When Dryden came into the world, he found poetry in a very imperfect state; its numbers were unpolished; its cadences rough, and there was nothing of harmony or mellifluence to give it a graceful of flow.  In this harsh, unmusical situation, Dryden found it (for the refinements of Waller were but puerile and unsubstantial) he polished the rough diamond, he taught it to shine, and connected beauty, elegance, and strength, in all his poetical compositions.  Though Dryden thus polished our English numbers, and thus harmonized versification, it cannot be said, that he carried his art to perfection.  Much was yet left undone; his lines with all their smoothness were often rambling, and expletives were frequently introduced to compleat his measures.  It was apparent therefore that an additional harmony might still be given to our numbers, and that cadences were yet capable of a more musical modulation.  To effect this purpose Mr. Pope arose, who with an ear elegantly delicate, and the advantage of the finest genius, so harmonized the English numbers, as to make them compleatly musical.  His numbers are likewise so minutely correct, that it would be difficult to conceive how any of his lines can be altered to to advantage.  He has created a kind of mechanical versification; every line is alike; and though they are sweetly musical, they want diversity, for he has not studied so great a variety of pauses, and where the accents may be laid gracefully.  The structure of his verse is the best, and a line of his is more musical than any other line can be made, by placing the accents elsewhere; but we are not quite certain, whether the ear is not apt to be soon cloy’d with this uniformity of elegance, this sameness of harmony.  It must be acknowledged however, that he has much improved upon Dryden in the article of versification, and in that part of poetry is greatly his superior.  But though this must be acknowledged, perhaps it will not necessarily follow that his genius was therefore superior.

The grand characteristic of a poet is his invention, the surest distinction of a great genius.  In Mr. Pope, nothing is so truly original as his Rape of the Lock, nor discovers so much invention.  In this kind of mock-heroic, he is without a rival in our language, for Dryden has written nothing of the kind.  His other work which discovers invention, fine designing, and admirable execution, is his Dunciad; which, tho’ built on Dryden’s Mac Flecknoe, is yet so much superior, that in satiric writing, the Palm must justly be yielded to him.  In Mr. Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel, there are indeed the most poignant strokes of satire, and characters drawn with the most masterly touches; but this poem with all its excellencies is much inferior to the Dunciad, though Dryden had advantages which Mr. Pope had not; for Dryden’s characters are men of great eminence and figure in the state, while Pope has to expose men of obscure birth and unimportant lives only distinguished from the herd of mankind,