Pope died on May 30th 1744 and the news was sent to the Earl of Orrery by David Mallet in the letter above.
At the end of a year reading Pope’s works and thinking about his life I chose this extract to finish it off because I came away from the reading full of affection for the man and great admiration for his work. I wasn’t expecting it especially because from the very start the contradictions within Pope were more than clear. While he was a kind, loyal and generous he could be cruel and capricious and quick to anger.
Most importantly, it gave me pause to reflect on what it must have been to have lived a life dominated by illness and pain, especially in the eighteenth century.
And a final connection to Pope for us all.
The Solitary Reader 
Thank you. That was a very interesting journey, and it really did reveal the man as a person which I enjoyed. Where to next I wonder? Virginia xx
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