Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-01-26
Alexander Pope.

FROM OOlBuIn MOHIuly.l
Nature seems to have purposeiy de-
signed him for giving trouble to his tel-
low creatures. Assistance was as neces-
sary to his physical weakness as ink was
to his thoughts. His personal charms
were few, but his defects many. He had
clear, sparkling eyes, long, handsome
nose, q smile at once sweet and melan-
choly, and a voice exqrisitely sweet and
musical. But he was born witha form
so weak as to demand, throughout mis-
life, the support Of stays. He was so
small that at table his chair had to be
greatly raised in order to bring his
mouth to level with his plate. His legs
were as thin as straws, and in order to
give them resemblance of bulk, he wore
three pairs Of stockings His head was
bald, and whenever he could, he wore
white cap in preference to a tie-wlg.
Because he once fell asleep at his own
table when the Prince OF Wales was
talking of poetry, he was charged with
being deficient in good manners, or with
snobbish desire to. show how little he
valued the society of royalty; but the
truth was he was like baby. lie was
so weak that he obeyed the dictates OF
nature MS implicitly as an infant obeys
her. When she made him weary, he
fell asleep. When he had any demands
to be satisfied he querulously cried
for them, as a spoiled or peevish baby
would do. Wherever be went his help
lessuess was complained of by his host
and resented by the servants. True to
his beyish nature, he neglected to pro-
vide himself with an attendant when he
paid his visits, although It would have
been reasonable to suppose that an at
tepdant. who was accustomed to his
habits and who could anticipate his
wants. would have suggested itself as a
necessity to him. The consequences OF
his helplessness was that every house be
STAYED at o large retinue OF domestic
servants was found unequal TO the duty
of waiting on him. One had tolpull On
his three pairs of stockings, while an
other sewed him up in his buckram SUIT;
one had to lace his stays, while another
shaved him. And when once they were
about him they burst not abandon him I;
for he was so fraiI that they dreaded,
snould he be left alone, that he would
tumble to the ground and lay without
the power of rising. Nor did they so
much fear his falling down as his tongue,
for this was an instrument he could
WELD among them to as good pur-
pose as he conld WELD his pen among
the crowd of hungry poets. But the
labors of the servants were light IN the
DAYTIME compared to what they were at
NIGHT. If he was troubled with head
ache, he would rouse them out Of bed to
make him coffee, inhaling the steam OF
which he declared was the only means
by which he could obtain relief. In the
bitterest January nights be would ring
the footmen out of their warm blankets,
10 dispatch them on the most aggravat-
ing errands, to fetch him pia, or to
look for an envelope he had dropped,
perhaps in the garden. When in a
rhyming mood, which came upon HIM
with troublesome frequency, he would
keen a servant throughout tho night
running in and out of his room twenty
times to bring or remove his desk, TO
find better pins, to procure better INK.
The servants got at last to know him SO
we'll that they avoided him. Some OF
thetn aatly refused to obey his orders:
Manv of them who heard of his intended
visit would demand their dismissal. But
;f he was troublesome, he was at least
a liberal invalid. Some of the,seEFants
declared that they would not ask ior
wages during the time they had TO walt
upon Mr.. Pope.