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 prefent 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 fchool at Twyford near Winchester, and again to another school about Hyde-park Corner; from which he used fometimes to ftroll to the play houfe, and was fo delighted with theatrical exhibitions, that he formed a kind of play from Ogylby's Iliad, with fome verfes of his own intermixed, which

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which he perfuaded his school-fellows to act, with the addition of his master's gardener, who perfonated Ajax.

At the two last. schools he used to reprefent himself as having loft part of what Taverner had taught him, and on his mafter at Twyford he had already exercifed 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 exercises, it cannot be thought that his lofs was great.

He tells of himself, in his poems, that he lifp'd in numbers; and used to say that he could not remember the time when he began to make verfes. 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 popith 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 use than that of locking it up in a cheft, and taking 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.

Το

To Binfield Pope was called by his father when he was about twelve years.

old; and there he had for a few months the affiftance of one Deane, another prieft, of whom he learned only to conftrue a little of Tully's Offices. How Mr. Deane could fpend, with a boy who had tranflated fo 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 confpicuoufly improved, a minute account must be naturally defired;, but curiofity must be contented with confufed, 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 fubjects, and obliging him to correct his performances by many revifals; after which the old gentleman, when he was fatisfied, would fay these are good rhymes.

In his perufal of the English poets he foon diftinguifhed the verfification of Dryden, which he confidered as the model to be ftudied, and was impreffed with fuch veneration for his inftructer, that he perfuaded fome friends to take him to the coffee-houfe which Dryden

fre