Imatges de pàgina
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And yet, believe me, good as well as ill,
Woman's at beft a Contradiction still.
Heav'n, when it strives to polish all it can
Its last best work, but forms a fofter Man;
Picks from each fex, to make the Fav'rite blest,
Your love of Pleasure, our defire of Rest:

Blends, in exception to all genʼral rules,
Your Taste of Follies, with our Scorn of Fools:
Referve with Franknefs, Art with Truth ally'd,
Courage with Softnefs, Modesty with Pride;
Fix'd Principles, with Fancy ever new;
Shakes all together, and produces-You.

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275

280

Be this a Woman's Fame: with this unbleft, Toasts live a scorn, and Queens may die a jest. This Phoebus promis'd (I forget the year) When those blue eyes first open'd on the sphere; Afcendant Phoebus watch'd that hour with care, 285 Averted half your Parents' fimple Pray'r;

NOTES.

And

VER. 269. The picture of an eftimable woman, with the best kind of contrarieties, created out of the Poet's imagination; who therefore feigned thofe circumstances of a husband, a daughter, and love for a fifter, to prevent her being miftaken for any of his acquaintance. And having thus made his Woman, he did, as the ancient Poets were wont, when they had made their Muse, invoke, and addrefs his poem to her. WARBURTON.

VER. 270. a Contradiction ftill.] So alfo has he fhewn Man to be in the Effay. WARTON

VER. 280. and produces-You.] The turn of these lines is exactly the fame with thofe of Mrs. Biddy Floyd; Swift's Mifcellanies, vol. iv. p. 142.

And gave you Beauty, but deny'd the Pelf
That buys your Sex a Tyrant o'er itself.

The gen❜rous God, who Wit and Gold refines,
And ripens Spirits as he ripens Mines,

Kept Drofs for Ducheffes, the world fhall know it,
To you gave Senfe, Good-humour, and a Poet.

NOTES.

"Jove mix'd up all, and his best clay employ'd,

Then call'd the happy composition-Floyd."

290

Mrs. Patty Blount was always supposed to be the lady here addreffed-" produces You."

WARTON. VER. 291. the world shall know it,] This is an unmeaning expreffion, and a poor expletive, into which our Poet was unfortunately forced by the rhyme. WARTON.

Rhyme, as Warton properly remarks, has been the occafion of fome other faulty expreffions in our Author's Works, which he points out, though they scarcely need enumeration. On this occafion, he enters into the general comparative merits of Rhyme and Blank Verfe: but there can be furely no doubt on the fubject. Rhyme is abfolutely neceffary for pieces like these, of point, wit, and fatire; if not for lyric and elegiac poetry. A fatire in blank verfe, would be as ridiculous as an “Æneid in hexameter and pentameter verses." For more dignified and extensive subjects, there can be no doubt of the propriety of a more varied, harmonious, and lofty measure, as blank verfe for the ferious drama, and epic poetry, notwithstanding Burnet's opinion, that "The Paradise Loft was a fine poem, though the Author affected to write it in blank verfe !"

Ir fhould be remembered, that when this Epiftle was first published, Pope in an advertisement declared, "UPON HIS HONOUR," no Character was taken from real life. Walpole relates a story of his conduct in this refpect, highly to his difcredit, to which Warton alludes; but I do not think it fhould be admitted without the cleareft evidence, as we should read, cum grano falis, whatever comes from Walpole's party against Pope, and vice verfâ..

EPISTLE III.

то

ALLEN LORD BATHURST.

THE following original Letter of Lord Bathurst to Pope, will fhew the great respect and kindness he had for him. It is taken from the Autographs of the Odyffey and Iliad, preserved in the British Museum, which are written chiefly on the backs of various letters:

"I will not fail to attend Mrs. Howard upon Marble Hill next Tuesday; but Lady Bathurst is not able to come at this time, which is no small mortification to her. I hope I fhall perfuade John Gay to come hither to me, for I really think such a wintry fummer as this should be paffed altogether in fociety by a chimneycorner; but I believe I fhould not lie, if I affured you that I would quit the finest walk on the finest day in the finest garden, to have your company at any time. This is faying a great deal more than is commonly understood by one. I am

Your most faithful humble fervant,

BATHURST.".

ARGUMENT.

Of the Ufe of RICHES.

THAT it is known to few, most falling into tremes, Avarice or Profufion, Ver. 1, &c.

one of the exThe Point dif

been more com

cuffed, whether the invention of Money has modious, or pernicious to Mankind, Ver. 21 to 77. That Riches either to the Avaricious or the Prodigal, cannot afford Happiness, fcarcely Neceffaries, Ver. 89 to 160. That Avarice is an abfolute Frenzy, without an End or Purpose, Ver. 113, &c. 152. Conjectures about the Motives of Avaricious Men, Ver. 121 to 153. That the conduct of Men, with respect to Riches, can only be accounted for by the ORder of Providence, which works the general Good out of Extremes, and brings all to its great End by perpetual Revolutions, Ver. 161 to 178. How a Mifer acts upon Principles zuhich appear to him reasonable, Ver. 179. How a Prodigal does the fame, Ver. 199. The due Medium, and true Ufe of Riches, Ver. 219. The Man of Rofs, Ver. 250. The fate of the Profufe and the Covetous, in two examples; both miferable in Life and in Death, Ver. 300, &c. The Story of Sir Balaam, Ver. 339, to the End.

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P. W

Ho fhall decide, when Doctors disagree,

And foundest Cafuifts doubt, like you and me? You hold the word, from Jove to Momus giv'n,

That Man was made the standing jeft of Heav'n;

COMMENTARY.

And

EPISTLE III.] This Epiftle was written after a violent outcry against our Author, on fufpicion that he had ridiculed a worthy nobleman merely for his wrong taste. He juftified himself upon that article in a letter to the Earl of Burlington; at the end of which are thefe words: "I have learnt that there are fome who would rather be wicked than ridiculous; and therefore it may be fafer to attack vices than follies. I will therefore leave my betters in the quiet poffeffion of their idols, their groves, and their high places, and change my fubject from their pride to their meannefs, from their vanities to their miferies; and as the only certain way to avoid mifconftructions, to leffen offence, and not to multiply illnatured applications, I may probably, in my next, make use of real names inftead of fictitious ones." POPE.

VER. 1. Who shall decide, &c.] The addrefs of the introduction (from ver. 1 to 21.) is remarkable: The Poet reprefents himself, and the noble Lord, his friend, as in a free conversation, philofophizing on the final caufe of Riches; and it proceeds by way of dialogue, which moft writers have employed to hide the want of method; our Author uses it only to foften and enliven the dryness and feverity of it. You (fays the Poet)

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hold the word from Jove to Momus giv'n,But I, who think more highly of our kind,Opine, that Nature," &c.

NOTES.

As

VER. 2. like you and me?] A most unaccountable piece of falfe English-me for I. It is not for the fake of making petty

objections

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