Editing Christopher Smart (section)

===College===
[[Image:Christopher Smart Pembroke portrait.JPG|thumb|right|Christopher Smart's Pembroke portrait showing a letter sent from [[Alexander Pope]]]]
Smart was admitted to Pembroke College on 20 October 1739 as a [[sizar]] under Leonard Addison.<ref>{{acad|id=SMRT739C|name=Smart, Christopher}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=24}}</ref> Although it is unclear why he chose Pembroke College, Addison was named in Peter Smart's trust deed (1729).<ref>{{harvnb|Mounsey|2001|p=43}}</ref> As a sizar, he occasionally had to wait on the "Fellows' table" and perform other menial tasks.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=25}}</ref> On 12 July 1740, he was awarded the "Dr. Watt's Foundation scholarship", which granted him six pounds a year until he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree.<ref name="Sherbo p. 26">{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=26}}</ref> In addition to this income, he was also granted four pounds a year for scholarship.<ref>{{harvnb|Mounsey|2001|p=48}}</ref> Although he was successful academically, he began to run up debt in order to pay for his extravagant lifestyle while at the college.<ref name="Sherbo p. 26" />

During his time at Pembroke, Smart borrowed numerous books spanning the fields of literature, religion, and science.<ref>{{harvnb|Mounsey|2001|p=44}}</ref> These works helped when he wrote the three "Tripos Verse" at the end of each year.<ref>{{harvnb|Mounsey|2001|p=47}}</ref> These poems were written in Latin and they, along with his other Latin poems like his translation of [[Alexander Pope]]'s ''Ode on St. Cecilia's Day'', led to him being awarded the [[John Craven, 1st Baron Craven of Ryton|Craven scholarship]] for classics on 10 June 1742, which paid £25 a year for 14 years.<ref>{{harvnb|Mounsey|2001|p=49}}</ref> These scholarships, combined with his becoming a [[fellow]] in 1743, justified Smart calling himself "Scholar of the University".<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=31}}</ref>

In 1743, Smart published his translation of Pope's ''Ode on St. Cecilia's Day'' as ''Carmen Cl. Alexandri Pope in S. Caeciliam Latine Redditum'' and paid for the publication himself.<ref name="Mounsey p. 50">{{harvnb|Mounsey|2001|p=50}}</ref> With this translation, he wanted to win Pope's favor and translate Pope's ''Essay on Man'', but Pope rejected the idea and, after a lettered response and a possible meeting between the two, Smart translated Pope's ''An Essay on Criticism'' (''De Arte Critica'') instead.<ref name="Mounsey p. 50" /> The initial letter sent from Pope recommending the future translation was prized by Smart.<ref name="Sherbo p. 33">{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=33}}</ref> In response to this letter and his budding relationship with Pope, the Pembroke Fellows honoured him with a portrait showing him holding the letter from Pope and allowed him to write a poem in celebration of Jubilee of Pembroke's 400th year in 1744.<ref name="Sherbo p. 33" /><ref>{{harvnb|Mounsey|2001|p=51}}</ref>

In October 1745, Smart was elected [[Praelector]] of Philosophy, which paid one pound a year, and made one of three Keepers of the Common Chest.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=36}}</ref> The next year, on 11 February 1746, he became a Master of Arts and was later elected on 10 October 1746, to Praelector of Philosophy, Praelector of Rhetoric, and Keeper of the Common Chest.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=42}}</ref> However, he had run up more debt of over twice his annual income, and he was not re-elected in 1747 to the Praelectorship and was denied his control over the Common Chest accounts.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|pp=44–45}}</ref> However, he was made a "Preacher before the Mayor of Cambridge" at the college under the title "Concionatori Coram Praetore oppidano", and his modest living during this year allowed him to regain Praelectorship in Philosophy along with being made a catechist, which suggests that he was ordained in the [[Anglican]] church.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=45}}</ref>

In 1746, Smart became tutor to [[John Delaval, 1st Baron Delaval|John Hussey Delaval]], but this was abruptly cancelled because Delaval was removed from Pembroke after a variation of broken rules and mischief.<ref>{{harvnb|Mounsey|2001|pp=54–55}}</ref> After recovering from this, Smart returned to studying. In April 1747, a comedy he wrote just months before, ''A Trip to Cambridge'', or ''The Grateful Fair'', was performed in Pembroke College Hall, with many parts, including female roles, played by Smart himself.<ref name="Sherbo p. 53-54">{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|pp=53–54}}</ref>  The prologue was printed in ''The Cambridge Journal Weekly Flying-Post'', which claimed that the play received "Universal Applause".<ref name="Sherbo p. 54">{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=54}}</ref>

During his final years at Pembroke, Smart was writing and publishing many poems.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=50}}</ref> On 9 January 1748, there were three proposals for "A Collection of Original Poems, By Christopher Smart, M.A., Fellow of Pembroke Hall, in the University of Cambridge" that would include "The Hop Garden", "The Judgment of Midas, a Masque", his odes, his translations into Latin, and some original Latin poems.<ref name="Sherbo p. 51">{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=51}}</ref> [[Thomas Gray]], on 17 March 1747, referred to this work as Smart's "Collection of Odes".<ref name="Sherbo p. 51" /> This collection was not printed in 1748 but was delayed until 1752, and was re-titled ''Poems on Several Occasions''.<ref name="Sherbo p. 51" />

Between 1740 and 1746, he was introduced to Harriot Pratt, and he began to write poetry about her.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=46}}</ref> By 1749, he was in love with her and wrote to his friend [[Charles Burney]] (father of [[Fanny Burney]]), "I am situated within a mile of my Harriote & Love has robd Friendship of her just dues&nbsp;... There was a great musical crash at Cambridge, which was greatly admired, but I was not there, being much better pleased with hearing my Harriote on her spinnet & organ at her ancient mansion", suggesting that he was living permanently in Market Downham, London.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=48}}</ref> Although he wrote many poems dedicated to Harriot, his poem "The Lass with the Golden Locks" (1752) claims that he was done with both Harriot, Polly, and other women.<ref>{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=49}}</ref> The "lass with the golden locks" who replaced Smart's previous fancies was Anna Maria Carnan.<ref>''Poetical Works'' iv p. xxiii</ref> Anna would be Smart's future wife and she was the stepdaughter of [[John Newbery]], Smart's future publisher.<ref name="Sherbo p. 87">{{harvnb|Sherbo|1967|p=87}}</ref>