before very friendly, was interrupted. Mr. Caryl', a gentleman who, being fecretary to King James's Queen, had followed his Miftrefs into France, and who, being the author of Sir Solomon Single, a comedy, and fome tranflations, was entitled to the notice of a Wit, folicited Pope to endeavour a reconciliation by a ludicrous poem, which might bring both the parties to a better temper. In compliance with Caryl's requeft, though his name was for a long time marked only by the firft and laft letters, C-l, a poem of two cantos was written (1711), as is faid, in a fortnight, and fent to the offended Lady, who liked it well enough to fhew it; and, with the usual process of literary tranfactions, the author, dreading a furreptitious edition, was forced to publish it.

The event is faid to have been fuch as was defired, the pacification and diverfion of all to whom it related, except Sir George Brown, who complained with fome bitterness, that, in the character of Sir Plume, he was made to talk nonfenfe. Whether all this be true I have fome doubt; for at Paris, a few years ago, a niece of Mrs. Fermor, who prefided in an English Convent, mentioned Pope's work with very little gratitude, rather as an infult than an honour; and she may be supposed to have inherited the opinion of her family.

At its first appearance it was termed by Addifon "merum fal." Pope, however, faw that it was capable of improvement; and, having luckily contrived to borrow his machinery from the Roficrucians, imparted the scheme with which his head was teeming to Addison, who told him that his work, as it stood,

stood, was "a delicious little thing," and gave him no encouragement to retouch it.

This has been too haftily confidered as an instance of Addison's jealoufy; for, as he could not guess the conduct of the new defign, or the poffibilities of pleasure comprised in a fiction of which there had been no examples, he might very reasonably and kindly perfuade the author to acquiefce in his own profperity, and forbear an attempt which he confidered as an unneceffary hazard.

Addifon's counfel was happily rejected. Pope forefaw the future efflorefcence of imagery then budding in his mind, and refolved to spare no art, or industry of cultivation. The foft luxuriance of his fancy was already fhooting, and all the gay varieties of diction were ready at his hand to colour and embellish it.

His attempt was juftified by its fuccefs. The Rape of the Lock ftands forward, in the claffes of literature, as the most exquifite example of ludicrous poetry. Berkeley congratulated him upon the difplay of powers more truly poetical than he had shewn before: with elegance of description and juftness of precepts, he had now exhibited boundless fertility of invention.

He always confidered the intermixture of the machinery with the action as his moft fuccefsful exertion of poetical art. He indeed could never afterwards produce any thing of such unexampled excellence. Those performances, which ftrike with wonder, are combinations of fkilful genius with happy cafualty; and it is not likely that any felicity, like

the discovery of a new race of preternatural agents, fhould happen twice to the fame man.

Of this poem the author was, I think, allowed to enjoy the praise for a long time without difturbance. Many years afterwards Dennis published fome remarks upon it, with very little force, and with no effect; for the opinion of the publick was already fettled, and it was no longer at the mercy of criticifm.

About this time he published The Temple of Fame, which, as he tells Steele in their correfpondence, he had written two years before; that is, when he was only twenty-two years old, an early time of life for fo much learning and fo much obfervation as that work exhibits.

On this poem Dennis afterwards publifhed fome. remarks, of which the moft reasonable is, that fome of the lines represent Motion as exhibited by Sculp

ture.

Of the Epiftle from Elifa to Abelard, I do not know the date. His first inclination to attempt a compofition of that tender kind arofe, as Mr. Savage told me, from his perufal of Prior's Nut-brown Maid. How much he has furpaffed Prior's work it is not neceffary to mention, when perhaps it may be faid with juftice, that he has excelled every compofition of the fame kind. The mixture of religious hope and refignation gives an elevation and dignity to disappointed love, which images merely natural cannot beftow. The gloom of a convent ftrikes the imagination with far greater force than the folitude of a grove.

This piece was, however, not much his favourite in his latter years, though I never heard upon what principle he flighted it.

In the next year (1713) he published Windfor Foreft; of which part was, as he relates, written at fixteen, about the fame time as his Paftorals; and the latter part was added afterwards; where the addition begins, we are not told. The lines relating to the Peace confefs their own date. It is dedicated to Lord Lansdowne, who was then high in reputation and influence among the Tories; and it is faid, that the conclufion of the poem gave great pain to Addison, both as a poet and a politician. Reports like this are always fpread with boldnefs very difproportionate to their evidence. Why fhould Addison receive any particular difturbance from the laft lines of Windfor Forest? If contrariety of opinion could poifon a politician, he would not live a day; and, as a poet, he must have felt Pope's force of genius much more from many other parts of his works.

The pain that Addison might feel it is not likely that he would confefs; and it is certain that he fo well fuppreffed his difcontent, that Pope now thought himfelf his favourite; for, having been confulted in the revifal of Cato, he introduced it by a Prologue; and, when Dennis published his Remarks, undertook, not indeed to vindicate, but to revenge his friend, by a Narrative of the Frenzy of John "Dennis."

There is reafon to believe that Addison gave no encouragement to this difingenuous hoftility; for, fays Pope, in a letter to him, "indeed your opinion,

"that

"that 'tis entirely to be neglected, would be my "own in my own cafe; but I felt more warmth

here than I did when I firft faw his book against "myself (though indeed in two minutes it made "me heartily merry)." Addison was not a man

on whom fuch cant of fenfibility could make much impreffion. He left the pamphlet to itself, having difowned it to Dennis, and perhaps did not think Pope to have deferved much by his officioufnefs.

This year was printed in "The Guardian" the ironical comparison between the Paftorals of Philips and Pope; a compofition of artifice, criticism, and literature, to which nothing equal will eafily be found. The fuperiority of Pope is fo ingeniously diffembled, and the feeble lines of Philips fo fkilfully preferred, that Steele, being deceived, was unwilling to print the paper, left Pope fhould be offended. Addison immediately faw the writer's defign; and, as it feems, had malice enough to conceal his difcovery, and to permit a publication which, by making his friend Philips ridiculous, made him for ever an enemy to Pope.

It appears that about this time Pope had a strong inclination to unite the art of Painting with that of Poetry, and put himself under the tuition of Jervas. He was near-fighted, and therefore not formed by nature for a painter: he tried, however, how far he could advance, and fometimes perfuaded his friends to fit. A picture of Betterton, fuppofed to be drawn by him, was in the poffeffion of Lord Mansfield * :

*It is ftill at Caen Wood. N.