garden, where the wits of that time. ufed to affemble, and where Dryden had, when he lived, been accustomed to prefide.

During this period of his life he was indefatigably diligent, and infatiably curious; wanting health for violent and money for expenfive pleasures, and having certainly excited in himself very ftrong defires of intellectual eminence, he spent much of his time over his books; but he read only to store his mind with facts and images, feizing all that his authors prefented with undiftinguishing voracity, and with an appetite for knowledge too eager to be nice. In a mind like his, however, all the faculties were at once involuntarily

improving. Judgement is forced upon us by experience. He that reads many books must compare one opinion or one ftyle with another, and when he compares muft neceffarily diftinguish, reject, and prefer. But the account given by himself of his ftudies was, that from fourteen to twenty he read only for amusement, from twenty to twenty-feven for improvement and inftruction; that in the first part of this time he defired only to know, and in the fecond he endeavoured to judge.

The Paftorals, which had been for fome time handed about among poets and criticks, were at laft printed (1709) in Tonfon's Mifcellany, in a volume which

B 3

which began with the Paftorals of Phi lips, and ended with thofe of Pope.

The fame year was written the Effay on Criticism; a work which difplays fuch extent of comprehenfion, fuch nicety of diftinction, fuch acquaintance with mankind, and fuch knowledge both of ancient and modern learning, as are not often attained by the matureft age and longeft experience. It was published about two years afterwards, and being praised by Addifon in the Spectator with fufficient liberality, met with fo much favour as enraged Dennis, "who," he fays, "found himself attacked, with"out any manner of provocation on his “fide, and attacked in his person, in"stead of his writings, by one who was "wholly

"wholly a stranger to him, at a time "when all the world knew he was per

fecuted by fortune; and not only faw

"that this was attempted in a clan"deftine manner, with the utmost falfe“hood and calumny, but found that "all this was done by a little affected hypocrite, who had nothing in his

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"mouth at the fame time but truth, "candour, friendship, good-nature, hu"manity, and magnanimity."

How the attack was clandeftine is not eafily perceived, nor how his perfon is depreciated; but he feems to have known fomething of Pope's character, in whom may be discovered an appetite to talk too frequently of his own vir

tues.

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The

The pamphlet is fuch as rage might be expected to dictate. He fuppofes

himself to be asked two questions; whe

ther the Effay will fucceed, and who or what is the author.

Its fuccefs he admits to be secured by the falfe opinions then prevalent; the author he concludes to be young and

raw.

Firft, because he difcovers a fufficiency beyond his little ability, and hath rafhly undertaken a task infinitely above his force. Secondly, while this little author ftruts, and affects the dictatorian air, he plainly fhews that at the fame time he is under the rod, and while he pretends to give law to others is a pedantick flave to authority and opinion.

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