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sentiments, and his smaller, which consist of light images or single conceits, were not always his own. I have traced him among the French epigrammatists, and have been informed that he poached for prey among obscure authors."

"Prior is never low, nor very often sublime. It is said by Longinus of Euripides, that he forces himself sometimes into grandeur by violence of effort, as the lion kindles his fury by the lashes of his own tail. Whatever Prior obtains above mediocrity seems the effort of struggle and of pain. He has many vigorous, but few happy lines; he has every thing by purchase, and nothing by gift; he had no nightly visitations of the muse, no infusions of sentiment or felicities of fancy."

"Some of his poems are written without regularity of measures; for, when he commenced poet, we had not recovered from our Pindaric infatuation; but he probably lived to be convinced that the essence of verse is order and consonance.

"His numbers are such as mere diligence may attain; they seldom offend the ear, and seldom sooth it; they commonly want airiness, lightness, and facility; what is smooth is not soft. His verses always roll, but they seldom flow." I

The late excellent Duchess of Portland had five Dialogues of the Dead in MS. written by this celebrated Poeta.

• Prior's Dialogues in the Duchess of Portland's possession are thus described in the Preface to Nichols's "Collection of Poems:" "The late Recorder of Cambridge [Pont] had seen some MS. Dialogues of the Dead of Prior's; they were prose, but had verse

POPE.

ALEXANDER POPE was born in London, May 22, 1688, of parents whose rank or station was never ascertained. We are informed that his father was of a family of which the Earl of Downe was the head, and that his mother was the daughter of William Turner, Esq. of York.

This is told by Pope. It is allowed that his father grew rich by trade, but whether in a shop or on the exchange has never been discovered. Both parents were Papists.

Pope was from his birth of a constitution tender and delicate; his voice, when he was young, was so pleasing that he was called in fondness the Little Nightingale

Not being sent early to school, he was taught to

intermixed freely; and the specimen, I heard, proved it. The Dialogue was between Sir Thomas More and the Vicar of Bray. You must allow that the characters are well chosen; and the speakers maintain their respective opinions smartly; at last the Knight seems to come over to his adversary, at least so far as to allow that the doctrine was convenient, if not honourable; but that he did not see how any man could allow himself to act thus: when the Vicar concludes: Nothing easier, with proper management, &c.® You must go the right way to work

For Conscience, like a fiery horse,

Will stumble, if you check his course :
But ride him with an easy rein,
And rub him down with worldly gain,
He'll carry you through thick and thin,
Safe, although dirty, to your inn. "

This certainly is sterling sense.

"

N

read by an aunt; and when he was seven or eight years old, became a lover of books.

When he was about eight, he was placed in Hampshire under a Romish priest who taught him the Greek and Latin. He was first regularly initiated in poetry by the perusal of Ogilby's "Homer" and Sandys's "Ovid." He was now removed to a school at Twyfort near Winchester, and again to another school about Hyde Park Corner, from which he used sometimes to stroll to the playhouse, and was so delighted with theatrical exhibitions that he formed a kind of play from Ogilby's "Iliad," which he persuaded his school-fellows to act, with the addition of his master's gardener who personated Ajax. It was under the two last masters he translated more than a fourth part of the "Metamorphoses. He used to say that he could not remember the time when he began to make verses.

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About the period of the Revolution his father quitted his trade, whatever it was, and retired to Binfield in Windsor forest with about twenty thousand pounds, which he locked up in a chest, and took from it what his expences required. To this place Pope was called by his father when he was about twelve years old, and then had for a few months the assistance of another priest.

Pope, finding little advantage from external help, resolved thenceforward to direct himself, and, at twelve formed a plan of study which he completed with little other incitement than the desire of excellence, and his primary and principal purpose was to be a poet.

In his perusal of the English poets he soon distin-. guished the versification of Dryden, and was inpressed with such veneration for his character, that he persuaded some friend to take him to the Coffee House which Dryden frequented, and pleased himself with having seen him. Dryden died May 1, 1701, some days before Pope was twelve.

The earliest of Pope's productions is his "Ode on Solitude,” written about the above age; as he read the Classics, he amused himself with translating them. At fourteen he made a version of the first book of the "Thebais." He gave "Chaucer" a more fashionable appearance, and put "January and May," and the "Prologue of the Wife of Bath" into modern English. He translated likewise the Epistle of "Sappho to Phaon" from Ovid, to complete the version which was before imperfect; and wrote some other small pieces which he afterwards printed. At fourteen he wrote his poem of "Silence" after the manner of Rochester's "Nothing," and also his " Windsor Forest.” Next year he removed for a time to London, that he might study French and Italian. He then returned to Binfield, and delighted himself with his own poetry. He wrote a Comedy, a Tragedy, an Epic poem, with panegyrics on all the Princes of Europe. Most of his puerile productions were, by his maturer judgment, afterwards destroyed. "Alcander," the Epic Poem, was burnt by the persuasion of Atterbury. The Tragedy was founded on the legend of "St. Genevieve." Of the Comedy there is no account.

"

He next translated Tully " on Old Age.' Sir Wm. Trumbul, who had been Secretary of State, when he retired from business, fixed his residence in the neighbourhood of Binfield. Pope, not yet sixteen, was introduced to the Statesman of sixty, and so distinguished himself that their interviews ended in friendship and correspondence.

He now wrote his "Pastorals," although they were not published till five years afterwards. At this time began his acquaintance with Wicherley and Mr. Cromwel.

Walsh the Critic was one of his first encouragers. His regard was gained by the " Pastorals." Walsh advised him to correctness, and, being delighted with rural poems, recommended to him to write a pastoral Comedy, a design which Pope did not follow.

He began at seventeen to frequent Wills's, a Coffee House on the North side of Russel Street in Covent Garden, where the Wits at that time used to assemble. During this part of his life he was indefatigably diligent. The account given by himself of his studies was, that from fourteen to twenty he read only for amusement, from twenty to twenty-seven for improvement and instruction.

The pastorals, which had been for some time handed about among Poets and Critics, were at last printed (1709) in Tonson's Miscellany, in a volume which began with the "Pastorals of Philips," and ended with those of Pope. The same year was written the " Essay on Criticism," and published about two years afterwards.

It was

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