I left no calling for this idle trade, No duty broke, no father difobey'd, NOTES. 130 The the comedy with the greater boys, he turned the transactions of the Iliad into a play, made up of a number of speeches from Ogilby's tranflation, tacked together with verfes of his own. He had the address to persuade the upper boys to act it; he even prevailed on the Master's Gardener to represent Ajax, and contrived to have all the Actors dreffed after the pictures in his favourite Ogilby. At twelve he went with his father into the Foreft: and then got first acquainted with the Writings of Waller, Spenfer, and Dryden; in the order I have named them. On the first fight of Dryden, he found he had what he wanted. His Poems were never out of his hands; they became his model; and from them alone he learnt the whole magic of his verification. This year he began an epic poem; the fame which Bp. Atterbury, long afterwards, perfuaded him to burn. Befides this, he wrote, in those early days, a Comedy and Tragedy, the latter taken from a story in the legend of St. Genevieve. They both defervedly underwent the fame fate. As he began his Paftorals foon after, he used to fay pleasantly, that he had literally followed the example of Virgil, who tells us, Cum canerem reges et pralia, &c. WARBURTON. All the circumftances of our Author's early life, mentioned in this Note, were communicated by Mr. Spence to Dr. Warburton. The account of this matter, as it was delivered to me by Mr. Spence, was as follows: As they returned in the fame carriage together from Twickenham, foon after the death of our Author, and joined in lamenting his death and celebrating his praises, Dr. Warburton faid he intended to write his life; on which Mr. Spence, with his ufual modefty and condefcenfion, said, that he also had the fame intentions; and had, from time to time, collected from Pope's own mouth, various particulars of his life, purfuits, and ftudies; but would readily give up to Dr. Warburton all his collections on this fubject, and accordingly communicated them to him immediately. WARTON. VER. 128. Ilip'd in numbers,] From Ovid, "Sponte fua carmen numeros veniebat ad aptos, Et quod conabar fcribere, verfus erat." WARTON. The Mufe but ferv'd to eafe fome friend, not Wife, 134 A. But why then publish? P. Granville the polite, And knowing Walsh, would tell me I could write; NOTES. Well VER. 129. I left no calling] Pope was originally intended by his father, for a Portrait-painter. "This idle trade," as he calls it, was probably more lucrative, than any other purfuit he could have followed. VER. 130. no father difobey'd.] When Mr. Pope was yet a child, his father, though no Poet, would set him to make English verfes. He was pretty difficult to please, and would often fend the boy back to new-turn them. When they were to his mind, he took great pleasure in them, and would fay, 7 hefe are good rhymes. WARBURTON, VER, 131. not Wife,] These two words feem added merely for the verfe, and are what the French call a cheville. WARTON. VER. 135. But why then publish?] To the three first names that encouraged his earlieft writings, he has added other friends, whofe acquaintance with him did not commence till he was a Poet of established reputation. From the many commendations which Walsh, and Garth, and Granville beftowed on his Paftorals, it may fairly be concluded how much the public tafte has been improved, and with how many good compofitions our language has been enriched, fince that time. When Gray published his exquifite Ode on Eton College, his first publication, little notice was taken of it but I fuppofe no critic can be found that will not place it far above Pope's Paftorals. On reading which Ode a certain perfon exclaimed, Sweet Bard, who fhunn'ft the noise of Folly, Moft mufical, moft melancholy ! 'Thee oft the lonely woods among I woo to hear thy evening fong; And think thy thrilling ftrains have power Or Well-natur'd Garth inflam'd with early praise, Ev'n mitred Rochester would nod the head, 140 And St. John's felf (great Dryden's friends before) With open arms receiv'd one Poet more. Happy NOTES. Or bid the tender Spenfer come From his lov'd haunt, fair Faney's tomb." See particularly that fine ftanza, "These fhall the fury paffions tear, The vultures of the mind;" and alfo, "Yet ah! why fhould they know their fate?" WARTON. The perfon whom Dr. Warton means, was his brother, the ate Thomas Warton, whofe exquifite tafte is well-known. VER. 139. Talbot, &c.] All these were Patrons or Admirers of Mr. Dryden; though a fcandalous libel against him, entitled Dryden's Satire to his Mufe, has been printed in the name of the Lord Somers, of which he was wholly ignorant. These are the persons to whose account the Author charges the publication of his first pieces: perfons with whom he was converfant (and he adds beloved) at 16 or 17 years of age; an early period for fuch acquaintance. The catalogue might be made. yet more illuftrious, had he not confined it to that time when he writ the Pastorals and Windfor Forefl, on which he passes a fort of Cenfure in the lines following: "While pure Description held the place of Senfe," &c. Pore. Every word and epithet here ufed is exactly characteristical and peculiarly appropriated, with much art, to the temper and manner of each of the perfons here mentioned; the elegance of Lanf. down, the open free benevolence and candour of Garth, the warmth of Congreve, the difficulty of pleafing Swift, the very gefture (as I am informed) that Atterbury ufed when he was pleased, and the animated air and spirit of Bolingbroke. WARTON. Happy my studies, when by thefe approv'd! Happier their Author, when by these belov'd! 146 150 Yet then did Gildon draw his venal quill; NOTES. Yet VER. 146. Burnets, &c.] Authors of fecret and fcandalous History. POPE. Ibid. Burnets, Qldmixons, and Cooks By no means Authors of the fame clafs; though the violence of party might hurry them into the fame mistakes. But if the firft offended this way, it was only through an honeft warmth of temper, that allowed too little to an excellent understanding. The other two, with very bad heads, had hearts ftill worse. WARBURTON, VER. 146. Burnets,] Was such a character as Burnet's, to be placed among the infignificant and contemptible feriblers, that affailed Pope? VER. 148. While pure Defcription held the place of Senfe?] He ufes pure equivocally, to fignify either chaste or empty; and has given in this line what he esteemed the true Character of descriptive poetry, as it is called. A compofition, in his opinion, as abfurd as a feast made up of fauces. The office of a picturesque ima. gination is to brighten and adorn good sense; so that to employ it only in defcription, is like children's delighting in a prism for the fake of its gaudy colours; which, when frugally managed and artfully difpofed, might be made to unfold and illuftrate the noblest objects in nature. WARBURTON. VER. 150. A painted meadow, or a purling fiream,] is a verse of Mr. Addison. РОРЕ. Ibid. A painted mistress, or a purling fiream.] Meaning the Rape of the Lock, and Windfor-Foreft. WARBURTON. Yet then did Dennis rave in furious fret; I never anfwer'd, I was not in debt. If want provok'd, or madness made them print, 155 I wag'd no war with Bedlam or the Mint. Did fome more fober Critic come abroad; If wrong, I fmil'd; if right, I kiss'd the Rod. NOTES. Pains, VER. 151. Yet then did Gildon] It is with difficulty we can forgive our Author for upbraiding thefe wretched feriblers for their poverty and diftreffes, if we do not keep in our minds the grofsly abufive pamphlets they published; and, even allowing this circumftance, we ought to separate rancour from reproof: "Cur tam crudeles optavit fumere pœnas? WARTON. Gildon was born at the village of Gillingham, near Shaftesbury, in Dorfet fhire. Pope's "wishing him a dinner," is not exactly understood. The expreffions are thought unfeeling, as meant to upbraid him with his poverty; but the truth is, Gildon in his effays fays, his fole motive for writing was "neceffity." It cannot be faid, that it is cruel to "wish a man a dinner," who profeffes he writes to get one. A few more words concerning this obfcure writer, may not be unacceptable. He was fent to Doway, to the English College of Secular Priests there, to be made a Priest; but his inclinations led him another way. He came to London, spent his property, and endeavoured to repair his fortune by writing abufive pamphlets. VER. 153. Yet then did Dennis] I cannot help thinking that poor Dennis was hardly used. He was a scholar, had a liberal education, and had been in his early youth, a companion of those who were distinguished for rank and literature. Being at first countenanced, and having a confiderable share of learning and ingenuity, he was no doubt mortified and galled, to find the stream of popular applaufe turned almost exclusively towards one Poet. On this account, his ftrictures, though often juft, are marked with asperity and coarseness, as he was evidently chagrined at the success which he could not gain himself. Hence his coarfe and contemptu ous |