When he was about eight, he was placed in Hampshire under Taverner, a Romish priest, who, by a method very rarely practifed, taught him the Greek and Latin rudiments together: He was now first regularly initiated in poetry by the perufal of Ogylby's Homer, and Sandys's Ovid: Ogylby's affiftance he never repaid with any praife; but of Sandys he declared, in his notes to the Iliad, that English poetry owed much of its present beauty to his tranflations. Sandys very rarely attempted original compofition.

From the care of Taverner, under whom his proficiency was confiderable, he was removed to a school at Twyford near Winchester, and again to another school about Hydepark Corner; from which he used fometimes to ftroll to the playhouse, and was so delighted with theatrical exhibitions, that he formed a kind of play from Ogylby's Iliad, with fome verses of his own intermixed, which he perfuaded his school-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 thofe mafters he tranflated more than a fourth part of the Metamorphofes. If he kept the fame proportion in his other exercifes, it cannot be thought that his lofs was great.

He tells of himself, in his poems, that be lifp'd in numbers; and used to say 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 ufe than that of locking it up in a cheft, and taking

from

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.

To Binfield Pope was called by his father when he was about twelve years old; and there he had for a few months the affistance of one Deane, another prieft, of whom he Jearned only to conftrue a little of Tully's Offices. How Mr. Deane could fpend, with a boy who had tranflated so 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 curiosity must be contented with confused, 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 purpose was to be a poet, with which his father accidentally

concurred, by propofing subjects, and obliging him to correct his performances by many revifals; after which the old gentleman, when he was fatisfied, would fay, thefe are good rhymes.

In his perufal of the English poets he foon distinguished 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 frequented, and pleased himself 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, and which is not equal to Cowley's performances at the fame age.

His time was now spent wholly in reading and writing. As he read the Clafficks, he amufed himself with tranflating them; and at fourteen made a version of the first book of the Thebais, which, with fome revifion, he afterwards published. He must have been at this time, if he had no help, a confiderable proficient in the Latin tongue.

By Dryden's Fables, which had then been not long published, and were much in the hands of poetical readers, he was tempted to try his own skill in giving Chaucer a more fashionable appearance, and put January and May, and the Prologue of the Wife of Bath, into modern English. He tranflated likewise the Epiftle of Sappho to Phaon from Ovid, to complete the verfion, which was before imperfect; and wrote fome other small pieces, which he afterwards printed.

He fometimes imitated the English poets, and profeffed to have written at fourteen his poem upon Silence, after Rochefter's Nothing. He had now formed his versification, and in the smoothness of his numbers furpassed his original but this is a fmall part of his

praife;