"His fortune did not fuffer his charity to be fplendid and confpicuous; but he affifted Dodfley with a hundred pounds, that he might open a fhop; and of the fubfcription of forty pounds a year that he raised for Savage, twenty were paid by himself."

"In the duties of friendship he was zealous and 'conftant."

"The religion in which he lived was that of the church of Rome, to which in his correfpondence with Racine he profeffes himself a fincere adherent."

"He is faid to have fent nothing to the prefs till it had lain two years under his infpection."

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"The only poems which can be supposed to have been written with fuch regard to the times as might haften their publication, were the two fatires of Thirty-eight;" of which Dodfley told me, that they were brought to him by the author, that they might be fairly copied. Every line, faid he, was then written twice over; I gave him a clean tranfcript, which he fent fometime afterwards to me for the press, with every Tine written twice over a fecond time.

"Of the paftorals of Pope," fays Dr. Johnson, "the laft, that which turns the attention upon age and death, was the author's favourite. To tell of difappointment and mifery, to thicken the darknefs of futurity, and perplex the labyrinth of uncertainty, has been always a delicious employment of the poets. His preference was probably juft. I wifh, however, that his fondnefs had not overlooked a line in which the Zephyrs are made to lament in filence."

"The defign of "Windfor Foreft" is evidently derived from "Cooper's Hill," with fome attention to Waller's poem on "The Park;" but Pope cannot be denied to excel his mafters in variety and elegance, and the art of interchanging defcription, narrative, and morality.

"The

"The "Temple of Fame" has, as Steele warmly declared, a thoufand beauties."

"That the "Meffiah" excels the "Pollio" is no great praife, if it be confidered from what original the improvements are derived."

"The "Verfes on the Unfortunate Lady" have drawn much attention by the illaudable fingularity of treating fuicide with refpect, and they must be allowed to be written in fome parts with vigorous animation," and in others with gentle tendernefs; nor has Pope produced any poem in which the fenfe predominates more over the diction. But the tale is not fkilfully told."

"The "Ode for St. Cecilia's Day" was undertaken at the defire of Steele: in this the author is generally confeffed to have miscarried, yet he has mifcarried only compared with Dryden; for he has far outgone other competitors."

"One of his greateft though of his earliest works is the "Effay on Criticifm," which, if he had written nothing elfe, would have placed him among the first critics, and the first of the poets, as it exhibits every mode of excellence that can embellifh or dignify didactic compofition, felection of matter, novelty of arrangement, juftnefs of precept, fplendour of illuftration, and propriety of igreffion."

"To the praifes which have been accumulated on "The Rape of the Lock" by readers of every clafs, from the critick to the waiting-maid, it is difficult to make any addition."

"The Epistle of "Eloifa to Abelard" is one of the moft happy productions of human wit: the fubject is fo judicioufly chofen, that it would be difficult, in turning over the annals of the world, to find another which fo many circumstances concur to recommend.” "The train of my difquifition has now conducted me to that poetical wonder, the tranflation of the "Iliad;"

H 3

"Iliad;" a performance which no age or nation can pretend to equal."

"He cultivated our language with fo much diligence and art, that he has left in his "Homer," a treafure of poetical elegancies to pofterity. His verfion may be faid to have tuned the English tongue; for, fince its appearance, no writer, however deficient in other powers, has wanted melody. Such a series of lines fo elaborately connected, and fo fweetly modulated, took poffeffion of the public ear; the vulgar were enamoured of the poem, and the learned wondered at the tranflation.".

"Of the "Odyffey" nothing remains to be obferved: the fame general praife may be given to both tranflations, and a particular examination of either would require a large volume."

"Of the "Dunciad" the hint is confeffedly taken from Dryden's "Mac Flecno;" but the plan is fo enlarged and diverfified as juftly to claim the praise of an original, and affords perhaps the beft fpecimen that has yet appeared of perfonal fatire ludicrously pompous.'

"The " Effay on Man" was a work of great labour and long confideration, but certainly not the happiest of Pope's performances."

Dr. Johnfon, after condemning its principles, goes on to fay, "If I had undertaken to exemplify Pope's felicity of compofition before a rigid critick, I fhould not select the " Effay on Man;" for it contains more lines unfuccefsfully laboured, more harshness of diction, more levity without elegance, and more heavinefs without ftrength, than will be eafily found in all his other works."

"The Characters of Men and Women" are the product of diligent fpeculation upon human life; much labour has been beftowed upon them, and Pope very feldom laboured in vain."

"After

"After all this, it is furely fuperfluous to anfwer the question that has once been asked, whether Pope was a poet? otherwife than by afking in return, if Pope be not a poet, where is poetry to be found? To circumfcribe poetry by a definition will only fhow the narrowness of the definer, though a definition which fhall exclude Pope will not eafily be made. Let us look round upon the prefent time, and back upon the paft; let us enquire to whom the voice of mankind has decreed the wreath of poetry; let their productions be examined, and their claims ftated, and the pretenfions of Pope will be no more difputed. Had he given the world only his version, the name of poet must have been allowed him: If the writer of the "Iliad" were to clafs his fucceffor, he would affign a very high place to his tranflator, without requiring any other evidence of genius."

Dr. Johnson next inveftigates the merits of Pope's epitaphs, most of which he feverely cenfures. He confiders the most valuable among them to be that "On Mrs. Corbet, who died of a Cancer in her Breast." With this criticism he clofes what he says of Mr. Pope.

JONAT

SWIFT.

ONATHAN SWIFT was, according to an account faid to be written by himfelf, the fon of Jonathan Swift an attorney, and was born in Dublin, on St. Andrew's day, 1667. According to his own report, as delivered by Pope to Spence, he was born at Leicester, the fon of a clergyman, who was minifter of a parish in Herefordshire. Whatever was his birth, his education was Irish. He was fent at the age of fix to the fchool of Kilkenny, and in his H 4 fifteenth

fifteenth year (1682) was admitted into the Univerfity of Dublin.

In his academical ftudies he was either not diligent or not happy. He obtained his degree of Bachelor of Arts by fpecial favour; a term used in that University

to denote want of merit.

He refolved from that time to study eight hours a day, and continued his induftry for feven years, with what improvement is fufficiently known. In this courfe of daily application he continued three years longer in Dublin, and in this time, it is faid, he drew the firft sketch of his "Tale of a Tub."

When he was about one and twenty (1680), being by the death of Godwin Swift, his uncle, who had fupported him, left without fubfiftence, he went to confult his mother, who then lived at Leicester, about his future course of life, and by her directions folicited the patronage of Sir William Temple, who had married one of Mrs. Swift's relations, and whofe father, Sir John Temple, Master of the Rolls in Ireland, had lived in great familiarity of friendship with Godwin Swift.

Temple was fo pleased with the nephew of his father's friend, that he detained him two years in his house. Here he became known to King William, who fometimes vifited Temple when he was disabled by the gout; and being attended by Swift in the garden, he fhewed him how to cut afparagus in the Dutch way,

When Temple removed to Moor-park, he took Swift with him, who was much oppreffed with a giddinefs and deafnefs, a malady that purfued him through life, and at laft fent him to the grave, deprived of reafon. He was advised to try his native air, and went to Ireland; but, finding no benefit, he returned to Sir William, at whofe houfe he continued his ftudies. He thought exercife of great neceffity, and used to run half a mile up and down a hill every two hours.

He