praife, because the reader knows not what they have blotted. Pope's voracity of fame taught him the art of obtaining the accumulated honour both of what he had published, and of what he had fuppreffed.

In this year his father died fuddenly, in his feventyfifth year, having paffed twenty-nine years in privacy. He is not known but by the character which his fon has given him. If the money with which he retired was all gotten by himfelf, he had traded very fuccefsfully in times when fudden riches were rarely attainable.

The publication of the Iliad was at laft completed in 1720. The fplendor and fuccefs of this work raised Pope many enemies, that endeavoured to depreciate his abilities. Burnet, who was afterwards a Judge of no mean reputation, cenfured him in a piece called Homerides before it was publifhed. Ducket likewife endeavoured to make him ridiculous. Dennis was the perpetual perfecutor of all his ftudies. But, whoever his criticks were, their writings are loft; and the names which are preferved, are preferved in the Dunciad.

In this difaftrous year (1720) of national infatuation, when more riches than Peru can boaft were expected from the South Sea, when the contagion of avarice tainted every mind, and even poets panted after wealth, Pope was feized with the univerfal paffion, and ventured fome of his money. The flock rose in its price'; and he for a while thought himself the Lord of thousands. But this dream of happinefs did not last long; and he feems to have waked foon enough to get clear with the lofs only of what he once thought himfelf to have won, and perhaps not wholly of that.

Next year he published some select poems of his friend Dr. Parnell, with a very elegant Dedication to the Earl of Oxford; who, after all his struggles and dangers, then lived in retirement, ftill under the frown of a victorious faction, who could take no pleasure in hearing his praise.

He gave the fame year (1721) an edition of ShakeSpeare. His name was now of fo much authority, that Tonfon thought himself entitled, by annexing it, to demand a fubfcription of fix guineas for Shakespeare's plays in fix quarto volumes; nor did his expectation much deceive him; for of feven hundred and fifty which he printed, he dispersed a great number at the price propofed. The reputation of that edition indeed funk afterwards fo low, that one hundred and forty copies were fold at fixteen fhillings each.

On this undertaking, to which Pope was induced by a reward of two hundred and feventeen pounds wwelve fhillings, he seems never to have reflected afterwards without vexation; for Theobald, a man of heavy diligence, with very flender powers, firft, in a book called Shakespeare Reftored, and then in a formal. edition, detected his deficiencies with all the infolence of victory; and, as he was now high enough to be feared and hated, Theobald had from others all the help that could be supplied, by the defire of humbling a haughty character.

From this time Pope became an enemy to editors, collaters, commentators, and verbal criticks; and hoped to perfuade the world, that he miscarried in this undertaking only by having a mind too great for fueh minute employment.

Pope

Pope in his edition undoubtedly did many things wrong, and left many things undone; but let him not be defrauded of his due praife. He was the first that knew, at least the first that told, by what helps the text might be improved. If he inspected the early editions negligently, he taught others to be more accurate. In his Preface he expanded with great skill and elegance the character which had been given of Shakespeare by Dryden; and he drew the publick attention upon his works, which, though often mentioned, had been little read.

Soon after the appearance of the Iliad, refolving not to let the general kindness cool, he published propofals for a tranflation of the Odyfey, in five volumes, for five guineas. He was willing, however, now to have affociates in his labour, being either weary with toiling upon another's thoughts, or having heard, as Ruffhead relates, that Fenton and Broome had already begun the work, and liking better to have them confederates than rivals.

In the patent, inftead of faying that he had tranflated the Odyffey, as he had faid of the Iliad, he fays that he had undertaken a tranflation: and in the propofals the fubfcription is faid to be not folely for his own use, but for that of two of his friends who have affifted him in this work.

In 1723, while he was engaged in this new verfion, he appeared before the Lords at the memorable trial of Bishop Atterbury, with whom he had lived in great familiarity, and frequent correfpondence. Atterbury had honeftly recommended to him the ftudy of the popish controverfy, in hope of his converfion; to which Pope anfwered in a manner that cannot much

recom

recommend his principles, or his judgement. In queftions and projects of learning, they agreed better. He was called at the trial to give an account of Atterbury's domeftick life, and private employment, that it might appear how little time he had left for plots. Pope had but few words to utter, and in thofe few he made feveral blunders.

His Letters to Atterbury exprefs the utmost esteem, tenderness, and gratitude: perhaps, fays he, it is not only in this world that I may have caufe to remember the Bifbop of Rochefter. At their laft interview in the

Tower, Atterbury prefented him with a Bible.

Of the Odyssey Pope tranflated only twelve books; the reft were the work of Broome and Fenton: the notes were written wholly by Broome, who was not over-liberally rewarded. The Publick was carefully kept ignorant of the feveral fhares; and an account was fubjoined at the conclufion, which is now known not to be true.

The first copy of Pope's books, with thofe of Fenton, are to be feen in the Museum. The parts of Pope are lefs interlined than the Iliad; and the latter books of the Iliad lefs than the former. He grew dexterous by practice, and every fheet enabled him to write the next with more facility. The books of Fenton have very few alterations by the hand of Pope. Thofe of Broome have not been found; but Pope complained, as it is reported, that he had much trouble in correcting them.

His contract with Lintot was the fame as for the Iliad, except that only one hundred pounds were to be paid him for each volume. The number of fubfcribers was five hundred and feventy-four, and of copies eight VOL. IV. hundred

E

hundred and nineteen; fo that his profit, when he had paid his affiftants, was ftill very confiderable. The work was finished in 1725; and from that time he refolved to make no more tranflations.

The fale did not anfwer Lintot's expectation; and he then pretended to difcover fomething of fraud in Pope, and commenced or threatened a fuit in Chancery.

On the English Odyssey a criticism was published by Spence, at that time Prelector of Poetry at Oxford; a man whose learning was not very great, and whose mind was not very powerful. His criticifin, however, was commonly juft; what he thought, he thought rightly; and his remarks were recommended by his coolness and candour. In him Pope had the first experience of a critick without malevolence, who thought it as much his duty to display beauties as expofe faults; who cenfured with respect, and praised with alacrity.

With this criticism Pope was fo little offended, that he fought the acquaintance of the writer, who lived with him from that time in great familiarity, attended him in his laft hours, and compiled memorials of his converfation. The regard of Pope recommended him to the great and powerful, and he obtained very valuable preferments in the Church.

Not long after, Pope was returning home from a vifit in a friend's coach, which, in paffing a bridge, was overturned into the water; the windows were clofed, and being unable to force them open, he was in danger of immediate death, when the poftilion fnatched him. out by breaking the glafs, of which the fragments cut two of his fingers in fuch a manner, that he loft their ufe.

Voltaire,