The naturally arise from the subject; it has however kept us too long from furveying a valuable literary curiofity, I mean the earliest production of POPE, written when he was not twelve years old, his ODE ON SOLITUDE. first sketches of such an artist ought highly to be prized. Different geniuses unfold themfelves, at different periods of life. In fome minds the ore is a long time in ripening. Not only inclination, but opportunity and encouragement, a proper fubject, or a proper patron, influence the exertion or the fuppreffion of genius. These stanzas on Solitude, are ‘a ftrong inftance of that contemplative and moral turn, which was the distinguishing characteristic of our poet's mind. An ode of Cowley which he produced at the age of thirteen years, is of the fame caft, and perhaps not in the least inferior to this of POPE. voluminous Lopez de Vega, is commonly, but I fear incredibly, reported by the Spaniards, to have compofed verfes when he was five years old; and Torquato Taffo, the se The cond cond of the Italian poets, for that wonderful original Dante is the firft, is faid to have recited poems and orations of his writing, when he was feven. It is however certain, which is more extraordinary, that he produced his Rinaldo in his eighteenth year, no bad precurfor to the Gierufalemma Liberata, and no fmall effort of that genius, which was one day to fhew, how fine an epic poem the Italian language, notwithstanding the vulgar imputation of effeminacy, was capable of producing. THOSE who are fond of biographical anecdotes, which are fome of the most amufive and inftructive parts of hiftory, will be perhaps pleased with the following particulars in the life of POPE. He frequently declared, that the time of his beginning to write verses, was fo very early in his life, that he could scarcely recal it to his memory. When he was yet a child, his father, who had been a merchant in London, and retired to Binfield with about twenty thousand pounds, would frequently quently order him to make English verses. It seems he was difficult to be pleased, * and would make the lad correct them again and again. When at last he approved them, he took great pleasure in perufing them, and would say, "these are good RHYMES." Thefe early praises of a tender and respected parent, cooperating with the natural inclination of the fon, may poffibly be the causes that fixed our young bard in a resolution of becoming eminent in this art. He was taught to read very early by an aunt; and of his own indefatigable industry learned to write, by copying printed books, which he executed with great neatnefs and exactnefs. When he was eight years old, he was put under the direction of one Taverner, a priest, who taught him the rudiments of the latin and greek tongues together. About this time he accidentally met with Ogilby's tranflation of Homer, which, notwithstanding the deadness and infipidity of the verfification, arrested * See his Works, vol. 4. pag. 18. his attention by the force of the story. The Ovid of Sandys fell next in his way; and it is faid, that the raptures these translations gave him were fo ftrong, that he spoke of them with pleasure to the period of his life. About ten, being now at school at Hide-park corner, whither he went from a popish seminary at Twiford, near Winchefter, he was carried fometimes to the playhouse; and being ftruck, we may imagine, with theatrical representations, he turned the chief events into a kind of play, made up of a number of fpeeches from Ogilby's tranflation, connected with verfes of his own. He perfuaded the upper boys to act this piece, which, from its curiosity, one would have been glad to have beheld. The mafter's gardener represented the character of Ajax; and the actors were dreffed after the pictures of his favourite Ogilby, far the best part of that book, as they were defigned and engraved by artists of note. At twelve, he retired with his father into Windfor-Forest; and it was there he first perufed the writings of Waller, of Spenfer, and of Dryden. The fecond is faid to have made a poet of Cowley; that Ogilby should give our author his first poetic pleasures, is a remarkable circumstance. On the first fight of Dryden he abandoned the rest, having now found an author, whofe caft was exactly congenial with his own. His works therefore he ftudied, with equal pleasure and attention: he placed them before his eyes as a model; of which more will be faid in the course of these papers. He copied not only his harmonious verfification, but the very turns of his periods. It was hence he was enabled to give to rhyme all the harmony of which it is capable. * ABOUT this time, that is about fifteen years old, he began to write his ALCANDER, an epic poem, of which he himself speaks with fo much amiable franknefs and ingenuity, in a paffage reftored to his excellent preface to his works. "I confefs there was a time when * See WORKS, vol. 4. pag. 18. << I was |