with little other incitement than the defire of excellence.

His primary and principal purpose was to be a poet, with which his father accidentally concurred, by propofing fubjects, and obliging him to correct his performances by many revifals; after which the old gentleman, when he was satisfied, would say, "these are good rhymes."

In his perufal of the English poets he foon diftinguished the verfification of Dryden, which he confidered as the model to be ftudied, and was impreffed with fuch veneration for his inftructor, that he perfuaded fome friends to take him to the coffee-house which Dryden frequented, and pleased himself with having feen him.

Dryden died May 1, 1701, fome days before Pope was twelve; fo early muft he therefore have felt the power of harmony, and the zeal of genius.

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Who does not wish that Dryden could have known the value of the homage that was paid him, and foreseen the greatnefs of his young admirer.

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 wholly fpent in reading and writing. As he read the Clafficks, he amused himself with translating them; and at fourteen made a verfion of the firft book of The Thebais, which, with fome revifion, he afterwards published. He muft have been at this time, if he had no help, a confider able proficient in the Latin tongue,

By Dryden's Fables, which had then been not long published, and were much in the hands of poetical readers, he was tempted to try his own fkill 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 fmall 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 verfification, and the fmoothness of his numbers furpaffed his original: but this is a fmall 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 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 use 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 firft 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 error: but it was the felicity of Pope to rate himself at his real value.

Moft of his puerile productions were, by his ma turer judgement, afterwards 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, befides his books of poetry and criticifm, 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.

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