abroad to France, with all his effects and property; where a man of his advanced age, ample fortune, without any family but his wife, who was a most worthy woman, might certainly have lived very comfortably; but Mr. Pope abroad, was removed from his friends and customers; and his money being idle, which was always considered by him as a great misfortune, he resolved to return home, and to shew his resentment to his oppressors, he preferred a prison, to the payment of the money. This he performed most heroically, and actually suffered confinement for eleven years and a quarter. He died in the fleet prison in July 1794, in the 67th year of his age. Mr. Pope, at one time, might have got his liberty for a thousand pounds, but he remained inflexible, and said, that would be acknowledging the justness of their debt, sooner than do which, he would forfeit his life; and he resolutely kept his word. Mr. Pope, in prison, had many opportunities of indulging those propensities he had ever been remarkable for; he looked always at the pint-pot of small-beer, before he paid for it, to see that it was full for this he was in some degree excusable, as the pint generally lasted him two days, water being his constant beverage. He has indeed been known to drink a little strong beer, with some of his fellow prisoners at their apartments but this was very rarely practised, and he never ordered any for himself. He purchased his three-farthing candle by weight, and chose the heaviest of six, eight, or ten for his money. During the whole of this time (upwards of eleven

years)

years) he never had a joint of meat on his table; a four-penny plate of meat from a cook's shop, was his greatest luxury, and that generally served him for two meals. But his family, though living at a distance, frequently sent him a comfortable and proper supply; and on these occasions, Mr. Pope, sometimes, gave some leavings to his errand-girl,' or some distressed object. It must indeed, be admitted, that Mr. Pope, upon some occasions, sometimes so far departed from himself, as to be liberal. When young in trade, he gave away upwards of a stone of meat every week, among his workmen and poor neighbours; and this practice he never discontinued, not even when he was every day weighing his candle, or looking after the measure of his small-beer. In money trausactions he suffered great frauds and impositions in prison; as he had not that scope of customers in his confined state, and always endeavoured to make the most of his money, he was more easily imposed upon. By such means, he is supposed to have lost more money than would have paid his whole damages and costs.

POPE, (ALEXANDER) a celebrated English poet, born in London, in 1688, was descended from

an ancient catholic family. His aunt taught him to read when he was a child, and he learned to write from copying only. A propensity to versification displayed itself in him as soon as he had read Dryden, whom he preferred to the other poets. He informs us himself, that, in his first scribblings, the waters of Helicon overpowered his young brains: he soon

how

however, grew steady, and attracted general admiration. At the age of twelve he retired with his parents to Binfield, in Windsor Forest, and there became acquainted with the writings` of Spencer and Waller. His "Pastorals," begun in 1704, first introduced him to the wits of the day, among whom were Wycherly and Walsh. It was from the advice of the latter, that he was enabled to excel all his predecessors in correctness. The same year he began his "Windsor Forest," which added to his growing fame; but his " Essay on Criticism," justly deemed a masterpiece in the art, extended it far and near. The admirable pieces above-mentioned sufficiently established his judgment as a poet; and "The Rape of the Lock," equally proved the extent of his fancy, and the power of his creative imagination, by an admirable display of poetical talents. In 1713, he issued proposals for a translation of "Homer's Iliad," the subscriptions for which amounted to 6,000l. besides 1,2001. which he received of Lintot for the copy. He now purchased a house at Twickenham, whither he retired with his father and mother, and in 1717, published a collection of all those things that he had printed separately. He proceeded to give a new edition of

Shakespeare," which, being published in 1721, discovered that he had consulted his fortune more than his fame by that undertaking. Assisted by Broome and Fenton he undertook the "Odyssey;" and in 1725, jointly with Swift and Arbuthnot, printed some volumes of 66 Miscellanies." In 1727, his "Dun

ciad"

ciad" appeared in Ireland, and the next year in England, with notes by Swift, under the name of Scriblerus. In 1729, appeared his

66

Essay on Man," an ethical poem, the philoso phy of which was furnished by his friend Lord Bolingbroke. After this he published "Satires," which he continued till 1739. He died in 1744. The following particulars relative to the translation of the Odyssey, seem necessary to be noticed. When the success of the Iliad gave encouragement to a version of the Odyssey, Pope, weary of the toil, called Fenton and Broome to his assistance; and taking only half the work upon himself, divided the other half between his partners, giving four books to Fenton, and eight to Broome. To the lot of Broome fell the 2d. 6th. 8th. 11th. 12th. 16th. 18th. and 23d. together with the burden of writing all the notes. The price at which Pope purchased this assistance, was 300l. paid to Fenton, and 500l. to Broome; with as many copies as he wanted for his friends, which amounted to 1001. more. Mr. Pope did not, in his last hours, choose to be attended by the catholic priest, recommended by Mr. Hooke to. come to him, till he knew Lord Bolingbroke had quitted his house. Mr. Pope died as he was receiving extreme unction. It is probable, from his not having sufficiently attended to his religious faith and principles, that he was almost in the state of that French nobleman, mentioned in a French miscellany, cal ed Ana, who, at the requisition of his wife, sent for a priest; and when the priest asked

him whether he believed such and such particular article, he turned to his wife, and said, "My dear, should I believe that?" Mr. Pope, indeed, in one of his letters to Atterbury, the bishop of Rochester, talking of his reading books of controversy on religious subjects, says, "At the age "of seventeen I warmed my head with them, "and the consequence was, that I found my"self a protestant and a papist by turns, accord

ing to the last book I read." "This," adds

Bishop Warburton, "is an admirable picture of "every reader busied in religious controversy, "without possessing the principles in which a right judgment of the merits in question is to

"be found."

POWELL, (FOSTER) a celebrated English pedestrian, whose extraordinary feats of walking almost exceed credibility. His travels on foot between London and York were the occasion of very large sums being won and lost. He certainly had many opportunities of appropriating to himself the advantages which have been gained by those acquainted with his astonishing power and resolution, yet he himself was generally in very low circumstances, and died in indigence April 15, 1793. The remains of this extraordinary pedestrian were interred in St. Paul's church-yard, agreeable to his own re quest. The funeral was characteristically walking one, from New Inn through Fleet Street, and up Ludgate Hill. The followers were twenty on foot, in black gowns, and after them came three mourning coaches. He was buried nearly under the only tree in the church-yard.-.

2

His