reafon to thank the gods that he was "born a modern; for had he been born "of Grecian parents, and his father "confequently had by law had the ab"folute difpofal of him, his life had "been no longer than that of one of "his poems, the life of half a day."Let the perfon of a gentleman of his

parts be never fo contemptible, his "inward man is ten times more ridi"culous; it being impoffible that his "outward form, though it be that of

downright monkey, fhould differ fo

"much from human fhape, as his un

thinking immaterial part does from "human understanding." Thus began the hoftility between Pope and Dennis, which, though it was fufpended for a

fhort

fhort time, never was appeafed. Pope feems, at firft, to have attacked him wantonly; but though he always profeffed to defpife him, he difcovers, by mentioning him often, that he felt his force or his venom.

Of this Effay Pope declared that he did not expect the fale to be quick, because not one gentleman in fixty, even of liberal education, could understand it. The gentlemen, and the education of that time, feem to have been of a lower cha racter than they are of this. He mentions a thousand copies as a numerous impreffion.

Dennis was not his only cenfurer; the zealous papifts thought the monks treated with too much contempt, and Eraf

mus

mus too ftudiously praised; but to thefe objections he had not much regard.

The Efay has been tranflated into French by Hamilton, author of the Comte de Grammont, whofe verfion was never printed, by Robotham, fecretary to the King for Hanover, and by Refnel; and commented by Dr. Warburton, who has difcovered in it fuch order and connection as was not perceived by Addifon, nor, as is faid, intended by the author.

Almoft every poem, confifting of precepts, is fo far arbitrary and immethodical, that many of the paragraphs may change places with no apparent inconvenience; for of two or more pofitions, depending upon fome remote and ge

neral

neral principle, there is feldom any cogent reason why one should precede the other. But for the order in which they ftand, whatever it be, a little ingenuity may easily give a reafon. It is poffible, fays Hooker, that by long circumduction, from any one truth all truth may be inferred. Of all homogeneous truths at leaft, of all truths refpecting the fame general end, in whatever series they may be produced, a concatenation by intermediate ideas may be formed, fuch as when, it is once fhewn, fhall appear natural; but if this order be reverfed, another mode of connection equally fpecious may be found or made. Aristotle is praised for naming Fortitude firft of the cardinal virtues, as that with

out.

out which no other virtue can steadily be practifed; but he might, with equal propriety, have placed Prudence and Justice before it, fince without Prudence Fortitude is mad; without Juftice, it is mifchievous.

As the end of method is perfpicuity, that ferics is fufficiently regular that avoids obfcurity; and where there is no obfcurity it will not be difficult to discover method.

In the Spectator was published the Meffiah, which he firft fubmitted to the perufal of Steele, and corrected in compliance with his criticisms.

It is reasonable to infer, from his Letters, that the verses on the Unfortu nate Lady were written about the time