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Clafficks, he amufed himself with tranflating them; and at fourteen made a verfion 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 publifhed, and were. much in the hands of poetical readers, he was tempted to try his own fkill in giving Chaucer a more fashionable ap-pearance, and put January and May, and the Prologue of the Wife of Bath, into modern Englifh. He tranflated: likewife the Epiftle of Sappho to Phaon from Ovid, to complete the version, which was before imperfect; and wrote

fome

fome other fmall pieces, which he after

wards printed.

He fometimes imitated the English poets, and profeffed to have written at fourteen his poem upon Silence, after Rochester's Nothing. He had now

formed his verfification, and in the fmoothness of his numbers furpaffed his original but this is but a small part of his praife; he discovers fuch acquaintance both with human life and publick affairs as is not eafily conceived to have been attainable by a boy of fourteen in Windfor Foreft.

Next year he was defirous of opening to himself new fources of knowledge, by making himself acquainted with modern languages; and removed for a time

to

to London, that he might ftudy French and Italian, which, as he defired nothing more than to read them, were by diligent application foon difpatched. Of Italian learning he does not appear to have ever made much ufe in his fubfequent ftudies.

He then returned to Binfield, and delighted himself with his own poetry. He tried all ftyles, and many fubjects. He wrote a comedy, a tragedy, an epick poem, with panegyricks on all the Princes of Europe; and, as he confeffes, thought himself the greatest genius that ever was. Self-confidence is the firft requifite to great undertakings; he, indeed, who forms his opinion of himself in folitude, without knowing the powers

of

of other men, is very liable to errour; but it was the felicity of Pope to rate himfelf at his real value.

Moft of his puerile productions were, by his maturer judgement, afterwards deftroyed; Alcander, the epick poem, was burnt by the perfuafion of Atterbury. The tragedy was founded on the legend of St. Genevieve. Of the comedy

'there is no account.

Concerning his ftudies it is related, that he tranflated Tully on old Age; and that, befides his books of poetry and criticifm, he read Temple's Efays and Locke on human Understanding. His reading, though his favourite authors are not known, appears to have been sufficiently extenfive and multifarious; for

his

his early pieces fhew, with fufficient evidence, his knowledge of books.

He that is pleased with himself, easily imagines that he fhall please others. Sir William Trumbal, who had been ambaffador at Conftantinople, and fecretary of ftate, when he retired from bufinefs, fixed his refidence in the neighbourhood of Binfield. Pope, not yet fixteen, was introduced to the statesman of fixty, and fo diftinguished himself that their interviews ended in friendship and correspondence. Pope was, through his whole life, ambitious of fplendid acquaintance, and he feems to have wanted neither diligence nor fuccefs in attracting the notice of the great; for from his firft entrance into the world,

and

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