Pope was always complaining to his friends of his poverty, though he had an income of above eight hundred pounds a year, independent of his house at Twickenham.

His voice was so naturally musical, that Southerne, the dramatic poet, used to call him the "little nightingale :" yet he had no knowledge of musick; for when he was asked the question whether he had ever learnt any thing of that science, he said, "Never; but I had naturally a very good ear, and have often judged rightly of the best compositions by the force of that,"

When Voltaire visited England, he was introduced to Pope, but being invited to dine with him, he talked at table with so much indecency, especially with regard to religion, that the poet's mother was obliged to retire.

Pope afterwards said that Voltaire was a spy for the court, while he staid in this country, of which he gave the following instance. When the first Occasional Letter, (which was written by Bolingbroke) came out, Voltaire paid a visit to Pope, at Twickenham, and as he was walking in the garden, he said to him, "Pope, this Occasional Letter alarms the court extremely. It is

dered by the dunces, together with my friend the Dean, who is properly the author of the Dunciad: it had never been writbut at his request, and for his deafness; for had he been able to converse with me, do you think I should have amused myself so ill ?"

finely written. As you converse much with the best pens conversant with publick business, you must know the author; you may safely tell this secret to a stranger who has no concern with your national quarrels." Mr. Pope said he perfectly understood him as he knew his character, and to make a trial, he replied, "M. Voltaire, you are a man of honour, I may therefore trust an important subject in your breast. I myself wrote it." Voltaire after launching out into high encomiums on the performance, was, he perceived, impatient to get away; and the next day Pope heard that all the court reported that he was the author of the pamphlet.

Of Pope's powers in conversation, no remarkable instances have been recorded. It has been said, that if the discourse did not take a lively turn, he would either fall asleep, or affect to be so. If, however, the following anecdote be correct, it is an additional proof of the malignity of his disposition; and that, even in conversation upon the most affecting subjects, he could wantonly sport with the feelings of others.

An acquaintance of his having lost a daughter, named Letitia, was very desirous that Pope would write him an epitaph, which he repeatedly declined; but being still urged with the request, he wrote the following :

Goodman Death

To please his palate,
Has cropped your Lettice

For a sallad.

When

When Pope was in his last illness, Mallet went to see hin, and after sitting by his bedside some time the dying poet in a delirium, said, that he felt his head open and Apollo come out of it, and enter into that of Mallet. For the truth of this story, however, we have no better authority than that of Mallet himself; the judicious reader will, therefore, not think it deserving of much credit..

Pope had a good taste for painting which he im

proved under Jervas, and by imitating Kneller. There is a portrait of Betterton by him, in the possession of the Earl of Mansfield. Pope used to say that if his eyes had not been bad he should have made a good painter.

genius, would of themselves fill a large volume. We shall select only those which will best serve to illustrate his genuine character, the cast of his mind, and the peculiarity of his manner.

His grandfather was a clergyman, and vicar of Goodrich, in Herefordshire, where he suffered the most violent persecution from the Presbyte rians for his loyalty to his king, and attachment to the church of England. He had thirteen children, five of whom went over to Ireland, after the ravage which had been made of their father's property by the godly reformers of that age. Jonathan Swift, the father of the Dean, was the fourth son of the vicar of Goodrich; he settled in Dublin, but died about seven months before the birth of our author, in 1667. The circumstances in which he left his family were so low, that the son felt the consequences, not only in his bringing up, but during the rest of his life. Being placed in the care of a nurse, who was a native

*

Upon his being ejected from Goodrich, the Committee put into it one Jonathan Dryden, a relation of Mrs. Swift's, and a cousin of the celebrated poet of that name.

of