Alexander Pope (London, UK, 21 May 1688 - London, UK, 30 May 1744) was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. Ever since his twelfth year he wrote verses, often imitations of other writers. His most original work of that time was Pastorals (1709). His first big work was An Essay on Criticism from 1711. Pope's work gives a good reflection of its time. In the time of Queen Anne, he wrote pastoral poetry, the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" arose under George I. In his third period he treated the great religious and intellectual issues of the day. He wrote mainly in the form of "heroic couplets": series of usually ten-syllable rhyming lines together. Here he developed into a true master.