coffee-house on the north side of Russell Street, in Covent Garden,
where the wits of that time used to assemble, and where Dryden had,
when he lived, been accustomed to preside. During this period of
his life he was indefatigably diligent and insatiably curious,
wanting health for violent and money for expensive pleasures, and
having excited in himself very strong desires of intellectual
eminence, he spent much of his time over his books; but he read only
to store his mind with facts and images, seizing all that his
authors presented with undistinguishing voracity, and with an
appetite for knowledge too eager to be nice. In a mind like his,
however, all the faculties were at once involuntarily improving.
Judgment is forced upon us by experience. He that reads many books
must compare one opinion or one style with another; and, when he
compares, must necessarily distinguish, reject, and prefer. But the
account given by himself of his studies was, that from fourteen to
twenty he read only for amusement, from twenty to twenty-seven for
improvement and instruction; that in the first part of his time he
desired only to know, and in the second he endeavoured to judge.

The Pastorals, which had been for some time handed about among poets
and critics, were at last printed (1709) in Tonson's "Miscellany,"
in a volume which began with the Pastorals of Philips, and ended
with those of Pope. The same year was written the "Essay on
Criticism," a work which displays such extent of comprehension, such
nicety of distinction, such acquaintance with mankind, and such
knowledge both of ancient and modern learning, as are not often
attained by the maturest age and longest experience. It was
published about two years afterwards, and, being praised by Addison
in the Spectator, with sufficient liberality, met with so much
favour as enraged Dennis, "who," he says, "found himself attacked,