and by his own diligence, with fuch help as kindnefs or money could procure him, in fomewhat more than five years he completed his verfion of the Iliad, with the notes. He began it in 1712, his twenty-fifth year, and concluded it in 1718, his thirtieth year.

When we find him tranflating fifty lines a day, it is natural to suppose that he would have brought his work to a more speedy conclufion. The Hiad, containing less than fixteen thousand verfes, might have been despatched in lefs than three hundred and twenty days by fifty verfes in a day. The notes, compiled with the affiftance of his mercenaries, could not be fuppofed to require more time than the text. According to this calculation, the progrefs of Pape

may feem to have been flow; but the diftance is commonly very great between actual performances and fpeculative poffibility. It is natural to fuppofe, that as much as has been done to-day may be done to-morrow; but on the morrow fome difficulty emerges, or fome external impediment obftructs. Indolence, interruption, bufinefs, and pleafure, all take their turns of retardation; and every long work is lengthened. by a thoufand caufes that can, and ten thousand that cannot, be recounted. Perhaps no extenfive and multifarious performance was ever effected within the term originally fixed in the undertaker's mind. He that runs against Time, has an antagonist not fubject to cafualties.

The

The encouragement given to this tranflation, though report seems to have over-rated it, was fuch as the world has not often feen. The fubfcribers were five hundred and feventy-five. The copies, for which fubfcriptions were given, were fix hundred and fifty-four. For those copies Pope had nothing to pay; he therefore received, including the two hundred pounds a volume, five thousand three hundred and twenty pounds four fhillings, without deduction, as the books were fupplied by Lintot.

By the fuccefs of his fubfcription Pope was relieved from thofe pecuniary diftrelles with which, notwithstanding his popularity, he had hitherto struggled. Lord Oxford had often lamented his difqualification

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lification for publick employment, but never propofed a penfion. While the tranflation of Homer was in its progrefs, Mr. Craggs, then fecretary of state, offered to procure him a penfion, which, at leaft during his miniftry, might be enjoyed with facrecy. This was not accepted by Pope, who told him, however, that, if he fhould be preffed with want of money, he would fend to him for occafional Yupplies. Craggs was not long in power, and was never folicited for money by Pope, who difdained to beg what he did not want.

With the product of this fubfcription, which he had too much difcretion to fquander, he fecured his future life from want by confiderable annuities.

The

The eftate of the Duke of Buckingham

was found to have been charged with five hundred pounds a year, payable to Pope, which doubtless his tranflation enabled him to purchase.

It cannot be unwelcome to literary curiofity, that I deduce thus minutely the hiftory of the English Iliad. It is certainly the nobleft verfion of poetry which the world has ever feen; and its publication must therefore be confidered as one of the great events in the annals of Learning,

To those who have fkill to estimate the excellence and difficulty of this great work, it must be very defirable to know how it was performed, and by what gradations it advanced to correct.