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fcience with a traveller paffing the Alps, which is perhaps the best fimile in our language; that in which the most exact resemblance is traced between things appearance utterly unrelated to each other. That the last line conveys no new idea, is not true; it makes particular what was before general. Whether the defcription which he adds from another author be, as he fays, more full and ftriking than that of Pope, is not to be inquired. Pope's defcription is relative, and can admit no greater length than is ufually allowed to a fimile, nor any other particulars than fuch as form the correfpondence.

Unvaried rhymes, fays this writer, highly difguft readers of a good ear. It is furely not the ear but the mind that is offended. The fault arifing from the ufe of common rhymes is, that by reading the past line the second may be gueffed, and half the compofition lofes the grace of novelty.

On occafion of the mention of an alexandrine, the critic obferves, that "the alexandrine may be thought a modern measure, but that Robert of Gloucefter's wife is an alexandrine, with the addition of two fyllables; and that Sternhold and Hopkins tranflated the pfalms in the fame measure of fourteen fyllables, though they are printed otherwife."

This seems not to be accurately conceived or expreffed an alexandrine with the addition of two fyllables, is no more an alexandrine than with the detraction of two fyllables. Sternhold ard Hopkins did generally write in the alternate measure of eight and fix fyllables; but Hopkins commonly rhymed the first and third, Sternhold only the fecond and fourth: so that Sternhold may be confidered as writing couplets of

long lines; but Hopkins wrote regular ftanzas. Froni the practice of printing the long lines of fourteen fyllables in two fhort lines, arofe the licence of fome of our poets, who, though profeffing to write in ftanzas, neglected the rhymes of the firft and third lines.

Pope has mentioned Petronius among the great names of criticifim, as the remarker juftly obferves without any critical merit. It is to be fufpected that Pope had never read his book, and mentioned him on the credit of two or three fentences which he had often feen quoted, imagining that where there was fo much there must neceffarily be more. Young men in hafte to be renowned, too frequently talk of books which they have fcarcely feen.

The revival of learning mentioned in this poem, affords an opportunity of mentioning the chief periods of literary history, of which this writer reckons five; that of Alexander, of Ptolemy Philadelphus, of Augufius, of Leo the Tenth, of Queen Anne.

Thefe obfervations are concluded with a remark which deferves great attention: "In no polished nation, after criticifm has been much ftudied, and the rules of writing established, has any very extraordinary book ever appeared."

The Rape of the Lock was always regarded by Pope as the higheft production of his genius. On occafion of this work, the hiftory of the comic hero is given; and we are told that it defcended from Fafoni to Boileau, from Boileau to Garth, and from Garth to Pope. Garth is mentioned perhaps with too much honour; but all are confeffed to be inferior to Pope. There is in his remarks on this work no difcovery of any latent beauty, nor any thing fubtle or ftriking; he is

indeed commonly right, but has difcuffed no difficult queftion.

The next pieces to be confidered are the Verfes to the Memory of an unfortunate Lady, the Prologue to Cato, and Epilogue to Jane Shore. The first piece he commends. On occafion of the fecond he digreffes, according to his cuftom, into a learned differtation on tragedies, and compares the English and French with the Greek flage. He juftly cenfures Cato for want of action and of characters; but fcarcely does juftice to the fublimity of fome fpeeches and the philofophical exactness in the fentiments. "The fimile of mount Atlas, and that of the Numidian traveller fmothered in the fands, are indeed in character," fays the critic, "but fufficiently obvious." The fimile of the mountain is indeed common; but of that of the traveller I do not remember. That it is obvious is easy to say, and eafy to deny. Many things are obvious when they are taught.

He proceeds to criticife the other works of Addifon, till the epilogue calls his attention to Rowe, whofe character he difcuffes in the fame manner with fufficient freedom and fufficient candour.

The tranflation of the epiftle of Sappho to Phaon is next confidered: but Sappho and Ovid are more the fubjects of this difquifition than Pope. We fhall therefore pafs over it to a piece of more importance, the Epiftle of Eloifa to Abelard, which may juftly be regarded as one of the works on which the reputation of Pope will ftand in future times.

The critic pursues Eloifa through all the changes of paffion, produces the paffages of her letters to which any allufion is made, and interfperfes many agreeable particulars

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particulars and incidental relations. There is not much profundity of criticism, becaufe the beauties are fentiments of nature, which the learned and the ignorant feel alike. It is justly remarked by him, that the wish of Eloifa for the happy paffage of Abelard into the other world, is formed according to the ideas of mystic devotion.

These are the pieces examined in this volume: whether the remaining part of the work will be one volume or more, perhaps the writer himself cannot yet inform us. This piece is, however, a complete work, fo far as it goes; and the writer is of opinion that he has difpatched the chief part of his task: for he ven◄ tures to remark, that the reputation of Pope as a poet, among pofterity, will be principally founded on his Windfor-Foreft, Rape of the Lock, and Eloisa to Abelard; while the facts and characters alluded to in his late writings will be forgotten and unknown, and their poignancy and propriety little relished; for wit and fatire are tranfitory and perishable, but nature and paffion are eternal.

He has interfperfed fome paffages of Pope's life, with which most readers will be pleafed. When Pope was yet a child, his father, who had been a merchant in London, retired to Binfield. He was taught to read by an aunt; and learned to write without a mafter, by copying printed books. His father used to order him to make English verfes, and would oblige him to correct and retouch them over and over, and at last could fay, "Thefe are good rhymes."

At eight years of age, he was committed to one Taverner a prieft, who taught him the rudiments of the Latin and Greek. At this time he met with Ogleby's

Homer,

Homer, which feized his attention; he fell next upon Sandy's Ovid, and remembered these two tranflations with pleasure to the end of his life.

About ten, being at fchool near Hyde-Park-Corner, he was taken to the play-house, and was fo ftruck with the fplendour of the drama, that he formed a kind of play out of Ogleby's Homer, intermixed with verfes of his own. He perfuaded the head-boys to act this piece, and Ajax was performed by his mafter's gardener. They were habited according to the pictures in Ogleby. At twelve he retired with his father to Windfor-Forest, and formed himself by ftudy in the beft English poets.

In this extract it was thought convenient to dwell chiefly upon fuch obfervations as relate immediately to Pope, without deviating with the author into incidental inquiries. We intend to kindle, not to extinguish, curiofity, by this flight sketch of a work abounding with curious quotations and pleafing difquifitions. He must be much acquainted with literary hiftory, both of remote and late times, who does not find in this effay many things which he did not know before: and if there be any too learned to be inftructed in facts or opinions, he may yet properly read this book as a juft fpecimen of literary moderation.

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