About this time he published the Temple of Fame, which, as he tells Steele in their correfpondence, he had written two years before; that is, when he was only twentytwo years old, an early time of life for fo much learning and fo much obfervation as that work exhibits.

On this poem Dennis afterwards published fome remarks, of which the most reafonable is, that some of the lines represent motion as exhibited by fculpture.

Of the Epiftle from do not know the date.

Eloifa to Abelard, I

His firft inclination

to attempt a compofition of that tender kind arofe, as Mr. Savage told me, from his perufal of Prior's Nut-brown Maid. How much he has furpaffed Prior's work it is not neceffary to mention, when perhaps it may be faid with juftice, that he has excelled every compofition of the fame kind. The mixture of religious hope and refignation gives an elevation and dignity to disappointed love, which images merely natural cannot bestow. The gloom of a convent ftrikes the imagina

tion with far greater force than the folitude of a grove.

This piece was, however, not much his favourite in his latter years, though I never heard upon what principle he flighted it.

In the next year (1713) he published Windfor Foreft; of which part was, as he relates, written at fixteen, about the fame time as his Pastorals, and the latter part was added afterwards: where the addition begins, we are not told. The lines relating to the Peace confess their own date. It is dedicated to Lord Lanf downe, who was then high in reputation and influence among the Tories; and it is faid that the conclufion of the poem gave great pain to Addison, both as a poet and a politician. Reports like this are often spread with boldness very difproportionate to their evidence. Why fhould Addison receive any particular difturbance from the laft lines of Windfor Foreft? If contrariety of opinion could poison a politician, he would not live a day; and, as a poet, he must have felt Pope's force of genius much more from many other parts of his works.

The pain that Addison might feel it is not likely that he would confefs; and it is certain that he fo well fuppreffed his difcontent, that Pope now thought himself his favourite; for having been confulted in the revifal of Cato, he introduced it by a Prologue; and, when Dennis published his Remarks, undertook not indeed to vindicate but to revenge his friend, by a Narrative of the Frenzy of John

Dennis.

There is reafon to believe that Addifon gave no encouragement to this difingenuous hoftility; for, fays Pope, in a Letter to him, "indeed your opinion, that 'tis entirely to be

neglected, would be my own in my own "cafe; but I felt more warmth here than I "did when I firft faw his book against my"self (though indeed in two minutes it "made me heartily merry)." Addison was not a man on whom fuch cant of sensibility could make much impreffion He left the pamphlet to itself, having difowned it to Dennis, and perhaps did not think Pope to have deserved much by his officiousness.

This year was printed in the Guardian the ironical comparison between the Pastorals of Philips and Pope; a compofition of artifice, criticism, and literature, to which nothing equal will eafily be found. The fuperiority of Pope is fo ingeniously diffembled, and the feeble lines of Philips fo fkilfully preferred, that Steele, being deceived, was unwilling to print the paper left Pope fhould be offended. Addison immediately faw the writer's design; and, as it feems, had malice enough to conceal his discovery, and to permit a publication which, by making his friend Philips ridiculous, made him for ever an enemy to Pope.

It appears that about this time Pope had a strong inclination to unite the art of Painting with that of Poetry, and put himself under the tuition of Jervas. He was nearfighted, and therefore not formed by nature for a painter: he tried, however, how far he could advance, and fometimes perfuaded his friends to fit. A picture of Betterton, fuppofed to be drawn by him, was in the poffeffion of Lord Mansfield: if this was taken

from the life, he must have begun to paint earlier; for Betterton was now dead. Pope's ambition of this new art produced fome encomiaftick verfes to Jervas, which certainly fhew his power as a poet, but I have been told that they betray his ignorance of painting.

He appears to have regarded Betterton with kindness and esteem; and after his death publifhed, under his name, a verfion into modern Englifh of Chaucer's Prologues, and one of his Tales, which, as was related by Mr. Harte, were believed to have been the performance of Pope himself by Fenton, who made him a gay offer of five pounds, if he would fhew them in the hand of Betterton.

The next year (1713) produced a bolder attempt, by which profit was fought as well as praise. The poems which he had hitherto written, however they might have diffused his name, had made very little addition to his fortune. The allowance which his father made him, though, proportioned to what he had, it might be liberal, could not be large; his religion hindered him from the occupation

of