roject. As he carried
it on, he showed what he wrote to both of us; and we now and then
gave a correction, or a word or two of advice; but it was wholly of
his own writing. When it was done, neither of us thought it would
succeed. We showed it to Congreve, who, after reading it over, said,
'It would either take greatly, or be damned confoundedly.' We were
all at the first night of it, in great uncertainty of the event,
till we were very much encouraged by overhearing the Duke of Argyle,
who sat in the next box to us, say, 'It will do--it must do!--I see it
in the eyes of them!' This was a good while before the first Act was
over, and so gave us ease soon; for the Duke [besides his own good
taste] has a more particular research than any one now living in
discovering the taste of the public. He was quite right in this as
usual; the good nature of the audience appeared stronger and
stronger every act, and ended in a clamour of applause."--POPE
(_Spence's Anecdotes_).

123 "Waller, Spenser, and Dryden were Mr. Pope's great favourites, in
the order they are named, in his first reading, till he was about
twelve years old."--POPE (_Spence's Anecdotes_).

"Mr. Pope's father (who was an honest merchant, and dealt in
Hollands, wholesale) was no poet, but he used to set him to make
English verses when very young. He was pretty difficult in being
pleased; and used often to send him back to new turn them. 'These
are not good rhimes;' for that was my husband's word for
verses."--POPE'S MOTHER (_Spence_).

"I wrote things, I'm ashamed to say how soon. Part of an Epic Poem
when about twelve. The scene of it lay at Rhodes, and some of the
neighbouring islands; and the poem opened under water with a
description of the Court of Neptune."--POPE (ibid.).

"His perpetual application (after he set to study of himself)
reduced him in four years' time to so bad a state of health, that,
after trying physicians for a good while in vain, he resolved to
give way to his distemper; and sat down calmly in a full expectation
of death in a short time. Under this thought, he wrote letters to
take a last farewell of some of his more particular friends, and,
among the rest, one to the Abbe Southcote. The Abbe was extremely
concerned, both for hi