Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/730

 no POPE at Hampton Court to a Doctor of Divinity." Pope answered them in a "Letter to a Noble Lord," which on second thought he suppressed, and in a poetical " Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot" (1735), which he calls " a sort of bill of com- plaint, begun several years before and drawn up by snatches." It now stands as the "Pro- logue to the Satires." A volume of Pope's letters to Mr. Henry Cromwell had been print- ed by Curll as early as 1726. Cromwell had given them to his mistress Mrs. Thomas, who sold them to Curll for ten guineas ; and though Pope expressed great displeasure, he made no effort to suppress them. Three years after- ward a volume of his correspondence with Wycherley was published, undoubtedly by his own contrivance, though he declared the manu- scripts had been surreptitiously obtained. In 1735 appeared a volume entitled "Mr. Pope's Lit- erary Correspondence for thirty years," which was also unauthorized. It was published by Curll, who received the books, already print- ed, from an unknown correspondent styling himself P. T. Not more than 300 copies were furnished him, all of which were imperfect. Pope soon came forward with a "genuine edition " (1737), professedly in self-defence ; but it is significant that many of the letters in this genuine edition correspond with those in Curll's, while they differ essentially from the originals ; and the conviction is irresisti- ble that P. T. was Pope himself. That the let- ters were transformed greatly from their origi- nal language, addresses altered, names inter- polated or suppressed, parts of different let- ters combined, whole letters forged, and dates changed, to the confusion of all the poet's biog- raphers, has long been known. The publica- tion of his correspondence with Swift (1741) was probably effected by a similar contrivance. His last important work was " The New Dun- ciad," which appeared separately in 1742, and was combined with the former satire, as a fourth book, in 1743. It is superior to the other in its object, which was to satirize all false pretenders to taste and science, but it has been objected that the subjects introduced do not harmonize with the previous parts of the work. In the substitution of Gibber for Theo- bald when the whole was republished in 1743 he made a capital mistake, for the descriptions of the dull and witless editor of Shakespeare became ludicrously inappropriate when applied to the gossiping and vivacious comedian. Pope now resolved to devote his remaining days to preparing with the assistance of Warburton a complete edition of his works. He lived to supervise only the "Dunciad," the " Essay on Man," and the " Essay on Criticism." His dis- ease was dropsy in the breast. He was buried in the parish church of Twickenham, where 17 years afterward Warburton erected a monu- ment to his memory. Despite his fondness for little intrigues, his petulance, his vanity, and his frequent disregard for truth, Pope was warm and persevering in his friendships, social, generous, and benevolent. His devotion to his mother, who lived with him to the age of 93, was remarkable. He apparently felt little at- tachment to his religion (Roman Catholic), but he resisted great temptations to change it when such a step wouldhave opened to him the highest worldly advantages. The deformity of his per- son was redeemed by a fine, thoughtful counte- nance, and a quick, piercing eye. The minute description of his habits given by Dr. Johnson applies only to the later years of his life, when he was so weak that he could hardly stand erect without the support of corsets, and re- quired the assistance of a maid to dress and undress him. To the last he was a diligent student ; he seldom published anything till he had kept it several years by him ; and prob- ably no poet ever possessed in a higher degree " the last and greatest art, the art to blot." His letters are admirable specimens of prose composition, full of humor, wit, and vivacity, but too studiously elaborate to be models of epistolary style. Some of them, like many of his other prose writings and poems, are grossly indecent. The best editions of Pope's works are Warburton's (9 vols. 8vo, 1751-'60), Bowles's (10 vols., 1807), and Roscoe's, with a memoir (10 vols., 1824). A new critical edi- tion, commenced by J. W. Croker and continued by the Rev. Whitwell Elwin, was begun in 1861 ; the eighth volume, constituting the third volume of the correspondence, and including many letters never before printed, was pub- lished in London in 1872. There is an excel- lent life of Pope by R. Carruthers in Bohn's u Illustrated Library " (1857), and it was also published in 4 vols. 8vo (1858). Among recent editions of his poetical works are those edited by 0. Cowden Clarke (2 vols., 1873), and by W. M. Rossetti (1873). A great deal of infor- mation concerning Pope has been brought to light within the last few years in the London "Athenaeum" and "Notes and Queries." POPE, John, an American soldier, born at Kaskaskia, 111., March 12, 1823. He graduated at West Point in 1842, and was made brevet second lieutenant of topographical engineers. In 1842-'4 he served in Florida, in 1845-'6 on the survey of the N. E. boundary line, and in 1846 -'8 in the war with Mexico, being brevet- ted as first lieutenant and captain for gallant and meritorious conduct at Monterey and Bue- na Vista. In 1849-'50 he was employed in to- pographical surveys and explorations in Min- nesota; in 1851-'3 as chief topographical en- gineer in the department of New Mexico ; in 1853-'9 in charge of the survey of the Pacific railroad route near the 32d parallel of latitude, and in experiments to procure water on the Llano Estacado by means of artesian wells; and in 1856 was made captain of topographi- cal engineers for 14 years' continuous services. In 1859-'60 he was employed on lighthouse duty. After the outbreak of the civil war he served for a few months as mustering officer at Chicago. He was made brigadier general of