ABSTRACT
Owen Ruffhead, extracts from The Life of Alexander Pope, Esq. compiled from Original Manuscripts; with a Critical Essay (1769). Ruffhead's work was published between 1 January and May. It was intended to be the authoritative life of Pope, for Warburton, after long delaying his promised biography, had handed over all his materials to Ruffhead, a young lawyer. He died shortly after his book appeared. Since Ruffhead had Warburton's assistance, as well as facts gathered from Spence and from other first-hand accounts of Pope, a better book than finally emerged might have been expected. Ruffhead, a rather obtuse critic, took issue with Joseph Warton's Essay. Only a brief section is given here.
