Mr. Peter Cunningham. After Croker's death these
materials were submitted by Mr. Murray to Mr. Whitwell Elwin, whose own
researches have greatly extended our knowledge, and who had also the
advantage of Mr. Dilke's advice. Mr. Elwin began, in 1871, the
publication of the long-promised edition. It was to have occupied ten
volumes--five of poems and five of correspondence, the latter of which
was to include a very large proportion of previously unpublished matter.
Unfortunately for all students of English literature, only two volumes
of poetry and three of correspondence have appeared. The notes and
prefaces, however, contain a vast amount of information, which clears up
many previously disputed points in the poet's career; and it is to be
hoped that the materials collected for the remaining volumes will not be
ultimately lost. It is easy to dispute some of Mr. Elwin's critical
opinions, but it would be impossible to speak too highly of the value of
his investigations of facts. Without a study of his work, no adequate
knowledge of Pope is attainable.

The ideal biographer of Pope, if he ever appears, must be endowed with
the qualities of an acute critic and a patient antiquarian; and it would
take years of labour to work out all the minute problems connected with
the subject. All that I can profess to have done is to have given a
short summary of the obvious facts, and of the main conclusions
established by the evidence given at length in the writings of Mr. Dilke
and Mr. Elwin. I have added such criticisms as seemed desirable in a
work of this kind, and I must beg pardon by anticipation if I have
fallen into inaccuracies in relating a story so full of pitfalls for the
unwary.

L. S.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE

EARLY YEARS 1

CHAPTER II.

FIRST PERIOD OF POPE'S LITERARY CAREER 21

CHAPTER III.

POPE'S HOMER 61

CHAPTER IV.

POPE AT TWICKENHAM 81

CHAPTER V.

THE WAR WITH THE DUNCES 111

CHAPTER VI.

CORRESPONDENCE 137

CHAPTER VII.

THE ESSAY ON MAN 159

CHAPTER VIII.

EPISTLES AND SATIRES 181

CHAPTER IX.

THE END 206

POPE.

CHAPTER I.

EARLY YEARS.

The father of Alexand