heir own _variazioni_.

"The writer of this is a tadpole of the Lakes, a young disciple of
the six or seven new schools, in which he has learnt to write such
lines and such sentiments as the above. He says, 'easy was the
task' of imitating Pope, or it may be of equalling him, I presume.
I recommend him to try before he is so positive on the subject, and
then compare what he will have _then_ written and what he has _now_
written with the humblest and earliest compositions of Pope,
produced in years still more youthful than those of Mr. K. when he
invented his new 'Essay on Criticism,' entitled 'Sleep and Poetry'
(an ominous title), from whence the above canons are taken. Pope's
was written at nineteen, and published at twenty-two.

"Such are the triumphs of the new schools, and such their scholars.
The disciples of Pope were Johnson, Goldsmith, Rogers, Campbell,
Crabbe, Gifford, Matthias, Hayley, and the author of the Paradise
of Coquettes; to whom may be added Richards, Heber, Wrangham,
Bland, Hodgson, Merivale, and others who have not had their full
fame, because 'the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle
to the strong,' and because there is a fortune in fame as in all
other things. Now of all the new schools--I say _all_, for, 'like
Legion, they are many'--has there appeared a single scholar who has
not made his master ashamed of him? unless it be * *, who has
imitated every body, and occasionally surpassed his models. Scott
found peculiar favour and imitation among the fair sex: there was
Miss Holford, and Miss Mitford, and Miss Francis; but with the
greatest respect be it spoken, none of his imitators did much
honour to the original except Hogg, the Ettrick shepherd, until the
appearance of 'The Bridal of Triermain,' and 'Harold the
Dauntless,' which in the opinion of some equalled if not surpassed
him; and lo! after three or four years they turned out to be the
Master's own compositions. Have Southey, or Coleridge, or
Wordsworth, made a follower of renown? Wilson never did well till
he set up for himself in the 'City of the Plague.' Has Moore, or
any other living writer of reputation, had a tolerable imitator, or
rather disciple? Now it is remarkable that almost all the followers
of Pope, whom I have named, have produced beautiful an