which he perfuaded his fchool-fellows to act, with the addition of his master's gardener, who perfonated Ajax.

At the two laft fchools he used to reprefent himself as having loft part of what Taverner had taught him, and on his mafter at Twyford he had already exercised 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 fay that he could not remember the time when he began to make verses. In the ftyle of fiction it might have been faid

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 difappointed by the fudden blaft of popish profperity, quitted his trade, whatever it was, and retired to Binfield in Windfor Foreft, with about twenty thousand pounds; for which, being confcientioufly determined not to intruft it to the government, 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 yearsold; 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 fpend, with a boy who had tranflated fo much of Ovid, fome months over a small part of Tully's Offices, it is now vain to enquire..

Of a youth fo fuccefsfully employed, and fo confpicuously improved, a minute account must be naturally defired; but curiofity must be contented with confufed, imperfect, and fometimes improbable intelligence. Pope, finding little advantage from external help, refolved thenceforward to direct himself, and at

twelve formed a plan of ftudy" which he completed with little other incitement than the defire of excellence.

His primary and principal purpofe 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 fatisfied, would fay 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 studied, and was impreffed with fuch veneration for his inftructer, that he perfuaded fome friends to take him to the coffee-house which Dryden

fre

frequented, and pleafed himfelf 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. 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, aud which is not equal to Cowley's performances at the fame age.

His time was now fpent wholly in reading and writing. As he read the

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