Alexander Pope, the son of a linen draper, was born on May 21, 1688 into a Roman Catholic family. He was a satirical poet whose great talent was that he could crystallise the plain man's thoughts into memorable verse and could express thoughts of the subtlest ingenuity. At a young age he was infected with tuberculosis of the spine that he likely contracted from his wet-nurse. This left him permanently deformed, subject to violent headaches and he never grew taller than 4 ft 6.
"...during his whole maturity, he could neither dress nor undress himself, go to bed or get up without help, and that on rising he had to be invested with a stiff canvas bodice and tightly laced, and have put on him a fur doublet and numerous stockings to keep off the cold and fill out his shrunken form."
Because of the proscribed religion to which he belonged he was barred from England's Protestant Universities. He was taught by priests until the age of 12, when his father retired; after which, he was largely self taught.
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