Not long after, he wrote the Rape of the Lock, the moft airy, the most ingenious, and the most delightful of all his compofitions, occafioned by a frolick of gallantry, rather too familiar, in which Lord Petre cut off a lock of Mrs. Arabella Fermor's hair. This, whether stealth or violence, was fo much refented, that the commerce of the two families, before very friendly, was interrupted. Mr. Caryl, a gentleman who, being fecretary to King James's Queen, had followed his Mistress into France, and who being the author of Sir Solomon Single, a comedy, and fome tranflations, was entitled to the notice of a Wit, folicited Pope to endeavour a reconciliation by a ludicrous poem, which might bring both the parties to a better temper. In compliance with Caryl's requeft, though his name was for a long time marked only by the first and last letter, C-1, a pocm of two cantos was written (1711), as is faid, in a fortnight, and fent to the offended Lady, who liked it well enough to fhew it; and, with the ufual procefs of literary tranfactions, the author, dreading a furreptitious edition, was forced to publifh it.

The event is faid to have been fuch as was defired; the pacification and diversion of all to whom it related, except Sir George Brown, who complained with some bitterness that, in the character of Sir Plume, he was made to talk nonfenfe. Whether all this be true, I have fome doubt; for at Paris, a few years ago, a niece of Mrs. Fermor, who prefided in an English Convent, mentioned Pope's work with very little gratitude, rather as an infult than an honour; and she may be fuppofed to have inherited the opinion of her family.

At its first appearance it was termed by Addifon merum fal. Pope, however, faw that it was capable of

improve

improvement; and, having luckily contrived to borrow his machinery from the Roficrucians, imparted the scheme with which his head was teeming to Addifon, who told him that his work, as it ftood, was a delicious little thing, and gave him no encouragement to retouch it.

This has been too haftily confidered as an inftance of Addison's jealoufy; for as he could not guefs the conduct of the new defign, or the poffibilities of pleafure comprised in a fiction of which there had been no examples, he might very reasonably and kindly perfuade the author to acquiefce in his own profperity, and forbear an attempt which he confidered as an unneceffary hazard.

Addifon's counfel was happily rejected. Pope forefaw the future efflorefcence of imagery then budding in his mind, and refolved to fpare no art, or industry of cultivation. The foft luxuriance of his fancy was. already fhooting, and all the gay varieties of diction were ready at his hand to colour and embellish it.

His attempt was juftified by its fuccefs. The Rape of the Lack ftands forward, in the claffes of literature, as the most exquifite example of ludicrous poetry. Berkeley congratulated him upon the difplay of powers more truly poetical than he had fhewn before; with elegance of defcription and juftness of precepts, he had now exhibited boundless fertility of invention.

He always confidered the intermixture of the machinery with the action as his moft fuccefsful exertion of poetical art. He indeed could never afterwards produce any thing of fuch unexampled excellence. Thofe performances, which ftrike with wonder, are combinations of fkilful genius with happy cafualty; VOL. IV. C

and

and it is not likely that any felicity, like the difcovery of a new race of preternatural agents, fhould happen twice to the fame man.

Of this poem the author was, I think, allowed to enjoy the praife for a long time without difturbance. Many years afterwards Dennis published fome remarks upon it, with very little force, and with no effect; for the opinion of the publick was already fettled, and it was no longer at the mercy of criticifi.

About this time he publifhed the Temple of Fame, which, as he tells Steele in their correfpondence, he had written two years before; that is, when he was only twenty-two years old, an early time of life for so much learning and fo much obfervation as that work exhibits.

On this poem Dennis afterwards publifhed fome remarks, of which the most reasonable is, that some of the lines reprefent motion as exhibited by fculpture.

Of the Epifle from Eloifa to Abelard, I do not know the date. His first inclination to attempt a composition of that tender kind arofe, as Mr. Savage told me, from his perufal of Prior's Nut-brown Maid. How much he has furpaffed. Prior's work it is not neceffary to mention, when perhaps it may be faid with justice, that he has excelled every compofition of the same kind. The mixture of religious hope and refignation give an elevation and dignity to difappointed love, whici. images merely natural cannot beftow. The gloom of a convent ftrikes the imagination with far greater force than the folitude of a grove.

This piece was. however, not much his favourite in his latte. years, though I never heard upon what principle he flighted it.

In the next year (1713) he published Windfor Foreft; of which part was, as he relates, written at fixteen, about the fame time as his Paftorals, and the latter part was added afterwards: where the addition begins, we are not told. The lines relating to the Peace confefs their own date. It is dedicated to Lord Landf downe, who was then high in reputation and influence among the Tories; and it is faid, that the conclufion of the poem gave great pain to Addifon, both as a poct and a politician. Reports like this are often spread with boldness very difproportionate to their evidence. Why should Addison receive any particular disturbance from the laft lines of Windfor Foreft? If contrariety of opinion could poifon a politician, he would not live a day; and, as a poet, he must have felt Pope's force of genius much more from many other parts of his works.

The pain that Addifon might feel it is not likely that he would confefs; and it is certain that he fo well fuppreffed his difcontent, that Pope now thought himfelf his favourite; for, having been confulted in the revifal of Cato, he introduced it by a Prologue; and, when Dennis published his Remarks, undertook not indeed to vindicate but to revenge his friend, by a Narrative of the Frenzy of John Dennis.

There is reafon to believe that Addifon gave no encouragement to this difingenuous hoftility; for, fays Pope, in a Letter to him, " indeed your opinion, that "'tis entirely to be neglected, would be my own in 86 my own cafe; but I felt more warmth here than I "did when I firft faw his book against myself (though "indeed in two minutes it made me heartily merry)." Addison was not a man on whom fuch cant of fenfibility could make much impreffion. He left the pain

phlet to itself, having difowned it to Dennis, and perhaps did not think Pope to have deferved much by his officioufnefs.

This year was printed in the Guardian the ironical comparison between the Paftorals of Philips and Pope; a compofition of artifice, criticifin, and literature, to which nothing equal will cafily be found. The fupcriority of Pope is fo ingenioufly diffembled, and the feeble lines of Philips fo fkilfully preferred, that Steele, being deceived, was unwilling to print the paper left Pope should be offended. Addifon immediately faw the writer's defign; and, as it seems, had malice enough to conceal his difcovery, and to permit a publication which, by making his friend Philips ridiculous, made him for ever an enemy to Pope.

It appears that about this time Pope had a strong inclination to unite the art of Painting with that of Poetry, and put himself under the tuition of Jervas. He was near-fighted, and therefore not formed by nature for a painter: he tried, however, how far he could advance, and fometimes perfuaded his friends to fit. A picture of Betterton, fuppofed to be drawn by him, was in the poffeffion of Lord Mansfield: if this was taken from the life, he must have begun to paint earlier; for Betterton was now dead. Pope's ambition of this new art produced fome encomiaftick verfes to Jervas, which certainly fhew his power as a poet; but I have been told that they betray his ignorance of painting.

He appears to have regarded Betterton with kindnefs and esteem; and after his death publifhed, under his name, a version into modern English of Chaucer's Prologues, and one of his Tales, which, as was re

lated