by the Paftorals, and from him Pope received the counfel by which he feems to have regulated his ftudies. Walsh advised him to correctness, which, as he told him, the English poets had hitherto neglected, and which therefore was left to him as a basis of fame; and, being delighted with rural poems, recommended to him to write a paftoral comedy, like thofe which are read fo eagerly in Italy; a defign which Pope probably did not approve, as he did not follow it.

Pope had now declared himself a poet; and, thinking himself entitled to poetical converfation, began at feventeen to frequent Will's, a coffee-houfe on the

north fide of Ruffel-ftreet in Covent

garden, where the wits of that time ufed to affemble, and where Dryden had, when he lived, been accustomed to prefide.

During this period of his life he was indefatigably diligent, and infatiably curious; wanting health for violent and moncy for expenfive pleafures, and having certainly excited in himself very ftrong defires of intellectual eminence, he fpent much of his time over his books; but he read only to ftore his mind with facts and images, feizing all that his authors prefented with undiftinguishing voracity, and with an appetite for knowledge too eager to be nice. In a mind like his, however, all the faculties were at once involuntarily

im

improving. Judgement is forced upon us by experience. He that reads many books must compare one opinion or one ftyle with another, and when he compares must neceffarily diftinguifh, reject, and prefer. But the account given by himself of his ftudies was, that from fourteen to twenty he read only for amusement, from twenty to twenty-feven for improvement and inftruction; that in the first part of this time he defired only to know, and in the fecond he endeavoured to judge.

The Paftorals, which had been for fome time handed about among poets and criticks, were at laft printed (1709) in Tonfon's Miscellany, in a volume which

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which began with the Paftorals of Philips, and ended with those of Pope.

The fame year was written the Elay on Criticism; a work which displays fuch extent of comprehenfion, fuch nicety of diftinction, fuch acquaintance with mankind, and fuch knowledge both of ancient and modern learning, as are not often attained by the matureft age and longeft experience. It was published about two years afterwards, and being praised by Addison in the Spectator with fufficient liberality, met with fo much favour as enraged Dennis, "who," he fays, "found himself attacked, with❝out any manner of provocation on his

fide, and attacked in his perfon, in"stead of his writings, by one who was "wholly

wholly a ftranger to him, at a time "when all the world knew he was per"fecuted by fortune; and not only faw "that this was attempted in a clan"destine manner, with the utmost falfe"hood and calumny, but found that "all this was done by a little affected "hypocrite, who had nothing in his "mouth at the fame time but truth, "candour, friendship, good-nature, humanity, and magnanimity."

How the attack was clandeftine is not eafily perceived, nor how his person is depreciated; but he feems to have known fomething of Pope's character, in whom may be difcovered an appetite to talk too frequently of his own vir

tues.

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The