No More Learning

Arbuthnot, Pope, and Swift had combined to get out a volume of
Miscellanies in 1737. His health was failing rapidly at this time, and
he died a month or so after the appearance of this 'Epistle'.


EPISTLE

'1 John:'

John Searle, Pope's faithful servant.


'4 Bedlam:'

a lunatic asylum in London in Pope's day. Notice how Pope mentions, in
the same breath, Bedlam and Parnassus, the hill of the Muses which poets
might well be supposed to haunt.


'8 thickets:'

the groves surrounding Pope's villa.

'Grot:'

see Introduction [grotto].


'10 the chariot:'

the coach in which Pope drove.

'the barge:'

the boat in which Pope was rowed upon the Thames.


'13 the Mint:'

a district in London where debtors were free from arrest. As they could
not be arrested anywhere on Sunday, Pope represents them as taking that
day to inflict their visits on him.


'15 Parson:'

probably a certain Eusden, who had some pretensions to letters, but who
ruined himself by drink.


'17 Clerk:'

a law clerk.


'18 engross:'

write legal papers.


'19-20'

An imaginary portrait of a mad poet who keeps on writing verses even in
his cell in Bedlam.
Pope may have been thinking of Lee, a dramatist of
Dryden's day who was confined for a time in this asylum.


'23 Arthur:'

Arthur Moore, a member of Parliament for some years and well known in
London society. His "giddy son," James Moore, who took the name of Moore
Smythe, dabbled in letters and was a bitter enemy of Pope.


'25 Cornus:'

Robert Lord Walpole, whose wife deserted him in 1734. Horace Walpole
speaks of her as half mad.


'31 sped:'

done for.


'40'

Pope's counsel to delay the publication of the works read to him is
borrowed from Horace: "nonumque prematur in annum" '(Ars Poetica, 388). '


'41 Drury-lane,'

like Grub Street, a haunt of poor authors at this time.


'43 before Term ends:'

before the season is over; that is, as soon as the poem is written.


'48 a Prologue:'

for a play. Of course a prologue by the famous Mr. Pope would be of
great value to a poor and unknown dramatist.


'49 Pitholeon:'

the name of a foolish poet mentioned by Horace. Pope uses it here for
his enemy Welsted, mentioned in l. 373. --'his Grace:' the title given a
Duke in Great Britain.