petty or
malicious deceptions to the history of his legitimate career. I go back
to the period when he was still in full power. Having finished the
Dunciad, he was soon employed on a more ambitious task. Pope resembled
one of the inferior bodies of the solar system, whose orbit is dependent
upon that of some more massive planet; and having been a satellite of
Swift, he was now swept into the train of the more imposing Bolingbroke.
He had been originally introduced to Bolingbroke by Swift, but had
probably seen little of the brilliant minister who, in the first years
of their acquaintance, had too many occupations to give much time to the
rising poet. Bolingbroke, however, had been suffering a long eclipse,
whilst Pope was gathering fresh splendour. In his exile, Bolingbroke,
though never really weaned from political ambition, had amused himself
with superficial philosophical studies. In political life it was his
special glory to extemporize statesmanship without sacrificing pleasure.
He could be at once the most reckless of rakes and the leading spirit in
the Cabinet or the House of Commons. He seems to have thought that
philosophical eminence was obtainable in the same offhand fashion, and
that a brilliant style would justify a man in laying down the law to
metaphysicians as well as to diplomatists and politicians. His
philosophical writings are equally superficial and arrogant, though they
show here and there the practised debater's power of making a good point
against his antagonist without really grasping the real problems at
issue.

Bolingbroke received a pardon in 1723, and returned to England, crossing
Atterbury, who had just been convicted of treasonable practices. In 1725
Bolingbroke settled at Dawley, near Uxbridge, and for the next ten years
he was alternately amusing himself in playing the retired philosopher,
and endeavouring, with more serious purpose, to animate the opposition
to Walpole. Pope, who was his frequent guest, sympathized with his
schemes, and was completely dazzled by his eminence. He spoke of him
with bated breath, as a being almost superior to humanity. "It looks,"
said Pope once, "as if that great man had been placed here by mistake.
When the comet appeared a month or two ago," he added, "I sometimes
fancied that it might be come to carry him home, as a coach comes to
one's door for other visitors." Of all the graceful compliments in
Pope's poetry, none are more ardent or more obviously s