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Mil 

I  3433  07479364   1 


^ 


E        S      S     A     Y 

OK    THE 

G      E    N     I     U     S 

AND 

WRITINGS 

OF 

I  P      O     P     E. 


VOLUME    THE   SECOND. 


LONDON: 

VHIMTMB     rOB.    J.    DODSLEY,    IN    PaLL-MaLL. 


ICTa  L ] 


J^,™  7.  1« 


jJX,  I  >— L,^ 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


IN  order  to  account  for  the  anachronifms 
that  appear  in  this  effay,  it  is  neceiTary 
aiid  refpedtful  to  inform  the  reader^  that  this 
Tolunic  was  printed,  as  far  as  the  aoiftpage^ 
above  twcnt^  years  ago.  The  author  begs 
leave  to  add^  that  he  flatters  himfelf,  thM  no 
cbfervations  in  this  work  can  be  Co  perverfely 
mifinterpreted  and  tortured,  as  to  make  hiqi 
infinuate,  contrary  to  his  opinion  and  incli- 
nation, that  Pope  was  not  a  great  poet: 
he  only  fays  and  thinks,  he  was  not  the 
great  eft.  He  imagined  his  meaning  would  ^ 
liave  been  perceived,   and  his  motives  for 

^  compoiing  this  eiTay  would  have  been  clearly 
known,  from  the  pafTage  of  Quintilian,  pre- 

.  ^^ed  to  the  firft  volu^ie  of  it ;  which  pafTage 

implies,  that  as  there  were  readers  at  Rome, 

3  wh© 


%  J 


ii       ADVEktlSE;ME**f. 

^  iffho  inverted' the  order  of  poetical  excellency 
and  who  preferred  Lucilius  to  Virgil;  fo 
there  might  be  readers  in  England,  fo  devoted 
to, Pope,  as  Xo  prefer  him  to  |h^ilton;  »id 
the  author  thought  and  knew  there  were 
actually  many  fuch  readers  and  judges ;  who 

;  leemed  not  to  recolle(3:,  that,  in  every  lan- 
guage, he  is  the  trueft  and  moll  genuine 
poet,  whofe  works  moft  powerfully  ftrikc  the 
imagination  With  what  i^  Greats  Beautiful, 
and  New, 


k 


A  N 


ESSAY 


ON     THE 


WRITINGS   and   GENIUS 


O   F 


POPE. 


-AAA*    ^^-^tittti^ 


SECT.       VII. 

Of  the  Temple  of  Fame- 


FEW  difquifitions  are  more  amufing, 
or  perhaps  more  inftrufliive,  than  thofe 
which  relate  to  the  rife  and  gradual  increafe 
of  literature  in  any  kingdom :  And  among 
the  various  fpecies  of  literature,  the  origin 
progrefs  of  poetry,  however  fliailow 
reafbners  may  defpife  it,  is  a  fubjedt  of  no 
finall  utility.  For  the  manners  and  cuf- 
Vol.  II.  B  toms. 


2        ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

tomSj  the  different  ways  of  thinking  and,  of 
living,  the  favorite  paffions,  pcrfuits,  and' 
pleafures  of  men,  appear  in  no  writings  fo 
ftrongly  marked,  as  in  the  works  of  the 
poets  in  their  refpe^ve^  ages ;  fo  that  in 
thefe  compofitions,  the  hiftorian,  the  mo- 
raHff,  the  poHtician,  and  the  philofopher, 
may,  each  of  them,  meet  with  abundant 
matter  for  refledion  and  obfervation. 

Poetry  made  it's  iirft  appearance  in 
Britain,  as  perhaps  in  moft  other  countries, 
in  the  form  of  chronicles,  intended  to  per- 
petuate the  deeds  both  of  civil  and  military 
heroes,  but  moftly  the  latter.  Of  this  fpe- 
cics  is  the  chronicle  of  Robert  of  Glocef- 
ter  J  and  of  this  fpecies  alfo  was  the  fong, 
or  ode,  which  William  the  Conqueror,  and 
his  followers,  fung  at  their  landing  in  this 
kingdom  from  Normandy.  The  men'.i'- .  ul 
which  event,  will  naturally  remind  v  of 
the  check  it  gave  to  the  native  fti;.':i^  of 
the  old  Britilh  poetry,  by  an  introdut>i? ;. 
of  foreign  manners,  cuiloms,  imagci>,  and 
language. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         3 

language.     Thefc  ancient  ftrains  were,  how«< 
ever,  fufficiently  harfh,  dry,  and  uncouth ♦ 
And  it  was  to  the  Italians  wc  owed  any 
thing  that  could  be  called   poetry :   from 
whom  Chaucer  copied  largely,  as  tbey  are 
faid  to  have  done  from ;  the  bards  of  Pro- 
vence; and  to  which  Italians  he  is  perpe- 
tually owning  his  obligations,  particularly  to 
Boccace  and  Petrarch.     But  Petrarch  had 
great  advantages,  which   Chaucer  wanted, 
not  only  in  the  friendfhip  and   advice   of 
Boccace,  but  flill  more  in  having  found  fuch 
a  predecefTor  as  Dante.     In  the  year  1359^ 
Boccace  fent  to  Petrarch  a  copy  of  bante, 
whom  he  called  his  father,  written  with  his 
own  hand/    And  it  is  remarkable,  that  he 
accompanied  his  prefent  with   an   apology 
for  fending  this  poem  to  Petrarch,  who,  it 
feems,   was   jealous  of  Dante,  and  in  the 
anfwer  fpeaks  coldly  of  his  merits.     This 
circumftance,  unobferved  by  the  generality 
of  writers,  and  even    by  Fontanini,  Cref- 
cembini,    and    Muratori,   is   brought   for- 
ward and  related  at   large,  in    the    third 
Tpliune^  page  507,  of  the  very  entertaining 

3  2  Memoii^s 


4        ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Memoirs  of  the  life  of  Petrarch.  In  the  year 
1363,  Boccace,  driven  from  Florence  by  the 
plague,  vifited  Petrarch  at  Venice,  and 
carried  with  him  Leontius  Pilatus,  of  Thef- 
falpnica,  a  man  of  genius,  but  of  haughty, 
rough,  and  brutal  manners;  from  this  An- 
gular man,  who  periftied  in  a  voyage  from 
Conftantinople  to  Venice,  1365,  Petrarch 
received  a  Latin  tranllation  of  the  Iliad  and 
Odyflcy.  Muratori,  in  his  i.  book,  Delia 
Perfetta  Poefia,  p.  18,  relates,  that  a  very 
few  years  after  the  death  of  Dante,  1321, 
a  moil  curious  work  on  the  Italian 
poetry,  was  written  by  a  M.  A.  di  Tem- 
po, of  which  he  had  feen  a  manufcript 
in  the  great  library  at  Milan,  of  the  year 
1332,  and  of  which  this  is  the  title: 
Incipit  Summa  Artu  Ritmtci  vulgaris  dic- 
taminis,  Ritmorum  vulgarium  feptem  funt 
genera,  i.  Eft  Sonetus.  z.  Ballata.  3. 
Cantio  extenfa.  4.  Rotundellus.  5.  Man-, 
drialis.  6.  Serventefius.  7.  Motus  con- 
feftus.  But  whatever  Chaucer  might  copy 
from  the  Italians,  yet  the  artful  and  en- 
tertaining plan  of.  bjs  Canterbury  Tales, 
3  w« 


ft 


ANP  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  5 

was  purely  original    and  his   own.      This 
admirable  piece,  even  exclufive  of  it's  poetry, 
is  highly  valuable,  as  it  prcferves  to  us  the 
livelieft  and  exaAeft  pifhire  of  the  manners, 
cuftoms,  charadters,  and  habits  of  our  fore- 
fathers, whom  he  has  brought  before  our 
eyes  adting  as  on  a  ftage,  fuitably  to  their  dif- 
ferent orders  and  employments.     With  thefe 
portraits  the  drieft  antiquary  muft  be.delighted; 
by  this  plan,  he  has  more  judicioufly  connedted 
thefe  ftories  which  the  guefls  relate,    than 
Boccace  has  done  his  novels :  whom  he  has 
imitated,   if  not  excelled,  in   the  variety  of 
the  fubjedts  of  his  tales.     It  is  a  common 
miflake,  that  Chaucer's   excellence   lay    in 
this  manner  of  treating  light  and  ridiculous 
fubjeds;  but  whoever  will  attentively  con- 
fider  the  noble  poem  of  Palamon  and  Arcite, 
will  be  convinced  that  he  equally  excels  in 
the  pathetic  and  the  fublime.     It  would  be 
matter  of  curiofity  to  know  with  certainty, 
who  was  the  iirfl  author  of  this  interefling 
tale.     It  is  plain,  by  a  pafTage  in  Boccace, 
that  it  was   in  being  before  his  time.    It 

has 


6  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
has  been  by  fome  afcribed  to  a  writer  al- 
moft  unknown,  called  Alanus  de  Infulis. 
I  have  lately  met  with  an  elegy  in  Joannes 
Sccundus  occafioned  by  this  Story ;  it  is  in  his 
third  book,  and  is  thus  intitled:  *  "  In  Hifto- 
riam  de  rebus  aThefeo  geftis  duorumque  riva- 
lium  certamine,GalIicis  numeris  ab  iUuilri  qua- 
damMotronafuavilTimeconfcriptam."  Perhaps 
this  compliment  was  addreiTed  to  Madam  de 
Scudery,  who  is  faid  to  have  tranilated  Chaucer 
into  modern  French.  Among  other  inftances 
of  vanity,  the  French  are  perpetually  boaft- 
ing,  that  they  have  been  our  mafters  in  many 
of  the  polite  arts,  and  made  earlier  improve- 
ments in  literature.  But  it  may  be  aflced, 
what  cotemporary  poet  can  they  name  to 
Aand  in  competition  with  Chaucer  i  In  care- 
fully examining  the  curious  work  of  the  pre- 
fident  Fauchet,  on  the  charafters  of  the 
ancient  French  poets,  I  can  find  none  of  this 
age,  but  barren  chroniclers,  and  harfh  ro- 
mancers in  rhime,  without  the  elegance,  ele- 
vation, invention,   or  harmony  of  Chaucer. 

•  Ekg.  15; 

Pafquiere 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  7 

Fafquiere  informs  us,  that  it  was  about  the 
time  of  Charles  VI.  1380,  that  les  chants 
royaux,  balades,  rondeaux^  and  paflorales, 
began  to  be  in  vogue  ;  but  thefe  compofitions 
are  low  and  feeble,  in  comparifon  of  the  ve« 
nerable  EngliQi  bard.  Froiilart  the  valuable 
hiflorian,  about  the  fame  time  wrote  very 
indifferent  verfes.  Charles  of  Orleans,  father 
of  Lewis  XII.  left  a  manufcript  of  his  poems. 
At  his  death  Francis  Villon  was  thirty-three 
years  old;  and  John  Marot,  the  father  of 
Clement,  was  then  born.  According  to  Boi- 
lean,  whofe  teflimony  fhould  be  regarded, 
Villon  was  the  firfl  who  gave  any  form  and 
order  to  the  French  poetry. 

Villon  Iceut  le  premier,  dans  ces  fiecles  groffieurs, 
D'  ebroiiiller  V  art  confus  de  no8  vieux  Romanciers  *. 

But  Villon  was  merely  a  pert  and  infipid 
ballad-monger,  whofe  thoughts  and  diction 
were  as  low  and  illiberal,  as  his  life. 

The  House  of  Fame,  as  Chaucer  entitled 
his  piece,  gave  the  hint  of  the  poem  before 

•  L'  Art  Poet.  Chan.  x. 

us. 


8         ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

us,  though  the  defign  is  in  truth  improved 
and  heightened  by  the  mafterly  hand  of  Pope. 
It  is  not  improbable,  that  this  fubjedl  was 
fuggcftcd  to  our  author,  not  only  by  Dry  den's 
tranfiations  of  Chaucer,  of  which  Pope  was 
fo  fond,  but  like  wife,  by  that  celebrated  pa- 
per of  Addifon,  in  the  Tatler,  called  the 
Tables  of  Fame,  to  which  the  great  worthies 
of  antiquity  are  introduced,  and  feated  ac- 
cording to  their  refpeSive  m.erits  and  cha- 
rafters  5  and  which  was  publiflied  fome  years 
before  this  poem  was  written.  Chaucer  him- 
felf  borrowed  his  defcription  from  Ovid,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  book  of  his  Meta- 
morphofes,  from  whence  he  has  clofely  copied 
the  fituation  and  formation  of  the  ediiice. 

Orbc  locus  medio  eft  inter  terrafquc  tretumque, 
Cceieftefque  plagas,  triplicis  coniinia  mundi, 
Unde  quod  eft  ufquam,  quamvis  regionibus  abfit, 
Ififpicitur,  penetratque  cavas  vox  omiiis  ad  aures  *. 

Ovid  has  introduced  fome  allegorical  perfo- 
nages,  but  has  not  diftinguifhed  them  with 
ariJT  pifturefque  epithets  j 

Illic 
•  Vcr.  40.  f 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  5 

lllic  Credulitas,  illic  temerarius  Error, 
Vanaque  Ljetitia  eft,  confternaitique  Timores, 
SfiPiTioquE  recens,  dubioque  audore  Susurri*. 

Dryden  tranflated  this  paffage  of  Ovid; 
and  Pope,  who  evidently  formed  himfelf 
upon  Dryden,  could  not  but  have  frequently 
read  it  with  pleafure,  particularly  the  follow- 
ing harmonious  lines, 

n!*i8  built  of  brafs,  the  better  to  diffufe 
The  fpreading  founds,  and  n^iltiply  the  News  ; 
Where  echos  in  repeated  echos  play  : 
A  mart  for  ever  full,  and  open  night  and  day. 
Nor  filence  is  within,  nor  voice  exprefs. 
But  a  deaf  noife  of  founds  that  never  ceafe, 
•f  Confus*d,  and  chiding,  like  the  hollow  roar 
Of  tides,  receding  from  th*  infulted  fhore : 
Or  like  the  broken  thunder,  heard  from  far. 
When  Jove  to  diftance  drives  the  rolling  war. 

•  Ver.  63. 

+  Confus'd,  &c. 
'    This  is  more  poetically  expreflcd  than  the  fame  image  lA 
X^arjM&or. 

Sadden  I  heard  a  wild  promifcuous  found. 
Like  broken  thunders  that  at  diilancc  roar. 
Or  billows  murm'ring  on  the  hollow  fhore. 
Dryden's  lines  are  fuperior  to  the  original. 
Qualia  de  pelagi,  iiquis  procul  audiat,  undit 

Vol,  II.  C  t& 


10    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

It  is  time  to  proceed  to  fome  remarks  on 
particular  paflagcs  of  this  Vifion ;  which  I 
ihall  do  in  the  order  in  which  they  occur, 
not  ccnfuring  or  commending  any,  without 
a  reafon  afligned. 

I.  Nor  was  the  work  impurM  hy  ftorms  alone. 
But  itit  th'  approaches  of  too  vnna  a  fun } 
For  fame*  impatient  of  extremes,  decays 
Not  more  by  envy,  than  excels  of  praile. 

Dogs  not  this  ufe  of  the  heat  of  the  fun; 
appear  to  be  a  puerile,  and  far-fetched  con- 
ceit ?  What  connef^ion  is  there  betwixt  the 
two  forts  of  excefies  here  mentioned?  My 
purpofe  in  animadverting  fo  fi^quently,  as  I 
have  done,  on  this  fpecies  of  falfe  thoughts, 
is  to  guard  the  reader,  eipecially  of  the  younger 
fort,  from  being  betrayed  by  the  author!^  of 
fo  correct  a  writer  as  Pope,  into  fuch  ipecious 
and  falfe  ornaments  of  flile.  For  the  fame 
reaibn,  the  oppofition  of  ideas  in  the  three 

Efle  folent,  qoalemve  Iboum,  cnm  Jupiter  atias 
Incrapuit  naiKs,  extrenu  touitrua  rcddunt. 

B.«LV.S7. 
In  this  paflage  of  Drydcn  are  many  inRances  of  the  oUite- 
rattooi  which  he  has  managed  beautifully. 

laft 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        1 1 

^  words  of  the  following  line,  may  be 
condemned. 

And  le^OsLton  feem  to  think  in  (tone*. 

S*  So  Zenibla*s  rocks^  the  beauteoiia  work  of  froft^ 
Rife  white  in  air,  and  glitter  o*er  the  coaft. 
Pale  funs,  unfelt,  at  diftance  roll  away. 
And  on  th'  impaiSve  ice  the  light'ning^  play  ; 
Eternal  (hows  the  growing  mafs  fupply. 
Till  the  bright  mountains  prop  th*  incumbent  iky  ; 
As  Atlas  fix'd  each  hoary  pife  appears. 
The  gather*d  Winter  of  a  thouiand  years  f  • 

A  REAL  lover  of  painting,  will  not  be 
contented  with  a  fingle  view  and  examination 
of  this  beautiful :{:  winter-piece,  but  will  return 
to  it  again  and  again,  with  frefh  delight. 
The  images  are  diftindt,  and  the  epithets 
lively  and  appropriated,  efpecially  the  wordsj 
tale,  unfelty  imfajjive,  incumbent y  gathered. 

3.  There  great  Alcides,  ftooping  with  his  toil, 
Refb  on  his  club,  and  holds  th*  Hefperian  fpoil  §• 

•  Vcr.  74.  +  Vcn  52. 

X  The  reader  may  confult  Thonfon';)  Winter,  v.  905. 

S  Ver.  8i. 

C2  It 


1&     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

It  were  to  be  wifhed,  that  our  author^ 
whofe  knowledge  and  taAe  of  the  iine  arts 
were  unqueftionable,  had  taken  more  pains  in 
dcfcribing  fo  famous  a  ftatue  as  that  of  the 
Farnefian  Hercules,  to  which  he  plainly  re- 
fers i  for  he  has  omitted  the  charaftcriAical 
excellencies  of  this  famous  piece  of  Grecian 
workmanship,  namely,  the  uncommon  breadth 
9f  the  ihoulders,  the  knottynei^  and  fpaci- 
oufnefs  of  the  *  cheft,  the  firmnefs  and  pro- 
tuberance of  the  mufcles  in  each  limb,  par- 
ticularly the  legs,  and  the  majeftic  vaftneG  of 
the  whole  figure,  undoubtedly  defigned  by 
the  artift  to  give  a  full  idea  of  Strength,  as 
the  Venus  de  Medicis  of  Beautv.  Thefe 
were  the  "  invi^ti  membra  Glyconis,"  which, 
it  is  probable,  Horace  proverbially  alluded  to 
in  his  firft  cpiftle  -f-.  The  name  of  Glycon 
is  to  this  day  preferved  on  the  bafe  of  the 
figure,  as  the  maker  of  it ;  and  as  the  virtu- 
ofi,  cuftomarily  in  fpeaking  of  a  pifturc,  or 

•  Luxuriatque  toris  animorum  peftos.    —    —    — . 

Virg,  Ceorg.  lib,  iii.  ver.  8i, 
t  Vcr.  30. 

uatue^ 


iici 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         13 

/btue,  call  it  their  Raphael  or  Bernini^ 
why  (hould  not  Horace,  in  common  fpeech, 
ufe  the  name  of  the  workman,  inftead  of  the 
work  ?  To  mention  the  Hefpcrian  apples, 
which  the  artifl  flung  backwards,  and  almoft 
concealed  as  an  inconfiderable  objed:,  and 
which  therefore  fcarcely  appear  in  the  ftatuc^ 
was  below  the  notice  of  Pope, 

4.  Amphion  there  the  loud  creating  lyre 

Strikes,  and  beholds  a  fudden  Thebes  afplre* 

Cythsron's  echos  anfwer  to  his  call. 

And  half  the  mountain  rolls  into  a  wall : 
TTiere  might  you  fee  the  lengthening  fpires  afcend^ 
The  domes  fwell  up,  the  widening  arches  bend^ 
The  growing  tow'rs  like  exhalations  rife. 
And  the  huge  columns  heave  into  the  fkies  *« 

It  may  be  imagined,  that  thefc  expreflions 
are  too  bold ;  and  a  phlegmatic  critic  might 
afk,  how  it  was  poflible  to  fee,  in  fculpturc. 
Arches  bending^  and  Towers  growing?  But 
the  beft  writers,  in  fpeaking  of  pieces  of  paint- 
ing and  fculpture,  ufe  the  prefent  tenfe,  and 


•  Ver.  85^ 

talk 


J4     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

talk  of  the  thing  as  really  doing,  to  give  a 
iofce  to  the  defcription.     Thas  Virgil, 

I  Gallot  in  limine  adefle  canebat  *■ 

—  Incedunt  vide  longo  online  gentes, 

Quam  vaiLe  Knguis,  habttu  Qun  vcftk  et  armtj  f i 

As  Pliny  fays,  that,  Clefilochus  painted, 
•*  Jovem  mulicbriter  ingemifcentem."  And 
Homer,  in  his  beautiful  and  lively  defcrip- 
ti(Hi  of  the  ihield  ; 

^     "—     —     -^     —     (t  frnfit  TounF 
AtAM   ^(itrjit   ti  Co^i   ij;(iit'      —     —     — ^ 

And  again, 

TJtf0  VbJBfXBt  xiAado'la  §.      *«"      **     '^ 

In  another  place, 

"-•    —    —     —    AiM>  u-n  isXai  (ui&  ||> 

Upon  which  Clarke  has  made  an  obfervation 
that  furprifes  me :  "  fed  quomodo  in  fcuto 
DEPiNGi  potuit,  quem  caneret  citharifta?" 

•  Lib.Tiii.  v.  656.         f  Lib,  viii.  v.  656.         J  Iliad, 
lib.  xviii.  V.  494.         )  Ver.  575.         11  Ver.  570, 

This 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        15 

This  paflage  muft  not  be  parted  with,  till 
wc  have  obferved  the  artful  reft  upon  the  firft 
fjUable  of  the  fecond  verfe, 

Amphion  there  the  loud  creating  lyre 
I- 


There  are  many  inftances  of  fuch  judi^ 
clous  paufes  in  Homer. 

As  likewife  in  the  great  imitator  of  Homer; 
who  always  accommodates  the  found  to 
the  fenfe. 

And  over  diem  triumphant  death  his  dart 
Shookf.    ~    —    —    —    — 

—  —    —    —    —    Others  on  the  grafif 
Couchyj.    _    —    _    — 

And  of  his  blindnefs, 

—  —    -—-—    But  not  to  me  returns 
Day!    —    —    ~    —    — 


1.  V.  51,  t  Milton,  b.  ii.  v.  49I4 

J  B.  iv.  V.  356, 

In 


16     ESSAY  ON  THE  WI^ITINGS 

In  the  fpirited  fpeech  of  Satan^ 

—  —    —    —    All  good  to  mc  becomes 
Banc*.    —    -^    _    —    — 

Thefe  monofyllables  have  much  force  and 
energy.  The  Latin  language  does  not  admit 
of  fuch.  Virgil  therefore,  who  fo  well  under- 
flood  and  copied  all  the  fecret  arts  and  charms 
of  Homer^s  verfification,  has  afforded  us  no 
examples ;  yet,  fome  of  his  paufes  on  words 
of  more  fy  Uables  are  emphatical. 

Vox  quoque  per  lucos  vulgo  exaudita  fUcntes^ 
Ingcnsf.    —    —    —    — 

.—    —    —    Hsercnt  infixi  pcfiorc  vultus 
VcrbaqucJ.    • —    -^    — .    — 

Sola  domo  mxret  vacua,  ftratifque  reliAis 
Incubatf.    —    —    —    — 

—  —    —    —    Pccudcfque  locutse, 
Infandumll!    —    —    —    — 

5.  Thcfc  flopped  the  moon,  and  call'd  th'unbodyM  fhades 
To  midnight  banquets  in  tlie  gUmmVing  glades ; 

•^Booklx.  V.  122.     tGeorg.  i.  v.  476.     J  ^n.  iw  v.  4. 
{  ^n.  iv.  V.  82*       II  Gcorg.  i.  v.  478, 

Made 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        17 

Made  vifionary  fabrics  round  them  rlfe^ 
And  airy  fpcftres  (kim  before  their  eyes ; 
Ot  Talifmans  and  Stgils  knew  the  powV, 
And  careful  watch'd  the  planetary  hour  *. 

These  fuperftitions  of  the  Eaft,  are  highly 
ilriking  to  the  imagination.  Since  the  time 
that  poetry  has  been  forced  to  afTume  a  more 
fober,  and  perhaps  a  more  rational  air,  it 
fcarcely  ventures  to  enter  thefe  fairy  regions. 
There  are  fome  however,  who  think  it  has 
fuiFered  by  deferting  thefe  fields  of  fancy,  and 
by  totally  laying  afide  the  defcriptions  o£  ma- 
gic and  enchantment.  What  an  exquifite 
pidture  has  Thomfon  given  us  in  his  Castle 
OF  Indolence* 

As  when  a  fhepherd  of  the  Hebrid  iOtSf 
* 

PlacM  far  amid  the  melancholy  Main, 
(Whether  it  be  lone  fancy  him  beguiles. 
Or  that  aerial  beings  fometimes  deign 
To  Hand,  embodied,  to  our  fenfes  plain) 

Sees  on  the  naked  hill  or  ralley  low, 
Tlie  whilft  in  ocean  Phcebus  dips'his  wain^ 
A  vaft  allembly  moving  to  and  fro. 
Then  all  at  once  in  air  diflblves  the  wonderous  Ihow  f  • 

^  Ver.  loi.  t  Caftle  of  Indolence,  Stan.  30.  B.  i. 

Vol  II.  D  I  cannot 


18     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

I  cannot  at  prefent  recollect:  any  foHtude  Co 
romantic^  or  peopled  with  beings  fo  proper  to 
the  place,  and  the  ipe£tator.  The  mind  na- 
turally loves  to  lofe  itfelf  in  one  of  thefc 
wildernefles,  and  to  forget  the  hurry,  the 
noife,  and  fplendor  of  more  poliihed  life. 

6.  But  on  the  South,  a  long  majeflic  race 
Of  Egypt's  priefts  the  gilded  niches  grace  *. 

I  WISH  Pope  had  enlai^ed  on  the  rites  and 
ceremonies  of  thefe  Egyptian  priefls,  a  fub- 
jeft  finely  failed  to  defcriptive  poetry.  Milton 
has  touched  fome  of  them  finely,  in  an  ode 
not  fufficiently  attended  to. 

Nor  ii  Ofirb  fcen 

In  Memphiui  grore  or  green, 
Traapltng  the  unfliower'd  gnli  widi  lowing)  toud : 

Nor  can  be  be  at  reft 

Within  hu  (acred  cheft. 
Nought  but  profbundefl  hell  can  be  fait  fliroud  j 

In  vain  with  timbrel'd  anthems  dark. 
The  lablfr-ftoled  forccren  bear  hit  worflup'd  ark  ■(■■ 

•  Ver.  109. 
i  MUton'iPoenu*  VoL  II.  Pa£>  30.  Newtim*iEdit.Oa. 

7.  High 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        19 

i^  on  his  car  Sefoftris  ftnick  my  vieWy 
Whom  fceptred  flaves  in  golden  harnefi  drewj 
His  hands  a  bow  and  pointed  jav*lin  hold  ; 
His  giant  arms  are  arm'd  in  /cales  of  gold  *• 

This  coloflal  flatue  of  the  celebrated  Eaftern 
tyrant  is  flrongly  imagined.  As  Phidias  is 
£dd  to  have  received  his  ideas  of  majefty  in 
his  £unous  Jupiter^  from  a  parage  in  Homer, 
{o,  it  is  not  impoflible  but  our  author's  ima« 
gination  was  inflamed  and  enlarged  by  Mil- 
ton's pidlure  of  Satan.  It  is  well  known, 
that  the  Egyptians,  in  all  their  produdions 
of  art,  miftook  the  gigantic  for  the  fublime, 
and  greatnefs  of  bulk  for  greatnefs  of 
manner. 

8.  Of  Gothic  ftrudure  was  the  Northern  fide. 

Overwrought  with  ornaments  of  barbarous  pride  f . 


« 


Those  who  have  confidered  the  theory 
of  Architefhire,  tell  us  the  proportions  of  the 
three  Grecian  orders,  were  taken  from  the 
Human  Body,  as  the  moft  beautiful  and  per- 
fect production  of  nature.     Hence  were  de« 

•  Vcr.  113.  t  Vcr.  119. 

D  2  rived 


^^     ESPAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

rived  thofe  graceful  ideas  of  columns,  which 
had  a  charader  of  ftrength  without   clum* 
finefs,    and   of  delicacy   without   weakncfs. 
Ihofe    beautiful    proportions    were,    I   fay, 
taken  originally  from  nature,  which,  in  her 
creatures,  as  hath  been  already  obferved,  re- 
ferreth  to  fome  ufe,  end  or  dcfign.     The  Gon- 
fiezza  alfo,  or  fwelling,  and  the  diminution 
of  a  pillar,  is  it  not  in  fuch  proportion  as  to 
make  it  appear  flrong  and  light  at  the  fame 
time  ?  In  the  fame  manner,    mufl  not  the 
whole  entablature,  with  its  projections,  be  fo 
proportioned,  as  to  feem  great,  but  not  heavy  ; 
light,  but  not  little  ;   inafmuch  as  a  deviation 
into  either  extreme,  would  thwart  that  reafon 
and  ufe  of  things,    wherein  their  beauty  is 
founded,  and  to  which  it  is  fubordinate?  The 
entablature  and  all  its  parts  and  ornaments,  ar- 
chitrave, freeze,  cornice,  triglyphs,  metopes, 
modiglions,  and  the  reft,  have  each  an  ufe, 
or  appearance  of  ufe,  in  giving  firmnefs  and 
union  to  the  building,  in  protecting  it  from 
the  weather,  in  cafting  off  the  rain,  in  re- 
prcfcnting  the  ends  of  the  beams  with  their 

jntervalsj^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         21 

intervals,  the  produdtion  of  the  rafters,  and  fo 
forth.  And  if  we  coniider  the  graceful  an- 
gles in  frontifpieces,  the  fpaces  between  the 
columns,  or  the  ornaments  of  the  capitals, 
ihall  we  not  find  that  their  beauty  arifeth 
from  the  appearance  of  ufe,  or  the  imitation 
of  natural  things,  whofe  beauty  is  originally 
founded  on  the  fame  principle  ?  Which  is  in- 
deed, the  grand  diftin<ftion  between  Grecian 
and  Gothic  archite£hire,  the  latter  being  fan- 
taftical  and  for  the  moil  part  founded  nei- 
ther in  nature  nor  reafon,  in  neceility  nor 
ufe,  the  appearance  of  which,  accounts  for 
all  the  beauties,  graces,  and  ornaments  of  the 
other.*'' 

9.  There  fat  Zamolxis  with  erefted  Eyes, 
And  Odin  here  in  mimic  trances  dies. 
There  on  rude  iron  columns,  fmear'd  with  blood. 
The  horrid  forms  of  Scythian  heroes  flood, 
Druids  and  bards  (their  once  loud  harps  unftrung) 
And  youths  that  died  to  be  by  poets  fung  f. 

Sir  William  Temple,  always  a  pleafing, 
though  not  a  folid  writer,  relates  the  follow- 

♦  Alci?hron,  Vol.  I.  Dial.  III.  t  Vcr.  123. 

ing 


S2     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ing  anecdote.——"  In  difcourfe  upon  this 
ibbjed,  and  confirmation  of  this  opinion, 
having  been  general  among  the  Goths  of  thofe 
countries,  count  Oxenftiern  the  Swedish  em- 
bafiador,  told  me,  there  was  ftitl  in  Sweden, 
ft  place  which  was  a  memorial  of  it,  and 
was  called  Odin's  hall :  that  it  was  a  great 
bay  in  the  fea,  encompaifed  on  three  fides 
with  fteep  and  ragged  rocks ;  and  that  in  the 
time  of  the  Gothic  paganifm,  men  that  were 
cither  fick  of  difeafes  they  eileemed  mortal 
or  incurable,  or  elfe  grown  invalid  with  age, 
and  thereby  pail  all  military  adlon,  and  fear- 
ing to  die  meanly  and  bafely,  as  they  eAeem- 
ed  it,  in  their  beds,  they  ufually  caufed  them- 
felves  to  be  brought  to  the  neareft  part  of 
thcfe  rocks,  and  from  thence  threw  them- 
fclves  down  into  the  fea,  hoping  by  the  bold- 
nefs  of  fuch  a  violent  death,  to  renew  the 
pretence  of  admifilon  into  the  hall  of  Odin, 
which  they  had  toil  by  filing  to  die  in  com- 
bat, and  by  arms  *." 

•  Temple's  Works.  Vol.  lU.  pig.  138. 

In 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        23 

In  thefe  beautiful  verfes  we  muft  admire 
the  poftures  of  Zamolxis  and  Odin,  which  ex- 
a^y  point  out  the  characters  of  thefe  famous 
legiflatorS)  and  inftrudors^  of  the  Northern 
nations. 

As  exprefHve,  and  as  much  in  character, 
are  the  figures  of  the  old  heroes,  druids  and 
bards,  which  are  reprefented  as  flanding  on 
iron  pillars  of  barbarous  workmanfhip  :  they 
remind  one  of  that  group  of  perfona^es,  which 
Virgil,  a  lover  of  antiquity,  as  every  real  poet 
muft  be,  has  judicioufly  placed  before  the  pa* 
lace  of  Latinus. 

Quinetiam  vcterum  effigies  ex  ordine  avonim, 
Antiqua  e  cedro,  Italufque,  paterque  Sabiniu 
Vidfator,  curvam  fervans  fub  imagine  falcem  ; 
Saturnufque  fenex,  Janique  bifrontis  imago, 
Vcftibulo  aftabant  *.— 

Consider  alfo  the  defcription  of  Evander's 
court,  and  the  pidture  of  ancient  manners  it 
affords^  one  of  the  moft  fbriking  parts  of  the 

•  Ver.  177.  JEii.  1.  7. 

iEneid« 


24     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
^neid.      The  mind  delights  to  be  carried 
backward  iotothofe  primitive  times  when 

—    —    —    Paffimque  aratm/a  vidcbant 
Rominoqueyer*  &  tauth  mugirt  carinis. 

And  the  view  of  thofe  places  and  buildings 
in  tbeir  firft  rude  and  artlefs  Aate,  which  be- 
came afterwards  fo  magnificent  and  celebrated, 
formB  an  amufing  contraft. 

Hinc  id  Tsrpeiam  fedem>  U  Capitolia  ducit 
AuREA  nunCf  tUm  fylvellribus  hoxrida  dumts  *. 

I  HAVE  frequently  wondered  that  our  mo- 
dern writers  have  made  fo  little  ufe  of  the 
druidical  times,  and  the  traditions  of  the  old 
bards,  which  afford  ful:je£ts  fruitful  of  the 
moft  genuine  poetry,  with  refpedt  both  to 
im^ery  and  ientiment.  Mr.  Gray  however 
has  made  amends  by  his  lall  noble  ode  on  the 
-cxpulfioo  of  the  bards  from  Wales. 

Cold  is  Cadwallo's  tongue. 
That  hufh'd  the  ftormy  main : 
Brave  Urien  flecps  upon  hli  craggy  bed : 

•  iEn.  Vm.  3+6. 

Mffuntuns* 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        2$ 

Mountains,  ye  mourn  in  vain 
Modred,  whofe  magic  Song 
Maide  huge  Plinlimmon  bow  his  doud-top'd  head. 
On  dreary  Arvon*s  (bore  they  lie. 
Smeared  with  gore,  and  ghaftly  pale  ! 
Far,  far  aloof  th'  affrighted  ravens  fail ; 
The  famiihM  eagle  fcreams,  and  pafles  by  *• 

The  ancients  conftantly  availed  themfelves 
of  the  mention  of  particular  mountains,  ri« 
vers,  and  other  objedts  of  nature  ;  and  indeed 
almofl  confine  themfelves  to  the  tales  and 
traditions  of  their  refpedtive  countries :  where- 
as we  have  been  ftrangely  negledtful  in  cele- 
* 

brating  our  own  Severn,  Thames,  or  Mal- 
vern, and  have  therefore  fallen  into  trite  re- 
petitions of  claflical  images,  as  well  as  claf-* 
fical  names.     Our  mufes  have  feldom  been 

—    —    —    —    playing  on  the  ftcep 
Where  our  old  bards,  the  famous  Druids,  lie  f, 

•  Dodfley*s  Mifccllanics,  Vol.  VI.  p.  337, 

f  Sappofed  to  be  a  place  in  the  mountains  of  Denbighihjre, 
called  Dnddt  Jloius,  becaoft  of  the  many  ftone  chefb  and 
coffins  found  there* 

Vol-  IL  E  Nor 


■*»^--' 


26        ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Nor  on  the  (baggy  top  of  Mona  high. 

Nor  yet  where  Deva  fpreads  her  wifard  dream  *. 

Milton,  we  fee,  was  fenfibic  of  the  force  of 
fuch  imagcr)%  as  we  may  gather  from  this 
ihort,  but  exquifite  paflage;  and  fo  were 
Drayton  and  Spcnfcr.  What  pidturcs  would 
a  writer  of  the  fancy  of  Theocritus,  have 
drawn  from  the  fcenes  and  flories  of  the  iile 
of  Anglefey ! 

Yet  ftill  enamour'd  of  their  ancient  haunts, 

Unfeen  of  mortal  eyes,  they  hover  round 

Their  ruin'd  altars,  confecrated  hills 

Once  girt  with  fpreading  oaks,  myilerious  rows 

Of  rude  enormous  obelifks,  that  rife 

Orb  within  orb,  ftupendous  monuments 

Of  artlefs  archite^re,  fuch  as  now 

Oft-times  amaze  the  wandering  traveller. 

By  the  pale  moon  difcern*d  on  Sarum's  plain  f- 

I  CANNOT  conclude  this  article  without  in- 
ferting  two  ftanzas  of  an  old  Runic  ode  "l  pre- 
ferved    by    Olaus  Wormius,    containing  the 

•  Lyddas,  Ver.  55. 

t  See  a  fine  dramatic  poem,  by  Mr.  Wcfk,  entitled  The 
Inltitution  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter. 

t  Cited  in  Dr.  Hickes's  Thefaunis. 

dying 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         27 

dying  words  of  Ludbrog,  who  reigned  in 
die  north  above  eight  hundred  years  ago,  and 
who  is  fuppofed  to  be  jaft  expiring  by  the 
mortal  bite  of  a  ferpent. 

XXV. 

Pugnavimus  enfibus* 

Hoc  ridere  me  facit  fempery 

Quod  Balderi  Patris  Scamna, 

Parata  fcio  in  aula. 

Bibemus  cerevifiam 

£x  concavis  crateribus  craniorum. 

Non  gemit  vir  fortis  contra  mortem ! 

Magnifici  in  Odini  domibus, 

Non  venio  defperabundus. 

Verbis  ad  Odini  aulam. 

XXIX. 

Fert  animus  finire : 
Invitant  me  Dyfie^ 
Quas  ex  Odini  aula 
Odinus  mihi  mifit. 
Lsetus  cerevifiam,. cum  Afis, 
In  fununa  fede  bibam. 
Vitae  elap&  funt  hone ! 
Ridens  moriar! 

These  ftanzas  breathe  the  true  fpirit  of  a 
barbarous  old  warrior.  The  abruptnefs  and 
brevity  of  the  fentences  are  much  in  charac- 

E  2  tcrj 


aS  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
ter ;  as  is  the  noble  difdain  of  life  cxprefled 
by  the  two  laft  words  j  Ridens  moriar.  To 
this  brave  and  valiant  people  is  mankind  in- 
debted for  one  of  the  moft  ufcful  deliverances 
it  ever  received ;  I  mean,  the  deftruftion  of 
the  univerfal  empire  of  Rome.  The  great 
prerogative  of  Scandinavia^  and  which  ought 
to  place  the  nations  which  inhabit  it,  above 
all  the  people  of  the  world,  is,  that  this  coun- 
try has  been  the  rcfourcc  of  the  liberty  of  Eu- 
rope ;  that  is  to  fay,  of  almoft:  all  the  liberty 
that  is  to  be  found  among  men.  Jornandes 
the  Goth,  has  called  the  North  of  Europe 
the  magazine  or  work-fhop  of  human  kind  :  I 
fhould  rather  call  it  the  magazine  of  thofe 
inflrumcnts  which  broke  in  pieces  the  chains, 
which  were  forged  in  the  South.  There  thofe 
heroic  nations  were  formed,  who  iffucd  from 
their  country,  to  dcftroy  the  tyrants  and  flavcs 
of  the  earth,  and  to  teach  men  that  nature 
having  made  them  equal,  reafon  could  not 
make  them  dependent,  but  only  for  the  fake 
of  their  own  happinefs  *. 

•  See  L'Efprit  de  Loix,  Uv.  XIV.  and  liv.  XVH. 

Liberty 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         29 

LiBEKTir  and  courage  are  the  o£^pring  of 
the  northern,  and  luxury  and  learning  of  the 
fouthern  nations. 

10.  But  in  the  centre  of  the  hallowM  choir. 
Six  pompous  columns  o'er  the  reft  afpire ; 
Around  the  fhrine  itfelf  of  Fame  they  ftand. 
Hold  the  chief  honours,  and  the  fane  command  ^«   1 

The  fix  pcrfons  Pope  thought  proper  to 
fclcdl,  as  worthy  to  be  placed  on  thefe  pil- 
lars as  the  higheft  feats  of  honour,  are  Homer, 
Virgil,  Pindar,  Horace,  Aristotle, 
TuLLV  %.  It  is  obfervable,  that  our  author  has 
omitted  the  great  dramatic  poets  of  Greece. 
Sophocles  and  Euripides  deferved  certainly  an 
honourable  niche  in  the  Temple  of  Fame, 
in  preference  to  Pindar  and  Horace.  But  the 
truth  is,  it  was  not  fafhionable    in  Pope's 

•  Ver.  178. 

X  Chaucer  has  mentioned  Statins  in  this  place,  in  a  manner 
that  fuits  his  chara^er. 

Upon  an  iron  pillar  ftrong. 
That  painted  was  all  endilong. 
With  tygcPs  blood  in  every  place^ 
The  Tholofiui  that  hight  y  Stace. 

time. 


30  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
time,  nor  among  his  acquaintance,  attentively 
to  ftudy  thefe  poets.  By  a  Arange  &tality 
they  have  not  in  this  kingdom,  obtained  the 
rank  they  deferve  amongft  clailic  writers. 
We  have  numberlefs  treatifes  on  Horace  and 
Virgil,  for  inftance,  who  in  their  different  kinds 
do  not  furpafs  the  authors  in  queftion  -,  whilft 
hardly  a  critic  among  us,  has  profelTedly  point- 
ed out  their  excellencies.  Even  real  fcholars 
think  it  fufiicient  to  be  acquainted  and  touch- 
ed with  the  beauties  of  Homer,  Hefiod,  and 
Callimachus,  without  proceeding  to  enquire, 

■■    -■     What  the  lofty  grave  tngediaiu  tanght. 
In  chorus  or  iambic,  teachers  heft 
or  mora)  prudence,  with  delight  receiv'd 
In  brief  fententious  precepts  *, 

I  OWN,  I  have  fome  particular  reafons  fw 
thinking  that  our  author  was  not  very  convcr- 
fant,  in  this  fort  of  compofition,  having  no 
inclination  to  the  drama.  In  a  note  on  the 
.  third  book  of  his  Homer,  where  Helen  points 
out  to  Priam  the  names  and  characters  of  the 

•  Paiadifc  Regained,  b.  IV.  \a.  26^. 

Grecian 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  31 

Grecian  leaders  from  the  walls  of  Troy,  he 
obferves^  that  feveral  great  poets  have  been 
engaged  by  the  beauty  of  this  paflage,  to  an 
imitation  of  it.  But  who  are  the  poets  he 
enumerates  on  this  occafion  ?  Only  Statius 
and  Taflb }  the  former  of  whom  in  his  fe- 
venth  book,  and  the  latter  in  his  third, 
ihews  the  forces  and  the  commanders  that 
invefted  the  cities,  of  Thebes,  and  Jerufalem. 
*  Not  a  fyllable  is  mentioned  of  that  capital 
icene  m  the  Phasniflk  of  Euripides,  from  the 
hundred  and  twentieth,  to  the  two  hun- 
dredth line,  where  the  old  man  fbnding 
with  Antigone  on  the  walls  of  Thebes,  marks 
out  to  her  the  various  figures,  habits,  armour. 


*  In  the  dedication  to  the  mifeiOamis  he  (b  much  ftodied 
and  admiredy  he  had  read  the  following  ftrange  words  of  hi» 
mailer  Dryden,  addre^ed  to  lord  Radclifie.  **  Though  you 
have  read  the  beft  authors  in  their  own  languages,  and  per* 
itdXy  diftinguifh  of  their  fereral  merits,  and  in  general  prefer 
them  to  the  Modems,  yet  I  know  youjtulgi  for  the  EngHJb  tro' 
gsdifj  ACAivsT  thiGrnkmulLatiH^  as  well  as  againft  the  French, 
Italian,  and  Spanilh  of  theie  latter  ages.  Indeed  there  is  a  vaft 
difference  betwixt  arguing  like  Perault  in  behalf  of  the  French 
poets  againft  Homer  and  Virgil,  and  betwixt  giving  the 
Englifh  poets  their  undoubted  due  of  excelling  Efchylus,  Euri* 
pides,  and  Sophocles.^'    Mifcell.  III.  part,  Lond*  1693. 

and 


32       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
and  qualiiicaUons  of  each  diiferent  warriour, 
in  the  moft  lively  and  pidurefque  manner,  as 
they  appear  in  the  camp  beneath  them  *. 

1 1.  High  on  the  fiiit  the  mighty  Homer  (hone  ; 
Eternal  adamant  compos'd  his  throne  g 
Father  of  verfc !  in  holy  fillets  dreft. 
His  filver  beard  wa/d  gently  o'er  his  breaft ; 
Though  blind,  a  boldneii  in  hia  looks  appears : 
In  years  he  fecnis,  but  not  impair'd  by  years  f. 

A  STRIKING  and  venerable  pc»tcait!  The 
divine  old  man  is  reprefented  here  with  fuitable 

*  Among  the  reft,  Emipides  maket  Antigone  aaquire,  which 
amone  the  wuriort  is  her  brother  Polynices ;  this  19  one  of  thofe 
delicate  and  tender  ftrolcci  of  nature,  Jbr  which  this  feeling 
tragedian  is  fo  juftly  admired.  When  ihc  difcoven  him  Ihe 
breaks  out  thus, 

A>ipn»t  ■>$'  ^1^'   nf>^*C 

BoA^w^t  Xt""   fi/yi'  fu}M$w 

She  fiops  %  little,  gazes  eanKftly  upon  him,  and  ezclaimt  with 
admiraiioa  at  the  fplendor  of  his  arms : 

at  iMem  Kfimunt  twrtviK)  ft"' 

BaXoH  mXih.        Vcr.  l66. 
t  Ver.  187. 

dignity 


AND  GENIUS  O?  POfE.        33 

dignity.  In  the  Anthologia,  is  a  defcriptioli 
of  a  ilatue  of  Horner^  Mrhich  from  its  an« 
tiquity,  and  the  minute  enumeration  of  tHe 
features  and  attitudes  of  the  figure^  is  curious 
and  entertaining* 

•— — —  tlarvp  0«/M(»  wvBioj  fiif^p 

TnfciXu/9  TO  h  Tyi  t  •nv  t^Xvxv  twtd  7«p  *vT«r 
nXiiort^v  irs{t  ypf^9'  xixipafv  jb  k»^ism 
aAiatti   f  iXwTly   &€«  ^4 

12.   The  wars  of  Troy  \Vcrc  round  the  pillar  fccn : 
Here  fierce  Tydides  Wounds  the  Cyprian  qiiten^ 
Here  Hedor,  glorious  fiom  Patrodus'  fall. 
Here  dragged  in  Triumph  round  the  Trojan  wall } 
Motion  and  Life  did  evVy  part  infptrey 
Bold  was  the  work,  and  provM  the  mafter*s  fire  f  V 

The  poems  of  Homer  afford  a  marvellous 
variety  of  fubjedls  proper  for  hiftory  and  paint- 
ing. A  very  ingenious  French  nobleman, 
the  count  de  Caylus,  has  lately  printed  3  va- 
luable treatife,  entituled,  *•  Tableaux  tires 
dc  L'lliadc,  et  dc  L'Odyffe  d'Homere/'  in 

^  Antholog.  ad  odcem  CaUimaclii  Edit.  Lond.  1741  •  pag.  8^ 

+  Ver.  iSS. 

Vol.  Ih  F  which 


34  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
which  he  has  exhibiced  the  whole  ferles  Ctf 
events  contained  in  thefe  poems,  arranged  in 
their  proper  order  ^  has  deligned  each  piece, 
and  difpofed  each  figure,  with  much  taAe  and 
judgement.  He  feems  juflly  to  wonder,  that 
artifts  have  fo  feldoni  had  recourfe  to  this 
great  ftorehoufe  of  beautiful  and  noble  images, 
fo  proper  for  the  employment  of  their  pen- 
cils, and  delivered  with  fo  much  force  and 
diAindlners,  that  the  painter  has  nothing  to 
do,  but  to  fubititute  his  colours  for  the  words 
of  Homer.  He  complains  that  a  Raphael, 
and  a  JuHo  Romano  ihould  copy  the  crude 
and  unnatural  conceptions  of  Ovid's  metamor- 
phofcs,  and  Apulcius's  afs  :  and  that  fome  of 
their  facred  fubjefts  were  ill  chofen.  Among 
the  few  who  borrowed  their  fubjefts  from 
Homer,  he  mentions  Bouchardon  with  the 
honour  hedeferves;  and  relates  the  following 
anecdote.  "  This  great  artift  having  lately 
read  Homer  in  an  old  and  deteftable  French 
tranflation,  came  one  day  to  me,  his  eyes 
fparkling  with  fire,   and  faid,  *  Depuis  que 

j'ai 


-         .mm.ir~         —  —  "l~^    ~  ~       ■*""* 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        35 

}'ai  lu  ce  livre,  les  hommes  'ont  quinze  pieds, 
&  la  Nature  s'eft  accrue  pour  moi. — *'  Since  I 
have  read  this  book,  men  feem  to  be  fifteen 
feet  high,  and  all  nature  is  enlarged  in  my 
fight  */' 

13.  A  ftrong  expreffion  moft  he  fecmM  t'affcft. 
And  here  and  there  difcIosM  a  brave  Negled. 

In  the  fublime,  as  in  great  affluence  of  for- 
tune, foime  minute  articles  will  unavoidably 
efcape  obfervation.  But  it  is  almofl  impof- 
fible  for  a  low  and  groveling  Genius  to  be 
guilty  of  error,  fince  he  never  endangers  him- 
fclf  by  foaring  on  high,  or  aiming  at  eminence  j 
but  flill  goes  on  in  the  fame  uniform,  fecure 
track,  whilil  its  very  height  and  grandeur 
expofes  the  fublime  to  fudden  falls.    "  OvS'ev 

fjL%Xho¥  etu  (pepea^xiy  xai  u  fJLti  S^t  ivos  BTSpSj 
TW5    fJLSyoiXofpoa'vrm  avTVS   ivBKX    "f"".       This 

noble  fentiment  of  Longinus,  is  a  fuffi- 
cient  anfwer  to  an  outrageous  paradox  lately 

•  Pag.  227. 
t  Longinus,  Sect.  33.  Edit.  Tollii,  pag.  i84, 

F  2  advanced 


rtui 


36     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

advanced  by  Voltaire,  in  dircdt  contradiaioti 
to  his  former  critical  opinions ;  and  wliich  is 
berc  fet  down,  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
reader*  "  If  we  would  weigh,  without  pre- 
judice, the  Odyfley  of  Homer  with  the  Or* 
lando  of  Arioilo,  the  Italian  muft  gain  the 
preference  in  all  refpeifts*  Both  of  them  are 
chargeable  with  the  fame  fault,  namely,  an 
intemperance  and  luxuriance  of  imagination^ 
and  a  romantic  fpndnefs  of  the  marvellous* 
But  Arioflo  has  compenfatcd  this  fault  by  aU 
legorics  fo  true,  by  touches  of  fatire  fo  deli- 
cate, by  fo  profound  a  knowledge  of  the  hu* 
i:nan  heart,  by  the  graces  of  the  comic,  which 
perpetually  (uccced  the  ftrokcs  of  the  terrible, 
in  iliort,  by  fuch  innumerable  beauties  of 
pvery  kind,  th^t  he  has  found  out  the  fccret 
of  making  an  agreeable  monfter  *•  Let  every 

•  However  M.  de  Voltaire  might  laugh  at  the  quoting  to 
him  ^  father  of  the  churchy  yet  the  following  fenfible  obferva** 
tion  on  Homer,  might  be  worth  his  confideration. 

Oufpo<  ^i  p.ico{  xai  i;raro(,  xai  v^Anrof  varrk  vouli,  xai  ftvi^ 
itot4  7«t  <^>T4t  T6rcvTo»  of  at/lov  it}^(  o^ov  ixarof  Ararat  >aCi»v. 

Pion.  Chryfoftom.  Orat.  i8» 

reader 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        37 

reader  afk  himfelf  what  he  would  think^  if 
he  fhould  read  for  the  firft  time^  the  Odyfley, 
and  Tailb's  poem,  without  knowing  the  names 
of  their  authors^  and  the  times  when  their 
works  were  compofed,  and  determine  of  them 

merely  by  the  degree  of  pleafure  they  each 
of  them  excited ;  would  he  not  give  the  en- 
tire preference  to  TaiTo  ?  Would  he  not  find 
in  the  Italian  more  conduct  and  ceconomy  s 
more  intereiting  circumftances ;  more  variety 
and  exadtnefs;  more  graces  and  embellifh* 
ment8 ;  and  more  of  that  foftnefs  which  eafes^ 
relieves,  and  adds  a  luflre  to,  the  fublime  ?  I 
queftion  whether  they  will  even  even  bear  a 
comparifon  a  few  ages  hence*". 

14.  A  golden  column  next  in  (ight  appeared. 
On  which  a  Ihrine  of  pureft  gold  is  rear'd ; 
Finlih'd  the  whole,  and  labour'd  ev'ry  part 
With  patient  touches  of  unwearied  art : 
The  Mantuan  there  in  fober  triumph  fate. 
Composed  his  pofture,  and  his  look  fedate. 
On  Homer  ftill  he  fix*d  a  reverend  eye. 
Great  without  pride,  in  modeft  majefty  f  • 

*  ColIe6tion  complette  des  (Eovres  de  Mr.  de  Voltaire. 
Tom,  XIII.  a  Geneve,  pag.  46.  f  Ver.  196. 


■  J 


38    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

♦  II  fuo  carrattcre  c  per  tutto  grande,  e 
maeftofo :  e,  per  potcrlo  fempre  foflenere,  H 
trattiene  il  pocta,  perlo  piu,  ful  generale,  s'fu- 
geodo,  a  foo  potere*  tutte  le  cofe  minute,  e 
particolari :  alle  quali  Omero,  che  a  voluto 
jntitar  ovde,  e  varior  tuono,  e  liberamentc 
andantoall'  incontro.  £  iiccome  ilimeremmo 
gran  fallo  biaiimare  percio  Vergilio,  che  a  fa- 
poto  cofe  bene  mantenere  il  caraetere  propof- 
tofi  i  cosl  non  poffiamo  non  maravigliarci  del 
tofto,  ch'ad  Omero  fa  Giullo  Cefare  Scaligero, 
da  cui  e  riputato  baflb,  e  vilcj  peraver  voluto 
toccare  i  punti  piu  fini  del  naturale  :  qualiche 
la  magnificenza  fofle  pofta  folamente  nello 
itrepito  dcUe  parole Nell'  Egloghe  pero 

"  Vincenzo  GratHna  was  of  Naples  liad  gre.it  learning,  and 
a  clear  head ;  was  an  admirable  civilian  as  well  as  critic.  He 
wrote  five  tragedies  On  the  model  of  the  ancients,  with  chomfTes, 
II'  Palamede,  L'Andromeda,  L'Appio  Claudio,  I!  Papiniano, 
II'  Scrvio  Tullio.  Tt  is  faid  chat  he  miiTed  a  cardinal's  hct  ' 
becaufe  of  his  fatyrical  and  fevcre  turn  of  mind.  When  he 
was  at  Rome,  he  ufeJ  to  bow  to  coach  horfes,  becaufe,  faid  he, 
was  it  not  for  thde  poor  bcafis,  thefc  great  people  would  have 
ntcn,  and  even  philofophers,  to  draw  their  coaches.  Metolblia 
poet  laurcat  to  the  emprefs  queen  at  Vienna,  fo  famous  for 
operas,  was  his  difciple.  Gravina  founds  his  critical  opinions 
on  the  folid  principles  of  ArilTotle,  that  is,  in  other  words,  on 
nature  and  good  lenfe.     See  fiorrctti,  pag.  303. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        3^ 

&  prefe  la  liberta  di  rappre£entar  coftumi  alle 
volte  troppo  civib*,  ed  innalzo  fopra  la  fem- 
plicita  paftorale  lo  ftile,  trattenendofi  troppo 
ful  generate :  onde  quantb  nella  Georgica  fi 
lafcib  addietro  Efiodo^  tanto  nell'  Egloghe 
cede  a  Teocrito,  da  cui  raccolfe  i  fiori :  e  nel 
poema  eroico,  ficcome  riman  vinto  da  Omero 
cofi  e  ad  ogn'  altro  fupcriore  *. 

15.    Four  fvirans  fuftain*d  a  car  of  filvcr  bright. 
With  heads  advanc'd,  and  pinions  ftretch'd  for  flight: 
Here,  like  ibme  furious  prophet,  Pindar  rode. 
And  feem'd  to  labour  with  th'  infpiring  God. 
Acrofi  the  harp  a  carclefs  hand  he  flings. 
And  boldly  finks  into  the  founding  firings  f . 

The  character  of  Pindar,  as  commonly 
taken,  feems  not  to  be  well  underftood.  We 
hear  of  nothing  but  the  impetuoiity,  and  the 
fublimity  of  his  manner ;  whereas  he  abounds 
in  flrokes  of  domeftic  tendernefs.     We  are 

perpetually 

*  Gravina  della  Ragio;i  poetlca.  In  Napoli  1 716.  p.  308. 

Pope  fpcaking  to  one  of  his  friends  concerning  abfurd 
compari(bns,  mentioned,  as  fuch,  the  comparing  Homer  with 
Virgil,  Comeillc  with  Racine,  the  little  ivory  ftatue  of  Poly- 
dete  with  the  Coloflus.  Thcfc,  he  added,  are  magis  fares 
^uzm  Jtmi/fj, 

t  Vcr.  210, 


40     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

perpetually  told  of  the  boldncfs  and  violence 
of  his  tranfitioQSy  whereas  on  a  clofe  infpeftioti 
they  appear  cafy  and  natural,  are  clofely  con- 
nedted  with,  and  arife  appofitely  from,  his 
fubjeft.  Even  his  ftile  has  been  reprefented 
as  fwelling  and  bombaft ;  but  carefully  exa- 
mined, it  will  appear  pure  and  perfpicuous^ 
not  abounding  with  thofe  harfh  metaphors, 
and  that  profufion  of  florid  epithets,  which 
fome  of  his  imitators  affedt  to  ufe.  One  of 
Pindar's  arts,  in  which  they  frequently  feil 
who  copy  him,  is  the  introdudion  of  many 
moral  refleftions.  Mr.  Gray  feems  thorough- 
ly to  have  ftudied  this  writer.  The  following 
beautiful  lines  are  clofely  tranflated  from  the 
firft  Pythian  Ode.  They  defcribe  the  Power 
of  mufic. 

Oh  fovereign  of  the  willing  Ibul, 

Parent  of  fweet  and  folemn^breathmg  airs. 

Enchanting  Ihell !  the  fullen  cares. 

And  frantic  paflions  hear  thy  foft  controuL 

On  Tliracia's  hills  the  lord  of  war 

Has  curbM  the  fury  of  his  car. 

And  droppM  his  thirfty  lance  at  thy  commaHd« 

Perching  on  the  fceptred  hand 

or 


.*ain-^=rr-  ^y.  —  :.^^.t^.  _-.  ^f ^  - 


ANt3  CENIUS  OP  POPE*       4I 

Of  Jove»  thy  magic  lulls  thi?  felther*d  klitg^ 
With  ruJBed  plumes,  and  Sagging  il^lhg: 
QuenchM  in  dark  clouds  of  {lumber  lie 
The  terror  of  his  beaky  and  lightening  of  his  egrt  "^^ 

Tn&  reader  will  doubtlefs  be  pleafed^  to 
&e  thefe  ftriking  images  copied  by  another 
mafteriy  hand. 

«-    .^    —    ^-^    With  flackenM  Wing^ 
While  now  the  folemn  concert  breathes  around^ 
Incumbent  o*cr  the  fceptre  of  his  lotd 
Sleeps  the  ftern  e^gle ;  by  the  numbered  notei 
Poflefi'd  j  and  fadate  with  the  melting  tone  | 
Sovereign  of  birds.    The  furious  God  of  war 
His  darts  forgetting,  and  the  rapid  wheels 
That  bear  him  vengeful  o*er  the  embattled  pUu% 
Udents  t>     ■    ■ 

It  18  to  be  obferved^  that  both  thefe  imU 
tations  have  omitted  a  natural  circumftanc^ 
very  expreilive  of  the  ihrong  feeling  of  the 
eagle  3  but  very  difficult  to  be  tranflated  witb 
becoming  elegance. 

^  Dodfley's  ColIeaioD»  vol.  VI«  p.  3224 

f  Ibid.  ToL  VI.  p.  13.  UruxlodM  N«d%  hylk^ 
iUcenfide. 

V«LIL  O  Qh 


4S       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITING? 

—    — •    —    O  Ji  Ktmfut 
yyfdi  Mrr»  Bitpit   Tioif 

PWAtfl    KfnWUfUWt  *. 

May  I  venture  to  add,  that  thiB  ode  of 
Mr.  Gray,  ends  a  little  unhappily  ?  That  is, 
with  an  antithelis  unfuited  to  the  dignity  of 
fuch  a  compolltion  j 

Btntatb  the  (7Wliow  far,  but  1^  aitn/t  the  Grtat. 

It  may  be  alfo  queftioned,  whether  his 
ode  on  the  Druids  might  not  have  been  better 
concluded  without  mentioning  the  manner 

•  Pinda',  Pytii.  I.  Antiftrophe  i.  v.  J. 

Thi*  image  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  fine  Arake  la  Apollonius 
Rkodius,  who  (bus  delcribes  the  tSk&a  of  Medea'i  enchant^ 
ments  on  the  dragon  who  watch'd  the  golden  fleece< 

—      ^     —     «uT«f  ay  qiW 
Oiftn  Oi>,reju>ft-,  ^Xl;i^>  wbAvit'  ttna^ta 

Lib.  IV.  TBT.  I  JO. 

Few  modems  have  boldneii  enough  to  enter  on  drcumflancet 
fo  MiKUTELr  nATVRAL,  and  therefore  highly  expreffivef 
they  are  afraid  of  being  thought  vulgar  and  flaL  ApoUoniu 
has  more  merit  than  b  ufually  allowed  him,  and  defervet  mon 
conlidcratiiMi  among  the  leaned:  the  whols  befaavioar  and 
pa£ion  of  Medea  is  movingly  derciibcd.  He  panicular]y  «• 
Jboundj  In  fuch  lively  and  delicate  ^kct  ai  thu  gaoled  above. 

in 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  43 

in  which  the  bard  died.  There  would  have 
been  a  beautiful  abruptnefs  in  finifhing  with— » 

Be  thine  defpair,  and  fceptred  care» 
To  triumph  and  to  die  are  mine. 

The  mind  would  have  been  left  in  a  pleafing 
and  artful  fufpenfe,  at  not  knowing  what  be- 
came of  fo  favourite  a  charafter.  Lyric  poetry 
efpecially,  fhould  not  be  minutely  hiftorical^ 
When  Juno  had  ended  her  fpeech  in  Horace 
with  that  fpirited  ftanza, 

Ter  fi  refurgat  mums  aheneus 
Au£lore  Phoebo,  ter  pereat  meis 
Excifus  Arvigis,  ter  uxor 

Capta,  virum,  puerolque  ploret. 

What  follows  furely  weakens  the  conclufion 
of  this  ode,  and  is  comparatively  fiat. 

Non  haec  jocofse  conveniunt  lyrae : 
Quo  Mula  tendis  *  ? 

The  infpiration,  under  which  the  poet  feems 
to  have  laboured,  fuddenly  ceafes,  and  he  de* 
fcends  into  a  cold  and  profaic  apology. 

*  Ode  III.  lib.  iii.  ver.  70. 

G  a  x6.  Here 


'44       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

1$.  Hef9  hap^y  Horace  tun'd  ih'  AuTonian  lyre. 
To  fweetcc  founds,  and  tempci'd  Pindai's  fire: 
Pleu'd  with  AIcxus'  manly  rage  t'  infufe 
The  foftei  fpitit  of  the  Sapphic  mufe  ♦, 

Ho  might  have  felefted  ornaments  more 
manly  and  charafteriftlcal  of  Horace,  than— 

The  Dovn>  that  round  the  infant  poet  fpread 
Myitlet  ud  ba|^(,  bung  hovering  o'er  his  head  f : 

Surely  his  odes  a6brd  many  more  Ariking 
fubjct^s  for  the  ba0b  relievos  about  his  fta- 
tue.  In  the  prefent  ones  do  we  not  fee  a 
litUenefs,  or  rather  a  prettinefs  I 

OoR  author  alludes  to  the  lyric  part  of 
Horace's  works.  Among  the  various  views 
JQ  which  his  numerous  trommentators  have 
coniideKd  hia  odes,  they  have  neglected  to 
remark  thff  dramatic  turn  h^  has  given 
to  many  of  them.  Of  this  fort,  is  the  ex- 
cellent prophecy  of  Ncreus,  where  Horace 
Itas  artfblly  introduced  the  principal  events 
«Bd  heroes  of  the  Iliad,   and  fpeaks  in  ib 

^  Ver.  aij,  f  Ver.  226, 

Uvcly 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPR         45 

lively  a  manner  of  both,   as  to  make  the 

reader  prefent  at  every  a£lion  intended.     Of 

this  fort  alfo  is  the  third  ode  of  the  third  book, 

in  which  Juno  is  introduced,  cxpreffing  her* 

felf  with  all  that  fury  and  indignation  againfl: 

the  Trojans,  which  Homer  hath  afcribed  to 

her*     She  begins  her  fpeech  with  an  angry 

repetition  of  Hion^   Jlion,    and  will  not  fo 

much  as  utter  the  names  of  Paris  and  Helen, 

but  contemptuoufly  calls  him,   the  incejlus 

yudeXy  and  her ^  Mulier  peregrina*.  Thecha- 

rader  of  this  revengeful  goddefs  is  all  along 

fupported  with  the  fame  fpirit  and  propriety. 

Equal  commendation  is  due  to  the  fpeech  of 

Regulus  in  the  fifth  ode,  on  his  preparing  to 

return  to  Carthage,  which  ends  with  an  excIa-» 

mation  fo  fuited  to  the  temper  of  that  in* 

flexible  hero* 

— O  Pudor! 

Q  magna  Carthago,  probroCs 
Altior  Italiae  ruinis ! 

Nor  mud  we  forget  the  natural  complaints 
of  Europa,  when  (he  has  been  carried  away  by 

*  Tlus  hath  been  ob&nred  by  tl\e  old  commentator,  Aooo. 

the 


46       ESSAY  6N  the  WRITINGS 

die  bull,  and  the  fhune  that  arifes  in  her 
boTom,  on  her  having  been  feduced  from  her 
father,  friends  and  country. 

Impudens  liqni  patrLot  Penites ! 
Impudens  Orcum  moroi !  O  decirum 
Si  quit,  hze  audts,  utinvn  inter  errem 
Nuda  leones*. 

Immediately  another  ProlbpopcBia  is  intro- 
duced. She  thinks  fhe  hears  her  angry  father, 
rebuking  her, 

Vilis  Europe  (ptter  ui^  sbfara) 
Quid  nwri  ceflu  ?  tie. 

Of  this  dramatic  fpecies  alfo,  is  the  conclu-' 
fion  of  the  eleventh  ode  of  the  third  book, 
where  one  ^f  the  daughters  of  Danaus,  who 
is  not  bafe  enough  to  comply  with  her  fa- 
ther's commands,  difmifles  her  hutband  with 
a  fpeech  that  is  much  in  character.  I  cannot 
forbear  adding,  that,  of  this  kind,  likewise 
is  the  whole  of  the  fifth  Epodc>  upon  which 
]  beg  leave  to  be  a  little  particular,  as  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  feen  it  confidered  as  it 
ought  to  be.  It  fuddenly  breaks  out  with  a 
beautiful  and  forcible  abruptnefs. 

•  Ode  XXXVa  lib.  iii. 

At 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         '4f^ 

At  O  Deonim  quilquis  in  ccelo  regs 

Terras  et  huixunum  genus^ 
Quid  ifte  fert  tumultus  ?  aut  quid  omniain 

Vultus  in  unum  me  truces  ^ 

It  IS  a  boy  utters  thefe  words,  who  beholds 
himfelf  furrounded  by  an  horrible  band  of 
witches,  with  Canidia  at  their  head,  who  in- 
ilantly  feize  and  ftrip  him,  in  order  to  make 
a  love-potion  of  his  body«  He  proceeds  to 
deprecate  their  undefcrved  rage  by  moving 
fupplications,  and  fuch  as  are  adapted  to  his 
age  and  iituation. 

Per  liberos  te,  fi  vocata  partubus 

Lucina  veris  adfuit; 
Per  hoc  inane  purpuras  decus,  precor, 

Per  improbaturum  haec  Jovem ; 
Quid  ut  noverca,  me  intueris,  aut  uti 

Petiu  ferro  bellua  ? 

The  poet  goes  on  to  enumerate,  with  due  fo- 
lemnity,  the  ingredients  of  the  charm .  Thofe 
which  *  Shakefpear  in  his  Mackbeth  has 
defcribed,  as  being  thrown  into  the  magical 

•  It  is  obiervable,  that  Shakefpear  on  this  great  occafion, 
which  involves  the  fate  of  a  king>  multiplies  all  the  circiuii-* 

ilanccs 


'48  ESSAY  ON  TH£  WRITINGS 
caldron,  have  a  near  refemblance  with  the{e 
of  Horace,  but  he  has  added  others  well  cal- 
culated to  imprefs  the  deepeft  terror,  from 
his  own  imagination.  Canidia  having  placed 
the  vi^im  in  a  pit  where  he  was  gradually  to 
be  ftarved  to  death,  begins  to  fpeak  in  the 
following  awful  and  ftriking  manner. 

—    —    —    O  Rebus  meis 

Non  inlidetes  aibitne, 
Nox,  &  Dianaj  ipiae  filentium  tegts. 
Arcana  cum  fiunt  facra ! 
Nunc,  nunc  adefte !  nunc  in  hoRiles  domo9 
Iram  atque  numen  verdte.  Sec, 

But  ihe  fuddenly  Hops,  furprized  to  fee  the 
incantation  hW. 

Quid  accidit? cur  dira  bubarae  nimui 

Vcnena  Mcdex  valent  ? 

flancea  of  horror.  The  babe,  whole  Cnger  U  nied  in  the  cd* 
chantnicrt,  muft  be  llnmgled  in  iti  birth,  the  gteafc  moft  rtrt 
onljr  be  hnman,  but  moft  have  dropped  from  «  gibber  tin 
^bet  of  a  niDnlcrer ;  and  even  the  fow,  whole  blood  ii  nlcd, 
moft  have  offended  nature  by  devDining  her  Own  foiTcnr. 
Johnfi>a'>  Obfervadons  on  Mackbeth.    AftlV.  Scntl. 

la 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        4^ 

^In  a  few  lines  inore,  (he  difcovers  the  reafon 
that  her  charms  are  iDefficacious. 

Ah,  ah  folutus  ambulat  veneficiC)  &c. 

She  refolves  therefore  to  double  them, 

*  Majus  parabo :  majus  infundam  cibi 

Fafiidienti  poculum. 

« 

And  concludes  with  this  fpiritcd  threat. 

Priufque  coelum  fidet  inferius  mari 

Tellurem  porre£la  fuper, 
Qj^am  non  amore  fie  meo  flagres,  uti 

Bitumen  atris  ignifius. 

The 

*  Sanadon  has  a  remark  in  the  true  ipirlt  of  a  fafHdioot 
French  critic.  **  Thefe  defcriptions  of  witchcraft  muft  hare 
been  very  pleafing  to  ancient  poets,  iince  they  dwell  upon 
them  fo  largely  and  frequently.  Bat  furely  fuch  objedts  have 
fo  much  horror  in  them,  that  they  cannot  be  prefented  with 
too  much  hafte  and  rapidity  to  the  imagination.^'-— Such  falfe 
delicacy  and  refinement  have  rendered  fome  of  the  French 
incapable  of  relilhing  many  of  the  forcible  and  mafculine 
images  with  which  the  ancients  ftrengthened  their  compq- 
fitions.  The  moft  natural  ilrokes  in  a  poem  that  moft 
abounds  with  them,  the  Odyfley,  is  to  fuch  judges  a  fund  of 
ridicule.  They  muft  needs  naofeate  the  fcenes  that  lie  in 
Eumeus's  cottage,  ai^l  defpife  thd  coarfe  ideas  of  fo  ill-bred 
'  a  princefs  as  Nauficaa.  Much  lefs  can  fuch  effeminate  judges 
bear  the  bold  and  fevere  ftrokes,  the  terrible  graces*  of  oor 
irregular  Shake(pear,  efpecially  in  his  fcenes  of  magic  and 
Vol.  II.  H  incantations. 


JO  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
The  boy,  on  hearing  his  fete  thus  cruelly  dc*- 
terrained,  no  longer  endeavours  to  fuc  for 
mercy,  but  breaks  out  into  tbofe  bitter  and 
natural  execrations,  mixed  with  a  ten- 
der mention  of  His  parents,  which  r^acli 
t6  the  end  of  the  ode.  If  we  conli- 
dcr  how  naturally  the  fear  of  the  boy 
is  expreffed  in  the  firft  fpeech,   and  how 


incanntions.  Thefe  gatbic  tbarau  are  in  truth  more  llriking 
to  the  imagioaCioii  than  the  ela^eal.  The  magicians  of  An- 
oAo,  TalTo,  and  Spencer,  have  more  powerful  IpelU,  thaii 
thofc  of  Apollonius,  Seneca,  and  Lucao.  The  inchanted 
forell  of  Ifmeno  is  more  awfully  and  tremendoully  poetical 
than  even  the  Grove,  which  Cxfar  orders  to  be  cut  down,  in 
Lncan.I.iii.  400,  which  was  fo  full  of  terrors,  that  at  noo«- 
day  or  midnight,  the  PrieU  himfelf  dared  not  approach  it. 

Dreading  the  Demon  of  the  Grove  to  meet! 

Who,  that  fees  the  fable  pluimti  waving  on  the  pradigioai 
helmet,  in  the  calUe  of  Otranio,  and  the  gigantic  arm  on  the 
topof  tie  grtiujfain*/i,  it  not  laOTc  aSeCted  than  with  tlio 
paintings'of  Ovid  and  Apalcius  I  What  a  group  of  drcad- 
fal  image*  do  we  meet  with  in  ibtEtiJaf  The  Runic 
poetiy  abonnds  in  them.  'Tis  remarlcsble,  that  the  idea  of 
the  Fatal  Sillert  weaving  the  Dantfh  Aandard,  bears  a  mar- 
velloiu  relemblance  to  a  paflage  in  Sophocles,  Ajax, 
T.  lo;].  '*  Sid  sot  Ennnys  berfelf  make  this  fword  I 
«iid  PJutOi-iiitt  dreadful  worknian,  this  belt  i" 

the 


mmmm12:3. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         51 

the  dreadful  charadler  of  Canidia  is  fupported 
in  the  fecond,  and  the  various  turns  of  paf- 
lion  with  which  fhe  is  agitated  5  and  if  we  add 
to  thefe  the  concluding  imprecations :  wc 
muft  own  that  this  ode  affords  a  noble  fpeci- 
men  of  the  dramatic  powers  of  Horace. 

17.  Here  in  a  fhrine  that  caft  a  dazling  light, 
Sate  fix'd  in  thought,  the  mighty  Stagyrite  ; 
His  facred  head  a  radiant  zodiac  crown'd^ 
And  various  animals  his  fides  furround  ; 
His  piercing  eyes,  ere£t,  appear  to  view 
Superior  worlds,  and  look  all  Nature  through  ^. 

It  may  not  be  unpleafing  to  obferve  the 
artful  manner  with  which  Addifon  has  intro- 
duced each  of  his  worthies  at  the  Tables  of 
Fame,  and  how  nicely  he  has  adapted  the 
behaviour  of  each  perfon  to  his  charader, 
Addifon  had  great  fkill  in  the  ufe  of  delicate 

and  oblique  allufions. "  It  was  expeded 

that  Plato  would  have  taken  a  place  next 
his  mafter  Socrates ;  but  on  a  fudden  there  was 
heard  a  great  clamour  of  difputants  at  the 
door,  who  appeared  with  Ariflotle  at  the  head 

H  2  of 

•  Vcr.  23  a, 


Sz  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
of  them.  That  philofopher  with  fome  rade- 
nefs,  but  great  ftrength  of  reafon,  convinced 
the  whole  table  that  a  fifth  place  at  the  table 
was  his  due,  and  took  it  accordingly."  Thus 
in  another  pailage.— — "  Julius  Cxiar  was 
now  coming  forward }  and  though  moll  of 
the  hiftorians  offered  their  fervice  to  intro- 
duce him,  he  left  them  at  the  door,  and  would 
have  no  conductor  but  himfelf."— In  the  fame 
fpirit  he  tells  us }  That  Q^  Curtius  intended 
to  conduct  Alexander  the  Great,  to  an  apart- 
ment appointed  for  the  reception  of  fabulous 
heroes ;  that  Virgil  hung  back  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  door,  and  would  have  excufed 
himfelf,  had  not  his  modefty  been  overcome 
by  the  invitation  of  all  who  iate  at  the  table  j 
that  Lucan  entered  at  the  head  of  many  hifto- 
rians  with  Pompcy^and  that  feeing  Homer  and 
Virgil  at  the  table,  was  going  to  fit  down  him- 
felf, had  not  the  latter  whifpered  him,  he  had 
forfeited  his  claim  to  it^  by  coming  in  as  one 
of  the  hiftorians. 

|8.  With  equal  rays  immortal  Tully  Oione, 

The  Romai]  rofira  dccliM  the  Conful's  throne : 
^^  *  TMter,  No.  »i,  nt  fup. 


G^. 


-=•    ly-r-'i-iTi 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,        53 

Gathering  his  flowing  robe  he  (eem'd  to  ftand. 
In  a&  to  fpeak,  and  graceful  ftretch'd  his  hand. 

This  beautiful  attitude  is  copied  from  a 
Aatue  in  that  valuable  coileAion,  which  Lady 
Pomfret  had  the  goodnefs  and  generofity 
lately  to  prefent  to  the  univerfity  of  Qxford.— « 
Cicero,  fays  Addifon,  next  appeared  and  took 
his  place.  He  had  enquired  at  the  door  for 
one  Lucceius  to  introduce  him ;  but  not  find* 
Ing  him  there,  he  contented  himfelf  with  the 
attendance  of  many  other  writers,  who  all, 
except  Salluft,  appeared  highly  pleafed  with 
the  office. 

I  CANNOT  forbear  taking  occafion  to  men- 
tion an  ingenious  imitation  of  this  paper  of 
Addifon,  called  the  Table  of  Modern  Fame, 
at  which  the  guefts  are  introduced  and  ranged 
with  that  tafle  and  judgement  which  is  pecu- 
liar to  the  author  *•  It  may  not  be  unenter- 
taining  to  enumerate  the  perfons  in  the  order 
he  has  placed  them,  by  which  his  fenfe  of  their 
merits  will  appear.  Columbus,  Peter  the  Great, 

^  Si^poied  to  be  Dr.  Akenfide.    Dodfle/s  Ma&um,  No.  1 3 . 

Leo 


54  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
Leo  X.  Martin  Luther,  Newtoiij  Defcartcs, 
Lewis  XIV.  William  the  firft  Prince  of 
Orange,  Edward  the  Black  Prince,  Francis  I. 
Charles  y.  Locke,  Galileo,  John  Fauft, 
Harvey,  Machiavel,  Taffo,  ArJofto,  Pope, 
Boileau,  Bacon  *,  Milton  -f-,  Cervante^ 
Moliere. 

19.   When  on  the  Goddefs  firft  I  caft  my  fight. 
Scarce  fecm'd  her  ftature  of  a  cubit's  height ; 
But  fwetl'd  to  lai^er  height  the  more  I  gaz'd. 
Till  to  the  roof  her  tow'ring  height  {he  lais'd  ^. 

*  "  The  aiTembljr  with  one  accord  invited  Bacon  forward, 
the  Godiicfs  beckoned  him  to  draw  near,  and  leated  him  on 
the  higheft  throne."'    Mufxum,  No.  1  j. 

f  "  I  was  extremdy  difcontcnted  that  no  more  honourable 
pT.ice  had  been  refened  for  Milton.  You  forget,  (ays  my 
conduftor,  that  the  lowefl  place  in  this  afTembly,  is  one  of 
twenty,  the  mofl  honourable  gifts  which  Fame  hu  to  beftow 
among  the  whole  human  fpccics.  Milton  is  now  admitted 
for  the  firft  time,  and  was  not  but  witli  difficulty  admitted 
at  all.  But  have  patience  a  few  years  longer;  he  will  be  con- 
tinually afrcnding  in  the  goddcfs's  favour,  and  may  perhaps 
at  laA  obtain  the  highell,  or  at  haH.  the  fccond  place,  in  thefe 
het  foletnnities.  Tn  the  mean  time,  fee  how  he  is  received  by 
ihe  man  who  is  bcft  qualified  here  to  judge  of  his  dignity.  " 
I  looked  nt  him  again,  and  faw  Raphael  making  him  the  moft 
aSefUonate  congratulations."  Mufseum,  No.  13. 
t  ^'"er.  ij-;. 

This 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        55 

This  figure  of  Fame  enlarging  and  growing 
every  moment,  which  is  copied  from  Virgil, 
is  imagined  with  ftrength  and  fublimi^  of 
fanc}^* 

Parva  metu  primo,  mox  fele  attoUit  in  auras, 
Ingrediturque  folo,  ct  caput  inter  nubila  condit  *• 

There  is  another  figure  of  this  foft  in  the 
Georgics  of  Virgil,  as  nobly  conceived.  In- 
flead  of  faying  that  the  peflilence  among  the 
cattle  encreafed  daily,  what  an  exalted  image 
has  he  given  us  ! 

Saevit  et  in  lucem  Stygiis  emifla  tenebris 

Pallida  Tysiphone.  Morbos  agit  ante  Metumque, 

Inque  dies  avidum  furgens  caput  altius  efFert. 

The  fybil  in  the  fixth  iEneid  is  likewife  re- 
prefhnted  as  fpreading  to  fight,  and  growing 
larger  aa'd  larger  as  the  infpiration  came  upon 
her. 

—    —    Subito  non  vultus,  non  color  unus, 
Non  comptse  manfere  comae ;  fed  pe£his  anhelum^ 
£t  rabie  fera  corda  tument ;  majorque  videri, 
Ncc  mortale  fonans  t»         ■   ■ 

•  Book  IV.  vcr.  175.  t  Vcr.  47. 

Wc 


S6  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
We  have,  ilill  a  fourth  inftance  of  Virgil's 
imagination,  in  the  fpirited  pifhire  he  has 
drawn  of  the  Airy  who  appears  to  Turnus  in 
the  feventh  ^neid  *.  Turnus  at  fitft,  fuitably 
to  his  character,  treats  her  as  an  impcrtment 
old  prieAefs,  whofe  habit  {he  bad  indeed  bor- 
rowed. Upon  which  (he  inAantly  kindlea 
into  rage,  ailiimes  her  own  horrid  ihape  io  a 
moment ;  the  ferpents  hifs  aroand  her  head, 
and  her  countenance  fpreads  forth  in  all  its 
terrors. 

At  juvcni  onnti  fubitus  tremor  occupat  artui ; 
Diriguere  oculi ;  tot  Erinnys  fibtlat  hydni> 
Tantaque  fe  facio  aperit. 

In  no  part  of  Virgil's  writings  is  there  more 
true  fpirit  and  fublimity,  than  in  this  interview 
between  Turnus  and  the  fury,  both  whofe 
charadters  are  ftrongly  fupported.  But  to  re- 
turn to  Fame.  Virgil  has  rcprefenled  her  as 
a  dreadful  and  gigantic  monller,  in  which 
conception,  though  he  might  have  been  af- 
fifted  by  the  Discord  of  Homer,   yet  his 

•  Ver.  4+8. 

figure 


^■atsi 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  S7 

figure  is  admirably  deflgned  to  imprefs  terror. 
She  has  innumerable  tongues,  mouths,  eyes 
and  ears ;  the  found  of  her  wings  is  heard  at 
the  dead  of  night,  as  (he  flies  through  the 
iniddle  of  the  air. 

fJo&t  volat  cceli  medio,  terra^que  per  umbram 
Stridens.         ■   ■ 

In  the  day  time  fhe  fits  watchful  on  battle- 
ments, and  on  the  higheft  towers,  and  terri- 
fies great  cities,  who  gaze  at  her  huge  and 
f6rmidable  appearance. 

Luce  fedet  cuflos,  aut  fummi  culmine  teSti^ 
Turribus  aut  altis,  et  magnas  territat  urbes. 

It  did  not  fuit  Pope^s  purpofe,  to  reprefent 
Fame  as  fo  odious  a  monfter.  He  has  there- 
fore dropped  thefe  ftriking  circumftances  in 
Virgil,  and  foftened  her  features. 

20.   With  her  the  Temple  cv'ry  moment  grew. 
And  ampler  viftos  opened  to  my  view: 
Upwards  the  columns  (hoot,  the  roofs  afcend. 
And  arches  widen,  and  long  iles  extend  ♦. 

Akon  out  of  the  earth  a  fabric  huge 
Rofe  like  an  exhalation,  with  the  found 

Vol.  11.  I  0£ 

♦  Vcr.  262. 


««■ 


58       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Of  dulcet  fymphonies  and  voices  fweet. 
Built  like  a  temple,  whofe  pilafters  round 
Were  fet,  and  Doric  pillars  overlaid 
With  golden  architrave  *. 

This  circumftance  of  the  temple's  enlarging 
with  the  growing  figure  of  the  goddefs,  is 
lively,  new,  and  well  imagined.  The  reader 
feels  a  pleafure  in  having  his  eye  carried 
through  a  length  of  building,  almoft  to  an 
immenfity.  Extenfion  is  certainly  a  caufe  of 
the  lublime.  In  this  view  the  following  paf- 
fage  of  Thompfon  may  be  confidered,  where 
he  fpeaks  of  a  lazar-houfe  in  his  Caftle  of 
Indolence  ^f*. 

Through  the  drear  caverns  ftretching  many  a  mile. 
The  fick  uprearM  their  heads,  and  dropp'd  their  woes 
awhile. 

21.   Next  thefe  a  youthful  train  their  vows  exprefs*d. 
With  feathers  crown'd,  and  gay  embroid'ry  drefs'd : 
Hither,  they  cry'd,  direSt  your  eyes  and  fee 
.  The  men  of  pleafure,  drefs,  and  gallantry  ; 
Ours  is  the  place,  at  banquets,  balls  and  plays^ 
Sprightly  our  nights,  polite  are  all  our  days : 

•  Par.  Loft,  b.  i.  ver.  712.  f  Stanza  Ixix.  c  2. 

Of 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        59 

« 

Of  unknowB  dutchefles  lewd  tales  we  tell. 
Yet,  would  the  world  believe  us,  all  were  well  ♦. 

Strokes  of  pleafantry  and  humour,  and 
fatirical  refledions  on  the  foibles  of  common 
life,  are  furely  too  familiar,  and  unfuited  to 
fo  grave  and  majeftic  a  poem  as  this  hitherto 
has  appeared  to  be.  Such  incongruities  of- 
fend propriety;  though  I  know  ingenious 
perfons  have  endeavoured  to  excufe  them,  by 
faying  that  they  add  a  variety  of  imagery  to 
the  piece.  This  praftice  is  even  defended 
by  a  pafTage  in  Horace. 

Et  fermone  opus  eft  modo  trifti,  faepe  jocofo, 
Defendente  vicem  modo  rhetoris  atque  poetae, 
Interdutn  urbani,  parcentis  viribus,  atque 
Extenuantis  eas  confulto. — -— 

But  this  judicious  remark  is,  I  apprehend, 
confined  to  ethic  and  preceptive  kinds  of 
writing,  which  Hand  in  need  of  being  en- 
livened with  lighter  images,  and  fportive 
thoughts;  and  where  ftriftures  on  common 

•  Ver.  380. 

I  2  life 


to  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
life,  may  more  gracefully  be  inferted.  Eut 
in  the  higher  kinds  of  poefy  they  appear  as 
unr.atural  and  out  of  place,  as  one  of  the  bur- 
lefquc  fccnes  of  Heemfkirk  would  do,  in  a 
folemn  landfcape  of  Pouflin.  When  1  fee 
filth  a  line  as 

"  And  at  each  blafl  a  laJy's  honour  dies  " 

in  the  Temple  of  Fame,  I  lament  as  much 
to  find  it  placed  there,  as  to  fee  fhops,  and 
yheds,  and  cottages,,  ercftcd  among  the  ruins 
of  Dioclcfian's  B-iths. 

On     the    revival    of  literature,    the   firft 

writers  fcenicd  not  to  have  obfecveJ  any  se- 
lection" in  their  thoughts  and  images.  Dante, 
Petrarch,  Docc-KJo,  Ariofto,  make  very  fud- 
dcn  traiifiiions  from  the  fublime  to  the  ridi- 
cu'.ous.  Chaucer  in  his  Temple  of  Mars, 
among  many  pathetic  pictures,  has  brought 
in  a  llran^c  line. 

The  cu~c  is  fwldcJ  for  all  hb  long  ladell  *. 


•  Thys  sfain; •'  As  JL^oyi  do^S  coiitendicj  fur 


No 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         61 

No  writer  has  more  religioufly  obferved  the 
decorum  here  recommended  than  Virgil. 

22.   ThL  having  heard  and  fecn,  fonac  pow*r  unknown 
Strait  chang'd  the  fcene,  and  fnatch'd  me  from  the 

throne ; 
Before  my  view  appear M  a  ftru£lurc  fair. 
Its  fite  uncertain,  if  in  earth  or  air  *• 

The  fcenc  here  changes  from  the  Temple 
of  Fam  e  to  that  of  Rumour.  Such  a  change 
is  not  methlnks  judicious,  as  it  deftroys  the 
unity  of  the  fubjeft,  and  diflrads  the  view 
of  the  reader  j  not  to  mention,  that  the  diffe- 
rence between  Rumour  and  Fame  is  not  fuf- 
ficiently  diftindl  and  perceptible.  Pope  has 
however  the  merit  of  compreffing  the  fenfe 
of  a  great  number  of  Chaucer's  lines  into  a 
fmall  compafs.  As  Chaucer  takes  every  op- 
portunity of  fatyrizing  the  follies  of  his  age, 
he  has  in  this  part  introduced  many  circum- 
ftances,  which  it  was  prudent  in  Pope  to  omit, 
as  they  would  not  have  been  either  relifhed 
or  underftood  in  the  prefcnt  times. 

•  Ver.  417. 

23.  While 


«2       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

23.  While  thus  I  flood  intent  to  fee  and  hear. 

One  came,  methought,  and  whirper'd  my  ear : 
What  could  thus  high  thy  rafli  ambition  mfe  ? 
Art  thou,  fnnd  youth^  a  candidate  for  prailc  ? 
'Tis  true,  laid  I,  not  void  of  hopes  t  came. 
For  who  fo  fond  as  youthful  bards  of  Fame  *  ? 

This  conclufion  is  not  copied  from 
Chaucer ;  and  is  judicious,  Chaucer  has 
finirticd  his  ftory  inartificially,  by  faying  he 
was  furprized  at  the  fight  of  a  man  of  great 
authority,  and  awoke  in  a  fright.  The  fuc- 
ceeding  lines  give  a  pleafing  moral  to  the  al- 
legory, and  the  two  laft  fliew  the  man  of  ho- 
nour and  virtue,  as  well  as  the  poet. 

Unblcmifli'd  let  me  live,  or  die  unknown : 
Uh  grant  an  honcll  fame,  or  grant  me  none  ! 

In  linifliing  this  Seflion,  we  may  obfervc, 
that  Pope's  alterations  of  Chaucer  are  intro- 
duced with  judgment  and  art ;  that  thefe  al- 
terations are  more  in  number,  and  more  im- 
portant in  condudt,  than  any  Dryden  has 
made  of  the  fame  author.  This  piece  was 
communicated  tu  Steele,  who  entertained  a 

•  Ver.  496. 


' '"'-M^MrSE.-^.      -    -IT       -|  ~  -|*       . 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         63 

high  opinion  of  its  beauties,  and  who  con- 
veyed it  to  Addifon.  Pope  had  ornamented 
the  poem  with  the  machinery  of  guardian 
angels,  which  he  afterwards  omitted.  He 
ipeaks  of  his  work  with  a  diffidence  uncom- 
mon in  a  young  poet,  and  which  does  him 
credit  *.  "  No  errors,  lays  he  to  Steele,  are 
fo  trivial,  but  they  defervc  to  be  mended.  I 
could  point  to  you  feveral,  but  it  is  my  bu- 
iinefs  to  be  informed  of  thofe  faults  I  do  not 
know ;  and  as  for  thofe  I  do,  not  to  talk  of 
them,  but  mend  them. — ^I  am  afraid  of  no- 
thing fo  much  as  to  impofe  any  thing  upon 
the  world  which  is  unworthy  its  acceptance.'* 

It  would  have  been  matter  of  curiofity  to 
have  known  Addifon's  fentiments  of  this  vi- 
fion  -t"-  His  own  is  introduced  and  carried 
on  with  that  vein  of  propriety  and  poetry,  for 
which  this  fpecies  of  his  writings  is  fo  juftly 
celebrated,  and  which  contribute  to  place  him 
at  the  head  of  allegorical  writers,  fcarce  ex- 
cepting Plato  himfelf. 

•  Vol.  Vn.  Letters,  8vo.  p.  248. 
f  Sec  T*dcr,  No.  Si,  referred  to  above. 

SECT. 


J64      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

SECT.     VIII. 

Of  January  and  May,  The  TP'ife 
of  Bath,  and  Translations  of 
Statius  and  Ovid. 

THE  firft  dawnings  of  polite  literature 
in  Italy^  appeared  in  tale-writing  and 
£ibles.  Boccaccio  gave  a  currency  and  vogoe 
to  this  fpecies  of  compofition.  He  collected 
many  of  the  common  tales  of  his  country, 
and  delivered  them  in  the  pnrefl  ftile,  enliven- 
ed with  interefUng  cireumftances.  Sacchetti 
publiflied  tales  before  him,  in  which  are  ma- 
ny anecdotes  of  Dante  and  his  cotemporaries. 
Boccacio  was  faintly  imitated  by  feveral  Ita- 
lians, PoggiO}  Bandello,  Cinthio,  Firenzuola, 
Malefpini,  and  others.  *  Machiavel  himfelf 
did  honour  to  this  fpecies  of  writing,  by  his 
Eelphegor, 

•  Machbve],  who  poflefled  die  liTeliePi  wit  with  the  J»W- 
fonndeft  rcflefUoiit  wrote  alio  two  comedies,  Mandpsgon 
and  Clytla,  the  fbnner  of  which  was  played  I^cfore  Leo  X. 
with  much  magnificence  j  the  latter  is  an  imitation  of  the 


~~  -  ■■i'»Tj»  AT  ftfS. 


AND  GF.NITTS  OF  POPf).        65 

To  produce,  and  carry  c^  •/  i  ••  :       ..-^ility 
and  decorum,  a  feries  of  events,  :^  p  (^: 

difficult  wo^k  '.;!  invention ;     nd  if  we  w 

mini-.tciy  to  examine  the  popular  ftories  of 
every  nation,  we  fhould  be  ama/:c\:   *o  find 
how  few  circumftances  have  betn  ever  in- 
vented.    Fads  and  events  have  been  indeed 
varied  and  modified,    but  totally  new  ones 
have  not  been  created.     The  writers  of  the 
old  romances,  from  whom  Arioftoand  Spencer 
have  borrowed  fo  largely,  are  fuppofed  to  have 
had  copious  imaginations :  but  may  they  rot 
be  indebted,    for  their  invulnerable  heroes, 
their  monfters,  their  enchantments,  their  gar- 
dens of  pleafure,  their  winged  Aeeds^  and  the 
like,  to  the  £chidna,  to  the  Circe,   to  the 
Medea,  to  the  Achilles,  to  the  Syrens,  to  the 
Harpies,  to  the  Phryxus,  and  the  Bellcrophon 

Caffina  of  Plautus ;  "  Indigna  vero  homine  Chridiano  (fays 
Balzac)  qiii  (anftiores  Mufas  colit,  et,  in  ladicris  quoque,  me- 
minifle  debet  feveritatis/'  Epill.  Sclc6t.  pag.  202.  I  have 
been  informed  that  Machiavel  towards  the  latter  part  of  his 
life  grew  religious,  and  that  Tome  pieces  of  afcetic  devotion, 
compoied  by  him,  are  preferved  in  the  libraries  of  Italy.  Lord 
Bacon  (ays  remarkably  of  Machiavel,  that  he  teaches,  quid 
boouBes  hccrc  iUeant,  non  quid  debeant. 

Vol.  II.  K  of 


66     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

of  the  ancients  ?  The  cave  of  Polypheme 
might  furnifh  out  the  ideas  of  their  giants, 
and  Andromeda  might  give  occalion  for  Hories 
of  diilreifed  damfels  on  the  point  of  being 
devoured  by  dragons,  and  delivered  at  fuch  a 
critical  fealpn  by  their  favourite  knights.  Some 
iaint  traditions  of  the  ancients  might  have 
been  kept  glimmering  and  alive  during  the 
whole  barbarous  ages,  as  they  are  called ;  and 
it  is  not  impoflible,  but  thefe  have  been  the 
parents  of  the  Genii  in  the  eaftern,  and  the 
Fairies  in  the  weftern  world.  To  fay  that 
Amadis  and  Sir  Triftan  have  a  clailical  foun- 
dation, may  at  firA  fight  appear  paradoxical ; 
but  if  the  fubjed  were  examined  to  the  bot- 
tom, I  am  inclined  to  think,  that  the  wildefl: 
chimeras  in  thofe  books  of  chivalry  with 
which  Don  Quixote's  library  was  furnilhed, 
would  be  found  to  have  a  clofe  connexion 
with  ancient  mythology. 

We  of  this  nation  have  been  remarkably 

barren  in  our  inventions  of  fads  j  we  have 

been  chiefly  borrowers  in  this  fpecies  of  com- 

pofitionj 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        67 

f>oiitlon ;  as  the  plots  of  our  moft  applauded 
plays,  both  in  tragedy  and  comedy,  may  wiN 
nels,  which  havt  generally  been  taken  from 
the  novels  of  the  Italians  and  Spaniards. 

The  ftory  of  January  and  May  now 
before  us,  is  of  the  comic  kind,  and  the  cha- 
rader  of  a  fond  old  dotard  betrayed  into  dif- 
grace  by  an  unfuitable  match,  is  fupported  in 
a  lively  manner.  Pope  has  endeavoured, 
iuitably  to  familiarize  the  'ftatelinefs  of  our 
heroic  meafure,  in  this  ludicrous  narrative; 
but  after  all  his  pains,  this  meafure  is  not  a* 
dapted  to  fuch  fubjeds,  fo  well  as  the  lines 
of  four  feet,  or  the  French  numbers  of  Fon- 
taine *.  Fontaine  is,  in  truth,  the  capital 
and  unrivalled  writer  of  comic  tales.  He 
generally  took  his  fubjedts  from  Boccaccio, 
'f  Poggitis,  and  Ariofto  ^  but  adorned  them 

*  It  is  to  be  lamented  that  Fontaine  has  to  frequently  tranf- 
greffiMl  the  bounds  of  modeily.  Boileau  did  not  look  upon 
Fontaine  as  an  original  writer,  and  ufed  to  fay  he  had  bor- 
rowed both  his  (tile  and  matter  from  Marot  and  Rabelais^ 

t "  PoggiusFlorentinus  in  hoc  numero  eloquentium  virorunt 
fingularc  nomen  obtinet.    Scripfit  dc  nobilitatex  de  avaritia, 

ILz  de 


68     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
them  with  £0  many  natural  ftrokes,  with  fuch 
quaintncfs  in  his  refleftions,  and  fuch  a  drynefs 
and  archnefs  of  humour,  as  cannot  hH  to  ex- 
cite kughter. 

Our  Prior  has  happily  caught  his  manner, 
in  many  of  his  lighter  tales ;  particularly  in 
Hans  Carvel,  the  invention  of  which,  if  its 
genealogy  be  worth  tracing,  is  firft  due  to 
Foggius.  It  is  found  in.  the  hundred  and 
thirty-third  of  his  Facetia,  where  it  is  entitled 
Vifio  Francifci  Philelphi  j  from  hence  Ra- 
belais inferted  it,  under  another  title,  in  his 
third  book  and  twenty-eighth  chapter ;  it  was 
afterwards  related  in  a  book  called  the  *  Hun- 
dred Novels  j  Ariofto  finifhes  his  fifth  fatire 
with  it;  Malefpini  alfo  made  ufe  of  it;  Fon- 
taine who  imagined  Rabelais  to  be  the  in- 

it  principum  inrdiciute,  de  moribas  Indorum,  facetiakuh 
quoque  libnim  unum.  Ab  advetHaih  exagitanu  orationea  ple- 
nfque  invcOivas  edidit.  Jn  epiffolu  etiam  laudatur.  Cyn>> 
psdlam,  qaain  Xenophon  ille  fcripfu,  ladnam  reddidit,  atqoe 
Aiphonib  rcgi  dedtcavit,  pro  qua  g  rege  magnam  mere 
tC^pit,"  Facius  de  virit  illufirihiu,  Florenti^,  1745. 
•  $M  Meugiana.  Vol,  I  p.  368. 


fcflw 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        69 

ventor  of  it^  was  the  iixth  author  who  deli« 
ii^ered  it,  as  our  Prior  was  the  laft }  and  per- 
haps not  the  leaft  fpirited. 

Rabelais  was  not  the  inventor  of  n^ny 
of  the  burlefque  tales  he  introduced  into  his 
principal  (lory ;  the  fineft  touches  of  which, 
it  is  to  be  feared,  have  undergone  the  ufual 
and  unavoidable  fate  of  fatirical  writings,  that 
is,  not  to  be  tafted  or  underftood,  when  the 
characters,  the  fa£ts  and  the  follies  they  ftig* 
matize,  are  perifhed  and  unknown.  Gulliver 
in  the  next  century,  will  be  as  obfcure  as  Ga- 
ragantua;  and  Hudibras  and  the  fatire  Menippe 
cannot  be  read,  without  voluminous  commen* 
taries. 

The  Wife  o^p  Bath,  is  the  other 
piece  of  Chaucer  which  Pope  feledlcd  to 
imitate:  One  cannot  but  wonder  at  his 
choice,  which  perhaps  nothing  but  his  youth 
could  cxcufe.  Dryden^  who  is  known  not 
to  be  nicely  fcrupulous,  informs  us  that  he 
would  not  verfify  it  on  account  of  its  inde- 
cency. 


70  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
indecency.  Pope  however  has  omitted  or 
foftened  the  gro^Ter  and  more  offenfive  pallages, 
Chaucer  afforded  him  many  fubjedts  of  a  more 
ferious  and  fublime  fpecies ;  and  it  were  to  be 
wilhed^  Pope  had  exercifed  his  pencil  on  the 
pathetic  ftory  of  the  patience  of  Grifilda,  or 
Troilus  and  Creffida,  or  the  complaint  of 
the  black  knight }  or,  above  all^  on  Cambuf- 
can  and  Canace.  From  the  accidental  cir- 
cumftancc  of  Dryden  and  Pope's  having 
copied  the  gay  and  ludicrous  parts  of  Chaucer, 
the  common  notion  feems  to  have  arjfcn,  that 
Chaucer's  vein  of  poetry  was  chiefly  turned 
to  the  light  and  the  ridiculous  *,  In  a  word, 
they  who  look  into  Chaucer,  will  foon  be 
convinced  of  this  prevailing  prejudice,  and 
will  find  his  comic  vein  to  be  only  like  one  of 
mercury,  imperceptibly  mangled  with  a  mine 
of  gold. 


*  Cowley  U  Md  to  have  dcfpifed  Chaucer.  I  am  not  fur- 
prized  at  this  (Irange  judgment.  Cowley  was  indlTputably  a 
Genius,  but  his  taftc  was  perverted  and  nanowed  by  a  lore 
ef  witticifins. 


Chaucer 


^ ^■---- 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POI^E.        yx 

Chaucer  is  ftill  more  highly  magnified 
by  Dryden,  in  the  fpiritcd  and  pleafing  pre- 
face to  his  Fables ;  for  his  prefaces,  after 
all,  are  very  pleafing,  notwithftanding  the 
oppofite  opinions  they  contain,  becaufe  his 
profe  is  the  moft  numerous  and  fweet,  the 
moft  mellow  and  generous^  of  any  our  lan-^ 
guage  has  yet  produced.  His  digrcflions 
and  ramblings,^  which  he  himfelf  fays  he 
learned  of  honcft  Montaigne,  are  interefting 
and  amufing.  In  this  preface  is  a  paiTage 
worth  particular  notice,  not  only  for  the 
juftnefs  of  the  criticifm,  but  becaufe  it  con- 
tains a  cenfure  of  Cowley.  **  Chaucer 
is  a  perpetual  fountain  of  good  fenfe; 
learned  in  all  fciences  j  and  therefore  fpeaks 
properly  on  all  fubjedts  :  As  he  knew  what 
to  fay,  fo  he  alfo  knows  where  to  leave  off; 
a  continence,  which  is  pracilifed  by  few 
writers,  and  fcarcely  by  any  of  the  ancients, 
excepting  Virgil  and  Horace*  One  of  our  lati 
great  poets  is  funk  in  his  reputation,  becaufe 
he  could  never  forgive  any  Conceit  that  came 
ia   his  way;    but   fwept,  like   a  drag-net, 

K  4  great 


72      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

great  and  fmall.  There  was  plenty  enough, 
but  the  "clifhes  were  ill-forted;  whole  pyra- 
mids of  Yweet-meats  for  boys  and  women  ; 
but  little  of  folid  meat,  for  men.  All  thi^ 
proceeded  not  from  any  want  of  knowledge, 
but  of  judgment ;  neither  did  he  want  that, ' 
in  difcerning  the  beauties  and  faults  of  other 
poets;  but  only  indulged  himfelf  in  the 
luxury  of  writing ;  and  perhaps  knew  it  was 
a  fault,  but  hoped  the  reader  would  not  find 
i^  For  this  reafon,  though  he  muft  always 
be  thought  a  great  poet,  he  is  no  longer 
efteemed  a  good  writer;  and  for  ten  im- 
preflions  which  his  works  have  had  in  fo 
many  fucceflive  years,  yet  at  prefent  a  hun- 
dred books  are  fcarcely  purchafed  once  a 
twelvemonth."  It  is  a  circumflance  of 
literary  hiftory  worth  mentioning,  that 
Chaucer  was  more  than  60  years  old  when 
he  wrote  Palamon  and  Arcitc,  as  we  know 
Dryden  was  70,  when  he  verfificd  it.  The 
lines  of  Pope,  in  the  piece  before  us, 
are  fpirited  and  eafy,  and  have,  properly 
enough,  a  free  colloquial  air.  One  pafiage, 
X  cannot 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  73 

I  oinnot  forbear  quoting,  as  it  acquaints  us 
with  the  writers  who  were  popular  in  the  time 
of  Chaucer.  The  jocofc  old  woman  fays, 
that  her  hufband  frequently  read  to  her  out 
of  a  volume  that  contained, 

Valerius  whole :  and  of  Saint  Jerome  part  $ 
Chryfippus,  and  TertuUian,  Ovid*s  art, 
Solomon's  proverbs,  £Ioifa*s  loves } 
With  many  more  than  Aire  the  church  approves  ^. 

Pope  has  omitted  a  ftroke  of  humour  j  for  in 
the  original,  fhe  naturally  miftakes  the  rank 
and  age  of  St.  Jerome:  the  lines  muft  be 
tranfcribed. 

Ydepid  Valerie  and  Thcophraft, 

At  which  boke  he  lough  alwey  full  fisift ; 

And  eke  there  was  a  clerk  fometune  in  RomCf 

A  cardinal^  that  hightin  St.  Jerome, 

That  made  a  boke  agenft  Jovinian, 

In  which  boke  there  was  eke  Tertullian, 

Chryfippus,  Trotula,  and  Helowis, 

That  was  an  Abbefs  not  ferr  fro  Paris. 

•  Vcr,  359. 

Vol.  n.  L  Ajia 


74       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

And  eke  the  Parables  of  Solomon, 
Ovid'  is  art,  and  bokis  many  a  one  *• 

In  the  library  which  Charles  V.  founded  in 
France  about  the  year  thirteen  hundred  and 
feventy  fix,  among  many  books  of  devotion, 
aftrology,  chemiflry  and  romance,  there  was 
not  one  copy  of  TuUy  to  be  found,  and  no 
Latin  poet  but  Ovid,  Lucan  and  Boethius; 
fome  French  tranflations  of  Livy,  Valerius 
Maximus,  and  St.  Auftin's  City  of  God.  He 
placed  thefe  in  one  of  the  towers  of  the  old 
Louvre,  which  was  called  the  tower  of  the 
library.  This  was  the  foundation  of  the  pre- 
fent  magnificent  royal  library  at  Paris. 

The  tale  to  which  this  is  the  Prologue,  has 
been  vcrfified  by  Dryden ;  and  is  fuppofed 
to  have  been  of  Chaucer's  own  contrivance : 
as  is  alfo  the  elegant  Vision  of  thejlower  and 
the  leafy  which  has  received  new  graces  from 
the  fpirited  and  harmonious  Dryden.     It  is 

♦  Vcr.  671, 

to 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         75 

to  his  fables,  though  wrote  in  his  old  age  ♦, 

that  Dryden  will  owe  his  immortality,  and 

among  them,    particularly,   to  Palamon  and 

Arcite,  Sigifmunda  and  Guifcardo,  Theodore 

and  Honoria  ;    and  to  his  mufic  ode.     The 

warmth  and  melody  of  thefe  pieces,  has  never 

been  excelled  in  our  language,    I  mean   in 

rhyme.     As  general  and  unexemplified  criti- 

cifm  is  always  ufelefs  and  abfurd,  I  muft  beg 

leave  to  feled:  a  few  paflages  from  thefe  three 

poems,  and  the  reader  muft  not  think  any  ob- 

fervations  on  the  charadler  of  Dryden,    the 

conftant  pattern  of  Pope,  unconnected  with 

the  main  fubjeft  of  this  work.     The  pidure 

of  Arcite  in  the  abfence  of  Emilia,  is  highly 

cxprcffive  of  the  deepeft  diftrefs,  and  a  com- 

pleat  image  of  anguifh. 

He  rav'd  with  all  the  madnels  of  d^fpair. 
He  roar*d,  he  beat  his  breaft,  he  tore  his  hair. 

*  The  falling  ofF  of  his  hair,  faid  a  man  of  wit,  had  no 
other  coniequenccy  than  to  make  his  laurels  to  be  ieen  the  more. 
A  perfon  who  tranftated  fome  pieces  after  Dryden  ufed  to  fay. 


Experto  credite,  quantus 


In  dypeum  a^urgat,  quo  turbine  torqueat  haftam. 

Crebillon  was  ninety  when  he  brought  his  Catiline  on  the  ftage* 

L  2  Dry 


76-      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Dry  forrow  in  his  ftuptd  eyes  appears. 
For  wanting  nouriibment,  he  wanted  tears : 
His  cye-badls  in  their  hollow  fockets  fink. 
Bereft  of  fleep  he  loaths  his  meat  and  drink; 
He  withers  at  his  heart,  and  looks  as  wan> 
As  the  pale  fpeftre  of  »  murder'd  man  •. 

The  image  of  the  Suicide  is  equally  pidu- 
refque  and  pathetic. 

The  flayer  of  himfelf  yet  faw  I  there 
The  gore  congcalM  was  clotted  in  his  hair ; 
With  eyes  half-clos'd  and  gaping  mouth  he  lay. 
And  grhn>  as  when  he  breath'd  his  fullcn  foul  away. 

This  reminds  me  of  that  forcible  defcription 
in  a  writer  whofe  fancy  was  eminently  ftrong. 
**  Catilina  vero,  longe  a  fuis,  inter  hoftium  ca- 
«'  davera  repcrt\is  eft.  paululum  etiam  fpirans ; 
**  ferociamque  animi,  quam  hahucrat  vivus,  in 
"  vultu  rctinens."  Nor  muft  I  omit  that  af- 
fedUng  image  in  Spcnfer,  who  ever  excels  in 
the  pathetic. 

And  him  befides  there  lay  upon  the  grafi 
A  dreary  corfc,  whofe  life  away  did  pals, 

*  Palamon  and  Ardte,  BookX* 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         77 

AH  wallow'd  in  his  own,  yet  lukewarm,  blood. 
That  from  his  wound  yet  welled  freih,  alas ; 
In  which  a  rufty  knife  faft  fixed  ftood. 
And  made  an  open  paffage  for  the  gulhing  flood  *• 

When  Palamon    perceived    his    rival    had 
efcaped, 

—    He  ftares,  he  (lamps  the  ground ; 
The  hollow  tow'r  with  clamour  rhigs  around: 
Widi  briny  tears  he  bathM  his  fetter'd  feet^ 
And  droppM  all  o^er  with  agony  of  fweat 

Nor  arc  the  feelings  of  Palamon  lefs  ftrongly 
impreflcd  on  the  reader,  where  he  fays. 

The  rage  of  Jealoufy  then  fir'd  his  foul. 
And  his  face  kindled  like  a  burning  coal : 
Now  cold  defpair  fucceeding  in  her  ftead. 
To  livid  palcnefs  turn*d  the  glowing  red  f . 

If  we  pafs  on  from  defcriptions  of  perfons 
to  thofe  of  things,  we  (hall  find  this  poem 

*  Fairy  Queen,  Book  I.  Canto  9.  Stanza  36. 

f  Thefe  paflages  are  chiefly  of  the  pathetic  fort ;  for  which 
Dryden  in  his  tragedies  is  far  from  being  remarkable.  But  it 
is  not  unufual  for  the  fame  perfbn  to  fucceed  in  deicribing  ex- 
temally  a  diilreisful  charafter,  who  may  miierably  fail  iu 
putting  proper  words  in  the  mouth  of  fuch  a  character.  In  a 
word,  fo  much  more  difficult  is  dramatic  than  dsscrxptivk 
poetry! 

equally 


78       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

equally  excellent.  The  temple  of  Mars,  is 
fituated  with  propriety,  in  a  country  defolate 
and  joylefs ;  all  around  it. 

The  laiidfcape  was  a  forefl:  wide  and  bare ; 

Where  neither  bcaft  nor  human  kind  repair  ; 

The  fowl,  that  fcent  afar,  the  borders  fly. 

And  (hun  the  bitter  blaft,  and  wheel  about  the  flcy . 

A  cake  of  fcurf  lies  baking  on  the  ground. 

And  prickly  ftubs  inftead  of  trees  are  found. 

The  temple  itfelf  is  nobly  and  magnificently 
ftudied}  and,  at  the  fame  time,  adapted  to 
to  the  furious  nature  of  the  God  to  whom  it 
belonged  ;  and  carries  with  it  a  barbarous  and 
tremendous  idea . 

The  frame  of  burniffi'd  ftcel  that  caft  a  glare 
From  far,  and  fecm'd  to  thaw  the  freezing  air. 
A  ftrait  long  entry  to  the  temple  led, 
Blind  with  high  walls  and  horror  over-head  : 
Thence  iflued  fuch  a  blaft  and  hollow  roar. 
As  threaten'd  from  the  hinge  to  heave  the  door. 
In  through  the  door  a  northern  light  there  ftione, 
'Twas  all  it  had,  for  windows  there  were  none. 
The  gate  of  adamant,  eternal  frame, 
Which  hew'd  by  Mars  himfelf  from  Indian  quarries 
came. 

Thia 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         79 

This  fcenc  of  terror  is  judicioufly  contrafted 
by  the  pleafing  and  joyous  imagery  of  the 
temples  of  Venus  and  Diana.  The  figure  of 
the  laft  goddefs,  i;  a  defiga  fit  for  Guido  to 
execute. 

The  graceful  Goddefs  was  arrayM  in  green  ; 
About  her  feet  were  little  beagles  feen. 
That  watchM  with  upward  eyes  the  motions  of  their 
queen. 

But  above  all,  the  whole  defcription  of  the 
entering  the  lifts  *,  and  of  the  enfuing  com- 
bat, which  is  told  at  length,  in  the  middle  of 
the  third  book,  is  marvelloufly  fpirited  j  and 
fo  lively,  as  to  make  us  fpedlators  of  that  inte- 
refting  and  magnificent  tournament.  Even 
the  abfurdity  of  feigning  ancient  heroes,  fuch 
as  Thefeus  and  Lycurgus,  prefcnt  at  the  lifts 
and  a  modern  combat,  is  overwhelmed  and 
obliterated  amidft  the  blaze,  the  pomp,  and 
the  profufion  of  fuch  animated  poetry.     Fri- 

*  The  reader  is  defired  all  along  to  remember,  that  the 
£rft  delineation  of  all  thefe  images  is  in  Chaucer^  and  it  might 
be  worth  examining  how  mucli  Dryden  has  added  purely  from 
his  own  dock 

gid 


C5r_.  .-jr«  .,1—1 


80       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

gid  and  phlegmatic  mufl  be  the  critic,  who 
could  have  leifure  dully  and  foberly  to  attend 
to  the  anachronifm  on  fo  ibiking  an  occafion. 
The  mind  is  whirled  away  by  a  torrent  of 
rapid  imagery,  and  propriety  is  forgot. 

The  tale  of  Sigifmonda  and  Guifcardo  is 
heightened  with  many  new  and  afFedling 
touches  by  Dryden,  I  fliall  feledt  only  the 
following  pidlure  of  Sigifmonda,  as  it  has  the 
fame  attitude  in  which  fhe  appears  in  a  fa- 
mous piece  of  CORREGGIO. 

Mute,  folemn  forrow,  free  from  female  noife. 
Such  as  the  Majefty  of  grief  deftroys : 
For  bending  o*er  the  cup,  the  tears  flie  (hed 
Seem'd  by  the  pofture  to  difchargc  her  head, 
O'erfiird  before ;  and  oft  (her  mouth  apply'd 
To  the  cold  heart)  flie  kifb'd  at  once  and  cry'd. 

There  is  an  incomparable  wildnefs    in   the 
vifion  of  Theodore  and  Honoria  *,  that  repre- 


•  This  is  one  of  Boccace's  moft  ferious  llorics.  **  It  is  a 
carious  thing  to  fee  at  the  head  of  an  edition  of  Boccace's 
tiles»  prints.' ^  at  Florence  in  1573,  a  privilege  of  Gregory 
XIII.  who  lays,  ti.j  •>  rh is  he  follows  the  fleps  of  Pius  V. 
his  prcdec'jifor,  of  bkjTcd  meruor\',  and  which  tlu-eatcns  with 

fevcrc 


AND  GENIUS  OP  POPE.        St 

fcnts  the  furious  fpedlre  of  "  the  horfemail 
ghoft  that  came  thundering  for  his  prey/' 
and  of  the  gaunt  maftifFs  that  tore  the  fides 
of  the  (hrieking  damfel  he  purfued ;  v  hich 
is  a  fubjeft  worthy  the  pencil  of  Spagnoletti, 
as  it  partakes  of  that  favagenefs  which  is  (6 
ilriking  to  the  imagination.  I  fhall  confine 
myfelf  to  point  out  only  two  paflages,  which 
relate  the  two  appearances  of  this  formidable 
figure :  and  I  place  them  lafl,  as  I  think  them 
the  mod  lofty  of  any  part  of  Dry  den's  works, 

Whilfl:  lift'ning  to  the  murmVing  leaves  he  ftood^ 
More  than  a  mile  immers'd  within  the  wood. 
At  once  the  wind  was  laid — the  whifp'ring  found 
Was  dumb — a  rifing  earthquake  roclc'd  the  ground : 
With  deeper  brown  the  grove  was  overfpread. 
And  his  ears  tingled,  and  his  colour  fled. 

The  fenfations  of  a  man  upon  the  approach 
of  fome  ftrange  and  fupernatural  danger,  can 
fcarcely  be  reprefented  more  feelingly.     All 

fevere  panifhments  all  thofe,  who  fhall  dare  to  give  any  dis- 
turbance to  thofe  bookfellers  to  whom  this  privilege  is  granted. 
There  is  alio  a  decree  of  the  inquiiltion  in  favour  of  this  edi- 
tion, in  which  the  holy  father  caufed  fome  alterations  to  be 
made/'    LoNCVERVAjfA,  Tom.  II.  p.  6:.  a  Berlin,  1754* 

Vol.  II.  M  nature 


rr«  .  --.JS --l" 


82        ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

nature  is  thus  (aid  to  fympathize  at  the  fe- 
cond  appearance  of 

— -    -r-    The  felm  on  his  fable  deed 
Arm*d  with  his  naked  fword  that  urgf  d  his  dogs  to  (peed. 

Thus  it  runs 

The  fiend's  alarm  began ;  the  hollow  found 
Sung  in  the  leaves,  the  foreft  fliook  around. 
Air  blacken'd,  roll'd  the  thunder,  groan'd  the  ground. 

But  to  conclude  this  digreflion  on  Dryden. 
It  muft  be  owned,  that  his  ode  on  the  power 
of  mufic,  which  is  the  chief  ornament  of 
this  volume,  is  the  moft  unrivalled  of  his 
compofitions.  By  that  ilrange  fatality  which 
feems  to  difqualify  authors  from  judging  of 
their  own  works,  he  does  not  appear  to  have 
valued  this  piece,  becaufe  he  totally  omits  it 
in  the  enumeration  and  criticifm  he  has  given, 
of  the  reft,  in  his  preface  to  the  volume.  I 
fhall  add  nothing  to  what  I  have  already  faid  on 
this  fubjedt  ^ ;  but  only  tell  the  occaiion  and 
manner  of  his  writing  it.    Mr.  St.  John,  after- 

*  \'oL  I.  pag.  JO. 

wards 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  83 

wards  Lord  Boliogbroke,  happening  to  pay  a 
morning  vifit  to  Dryden,  whom  he  alwajrs  ref- 
pcAed  *y  found  him  in  an  unufual  agitation 
of  fpirits,  even  to  a  trembling.  On  enquiring 
the  caufe,  ^^  I  have  been  up  all  night,  replied 
the  old  bard ;  my  muiical  friends  made  me 
promife  to  write  them  an  ode  for  their  feaft 
of  St.  Cscilia :  I  have  been  fo  ftruck  with  the 
fubje£fc  which  occurred  to  me,  that  I  could 
not  leave  it  till  I  had  completed  it ;  here  it  is, 
finifhed  at  one  fitting."  And  immediately 
he  (hewed  him  this  ode,  which  places  the 
Britifii  lyric  poetry  above  that  of  any  other 
nation.  This  anecdote,  as  trae  as  it  is  cu- 
rious, was  imparted  by  lord  Bolingbroke  to 
Pope,  by  Pope  to  Mr.  Gilbert  Weft,  by  him 
to  the  ingenious  friend  who  communicated  it 
to  me  ♦.    The  rapidity,  and  yet  the  perfpi- 

*  See  Us  veries  to  Diyden,  prefixed  to  the  tranflation  of 
Virgil.  Lord  Bolingbroke  aflbred  Pops,  that  Dryden  oftea 
declared  to  him,  that  he  got  more  from  the  Spaniih  critict 
alone,  than  from  the  Italian,  French,  and  all  other  critia  put 
together.  This  appears  ftrange.  Lord  Bolinghoke  learned 
Spaniih  in  kfi  dian  three  weeks. 

f  Richard  Berenger,  Efq; 

M  2  cuity 


84       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

cuity  of  the  thoughts,  the  glow  and  the  ex- 
preflivenefs  of  the  images,  thofe  certain  marks 
of  the  firft  fketch  of  a  mafter,  confpire  to 
corroborate  the  truth  of  the  fadt. 

The  Translation  o^  xht  Jirji  book  of 
StafiuSy  is  the  next  piece  that  belongs  to  this 
Section.  It  was  in  his  childhood  only,  that 
he  could  make  choice  of  fo  injudicious  a 
writer.  It  were  to  be  wifhed  that  no  youth 
of  genius  were  fufFered  ever  to  look  into  Sta- 
tins *,  Lucan,  Claudian,  or  Seneca  the  trage- 
dian 3  authors,  who  by  their  forced  conceits, 
by  their  violent  metaphors,  by  their  fwelling 
epithets,  by  their  want  of  a  juft  decorum,  have 
$t  ftrong  tendency  to  dazzle,  and  to  miflead 
inexperienced  minds,  and  talles  unformed^ 
from  the  true  relifh  of  poflibility,  propriety,  " 
flmplicity  and  nature.     Statius  had  undoubt- 

♦  Writers  of  this  (lamp  are  always  on  the  ftrctch,  They 
difdain  the  natural.  They  are  perpetually  grafping  at  the  vaft, 
the  wonderful,  and  the  terrible.  ''  Kav  ix»roy  avrtkv  t^o^  aiyaq 
(ttUffKOTTri^,  EX  re  (po^ifs  k^t  O^iy^i  viroifOTH  wpo?  to  it;jtaT«if po>»jTOf .— 

xXt  fAY.rrort  irirnrotirir  >;/xa;  a;  rfvayTtov     thv  yap.  (fao'i,  ^rprifo* 

'- v'j7.i;:tf ."    Longinus,  5r£f»  v^^q  ri*.  y,  oudl.  ili. 

edly 


.'  - 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         85 

ediy  invention,  ability  and  fpirit;  but  his 
images  are  gigantic  and  outrageous,  and  his 
ientiments  tortured  and  hyperbolical.  It  can 
hardly,  I  think,  be  doubted,  but  that  Juvenal 
Jn tended  a  fevere  fatire  on  him,  in  thefe  v^^ell 
known  lines  which  have  been  commonly 
interpreted  as  a  panegyric. 

Curritur  ad  vocem  jucundam  et  carmen  amca 
Thebaidos,  httam  fecit  cum  Statius  urbem^ 
Promijitque  diem  ;  tanta  dulcedine  captos 
Afficit  ille  animos,  tantaque  libidine  vulgi 
Auditur :  fed,  cum  fregit  fubfeUia  verfu, 
Efurit. 

In  thefe  verfes  are  many  expreflions,  here 
marked  with  italics,  which  feem  to  hint  ob- 
liquely, that  Statius  was  the  favourite  poet  of 
the  vulgar,  who  were  eafily  captivated  with 
a  wild  and  inartificial  tale,  and  with  an  empty 
magnificence  of  numbers ;  the  noify  roughnefs 
of  which,  may  be  particularly  alluded  to  in 
the  expreflion,  fregit  fubfeUia  verju.  One 
cannot  forbear  reflefting  on  the  fhort  duration 
of  a  true  tafte  in  poetry,  among  the  Romans. 

From 


86       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

From  the  time  of  Lucretius,  to  that  of  Statius, 
was  no  more  than  about  one  hundred  and 
fonj'fcvcn  years ;  and  if  I  might  venture  to 
pronounce  fo  rigorous  a  fentence,  I  would  fay, 
that  the  Romans  can  boafl  of  but  eight  poets 
who  are  unexceptionably  excellent ;  namely, 
Terence,  Lucretius,  Catullus,  Virgil, 
Horace,  Tibullus,  Propertius,  Phje- 
DRUs.  Thefe  only  can  be  called  legitimate 
models  of  juft  thinking  and  writing.  Suc- 
ceeding authors,  as  it  happens  in  all  countries, 
refolving  to  be  original  and  new,  and  to  avoid 
the  imputation  of  copying,  became  diftorted 
and  unnatural :  by  endeavouring  to  open  a 
Eew  path,  they  dcferted  fimplicity  and  truth ; 
weary  of  common  and  obvious  beauties,  they 
muft  needs  hunt  for  remote  and  artificial  de- 
corations. Thus  was  it  that  the  age  of  Deme- 
triusPhalercus  fucceeded  that  of  Demofthenes, 
and  the  falfe  relifh  of  Tiberius's  courts  the 
chafle  one  of  Auguftus,  Among  the  various 
caufts  however  that  have  been  afligned,  why 
poetry  and  the  arts  have  more  eminently 
fioiirlfticd  in  fome  particular  ages  and  nations, 

than 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         87 

thaa  in  others,  few  have  been  fatis&dtory  and 
adequate.  What  folid  reafon  can  we  give  why 
the  Romans,  who  fo  happily  imitated  the 
Greeks  in  many  refpeds,  and  breathed  a  truly 
tragic  fpirit,  could  yet  never  excel  in  tragedy, 
though  fo  fond  of  theatrical  fpedacles  ?  Or 
why  the  Greeks,  fo  fruitful  in  every  fpec]e9 
of  poetry,  yet  never  produced  but  one  great 
epic  poet  ?  While  on  the  other  hand,  modern 
Italy,  can  fhew  two  or  three  illuflrious  epic 
writers,  yet  has  no  Sophocles,  Euripides,  or 
Menander.  And  France,  without  having 
formed  a  fingle  Epopea,  has  carried  dramatic 
poetry  to  fo  high  a  pitch  of  perfedion  in  Cor- 
oeille,  Racine,  and  Moliere. 

For  a  confirmation  of  the  foregoing  remark 
on  Statius,  and  for  a  proof  of  the  flrength  and 
fpirit  of  Pope's  tranflation,  I  (hall  feled  the 
following  parage. 

He  fends  a  monfler  horrible  and  fell. 

Begot  by  furies  in  the  depth  of  hell. 

The  peft  a  virgin's  fiace  and  bofom  wears ; 

Hi^  on  a  crown  a  rifing  fnake  appears. 

Guards  her  black  fronts  and  hifles  in  her  hairs : 

About 


88       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

About  the  realm  (he  walks  her  dreadful  round        • 
When  night  with  fable  wings  o'erfpreads  the  ground  ; 
Devours  young  babes  before  their  parent's  eyes. 
And  feeds  and  thrives  on  public  miferies  *• 

Oedipus,  in  Statius,  behaves  with  the  fury  of 
a  bluftering  bully  j  in  Sophocles  -f*,  with  that 
patient  fubmiflion,  and  pathetic  remorfe,  which 

are  fuited  to  his  lamentable  condition. 

Art  thou  a  father,  unregarding  Jove  ! 
And  fleeps  thy  thunder  in  the  realms  above  ? 
Thou,  fury,  then,  fome  lafting  curfe  entail. 
Which  o'er  their  children's  children  (hall  prevail ; 
Place  on  their  heads  that  crown  diftain'd  with  gore» 
Which  thefe  dire  hands  from  my  flain  father  tore  ]:• 

Ovid  is  alfo  another  writer  of  a  bad  tafte^ 
on  whom  Pope  employed  fome  of  his  youth- 
ful hours;  in  tranflating  the  ftories of  Dryope, 
and  Pomona.    Were  it  not  for  the  ufeful  my- 

•  B.  I.  ver.  701. 

t  See  his  addrefs  to  the  furies  in  the  (Edipus  Coloneus  of 
SopbiKleSy  beginning  at  the  words,  n  vorviat  ^nfonrs^j  at  veHe 
85,  down  to  veHe  117.  And  afterwards,  when  he  becomes 
more  particularly  acquainted  with  the  unnatural  cruelty  of  his 
ions,  yet  his  rcfentment  ii  more  temperate.  See  verfe  433  down 
to  verfe  472,  of  the  fame  tragedy. 

thological 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        89 

thological  knowledge  they  contain,  the  works 
of  Ovid  ought  not  to  be  lb  diligently  read.  ' 
The  puerilities  and  afFedtations  with  which 
they  abound,  are  too  well  known  to  be  here  in- 
fifted  on.  I  chufe  rather  to  account  for  Ovid's  , 
falling  into  fo  blameable  a  fpecies  of  wri- 
ting. In  the  words  of  a  fenlible  critic*;  who 

*  Francifci  VavafToris  de  Epigrammtte  Liber.  Parifiis 
1672.     Pag.  47,  edit.  8vo. 

About  this  time  it  became  fafhionable  among  the  wits  at 
Batton'sy  the  mob  of  gentlemen  that  wrote  with  eafe,  to  tranf- 
late  Ovid.  Their  united  performances  were  publifhed  in  form 
by  Garth,  with  a  preface  written  in  a  flowing  and  lively 
ftyle,  but  full  of  ftrange  opinions.  He  declares,  that  none 
of  the  daflic  poets  had  the  talent  of  exprefling  himfeif  with 
more  force  and  perfpicuity  than  Ovid ;  that  the  Fiat  of  the 
Hebrew  law-giver  is  not  more  fublime  than  the  Juflit  et  ex- 
tendi campos,  of  the  latin  poet ;  that  he  excels  in  the  pro- 
priety of  his  fimiles  and  epithets,  the  perfpicuity  of  his  alle- 
gories, and  the  inftruftive  excellence  of  his  morals,  Abovo 
all,  he  commends  him  for  his  unforced  tranfitions,  and  for  the 
cafe  with  which  he  Aides  into  fome  new  circumftance,  without 
aay  violation  of  the  unity  of  the  ftory ;  the  texture,  fays  he, 
is  fo  artful  that  it  may  be  compared  to  the  work  of  hie  own 
Arachne,  where  the  fliade  dies  fo  gradually,  and  the  light  re- 
vives fo  imperceptibly,  that  it  is  hard  to  tell  where  the  one 
chafes  and  the  other  begins.  But  it  is  remarkable  that  Quinti- 
lian  thought  very  diflerently  on  thi^  fubjedi,  and  the  admirers 
of  Ovid  would  do  well  to  confider  his  opinion.  ' '  Ilia  vero  fri- 
gida  et  puerilis  eft  in  fcholis  affedatlo,  ut  ipfe  tranfitus  efHciat 
aUqvamutiqac  fentcntiamj  et  hujus  velut  pracftigise  plaufum 

N  petat : 


96      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRItlNG^ 

after  he  hascenfured,  what  he  calls,  the pig^ 
menfa,  the  la/civias,  and  aucupia  fertnonum  of 
Paterculus,  of  Valerius  Maximus,  of 
Pliny  the  naturalift,  and  Pliny  the  con- 

ful,  of  Florus,  and  TACiTtJs,  proceeds 

» 

as  follows  :  **  Apud  Ovidium,  cum  in  He- 
roidum  epiftolis,  turn  vero  praecipue  in  li- 
bris  Metamorphofeon,  deprchcndunt  qui  ifta 
curant,  multa  folertcr  et  acute  didla.  Sed  ad- 
vertit  nemo,  quod  fciam,  unde  exorta  haec  ei 
praeter  caeteros  libido,  et  quae  caufa  feftivita- 
tis  novae,  et  prioribus  inufitatae  poetis,  eflc 
potuerit.  Natus  Ovidius  codem,  quo  Cicero 
mortuus,  anno,  in  haec  incidit  tempora,  ut  ita 
dicam,  declamatoria,  hoc  eft>  ea,  quibus  in-^ 
duftus  primum  eft,  et  valere  caepit,  et  in  ho- 
nore  eflc,  ftridtior  is  habitus  et  comptior  fcrip- 

petat :  ut  Ovidins  lafcivire  in  Metatnorphofi  folet^  queiii  ta* 
men  excafare  neceffitas  poteft,  res  diverfiffimas  in  fpeciem 
unios  corporis  colligentem."  Garth  was  a  mofl  amiable,  and 
benevolent  n^n.  It  was  faid  of  him,  chat  ''  no  Fhyficiaii 
knew  his  Art  more,  nxx  his  Trade  lefs/'  Pope  told  Mr* 
Richardfon,  "  that  there  was  hardly  an  alteration,  of  the 
innumerable,  that  were  made  throughout  every  edition  of  the 
Difpenfary,  |hat  was  not  for  the  better."  The  vivacity  of  hie 
converfation  made  him  an  aniverfal  favourite  both  witk 
Whigs  and  Tories,  when  party-rage  ran  high* 

tura^ 


a>.r 


•  .    • 


AND  GEN^IUS  6F  POPE.        91 

*tura }  tibi' color 'fententlarum,  plurimiac  dcnfi 
icnftis,  ct  qtticurti  quodkin  Wmine  tcfmina- 
ftiitrir,  n6n  Tarda  'titc  Ihefti  'ftrudtiira.  Sic 
cnim  nove  Icqtfi  Va^ptum  eft  At  novo  gehere 
loquelidi.  It^i^e  ejus  adolefcel^  ils  rtiiixinie 
ihidijs  dc  difciplinis  dtchmitsadi  tfkduda,  ex- 
'crcitaqdc  ttihc,  cum  Portro  l^ailroni  dt  ArcUio 
Fufbo  rhetdribus  dardt  operanr^  ctuhque  fefe 
non  ad  fottxtti^  a  qdb  laboris  f&^a  abhofrebat, 
fed  ad  poeticam^  in  quam  erat  natura  propen- 
iior,  contuHfiet :  detulit  una  fecuni  figuram 
banc  et  formam  fermonis,  cui  afTueverat  ali- 
quandiu,  et  inftrtutum  jam  oratione  foluta 
moreixl  retinuit  in  veriibus/' 

We  are  now  advanced,  througli  many  di- 
greflions,  that  I  would  hope  are  not  wholly 
impertinent,  to  I^ope's  Imitations  ^  Seven 
Engii)h  Poets^  fenie  of  which  were  done  at 
fourteen  or  filTteen  years  old.  His  early  bent 
to  poetry  has  been  already  taken  notice  of  in 
the  firft  volume  *,  to  which  the  following 
anecdote  muft  be  added,  which  I  lately  re- 

•  Pag.  77. 

N  2  ceived 


92     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ceived  from  one  of  his  intimate  friends.     "  I 

wrote  things,  faid  Pope,  I  am  afhamed  to  fay 

how  foon  ;  part  of  my  epic  poem  Alcander, 

when  about  twelve.     The  fcene  of  it  "lay  at 

Rhodes,  and  fome  of  the  neighbouring  iflands ; 

and  the  poem  opened  under  the  water,  with 

a  defcription  of  the  court  of  Neptune.    That 

couplet  on  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  which 
I  afterwards  inferted  in  the  Dunciad, 

^<  As  man's  meanders,  to  the  vital  fpring 

^<  Roll  all  their  tides,  then  back  their  circles  bring, 

was  originally  in  this  poem,  word  for  word.'' 

The  iirft  of  thefe  Imitations  is  of  Chaucer ; 
as  it  paints  neither  charafters  nor  manners  like 
his  original,  as  it  is  the  only  piece  of  our 
author's  works  that  is  loofe  and  indecent,  and 
as  therefore  I  wi(h  it  had  been  omitted  in  the 
prefent  edition,  I  (hall  fpeak  no  more  of  it. 

The  Imitation  of  Spenfer  is  the  fecond ; 
it  is  a  defcription  of  an  alley  of  fifliwomen. 
He  that  was  unacquainted  with  Spenfer,  and 

was 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        93 

was  to  form  his  ideas  of  the  turn  and  manner 
of  his  genius  from  this  piece^  would  un- 
doubtedly fuppofe  that  he  abounded  in  filthy 
images,  and  excelled  in  defcribing  the  lower 
fcenes  of  life.  But  the  charafteriftics  of  this 
fweet  and  amiable  allegorical  poet,  are,  not 
only  flrong  and  circumftantial  imagery,  but 
tender  and  pathetic  feeling,  a  mod  melodious 
flow  of  verfification,  and  a  certain  pleafing 
melancholy  in  his  fentiments,  the  conftant 
companion  of  an  elegant  tafle,  that  cads  a 
delicacy  and  grace  over  all  his  compofitions. 
To  imitate  Spenfer  on  a  fubjedt  that  does  not 
hold  of  the  pathos,  is  not  giving  a  true  repre- 
fentation  of  him,  for  he  feems  to  be  more 
awake  and  alive  to  all  the  foftnefTcs  of  nature, 
than  almoft  any  writer  I  can  recoiled.  There 
is  an  aflfemblage  of  difgufling  and  difagreeable 
founds,  in  the  following  ftanza  of  Pope, 
which  one  is  almoft  tempted  to  think,  if  it 
were  poflible,  had  been  contrived  as  a  contraft, 
or  rather  burlefque,  of  a  moft  exquifite  ftanza 
in  the  Faery  Queen. 

The 


94     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  (happilh  cur,  (the  paflengen  uuwjr) 
Clore  at  my  heel  with  jd^a^  treble  fliet ; 
The  whimp'ring  ^I)  and  hoarfer-fcreaiiuog  bojp^ 
Join  to  the  yelpit^  treble^  flirilling  cries ; 
The  fcolding  quean  to  louder  notes  doth  riici 
And  her  full  pipci  thofc  fhrllling  cries  coofouivl} 
To  her  full  pipej  the  grunting  hog  replies-; 
The  grunting  hog^  alarm  the  neighboiua  round. 
And  curs,  giils,  boys,  in  the  deep  bale  are  drolrn'd* 

The  very  turn  of  thefc  numbers,  have  flie 
clofeft  refemblancc  with  the  following,  which 
are  of  themfelves  a  complete  conceit  of  the 
moil  delicious  mufic. 

The  joyous  birds  Ihrouded  In  cfaearfiil  fliaje. 
Their  notes  unto  the  voice  attempred  fweet ; 
Th'  angelical,  foft  trembling  voices  made 
To  th'  infiruments  divine  relpondence  meet; 
The  fUver-ibunding  inftruments  diet  meet 
With  the  bafe  murmure  of  the  watet^a  fall  ( 
The  water's  fall  with  diflerence  dilcreet. 
Now  foft,  now  loud  unto  the  wind  did  call ; 
The  gentlewatbling  wind  low  anfwered  t<k  alS  *. 

Thefe  images,  one  would  have  thought,  were 
peculiarly  calculated  to  have  Aruck  the  fancy 

*  Bookll.  Canto  12.  Stanza  71. 

of 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        95 

of)  our  yGjuag  imitator  with  fo  much  admira«- 
tiaD>  a^.iiot  toliave  fuffered  him  to  make  a 
pf:travefty  of  them. 


The  next  ftanza  of  Pope  reprefents  fomc 
allegorical  figures^  of  which  his  original  was 
fo  fond. 

Har4  hj  a  fly,  beneath  a  roof  of  thatch 
Dwelt  Obloquy,  who  in  her  early  days, 
Baflcets  of  fifh  at  Billinigate  did  watch. 
Cod,  whiting,  oyfter,  mackarel,  fprat  or  plaice : 
There  learned  flie  fpeech  from  tongues  that  never  ceafe. 
Slander  befide  her,  like  a  magpie  chatters. 
With  Envy  (fpitting  cat)  dread  foe  to  peace ; 
Like  a  curs*d  cur.  Malice  before  her  clatters. 
And  vexing  every  wight,   tears  cloaths  and  all  to 
tatters. 

But  thcfe  perfonages  of  Obloquy,  Slander, 
Envy  and  Malice,  are  not  marked  with  any 
diftinft  attributes,  they  are  not  thofe  living 
figures^,  whofe  attitudes  and  behaviour  Spenfer 

*  Mr.  Hume  is  of  opinion,  that  the  peru(al  of  Spenfer  be- 
comes tedious  to  almoft  all  his  readers.  *'  This  cfFcSt^  fays  he, 
[Hiftory  of  England,  pag.  738.]  of  which  every  one  is  con- 
fcious,  is  ufually  afcribed  to  the  change  of  manners ;  but  man- 
ners have  more  changed  fince  Homer's  age,  and  yet  that  poet 

remains 


$6     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

has  minutely  drawn  with  fo  much  clearnefs 
and  truth,  that  we  behold  them  with  our  eyes, 
^s  plainly  as  we  do  on  the  cieling  of  the  ban- 
quetting-houfe.  For  in  truth  the  pencil  of 
Spenfer  is  as  powerful  as  that  of  Rubens,  his 
brother  allegorift ;  which  two  artifts  refem- 
bled  each  other  in  many  refpeds,  but  Spenfer 
had  more  grace,  and  was  as  warm  a  colourift. 
Among  a  multitude  of  objefts  delineated  with 
the  utmoft  force  *,    which  we  might  feledt 


remains  flill  the  favourite  of  every  reader  of  taftc  and  judg- 
ment. Homer  copied  true  natural  manners,  which,  however 
rough  and  uncultivated,  will  always  form  an  agreeable  and 
pleafing  pi^ure  ;  but  tlie  pencil  of  the  Englifh  poet  was  em- 
ployed in  drawing  the  afFedlations,  and  conceits,  and  foppe- 
ries of  chivalr)',  which  appear  ridiculous  as  foon  as  they  lofc 
the  recommendation  of  the  mode." 

•  Whence  it  came  to  pafs  that  Spenfer  did  not  give  his 
poem  the  due  iimplicity,  coherence  and  unity  of  a  legiti- 
mate Epopea,  the  reader  may  find  in  Mr.  Hurd's  entertain- 
ing letter  to  Mr.  Mafon,  on  the  Marks  of  imitation,  pag.  19, 
and  in  Obfer\'ations  on  the  Faery  Queen,  pag.  2,  3,  4. 
•'  How  happened  it,  fays  Mr.  Hurd,  that  »Sir  Philip  Sydney 
in  liis  Arcadia,  and  afterwards  Spenfer  in  his  Faery  Queen, 
obfervcd  fo  unnatural  a  condu<5l  in  thofe  works;  in  which 
the  dory  proceeds  as  it  were  by  fnatchcs,  and  with  continual 
interruptions  ?  How  was  the  good  fen(c  of  thofe  writers,  fo 
co]iverfant  befides  in  the  bell  models  of  antiquity,  feduced 

imto 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        97 

on  this  occafion,  let  us  flop  a  moment  and  take 
one  attentive  look  at  the  allegorical  figures 
that  rife  to  our  view  in  the  foUovsring  lines ; 

By  that  way's  fide  there  fate  infernal  Pain^ 
And  faft  befide  him  fat  tumultuous  Strife  ; 
The  one,  in  hand  an  iron  whip  did  ftrain. 
The  other  brandifhed  a  bloody  knife, 
U^  both  did  gnaih  their  teeth,  and  both  did  threaten  life  ^« 

22. 

But  gnawing  Jealoufie,  out  of  their  fight 
Sitting  alone  his  bitter  lips  did  bite  ; 

this  prepofleroos  method  ?  The  anfwer,  no  doubt  is,  that  they 
were  copying  the  defign,  or  diforder  rather  of  Arioflo,  the 
favourite  poet  of  that  time." 

A  defence  of  Arioflo  was  lately  publUhed  in  Lettere  Fami- 
liari  e  Critiche  de  Vincenzo  Martinelli,  two  of  which  are 
addreifed  to  lord  Cbarlemont  on  this  fubjedt,  pag.  290. 
Something  curious  on  this  head  may  be  found  in  a  remark- 
able letter  of  Bernardo  TafTo,  the  father  of  Torquato,  in  which 
there  is  this  paifage.  '<  Ne  fo  io  s'Ariftotele  nafceffe  a  quefla 
eta,  et  vede^  il  vaghiflimo  poema  deirAriofto,  conofcendo  la 
fbrza  de  1'  ufb,  et  vedendo  che  tanto  diletta,  come  V  efperienza 
d  dimonffaa,  mutaflc  opinione,  et  confentiffe  che  fi  potciTe  far 
poema  heroico  di  piu  attione :  Con  la  fua  mirabil  dottrina, 
et  giudicio,  dandogli  nova  norma,  et  prefcrivuendogli 
novi  legp." 

Lettere  di  XIII.  Huomini  Illiiftri  da  Tomafo  Porcacchi. 
InVenetia,  1584.     Libro  XVII.  pag.  422. 

*  Book  II.  c.  7.  21. 
Vol.  n.  O  And 


98        ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

And  trembling  Feue  ftill  to  and  fro  did  flie* 

And  found  no  place  where  lafe  he  Ihroud  him  nught. 

Lamenting  Sorrow  did  in  darlcnefle  lie. 

And  Shame  hit  ugly  face  did  hide  fiom  living  qrs, 

To  flicw  the  richnefs  of  his  &ncy,  he  has  gi- 
ven us  another  picture  of  Jealoufy,  conceived 
with  equal  ftrcngth  in  a  fucceeding  book  *. 

'iito  that  cave  he  creepes,  tnd  thencefoiA  there 
Relblv'd  to  build  bis  baleful  manfion 
In  dreaiy  darknefs,  and  continual  fare 
Of  that  rock's  fall ;  which  ever  and  anon 
Threats  with  huge  luin  him  to  fall  upon. 
That  he  dare  never  fleep,  but  that  one  ej9 
Still  ope  he  keeps  for  that  occafion ; 
Ne  ever  reRs  he  in  tranquillity. 
The  roaring  billows  beat  his  bowre  lb  boifterouflyf  . 

Here  all  is  in  life  and  motion  j  here  we  be- 
hold the  true  Poet  or  Maker  >  this  is  crea- 

*  Lord  Somen  was  paffionately  fond  of  the  Fairy  Qgeen  j 
it  was  his  favourite  work  ;  in  the  laA  pifture  which  he  late  lor 
toSirGodfreyKneller,  he  defired  to  be  painted  withaSpcnfec 
in  hi)  hand.  I  was  informed  of  thii  circumftance  by  the 
Somers  of  the  prefcnt  age ;  I  mean  by  a  perfon  who  unites  a 
profbunii  knowledge  of  the  laws  and  confiitution  of  his  oooa- 

try,  with  the  tmcfl  taAc  of  polite  literature. Need  I,  after 

this,  mention  the  Speaker  of  the  Koufe  of  Coflunons  f 

f  Bookiiit  c.  II. 


-'^■='"=^'^'~'--*-''^''^  ' 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  99 

tion  J  it  is  here,  "  might  wc  cry  out  to  Spen- 
fer/'  it  is  here  that  you  difplay  to  us,  that  you 
make  us  feel  the  fure  efFefts  of  genuine  po- 
etry,   QToiv  a  Aiym^   iir   €v^}iaioL(rjJLH  tcoli  TraSai 

Longinus  *. 

It  has  been  fafhionable  of  late  to  imitate 
Spenfer,  but  the  likenefs  of  moft  of  thefe  co- 
pies, hath  confifled  rather  in  ufing  a  few  of 
his  ancient  exprefHons,  than  in  catching  his 
real  manner.  Some  however  have  been  exe- 
cuted with  happinefs,  and  with  attention  to 
that  fimplicity,  that  tendernefs  of  fentiment, 
and  thofe  little  touches  of  nature,  that  confti- 
tutc  Spenfer's  charadter.  I  have  a^  peculiar 
pleafure  in  mentioning  two  of  them,  -f-  The 
School-mistress,  by  Mr.  Shenftone,  and 
the  Education  of  Achilles,  by  Mr.  Be- 
dingfield.  To  thefe  muft  be  added  that  ex- 
quiiite  piece  of  wild  and  romantic  imagery, 
Thompfon's  Caftle  of  Indolence;  the  firft 

•  Hip*  wT.  Scft.  15. 

t  Dodflcy'8  Mifccllanics,  Vol.  I.  pag.  247,  and  Vol.  Iir. 

Pg-  119- 

O   2  C^OtO 


100      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

canto  of  which  in  particular,  is  marvelloufly 
pleafing,  and  the  ftanzas  have  a  greater  flow 
and  freedom  than  his  blank-verfe. 

Pope  has  *  imitated  Waller  in  the  third 
place,  and  has  done  it  with  elegance,  efpecially 
in  the  verfes  on  a  fan  of  his  own  defign,  for  he 
defigned  with  dexterity  and  tafte.    The  appli- 
cation of  the  ftory  of  Cephalus  and  Procris  is 
as  ingenious  as  Waller's  Phoebus  and  Daphne. 
Waller  abounds,  perhaps  to  excefs,  in  allu- 
fions  to  mythology  and  the  ancient  claflics. 
The  French,  as  may  be  imagined,  complain 
that  he  is  too  learned  for  the  ladies.     The 
following  twelve  lines  contain  three  allufions, 
delicate  indeed,  but  feme  may  deem  them  to 
be    too    far-fetched,     too    much    crouded, 
and  not  obvious  to  the  Lady  to  whom  they 
were  addrefled,  on  her  finging  a  fong  of  his 
compofmg. 

•  Speaking  of  his  imitations,  Pope  faid  to  a  friend,  **  I 
had  once  a  dcfign  of  giving  a  taile  of  all  die  Greek  poets ;  I 
would  have  tranflated  a  hymn  of  Homer,  an  ode  of  Pindar, 
an  idyliium  of  Theocritus,  &c.  fo  that  I  would  have  exhi- 
bited a  general  view  of  their  pocfie,  throughout  its  different 
ages." 

That 


■«*1 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        ioi 

Chloris,  yourfelf  you  fo  excel]. 

When  you  vouchfafe  to  breathe  my  thought^ 

That  like  a  fpirit  with  this  fpell 

Of  my  own  teaching  I  am  caught. 

That  eagle's  fate  and  mine  are  one. 

Which  on  the  fhaft  that  made  him  die^ 
Efpy'd  a  feather  of  his  own 
Wherewith  he  wont  to  foar  fo  high. 
Had  Echo  with  fo  fweet  a  grace, 
Narciflus*  loud  complaints  returned. 
Not  for  reflexion  of  his  face. 
But  of  his  voice,  the  boy  had  burnM. 

Here  *  is  matter  enough  compreffed  together 
for  Voiture  to  have  fpun  out  into  fifty  lines. 
If  I  was  to  name  my  favorite  among  Waller's 
fmaller  pieces,  it  (hould  be  his  apology  for 
having  loved  before.  He  begins  by  faying 
that  "  they  who  never  had  been  ufed  to  the 
furprifing  juice  of  the  grape,  render  up  their 
reafon  to  the  firft  delicious  cup  :"  this  is  fuf- 
iiciently  gallant,  but  what  he  adds  has  much 
of  the  fublime,  and  is  like  a  thought  of 
Milton's. 

•  Spcnfer  and  Waller  were  Pope's  great  favourites,  in  the 
•rder  they  arc  named,  in  his  early  reading. 

To 


t     la 


162       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

To  man  that  was  i*  th'  evening  made) 

Stars  gave  the  firft  delight ; 
Admiring  in  the  gloomy  ihade) 

Thofe  little  drops  of  light. 
Then  at  Aurora,  whofe  fair  hand 

RemovM  them  from  the  fkies. 
He  gazing  towards  the  Eaft  did  ftand. 

She  ehtertain'd  his  eyes. 
But  when  the  bright  fun  did  appears 

All  thofe  he  'gan  defpife ; 
His  wo;ider  was  determined  there. 

And  could  no  higher  rife. 

Which  of  the  French  writers  has  produced 
any  thing  at  once  fo  gallant  and  fo  lofty  ?  The 
Englifli  vcrfification  was  much  fmoothcd  by 
Waller ;  who  ufed  to  own  that  he  derived 
the  harmony  of  his  numbers  from  Fairfax's 
Taffo,  who  well-vo welled  his  lines,  though 
Sandys  was  a  melodious  verfifier,  and  Spenfer 
has  perhaps  more  variety  of  muiic  than  either 
of  them.    A  poet  who  addrefTes  his  pieces  to 

•  "  Even  little  poems,  (aid  Pope,  fhould  be  written  by  a 
plan.  This  method  is  evident  in  Tibullus,  and  Ovid's  elegies, 
and  almoft  all  the  pieces  of  th«  ancients.  A  poem  on  a  flight 
fubjedl  requires  the  greater  care  to  make  it  confiderable  enough 
to  be  read." 

living 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        103 

living  charaders^  and  confines  himfelf  to  the 
fubjeds  of  his  own  times^  like  this  courtly 
author^  bids  fairer  to  become  popular,  than 
he  that  is  employed  in  the  higher  fcenes  of 
poetry,  which  are  more  remote  from  common 
manners.  It  may  be  remarked  lafUy  of  Waller, 
that  there  is  no  paflion  in  his  love  verfes,  and 
and  that  one  elegy  of  TibuUus,  excels  a  vo- 
lume of  the  moil  refined  panegyric, 

T«E  next  imitation  is  of  Cowley,  in  twa 
pieces,  on  a  garden,  and  on  weeping,  in  whiclt 
Pope  has  properly  enough,  in  conformity  to 
his  original,  extorted  fome  moral,  or  darted 
forth  fome  witticifm  on  every  objedt  he  men- 
tions :  It  is  not  enough  to  fay  that  the  laurels 
ihcltered  the  fountains  from  the  heat  of  the 
day,  but  this  idea  muft  be  accompanied  with 
a  conceit. 


Daphne,  now  a  tree,  as  once  a  maid. 


Still  from  A[>oIlo  vindicates  her  (hade* 


The 


■■r.^=r--*r-- — ^7 


104      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  flowers  that  grow  on  the  water-fide  could 
not  be  fufficiently  defcribed  without  faying, 
that 

The  pale  NarcifTus  on  the  bank,  in  vain. 
Transformed^  gazes  on  himfelf  again. 

In  the  lines  on  a  lady  weeping,  you  might 
expeift  a  touching  pidlure  of  beauty  in  diftrefs ; 
you  will  be  difappointed.  Wit  on  the  pre- 
feht  occafion  is  to  be  preferred  to  tendcrnefs  5 
The  babe  in  her  eye  is  faid  to  referable 
Phaeton  fo  much. 

That  heav'n  the  threatened  world  to  fparc. 
Thought  fit  to  drown  him  in  her  tears : 
Elfe  might  th*  ambitious  nymph  afpire^ 
To  fet,  like  him,  the  world  on  fire. 

Let  not  this  ftrained  afFeftation  of  ftriving  to 
be  witty  upon  all  occafions,  be  thought  cx- 
aggerated,  or  a  caricatura  of  Cowley.  It  is 
painful  to  cenfure  a  writer  of  fo  amiable  a 
mind,  fuch  integrity  of  manners,  and  fuch  a 
fweetnefs  of  temper.  His  fancy  was  brilli- 
ant, ftrong,  and  fprightly  j  but  his  tafte  falfc 

and 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      105 

£lnd  unclafCcal,  even  though  he  had  much 
learning.  In  his  latin  compofitions^  his  fix 
books  on  plants,  where  the  fubjcdl  might  have 
led  him  to  a  contrary  pradlice,  he  imitates 
Martial  rather  than  Virgil,  and  has  given  us 
more  Epigrams  than  Defcriptions.  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  fetn  it  obferved,  that 
Cowley  had  a  moft  happy  talent  of  imitating 
the  eafy  manner  of  Horace's  epiftolary 
writings ;  I  mud  therefore  infert  a  ipecimen 
of  this^  his  excellence. 

£rgo  iterum  verfus  ?  dices.    O  Vane !  quid  ergs 
Morbum  ejurafti  toties,  tibi  qui  infidet  altis, 
Non  evellendu9,  vi  vel  ratione,  medullb  f 
Numne  poetanim  (merito  dices)  ut  amantum. 
Derifum  ridere  deum  peijuria  cenfes  ? 
Parcius  hsec,  fodes,'  neve  inclementibus  urge 
Infelicem  hominem  di^is ;  nam  fata  trahunt  me 
Magna  relu£tantem,et  velut  equum  in  vincla  minacem. 
Helleborum  fumpfi,  fateor,  pulchreque  videbar 
Purgatus  inor\>i }  fed  Luna  potentior  herbis 
Infanire  iterum  jubet,  et  fibi  vendicjit  segrum. 

There  is  another  epiftle  alfo,  well  worthy  pe- 
V61.  II.  P  ru&l 


iq6     essay  on  the  WRITINGS 

i^fal,  to  his  friend  Mat.  ClifFord  *,  at  tht  end 
of  the  fame  volume.  Pope,  in  one  of  his 
imitations  of  Horace,  has  exhibited  the  real 
charadter  of  Cowley,  with  delicacy  and  can- 
dour. 

Who  now  reads  Cowley  ?  if  he  pleafes  yet. 
His  moral  pleafes,  not  his  pointed  ^t ; 
Forgot  his  epic,  nay  Pindaric  art. 
But  ftill  I  love  the  language  of  his  heart. 

His  profe  works  give  us  the  moft  amiable 
idea  both  of  his  abilities  and  his  heart.  His 
Pindaric  odes  cannot  be  perufed  with  common 
patience  by  a  lover  of  antiquity.  He  that  would 
lee  Pindar's  manner  truly  imitated,  may  read 
Mafters's  noble  and  pathetic  ode  on  the  Cni*- 
cifixion  3  and  he  that  wants  to  be  convinced 
that  thefe  reflexions  on  Cowley  are  not  too 
fevere,  may  read  alfo  his  epigrammatic  ver« 
fion  of  it, 

*  Settle  was  affifted  in  wridng  the  Anti-Achitophel  by 
Clifibrdy  and  others  the  heft  wits  of  that  time,  who  combined 
againft  Dryden. 

t  Another  line  likewife  of  Pop£  exadly  charafterifes  him. 
The  finfivi  Cowley*  wurtd  lay.  Vol.  VI-  p.  37. 

Htt 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       107 

H  trx  ofomq  oXovopf  vpev 
XrhKCorr  h  f  Xoyi 

-Xi  a»/x«rt  ro^ofUNf  —— — • 


Doft  thou  not  fee  thj  prince  in  purple  dad  all  oVfy 

Not  purple  brought  from  the  Sidonian  fboire  ? 

But  made  at  home  with  richer  gore  Cowliy* 

HvXaq  tVMViiv* 

Open,  oh !  open  Vide  the  fotmtaios  of  thine  eyet. 

And  let  them  call 
Their  ftock  of  moidure  forth  where  e'er  it  lie^ 
For  this  will  aflc  it  all. 
Twould  all  alas  !  too  little  be^ 
Though  thy  (alt  tears  came  from  a  fea. 


His  general  preface;  his  di(couHe  concerning  Cromwell;  his 
cflkys  on  liberty,  on  obfcurity,  on  agricalture,  on  greatnefs, 
and  on  himielf,  are  full  of  pleafing  and  virtuous  (entiments» 
exprefled  without  any  afie6tation»  fo  that  he  appears  to  be  on« 
of  the  beft  profe  writers  of  his  time. 

*  Compare  Cowle/s  ode  on  prefenting  his  book  to  the 
Bodleian  library,  with  one  of  Milton  on  the  fame  fubjed.  Ad 
Johannem  Rouieium,  1646,  written  in  the  true  (jpirit  of  the 
ancient  Lyrics,  and  an  excellent  imitation  of  Pindar.  One 
allufion  to  Euripides  of  whom  Milton  is  known  to  have  been 
ib  bmi,  I  cannot  omit. 

P  z  ^temorum 


io8      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Cowley  being  early  difgufted  with  the  per- 
plexities and  vanities  of  a  court  life,  had  a 
ftrong  defire  to  enjoy  the  milder  pleafurcs  of 
folit^jde  and  retirement ;  he  therefore  efcaped 
from  the  tumults  of  London,  to  a  little  houfe 
at  Wandfworth ;  but  finding  that  place  too 
near  the  metropolis,  he  left  ir  for  Richmond, 
and  at  laft  fettled  at  Chertfey.  He  feems  to 
have  thought  that  the  fwains  of  Surry,  had 
the  innocence  of  thofe  of  Sydney's  Arcadia ; 


^ternornm  operum  cudos  fidcllsy 

Quacilorque  gzzx  nobillorisy 

Quam  cui  pracfuit  Ion, 

Clarus  Erechthddesy 

Opulenta  del  per  templa  parentis, 

Fulvofque  tripodas,  doilaque  Delphica, 

Ion  Adlca  genitus  Creufa. 

Nothing  can  more  ibx>ngly  charaflerize  the  dl^erent  manner 
and  torn  of  thefe  two  writers,  than  the  pieces  in  queftion.  It 
is  remarkable,  that  Milton  ends  his  ode  with  a  kind  of  prophecy 
importing,  that  however  he  may  be  at  prefent  traduced,  yet 
poftexity  will  applaud  his  works. 

At  ULTiMi  Nepotes, 

SFRiqUE    POSTERI, 

Judicia  rebu3  iE<^iORA   fbrfitan 
Adhibebunt  integro  iinu, 
Tum,  livore  iepulto. 

Si  quid    MIRBMUR,     SERA    POSTERITAS    icict. 

but 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       109 

but  the  perverfcnefs  and  debauchery  of  his 
own  workmen  foon  undeceived  him,  with 
whom,  it  is  faid,  he  was  fometimes  fo  far 
provoked,  as  even  to  be  betrayed  into  an  oath. 
His  income  was  about  three  hundred  pounds  a 
year.  Towards  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  he 
fhewed  an  averfion  to  the  company  of  women, 
and  would  often  leave  the  room  if  any  hap- 
pened to  enter  it  whilft  he  was  prefent,  but 
flill  he  retained  a  fincere  afFedion  for  Leonora, 
His  death  was  occafipned  by  a  fingular  acci- 
dent *  ;  he  paid  a  vifit  on  foot  with  liis  friend 

*  There  is  fomething  remarkable  in  the  clrcumftances  that 
occaftoned  the  deaths  of  three  others  of  our  poets. 

Otway  had  an  intimate  friend  who  was  murdered  in  the 
ttreetf  One  may  guefs  at  his  fbrrowy  who  has  fo  feelingly  de- 
fcribed  true  affefHon  in  his  Venice  Preferved.  He  purfued 
the  murderer  on  foot  who  fled  to  France,  as  far  as  Dover,  where 
he  was  feized  with  a  fever,  occafioned  by  the  fatigue,  which 
afterwards  carried  him  to  his  grave  in  London. 

Sir  John  Suckling  was  robbed  by  his  Valet-de-Chambre; 
the  moment  he  difcovered  it,  he  clapped  on  his  boots  in  a 
pafllonate  hurry,  and  perceived  not  a  large  rufty  nail  that  was 
concealed  at  the  bottom  which  pierced  his  heel,  and  brought 
on  a  mortification. 

Lee  had  been  fome  time  confined  for  lunacy,  to  a  very  low 
diet,  but  one  night  he  eicaped  from  his  phyfician,  and  drank 
(o  immoderately,  that  he  fell  down  in  the  Strand,  was  run 
ever  by  a  Hackney  coach,  and  killed  on  the  ipot. 

Sprat 


no     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Sprat  to  a  gentleman  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Chcrtfey,  which  they  prolonged  till  midnight. 

On  their  return  home  they  miftook  their  way, 
and  were  obliged  to  pafs  the  whole  night  cx- 
pofcd  under  a  hedge,  where  Cowley  caught  a 
fcvere  cold,  attv^nded  with  a  fever,  that  termi- 
nated in  his  death. 

The  verfes  on  Silence  are  a  fenfiblc  imita- 
tion of  the  Earl  of  Rochefter's  on  Nothing ; 
which  piece,  together  with  his  Satire  on  Man 
from  Boileau,  and  the  tenth  Satire  of  Horace, 
are  the  only  pieces  of  this  profligate  noble- 
man, which  modefty  or  common  fenfe  will 
allow  any  man  to  read.  Rochefter  had  great 
energy  in  his  thoughts  and  didtion,  and  though 
the  ancient  fatirifts  often  ufe  great  liberty  in 
their  expreflions ;  yet,  as  the  ingenious  hifto- 
rian  *  obVerves,  "  their  freedom  no  more  rc- 
*'  fembles  the  licence  of  Rochefter,  than  the 
••  nakednefs  of  an  Indian  does  that  of  a  com- 
•'  mon  proftitute.'* 

•  Hiuk's  Ifiilory  of  prcatBritaia.   Vol.  II.  pag.  434. 

Popi 


_.u  -^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,      iii 

Pope  in  this  imitation  has  difcovered  a  fund 

ef  folid  fenfe,  and  juft  obfervation  upon  vice 

and  folly,  that  are  very  remarkable  in  a  per- 
fon  fo  extremely  young  as  he  was,  at  the  time 

he  compofed  it.     I  believe  on  a  fair  compari* 
fon  with  Rochefler's  lines,  it  will  be  found, 
that  although  the  turn  of  the  fatire  be  copied, 
yet  it  is  excelled.     That  Rochefler  fhould 
write  a  fatire  on  Man,  I  am  not  furprizcd ;  it 
is  the  buiinefs  of  the  Libertine  to  degrade  his 
fpecies,  and  debafe  the  dignity  of  human  na- 
ture, and  thereby  deflroy  the  mod  efficacious 
incitements  to  lovely  and  laudable  aAions :  but 
that  a  writer  of  Boileau's  purity  of  manner^ 
fhould  reprefent  his  kind  in  the  dark  and  difa- 
greeable  colours  he  has  done,  with'  all  the  nu* 
lignity  of  a  difcontented  Hobbist,  is  a  lamen- 
table perverfion  of  fine  talents,  and  is  a  real 
injury  to  fodety.     It  is  a  fad  worthy  the  at- 
tention of  thofe  who  ftudy  the  hidory  of 
learning,  that  the  grofs  licentioufnefs  and  ap- 
plauded debauchery  of  Charles  the  Second's 
court,  proved  almoft  as  pernicious  to  the  pro« 
grels  of  polite  literature  and  the  fine  arts  that 

begaa 


112     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

began  to  revive  after  the  Grand  Rebellion, 
as  the  gloomy  fuperftition,  the  abfurd  cant, 
and  formal  hypocrify  that  difgraced  this  na- 
tion, during  the  ufurpation  of  Cromwell  *. 

Artemisia  and  Phryne  are  tviro  cha- 
rafters  in  the  manner  of  the  Earl  of  Dorfet, 
an  elegant  writer,  and  amiable  man,  equally 
noted  for  the  fe verity  of  his  fatire,  and  the 
fweetnefs  of  his  manners,  and  who  gave 
the  fairell  proof  that  thefe  two  qualities  arc 
by  no  means  incompatible.  The  greateft  wits, 
fays  Addifon,  I  have  ever  converfed  with, 
were  perfons  of  the  beft  tempers.  Dorfet 
pofleflcd  the  rare  fecret  of  uniting  energy 
with    eafe,     in  his    flriking    compoiitions. 

*  LordBolingbroke  ufed  to  relate,  that  his  Great  Grandfah' 
ther  Ireton,  and  Fleetwood,  being  one  day  engaged  in  » 
private  drinking  party  with  Cromwell,  and  wanting  to 
uncork  a  bottle,  they  could  not  find  their  bottlc-fcrew,  which 
was  fallen  under  the  table.  Juft  at  that  inflant,  an  officer 
entered  to  inform  the  protedlor,  that  a  deputation  from  thm 
prcfbyterian  miniHers  attended  without.  *•  Tell  them,  feyt 
Cromwell,  with  a  countenance  inilantly  compofed,  tliat  I  am 
retired,  that  I  cannot  be  difturbed,  for  I  zm/eeiing  tbt  Lmrif^ 
and  turning  afterwards  to  his  companions,  he  added,  "Thdfe 
fcoundrels  think  we  are  feMng  tbi  Uri^  and  we  are  only 
looking  fir  our  bottU  Jcrtw.*\ 

His 


riBik 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       113 

His  verfes  to  Mr.  Edward  Howard,  to  Sir  Tho- 
mas St.  Serfe,  his  epilogue  to  the  Tartuffe^ 
his  fong  written  at  fea  in  the  firft  Dutch  war, 
his  ballad  on  knotting,  and  on  Lewis  XIV. 
may  be  named  as  examples  of  this  happy  ta- 
lent, and  as  confutations  of  a  fentiment  of  the 
judicious  M.  de  Moiltefquieu,  who  in  his 
noble  chapter  on  the  Englifti  nation,  fpeaks 
thus  of  our  writers.  "  La  focietc  nous  ap- 
prend  a  fentir  les  ridicules ;  la  retraite  nous 
rend  plus  propres  a  fentir  les  vices.  Leur 
ECRiTS  SATYRIQUES  fcroicut  fauglaus,  et  i'on 
vcrroit  bien  des  Juvenals  chez  eux  avant 
d*4voir  trouve  un  Horace.'* 

The  Description  of  the  Life  of  a  Court'- 
try  Par/on  is  a  lively  imitation  of  Swift  *,  and 


*  See  a  Pipe  of  Tobacco,  p.  282.  vol.  2.  Dodfle/s  Mifcell. 
where  Mr.  Hawkins  Brown  has  imitated  fix  later  Engliih  poets 
with  focceis,  viz.  Swift,  Pope,  Thompfon,  Young,  Phillips, 
Cibber.  Someof  thefe  writers  thinking  themfelves  burlefqued, 
are  (aid  to  have  been  mortified.  But  Pope  obferved  on  the  oc- 
cifioiiy  **  Brown  is  an  excellent  copyifl,  and  thofe  who  take 
Us  imitations  amifs,  are  much  in  the  wrong ;  they  are  very 
txonj^  mannered,  and  few  perhaps  could  write  fb  well  if  they 
notfo.'*— — In  Pope's  imiution  of  the  fixth  epiUle  of 

VoLU        *  CL  Horace 


114     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

1  full  of  humour.  The  point  of  the  likenefs 
confifts  in  defcribing  the  objects  as  they  really 
txift  in  life,  without  heightening  or  enlarging 
them,  and  without  adding  any  imaginary  cir- 
cumftances.  In  this  way  of  writing,  Swift  ex- 
celled; witnefs  his  defcription  of  a  morning  in 
the  city,  of  a  city  flldwer,  of  the  houfe  of 
Baucis  and  Philemon,  and  the  verfes  on  his  own 
death.  Thefe  are  of  the  fame  fpecies  with  the 
piece  before  us.  In  this  alfo  coniifls  the  chief 
beauty  of  Gay's  Trivia,  a  fubjedl  Swift  de* 
fired  him  to  write  upon,  and  for  which  he 
furniftied  him  with  many  hints.  The  cha- 
racter of  Swift  has  been  fcrutinized  in  fo  ma- 
ny late  writings,  that  it  is  fuperfluous  to  enter 
upon  it,  efpecially  as  from  many  materials  ju- 

Horaccy  there  were  two  remarlcible  lines,  the  fecond  of  which 
was  thought  to  contain  a  heavy  anti-dimax. 

Grac'd  «s  thou  art  with  all  the  power  of  words. 
Known  to  the  Courts,  the  Commons  and  the  Lords. 

The  unexpeded  flatneis  and  ^miliarity  of  the  laft  linp  was 
dius  ridiculed  by  Mr.  Brown  with  much  humour. 

Perfuafion  dps  his  tongue  whene'er  he  talks. 
And — hi  bos  chambers  in  th$  King\.Bincb  wMsm 

dicioully 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  115 
didoufly  melted  down  and  blended  together. 
Dr.  Hawkfworth  has  fet  before  the  public^  fo 
complete  a  figure  of  him.  I  cannot  however 
forbear  to  mention  a  fad  lately  pabliihed  at 
Geneva,  in  the  additions  to  Voltaire's  works. 
He  affirms,  "  that  the  &mous  Tale  of  a  Tub 
is  an  imitation  of  the  old  ilory  of  the  three 
invifible  rings,  which  a  &ther  bequeathed  to 
bis  three  children.  Thefe  three  rings  were  the 
Jewifli,  Chriilian,  and  Mahometan  religions. 
It  is  moreover,  an  imitation  of  the  hiftory  of 
Mero  and  Enegu,  by  Fontenelle.  Mei-o  was 
the  anagram  of  Rome,  and  Enogn  of  Gene- 
va. T  hcfe  two  fillers  claimed  the  fucceflion 
to  the  throne  of  their  fathers.  Mero  reigned 
firft,  Fontenelle  reprefcnts  her  as  a  forccrefs 
or  juglcr  who  could  convey  away  bread,  and 
perform  a£ts  of  conjuration  with  dead  bodies : 
This  is  precifely  the  Lord  Peter  of  Swift,  who 
prefents  a  piece  of  bread  to  his  two  brothers, 
and  fays  to  them,  '  This,  my  good  friends, 
is  excellent  Burgundy,  thefe  partridges  have 
an  admirable  flavour.*  The  fame  lord  Prter  in 
Swift,  performs  throughout  the  very  part  that 
Mero 


ii6     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Mero  plays  in  Fontenelle.  Thus  all  is  imita- 
tion. The  idea  of  the  Perfian  letters  is  taken 
from  the  Turkifti  Spy.  Boiardo  has  imitated 
Pulci,  Ariofto  has  imitated  Boiardo.  The 
geniufes,  apparently  moft  original,  borrow 
from  each  other  *.' 

I  SHALL  conclude  this  feftlon  with  a  ftory, 
which  Pope  himfelf  related,  becaufe  it  is  cha- 
radteriftical  of  his  old  friend,  and  I  (hall  give 
it  in  the  very  words  which  Pope  ufed,  when 
he  told  it.— r "  Dr.  Swift  has  an  odd  blunt  way 

that  is  miftaken  by  ftrangers  for  ill-nature ; 

it  is  fo  odd  that  there  is  no  defcribing  "f*  it 

but  by  fadls.  Til  tell  you  one,  the  firfl:  that 
"  comes  into  my  head.  One  evening  Gay  and 
"  I  went  to  fee  him.  On  our  coming  in, 
"  Hey-day,  gentlemen,  fays  the  Dean,  what 

> 

"  can  be  the  meaning  of  this  vifit  ?  How  came 
*'  you  to  leave  all  the  great  lords  you  are  fo 

♦  Ocuvrcs  de  Voltaire  a  Geneve.  Tom.  4  pag.  223.  1756. 

f  The  late  archbifhop  of  Annaghy  happening  to  obje^  one 
day  in  Swift's  company  to  an  expreffionof  Pope  >  as  not  being 
the  pureft  Englifh,  Swift  anfwered  with  his  ufual  roughnefs-^ 
''  I  could  never  get  the  blockhead  to  iludy  his  grammar." 

"  fond 


cc 
cc 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      117 

**  fond  of,  to  come  hither  to  fee  a  poor  fcurvey 
**  Dean? — Becaufe  we  would  rather  fee  you* 
^*  than  any  of  them. —  Ay,  any  one  that  did 
"  not  know  you  fo  well  as  I  do,  might  poflibly 
«*  believe  you;  but  fince  you  are  come  I  muft 
"  get  fome  fupper  for  you  I  fuppofe.— No 
**  Dodlor  we  have  fupped  already — Supped 
^*  already,  that  is  impoflible,  why  it  is  not 
**  eight  o'clock — Indeed  we  have — That's 
**  very  ftrange  j  but  if  you  had  not  fupped, 
**  I  muft  have  got  fomething  for  you  5  let  me 
**  fee,  a  couple  of  lobfters  would  have  done 
*'  very  well,  two  (hillings ;  tarts,  a  (hilling : 
*'  but  you  will  drink  a  glafs  of  wine  with  me, 
though  you  fupped  fo  much  before  your 
time  only  to  fpare  my  pocket. — No,  wc 
had  rather  talk  with  you,  than  drink  with 
you. — But  if  you  had  fupped  with  me,  ^s 
"  in  all  reafon  you  ought  to  have  done,  you 
"  muft  then  have  drank  with  me. — A  bottle 
"  of  wine  two  (hillings — two  and  two  are 
**  four,  and  one  is  five;  juft  two  and  fixpence 
^*  a-piece  j  there  Pope,  there's  half  a  crown 
**  for  you,  and  there's  another  for  you.  Sir ; 

''  for 


€C 
€C 
it 
i€ 


ii8  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
•*  fori  won'tfave  any  thing  by  you,  I  am  deter- 
"  mined.  This  was  all  laid  and  done  with 
*'  his  ufual  fcrioafnefs  on  fuch  occafions:  And 
"  in  fptte  of  every  thing  we  could  fay  to  the 
**  contrary,  he  adually  obliged  us  to  take  the 
"  money." 

Sect.  IX. 
Of  the  Essay  on  Man. 

IF  it  be  a  true  obfervation,  that  for  a  poet  to 
write  happily  and  well,  he  muil  have  feen 
and  felt  what  he  defcribes,  and  muft  draw 
from  living  models  alone  ^  and  if  modern 
times,  from  their  luxury  and  refinement,  af- 
ford not  manners  that  will  bear  to  be  de- 
fcribed  ;  it  will  then  follow,  that  thofe  fpecies 
of  poetry  bid  faireft  to  fucceed  at  prefcnt, 
which  treat  of  tilings,  not  men ;  which  de- 
liver doftrines,  not  difplay  events.    Of  this 

fort 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  119 
fort  is  didadtic  and  deTcriptlve  poetry.  Ac- 
cordingly the  moderns  have  produced  many 
excellent  pieces  of  this  kind.  We  may  men- 
tion the  Syphilis  of  Fracaftorius^  the  Silk- 
worms and  Chefs  of  Vida,  the  Ambra  of  Po- 
litian^  the  Agriculture  of  Alamanni,  the  Art  of 
Poetry  of  Boileau,  the  Gardens  of  Rapin,  the 
Cyder  of  Phillips,  the  Chafe  of  SomervUte, 
the  Pleafures  of  Imagination,  the  Art  of  pre- 
ferving  Health,  the  Fleece,  the  Religion  of 
Racine  the  younger,  the  elegant  Latin  poem 
of  Brown  on  the  Immortality  of  the  Soul,  the 
Latin  poem  of  $tav,  and  the  philofophicd 
poem  before  us. 

The  Essay  on  Man  is  as  clofe  a  piece  oi 
argument,  admitting  its  principles,  as  perhaps 
can  be  found  in  verfe.  Pope  informs  us  in  his 
FIRST  prc&ce,  "  that  he  chofe  this  epiftolary 
*•  way  of  writing,  notwithftanding  his  fubjeia 
"  was  high,  and  of  dignity,  becaufe  of  its  be- 
"  ing  mixed  with  argument  which  of  its  na- 
"  turc  approacheth  to  profe."  He  has  not 
wandered  into  any  ufelcfs  digreflions,  has  em- 
ployed 


126     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ployed  no  fidtions,  no  tale  or  (lory,  and  has 
relied  chiefly  on  the  poetry  of  his  ftile,  for 
the  purpofe  of  interefting  his  readers.  His 
flile  is  concife  and  figurative,  forcible  and 
elegant.  He  has  many  metaphors  and  images, 
artfully  interfperfed  in  the  drieft  paflages, 
which  flood  mofl  in  need  of  fuch  ornaments. 
Neverthelefs  there  are  too  many  lines,  in  this 
pierformance,  plain  and  profaic.  The  meaner 
the  fubjedl  is  of  a  preceptive  poem,  the  more 
flriking  appears  the  art  of  the  poet :  It  is  even 
^f  ufe  to  chufe  a  low  fubjedl.  In  this  refped): 
Virgil  had  the  advantage  over  Lucretius  $  the 
latter  with  all  his  vigour  and  fublimity  of  ge- 
nius, could  hardly  fatisfy  and  come  up  to  the 
grandeur  of  his  theme.  Pope  labours  under 
the  fame  cafe.  If  any  beauty  in  this  EfTay  be 
uncommonly  tranfcendent  and  peculiar,  it  is, 
BREVITY  OF  DICTION  ;  which,  in  a  few  in- 
flances,  and  thofe  pardonable,  have  occafioned 
obfcurity.  It  is  hardly  to  be  imagined  how 
much  fenfe,  how  much  thinking,  how  much 
obfervation  on  human  life,  is  condenfed  toge- 
ther in  a  fmall.  compafs.    He  was  fo  accuf- 

tomid 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       121 

tomed  to  confine  his  thoughts  in  rhyme, 
that  he  tells  us,  he  could  cxpreis  them  more 
fhortly  this  way,  than  in  profc  itfclh  On  \ts 
firfl  publication.  Pope  did  not  own  it,  and  it 
was  given  by  the  public  to  Lord  Paget,  Dr. 
Young,  Dr.  Defaguliers,  and  others.  Even 
Swift  feems  to  have  been  deceived  :  There  is 
a  remarkable  paiTage  in  one  of  his  letters. 
^^  I  confefs  I  did  never  imagine  you  were  fo 
deep  in  morals,  or  that  fo  many  new  and 
excellent  rules  could  be  produced  fo  advan* 
tageouflyand  agreeably  in  that  fcience,  from 
any  one  head.  I  confefs  in  fome  places  I 
was  forced  to  read  twice ;  I  believe  I  told 
you  before  what  the  Duke  of  D  faid  to 

me  on  that  occafion  >  how  a  judge  here  who 
knows  you,  told  him,  that  on  the  firfl  read- 
ing thofe  eiTays,  he  was  much  pleafed,  but 
found  fome  lines  a  little  dark :  On  the  fe- 
cond,  moft  of  them  cleared  pp,  and  his 
pleafure  incre^ed:  On  the  third,  he  had 
no  doubt  remaining,  and  then  he  admired 
the  whole  */' 

*  Lettersi  vol.  IX;  pag.  140* 

YouU.  R  Th5 


122      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  fubje6t  of  this  EiTay  is  a  vindication  of 
providence,  in  which  the  poet  propofes  to  prove, 
that  of  all  poffible  fyftems,  infinite  wifdom 
has  formed  the  heft :  That  in  fuch  a  fyftem, 
coherence,  union,  fubordination,  are  necef- 
iary ;  and  if  fo,  that  appearances  of  evil,  both 
moral  and  natural,  are  alfo  neceflary  and  un- 
avoidable s  That  the  feeming  defeds  and  ble- 
.  mifhes  in  the  univerfe,  confpire  to  its  general 
beauty ;  That  as  all  parts  in  an  animal  arc  not 
eyes,  and  as  in  a  city,  comedy,  or  pidhire, 
all  ranks,  charadiers,  and  colours,  are  not 
equal  or  alike ;  even  fo,  exceffes,  and  contrary 
qualities,  contribute  to  the  proportion  and  har- 
mony of  the  univerfal  fyftem  ;  That  it  is  not 
ftrange,  that  we  ihould  not  be  able  to  difcover 
perfedion  and  order  in  every  inftancej  be- 
caufe,  in  an  infinity  of  things  mutually  rela- 
tive, a  mind  which  fees  not  infinitely,  can  fee 
nothing  fully.  This  doiftrine  was  inculcated 
by  Plato  and  the  Stoics,  but  more  amply 
and  particularly  by  the  later  Platonifls,  and 
by  Antoninus  and  Simplicius.  In  illuftrating 
his  fubjc(ft,  PoPB  has  been  deeply  indebted 

to 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      123 

to  the  Theodicee  of  Leibnitz,  to  Archibfhop 
King's  Origin  of  Evil,  and  to  the  Moraliil$ 
of  Lord  Shaftefbury,  more  than  to  the  phi- 
lofophers  abovementioned.  The  late  Lord 
Bathurft  repeatedly  affured  me,  that  he  had 
read  the  whole  fcheme  of  the  EiTay  on  Man, 
in  the  hand-writing  of  Bolingbroke,  and 
drawn  up  in  a  feries  of  pro{)ofitions,  which 
Pope  was  to  verfify  and  illuftratc.  In  doing 
which,  our  poet,  it  muft  be  confeffed,  left 
fevcral  paflages  fo  cxpreffed,  as  to  be  favour- 
able to  fatalifm  and  necefCty,  notwithfland* 
ing  all  the  pains  that  can  be  taken,  and  the 
turns  that- can  be  given  to  thofe  paflages,  to 
place  them  on  the  fide  of  religion,  and  make 
them  coincide  with  the  fundamental  doc- 
trines of  revelation^ 

I.  Awake  *,  my  St.  John !  leave  all  meaner  things 
To  low  ambition,  and  the  pride  of  kings  ; 
Let  us  (fince  life  can  little  more  fuppljr 
Than  juft  to  look  about  us,  and  to  die) 


•  John&n  begini  a  poem  thus 

Wake !  friend^  from  forth  thy  If  tbargy- 


R  a  Expatiate 


124    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

txpatiate  free  o'er  all  this  fcene  of  man ; 
A  mighty  maze !  but  not  without  a  plan. 

Epist.  I.  V,  I. 

This  opening  is  awful,  and  commandsr 
the  attention  of  the  reader.  The  word  awake 
has  peculiar  force,  and  obliquely  alludes  to 
his  noble  friend's  leaving  his  political^  for 
philofophical  purfuits.  May  I  venture  to  ob-p 
ferve,  that  the  metaphors  in  the  fucceeding 
lines,  drawn  from  the  field  fports  of  fetting 
and  (hooting,  feem  below  the  dignity  of  the 
fubjedt;   efpecially. 

Eye  nature's  walks,  shoot  folly  as  it  flies. 
And  CATCH  the  manners  living  as  they  rise. 

2.  But  vindicate  the  ways  of  god  to  man. 

This  line  is  taken  from  Milton ; 

And  Juftify  the  ways  of  god  to  man  *• 

Pope  fcems  to  have  hinted,  by  this  allufion 
to  the  Paradife  Loft,  that  he  intended  his 
poem  for  a  defence  of  providence,  as  well  as 

f  Paradife  Loll,  b»  i.  ver,  26. 

Milton ; 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      125 

Milton :  bujt  he  took  a  very  different  method 
in  purfuing  that  end. 

3.  But  of  this  frame  the  bearings,  and  the  ties  *, 
The  ftrong  connections,  nice  df  pendencies. 
Gradations  juft,  has  thy  pervading  foul 
Look'd  thro*?  Or  can  a  part  contain  the  whole? 

•*  Imagine  only  fome  perfon  entirely  a  ftranger 
to  navigation,  and  ignorant  of  the  nature  of 
the  fea  or  waters,  how  great  his  aftonifhment 
would  be,  when  finding  himfelf  on  board 
fome  veffel  anchoring  at  fea,  remote  from  all 

land-profpeA,  whiHl  it  was  yet  a  calm,  he 
viewed  the  ponderous  machine  firm  and  mo- 
tionlefs  in  the  midfl  of  the  fmooth  ocean, 
and  confidered  it's  foundations  beneath,  to- 
gether with  it's  cordage,  mails,  and  fails 
above.  How  eafily  would  he  fee  the  Whole 
one  regular  flrudure,  all  things  depending 
on  one  another ;  the  ufes  of  the  rooms  below, 
the  lodgements,  and  the  conveniencies  df 
men  and  flores  ?  But  being  ignorant  of  the 

•  T«  fu^  ir^{  «t/1o  TO  5^of  hi  oxoviirf  ii  avftifuw  ww  *«^/*o)to»U 
9KMW.  Piotinus. 

intent 


126     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

latent  or  defign  of  all  above^  would  he  pro- 
nounce the  mafts  and  COTdage  to  be  ufele6 
and' cumberfome^  and  for  this  reafon  con- 
demn the  frame,  and  dcfpife  the  archited? 
O  my  friend!  let  as  not  thus  betray  our  igno- 
rance j  bat  confider  where  we  arc,  and  in 
what  an  univerfe.  Think  of  the  many  parts 
of  the  vaft  machine,  in  which  we  have  fo 
little  infight,  and  of  which  it  is  impoHible 
we  fhould  know  the  ends  and  ufes :  when 
inHcad  of  feeing  to  the  higheil  pendants,  we 
fee  only  feme  lower  deck,  and  are  in  this  dark 
cafe  of  flefli,  confined  even  to  the  hold  and 
meancft  ftation  of  the  vefTel*."     I  have  in- 

*  Charafleriftio,  vol.  ii,  pag.  188.  edit,  itmo.^'niere  i> 
a  clofe  refembUnce  in  the  following  lines  with  another  pafligc 

of  Shafteibury's  MoraliOs. 

What  would  chia  man  i  Now  upward  will  he  foti* 
And  little  lefs  than  angel,  would  be  more  ; 
Now  looking  downwards,  juft  as  griev'd  appean 
To  want  the  Arength  of  bulls,  the  fur  of  bean. 

•*  Afk  not  merely,  why  man  is  naked,  why  unhoofed,  why  flower 
footed  than  the  beails:  AOe,  why  he  has  not  wings  alfo 
for  the  air,  fins  for  the  water,  and  Co  on  :  that  he  might  take 
polTeinon  of  each  element,  and  reign  in  all.  Not  fo,  laid  I, 
neither;  this  would  be  to  rate  him  high  indeed  I  As  if  he  were 

If 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  127 
ferted  this  pafllage  at  length,  becaufe  it  is  a 
noble  and  poetical  illuHratlon  of  the  foregoing 
lines,  as  well  as  of  many  other  paflages  in 
this  Eflay, 

4  Prefumptuous  man  !  the  realbn  would'fl  tbou  find. 
Why  fonn'd  fi>  weak,  lb  lUtle  and  fo  blind  ? 
FiiA  if  thou  can'ft  the  harder  reaTon  guel^ 
Why  form'd  no  wcaleer,  blinder,  and  no  lefs  *. 

Voltaire,  in  the  late  additions  to  his 
works,  has  the  following  remarkable  words. 
•*  I  own  it  flatters  me  to  fee  that  P0P5 
**  has  fellen  upon  the  very  fame  fcntiment 
"  which  I  had  entertained  many  years  ago." 
*'  Vous  vous  itonnez  que  Dieu  ait  fait  I'hom- 
xnc  fi  born^,  fi  ignorant,  fi  peu  hereux.  Que 
ne  vous  etonnez-vous,  qu'il  ne  I'ait  pas  fait  plus 
borne,  plus  ignorant,  &  plus  malheurcux  ? 
Quand  un  Francais  &c  un  Anglais  penfent 
de  meme,  il  font  bien  qu'ils  ayent  raifon  -f-." 

by  nature,  lord  of  allt  which  is  more  than  I  could  willingly 
allow.  'Tis  enough  replied  he,  that  this  ij  yielded.  Far  if 
we  allow  once,  a  /ubarjinaiieu  in  his  cafe,  if  nature  herfdf  be 
not  for  man,  but  man  for  nature;  then  mull  man,  by  his  good 
IcKVS,  fnbmit  to  the  elements  of  nature,  and  not  the  Hcmcntt 
to  him."    Vol.  ii.  p:^.  196,  ut  fupra. 

•  V.  34.        t  OwYrw  dc  Voluire.  Tom.  iv.  pag.  w?. 
S-  The 


I 


128     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

5,  The  Iamb  thy  riot  dooms  to  bleed  to  day. 
Had  he  thy  reafon,  would  he  ikip  and  play  ? 
Fleas'd  to  the  laft,  he  crops  the  flowery  food. 
And  licks  the  hand  juft  rais'd  to  fhed  his  blood  *. 

The  tendernefs  of  this  ftriking  image,  and 
particularly  the  circumftance  in  the  laft  line, 
has  an  artful  effedt  in  alleviating  the  drynefs 
in  the  argumentative  parts  of  the  Efl&y,  and 
interefting  the  reader, 

6.  The  foul  uneaTy,  and  confinM  from  hoSief 
Refts  and  expatiates  in  a  life  to  come  f  • 

In  former  editions  it  ufed  to  be  printed  at 
home ;  but  this  exprefHon  feeming  to  exclude 
a  future  exiftence,  it  v/as  altered  to  from  bome^ 
not  only  with  great  injury  to  the  harmony  of 
the  line,  but  perhaps  alfo,  to  the  reafoning 
of  the  context. 

7.  Lo  the  poor  Indian !  whofe  untutor'd  mind 
Sees  God  in  clouds,  or  hears  him  in  the  wind  ; 
His  foul  proud  fcience  never  taught  to  ftray. 
Far  as  the  folar  walk  or  milky  way ; 
Yet  fimple  nature  to  his  hope  has  giv'n. 
Behind  the  cloud-topp'd  hill  an  humbler  heav'n : 

?  Ver.  8i.  t  Vcr.  97. 

Some 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        129 

Some  fafer  world  in  depth  of  woods  embraced, 

Some  happier  iiland  in  the  watry  wafte. 

Where  flaves  once  more  their  native  land  behold. 

No  fiends  torment,  no  Chriftians  third  for  gold* 

To  BE  contents  his  natural  defire. 

He  afks  no  angel's  wing,  no  feraph's  fire; 

a 

But  thinks,  admitted  to  that  equal  /ky. 
His  faithful  dog  fhall  bear  him  company.  * 

Pope  has  indulged  himfelf  in  but  few  di- 
greflions  in  this  piece  j  this  is  one  of  the  moft 
poetical.  Reprefentations  of  undifguifed  nature 
and  artlefs  innocence  always  amufe  and  delight. 
The  iimple  notions  which  uncivilized  nations 
entertain  of  a  future  ftate,  are  many  of  them 
beautifully  romantic,  and  fome  of  the  beft 
fubjeds  for  poetry.  It  has  been  queftioned 
whether  the  circumftance  of  the  dog,  although 
flriking  at  the  firft  view,  is  introduced  with 
propriety  ,  as  it  is  known  that  the  animal  is 
not  a  native  of  America.  The  notion  of  feeing 
God  in  clouds,  and  hearing  him  in  the  wind, 
cannot  be  enough  applauded. 

•  Vcr.  99. 

Vol.  n.  S  t.  From 


J30       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

8.  From  burning  (iins  when  livid  deaths  defcend» 
When  earthquakes  fwallow,  or  when  tempeAs  fweep 
Towns  to  one  grave,  whole  nations  to  the  deep.  * 

I  quote  thefe  lines  as  an  example  of  energy  of 
ilile,  and  of  Pope's  manner  of  compreffing  to- 
gether many  ichages^  without  confuiion,  and 
without  fuperfiaous  epithets.  Subftantives  and 
verbs  are  the  finews  of  language. 

9.  If  plagues  or  earthquakes  break  not  heav'ns  defign» 
Why  then  a  Borgia  or  a  Catiline  ?   f 

"  All  ills  arife  from  the  order  of  the  univerfe^ 
which  is  abfolutely  perfciS.  Would  you  wUh 
to  diflruft  fo  divine  an  order,  for  the  fake  of 
your  own  particular  intereft  ?  What  if  the  ills 
I  fuffer  arife  from  malice  or  oppreflion  ?  But 
the  vices  and  imperfedtions  of  men  are  alio 
comprehended  in  the  order  of  the  univerfe« 

If  plagues  i^c. 

Let  this  be  allowed,  and  my  own  vices  will  be 

alfo  a  part  of  the  fame  order." Such  i$ 

the  commentary  of  the  academift  on  thefe  fk* 
mous  lines  :{:. 

•  Vcr.  142.  t  Vcr.  156. 

I  Hume's  EiTays,  quarto,  pag.  106. 

10.  The 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         131 

10.  The  general  order,  Jhut  tb*  whwt  btgan^ 
Is  kept  in  nature*  and  is  kept  in  man  *. 

How  this  opinion  is  reconcilcable  with  the 
orthodox  doctrine  of  the  lapfed  condition  of 
man,  1  have  not  yet  been  informed. 

1 1.  Why  hai  not  nun  a  microlcopic  eye  ? 
For  this  plain  realbn,  man  is  not  a  fly. 
Say  what  the  urc,  were  finer  optics  giv'n, 

T'  infpeA  a  mite,  not  comprehend  the  heav'n  \ 
Or  touch,  if  tremblingly  alive  all  o'er 
To  Doiart  and  agonize  at  ev'ry  poie  ?  f 

•*  If  by  the  help  of  fuch  microfcopical  eyes,  if 
I  may  fo  call  them,  a  man  could  penetrate 
ferthcr  than  ordinary  into  the  fecret  compofi- 
tion  and  radical  texture  of  bodies,  he  would 
not  make  any  great  advantage  by  the  change ; 
if  fuch  an  acute  fight  would  not  fcrvc  to 
conduct  him  to  the  market  and  exchange, 
if  he  could  not  fee  things  he  was  to  avoid 
at  a  convenient  dilknce,  nor  diflinguiih  things 
he  had  to  do  with  by  thofe  fcnfible  qualities 
others  do."  % 

•  Vcr.  171.  t  Vcr.  19J. 

\  Locke*!  Eflay  on  Human  Underltanding,  vol.  I.  pag.  356. 
S  a  la.  ir 


132      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

12.  If  nature  thunderM  in  his  opening  ears. 

And  ftunn'd  him  with  the  mufic  of  the  fpheres. 
How  would  he  wifh  that  heav'n  had  left  him  dill 
The  whifpering  zephyr,  and  the  purling  rill  ?  ♦ 

It  is  juftly  obje<5led,  that  the  argument  requi- 
red an  inftance  drawn  from  real  found,  and  not 
from  the  imaginary  mufic  of  the  fpheres. 
Locke's  illuftration  of  this  dodlrine,  is  not 
only  proper  but  poetical  -f-.  "  If  our  fenfe  of 
hearing  were  but  one  thoufand  times  quicker 
than  it  is,  how  would  a  perpetual  noife  diflradt 
us ;  and  we  ihould  in  the  quieted  retirement^ 
be  lefs  able  to  fleep  or  meditate,  than  in  the 
middle  of  a  fea-fight." 

13.  From  the  green  myriads  in  the  peopled  gT2i(a — 
The  mole's  dim  curtain,  and  the  lynx*s  beam  ; 
Of  fmell  the  headlong  lionefs  between, 

And  hound  fagacious  on  the  tainted  green : 

The  fpider's  touch  how  exquifitely  fine. 

Feels  at  each  thread,  and  lives  along  the  line.  § 

These  lines  are  feleded  as  admirable 
patterns  of  forcible  didtion.   The  peculiar  and 

•  Vcr.  201. 

t  Eflay  on  Human  Underflanding,  vol.  I.  pag.  255. 

5  Vcr.  210. 

difcriminating 


i» 


wt^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       133 

cUicriminatlng  expreffivenefs  of  the  epithets  dif* 
tinguifhed  above  by  italics  will  be  particularly 
regarded.  Perhaps  we  have  no  image  in  the 
language,  more  lively  than  that  of  the  laft 
verfe.  **  To  live  along  the  line"  is  equally 
bold  and  beautiful.  In  this  part  of  this  Epiflle 
the  poet  feems  to  have  remarkably  laboured 
his  %le,  which  abounds  in  various  figures, 
and  is  much  elevated.  Pope  has  pradtifed  the 
great  fecret  of  Virgil's  art,  which  was  todifco* 
ver  the  very  fingle  epithet  that  precifcly  fuitcd 
each  occafion. 

14.  Without  this  juft  gradation,  could  they  be 
Subjeded,  thefe  to  thofe,  or  all  to  thee  ? 
The  pow'rs  of  all  fubduM  by  thee  alone, 
Is  not  thy  reafon  all  thefe  powVs  in  one  ?  * 

**  Such  then  is  the  admirable  diftribution  of 
nature,  her  adapting  and  adjufling  not  only  the 
ilufF  or  matter  to  the  fhape  and  form,  and 
even  the  (hape  itfelf  and  form,  to  the  circum- 
flance,  place,  element,  or  region ;  but  alfo  the 
affections,  appetites,    fenfations,    mutually  to 


•  Ver.  229. 

each 


134       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

each  other^  as  well  as  the  matter^  forrn^  adiofi^ 
and  all  befides ;  all  managed  for  the  beft,  with 
perfedt  frugality  and  juft  referve :  profufe  to 
none,  but  bountiful  to  all :  never  employing 
in  one  thing  more  than  enough;  but  with 
exadt  oeconomy  retrenching  the  fuperfluou$ 
and  adding  force  to  what  is  principal  in  every 
thing.  And  is  not  thought  and  reafon  prin- 
cipal in  man  ?  Would  we  have  no  referve  for 
thcfe?  No  faving  for  this  part  of  his  engine  *?*' 

15.  Above,  how  high,  progreflive  life  may  go  ! 
Around,  how  wide  !  how  deep  extend  below  ! 
Vaft  chain  of  being !  which  from  God  began. 
Natures  aetherial,  human,  angel,  man, 
Beaft,  bird,  fifli,  infed,  what  no  eye  can  (ee. 
No  glafs  can  reach ;  from  infinite  to  thee. 
From  thee  to  nothing.  § 

"  That  there  (hould  be  more  fpccics  of  intelli- 
gent creatures  above  us,  than  there  are  of  fen- 
iible  and  material  below  us,  is  probable  to  me 
from  hence  ;  that  in  all  the  vifible  corporeal 
world,  we  fee  no  chafms,  or  gaps.    All  quite 

•  The  Moralifts,  vol.  ii.  pag,  199.  5.  Vcr.  235. 

down 


AND  GENIUS  OP  POPE-        135 

down  from  us,  the  deibent  is  by  eafy  fteps^ 
and  a  continued  feries  of  things,  that  in  each 
remove  differ  very  little  from  one  another.  -— * 
And  when  we  confider  the  infinite  power  and 
wifdom  of  the  maker,  we  have  reafon  to 
think,  that  it  is  fuitable  to  the  magnificent 
harmony  of  the  univerfe,  and  the  great  defign 
and  infinite  goodnefs  of  the  architect,  that  the 
^^edes  of  creatures  (hould  alfo,  by  gentle  de* 
grees,  defcend  to  us  downwards :  which  if  it 
be  probable,  we  have  reafon  then  to  be  perfua* 
ded,  that  there  are  fitr  more  fpecies  of  creatures 
above  us,  than  there  are  beneath ;  we  being 
in  degrees  of  perfection,  much  more  remote 
from  the  infinite  being  of  God,  than  we  are 
from  the  loweft  ftate  of  being,  and  that  which 
approaches  neareft  to  nothing  *." 

16.  From  nature's  chain  whatever  link  you  ftrike. 

Tenth,  or  ten  thoufandth,  breaks  the  chain  alike,  f 

This  dodlrine  is  precifely  the  fame  with  that 
of  the  philofopbical  emperor.     "  Un^tiTxi  y<t^ 

*  Locke's  Bilay  on  Human  Underftanding,  vol.  ih  pag«  iQ* 
t  Vcr,  245% 


136    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

TO  0A03CA>|J0K,     eOiP  XCLl  OTl   W  S'l(t')Co\ni  TII5  CUKa- 
XCCl  TOJV  CLlTimV  •    S'leLKQlTTUS  S^t  OCOV  BTTl  (TQl  OTCCV 

17.  Juft  as  abfurd,  to  mourn  the  talks  or  pains^ 
The  great  dire£ting  mind  of  all  ordams.  § 

Here  again  we  muft  tranfcribe  another  no- 
ble fentiment  of  the  fame  lofty  writer.  "  'Otoiqi^ 

^i  TO  ?\.fyoiJiivoVy  OTl  avrera^sv  6  AtrytPinTnos. 
T«Ta)  tTTTcLcriavj    n  -^vK^o^saiavj  m  oLvoTro^KncLv  • 

TOIBTOV    ^q^l    Xai    TO,    GVV^TCL^^V  T8T0  J?  TOiV  cAoiy 

^vais  voG-oVy  n  TTYi^eoa-iVy  t)  aTroSoAuf,  n  aAAo  nri 
Tot)v  T013TC0V  *  xoLt  yxo  €ycu  TO  trvvera^evj  roisroy 
Ti  avfJiciLv^iy  eroi^i  tuto  ir^os  t8to,  ck  xarctA- 
AwAov  ei9  vyiUcLv  *    x(ti    evrecvSroL  to  avfj^QoLivov 

tTLXq'CO  T^TOLltlctl    ITW  TTf 0$    aUTO)  xotTctAAwAoy  6i$ 

Twv  iifJicLOfjinvYiv  *^^heos  yctp  a^fjiovixecri  jn/ccf*.** 

1 8.  All  are  but  parts  of  one  ftupendous  whole, 
Whofe  body  nature  is  and  God  the  foul ; 
That  chang'd  thro'  all,  and  yet  in  all  the  fame  ; 
Great  in  the  earth,  as  in  th'  aetherial  frame ; 

*  M.  Antoninus,  Lib.  v.  S.  8.  $  Ver.  265. 

f  M.  Antoninus,  Lib.  v.  S.  9. 

Warms 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       137 

Warms  in  the  fun,  refreihes  in  the  breeze. 
Glows  in  the  ftars,  and  blofibms  in  the  trees ; 
Lives  thro'  all  life,  extends  thro*  all  extent. 
Spreads  undivided,  operates  unfpent ; 
Breathes  in  our  foul,  informs  our  mortal  part. 
As  full  as  petkSt  in  a  hair  as  heart ; 
As  full  as  perfe^  in  vile  man  that  mourns. 
As  the  rapt  feraph  that  adores  aud  burns : 
To  him  no  high,  no  low,  no  great,  no  fmall ; 
He  fills»  he  bounds^  conneds,  and  equals  all.  * 

Whilst  I  am  tranfcribing  this  exalted  de- 
fcription  of  the  omniprefence  of  the  Deity,  I 
feci  myfelf  almoft  tempted  to  retra<fl  an  afTer- 
tion  in  the  beginning  of  this  work,  that  there 
is  nothing  tranfcendently  fublime  in  Pope. 
Thefe  lines  have  all  the  energy  and  harmony 
that  can  be  given  to  rhyme.  They  bear  fo  mar- 
vellous a  fimilitude  to  the  old  Orphic  verfes 
quoted  in  the  valuable  treatife  Uepi  Koo-fjiy^ 
that  I  cannot  forbear  introducing  them,  as  they 
are  curious  and  fublime. 

•  Ver.  267. 
Vol.  n.  T  2«t$ 


138      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Zfvf  wS/AHv  yam  Tf  xM  «^»»  aait^tilo^: 

Nor  have  we  a  lefs  example  of  fublimity  in 
the  three  preceding  lines^  which  defcribe  the 
univerfal  confufion  that  muft  enfue^  upon  any 
alteration  made  in  the  entire  aiid  coherent  plan 
of  the  creation. 

Let  earth  unbalanced  from  her  orbit  fly. 
Planets  and  (iins  ruih  lawleG  thro'  the  (ky ; 
Let  ruling  angels  from  their  fpheres  be  hurl'd. 
Being  on  being  wrecked,  and  world  on  world  ; 
Heav'n's  whole  foundations  to  their  centre  nod. 
And  nature  tremble  to  the  throne  of  God.  f 

It  is  very  obfervable  that  thefe  noble  lines  were 
added  after  the  firfl  edition.  It  is  a  pleafing 
amufement  to  trace  out  the  alterations  that  a 

^  A^ifonXn^  nifi  K»fff4Mt  pag.  52.  edit.  GhCgiux,  1745. 
t  Vcr.  251. 

great 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       139 

great  writer  gradually  makes  in  his  works. 
Many  other  parts  of  this  epiftle  have  been 
judicioufly  amended  and  improved.  At  firft 
it  ran^ 

How  inftind  varies !  what  a  hog  may  want 
Compar'd  with  thine,  half-reas'ning  elephant 

And  again  ; 

What  the  advantage,  if  his  finer  eyes 
Study  a  mite,  not  comprehend  the  fkies. 

Which  lines  at  prefcnt  ftand  thus. 

How  inftinA  varies  in  the  grovling  fwine, 
Compar'd,  half-reas'ning  elephant,  with  thine» 
Say  what  the  u(e,  were  finer  optics  giv'n, 
T*  infpcA  a  mite,  not  comprehend  the  heav'n. 

Formerly  it  flood. 

No  felf-confounding  faculties  to  (hare ; 
No  fenfes  ftronger  than  his  brain  can  bear. 

At  prefent. 

No  powVs  of  body  or  of  foul  to  fliare^ 
But  what  his  nature  and  his  ftate  can  bear. 

T2  It 


I40     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

It  appeared  at  firft. 

Expatiate  free  o'er  all  thU  fcene  of  man 
A  mighty  ma^e  !  of  walki  without  a  plan. 

We  read  at  prefent, 

A  mighty  maze !  but  not  without  a  plan* 

19.  Submit In  this,  or  any  other  fpherCf 

Secure  to  be  as  bleft  as  thou  canft  bear : 
Safe  in  the  hand  of  one  difpofing  pow^r 
Or  in  the  natal,  01  the  mortal  hour.  * 

I  cannot  reiift  the  pleafiire  of  illuftrating  this 
fentiment  in  the  words  of  a  writer,  whofe 
friendfhip  I  efleem  to  be  no  fmall  happinefs  and 
honour.  '^  Teach  us  each  to  regard  himfelf,  but 
as  a  part  of  this  great  whole ;  a  part  which 
for  its  welfare  we  are  as  patiently  to  refign,  as 
we  reiign  a  fingle  limb  for  the  welfare  of  our 
whole  body.  Let  our  life  be  a  continued  fcene 
of  acquiefcence  and  of  gratitude,  for  what  we 
enjoy  j  of  acquiefcence,  in  what  we  fufFer ; 
as  both  can  only  be  referable  to  that  con- 
catenated   order   of   events,   which    cannot 

•  Vcr.  285. 

but 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      141 

but  be  beft,    as    being  by  thee    approved 
and  chofen  *." 

20.  All  nature  is  but  art,  unknown  to  thee ; 

All  chance,  dire^on  wUch  thou  canft  not  fee; 
All  difcord,  harmony  not  underftood  ; 
All  partial  eWly  univerfid  good,  f 

This  is  the  dodfarine  that  reigns  throughout 
the  lofty  hymn  of  Cleanthes  the  Stoic,  particu- 
larly in  thefe  beautiful  and  mafculine  verfes. 

Itktfl  liW9am  ^a^  KOMI  ofilt^ent  amm^t 
AXXa  ov  %m  ra  vipi^va  tjnala^M  m(lta  ttuiUt 

n  Jk  yap  IK  n  inm^m  9vvti^\iA%a^  %^/im  tfnrmiwt» 
n^'  INI  yiyvt^SoM  vatlti^y  Xoyo*  aitv  lorlarf  ^ 

21.  Chaos  of  thought  and  paffion,  all  confus'd  i 
Still  by  himfelf  abus'd,  or  difabus'd ; 

*  Three  Treatifes  by  James  Harris,  Ei^;  ptg.  33 1« 

+  Vcr.  289. 

f  •  Hymn,  apad  Hen.  Steph.  pa;.  49. 

CfCttcd 


142      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Created  half  to  rife,  and  half  to  fall ; 
Great  lord  of  all  things,  yet  a  prey  to  all ; 
Sole  judge  of  truth,  in  endlefi  error  hurl'd : 
The  glory,  jeft  and  riddle  of  the  world  !  % 

It  was  remarked  long  ago  in  the  Adventu- 
rer *,  that  thefe  reflexions  were  minutely  co- 
pied from  Pafcal,  who  fays  j  "  What  a  chimera 
then  is  man !  what  a  confufed  chaos !  what  a 
fubjeft  of  contradidtion !  a  profeflcd  judge  of 
all  things,  and  yet  a  feeble  worm  of  the  earth ! 
The  great  depofitary  and  guardian  of  truth, 
and  yet  a  mere  huddle  of  uncertainty!  the 
glory  and  the  fcandal  of  the  univerfe." 

22.  Superior  beings  when  of  late  they  faw 
A  mortal  man  unfold  all  natures  law, 
Admir'd  fuch  wifdom  in  an  earthly  fhape. 
And  (hew^d  a  Newton  as  we  fhew  an  ape.  f 

The  author  of  the  letter  on  the  Marks  of 
imitation,  is  induced  to  think,  from  the  Angu- 
larity of  this  fentiment,  that  the  great  poet 
had  his  eye  on  Plato ;  cti  ctv^^^Trm  6  aofMos 
Tpos  Qeov  TTi^iiKos  (pweilai.   But  I  am  more  in- 

l  Epift.  ii.  V.  13.  •  No.  63.  f  Vcr.  34. 

clined 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE^      143 

clined  to  think  that  Pope  borrowed  it  from  a 
paflage  in  the  zodiac  of  Pdingenins,  which 
the  abovemcntioncd  Adventurer  has  alfo 
quoted^  and  which  Pope,  who  was  a  reader 
of  the  poets  of  Palingenias's  age,  was  more 
likely  to  fall  upon,  than  on  this  thought 
of  Plato, 

Simia  ccdicolum  rifulque  jocufque  deonim  eft; 
Tunc  homo,  quum  temere  ingenio  confidit,  et  audet 
Abdita  naturae  fcnitari,  arcanaque  diviim* 

23.  Trace  fcience  dien,  with  modefly  thy  guide  ; 
Firft  ftrip  off  all  her  equipage  of  pride; 
Dedud  what  is  but  vanity,  or  drefi. 
Or  learning's  luxury,  oridlenefs; 
Or  tricks  to  (hew  the  ftretch  of  human  brain. 
Mere  curious  pleafiire,  or  ingenious  pain ; 
Expunge  the  whole,  or  lop  th'  excrefcent  parts. 
Of  all  our  vices  of  created  arts.  * 

The  abufes  of  learning  are  enumerated  with 
brevity  and  elegance,  in  thefe  few  lines.  It 
was  a  favourite  fubjeA  with  our  author 3  and  it 
is  faid,  he  intended  to  have  written  four 
epifUes  on  it,  wherein  he  would  have  treated 

•  Vcr.  43. 

of 


144    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

of  the  extent  and  limits  of  hnnun  reafon,  of 
arts  and  fciences  ufeful  and  attainable,  of  the 
different  capacities  of  different  men,  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  world,  and  of  wit.  Such 
cenfures,  even  of  the  mod  unimportant  parts 
of  literature,  {hould  not,  however,  be  carried 
too  far ;  and  a  fenfible  writer  obferves,  that 
there  is  not  indeed  any  part  of  knowledge 
which  can  be  called  entirely  ufelefs."  The  moft 
abftradted  parts  of  mathematics,  and  the  know- 
ledge of  mythological  hiftory,  or  antient  alle- 
gories, have  their  own  pleafures  not  inferior 
to  the  more  gay  entertainments  of  painting, 
mufic,  or  architecture ;  and  it  is  for  the  ad- 
vantage of  mankind  that  fome  are  found,  who 
have  a  taffe  for  thefe  fludies.  The  only  fault 
lies,  in  letting  any  of  thofe  inferior  taffes,  en- 
grofs  the  whole  man  to  the  exclufion  of  the 
nobler  purfuits  of  virtue  and  humanity*.*' 
We  may  here  apply  an  elegant  obfervation  of 
TuUy,  who  fays  in  his  Brutus,  "  Credo,  fed 
Athenienfium  quoque  plus  interfuit  firma  teda 

*  Hutchefon's  Nature  and  Condafi  of  the  Paffions.  pag.  174. 

in 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      145 

xn  domiciliis  habere^  quam  Minervs  fignum 
ex  ebore  pulcherrimum  :  tamen  ego  me  Phin 
diam  cffe  mallem  quam  vel  optimum  fabrum 
lignarium;  quarc  non  quantum  quifquepro- 
£t9  fed  quanti  quifque  fit^  ponderandum  eft  j 
praefertim  cum  paupi  pinger^  cgrogi^  poffint 

mt  fingere^  operarii  autem  aut  bajuli  deefle 

non  poffint,'* 

24.  Paffions,  tho'  felfifli,  if  their  means  be  fair. 
Lift  under  reafon  and  deferve  her  care ; 

Thofe,  that  imparted,  court  a  nobler  aim, 

» 

Exalt  theiF  kind,  and  take  fome  virtue's  name.  ^ 

We  find  an  -f*  obfcurity  in  thefe  lines,  ari-r 
fingfrom  the  ufe  of  the  participle  imparted  i 

f  When  I  am  writings  fays  Fontenelle,  I  often  flop  and 
aik ;  '*  Do  I  myfelf  underfland  this  fenceoce  ?''  And  yet, 
f  ontenelle|  whom  the  French  accafe  of  introducing  the  ab^ 
rapt,  affe£led  ftyle,  is  frequently  obfcure.  ^'  Non  minus  au» 
tem  cavenda  erit,  fays  Quintiliaii,  quae  nimium  corripientes 
omnia  fequitnr,  obfcuritas  :  fatiufque  ell  aliquid  narration! 
fuperefle,  quam  deefle.  Nam  cum  fupenracua  cum  taedio  di« 
CUAtor,  neceflaiia  cum  periculo  fubtrahuntun" 

Inllitut.  Orat.  Lib.  iv.  C.  2. 

Happy  is  he  who  can  unite  brevity  with  perfpicuity.— -^' 
It  is  but  of  one  writer  that  Quintilian  fays.  Idem  laetus  ac 
Dreffus,  turn  copia,  tum  brevitate  mirabilis.      Lib,  x.  C.  i. 

Yql.  II.  U  a  mod9 


146  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
a  mode  of  fpeakingof  which  Pope  was  fond,- 
ftudious  as  he  was  of  brevity,  and  which  of- 
ten betrayed  him  into  the  fame  fault :  as  the 
ufe  of  the  cafe  abfolute  does  in  the  follow- 
ing lines  i 

Prefent  to  grafp,  and  future  ftill  to  find. 
The  whale  tmpley  of  body  and  o€  mind.  • 
25.  In  lazy  apathy  let  Stoics  boaft 

Their  virtue  tix'd  !   'tis  fix'd  as  in  a  froft ; 

ContraAcd  all,  retiring  to  thebreaft; 

The  ftrength  of  mind  is  exercife,  not  reft,  t 

Perhaps  a  Aronger  example  cannot  be 
found,  of  taking  notions  upon  truft  without 
any  examination,  than  the  univerfal  cenfure 
,  that  has  hcet  palTed  upon  the  Stoics,  as  if  they 
ilrenuouOy  inculcated  a  total infenlibility  with 
refpedt  to  paffion.  He  that  would  be  convinced 
that  this  trite  accusation  is  ill-grounded,  may 
confult  the  notes  Mr.  Harris  has  added  to  his 
third  treatife  %.  There  he  will  find  the  gcr 
nuine  doftrines  of  the  Stoics  examined  with 
accuracy  and  fagacity,  in  a  learned  deduftioq 

•  Ver.  laj.  f  Ver.  loi. 

}  From  note  pag,  33;,  to  pag.  331. 


•WWBHiMM 


AND  GENIUS  01?  POPE.        147 

of  paffages,  from  all  the  beft  writers  of  that 
fchool ;  the  fum  of  which  quotations,  in  the 
nervous  language  of  that  critic,  appears  to  be 
this  ;  "  That  the  Stoics,  in  their  character  of 
their  virtuous  man,  included  rational  defire^ 
averfion,  and  exultation ;  included  love,  and 
parental  affedtion ;  J&iendfhip,  and  a  general 
charity  or  benevolence  tB  all  mankind :  that 
they  confidered  it  as  a  duty,  arifing  from  our 
very  nature,  not  to  negleft  the  welfare  of  pub- 
lic fociety,  but  to  be  ever  ready,  according  to 
our  rank,  to  a£t  either  the  magiflrate  or  the 
private  citizen  :  that  their  apathy  was  no  more 
than  a  freedom  from  perturbation,  from  irra- 
tional and  exceflive  agitations  of  the  foul :  and 
confequently  that  the  ftrange  apathy,  com- 
monly laid  to  their  charge,  and  in  the  demo- 
lishing of  which  there  have  been  fo  many  tri- 
umphs, was  an  imaginary  apathy,  for  which 
they  were  no  way  accountable.'* 

a6.  Love,  Hope,  and  Joy,  fair  Pleasure's  fmiling  train^ 
HatE)  FeaR)  andGRiEF)  the  family  of  Paik. 

U  2  This 


148      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

This  beautiful  group  of  allegorical  perfon- 
ages,  fo  ftrongly  contrafted,  how  do  they  adt? 
The  profopopeia  is  unfortunately  dropped,  and 
the  metaphor  changed  immediately  in  the  fuc«- 
ceeding  lines. 

Thefe  mix'd  with  art,  and  to  due  bounds  confin'd) 
Make,  and  maintain  the  balance  of  the  mind.  * 

27.  On  diflbrent  fenfes  Cerent  objeds  flrike.  ^ 

A  didadic  poet  who  has  happily  indulged 
himfelf  in  bolder  flights  of  enthufiafm,  fup- 
ported  by  a  more  figurative  ftile,  than  our  au- 
thor ufed,  has  thus  nobly  illuflrated  this  very 
doftrine. 


DliTrent  minds 


Incline  to  diiPrent  objeds :  one  purfues. 
The  vaft  alone,  the  wonderful,  the  wild  ; 
Another  fighs  for  harmony,  and  grace. 
And  gentled  beauty.    Hence  when  lightning  fires 
The  arch  of  heav'n,  and  thunders  rock  the  ground  g 
When  furious  whirlwinds  rend  the  howling  air^ 
And  ocean  groaning  from  the  loweft  bed, 
Heaves  his  tempefiuous  billows  to  thefky^ 
Amid  the  mighty  uproar,  while  below 

•  Vcr.  i20#  t  Vcr.  127. 

The 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         149 

The  nations  tremble,  Shakefpear  looks  abroad 
From  fomc  high  clifF,  fupcrior,  and  enjoys 
The  elemental  war.    But  Waller  longs 
All  on  the  margin  (rf  fome  flow*ry  ftream 
To  fpread  his  carelefs  limbs,  amid  the  cool 
Of  pUntane  {hades.  — — — 

We  have  here  a  ftriking  example  of  that 
poetic  fpirit,  that  harmonious,  and  varied  ver- 
fification  and  that  ftrength  of  imagery,  v^rhich 
confpire  to  excite  our  admiration  of  this  beau- 
tiful poem  *. 

28.  Proud  of  an  eafy  conqueft  all  along, 

She  but  removes  weak  paffions  for  the  ftrong*  f 

This  is  from  the  Duke  de  la  Rochefoucault 
Whenever  we  get  the  better  of  our  paffions 
it  is  more  owing  to  their  weaknefs  than  our 
our  ftrength.  And  again,  there  is  in  the  heart 
of  man  a  perpetual  fucceffion  of  paffions,  in- 
fomuch  that  the  ruin  of  one  is  always  the  rife 
of  another  %- 


*  ThePleafures  of  Iinagination«  Bookiii.  v,  546. 
t  Vcr.  157.  X  Max.  X, 


29.  Let 


I50       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

29.  Let  powV,  or  knowledge,  gold  or  glory,  pleafe. 
Or  oft  more  ftrong  than  all,  the  love  of  eafe.  § 

An  acute  obfervation  plainly  taken  from 
Rochefoucault.  "  'Tis  a  miftake  to  believe 
that  none  but  the  violent  paflions,  fuch  as  am- 
bition and  love,  are  able  to  triumph  over  the 
other  paflions.  Lazinefs,  as  languid  as  it  is, 
often  gets  the  maftery  of  them  all,  ufurps  over 
all  the  defigns  and  adlions  of  life,  and  infenfi- 
bly  confumes,  and  deftroys  both  paflions  and 
virtues  *." 

30.  Virtuous  and  vicious  ev'ry  man  muft  be. 
Few  in  th'  extreme,  but  all  in  the  degree : 
The  rogue  and  fool  by  fits  is  fair  and  wife ; 
And  ev'n  the  bcft,  by  fits,  what  they  defpife.  t 

A  fine  refleftion,  and  calculated  to  fubdue  that 
petulant  contempt  and  unmerited  averfion 
men  too  generally  entertain  againft  each  other, 
and  which  diminifh  and  deflroy  the  focial  af- 
fedions  if.  Our  emulation  fays  one  of  the 
beft-natured  philofophers,  our  jeaJoufy  or  envy, 

§  Vcr.  170.  ♦  ccLxvi.  Max.  f  Vcr.  233. 

X  Hutchcfon's  Nature  and  Condudl  of  the  Paflions,  p.  190. 

Ihould 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  151 
fliould  be  reftrained  in  a  great  mcafurc,  by  a 
conltant  refolution  of  bearing  always  in  our 
minds  the  lovely  fide  of  every  chara<Ser.  The 
complcatly  evil  are  as  rare  as  the  perfeftly  vir- 
tuous, there  is  fomething  amiable  almoft  in 
every  one,  as  Plato  obferves  in  his  Phidon. 

'O  cvv  iXtPgAipos  ear  alix'n  evriu^iv  auro  a  Aa/t- 

<pop)iTH '  oAJl.'  iicii'^tv  (uioAAor,  oti  aJ^EA^pos,   oti 

This  charitable  doftrine  of  putting  candid 
conftrudions  on  thofe  adtions  that  appear  moft 
blameable,  nay  moft  deteftable  and  moft  de- 
formed, is  illuftrated  and  enforced  with  great 
ftrength  of  argument  and  benevolence  by  King 
in  his  fifth  chapter  on  the  origin  of  evilj 
where  he  endeavours  to  evince  the  prevalence  of 
moral  good  in  the  world,  and  teaches  us  to 
make  due  allowances  for  mens  follies  and  vices. 

I  EpiActi  Enchiridion. 

+  Many  leflons  on  this  ufeful  fpecies  of  hamaniiy,  tending 
to  foften  the  difguft  that  arifcj  from  a  profpeft  of  the  abttir- 
dity  and  wickcdncfs  of  human  nature,  are  to  be  found  in 
Marcus  Antoninus;  and  many  noble  Precepts  in  the  New 
Tcftamciit  riglitly  underAood  have  the  fame  tendency,  but  are 
delivered  with  more  dignity  and  force,  and  demand  certainly 
3  deeper  attention  and  more  implicit  regard. 

31.  What 


152    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

31.  What  crops  of  wit,  and  honefty  appear. 
From  fpleen,  from  obftinacy,  hate  or  fear  ?  * 

Au  Cid  perfecutc  Cinna  doit  fa  naiflance, 
Et  peut-eftre  ta  plume  aux  Cenfeurs  de  Pyrrhus 
Doit  les  plus  nobles  traits  dont  tu  pcignis  Burrhus.  f 

32.  Heav'n  forming  each  on  other  to  depend, 
A  mafter,  or  a  fervant,  or  a  friend. 
Bids  each  on  other  for  aflifiance  call, 

'Till  one  man's  weaknefs  grows  the  ftrength  of  alL 
Wants,  frailties,  paffions,  clofer  ftill  ally 
The  common  intereft,  or  endear  the  tic. 
To  thefe  we  owe  true  friendfliip,  love  (incere. 
Each  home-felt  joy  that  life  inherits  here.  § 

It 

•  Vcr.  185. 

+  Boileau,  Epillrc  vii.  a  M.  Racine,  pag.  57. 

§  **  In  rerum  fyftcmate  vel  optime  conftituto,  debent  efle 
diver(a  animantium  genera  fuperiora,  et  inferiora,  ut  locus  fit 
prseclaris  animi  virtutibus  ubi  fe  exerceant:  excluderentur  enim 
commiferatio,  bencficentia,  liberalitas,  fortitudo,  xquanimitas, 
^patientia,  lenitas,  et  officia  omnia  gratuita  et  immerita,  quo- 
rum fenfus  longe  efl  omnium  IxtiiTimus,  et  memoria  jucundiifi- 
ma ;  fi  nulla  cfTet  imbecillitas,  nulla  indigentia,  nulla  homi- 
num  vitia  ct  crrores." 

Hutchefon.  Metaphyficae  Synopfis,  cap.  ii.  pag.  81. 

This  refembles  the  doftrine  of  the  old  Stoic  Chryfippus  as  he 
is  quoted  by  Aulus  Gellius,  lib.  vi.  cap.  i.  "Nullum  ad- 
co  contrarium  fine  contrario  altero.  Quo  enim  pafto  juftitias 
fenfus  eiTe  poflet  nifi  eflent  injuria:  ?  Aut  quid  aliud  juftitia  eft 
quam  injuftitise  privatio  ?     Quid  item  fortitudo  intelligi  poflet 

niit 


Ji 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       153 

It  was  an  objection  conftantly.urged  by  the 
ancient  Epicureans,  that  man  could  not  be  the 
creature  of  a  benevolent  being,  as  he  was 
formed  in  a  ftate  fo  helplefs  and  infirm :  Mon- 
tagne  took  it  and  urged  it  alfo.  They  never 
confidered  or  perceived  that  this  very  infirmity 
and  helpleffnefs  were  the  caufe  and  cement  of 
fociety ;  that  if  men  had  been  perfe<5l  and  felf- 
fufficient^  and  had  flood  in  no  need  of  each 
others  affiflance,  there  would  have  been  no 
occafion  for  the  invention  of  the  arts,  and  no 
opportunity  for  the  exertion  of  the  afFcdtions. 
The  lines  therefore  in  which  Lucretius  pro- 
pofes  this  objedlion,    are  as  unphilofophical 

nifi  ex  ignaviae  oppoiitione  ?  Quid  continentia  nifi  ex  intern- 
peranda?  Quo  item  modo  prudentia  efTet,  nifi  foret  ex  con- 
trario  imprudcntia  ?"  — • "  To  this  purpofe  the  elegant 
lyric  poet. 

Who  founds  in  difcord^  beauty's  reign. 

Converts  to  pleafure  ev'ry  pain. 

Subdues  the  hoflile  forms  to  tc^. 

And  bids  the  univerfe  be  bleft." 
**  This  is  that  magic  divine,  which  by  an  efficacy  paft  compre- 
heniion,  can  transform  every  appearance,  the  moil  hideous, 
into  beauty,  and  exhibit  all  things  fair  and  good  to  thee ! 
Eilence  Increate !  who  art  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  ini- 
qnity.'*    Three  Treatifcs,  by  J.  H.  pag.  234. 

Vol.  II.  X  and 


154     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
and  inconcluiive,  as  they  are  highly  pathetic 
and  poetical. 

Turn  porro  puer,  ut  (kvis  proje^^  ab  undis 
Na?ita»  nudus  humi  jacet^  infans,  indigus  oflMfii 
Vitali  auxilio,  cum  primum  in  luminis  oras 
Nixibus  ex  alvo  matris  naiura  profudit ; 
Vagituque  locum  lugubri  complet,  ut  sequum  efty 
Cui  tantum  in  vid  reflat  trandre  malonim.  f 

There  is  a  paflage  in  the  Moralifts  which 
I  cannot  forhear  thinking  Pope  had  in  his 
eye,  and  which  I  mufl  not  therefwe  omit,  as 
it  ferves  to  illuftrate  and  confirm  fo  many  parts 
of  the  EfTay  on  Man ;  I  ihall  therefore  give  it 
at  length  without  apology. 

"  The  young  of  moft  other  kinds,  are  in- 
ftantly  helpful  to  themfelves,  fenfible,  vigor- 
ous, know  how  to  fhun  danger,  and  feck  their 
good :  A  human  infant  is  of  all  the  moft  help- 
lefs,  weak,  infirm.  And  wherefore  fliould  it 
not  have  been  fo  ordered  ?  Where  is  the  lofs 
in  fuch  a  fpecies  ?  Or  what  is  man  the  worfe 
for  that  defedt,  amidft  fuch  large  fupplies  ? 

t  lib.v.  ver.  223. 

Docs 


riiAriii 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       iss 

Does  not  *  this  dcfc^  engage  him  the  more 
ftrongly  to  fociety,  and  force  him  to  own  that 
he  is  purpofcly,  and  not  by  accident,  made 
rational  and  fociable ;  and  can  no  otherwife 
increafe  or  fubfift,  than  in  that  focial  inter- 
courfe  and  community  which  is  his  natural 
ftate?  Is  not  both  conjugal  afFedion,  and 
natural  af&dion  to  parents,  duty  to  magif- 
trates,  love  of  a  common  city,  community,  or 
country,  with  the  other  duties  and  focial  parts 
of  life,  deduced  from  hence,  and  founded  in 
thefe  very  wants  ?  What  can  be  happier  than 
fuch  a  deficiency,  as  it  is  the  occafion  of  fo 
much  good  ?  What  better  than  a  want  fo 
abundantly  made  up,  and  anfwered  by  fo 
many  enjoyments  ?  Now  if  there  are  ftill  to 
be  found  among  mankind,  fuch  as  even  in  the 
midft  of  thefe  wants  fcem  not  afhamed  to  af- 

*  A  longer  care  man's  helplefs  kind  demands ; 
That  longer  care  contra^  more  lafting  bands. 

Ep.  iii.  V.  131. 
And  again; 

And  fHll  new  needs,  new  helps,  new  habits  rife. 
That  graft  benevolence  on  charities. 

Ep.  iii.  V.  137. 

X  2  fcft 


156     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

fz&  a  right  of  independency,  and  deny  tbem- 
ielves  to  be  by  nature  fociablc  j  where  would 
their  fbame  have  been,  had  nature  otherwife 
fupplied  thefe  wants  ?  What  duty  or  obliga- 
tion had  been  ever  thought  of  ?  What  refpcft 
or  reverence  of  parents,  magiftrates,  their 
country,  or  their  kind  ?  Would  not  their  fiill 
and  fclf-fufficicnt  ftate  more  ftrongly  have  de- 
termined them  to  throw  off  nature,  and  deny 
the  ends  and  author  of  their  creation  ?"  * 

31.  And  pride  bedow'd  on  all  a  common  friend,  f 

The  obfcrvation  is  from  Rochefoucault  j 
"  Nature,  who  fo  wifely  has  fitted  the  organs 
of  our  body  to  make  us  happy,  fecms  likewife 
to  have  beftowed  pride  on  us,  on  purpofe,  as 
it  were,  to  fave  us  the  pain  of  knowing  our 
imperfe<3ions."  J 

Un  lot  en  ecrlvant  fait  tout  avec  plaifir . 

II  n'  a  point  en  ks  vers  1'  cmbarras  de  choilir, 

*  ThcMoraliits,  pag.  101. 

t  Ver.  272.  J  Maxim.  36. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       157 

£t  toujours  amoreux  de  ce  qu'  il  vient  d*  ecrire» 
Ravi  d'  etonnexnent  en  foi-meme  il  s'  admire. 
Mais  un  efprit  fublime  en  vain  veut  s'  elevery 
A  ce  degre  parfait  qu'  il  tache  de  trouver ; 
£t  toujours  mecontent  de  ce  qu'  il  vient  de  faire 
n  plaift  a  tout  le  monde,  &  ne  fcauroit  fe  plaire. 

When  Boileau  read  thefe  words  to  his  friend 

Molicre  to  whom  they  are  addreffed,  the  latter, 
fqueezing  his  hand  with  eameflnef s^  faid  — — 
"  This  is  one  of  the  beft  truths  you  have  ever 
uttered.  I  am  not  one  of  thofe  fublime  ge- 
niufes  of  whom  you  fpeak  ;  but  fuch  as  I  am, 
I  muft  declare  I  have  never  wrote  any  thing 
in  my  life,  with  which  I  have  been  thoroughly 
fatisfied  *r 

34«  See  matter  next,  with  various  life  endu'd, 
Prefs  to  one  centre  ftil),  the  gen'ral  good. 
See  dying  vegetables  life  fuftain. 
See  life  diflblving  vegetate  again : 
All  forms  that  peri(h  other  forms  fupply, 
(By  turns  we  catch  the  vital  breath  and  die) 
Like  bubbles  on  the  fea  of  matter  born. 
They  rife,  they  break,  and  to  that  fea  return,  f 

•  Sat.  2,  85,  f  Ep.  3.  V.  13. 

Pope 


158      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Pope  has  again  copied  Shaftdbury  fo  cloiely 
in  this  paf&ge,  as  to  ufe  almoft  his  very  words. 
<*  Thus  in  the  feveral  orders  of  terreftrial 
forms,  a  refignation  is  required,  a  ikcrifice 
and  mutual  yielding  of  natures  one  to  another. 
The  vegetables  by  their  death,  fuftain  the 
animals  j  and  the  animal  bodies  diHolved,  en- 
rich the  earth,  an4  raife  again  the  vegetable 
world.  The  numerous  infedts  are  reduced  by 
the  fuperior  kinds  of  birds  and  beaib :  And 
thefe  again  arc  checked  by  man ;  who  in  his 
turn  fubmits  to  other  natures,  and  refigns  his 
form  a  facrifice  in  common  to  the  reft  of 
things.  And  if  in  natures  fo  little  exalted  or 
pre-eminent  above  each  other,  the  lacrifice  of 
intereft  can  appear  fo  juftj  how  much  more 
reafonably  may  all  inferior  natures  be  fubjedted 
to  the  fuperior  nature  of  the  world  !'*  * 

35.  Has  God,  thou  fool .'  worit'd  folely  for  thy  good. 
Thy  joy,  thy  paflime,  thy  attire,  thy  food  ? 
Who  for  thy  table  feeds  the  waiiton  fawn. 
For  him  as  kindly  fpread  the  Bowery  lawn : 
Is  it  for  thee  the  lark  alcends  and  fings  ? 
Joy  tunes  his  v<hcc,  joy  elevates  hb  wings  f. 

The 

•  TheMoralifts,  pag.  130.         t  Vcr.  27. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  .POPE.       159 

The  poetry  of  thtfe  lines  is  as  beautiful,  as 
the  philofophy  is  folid.  **  They  who  imagiae 
that  all  things  in  this  world  were  made  for  the 
immediate  ufe  of  man  alone^  run  themfelves 
into  inextricable  difficulties.  Man  indeed  is 
the  head  of  this  lower  part  of  the  creation, 
and  perhaps  it  was  defigned  to  be  abfolutely 
under  his  command.  But  that  all  things  here 
tend  diredtly  to  his  own  ufe,  is,  I  think,  nei- 
ther cafy  nor  neceffiiry  to  be  proved.  Some 
manifefUy  fcrve  for  the  food  and  fupport  of 
others,  whofe  fouls  may  be  neceflary  to  pre- 
pare and  preferve  their  bodies  for  that  pur- 
pofe,  and  may  at  the  fame  time  be  happy  in  a 
confcioufnefs  of  their  own  exiftence.  'Tis  pror 
bable  they  are  intended  to  promote  each  others 
gctod  reciprocally :  Nay,  man  himfelf  contri- 
butes to  the  happinefs,  and  *  betters  the  con- 
dition of  the  brutes  in  feveral  refpe£bs,  by  cul- 
(ijrating  and  improving  the  ground,  by  watcb- 

•  That  very  life  his  learned  hnnger  craTet, 
He  faves  from  famiAe,  from  the  favage  favei ; 
lisLj,  feaftt  the  animal  he  dooms  his  feaH, 
And  tiU  he  ends  ihc  being  makes  it  bleft. 

Bp«  iiit  ▼•  63  * 

X4  in| 


i6o    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ing  the  fcafons,  by  protedting  and  providing 
for  them,  when  they  are  unable  to  prote6t 
^LTid  provide  for  themfelves."  Thefe  are  the 
words  of  Dr.  Law,  in  his  learned  Commen- 
tary on  King's  Origin  of  Evil,  firft  pubr 
liflicd  in  Latin,  lyoi,  a  work  of  penetra- 
tion and  clofe  rcafoning ;  which,  it  is  re- 
markable, Bayle  had  never  read,  but  only 
fome  extrafts  from  it,  when  he  firft  wrote 
his  famous  article  of  the  Paulicians,  in  his 

•  .... 

Dictionary,  where  he  has  artfully  employed 
all  that  force  and  acutenefs   of  argument, 
which  he  certainly  poflefled,  in  promoting 
the  gloomy  and  uncomfortable  fcheme  «£. 
Scepticifm  or  Manicheifm.  ^ 

36.  And  reafon  raifc  o'er  inftinft  as  you  can. 
In  this  'tis  (   jd  directs,  in  (hat  'tis  man.* 

ThereisafineobfervationofMontefquieu'f', 
concerning  the  condition   of  brutes*      Les 

♦  Ep.  lii.  97. 

f  We  ought  not  to  be  blind  to  the  faults  of  this  fin^  writer, 
>vhatever  fipplaufe  he  deferves  in  general.  But  it  JOfirdt  be 
confefledy  chat  his  ftyle  is  too  (horc,  abrupt,  and  epigram^ 
matic ;  he  tells  us  hixnfelf,  he  was  fond  of  Lucipi  Florut ; 
'  and  he  believed  too  creduloufly,  and  laid  too  great  a  ftrefs 
|}pon»  the  relatione  of  vq^aj^e-writers  and  tifavellers  s  as  in* 
fikc^  did  jLockft 

betcsj 


rfn 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         i6i 

betes,  n*  ont  point  Ics  fupremes  advantages 
que  nos  avons  ;  elles  en  ont  que  nous  n'  avons 
pas.  Elles  n'  ont  point  nos  efperances,  mais 
elles  n'  ont  pas  nos  craintes ;  elles  fubiflent 
comme  nous  la  mort,  mais  c'  eft  fans  la  con- 
noitre ;  la  plupart  mexne  fe  confervent  meiux 
que  nous,  &  ne'font  pas  un  au/Ii  mauvais 
ufage  de  leurs  paflions." 

37.  Who  taught  the  nations  of  the  field  and  wood 
To  {bun  their  poifon,  and  to  chufe  their  food  ? 
Prefcient,  the  tides  or  tempefts  to  withftand. 
Build  on  the  wave,  or  arch  beneath  the  fand  ?  * 

This  paflage  is  highly  finiftied  3  fuch  ob- 
je^  are  more  fuited  to  the  nature  of  poetry 
tmn  abflrad  ideas.  Every  verb  and  epithet 
has  here  a  dcfcriptive  force.  We  find  more 
imagery  from  thefc  lines  tc  ,the  end  of  the 
epidle^  than  in  any  other  pa..^s  of  this  Eflay. 
The  origin  of  the  connexions  in  focial  life,  the 
account  of  the  ftate  of  nature,  the  rife  and  ef- 
feiSs  of  fuperftitiori  and  tyranny,  and  the  re- 

•    VCT.  99. 

Vol.  II.  Y  ftoration 


i6±       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ftoration  of  true  religion  and  juft  government^ 
all  thefe  ought  to  be  mentioned  as  paflages 
that  deferve  high  applaufe,  nay  as  fome  of  the 
rooft  exalted  pieces  of  Englifh  poetry. 

38.  Man  walk'd  with  beaft,  joint  tenant  of  the  (hade.  * 

Lucretius,  agreeably  to  his  uncomfort- 
able fyftem,  has  prefented  us  with  a  different, 
and  more  horrid  picture  of  this  flate  of  nature. 
The  calamitous  condition  of  man  is  exhibited 
by  images  of  much  energy,  and  wildnefs  of 
fancy. 

■  Saecia  ferarum 

Infedam  miferis  faciebant  faepe  quietem : 
Eje£lique  domo  fugicbant  faxea  tcQiz 
Sf tigeri  fuis  adventu,  validque  Leonis, 
Atque  intempefta  cedebant  no£le  paventes 
Hofpitibus  faevis  inftrata  cubilia  fronde. 

He  reprefents  afterwards  fome  of  thefe 
wretched  mortals  mangled  by  wild  beafts, 
and  running  diftraded  with  pain  through  the 
woods,  with  their  wounds  undrefled  and 
putrifying  : 

Ver.  I J  2. 

At 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       163 

At  quoi  effugium  fciTint,  coqme  adelb» 
Poferius  tremulas  fiiper  ukera  tetra  teoentes 
Palmas,  horriferis  accibant  vocibus  Orcum  i 
Doiiicum  eos  vita  privdrunt  vennina  faeva, 
Expeites  opis,  ignaros  quid  volnera  vdlent.  * 

pain  is  forcibly  cxpreiled  by  the  a<fUpn  d&- 
icribed  m  tibe  fecond  line,  and  by  the  epithet 
tr^mulas. 

39.  The  (brine  with  gore  unftain^d,  with  gold  undreftf 
Unbrib'd,  unUoody^  ftood  the  blamelefs  prieft.  f 

The  <i^c€t  of  alliteration  is  here  felt  by  the 
reader.  Bot  at  what  period  of  time  could  this 
be  jttftly  faid,  if  we  confider  the  very  early 
Snftitution  of  facrifice^  according  to  the  fcrip* 
ture-account  of  this  venerable  rite. 

40.  Ah  !  how  unlike  the  man  of  times  to  come  ! 
Of  half  that  live  the  butcher  and  the  tomb ; 
Who,  foe  to  nature,  hears  ^e  general  groan, 
Murders  their  fpecies,  and  betiays  his  own.  t 

Ovid,  on  the  fame  topic,  has  nothing  fo 
manly  and  cmphatical.     **  Hears  the  general 

•  Lib.  V.  vcr.  991.        f  Ep«  iii«  ^S^.         t  Ep.  iii.  161. 

Y  2  "  groan," 


i64  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
"  groan.",  is  nobly  cxprefled,  and  the  circum- 
iiance  of  betraying  his  own  fpecies,  is  an  un- 
expetfled  and  ftriking  addition  to  the  foregoing 
fentiment.  Thomfon  has  enlarged  on  this 
do<5h-ine,  with  that  tendernefs  and  humanity 
for  which  he  was  fo  juftly  beloved,  in  hit 
Spring,  at  vcrfe  one  hundred  and  thirty.  Our 
poet  afcribes  the  violence  of  the  paflions  to  th« 
ufe  of  animal  food. 

But  juft  difealc  to  luxury  Tucceeds, 
And  every  death  iti  own  avenger  breeds  *. 
41,  Thus  then  to  man  the  voice  of  nature  fpake, 
*'  Go  from  the  creatures  thy  inflruftions  take ; 
*<  Learn  from  the  birds  what  food  the  thickets  yield  i 
*'  Learn  from  the  beafts  the  phyfic  of  the  Held  f* 

The  profopoposia  Is  magnificent,  and  the 
occafion  important,  no  lefs  than  the  origin 
of  the  arts  of  life.  Nature  is  perfonified 
alfo  by  Lucretius,  and  introduced  fpeak- 
ing  with  fuitable  majefty  and  elevation ;  (he  is 
chiding  her  foolifli  and  ungrateful  children  for 
their  vain  and  impious  difcontcnt. 

•  Ver.  165.  \  Ep.  3.  ver.  171. 

Quid 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         165 

Quid  tibi  tantopere  'ft,  mortalis,  quod  nlmis  ftgris 
Lu^bus  indulges  ?  quid  mortem  congemis,  ac  fles  ?— 
Aufer  abhinc  lacrymas,  barathro  et  compefce  querelas. 

There  is  an  authoritative  air  in  the  brevity 

of  this  fentence,  as  alfo  in  the  concluding  Hne 

of  her  Ipeech  -,  and  particularly  in  the  very  laft 

A^ord,     "  -^quo  animoque,  agedum^  jam  aliis 

concede :  ■         neccffe  *ft  J/' 

42.  Thy  arts  of  building  from  the  bee  receive. 

Learn  of  the  mole  to  plow,  the  worm  to  weave  §. 

The  Romans  have  left  us  fcarcely  any  piece 
of  poetry  fo  ilriking  and  original,  as  the  be- 
ginning  and  progrefs  of  arts  at  the  end  of  the 

fifth  book  of  Lucretius  *.     I  fhaH  at  prefent 

confine  myfeirto  tranfcribe  his  beautiful  ac- 
count of  the  rife  of  mufic. 

t  Lib.  iii.  vcr.  975.  $  Vcr.  175. 

*  The  Perfians,  it  is  faid,  diftingoifh  the  di^rent  degrees 
of  the  ftrength  of  fancy  in  difierent  poets,  by  calling  them, 
painters  ox  fadpt9n.  LacretiuSy  from  the  force  of  his  images, 
fhould  be  ranked  among  the  latter.  He  is,  in  truths  a 
SCULPTOR-POET.    His  images  have  a  bold  relief. 

At 


1 66      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

At  liifutdas  avium  voces  imiurier  ore 
Ante  fuit  multo,  quam  bevia  carmina  cantu 
Concelebrare  hoaiiiies  poftnt,  aurafijue  javare. 
£t  zephyri  cava  per  calamorum  fibila  primum 
Agrefles  docuere  cavas  inflare  acutas. 
Inde  minutatim  dukeb  didicere  querelasy 
Tibia  quas  fundit  digitis  pulfata  canentum, 
Avia  per  nemora,  ac  fylvas  faltufque  reperta^ 
Per  loca  paftorufn  deferta,  atque  otia  dia  ** 

43.  He  from  the  wond'ring  furrow  call'd  the  food. 
Taught  to  command  the  fire,  controul  the  flood. 
Draw  forth  the  moofters  of  th'  abyfs  profound. 
Or  fetch  the  aerial  eagle  to  the  ground  f  • 

A  finer  example  can  perhaps  ((carce  be  given 
fsf  a  compad  and  comprehenfive  fiile.  The 
manner  in  which  the  four  demtents  were  fub- 
dued  is  comprifed  In  thefe  four  lines  alone. 
Pope  is  here,  as  Quintilian  fays  of  another^ 
denfus  et  brevis  et  inftans  ixhi.  There  is  not 
an  ufelefs  word  in  this  paiTage ;  there  are  but 
three  epithets,  "wondering^  frofound^  aerial  i 
and  they  are  placed  precifely  with  the  very 
fubflantive  that  is  of  moll  confequence:  if 

•  Lib.  V.  vcr.  1378.  f  Ver.  219. 

there 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         167 

there  had  been  epithets  joined  with  the  other 
fubflantiveSy  it  would  have  weakened  the  ner-- 

voufnefs  of  the  fentence.    This  was  a  fecret  of 

verfification  Pops  well  underftood,  and  hath 

often  pradlifcd  with  peculiar  fuccefs. 

44.  Who  firft  taught  fouls  enflav'd,  and  realms  undone, 
Th'  XK0RM0U8  faith  of  many  made  for  one  *• 

"  QuAND  les  fauvagesdelaLouifiane  veulent 
avoir  du  fruit,  ils  coupent  V  arbre  au  pie  & 
cueillent  le  fruit.  Voil^  le  Gouvernement  defpo* 
tique/*  A  fentiment  worthy  of  the  free  fpirit 
of  Demofthenes,  and  an  image  worthy  of  the 
genios  of  Homer  -f. 

45.  Such  is  the  world's  great  harmony,  that  fpriogs 
From  order,  union,  full  confent  of  things  %. 

•  Ver.  241. 

f  Chapit.  13,  De  L'Eiprit  des  Loix.  The(e  few  words 
are  the  whole  chapter.  Woe  be  to  the  liberty  and  icience  of 
that  country,  where  this  noble  and  original  work  is  prohibited 
to  be  read.  Can  that  author  be  fufpeded  of  irreligion,  who 
in  the  fixth  chapter  of  his  twenty-fourth  book  has  entirely  de- 
moliihed  one  of  the  moil  fubtle  objedlions  againfl  Chriilianity, 
and  that  too  urged  by  one  of  the  ^bleil  adverfarics  to  our  holy 
religion,  M,  Bayle ;  who  aflcrts  that  a  focicty  of  men  pradlifing 
the  rules  of  Chriitianity,  in  their  full  rigour,  could  not  long 
fubfift.  X  Ver.  295.  ThERE 


i68    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

There  is  no  where  to  be  found  fo  perfcdl 
an  illuflration  of  this  dodlrine^  that  the  beauty 
and  concord  of  the  univerfe  arife  from  contra- 
rieties, as  in  the  fhort  treatife  of  Ariftotle, 
ir^ci  ycocr/jLHy  which,  notwithftanding  the  dif- 
ferent form  of  its  compofition,  ought  to  be 
afcribed  to  this  *  philofopher :  I  fhall  infert 
it  at  length  in  its  fublime  original,  it  being, 
as  it  were,  a  fummary  or  compendium  of  the 
philofophy  of  the  poem  before  us.  "  Kai  toi 
y€  ris  ^SroLv/jLaaej  ttoos  ttoIs  ei  ex  tcov  evxplioDv 
ap^ct)y  avveq^Yiycey  6  TcocfjioSj    heyco  Se  ^vpoty  re 

m 

•  The  learned  have  been  divided  in  their  opinions  concern* 
ing  this  piece.  Muretus,  both  the  Scaligers,  Cafaubon,  He- 
infiusy  Menage,  VofHus,  Naude,  Alcyonius,  and  others,  will 
not  afcribe  it  to  Ariftotle,  and  lay  great  ftrefs  on  a  paflage  of 
Proclus  in  his  fifth  book  on  the  Timxus.  On  the  other  hand, 
Demetrius  Phalcrcus,  Stobajus,  Apuleias,  Juftin  Martyr, 
Bc/Tarion,  Bradwardin,  and  our  own  truly  learned  Biftiop 
Berkley,  unanimoufly  give  it  to  Ariftotle.  This  opinion  is 
confirmed  by  a  fenfible  difcourfe  on  the  fubjefl,  cap.  19.  Pedti 
Mifcell.  Obfervation.  Lib.  2.  One  of  his  obfervations  I 
will  not  omit.  "  Scriptus  quippe  ad  Alexandrum  Regcm,  ut 
Titulus  indicat,  ideoque  faciliore,  quam  alii,  ftilo^  et  aperto 
orationis  plaufibilique  filo :  ut  decet  Regibus  fcribcntem,  ut  illi 
nniverfae  naturalis  fcientix  compendium  cfiet.  Quo  pafto  et 
objedlionem  a  ftili  difcrepantia  dudam  removeo." 


XMl 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       169 

fMJ^oievy  oTTcoi  S'loLfJLeyiij  avve^fixtJioLy  eye  tuv  ivxr^ 

I     TioDv  ^bvojv  •    TleytiTOJv  ^eytOy  xeci  T/i^trioiv*  veooy^ 

%oLi  yepoyrcoy^  (ta^eyci)v^   la^v^cov  *  TroyfiP^Fy  ^iT 

fcoy*  Ayyo»(ri  S^€j  on  tht  my  7ro?iiliK7is  of/Lorotctg 

TO  boLVfJiaunotiloLlov  *  A^^oti  S^e^  ori  bk  7ro?iKcoy  fJiictyy 

xai  QfA^oiay  0§  ayoiAoi9oyy  awolehei  S^ix^eaiVy  vtq'^ 

Tcai  r6»y  ^vcLv\im  vi  (fuan  yT^ix^cciy  xcci  eit  T&laiif 
m/jro\Q>dU  ro  o'Vf/L(pQJVoyy  btl  ex.  rcay  ojxoiojy*  wTBg 
cifji^Ku  TO  a^iv  avymyaye  Tfos  to  6;;Ay,  icxi  bic 
ixxtrBPoy  iroos  to  ofJLoifvhoVy  xai  my  Tpcarny  o^o-* 
votxy  i^icL  Ttoy  tyoivlmv  Qvvr\\^yj  a  S'icl  Tcoy  6/^otQi)y  * 
eoiKi  S^  xou  i  TS^^n  rtiy  (pva-iy  /jnfjLUfjiSvTij  tbto 
iroiUv*  ^»ypoL(pioL [jiBy  yctOy  Asu)twy  t^  x-ct/ jw-gAa- 
y«K^  ai^a)r  tB  %cli  ^pu^pooy  ^pofAoumv  eyit^pcLaoLfJi^vn 
ifvaSiSj  TflW  eiTcoyois  TOiC  ir^onynfjLevois  oLireiiKian 
<fv/JL(p6jyBs  •  fJLBaixti  cTf,  o^e/5  cL/ao.  xai  Qcc^sis  cp^of" 
yys  fJii^curcLy  ey  Sioupopoi^  (pcouais  fJnoLv  aTriisMerey 
dffjiovixv  •  yfCLfj.fJLcur/.'n  Jf,  fjc  (pojynsvlojv  xcti 
ti^^ycf)y  ypoLfjifAcciccv  ycfcco'iv  iroi'iiG'ay.ivny  liiv  oAnv 
T^^ynv  cLir  oLulwy  avyec^Tja-alQ  *  tccvto  J^f  twto  >?r 

Vol.  II.  Z  x^L 


•170     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

occci  ro  ircLfcc  ta)  o'xoig/j/o),  X^yofJi^vov  Wfct'icK^ita  * 

CVVCC-^eig  b7\jCL^    TLCLl    B^l   ttAot  *     GVfJi<fefOlJitVQV^    XOU 

T6)v  iv  %(ti  ^%  ivos  TTwloL.**  It  Is  to  be  lamented 
that  the  prefent  flate  of  literature  in  this  king- 
dom, has  rendered  it  neceflary,  to  fubjoin  a  Latia 
tranllation  of  this  beautiful  and  exalted  paffage^ 
which  to  be  able  to  read  in  its  original  is  no 
vulgar  happinefs.  Take  it  therefore  in  the 
words  of  Budaeus.  "  Tametfi  extiterunt,quifcfc 
admirari  addubitabundi  dicerent,  qui  fieri  taa- 
dem  poflet,  fi  e  principiis  contrariis  mundus 
conflitit,  ficcis  dico  et  humidis,  frigidis  et  ca- 
lidis,  ut  jam  dici  non  dilTolutus  fuerit  atque  in- 
terierit.  Perinde  quafi  mirari  quifquam  de- 
l)eat,  quonam  padto  civitas  incolumis  perduret^ 
quae  e  gentibus  contrariis  compofita  fit,  egenis 
inquam  et  divitibus,  juvenibus  et  fenio  con- 
fedtis,  infirmis  et  valentibus,  pravis  atque  in- 
nocentibus.  Ignorantia  efl  ifla  utiquc  homi- 
num,  hoc  efle  in  concordia  civili  non  viden- 
tium,  longe  admirabiliffimum,  quod  ex  multis 
ipfa  unum  efEcit  afFedum,  et  e  diiUmilibus  fi- 

milem. 


fa        L.7 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      171 

miiem,  omnis  ilia  quidem  naturas  fufceptrix 
ct  fortunae.  Atque  haud  fcio  an  ctiam  contra- 
riorum  appetens  fit  natura :  ex  eifquc  confona, 
nofi  item  e  fimilibus  conficiat.  Sic  ccrte  ipfa 
marem  cum  fcpmina  conjunxit,  non  etiam  cum 
foo  horum  utrumque  fexu.  Quin  primam 
etiam  concordiam  per  contraria,  non  per  fimi* 
lia  devinxit.  Adde  quod  ars  naturae  smula- 
triz  hoc  idem  faclt.  Siquidem  pi<ftura^  albo- 
rum  nigrorumque  colorum,  luteorumque  ct 
rubrorum  naturas  inter  fe  attemperans,  effigies 
rerum  efiicit  confonas  exemplaribus.  Mufica 
acdtis  et  gravibus  fonis^  longifque  et  brevibus 
una  permixtis  in  diverfis  vocibus  unum  ex  iliis 
concentum  abfolutum  reddidit.  Grammatical 
ex  dementis  vocalibus  et  mutis  inventa  tem- 
peratura  artem  omnem  literaturse  ex  illis  com- 
pofitam  reliquit.  Hocque  nimirum  illud  ef^ 
quod  apud  Heraclitum  legitur  (Scotinum  ab 
obfcuritate  didhim)  crifpa,  inquit,  et  minime 
crifpa  uni  vinxcris,  confentiens  et  diflentiens, 
confbnans  et  difibnans,  unum  etiam  ex  omni* 
bus,  omniaquc  e3f  uno," 

Z  2 '  46.  O  Happinefi ! 


172     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ij,6,  O  Happinefs !  our  being's  end  and  aim ! 

Good,  Pleafure,  Eafe,  Content,  whate'cr  thy  lume  •. 

He  begins  his  addrefs  to  Happinefs  after  the 
manner  of  the  ancient  hymns  -f*.  by  enume- 
rating the  titles  and  various  places  of  abode  of 
this  goddefs.  He  has  undoubtedly  perfonified 
her  at  the  beginning,  but  he  feems  to  have 
dropped  that  idea  in  the  feventh  line,  where 
the  deity  is  fuddenly  transformed  into  a  plant ; 
from  thence  this  metaphor  of  a  vegetable  is 
carried  on  diftinftiy  through  the  eleven  fuc- 
cecding  lines,  till  he  fuddenly  returns  to  con- 
jjdcr  Happinefs  again  as  a  perfon,  in  the 
eighteenth  line 

And  fled  from  monarctu,  St  John,  dwell*  with  tbes. 

For  to  fy  and  to  dwell,  cannot  juftly  be  pre- 
dicated of  the  fame  fubje<!t,  that  immediately 

■  Ep.tv.  vcr.  I. 

t  n«{«  fur  t%  tam^K  *a.\  ts  AKufiatn  Ktit^a^t  topnafut.  Tw 
(i!i  jaj  A|Ti,ii/  !■  jiv^iar  o(ia'.,  la-^wt  Ji  iro^tui,  in  Si  warofiia 
K'axa.\ii.      Tt;;  Ji  A^fcJlTi;.  (»  Knr,;«,  Kitfc,  It-ji*;,   nai  «oMl«;(o- 

t.i  a>.\aytiit  aioKrKAii,    Mcuandcr  Rhetor,  de  Hymnis. 

before 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      173 

before  was  defcribcd  as  twining  with  laurels, 
and  being  reaped  in  harvefts. 

47*  When  nature  ficken'd,  and  each  gale  was  death  *• 

This  is  a  verfe  of  a  marvellous  compre- 
henfion  and  expreffivenefs.  The  direfiilnefs 
of  this  peflilence  is  more  emphatically  fct  forth 
in  thefe  few  words,  than  in  forty  fuch  odes  as 
Sprat's  on  the  plague  at  Athens  -f. 

48*  What  makes  all  phyfical  or  moral  ill  ? — 

There  deviates  Nature,  and  here  wanders  will  §• 

Pope  here  accounts  for  the  introdudion  of 
moral  evil  from  the  abufe  of  man's  free  wilL 
This  is  the  fcriptural  folution  of  that  grand  and 
difficult  queftion,  which  in  vain  hath  puzzled 
and  bewildered  the  fpeculatifts  of  fo  many 
ages ;  TTo^ey  to  tcolx^ov.  Milton,  in  one  of  his 
fmaller  and  negledled  poems,  has  left  us  a 
fublime  paflage  founded  on  the  Chriftian  doc- 

•  Ver.  108. 

•j*  Tat/O  or*  ftiy  tr^f  io-^y^eif  xai  r»ff«faf  xa»  a|»«/xaTix«-  He 
clfewhcre  commends  a  writer,  on  account  of  his,  wt/xwrvro;, 
xa*  <rifA>oTDTo?.    Dionyf.  HalicamafT.  on^i  o-i^Of^iw^.  t/x.  x^. 

5  Ver.  III. 

tr 


174     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

trine  of  the  Fall,  and  of  the  preceding  har- 
mony of  all  things. 

That  we  on  earth  with  undifcording  voice 

May  rightly  anfwer  that  melodious  noife ; 

As  once  we  did,  till  difproportion'd  fin 

Jarr'd  againft  Nature's  chime,  and  with  har(h  din 

Broke  the  fair  mufic  that  all  creatures  made 

To  their  great  Lord,  whofe  love  their  motion  fway'd 

In  perfeft  diapafon,  whilft  they  flood 

In  firft  obedience,  and  their  ftate  of  good  *. 

^g,  ■  A  better  wou'd  you  fix  ? 

Then  give  Humility  a  coach  and  fix  f  • 

Worth  makes  the  man,  and  want  of  it  the  fellow  i 
The  reft  is  all  but  leather  or  prunella  §. 

Not  one  looks  backward,  onward  flill  he  goes. 
Yet  ne'er  looks  forward  further  than  his  nofc  J. 

To  figh  for  ribbands  if  thou  art  fo  filly, 

Mark  how  they  grace  Lord  Umbra  or  Sir  Billy  J. 

In  a  work  of  fo  ferious  and  fevere  a  caft, 
in  a  work  of  reafoning,  in  a  work  of  theology 

•  At  a  Solemn  Mufic.  vol.  ii.  pag.  38. 

+  Ver.  17,  §  Ver.  204,  J  Ver.  223. 

II  Ver.  276, 

defigned 


I     »  rii      —   .  ^^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      175 

defigned  to  explain  the  mod  interefling  fubjedt 
that  can  employ  the  mind  of  man,  furely  fuch 
ilrokes  of  levity,  of  fatire,  of  ridicule,  how- 
ever poignant  and  witty,  are  ill  placed  and 
difgufling,    are  violations  of  that  propriety 
which  Pope  in  general  fo  ftricflly  obferved. 
Lucretius  preferves  throughout,  the  dignity  he 
at  firft  afTumed  9  even  his  farcafms  and  irony 
on  the  fuperftitious,  have  fomething  auguft, 
and  a  noble  haughtinefs  in  them ;  as  in  parti- 
cular where  he  afks  how  it  come  to  pafs  that 
Jupiter  fometimes  ilrikes  his  own   temples 
with   his    thunderbolts;    whether    he    cm- 
ploys  himfelf  in  cafting  them  in  the  deferts 
for  the   fake   of    exercifing   his  arm  -,    and 
why   he    hurls    them    in    places   where   he 
cannot  ftrike  the  guilty. 


Turn  fulmina  mittat ;  et  aedcs 


Ssepe  fuas  difturbet,  et  in  deferta  recedcns 
Sxviat,  cxcrcens  iclum,  quod  fxpe  noccntcs 
Prxterit,  exanimatquc  indignos,  Ir.ouc  mcrciUes  ^. 

*  Lib.  ii.  vcr.  1 1  co. 

He 


P  <        -!•• 


176    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

He  has  turned  the  infult  into  a  magnificent 
image. 

50.  Heroes  are  much  the  fame,  the  point's  agreed 
From  Macedonians  madman  to  the  Swede  *• 

The  modern  Alexander  has  been  thus  cha- 
rafterized  by  the  Britifh  Juvenal,  in  lines  as 
nervous  and  energetic  as  are  to  be  found  in  any 
part  of  our  author. 

A  frame  of  adamant,  a  foul  of  fire. 
No  dangers  fright  him,  and  no  labours  tire ; 
O'er  Love,  o'er  Fear  extends  his  wide  domain, 
Unconquer'd  Lord  of  Pleafure  and  of  Pain. 

And  afterwards  of  his  unexpeded  death* 

Did  rival  monarchs  give  the  fatal  wound  ? 

Or  hofiile  millions  prefs  him  to  the  ground  i 

His  fall  was  deflin'd  to  a  barren  flrand, 

A  petty  fortrefs  and  a  dubious  hand ; 

He  left  a  name,  at  which  the  world  grew  pale. 

To  point  ^  moral,  or  adorn  a  tale  •. 

51.  Self-love  but  ferves  the  virtuous  mind  to  wake. 
As  the  fmall  pebble  ftirs  the  peaceful  lake  f. 

•  Dodfley's  Mifcellanies,  vol.  iv.    The  Vanity  of  Hunuui 
Wiflies,  byMr.  Johnfon.  f  Ver.  363. 

It 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        177 

It  is  obfervable  that  this  iimilitudej  origi- 
nally in  Shakefpear,  hath  been  ufed  twice 
more  in  the  writings  of  our  poet  3  in  the  Tem- 
ple of  Fame  in  the  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
iixth  line^  and  in  the  Dunciad  at  the  four 
hundred  and  fifth.  This  EiTay  is  not  deco- 
rated with  many  comparifons ;  two  however 
ought  to  be  mentioned  on  account  of  their 
aptnefs  and  propriety.  The  firft  is,  where  he 
compares  man  to  the  vine,  that  gains  its 
flrength  from  the  embrace  it  gives :  the  fecond 
is  conceived  with  peculiar  felicity ;  all  Nature 
does  not  perhaps  afford  fo  fit  and  clofe  an  ap- 
plication. It  is  indeed  equally  new,  philofo- 
phical,  and  poetical. 

On  their  own  axis  as  the  planets  run. 
Yet  make  at  once  their  circle  round  the  fun  ; 
So  two  confident  motions  *  a£f  the  foul ; 
And  one  regards  itfelf,  and  one  the  whole  f. 

52.  Come  then,  my  Friend  !  my  Genius !  come  along  ; 
Oh  maftcr  of  the  poet  and  the  fong !  § 

*  Should  it  not  be  o^tftf//,  maSuponf 
t  Ep.  3.  vcr.  301.  §  Ven  373. 

Vol.  11.  A  a  In 


178    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

In  this  concluding  addrefs  of  our  author  to 
Lord  Bolingbroke  *,  one  is  at  a  lofs  which  to 
admire  moft,  the  warmth  of  his  fricndihip  or 
the  warmth  of  his  genius.  Pope  indeed  ido- 
lized him :  when  in  company  with  him,  he 
appeared  with  all  the  deference  and  fubmiffion 
of  an  affedionate  fcholar.  He  ufed  to  fpeak 
of  him  as  a  being  of  a  fuperior  order,  that  had 
condefcended  to  vifit  this  lower  world ;  in  par- 
ticular, when  the  laft  comet  appeared  and  ap- 
proached near  the  earth,  he  told  fome  of  his 
acquaintance,  ^^  it  was  fent  only  to  convey  Lord 
Bolingbroke,  home  again  }  juft  as  a  ftage- 
coach  ftops  at  your  door  to  take  up  a  paiTen- 
ger."  A  graceful  perfon,  a  flow  of  nervous 
eloquence,  a  vivid  imagination,  were  the  lot 
of  this  accomplifhed  nobleman ;  but  his  ambi- 
tious views  beine  fruftrated  in  the  earlv  oart 


*  Thofe  paflages  in  Bolingbroke's  pofthamoos  works,  that 
bear  the  dofeft  relemblance  to  the  tenets  of  this  Eflay  are  the 
following.  Vol.  iv.  o^vo  edition,  p.  225  &  p.  324;  p.  94 
of  vol.  5;  p.  388  of  vol.  iv.  Sc  389;  and  p.  49  of  vol.  iv. 
p.  ;  &  6  of  voL  V.  p.  17  of  vol.  v.  p.  316  of  vol.  iv.  p.  36  of 
vol.  V.  p.  51  of  vol.  5.  p.  328  of  voliv.  and  more  particidarly 
than  all  p.  326  of  vol.  iv. 

•f 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         179 

of  his  life>  his  difappointments  embittered  his 
temper^  and  he  feems  to  have  'f  been  dif- 
gufted  with  all  religions  and  all  governments. 
I  have  been  informed  from  an  eye-witnefs  of 
one  of  his  laft  interviews  with  Pope,  who 
was  then  given  over  by  the  phyficians,  that  Bo- 
lingbroke,  (landing  behind  Pope's  chair,  looked 
eameftly  down  upon  him,  and  repeated  feveral 
times  interrupted  with  fobs,  '*  O  Great  God, 
what  is  man !  I  never  knew  a  perfon  that  had 
ib  tender  a  heart  for  his  particular  friends,  or 
a  warmer  benevolence  for  all  mankind/'  It 
it  to  be  hoped  that  *  Bolingbroke  profited  by 

thofe 

f  His  manner  of  reaibning  and  philofephifing  has  been  fe 
bappily  caught  in  a  piece  tndtltd  J  Fin  JtcattM  ofNattiraJScdity  i 
that  many,  even  acute  readers,  miftook  it  for  a  genuine  diA 
cooiie  of  the  author  whom  it  was  intended  to  expoie  ;  it  is  in- 
deed a  mafter-piece  of  irony.  ^-—  No  writings  that  raiied  (b 
mighty  an  expectation  in  the  public  as  thofe  of  Bolii|gbroke» 
ever  periihed  fo  ibon  and  funk  into  oblivion. 

*  It  is  aflerted  on  good  authority,  that  BoUngbroke  wasac- 
cuftomed  to  ridicule  Pope  as  not  underftanding  the  drift  of  his 
own  principles  in  their  full  extent :  It  is  plain  from  many  of 
our  author's  letters,  vol.  ix.  p.  324,  that  he  was  pleafed  to 
find  fuch  an  interpretation  could  be  given  to  this  poem  as  was 
confiftentwith  the  fundamental  principles  of  religion.  This  tJf§ 

A  a  2  farther 


i8o       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
thofe  remarkable  words  that  Pope  fpoke  ia 
his  laft  illnefs  to  the  fame  gentleman  who 
communicated  the  foregoing  anecdote  j  ■  — - 
"  I  am 


fhrdier  appears  fVom  fome  carious  letters  that  pafled  is  the 
year  one  thoufand  feven  hundred  and  forty-two,  betweea 
Ramray,  Racine  the  younger,  and  our  author.  The  ibimer 
addre/Ted  a  vindication  of  the  principles  of  the  Eflay  on  Mm 
to  Racine,  who  had  charged  it  with  Spinozifm  and  ifrcUgioo. 
This  produced  a  titter  irom  Pope  to  Racitie,  which  concludes 
with  thefe  remarkable  words.  "  I  declare  therefore  londlyaad 
wilhthegreatelifiacericy,  that  my  fentitnents  are  diamettically 
oppotite  to  thofe  of  Spinoza,  and  even  of  Leibnitz.  Theyaia 
in  truth  perfeftly  agreeable  to  the  tenets  of  Pafcal,  and  the 
Archbilliop  of  Cambray :  and  J  Ihall  thinit  it  an  honour  to 
imitate  the  moderation  and  docility  of  the  latter,  in  alwsys 
fubmitting  all  my  private  opinions  to  the  dedfion  of  the 
church."    London,  Sep.  i.  1747. 

There  is  a  circumflance  in  die  letter  of  RamJay  above* 
mentioned,  too  remarkable  to  be  omitted;  and  which  perlu^ 
fome  may  be  almoft  tempted  to  doubt  the  truth  of.  In  a  aft 
of  fo  delicate  a  nature  I  chafe  to  quote  the  original.  "  M.  le 
Chevalier  Newton,  grand  Geometre  Sc  nullement  M^phyfi- 
cien,  ctoit  perfoade  dc  la  verite  de  la  Religion  :  mais  il  »oii- 
lut  raiiner  fur  d'  andennes  erreurs  Orientales,  !e  renonyellK 
rAriaalJme  par  I'  organe  de  Ion  fameux  dildple  Sc  intreprete 
M-  Chrke  ;  qui  m'  avoua  quelque  temi  avant  que  de  monrir 
aprej  plufieurs  conferences  qucj'  avois  cues  avec  loi,  combicn 
il  fe  rcpenloit  d'  avoir  fait  imprimer  fonOuvraget  je  Sn 
temoin  il  y  a  doaze  ans,  a  Londrcs,  des  demiers  fentintens  de 
Cf  inodcfte  &  verteux  Dofteur." 

pluvres  de  Racine,  torn.  i.  p.  233. 

The 


i            '    :                        \ 

AND  QEN;US  of  pope.  i8i 

**  I  am  fo  certain  of  the  foul's  being  immortal 
thzt  I  feem  even  to  feel  it  within  me,  as  it 
Mrere  by  intuition."  After  fuch  a  declaration, 
3jid  after  writing  fo  fervent  and  elevated  a  piece 

The  manner  in  which  Kamfay  explains  the  doArine  of  the 
Kflky  is  u  follow*.  "  Fori  is  fiv  from  aflerting  that  the  pre- 
ftnc  flate  of  mania  his  ^'Mi/>'iwftatei  and  is  confbnnable  to 
«tfder.  Hia  defifn  is  to  (hew  that,  fiut  tie  Fail,  all  is  pro- 
]iortioncd  with  weight,  roeafure,  and  hannony,  to  the  condition 
of  a  iipadtd  being,  who  fuffers,  and  who  defcrves  to  fuffer, 
and  who  cannot  be  reftored  but  by  fufivringsj  that  phyfical 
evils  are  defigned  to  cure  moral  evil ;  that  the  paflions  and  tho 
CTimei  of  the  moll  abandoned  men  arc  confined,  direfled,  and 
gorerned  by  infinite  wifdom,  in  fnch  a  manner,  as  to  make 
order  emerge  out  of  confufion,  light  out  of  darltnefs,  and  to 
call  out  innumerable  advantages  from  the  tranfitory  inconveni- 
ences of  this  life ;  that  this  fo  gradou*  Providence  condnCls  all 
things  to  its  own  ends,  without  ever  hurting  the  liberty  of  in- 
telligent b«ng;,  and  without  either  caufing  or  approving  the 
cSeAs  of  their  deliberate  malice ;  that  All  is  ardaimii  in  the 
phylical  order,  as  All  \%frit  in  the  moral;  that  thefe  two  or- 
ders are  coimeAed  dofely  without  fatality,  and  are  notfabjcA 
to  that  uecelTity  uhich  renders  us  virtuous  without  metit,  and 
vicious  without  crime  ;  that,  we  lee  at  prefent  but  a  fingle 
wheel  of  the  magnificent  machine  of  the  univerle ;  but  a  fnull 
link  of  the  great  chain ;  and  but  an  infignificant  pan  of  that 
immcnfe  plan  which  will  one  day  be  unfolded.  Then  will  God 
(idly  jullify  all  the  incompreheniible  proceedings  of  his  wis- 
dom and  goodnefs;  and  will  vindicate  himfelf,  as  Miltoa 
j^>cakt,  from  the  ralh  judgment  of  mortals." 

Lettre  De  M.  I)e  Ram&y. 
A  PoBtoife  le  28  April,  1742. 

of 


i82  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
of  devotion,  as  the  univerlal  prayer,  would  it 
not  be  injuflice  to  accufe  our  author  of  Uberti- 
nifm  and  irreligion  ?  Eipecially,  as  I  am  told  he 
had  iniicrted  an  addrefs  to  Jefus  Chrifl,  in  the 
Eflay  on  Man,  which  he  omitted  at  the  in- 
ftance  of  BiJhop  Berkley,  becaufe  the  ChrilUan 
difpenfation  did  not  come  within  the  compafs 
of  his  plan.  Not  that  fo  pious  and  worthy  a 
prelate  could  imagine,  that  this  Platonicfchem^ 
of  the  BEST,  fufficiently  accounts  for  the  in- 
troduftion  of  moral  and  phyiical  evil  into  the 
world }  which  in  truth  nothing  but  revelation 
can  explain,  and  nothing  but  a  future  Ibte 
can  compenfate  *. 

*  The  Eflay  on  Ma  waa  elegantly,  bat  un&ithfuUyt  tranf^ 
lated  into  French  vaft  by  M.  Du  Refnel,  It  wis  more  aeca- 
rately  rendered  into  French  proTe  by  M.  De  SUhouete.  Which 
tranflation  hu  been  often  printed;  at  Paris  1736  ;  at  London 
1741,  in  Qaarto;  at  the  Hagne,  1742.  He  has  Tubjoined 
a  defence  of  the  dofirines  of  the  Eflay  &om  Warbiuton'a  Let- 
ters :  and  has  added  a  traoflation  aUb,  with  a  large  commen- 
tary, of  thefourfucceedingepiftlei  of  Pope.  This  is  the  fame 
M.  De  Silhouete,  who  has  fince  been  the  famons  ControllBr 
Genera]  of  the  Finances  ioFrancc.  He  is  well  knownisLon- 
don,  where  he  rdided  a.  coniidcrable  timC)  attentive  to  tha 
politics  as  well  at  poetry  of  England, 

SECT. 


■-",>, 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       i<| 


SECT.     X. 

Of  the  Moral  Essays  in  Jive  Epistles 

tofeveral  perfom. 

THE  patrons  and  admirers  of  French  lite- 
rature, ufuaily  extol  thofe  authors  of  that 
nation  who  have  treated  of  life  and  manaers: 
and  five  of  them  particularly  are  efteemed  to  be 
unrivalled}  namely,  Montaigne, Charron, 
RocHFOUCAULT,  LaBruyere,  and  Pascal. 
Thefc  arc  fuppofed  to  have  penetrated  deeply 
into  the  moft  fecret  recefTes  of  the  human 
heart,  and  to  have  difcovered  the  various  vices 
and  vanities  that  lurk  in  it.     I  know  not  why 
the  Englifh  fhould  in  this  refpedt  yield  to  their 
polite  neighbours,  more  than  in  any  other. 
Bacon  in  his  Ei&ys,  Hobbes  in  his  trea- 
tifes,  and  Prior  in  his  elegant  and  witty  Alma, 
have  (hewn  a  profound  knowledge  of  man ; 
and  many  pourtraits  of  Addifon  may  be  com-- 
pared  with  the  moft  finifhed  touches  of  La 
Bruyere.    But  the  Epiftles  we  are  now  enter-- 

ing 


■^  I  ■Mil   jtr- 


1R4  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
ing  upon  will  place  the  matter  beyond  a  dif^ 
pute ',  for  the  French  can  boaft  of  no  author 
who  has  fo  much  cxhaufted  the  fcience  of  mo- 
rals, as  Pope  has  in  thefe  five  Epiftles.  They 
indeed  contain  all  that  is  folid  and  valuable  ia 
the  above-mentioned  French  writers,  of  whom 
our  author  was  remarkably  fond :  But  what- 
ever obfervations  he  has  borrowed  from  them, 
he  has  made  his  own  by  the  dexterity  of  his 
application. 

z.  Men  may  be  read,  as  well  as  books,  too  much  *• 

"  Study  life ;"  cry  the  lettered  men  of  the 
world:  but  that  world  cannot  be  known  merelv 

m 

by  that  ftudy  alone.  The  dread  of  pedantry^^- 
a  charafteriftic  folly  of  the  prefent  age.  We 
adopted  it  from  the  French,  without  confider- 
ing  the  reafons  that  give  rife  to  it  among  that 
people:  the  religious,  and  particularly  the 
Jefuits,  perceiving  that  a  tafte  for  learning  be- 
gan widely  to  diffufe  itfelf  among  the  laity, 
could  find  no  furer  method  of  reprefling  it; 

*  Ep.  I.  verrio. 

than 


ri   ^^1        j-»^B^Mi^^^^i^l^w.^^a*"g^^  ■  -atisi^i^BHH^^BaiA r^—  ^  a  j.»j«  .j 


AND  GENIUS  6F  POPE.         185 

than  by  treating  the  learned  chara£ter  as  ridi- 
culous. This  ridicule  was  carried  (o  far,  that, 
to  mention  one  inftance  out  of  ten  thoufand, 
the  publifher  of  Rouchfoucault's  maxims 
makes  a  grave  apology  in  form^  for  quoting 
Seneca  in  Latin. 

2.  At  half  mankind^  when  g^'rous  Manly  raves. 
All  know  'tis  virtue,  for  he  thinks  them  knaves  *• 

The  character  alluded  to  is  the  principal 
one  the  Plain  Dealer  of  Wycherly,  a  comedy 
taken  from  the  Mifanthrope  of  Moliere,  but 
much  inferior  to  the  original.  Alcefles  has 
not  that  bitternefs  of  fpirit,  and  has  much 
more  humanity  and  honour  than  Manly. 
Writers  transfiife  their  own  charafters  into 
their  works  :  Wycherly  was  a  vain  and  pro* 
fiigate  libertine ;  Molicre  was  beloved  for  his 
candour,  fweetnefs  of  temper  and  integrity. 
It  is  remarkable  that  the  French  did  not  relifli 
this  incomparable  comedy  for  the  three  firft 
rcprcfentations.    The  flrokes  of  its  fatire  were 

•  Ver.  57. 

Vol.  IL  B  b  too 


1 86    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

too  delicate  to  be  felt  by  the  generality  of  the 
audience,  who  expedted  only  the  grofs  diver- 
lion  of  laughing  j  fo  that  at  the  fourth  time 
of  its  being  adted,  the  autlior  was  forced  to 
add  to  it  one  of  his  coarfeft  farces  j  but  Boileau 
in  the  mean  time  affirmed  that  it  was  the  capital 
work  of  their  ftage,  and  that  the  people  would 
one  time  be  induced  to  think  fo. 

3.  Unthought- of  frailties  cheat  us  in  the  wife  f  • 

For  who  could  imagine  that  Locke  was 
fond  of  romances ;  that  Newton  once  fludied 
aftrology;  that  Dr.  Clarke  valued  himfelf 
for  his  agility,  and  frequently  amufed  himfelf 
in  a  private  room  of  his  houfc  in  leaping  over 
the  tables  and  chairs :  and  that  our  author 
himfelf  was  a  great  epicure  ?  When  he  fpcnt 
a  fummer  with  a  certain  nobleman,  he  was 
accuftomed  to  lie  whole  days  in  bed  on  ac- 
count of  his  head-achs,  but  would  at  any  time 
rife  with  alacrity,  when  his  fervant  informed 
him  there  were  llewed  lampreys  for  dinner. 

t  Ver.  eq. 

On 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         187 

On  the  evening  of  an  important  battle,  the 
Duke  of  Marlborough  was  heard  chiding 
his  fervant  for  having  been  fo  extravagant  as 
to  light  four  candles  in  his  tent,  when  Prince 
Eugene  came  to  confer  with  him.  Eliza- 
beth was  a  coquet,  and  Bacon  received  a 
bribe.  Dr.  Busby  had  a  violent  paflion  for 
the  ftage ;  it  was  excited  in  him  by  the  ap- 
plaufes  he  received  in  adling  the  Royal  Slave 
before  the  King  at  Chrift- Church ;  and  he 
declared,  that  if  the  rebellion  had  not  broke 
out,  he  had  certainly  engaged  himfelf  as  an 
aiftor.  Luther  was  fo  immoderately  pafli- 
onate,  that  he  fometimes  boxed  Melanc- 
thon's  ears;  and  Melancthon  himfelf  was 
a  believer  in  judicial  aftrology,  and  an  inter- 
preter of  dreams.  Richlieu  and  Mazarin 
were  fo  fuperftitious  as  to  employ  and  penfion 
Morin,  a  pretender  to  allrology,  who  caft 
the  nativities  of  thefe  two  able  politicians. 
Nor  was  Tacitus  himfelf,  who  generally  ap- 
pears fuperior  to  fuperftition,  untainted  with 
this  folly,  as  may  appear  from  the  twenty- 

B  b  2  fecond 


i88       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

fecond  chapter  of  the  fixth  book  of  his  annals* 
Men  of  great  genius  have  been  fomewhere 
compared  to  the  pillar  of  fire  that  conduded 
the  Ifraelites,  which  frequently  turned  a  cloudy 
fide  towards  the  fpedlator. 

4.  See  the  fame  man,  in  vigour,  in  the  gout ; 
Alone,  in  company,  in  place,  or  out ; 
Early  at  bufinefs,  and  at  hazard  late ; 
Mad  at  a  fox-chafe,  wife  at  a  debate ; 
Drunk  at  a  borough,  civil  at  a  ball ; 
Friendly  at  Hackney,  faithlefs  at  Whitehall  ♦. 

The  unexpected  inequalities  of  our  minds 
and  tempers  are  here  exhibited  in  a  lively 
manner,  and  with  a  perfedl  knowledge  of  na- 
ture. I  cannot  forbear  placing  before  the 
reader  TuUy's  pourtrait  of  Cataline,  whofe  in- 
confiflencies  and  varieties  of  conduct  are  thus 
enumerated :  "  Utebatur  hominibus  improbis 
multis,  et  quidem  optimis  fe  viris  deditum  eife 
fimulabat ;  erant  apud  ilium  iilecebrae  libidi- 
num  multce:  erant  etiam  induflrias  quidam 
ftimuli  ac  laboris;  fiagrabant  libidinis  vitia  apud 

•  Vcr.  71. 

ilium : 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.         189 

Uum:  vigebant  etiam  ftudia  rei  militaris: 
leque  ego  unquam  fuiiTe  tale  monftram  in 
erris  uUum  puto,  tarn  ex  contrariis  divcrfif-- 
;[ue  inter  fe  pugnantibus  naturae  ffatdiis^  cupi« 
Utatibus  conflatum.  Quis  clarioribus  viris 
j[uodam  tempore  jucundior  ?  Quis  turpioribus 
XHijundlior  ?  Quis  civis  meliorum  partium 
diquando?  Quis  tetrior  hoflis  huic  civitati? 
[^is  in  voluptatibus  inqumatior  ?  Quis  in  la- 
boribus  patientior  ?  Quis  in  rapacitate  avarior  ? 
(^uis  in  largitione  efFufior  ?  *  " 

5.  What  made,  fay  Montagne,  or  more  fagc  Charron  f  • 

One  of  the  rcafons  that  makes  Montagne 
fb  agreeable  a  writer  is,  that  he  gives  fo  ftrong 
I  pidure  of  the  way  of  life  of  a  country  gen- 
tleman in  the  reign  of  Henry  the  third.  The 
defcriptions  of  his  caftle,  of  his  library,  of  his 
travels,  of  his  entertainments,  of  his  diet  and 
drefs,  are  particularly  pleafing.  Malebranch 
and  Pafcal  have  feverely  and  juftly  cenfured 
his  fcepticifm.     Peter  Charron  contracted  a 

•  Orat.  pro  M.  Caelio.  Scft.  j.  t  Ver.  Sj: 

very 


190       ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

very  ftridt  friendfliip  with  him,  infomuch  that 
Montagne  permitted  him  by  his  will  to  bear 
his  arms :  in  his  book  of  Wifdom  which  is 
publifhed  at  Bourdeaux  in  the  year  one  thou- 
fand  fix  hundred  and  one,  he  has  inferted  a 
great  number  of  Montague's  fentiments ;  this 
treatife  has  been  loudly  blamed  by  many  wri* 
ters  of  France,  and  particularly  Garasse  the 
Jefuit.  Our  Stanhope,  an  orthodox  Divine, 
tranflated  it.  Bayle  has  remarked  in  oppo- 
fition  to  thefe  cenfurers,  that  of  a  hundred 
thoufand  readers,  there  are  hardly  three  to  be 
found  in  any  age,  who  are  well  qualified  to 
judge  of  a  book,  wherein  the  ideas  of  an  exadt 
and  metaphyfical  reafoning  are  fet  in  oppofition 
to  the  moft  common  opinions.  Pope  has  bor- 
rowed many  remarks  from  Charron. 

6.  A  godlefs  regent  tremble  at  a  fiar  *• 

The  duke  of  Orleans  here  pointed  at,  was 
an  infidel  and  libertine,  and  at  the  fame  time, 
as  well  as  Boulanvilliers,  was  a  bigotted 


•  Ver.  90. 

believer 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       191 

believer  in  judicial  aftrology  ;  he  is  the  author 
of  many  of  thofe  flimfy  fongs,  nugae  ca- 
nors^  to  which  the  language  and  the  manners 
of  France  feem  to  be  peculiarly  adapted.  He 
knew  mankind.  *^  Quiconque  eft  fans  honeur 
&  fans  humeur,  faid  he  frequently^  eft  un 
courtiian  parfaite/'  Crebillon  the  father,  dur- 
ing this  regent's  adminiftration,  wrote  a  fct  of 
odes  againft  him  of  wonderful  energy  and 
keennefs,  and  almoft  in  the  fpirit  of  Alceus ; 
if  it  be  not  a  kind  of  profanation  to  fpeak  thus, 
of  any  produdtion  of  a  poet  that  writes  under 
a  defpotic  government. 

7.  Alas  in  truth  the  man  but  changM  his  mind 
Perhaps  was  fick,  in  love,  or  had  not  din'd  *• 

For  the  deftrudion  of  a  kingdom,  faid  a 
man  of  wit,  nothing  more  is  fometimes  requi- 
lite  than  a  bad  digeftion  of  the  prime  minifter. 

8.  Judge  we  by  nature  ?  Habit  can  eflPace, 
Intereft  o'ercome,  or  policy  take  place  : 
By  anions  ?  thofe  uncertainty  divides  : 
By  paffions  ?  thefe  diiEmulation  hides ; 


•  Vcr.  1274 


Opinions  ? 


192     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Opinions  ?  they  ftill  take  a  wider  range : 
Find  if  you  can  in  what  you  cannot  change. 
Manners  with  fortunes,  humours  turn  with  climes. 
Tenets  with  books,  and  principles  with  times  f  • 

We  find  here  in  the  compafs  of  eight  lines, 
an  adatomy  of  human  nature ;  more  fenfe  and 
obfervation  cannot  well  be  compreiTed  and 
concluded  in  a  narrower  fpace.  This  pafikge 
might  be  drawn  out  into  a  voluminous  comn 
mentary,  and  be  worked  up  into  a  fyftem  con- 
cerning the  knowledge  of  the  world :  There 
feems  to  be  an  inaccuracy  in  the  ufe  of  the 
lafl:  verb ;  the  natural  temperament  is  by  no 
means  fuddenly  changed,  or  turned  with  a 
change  of  climate,  though  undoubtedly  the 
humours  are.  originally  formed  by  it :  influenced 
byy  would  be  a  more  proper  expreffion  than 
turn  with,  if  the  metre  would  admit  it. 

9.  His  paflion  ftill,  to  covet  gen'ral  praife. 
His  life,  to  forfeit  it  a  thoufand  ways  ; 
A  conftant  bounty  which  no  friend  has  made  ;J 
An  angel  tongue  which  no  man  can  pcrfuade; 


t  Ver.  182. 

Afool> 


.i 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       193 

A  fool  With  more  of  wit  than  half  mankind. 
Too  ra(h  for  thought,  for  a^on  too  refin'd : 
A  tyrant  to  the  wife  his  heart  approves  ; 
A  rebel  to  the  very  king  he  loves ; 
He  dies  an  out-caft  of  each  church  and  ilate> 
And  harder  ftill  flagitious  yet  not  great  *. 

This  charadler  of  the  Duke  of  Wharton  is 
finifhed  with  much  force  and  expreflivenefs ; 
the  contradldions  that  were  in  it  are  flrongly 
contrafted.     In  an  entertaining  work  lately 
publifhed^  which  it  is  hoped  will  diffufe  a  re- 
li(h  for  biography^  we  have  a  remarkable 
anecdote  relating  to  this  nobleman's  fpeech  in 
£ivour  of  the  bifhop  of  Rochefter.  His  Grace, 
then  in  oppofition  to  Courts  went  to  Chclfea 
the  day  before  the  laft  debate  on  that  prelate's 
afikir,  where  ading  contrition,  he  profefled 
being  determined  to  work  out  Jiis  pardon  at 
Court  by  fpeaking  againfl:  the  bifhop,  in  order 
to  which  he  begged  fome  hints.  The  minifter 
was  deceived,  and  went  through  the  whole 
caufe  with  him,    pointing  out   where    the 

•  Vcr.  205. 

Vol.  II.  C  c  ftrength 


194      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ftrength  of  the  argument  lay,  and  "where  it's 
weaknefs.  The  Duke  was  very  thankful,  re- 
turned to  town,  paffed  the  night  in  drinking 
and  without  going  to  bed,  went  to  the  Houfe 
of  Lords,  where  he  fpoke  for  the  bifbop,  re- 
capitulating in  the  mod:  maflerly  manner,  and 
anfwering  all  that  had  been  urged  againft  him*. 

20.  When  Cacaline  by  rapine  fwell'd  hb  ftore ; 
When  Cxfar  made  a  noble  dame  a  whore ; 
In  this  the  luft,  in  that  the  avarice 
Were  means,  not  ends ;  ambition  was  the  vice  f. 

The  fame  paflion  excited  Richlieuto  d^row 
up  the  dyke  at  Rochelle,  and  to  difpute  the 
prize  of  poetry  with  Corneille  j  whom  to  tra- 
duce was  the  fureft  method  of  gaining  the 
afFe&ion  of  this  ambitious  minifter,  who 
afpired  equally  to  excel  in  all  things;  nay, 
who  formed  a  deiign  to  be  canonized  as  a  iaint. 

J  I.  LucuUus,  when  frugality  could  charm. 
Had  roafted  turnips  in  the  Sabin  farm  %. 

*  Catalogue  of  the  Royal  and  Noble  Authors  of  England, 
vol.ii.  p.  133. 

+  Ver.  214.  t  Vcr.  218, 

Few 


AND  GENIUS  OP  POPE.       195 

Few  writers  of  his  country  have  difplayed 
a  greater  energy  of  ientimient  than  Crebillon  * ; 
in  his  Cataline  we  have  a  noble  one  that  may 
itluftrate  this  dodrine  of  Pope  ;  ^<  If,  fays  this 
fierce  and  inflexible  confpirator,  I  had  only 
Lentulus's  of  my  party,  and  if  it  was  filled 
only  with  men  of  virtue,  I  fhould  eafily  afTome 
that  charaS^r  alfo^  and  be  more  virtuous  than 
any  of  them." 

£c  s'  il  n'  etoit  rempli  que  d'  hommes  vertueiix, 
Je  n*  aurois  pas  de  peine  a  Y  £tre  encor  plus  qu'  eux. 

12.  In  this  one  paf&on  man  can  ftrength  enjoy» 
As  fits  give  vigour,  juft  when  they  deftroy  §• 

The  ftjength  and  continuance  of  what  our 
author  calls  the  ruling  paflion,  is  finely  ex- 
emplified in  RIGHT  charaders)  namely^  the 

*  The  creditors  of  Crebillon  would  have  flopped  the  profits 
of  this  tragedy,  but  the  fpirited  old  bard  appealed  to  the  king 
in  councily  and  procured  an  honourable  decree  in  his  finrour^ 
fettingforthy  that  works  of  genius  (hould  not  be  deemed  ESs&» 
that  weve  capable  of  being  feized.  This  writer's  works  were 
lately  printed  in  a  magnifiotat  manner  at  the  Louvre,  in  two . 
Yoliunes,  quarto. 

§  Ven  22. 

C  C  2  POLI- 


196      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Politician:  the  Debauchee,  the  Glut- 
ton, the  Oeconomist,  the  Coquet,    the 
Courtier,  the  Miser,  and  the  Patriot. 
Of  thefe  charadlers,  the  moft  lively,  becaufe 
the  moft  dramatic,  are  the  fifth  and  fcventh. 
There  is  true  humour  alfo  in  the  circumftance 
of  the  frugal  crone  who  blows  out  one  of  the 
confecrated   tapers  in  order  to  prevent  it's 
wafting.     Shall  I  venture  to  infert  another 
example  or  two  ?     An  old  ufurer  lying  in  his 
laft  agonies  was  prefented  by  the  prieft  with 
the  crucifix.     He  opened  his  eyes  a  moment 
before  he  expired,  attentively  gazed  on  it,  and 
cried  out,  "  Thefe  jewels  are  counterfeit,  I  can- 
not lend    more    than  ten  piftoles  upon  fo 
wretched  a  pledge/'     To  reform  the  language 
of  his  country  was  the  ruling  pafiion  of  MaU 
herbe.     The  prieft  who  attended  him  in  his 
laft  moments,  aiked  him  if  he  was  not  af- 
fected with  the  defcription  he  gave  him  of  the 
joys  of  heaven  ?  By  no  means  anfwered  the 
.  incorrigible  bard,  I  defire  to  hear  no  more  of 
them,  if  you  cannot  defcribe  them  in  a  purer 

ftyle. 


—  ■    -it- 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      197 

ftylc.     Both  thefe  ftorics  would  havt  fhone 
under  the  hands  of  Pope. 

This  doftrine  of  our  author  may  be  ferther 
illuftrated  by  the  following  paflagc  of  Bacon. 
**  It  is  no  lefs  worthy  to  obfervc,  how  litdc 
alteration,  in  good  fpirits,  the  approaches  of 
death  make ;  for  they  appear  to  be  the  famcf 
men,  till  the  laft  inftant.     Auguftus  Csfar 
died  in  a  compliment ;  Livia,  conjugii  noftri 
memor,  vive  et  vale.     Tiberius  in  diflimula- 
tion ;  as  Tacitus  faith  of  him :  Jam  Tiberium 
vires  et  corpus,  non  diffimulatio  defercbant. 
Vefpalian,  in  a  jeft,  fitting  upon  the  ftool,  Ut 
puto  Deus  fio.     Galba  with  a  fcntence  j  Fcri, 
a  ex  re  fit  populi  Romani ;  holding  forth  hi$ 
neck.     Septimius  Severus,  in  difpatchj  Ad* 
defir,  fi  quid  mihi  reftat  agendum  ♦/' 

This  epiftle  concludes  with  a  ftroke  of  art 
worthy  admiration.  The  poet  fuddenly  flops 
the  vein  of  ridicule  with  which  he  was  flowing, 

*  Bacon's  Eflays.     Eflayii. 

and 


198    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

and  addreffes  his  friend  in  a  mod:  delicate 
compliment,  concealed  under  the  appearance 
of  fatire. 

And  you !  brave  Cobham  to  the  lateft  breath 
Shan  feel  your  ruling  paiEon  ftrong  in  death : 
Such  in  thofe  moments  as  in  all  the  paft, 
^  Oh  ikve  my  country,  heav'n,  (hall  be  your  lift*** 

13.  Narcifla's  nature,  tolerably  mild. 

To  make  a  wafh,  would  hardly  ftew  a  child ; 
Has  ef 'n  been  prov*d  to  grant  a  lover's  pray*r ; 
And  paid  a  tradefman  once  to  make  him  flare; 
Gave  alms  at  Eafter,  tn  a  Chriftian  trim. 
And  made  a  widovr  happy  for  a  whim  *• 

The  epiftle  on  the  charadters  of  womqn, 
from  whence  this  truly  witty  character  is  taken, 
is  highly  finifhed,  and  full  of  the  moft  deli- 
cate fatire.  Bolingbroke,  a  judge  of  the  fub- 
jedt,  thought  it  the  mailer-piece  of  Pope, 
Flea£mtry  reigns  throughout  it ;  and  the  bit- 
ternefs  of  the  fatire  is  concealed  in  a  laugh. 
The  charaders  are  lively,  though  unconunon. 
I  fcarcely  remember  one  of  them  in  our  comic 

•  Epift.  2.  V.  53. 

writers 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE;       199 

Writers  of  the  bell  order.  The  ridicule  is 
heightened  by  many  fuch  ftrokes  of  humour, 
carried  even  to  the  borders  of  extrav^uj-dncc, 
as  that  in  the  fecond  line,  here  quoted.  The 
female;  foibles  have  been  the  fubjcd:  of  per- 
haps more  wit,  in  erery  language,  than  any 
other  topic  that  can  be  named.  The  iixth 
fatire  of  Juvenal,  though  deteftable  for  its  ob*- 
fcenity,  is  undoubtedly  the  moft  witty  of  all 
his  fixteen.  Pol>£  confines  himfelf  t6  paint 
thofe  inconiiftencies  oi  condudt,  to  whicn  a 
volatile  fancy  is  thought  to  incline  the  fex. 
And  this  he  exemplifies  in  the  contrarieties 
that  can  be  difcovered  ifi  the  characters  of 
the  Affected,  the  Soft-na'^ured,  £he 
^  Whimsical,  the  Lewd  and  Vicious^ 
the  Witty  and  Refineb.  In  this  com- 
prehenfive  view  is  perhaps  included  each 
fpecies  of  female  folly  and  abfiirdityy  which 
18  the  proper  objedt  of  ridicule*  If  this 
Bpiftle  yields,  in  any  refped,  to  the  tenth 
iatire  of  Boileau  on  the  fame  fubjed,  it  is  iit 
the  delicacy  and  variety  of  th^  tranfitions, 
by  which  the  French  writer  ^palTes  from  01^ 

C  c  4     ^^ 


200    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

charaiSer  to  another,  conneding  each  with 
the  foregoing.  It  was  a  common  faying  of 
Boileau,  fpeaking  of  Bruyere,  that  one  of 
the  mod:  difficult  parts  of  compoiition,  was 
the  art  of  tranfition.  That  we  may  fee  how 
happily  Pope  has  caught  the  manner  of 
Boileau,  let  us  furvey  one  of  his  pourtraits  : 
it  (hall  be  that  of  his  learned  lady. 

Qqi  s'ofFrira  d'abord  ?    c'eft  cette  Scavante, 
Qu'eftime  Roberval,  &  que  Sauveur  frequente. 
D'ou  vient  qu'ellc  a  rceil  trouble,  &  le  teint  fi  terni  f 
C'eft  que  fur  le  calcal,  dit-on,  de  Caflini, 
Un  Aflrolabe  en  main,  clle  a  dans  fa  goutiere 
J^iiuMP^  Jupiter  pafle  la  nuit  entiere : 
Gardens  de  la  troubler.     Sa  fcience,  fe  croy. 
Aura  par  s'occuper  ce  jour  plus  d^'un  employ. 
D'un  nouveau  microfcope  ou  doit  en  fa  pr^fenc?- 
Tantoft  chez  Dalance  faire  Texperience  ; . 
Puis  d'une  femme  morte  avec  Ton  cmbr}X>n, 
II  faut  chez  Du  Vernay  voir  la  difledtion.* 

*  Which  laft  line  is  a  little  groft  and  offenfiye:  as  it 
invft  ht  confefled  are  feme  of  Pope.  There  it  not  i  fiagle 
ftroke  of  this  fort  in  Young's  Satires  on  Women.  I  mih  the  de- 
licacy and  refervednefs  of  four  or  five  Ladies  now  living,  who 
have  real  learning  and  tafte,  would  permit  me  to  infert  their 
Dwnes  in  this  place,  at  a  counterpart  to  thia  afie&ed  ch«nc« 

Ccr  in  Boileau.  3 

I* 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     20  x 

t4«  No  thought  advances,  but  her  eddy  brain 
Whifks  it  about,  and  down  It  goes  again. 
Full  fixty  years  the  world  has  been  her  trade, 

I 

The  wifeft  fool  much  time  has  ever  made. 
From  lovelefs  youth  to  unrefpefted  age^ 
No  paffion  gratify'd,  except  her  rage; 
&o  much  the  fury  ftill  outran  the  Wit, 
The  pleafure  mifs'd  her^  and  the  fcandal  hit  *• 
._  •  » 

These  fpiritcd  lines  are  part  of  a  cha- 
radler  defigned  for  the  famous  Dutchefs  of 
Marlborough;  whom  Swift  had  alfo  fc** 
vef  cly  fatirized  in  the  Examiner.  Her  beau- 
ty, her  abilities,  her  political  intrigues,  are 
Xufficiently  known  ^f.  The  violence  of  her 
temper  frequently  broke  out  into  wonderful 

and 

•  V,  la;.  Ep.  2. 

f  See  the  account  of  her  own  condu6!«  drawn  up  under  > 
her  own  eye  and  diredion,  by  Mr.  Hooki»  author  of  tho 
Roman  Hiftory^  of  the  life  of  Fenelon,  and  of  the  traiif- 
lation  of  the  travels  of  Cyrus.  Dr.  Kino^  of  St.  Mary 
Hall  in  Oxford,  informed  me,  that  this  tranflation  was 
made  at  Dr.  Cheyne's  houfe  at  Bath,  and  that  he  himfelf 
liad  often  been  Hobke's  Amanuenfis  on  this  occaiion,  who 
diAated  his  tranflation  to  him  with  uncommon  facility  and 
y;^pidity.  The  Dutchefs  rewarded  Hooke  with  5,000/.  for 
lua  trouble ;  but  quarrelled  with  him  afterwards,  beca^fe. 

Vol.  II.  D  d  *• 


i02    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRiTINCS 

and  ridicnlous  indecencies.  In  the  luft  ij 
nefs  of  the  great  Duke  her  huft>and,  vh 
Dr.  Mead  left  his  chamber,  the  Dutche 
diiliking  his  advice*  followed  him  dot 
flairs,  Jivore  at  htm  bitterly,  and  was  goi 
to  tear  off  his  perriwig.  -  Dr.  Hoadly,  t 
late  bilhop  of  Winchefter,  was  prefent  at  tl 
fcene.  Thefe  lines  were  ihewn  to  her  Gn 
as  if  they  were  intended  for  the  portrait 
the  Dutchefs  of  Buckingham,  but  fhe  fc 
ilopped  the  pci Ton  that  was  reading  them 
her,  and  called  out  aloud—**  I  cannot 
"  fo  impofed  upon— I  fee  plainly  enoc 
'*  for  whom  they  are  defigned  j"  and  abu 
Pope  moft  plentifully  on  thcfubjeft;  t 
ihe  was  afterwards  reconciled  to,  and  cour 
him.  This  charader,  together  with  th 
of  Philomede  and  Cloe,  were  firft  pi 

u  {he  aflirroed,  he  attempted  to  comen  htr  to  ^p 
Hooke  wat  a  Myftic,  and  a  QjiietiA,  and  a  warni  difci^ 
Pcnelon.  It  was  he  who  brought  a  Catholic  prieft  to  i 
our  author'*  confcffion  on  hii  death-bed.  The  prieft 
Icarce  departed,  when  Bolingbroke,  coming  over  I 
Bancrrca,  flew  into  a  great  £t  of  paSon  snd  indi^atiot 
the  occafion. 

lUl 


'■-jr-  „fmmmamm 


"■■i 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      203 

liflied  in  this  edition  of  Pope.  They  are 
all  animated  with  the  moil  poignant  wit. 
That  df  Cloe  is  particularly  juft  and  happy, 
who  is  reprefented  as  content  merely  and 
only  to  di»ell  in  decencies^  and  fatisfied  to 
avoid  giving  offence;  and  is  one  of  thofe 
many  iniignificant  and  ufelefs  beings. 

Who  wsiRt,  as  thro'  blank  life  they  dream  along, 
Scnfe  to  be  right,  and  paffion  to  be  wrong  s 

as  fays  the  ingenious  author  of  the  t/»/- 
^erjal  Fajfion ;  a  work  that  abounds  in  wit, 
obfcrvation  on  life,  pleafantry,  delicacy,  ur- 
banity, and  the  moft  well-bred  raillery, 
without  a  fingle  mark  of  fpleen  and  ill- 
nature.  Thefe  were  the  firft  cbaraSieriJiical 
^tires  in  our  language,  and  are  written  with 
an  eafe  and  familiarity  of  ftyle,  very  dif.- 
fcrent  from  this  author's  other  works.  The 
four  firft  were  publiflied  in  folio,  in  the  year 
J  72  5;  ♦  and  the  fifth  and  fijfth,  incom- 
parably 

*  In  thefe,  the  chara£^ers  of  Clarindat  of  Zsntippi  the 
Vff&ff  lady,  Dilia  the  chariot-driver,  of  hUft$r  Betty  the 

P  d  :{  hun^reft. 


204  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
parably  the  beft,  on  the  charaaers  of  women, 
in  the  year  1727,  that  is,  eight  years  bcr 
fore  this  cpillle  of  Pope.  Dr.  Ypung  was 
one  of  the  moH  amiable  and  benevolent  of 
men  ;  mofl:  exxmplary  in  his  life^  anil  lincer^ 
in   his  religion  * ;  nobody  ever  faid  more 

huntrefs,  of  Daphat  the  critic,  of  Lemira  the  &ck  liAj, 
the  f«m>le  PbiUfifhtr,  the  Tbtahiifi,  of  the.  Umpdi  lady, 
oi  Ti/altftrh  thf /wtarir,  of  l.jci  the  old  bcaatjp,  of  £it4t(SM, 
of  a  njmfl)  of/firit,  of  Jalia  the  manager,  of  jflid*  the 
/04//JI,  of  Clio  the  fimdirer,  of  the  affcHtd  Afiu"'%  of  *^ 
female  Aihtift,  and  of  ihe  female  Gamifitr;  are  til  oftttem 
drawn  with  truth  and  fpirit.  And  the  iniroduClioai  to 
thefe  two  fatirei,  particularly  the  addrefs  to  the  iocompan- 
blc  Lad;  Betty  Germain,  are  as  elegant  as  any  thingin  oar 
language.  After  reading  thefe  pieces,  one  ii  U  a  loft  tq 
know  what  M-.  Pope  could  mean  by  faying,  that  thg* 
Yaung  Wis  a  man  of  genius,  yet  that  tt  waxlii  etmmoM 

/<•/'■ 

*  Mr.  Walter  Harte  aflured  tne,  he  had  leen  thepreffiag 
letter  that  Dr.  Young  wrote  to  Mr.  Pope,  urging  him  to 
write  fomcching  on  the  fide  of  Revelation,  in  order  to  take 
elf  the  imprelSons  of  ihofe  dodrines  which  the  Eflay  on 
Man  were  fuppofed  to  convey.  He  alluded  to  thii  ia  tb^ 
conclufion  of  his  lirft  Night-thought. 

O  had  he  prefs'd  bb  theme,  purfu'd  the  track 

Which  opens  nut  of  darknefs  into  day  ! 

O  had  he  moanted  on  his  wing  of  fire, 

Soar'd  where  I  fink,  and  fung  immtrtel  mnn  ! 

brilliant 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE^      205 

br^liant  things  in  converfation.  The  late 
Lord  Mel  COMBE  informed  me,  that  wheii 
he  and  Voltaire  were  on  a  vilit  to  his  Lord- 
ihip  at  Eaftbury,  the  Englifh  poet  was  far 
fuperior  to  the  French,  in  the  variety  and  the 
fiovelty  of  his  bon  mots  and  repartees  j  and 
Lord  Melcombe  was  himfelf  a  good  judge 
of  wit  and  humqur,  of  which  he  himfelf 
had  a  great  portion.  If  the  friend  (hip  wkh 
which  Dr.  Young  honoured  me  does  not 
miflead  me,  I  think  I  may  venture  to  affirm, 
that  many  high  ftrokes  of  charafter  in  his 
Zanga ;  many  fentiments  and  images  in  his 
Nigbt^t bought s ;  and  many  ftrong  and  forci- 
ble defcriptions  in  his  paraphrafe  on  yob^ 
mark  him  for  a  fublime  and  original  genius. 
Tho'  at  the  fame  time  I  am  ready  to  con-* 
fefs>  that  he  is  not  a  *  correct  and  equal 

writer, 

*  So  little  fenfible  are  we  of  our  own  ifflperfe^oni,  that  the 
▼cry  laft  time  I  faw  Dr.  Yonng,  he  was  feverely  cenforing 
and  ridiculing  the  falfe  pomp  of  fullian  writers,  and  the 
naufeoufnefs  of  hombaft.  I  remember  he  faid,  that  foch 
lorrents  of  eloquence  were  muddy  as  well  as  m9i^ ;  and 
that  thefe  'vi^Umt  and  tumultuous  authors^  put  him  in  mind 
^  a  ptfiag^  in  Milton,  B.  2.  t.  539. 
*        '  Others, 


ao6    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

writer,  and  was  too  often  turgid  and  hy- 
perbolical. 

15*  See  boir  the  world  its  veterans  rewards, 
A  youth  of  frolics,  an  old  age  of  cards ; 
Fair  to  no  purpofe,  artful  to  no  end. 
Young  without  lovers,  old  without  a  friend  i 
A  fop  their  paffion,  but  their  prize  a  fot. 
Alive,  ridiculous }  and  dead,  forgot  *• 

The  antithefis,  fo  remarkably  ftrong  ia 
thefe  lines,  was  a  very  favourite  figure  with 
our  poet:  he  has  indeed  ufed  it  but  in  too  many 
parts  of  his  works ;  nay,  even  in  his  traiif- 
Jation  of  the  Iliad  -j- ;  where  it  ought  not  to 

have 

Others,  with  vaft  Typhaean  rage  more  fell. 
Rend  up  both  rocks  and  hills,  and  ride  the  air 
.  In  whirlwind*    Hell  fcarce  holds  the  wild  uproar, 

•  V.  *43. 

f  Voltaire  fpeaks  thus  of  La  Motte :  (b  fafhionable  « 
critic  may,  perhaps,  be  attended  to.— Au-lieu  d*&haaflfer 
fim  genie  en  tachant  de  copier  les  fublimes  pelnturet 
d'Momere,  il  voulut  loi  donner  de  I'efprit ;  c'eft  la  Maaie 
de  la  purpart  des  Fnin9ois ;  une  efpece  de  pointe  qa'ila 
.  appellchc  ub  trait,  une  petite  antithefe,  on  l^ger  contraCe 
4e  mots  leur  foffit*—- The  following  lines  are  iuitances : 


MHe 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     107 

have  been  admitted.  Our  author  feldom  writes 
many  lines  together  without  an  antithefis. 
It  muft  be  allowed  fometimes  to  add  flrength 
to  a  fentiment^  by  an  oppofition  of  images  ; 
buty  too  frequently  repeated^  it  becomes  tire^ 
fome,  md  difgufUng.  Rhyme  has  almoft 
a  natural  tendency  to  betray  a  writer  into 
it.  But. the  pureft  authors  have  defpifed  it, 
as  an  ornament  pert^  and  puerile,  and  epi- 
gnunmatic.  Seneca,  Pliny,  Tacitus,  and 
later  authors,  abound  in  it.  Quintilian  has 
fometimes  ufed  it,  with  much  fuccefs ;  as 

On  oBemCe  kt  diemc,  nals  par  det  facrifices 
De  ces  dienx  irrit&  on  fait  dcs  dicQZ  propicet. 

And  again— 

Tont  fo  camp  s'ecria  dans  nne  joie  extrfme, 

Qge  ne  vaincra-t*il  poiBt»  il  a'eft  vaiactt  lui  oienit. 

I  aiaft  oaly  jaft  add^  that  La  Mottc,  in  all  the  famona  diil 
pote  about  the  ancients,  never  faid  a  thing  fo  ill-founded^ 
and  fo  void  of  taf^e,  as  tlie  fellowing  words  of  the  fane 
Volture:  "  Homere  n'  a  jamais  £ut  repandre  de  plenrs." 
AffiBus  quidem  vel  illos  mitu  vel  hos  c9Mcitmi§j,  nemo  eiit 
tMm  tMM^But  qui  non  in  fui  poteftate  hnnc  auAorem  habnife 
fnteatur.  Quintilian,  lib.  lo.  cap.  !•  Had  Voltaire  efcr 
read  Quintilian  f  or  rather,  had  he  eter  read  Homer'— in 
the  original  ^ 

when 


■i^      ■«    «U   ' 


26S    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRitlNGS 

when  he  ipeaks  of  ilyle  -,  magna,  non  ni«' 
mia ;  fublimisy  non  abrupta ;  fevera  non 
triftis ;  Ixtz.,  non  luxuriofa ;  plena,  non  tu- 
mida.  And  fometimes  Tully ;  as,  vicit  pu- 
dorem  libido,  timorem  audacia,  rationem 
amentia.  But  thele  writers  fall  into  this 
mode  of  fpeaking  but  feldom,  and  do  not 
make  it  their  conjiant  and  general  manner. 
Thofe  moderns  w!-o  have  not  acquired^ 
a  true  tafte  for  the  fimplicity  of  the  beft 
ancients,  have  generally  run  into  a  frequent 
ufe  of  points  oppofition^  and  contraji. 

They  who  begin  to  ftudy  painting,  arc 
ilruck  at  firft  with  the  pieces  of  the  mofl: 
vivid  colouring ;  they  are  almoft  afhamed  to 
own,  that  they  do  not  relifti  and  feel  the 
modefl  and  referved  beauties  of  Raphael. 
'Tis  the  fame  in  writing ;  but,  by  degrees, 
wc  find  that  Lucan,  Martial,  Juvenal,  Q^ 
Curtius,  and  Florus,  and  others  of  that 
ftamp,  who  abound  in  figures  that  contri- 
bute to  the  falfe  florid,  in  luxuriant  meta* 
2  phorst 


k*<»«  ^—^  • 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE-       209 

phors,  in  pointed  conceits,  in  lively  ant i- 
thefeSy  unexpectedly  darted  forth,  are  con- 
temptible for  the  very  caufes  which  once 
excited  our  admiration.  'Tis  then  we  re- 
lifli  Terence,  Caefar,  and  Xenophon, 

16.  Kept  drofs  for  DuchefTcs,  the  world Jhall  know  itj 
To  you  gave  fenfc,  good-huaiour,  and  a  poet*. 

TJbe  world  Jhall  know  it — is  a  bad  cxpref- 
fion,  and  a  poor  expletive,  into  v/hich  our 
poet  was  forced  by  ( !ic  rhyme  -l^. 

Maudit  foit  le  premier^  dont  I.i  verve  infcnfcc, 
Dans  les  borius  d'  un  vers  rcnfcrma  {jl  penfce, 
Et  donnant  a  fcs  mots  unectroitc  piilbn, 
Voulut  avcc  la  rime  enchaincr  !a  raifon  J. 

Rhyme  alfo  could  alone  be  the  occafion 


•  V.  291. 

t  La  Rime  gene  plis  qu'elle  n'  ome  les  yen,  Elle 
les  charge  d'Epithetes ;  elles  rend  fouvent  la  didion  forcee, 
&  pleine  d' une  vaine  parure.  En  allonganc  les  difcours, 
die  les  affoiblic.  Souvent  on  a  rccours  a  un  vers  inutile  ; 
ponr  en  amener  un  bon.  Fenblon  to  M.  Db  la  Mottb« 
I^tires,  p.  62.  A  Cambray,  26  Janvier  17 19. 

t  Boileau.  Sat.  z.  v.  53. 

Vol.  II.  E  c  of 


tlL".;^.' 


210    ESSAY  O^  THE  WRITINGS    ' 

of  the  following  faulty  cxpreflions ;  taken 
too  from  fome  of  his  moft  finifhed  pieces. 

Not  Cafar's  Emprcfs  would  /  deign  to  provi-^ 
If  Quecnberry  to  ftrip  thiris  no  comptlUng'^ 
Wrapt  into  future  times  the  bard  begun-^ 
Know  all  the  noife  the  bufy  world  can  kap^^ 
If  true,  a  woful  likenefs,  and  if  lygs-^ 
Nothing  fo  true  as  what  you  once  letfall-^ 
For  virtue's  felf  may  too  much  zeal  be  had-^ 

'■■  ■  can  no  want:  endure-^ 
VsLj  half  in  heav*n  except  whafs  mighty  odd'^ 

■  ■    ■      liftening  cars  employ--* 

■  on  fuch  a  world  wefall-^ 

■  ■    '  ■      take  fcandal  at  afpark-^ 

— do  the  knacky  and —do  thefeat.^^ 

And    more  inftances  might    be  added,    if 

« 

it  were  not  difagreeable  to  obferve  thefe 
ftraws  in  amber.  But  if  rhyme  occaiions 
fuch  inconveniences  and  improprieties  in 
fo  exaft  a  writer  as  our  author,  what  can  be 
cxpe(3:ed  from  *  inferior  verfifiers  ?  It  is  not 

my 

*  Our  author  told  Mr.  Harte,  that,  in  order  to  difgoife 
his  being  the  author  of  the  fecond  epiftle  of  the  Eflay  on 

MaDj 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,      an 

ttiy  intention  to  enter  into  a  trite  and  tedious 
difcuffion  of  the  feveral  merits  of  rhyme 
and  blank  verfe.  Perhaps  rhyme  may  be 
propereft  for  (horter  pieces  5  for  didadtic^ 
lyric,  elegiac,  and  iatiric  poems ;  for  pieces 
Inhere  clofenefs  of  expreflion,  and  fmartnefs 
of  ftyle,  are  expedted  ;  but  for  fubjedts  of  a 
higher  order,  or  for  poems  of  a  greater 
length,  blank  verfe  may  be  preferable.  An 
epic  poem  in  rhyme  appears  to  be  fuch  a 
fort  of  thing,  as  the  iEneid  would  have 
been  if  it  had  been  written,  like  Ovid's 
Fafti,  in  hexameter  and  pentameter  verfes ; 
and  the  reading  it  would  have  been  as  te- 
dious as   the  travelling   through  that  one, 

Man,  he  made,  in  the  firft  edition^  the  following  bad 
rhyme : 

A  cheat !  a  whore  !  who  (tarts  r.^-t  at  the  name. 
In  all  the  inns  of  court,  or  Drury  Lane  *  ^ 

And  Hartb  remembered  to  have  often  heard  It  arged, 
in  enquiries  abont  the  author,  whilA  h;:  was  unknown,  that 
it  was  impoffible  it  could  be  Popt's,  on  account  of  this  very 
ptffage. 

•   V.   20f, 

£  e  2  long. 


212    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

long,  flrait,  avenue  of  firs,  that  leads  from 
Mofcow  to  Peterjburg.  I  will  give  the 
reader  Mr.  Pope's  own  opinion  on  this  fub- 
jeft,  and  in  his  own  words,  as  delivered  to 
Mr.  Spence.  **  I  have  nothing  to  fay  for 
"  *  rhyme  \  but  that  I  doubt  if  a  poem 
"  can  fupport  itfelf  without  it  in  our  lan- 
**  guage,  unlefs  it    be  ftiiFened  with  fuch 

*  BoileaUy  whofe  pra£lice  it  was  to  make  the  fecond  line 
of  a  couplet  before  the  firfl,  having  writcen  (in  his  fecond 
fatire)  this  line, 

Dans  mes  vers  recoufus  mettre  en  pieces  Malherbc, 

it  was  thought    impoflible   by   La  Fontaine  and  Moliere; 
and  other  critical  friends,  for  him  to  find  a  proper  rhyme 
for  the  word  Malherbc  :  at  laft  he  hit  upon  the  following  ; 
£t  tranfpofant  cent  fois  &  le  nom  ^  le  verbc. 

Upgn  (hewing  which  line  to  La  Fontaine,  he  cried  out — 
"  Ah  1  how  happy  have  you  been,  my  friend !  I  would 
'*  give  the  very  be  ft  of  all  my  Tales  to  have  made  fuch 
'*  a  difrovery."  So  iraporiant  in  the  eyes  of  French  poets 
is  a  lucky  rhyme!  The  reader  may  judge  what  credit  is 
due  CO  the  following  anecdote  of  Voltaire.  Quefiions  fur 
PEccycloped  Partic  5,  255  page.  Jc  me  fouviendrai  tou- 
jours  que  je  demandai  au  ccicbre  Pope,  pourquoi  Miltoa 
n'avait  pas  rime  Ton  Paradis  perdu  ;  <n.  qu'ii  me  repondit, 

Bccauft  he  could  not ;  parcc  qu'il  ne  le  pouvait  pas. But 

the  moft  harmonioui  of  rhymers  has  laid — **  What  rhyme 
''  adds  to  fweetnefs,  it  takes  away  from  fenfe.''    Dryden, 

*'  ftrange 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      213 

'*  ftrange  words,  as  are  likely  to  dcftroy  our 
'*  language  itfelf.  The  high  ftyle  that  is 
•*  afFedted  fo  much  in  blank  verfe,  would 
**  not  have  been  fupported  even  in  Milton, 
••  had  not  his  fubjedt  turned  fo  much  on 
'•  fiich  Jirange  and  out  of  the  world  things 
'*  as  it  does."— May  we  not,  however,  ven- 
ture to  obferve,  that  more  of  that  true  har- 
mony which  will  htHfupport  a  poem,  will 
refult  from  a  variety  of  paufes,  and  from 
jvn  intermixture  of  thofe  differenty^^/  (iam- 
bic and  trochaic  particularly)  into  which 
our  language  naturally  falls,  than  from  the 
uniformity  of  Jimi/ar  terminations.  **  T^here 
**  can  be  no  mujic,''  fays  Cowley,  "  with 
"  only  one  note.'' 

17.    Bleft  paper-credit!  laft  and  beft  fupply  ! 
That  lends  corruption  lighter  wings  to  fly  ! 
Gold,  imp'd  by  thee,  can  compafs  hardeft  things. 
Can  pocket  States,  can  fetch  or  carry  Kings ; 
A  fingle  leaf  fliall  waft  an  army  o'er. 

Or  {hip  off  Senates  to  a  diftant  (hore^ 

A  leaf. 


ai4    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITIl^GS 

A  leaf,  like  Sibyls',  fcatter  to  and  fro 
Our  hits  and  fortunes,  as  the  winds  (hall  blow  i 
Pregnant  with  thoufands  *  flits  the  fcrap  unfeen^ 
And  filent  fells  a  King,  or  buys  a  Queen  f. 

**  Not  one  of  my  works"  (faid  Pope  to 
Mr.  Spence)  "  was  more  laboured  than  my 
•*  epiftle  on  the  Ufe  of  Riches.'*  It  does 
indeed  abound  in  knowledge  of  life,  and  in 
the  jufteft  fatire.  The  lines  above  quoted 
have  alfo  the  additional  merit  of  touching 
on  a  fubjedt  that  never  occurred  to  former 
fatirifts.  And  tho'  it  was  difficult  to  fay 
any  thing  new  about  avarice,  "  a,  vice  that 
'*  has  been  fo  pelted"  (fays  Cowley)  '*  with 
•*  good  fentences,"  yet  has  our  author  done 
it  fo  fuccefsfully,  that  this  epiftle,  together 
with  Lord  Bacon's  thirty- third  EJay,  con- 
tains  almoft  all  that  can  be  faid  on  the  ufe 
and  abufe  of  riches,  and  the  abfurd  ex- 
tremes of  avarice  and  profufion.     But  our 

^  The  word  ^/Vi  heightens  the  fatire,  by  giving  one  tho 
ftrong  idea  of  an  obfccne  and  ill-omened  bird. 

t  Of  the  ufe  of  Riches^  v.  39* 

2  poet 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       215 

poet  has  enlivened  his  precepts  with  fo  ma- 
ny various  charafters,  pictures,  and  images, 
as  may  entitle  him  to  claim  the  preference 
over  all  that  have  treated  on  this  tempting 
fubjed:,  down  from  the  time  of  the  Plutua 
of  Ariftophanes.    That  very  lively  and  ami- 
able old   nobleman,     the   late    Lord    Ba- 
THURST,  told  me,  **  that  he  was  much  fur-^ 
*'  prized  to  fee  what  he  had  with  repeated 
**  pleafure  io  often  read  as  an  epi/i/e  addreffed 
**  to  himfelf,  in  this  edition  converted  into 
**  a  dialogue  i  in  which,"  faid  he,  **  I  per- 
**  ceive  I  really  make  but  a  (habby  and  in- 
'*  different  figure,  and  contribute  very  little 
*•  to  the  fpirit  of  the  Jia/ogue,  if  it  mufi  be  a 
**  dialogue  ;  and  I  hope  I  had  generally  more 
*^  to  fay  for  myfelf  in  the  many  charming 
**  converfations  I  ufed  to  hold  with   Pope 
f*  and  Swift,  and  my  old  poetical  friends." 

l8.  A  Statefman's  flumbers  how  this  fpeech  could  fpoilj 
*'  Sir,  Spain  has  fcnt  a  thoufaiid  jars  of  oil ; 
^'  Huge  bales  of  Britifh  cloth  blockade  the  door  \ 
*•  A  hundred  oxen  at  your  levee  roar  *." 

•  V.  55. 

Nothing 


.-LKl-l .-5" 


2i6     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Nothing  can  exceed  this  ridicule  of  the 
many  inconveniences  that  would  have  en^ 
cumbered  villainy^  by  bribing  and  by  paying 
hi  kind.  The  following  examples  carry  the 
fatire  ftill  higher,  and  can  hardly  be  thought 
to  be  excelled  by  any  flrokes  of  irony  and 
humour  in  the  bcft  parts  of  Horace,  Juvc^- 
nai,  or  Boileau, 

His  Grace  will  game ;  to  White's  a  bull  be  led. 
With  *  fpurning  heels,  and  with  a  butting  head. 
To  White's  be  carry'd,  as  to  ancient  t  games. 
Fair  courfers,  vafes,  and  alluring  dames. 
Shall  then  Uxorio,  if  the  (lakes  he  fwcep, 
Bear  home  fix  whores,  and  make  his  lady  weep  ? 
Or  foft  Adonis,  fo  perfum'd  and  fine. 
Drive  to  St.  James's  a  whole  herd  of  fwinc  \  ? 

< 

We  can  only  lament  that  our  author  did 
not  live  long  enough  to  be  a  witncfs  of  the 

•  As  a  confccratcd  bcaft  to  a  facrifice ;  and  alluding  to 
Virgil,  with  much  pleafantry. 

Jam  cornu  pctat,  &  pcdibus  qui  fpargat  areoam. 

t  Alluding  to  the  prizes  that  Achilles  bcftows  in  the 
games  of  Homer.     Hiad.  23.  b; 

;  V.  67.  _ 

midnight 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,     ai/ 

midnight  (or  morning)  orgies  of  the  game- 
Hers  at  Brooks's.  What  a  fubjed:  for  the 
ieverity  of  his  fatire!  Perhaps  we  might 
have  feen  men. 

Safe  from  the  bar,  the  pulpit,  and  the  thmne^ 
Yet  touch'd  and  fliam'd  by  ridicule  alone  I 

For  furcly  that  vice  dcferves  the  keeneft 
inveftive,  which,  more  than  any  other,  has 
a  natural  and  invincible  tendency  to  narrow 
and  to  harden  the  heart,  by  imprejjing  and 
keeping  up  habits  offelfijhnefs.  **  I  forefee," 
{faid  Montesquieu,  one  day,  to  a  friend 
vifiting  him  at  La  BredeJ  **  that  gaming  will 
**  be  the  ruin  of  Europe.  During  play, 
**  the  body  is  in  a  ftate  of  indolence,  and 
•*  the  mind  in  a  ftate  of  vicious  activity." 

19.  Damn'd  to  the  mines,  an  equal  fate  betides 

The  flave  that  digs  it,  and  the  Have  that  hides  *» 

•f  This  is  plainly  taken  from  "  the  caufea 

•  V.  109. 

t  Sec  the  Adventnrcr,  N»  63,  pablidied  1753.  The 
feffle£lion  wick  which  Chartrbs^s  epiuph,  in  thit  epiftle, 
coBclodet,  is  from  La  Brvtirb« 

Vol.  II.  F  £  ••  of 


•  / 


rmm 


iiS     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

^'of  the  decay  of  C&rj/iian  Piny/*  It  has  al- 
ways been  held,  fays  this  excellent  writer^the 
fevered  treatment  of  flaves  and  makfadofrs^ 
damnare  ad  metalla>  to  force  them  to  dig  ta 
the  mines :  now  this  is  the  covetous  man's 
lot,  from  which  he  is  never  to  expe6:  a  re*^ 
leafe.  And  the  charad:er  of  Hellao  the 
glutton,  who  exclaimed  even  in  his  laft 
agonies  (at  the  end  of  the  firft  of  thefis 
epiftles) 

-*•—  then  bring  the  jowl  f 

is  clearly  borrowed  from  the  concluiion  of 
one  of  the  tales  of  Fontaine: 

Puis  qu'il  faut  que  jc  meure 
Sans  faire  tant  de  fa^on, 
Qu*  on  m'  apporte  tout  a  1'  heme 
he  refte  de  mon  poHTon* 

So  true  is  that  candid  acknowledgment 
which  our  author  makes  in  his  fenfil>le  pre- 
face, ^^  I  fairly  confefs  that  I  have  ferved 
-^'  myfelf  all  I  could  by  reading."    But  the 
'noble  paiTage  I  fhall  next  quote,  he  has  not 

boctowed 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      «i9 

iKNrrowed  from  any  writer.  It  is  intended 
to  illuftrate  the  ufefulnefsp  in  the  hands  of 
a  gracious  Providence,  that  refults  from  the 
extremes  of  avarice  and  profufion;  and  it  re- 
curs to  the  leading  principle  of  our  au- 
thor's philofophy,  namely^  that  contrarie- 
ties ai\d  varieties,  in  the  moral  as  well  as 
the  natural  world,  by  counter-poizing  and 
counter- working  each  other,  contribute  ul- 
timately to  the  benefit  and  beauty  of  the 
Sffbole. 

Hear  then  the  truth  ;  ^^  'tis  Heav'n  each  paflion  fends* 
^  And  different. men  direSs  to  different  ends; 
**  Extremes  in  nature  equal  good  produce* 
*^  Extremes  in  man  concur  to  gen'ral  uTe. 
*^  A(k  we  what  makes  one  keep,  amd  one  beftow  I 
**  That  Pow'r  who  bids  the  ocean  ebb  and  flow^ 
^*  Bids  feed-time,  harveft*  equal  courfe  maintain* 
^  Thro*  reconciled  extremes  of  drought  and  rain  ; 
^^  Builds  life  on  death,  on  change  duration  founds, 
^  And  gives  th'  eternal  wheels  to  know  their  rounds/' 

Voltaire  has*  in  many  parts  of  his 
works^  befides  his  Candide,  and  his  Pbiiojb^ 

F  f  2  pbical 


820    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

fhkal  DiBionaryt  exerted  the  utmoft  efibrtf 
of  his  wit  and  argument  to  depreciate  ^nd 
deftroy  the  doftrine  of  Optmtfm,  and  the 
idea  that, 

Th*  eternsd  art  educes  good  from  ill. 

He  imagines,  abfurdly  enough,  that  the 
only  folid  method  of  accounting  for  the 
origin  of  evil,  confiftcntly  with  the  other 
attributes  of  God,  is  not  to  allow  his 
cmnipotence.  Sa  puiffance  eft  tres  grande  %  • 
mais  qui  nous  a  dit  qu'elle  eftinfinie,  quand 
fes  ouvrages  nous  montrent  Ic  contraire  ? 
Qiiand  la  feule  relTource  qui  nous  refte  pour 
Ic  difculper  eft  d'  avouer  que  fon  pouvoir 
n'  a  pu  triompher  du  mal  phyfique  & 
moral  ?  Certes,  j'aime  mieux  I'adorer  born^ 
que  mechant.  Peutetre  dans  la  vaftc  ma- 
chine de  la  nature,  Ic  bien  1'  a-t-il  empoit^ 
rcceffairement  fur  le  mal,  6c  reterncl  ar- 
tiiai)  a  ct^  force  dans  fes  moyeps,  en  fefant 
encore 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,       221 

encore  (malgr^  tant  de  maux)  ce  qu*il  avait 
de  mieux  *. 

Voltaire,  after  having  nin  the  full 
career  of  infidelity  and  fcepticifm,  feems 
to  have  funk  at  lafl  into  abfolute  fatalifm. 
The  feptiments  are  indeed  put  into  the 
mouth  of  Memmius,  the  friend  and  patron 
of  Lucretius,  and  addrefled  to  Cicero: 
this  was  only  the  method  the  French  phi- 
lofopher  took  to  acquaint  us  with  his  own 
thoughts. 

Je  fuis  done  ramen^  malgre^moi  a  cette 
ancienne  id^e  que  je  vois  ^tre  la  bafe  de 
tous  les  fyfl^mes,  dans  laquelle  tous  les 
philofophes  retombent  apres  mille  detours, 
&  qui  m' eft  d^montr^e  par  toutes  les  aftions 
des  hommes,  par  les  miennes,  par  tous  les 
^v^nemens  que  j'ai  lus,  que  j'ai  vus,  & 
auxquels  j'ai  eu  part;  c'eft  le   fatalifme, 

*  QaeiUont  fur  I'Enqrclopedie,  9  partie,  p.  348.  So 
ioconclafive  and  impiiilofopbical  an  uScriion,  defenres  n% 
icrious  confutadoni 

c'cft 


222    5SSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

c*eft  la    n^eilite  dont    je    vous    ai    d^j« 
parle  *. 

30-  Like  Comebne  Chirtreux  (lands  the  good  old  htll^ 
Silence  without,  and  fafts  within  the  wall ; 
No  raftered  roofs  with  dance  and  tabor  found^ 
No  noontidi  bell  invites  the  country  round  : 
Tenants  with  fighs  x^r  fmooklefi  tow'rs  furvejr. 
And  turn  th'  unwilling  fteeds  another  way  : 
Bemghted  weinderert^  the  foreft  o'er, 
Curs'd  the  fav^d  candle^  and  unop^ning  door ; 
While  the  gaunt  mdLR'iff  gfowling  at  the  gate, 
jfffrights  the  beggar,  whom  he  longs  to  eat  t» 

In  the  worft  inn's  worft  room,  with  mat  half'hung^ 
The  floors  of  plaljier^  and  the  walls  of  dmng^ 
On  once  ayfori-bcd,  but  repaired  with^^rmcf. 
With  tafe'-tfd  cortains,  never  meant  to  draw* 
The.  George  and  Garter  dangling  from  that  bed 
Where  taxvdry  yellow  ftrovc  with  dirty  red^ 
Great  Villers  lies  t*— 

The  ufe,  the  force,  and  the  excellence 

•  "  He  muft  have  a  very  good  ftomach,"  (fays  Mr. 
Gray)  **  that  can  digeft  the  Cramte  renQa  of  Volcaifew 
"  Atheifm  is  a  vile  diib,  tho*  all  the  cooks  of  France 
«'  combrae  to  make  aew  £uicei  for  it/'    Lectere,  qnartOj 

t  V.  187.  )  V-  399- 

of 


>P4h 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     223 

of  lahgiu^y  certainly  confilb.  in  raifing^ 
clear,  complete,  and  circumjlantial  images^ 
and  in  turning  readers  into  JpeSlators.  I 
have  quoted  the  two  preceding  paflagcs  as 
eminent  examples  of  this  excellence^  of  all 
othecs  the  mofl:  effential  in, poetry.  Eveiy 
epithet^  here  ufed,  paints  its  obje<^^  and 
faints  it  difthtSily.  After  having  pailed  over 
the  moat  full  of  crefTes,  do  you  not  a&uallf 
£nd  yourfelf  in  the  middle  court  of  this 
forlorn  and  folitary  manfion,  overgrown 
with  docks  and  nettles  ?  And  do  yoa  not 
hear  the  dog  that  i&  going  to  afTault  you  ?-« 
Among  the  other  fortunate  ciFcumflancet 
that  attended  Homer,  it  was  not  one  of  the 
|eaft^  that  he  wrote  before  general  and  ah'* 
JtraSl  terms  were  invented.  Hence  hi^ 
Mule  (like  his  own  Helen  (landing  on  the 
walls  of  Troy)  points  out  every  per/on,  and 
thing,  accurate^  zndi  forcibly.  All  the  view9 
and  profpeds  he  lays  before  us,  appear  as 
Jsilljf  and  per/eBly  to  the  eye,  as  that  which 

engaged 
10 


224    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

engaged  the  attention  of  Neptune,  when  he 
was  fitting  (Iliad,  b.  13.  v.  12.) 

Those  wha  are  fond  of  generalities,  may 
think  the  number  of  natural,  ftttle  circum* 
fiances,  introduced  in  the  beautiful' nar- 
ration of  the  expedition  of  Dolon  and 
DioMED  (Book  the  loth)  too  particular 
and  tricing,  and  below  the  dignity  of  Epic 
poetry.  But  every  reader  of  a  juft  taftc 
will  always  admire  the  minute  defcription  of 
the  helmet  and  creft,  at  verfe  the  257th  j 
the  clapping  cf  the  wings  of  the  Heron 
which  they  could  not  fee ;  the  fquatting 
down  among  the  dead  bodies  till  Dolon  had 
pafled  >  Ulyfles  bijjing  to  Diomed  as  a  fig- 
nal ;  the  ftriking  the  horfes  with  his  bow, 
becaufe  he  had  forgotten  to  bring  his  whip 
with  him;  and   the  innumerable   circum- 

ftances 


■dw 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       225 

fiances  which  make  this  narration  fo  Ihefy^ 
fo  dramatic^  and  fo  interejling.  Half  the 
Iliad  and  the  Odyfley  might  be  quoted  as 
examples  of  this  way  of  writing.  So  dif- 
ferent from  the  unfinifhed,  half-formed 
figures^  prefented  to  us  by  many  modern 
writers.  How  much  is  the  pathetic  heigh*^ 
tened  by  Sophocles,  when,  fpeaking  of 
Deianira  determined  to  deftroy  herfelf^  and 
taking  leave  of  her  palace,  he  adds,  a  cir- 
cumAance  that  Voltaire  would  have  dif- 
dainedl 

favatnrf  Ih^  *Xffii^  ^iKma  v«^  *• 

Among  the  Roman  poets,  Lucretius  will 
furnifh  many  inflances  of  this  fort  of  (Irong 
painting.  Witnefs  his  portrait  of  a  jealous 
man  i  Book  the  4th,  v^.  1 1 30. 

Aut  quod  in  ambiguo  virbum  jaeulatM  reliquit  i 
Aut  mmi}xm  ja£iare  oculos,  aliumve  tueri 
Quod  putat,  in  vultuque  videt  viftigia  riffls. 

*  TrtchinuBy  v.  922. 

Vol.  JI.  Gg  Of 


226    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
Of  Iphigenia  going  to  be  facrificed,  at  the 
moment,  when, 

^—  msftum  ante  aras  aflare  parentent; 
Scnflt,  &  hunc  propter  fcrruin  ctlare  miniftcoe  *.. 

Of  Fear,  Li  book  ili.  v.  155, 

Sudorem  itaque  tt  pallartm  exiflere  toto 

Corpore  ;  &  infringi  linguam  ;  vocemque  iboriri'; 

Caligan  oculos ;  /sturt  aures ;  fuccidari  utus. 

Without  fpecifying  the  vztiQu%  Jiroket 
of  nature,  with  which  Virgil  has  defcribcd 
the  prognoftics  of  the  weather  in  his  firft 
Georgic,  let  us  only  conlidcr  with  what 
energy  he  has  entunerated-  and  particularized 
the  geftures  and  attitudes  of  his  dying  Dido. 
No  five  verier  ever  contained  more  images^ 
or  images  more  dtJlinBly  exprefied. 

Illti  graves  eculcs  conata  attolUre^  rurfus 
Deficit ;  lafoMmJiridtt  fub  pe£lorc  vultaui  r 
Ter  fefe  attellensy  aibitequt  ttmixa  levavic, 
Ttr  revtJula  tare  eft :  aailifque  erremliius,  alto- 
QuKfivit  ckIo  luccm,  ingtmtatqut  repcrti  f- 

*  Book  u  V.  u.  f  JEa.  iv.  688. 

3  The 


^■(■^.^■VWq.^    ■ 


GENIUS  OF  POPE.      227 

The  wards  of  Virgil  have  here  painted  the 
dying  Dido^  as  powerfully  as  the  pencil  of 
Jteynolds  has  done,  when  fhe  is  jufl:  dead. 

But  none  of  the  Roman  writers  has  dif- 
played  a  greater  force  and  vigour  of  ima- 
gmatipn  than  Tacitus  ;  who  was  in  truth 
a  great  poet.  With  virhat  an  affemblage  of 
mafterly  ftrokes  has  he  exhrbited  the  diftrefs 
of  the  Roman  army  under  Cacina^  iii  the  firll 
book  of  the  Annals !  Nox  per  diverfa  iri-» 
quies  ;  cum  barbari  feftis  epulis,  lato  cantUp 
aut  truci  fonore^  fubjedta  vallium  ac  refute* 
tantes  laltus,  complerent.  Apud  ilomano$^ 
invalidi  ignes,  interrupts  voces,  atque  ipfi 
paflim  adjacerent  vallo,  oberrarint  tentoriis, 
infbmnes  magis  quam  pervigiles,  ducemque 
terruit  dira  quies.  And  what  a  fpeAre  he 
then  immediately  calls  up,  in  the  ilyle  of 
Michael  Angelo!  Nam  Quintilium  Va- 
ram,  fanguine  oblitum^  &  paludibus  emerfum^ 
cernere  &  audire  vifus  eft,  velut  vacant  em ^ 
^n  tamen  obfecutus,  &  manum  intendentis 

G  gz  A  CE* 


228    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

A  CELEBRATED  foreigner,  the  CouA| 
Algarotti,  has  palTed  jhc  following  cenfure 
on  our  poetry>  as  deficient  in  this  Te£pe€t, 

"  La  poefia  dei  popuVi  fftintranoM  paxe  a 
me,  che,  generalm^nte  parlando,  confilh| 
piu  di  penjieri,  che  d'  immagini,  fi  compiac- 
cia  delle  riflelTione  equalmente  che  dei  &a« 
tlmenti :  non  fia  coli  particolarfggiaiaf  • 
pittorefca  come  e  la  noftra.  yirgilit>  a 
cagione  d'efempio  rapprefentando  Didooo 
quando  t(cc  alia  caccio  fa  una  tal  defcrizione 
del  fuo  veftimento,  che  tutti  i  ritrattiiti,^ 
leggendo  quel  pafTo,  la  veftirebbonp  a  ui) 
modo : 

Tandem  progreditur,  magn^  ftip&nte  catcxriW 
Sidoniam  pidlo  cbiamydem  circuindftta  limbai 
Cui  pharctra  ex  auro,  crines  nodantur  ia  uinioif 
Aurea  purpuream  fubnedit  fibula  veftem, 

Non  coll  11  MiLTONO  quandp  defcrive  la 
nuda  bellezza  di  Eva : 

Grace  was  in  all  ber  ftcps,  hetv'n  in  ber  tjt. 

In  every  gefture,  dignity  and  love. 

Con  quella  parole  geoerale,  e  afirattt  idce 

di 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       229 

41  grazia^  cielo,  amore«  e  maefla  non  pare 
9,  lei  che  ognuno  fi  formi  i(i  (xieiite  una  Eva 
apoftafua?"^ 

It  muft  indeed  be  granted^  that  this  paf- 
fage  gives  no  diflinA  and  particular  idea  of 
the  perfon  of  Eve ;  but  in  how  many  others 
has  Milton  drawn  his^^j^r^x,  and  expreffed 
his  images,  with  energy  and  diftiriBnefs  ? 

|7ndcr  a  coronet  hjs  flowing  hair 
In  cufls  on  either  cheek  playM  \  wings  he  wore 
Of  many  a  coloured  plume  fprinkled  with  gold  ; 
His  habit  fit  for  fpeed  fuccind,  and  held 
Before  his  decent  fteps  a  filver  wand  f* 

Dire  was  the  toffing,  deep  the  groans ;  DKSPAilt 
Tended  ^e  fick,  bufieft  from  couch  to  couch  ; 
And  over  them  triumphant  Death  his  dart 
Shook,  but  delayed  to  ftrike  %. 

From  his  flack  hand  the  garland,  wreath'd  for  Eve, 
Down'dropt,  and  all  the  faded  rofes  (bed ;  . 
Speechlefs  he  flood,  and  pale  I  § 

And  Spencer,  the  mailer  of  Milton,  to 
much  abounds  in  portraits  peculiarly  mark- 

^  See  hit  works.  Leghorn,  t.  8.     f  Par.  Loft^  b.  iii*  r.  640. 
}  B.  zi*  tr.  489.  \  B.  ix.  T.  892, 

ed. 


^2o    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

td,  and  ftrongly  created,  that  it  is  difficult 
to  know  which  to  fclcft  from  this  copious 
magazine  of  the  moft  lively  painting.  The 
fame  may  be  faid  of  Shakespeare  ;  whofe 
iittlp  touches  of  nature  it  is  no  wonder 
Voltaire  could  not  reli£h,  who  affords 
no  example  pf  this  beauty  in  his  Henriade^ 
and  gives  no  proofs  of  a  pSturefaue  fancy ^  iij 
a  work  that  abounds  more  in  declamation ^  in 
moral  and  political  refle£ttons^  than  in  poe- 
tic iipages ;  in  which  there  is  little  char^^er 
and  lefs  nature^  and  in  which  the  ju^thor 
himfelf  appears  throughout  the  piece^  and  if 
himfelfthe  hero  of  hif  poem. 

I  HAVE  dwelt  the  longer  on  this  fubjed, 
becaufe  I  think  I  can  perceive  many  fymp- 
toms,  even  among  writers  of  eminence^  of 
departing  from  thefe  true  and  lively^  and 
minute^  reprefentations   of  Nature,   and  of 

« 

dwelling  in  generalities.  To  thefe  I  oppofb 
the  teflimony  of,  perhaps  the  moft  judi- 
cious and  elegant  critic  among  the  ancients. 
Froculdubio  qui  dicit  expugnatam  efle  civi« 

^     tatem. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       231 

tatem>  compleditur  omnia  qua^unque  talis 
fortuna  recipit :  fed  in  afFedlus  minus  pene- 
trat  brcvis  hie  velut  nuntius.  At  fi  aferias 
haec  quae  vcrbo  uno  inctufa  erant,  appare-' 
bunt  efFufae  per  domos  ac  templa  fiamma^ 
&  ruentium  tedtorum  fragor^  &  ex  diveriis 
clamoribus  unus  quidem  fonus  \  aliorum 
fuga  incerta;  ahi  in  extreme  comptexd  fuo- 
rum'cohaerentes,  &  infantium  fsminarumque 
ploratus,  &  mal^  ufque  in  ilium  diem 
iervati  fato  fenes  i  turn  ilia  profanorum  fa* 
crorumque  direptio^  efferentium  praedas,  repe-- 
tentiumqu&  difcurfus,  &  aSli  ante  fuum  quif« 
que  prasdonem  catenatu  &  conata  retinere 
infant  em  fuum  mater  ^  &  ficubi  majus  lu- 
crum efly  pugna  inter  vidiores.  Licet  enim 
hsc  omnia,  ut  dixi,  comple£tatur  everfio^ 
Minus   est    tamen  •  totum    dicere, 

<yJAM  OMNIA  *• 

%  I .  Who  hung  with  woods  yon  mountain's  ful try  brow  ? 
From  the  dry  rock  who  bade  the  waters  flow  ? 

*  QuintiI'IaKa  lib.  viii.  cap.  3. 

Not     ' 


83*    ESSAY  ON  THE  WWTlNGS 

Kot  to  the  *  ftiet  in'ufeleft  oolaniito  toft. 
Or  in  proud  ftllt  magnificently  loft  i 
But  clear  and  artlefa,  pouring  thra'  rbe  pluftf 
Health  to  the  lick,  and  folace  to  the  Twain.. 
Whole  caufeway  parts  the  vale  with  fludy  rows  f 
Whofc  Teats  the  weary  tnreller  repofe  t 
Who  taught  that  heav'n-direded  fphe  to  rife  i 
**  The  Mam  of  Ross,"  each  lifinng  babe  repliet* 
Behold  the  niaiket*place  with  poor  o'erfpread  I 
The  Man  of  S.ofs  divides  the  weekly  bread. 

*  Hu  not  the  learned  commeiiutor,  in  hii  aote  on  dtii 
paflage»  given  an  iJU&ratioQ  rtfher  hard  and  far-dboghCt  iS 
the  foil  owing  words  i 

"  The  intimatin  in  the  firft  line-  well  ridicalM  the  mad* 
"  n*fi  of  fafluonable  mag^i&ceocc  ;  thefe  colnmni  alpirisg 
"  to  prop  the  Ikiei,  in  a  very  different  lenfe  fnna  tha 
'*  heave n-direOcd  fpire  ia  the  verfe  that  fbllowi ;  ai  tlis 
"  txprtffisw  in  the  fecond  line  cxpofei  the  mtaMmtfi  of  it,  iai 
*' falling  preudlj,  to  noparpore."^Perhap(  the  fame  niMgr 
be  laid  of  a  note  that  fbllotn,  m  verfe  333. 

"  Cutler  and  Brntnt,  dying*  both  exclatn, 
"  Virtue  and  wealth !  what  are  ye  but  a  name  ! 
"  There  is  a  greater  beauty  in  thti  comparifbn  th^  the 
"  common  reader  it  aware  of.  Brutui  wu,  in  raorali  at 
"  leaA,  a  Sieif,  like  hit  uncle.— Now  Snitnl  mrttu  vu,  as 
"  our  author  truly  tells  U3,  not  intrtifi  bat  afml^.  Co&« 
"  traded  all,  retiring  to  the  breaft.  In  a  word,  like  Sir 
"  J.  Cutler's  fyrfi,  nothing  for  ufe,  but  kept  dole  IhDt« 
"  and  centered  all  within  himfelf.  Xow  <oirtiu  and  <w§M&i, 
*'  that   circumftaoced,  «t«    indeed  no   other  tEan  mere 


.^"■^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     433 

He  feeds  yon  alms-houre,  neat^  but  void  of  flate. 
Where  Age  and  Want  fit  fmiling  at  the  gate  \ 
Him  portion 'd  maids,  apprentic'd  orphans  bleft. 
The  young  who  labour,  and  the  old  who  reft  *« 

These  lines,  which  arc  eminently  bcauti* 
ful,  particularly  one  of  the  three  laft,  con- 
taining a  fine  profopopoeia,  have  conferred 
immortality  on  a  plain,  worthy,  and  ufeful 
citizen  of  Herefordfhirc^  Mr.  John  Ryrle, 
who  fpent  his  long  life  in  advancing  and 
contriving  plans  of  public  utility.  The 
Howard  of  his  time  :  who  deferves  to  be 
celebrated  more  than  all  the  heroes  of  PiM-^ 
DAR,  The  particular  rcafon  for  which  I 
quoted  them,  was  to  obferve  the  pleafing 
cfFeft  that  the  ufe  of  common  and  familiar 
words  and  objedts,  judicioufly  managed,  pro- 
duce in  poetry.  Such  as  are  here  the  words, 
taufevoay^feats^J^ire^  market --place  ^  alms-boufe^ 
cpprenticd.  A  faftidious  delicacy,  and  a 
faAfe  refinement,  in  order  to  avoid  meannefs, 
have  deterred  our  writers  from  the  introduc- 

•  V.  .53. 

Vol.  II.       ■  H  h  tioa 


234     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

tion  of  fuch  words;  but  Drvden  often  ha- 
zarded it,  and  it  gave  a  fecrct  charm,  and  a 
natural  air  to  his  verfes. 

22.  Sir  Balaam  now,  he  lives  like  other  folks. 

He  takes  his  chirping  pint,  ancl  cracks  his  jokes  : 
**  Live  like  yourfclf,"  was  foon  my  Lady's  word; 
And  lo  !  two  puddings  fmok'd  upon  the  board  *• 

This  tale  of  Sir  Balaam,  his  progrefs  and 
change  of  manners,  from  being  a  plodding, 
fober,  plain,  and  punftual  citizen,  to  his  be- 
coming a  debauched  and  diffolute  courtier 
and  fenator,  abounds  in  much  knowledge 
of  life,  and  many  ftrokes  of  true  humour^ 
and  will  bear  to  be  compared  with  the  ex- 
quifite  hiftory  of  Corufodes,  in  one  of 
Swift's  Intelligencers. 

Load  Bathurst,  Lord  Lyttelton, 
and  Mr.  Spence,  and  other  of  his  friends, 
have  aflured  me,  that  among  intimates  Pop£ 
had  an  admirable  talent  for  telling  a  ftory^ 

^  V.  357. 

la 


'^«^I^Ui 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      235 

In  great  companies  he  avoided  fpcaking 
much.  And  in  his  examination  before  the 
Houfe  of  Lords,  in  Atterbury's  trial,  he 
faultered  fo  "much  as  to  be  hardly  intelli- 
gible. 

23.  You  fliovr  us,  Rome  was  glorious,  not  profufe. 
And  pompous  buildings  once  were  things  of  ufe  : 
Yet  (hall  (my  Lord)  your  juft,  your  noble  rules. 
Fill  half  the  land  with  imitating-fools*. 

Thus  our  author  addrefles  the  Earl  of 
Burlington,  who  was  then  publifliing  the 
defigns  of  Inigo  Jones,  and  the  Antiquities 
of  Rome  by  Palladio.  *•  Never  was  pro- 
tedion  and  great  wealth  •f-"  (fays  an  able 
judge  of  the  fubjedt)  **  more  generoufly  and 
judicioufly  difFufcd,  than  by  this  great 
pcrfon,  who  had  every  quality  of  a  genius 
and  artift,  except  envy.  Though  his  own 
defigns  were  more  chafle  and  claflic  than 
Kent's,  he  entertained  him  in  his  houfe  'till 
his  death»  and  was  more  (ludious  to  extend 

•  V.  25. 

f  Mr*  Walpole,  p.  108*  Anecdotes  of  Painting,  vol.  ir« 

H  h  2  his 


436    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

his  friend's   fame  than  his  own.      As  wo 
have  few  famples  of  architedlurc  more  an-- 
tique  and  impofing  than  the  colonnade  with^ 
in  the  court  of  his  houfe  in  Piccadilly,  I 
cannot  help  mentioning  the  effect  it  had  on 
myfelf,    I  had  not  only  never  feen  it,  but 
had  never  heard  of  it,   at  leaft  with  any 
attention,  when,  foon  after  my  return  front 
Italy,  I  was  invited  to  a  ball  at  Burling* 
ton-houfe.     As  I  paffed  under  the  gate  by 
night,  it  could  not  ftrike  me.      At  day- 
break, looking  out  of  the  window  to  fee  the 
fun  rife,  I  was  furprized  with  the  vifion  of 
the  colonnade  that  fronted  me.     It  feemed 
one  of  thofe  edifices  in  Fairy  Tales,  that  arc 
jraifed  by  genii  in  a  night's  time." — Popk 
having  appeared  an  excellent  moralifi  in  the 
foregoing  epiflles,  in  this  appears  to  be  as 

excellent  a  ^  connoiffeur^  and  has  given  not 

^  Though  he  always  thought  highly  of  ^i/y(/0«*s  Letter 
from  Italy,  yet  he  thought  the  poet  had  fpoken  in  terms  too 
general  of  the  fineft  binldingt  and  paintings,  and  without 
mwk  4ifcriia»nawi»  of  tafte. 

only 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,     zf; 

only  fome  of  oMxfirJl^  but  our  bejl  rules  and 
obfcrvations  on  architecture  and  gardenings 
but  particularly  on  the  latter  of  thefe  ufcful 
and  entertaining  arts,  on  which  he  has  dwelt 
more  largely,  and  with  rather  more  know- 
ledge of  the  fubjeft.  The  foUowingis  copied 
verbatim  from  a  little  paper  which  he  gave 
to  Mr.  ♦  Spence.  V  Arts  are  taken  from 
**  nature,  and,  after  a  thoufand  vain  efforts 
**  for  improvements,  arc  beft  when  they  re- 
**  turn  to  their  firft  fimplicity.  A  iketch 
*•  or  analyfis  of  the  firft  principles  of  each 
**. art,  with  their  firft  confequences,  might 
*•  be  a  thing  of  moft  excellent  fcrvice.  Thus, 
*'  for  inftance,  all  the  rules  of -f-  architedturo 
•*  might  be  reducible  to  three  or  four  heads  j 
^*  the  juftncfs   of  the  openings ;   bearings 

*  *'  Who  had  both  tafle  and  zeal  for  the  prefent  flyle/' 
ikyt  Mr.  Walpole,  p.  134. 

t  Oar  author  was  fo  delighted  with  Graevius,  that  ho 
drew  op  a  little  Latin  treatife  on  the  chief  buildings  of 
Rome,  colleded  from  this  aotiqaarian.  Mr^  Gray  had  alio 
im  exqailite  tafte  in  architeAarOj  joined  to  the  knowledge  of 
pn  accurate  antiquarian.  See  the  introdu^ion  to  Bentham't 
fiiftory  of  Ely  Cathedral^  fuppofed  to  be  drawn  up  by 
Qnji  Qt  Qflder  his  eye. 

\o  ♦'  upon 


438  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
*'  upon  bearings;  the  regularity  of  the  pil- 
**  lars,  &ۥ  That  which  is  not  juft  in  build- 
ings is  difagreeable  to  the  eye  (as  a  greater 
upon  a  Icfler,  &c,)  and  this  may  be  called 
^*  the  *  reafoning  of  the  eye.  In  laying  out 
^^  a  garden,  the  firfl  and  chief  thing  to  be 
**  confidered  is  the  genius  of  the  place. 
**  Thus  at  Rifkins,  now  called  Peircy  Lodgc^ 
**  Lord  *  ♦  *  (hould  have  raifed  two  or  three 
''  mounts,  becaufe  his  fituation  is  all  a  plain» 
•*  and  nothing  can  pleafe  without  variety,'* 

Mr.  Walpole,  in  his  elegant  and  enter- 
taining Hiftory  of  Modern  Gardening,  has 
clearly  proved  that  Kent  was  the  artift  to 
whom  the  Englifli  nation  was  chiefly  in- 
debted for  diffufing  a  taflc  in  laying  out 
grounds,  of  which  the  French  and  Italians 
have  no  idea.  But  he  adds,  much  to  the 
credit  of  our  author,  that  Pope  undoubt- 

•  To  fee  all  the  beauties  that  a  place  was  fufccptible  of, 
was  to  pofTefs,  ai  Mr.  Pice  exprefled  it,  *'  Tht  frophetic  ift  §f 

ediy 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      239 

cdly  contributed  to  form  Kent's  tafte.  The 
defign  of  the  Prince  of  Wales's  garden  at 
Carlton  Houfe,  was  evidently  borrowed  from 
the  Poet's  at  Twickenham.  There  was  a 
little  affcfted  modefty  in  the  latter,  when  he 
faid  of  all  his  works  he  was  mod  proud  of 
his  garden.  And  yet  it  was  a  Angular  effort 
of  art  and  tafte  to  imprefs  fo  much  variety 
and  fcenery  on  a  fpot  of  five  acres.  The 
palling  through  the  gloom  from  the  grotto 
to  the  opening  day,  the  retiring  and  again 
aflcmbling  {hades,  the  dulky  groves,  the 
larger  lawn,  and  the  folemnity  of  the  termi- 
nation at  the  cyprefTes  that  lead  up  to  his 
mother's  tomb,  are  managed  with  exquifite 
judgment ;  and  though  *  Lord  Peterborough 
^ilifted  him, 

*  I  cannot  forbear  adding,  in  this  place,  the  following 
anecdote  from  Pope  to  Mr.  Spence;  which  I  give  in  his  own 
words:—*'  Lord  Peterboroagh,  after  a  vifit  to  Fbniloh^ 
'*  Archbifhop  of  Cambray,  faid  to  me — Fenelon  is  a  man 
*'  that  was  call  in  a  particular  mould,  that  was  never  made 
*'  nfe  of  for  any  body  elfe.  He's  a  delicious  creature  1  But 
^*  1  was  forced  to  get  from  him  as  foon  as  I  poflibly  could, 
5'  for  elfe  he  would  have  made  mcfioMt.*[ 

Tq 


240    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

To  form  his  quincunx  and  to  rank  his  vineis ; 

thofc  were  not  the  moft  plcafing  ingredienti 
of  his  little  perfpeftive.  I  do  not  know 
whether  the  difpofition  of  the  garden  at 
Roufham,  laid  out  for  Genefal  Dormer, 
and  in  my  opinion  the  mofl  engaging  of  all 
Kent's  works,  was  not  planned  on  the  model 
of  Mr.  Pope's,  at  leaft  in  the  opening  and 
retiring  "  fhades  of  Venus's  Vale/* 

It  ought  to  be  obferved,  that  many  years 
before  this  epiflle  was  written,  and  before. 
Kent  was  employed  as  an  improver  of 
grounds,  even  fo  early  as  the  year  17131 
Pope  feems  to  have  been  the  very  firft  per- 
fon  that  cenfured  and  ridiculed  the  formal, 
]French,  Dutch,  falfe  and  unnatural,  mode  in 
gardening,  by  a  paper  in  the  Guardian, 
Number  173,  levelled  againfl  capricious 
operations  of  art,  and  every  fpecies  of  ver^ 
dant  fculpture,  and  inverted  nature ;  which 
paper  abounds  with  wi(  as  well  as  ta/ie^  and 
ends  with  a  ridiculous  catalogue  of  various 

figures 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       241 

I 

Bgures  cut  in  ever-greens.     Neither  do  I 
think  that  thefe  four  lines  in  this  epiiUe,- 

Here  Amphitrite  fails  thro'  myrtle  bowVs ; 
There  gladiators  fight,  or  die  in  flow'rs : 
Un-water'd  fee  the  drooping  fea-horfe  mourn. 
And  fwallows  rooft  in  Nil  us'  dufty  urn  *» 

lo  at  all  excel  the  following  paiTage  in  his 
Gruardian  : 


*•  A  citizen  is  no  fooncr  proprietor  of  a 
couple  of  yews,  but  he  entertains  thoughts 
of  eredling  them  into  giants,  like  thofe  of 
Guildhall.  I  know  an  eminent  Cook,  who 
beautified  his  country  feat  with  a  corona- 
tion dinner  in  greens,  where  you  fee  the 
champion  flourifhing  on  horfeback  at  one 
end  of  the  table,  and  the  queen  in  perpe- 
tual youth  at  the  other." 


I 


But  it  was  the  vigorous  and  creative 
imagination*!-  of  Milton,  fuperior  to  the 

•V.iaj. 

t  Sec  Mr.  WaIpole*t  Aneodotei,  v.  W.  p.  lak 

VoLt  II«  I  i  prgudices 


JSSSi 


242     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

prejudices  of  his  times,  that  exhibited  in  his 
Eden,  the  firft  hints  and  outlines  of  what  a 
beautiful  garden  fhould  be ;  for  even  bis  be- 
loved Ariosto  and  Tasso,  in  their  luxu- 
riant pi6;ures  of  the  gardens  of  Alcin  a  and 
Armida,  fhewed  they  were  not  free  from 
the  unnatural  and  narrow  tafte  of  their  coun- 
trymen; and  even  his  mafter,  Spencer,  has 
an  artificial  fountain  in  the  midft  of  his  bowre 
ofblifs^ 

I  CANNOT  forbear  taking  occafion  to  re- 
mark in  this  place,  that,  in  the  facred  drama, 
intitled,  UAdamOy  written  and  publifhed  at 
Milan  in  the  year  1617,  by  Gio*  Battista 
And  REIN  I,  a  Florentine,  which  Milton 
certainly  had  read,  (and  of  which  Voltaire 
has  given  fo  falfe  and  fo  imperfedt  an  ac- 
count, in  his  Effay  on  the  Epic  Poets)  the 
prints  that  are  to  reprefent  Paradife  are  fijll 
of  dipt  hedges,  fquare  parterres,  flrait  walks, 
trees  uniformly  lopt,  regular  knots  and  car- ' 
pets  of  flowers,  groves  nodding  at  groveSi 
marble  fountains,  and  water- works.     And 

yet 


*mi^>wmi^amt^mmmmm 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE*      243 

yet  thefe  prints  were  defigned  by  Carlo 
Antonio  Proccachini^  a  celebrated  land-« 
fchape  painter  of  his  time^  and  of  the  fcho6l 
of  theCARRACHEs:  many  of  thofe  works  are 
ftill  adrtiiired  at  Milafl.  To  every  fcene  cjf 
this  drama  is  prefixed  a  print  of  this  artid's 
defigning.  And^  as  the  book  is  very  curious 
and  uncommon^  I  intend  to  give  a  fpeciraen 
and  analyfis  of  it  in  the  Appendix  to  this 
volume* 

It  hence  appears,  that  this  enchanting 
art  of  modern  gardening,  in  which  thii 
kingdom  claims  a  preference*  over  every 
nation  in  Europe,  chiefly  owes  its  origin 
and  its  improvements  to  two  great  poets, 
Milton  and  Pope.  May  I  be  fufFered  to 
add,  in  behalf  of  a  favourite  author,  and  who 
would  have  been  a  firft-rate  poet,  if  his  ftylc 
had  been  equal  to  his  conceptions,  that  the 

*  Id  Castell's  Villa's  of  the  Ancients  illaftrated,  folio, 
Londoni  I728«  may  be  feen  how  mach  the  celebrated  Tafcan 
rilla  refcmbled  our  gardens^  as  they  were  planned  a  few 
X'ears  ago.    Pliny's  villa  was  like  his  genius. 

I  i  2  Seofons 


i 


844    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

SeaTons  of  Thomson  have  been  very  inflru- 
mental  in  difiiifing  a  general  *  tafte  for  tfas 
beauties  of  nature  and  hmifcbap*% 

24..  To  build,  to  plant,  whatever  you  inteikly 
To  rear  the  column,  or  the  arch  to  bend. 
To  fwell  the  terrace,  or  to  link  the  grat  \ 
In  all,  let  Nature  never  be  forgot. 
But  treat  the  GoddcTs  like  a  modeft  Fair, 
Nor  over-dreff,  nor  leave  her  wholly  barej   ■ 
Let  not  each  beauty  er'ry  where  be  Tpy'd, 
When  half  the  Ikill  it  decently  to  hide. 
He  gains  all  points  who  pleafingly  confounds, 
Surprifcs,  varies,  and  conceals  the  bounds  t* 

The  bell  comments  that  have  ever  been 
given  on  thefe  fenlible  and  ilriking  pre- 
cepts>  are,  Painjhiilt  Hagleyt  die  h^tmes, 
FerfejUld,  Woborut  Stourbead,  and  Blenheim  i 
all  of  them  exquifite  fcenes  in  different 
flyles,  and  6nc  examples  oipra3ical  poetry. 

*  It  ii  only  wichia  a  few  years  that  the  pi&Dreli)Be  Tccbcs 
of  our  owQ  country.onr  lalcM,  moancaiiu,  csfcadDi,  cftvenis. 
and  caftlei,  Iiavs  beu  vifited  aid  dtfcnbed. 

t  V.  47. 

Confi^ 


* 


'  *-^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      04^ 

"25.  Confult  the  Gbnius^  of  the  place  in  all^ 
That  tells  the  waters,  or  to  rife  or  fall ; 
Or  helps  th'  ambitious  hill  the  heav'ns  to  fcalc^ 
Or  fcoops  in  circling  theatres  the  vale;  ^ 

Calls  in  the  country,  catches  opening  glades. 
Joins  willing  woods,  and  varies  fhades  from  fhadei* 
Now  breakS)  or  now  direds  th'  intending  lines* 
Paints  as  you  plant,  and  as  you  work  defigns  %• 

Would  it  not  give  life  and  vigour  to  this 
noble  profapapaiaf  if  we  were  .to  venture  to 
alter  only  one  word^  and  read,  in  the  fecond 
line^ 

Hs  tells  the  waters— 


*  Dr.  Warborton*s  difcoveries  of  fome  latent  beauties  itt 
this  paffage,  feem  to  be  firndfal  and  groandlefs,  and  never 
skoogbt  of  by  the  author.  •*  Firft,  the  Gtidus  of  the  place** 
(iays  this  oommentator)  "  tills  tbi  nuaiers,  or  fimply  gives 
*'  diredions :  then,  hi  Mps  th'  ambitious  hill^  or  is  a  fellow- 
**  labourer :  then  again,  lit /coops  the  drclin^  thuors,  or  'worit 
*'  sJoao,  and  in  thiifm  Afterwanlai«  ri£ng  faft  in  our  idea  of 
'*  dignity,  he  tmUs  m  tb§  comttry.  alluding  to  the  orders  of 
**  princes  in  their  piogrefs,  when  accufiomed  to  difphy  all 
**  their  ftale  and  magnificence:  his  charader  then  gra^ws 
**  fsund,  hejoims  mfilliug  'woods,  a  metaphor  taken  from  one 
««  of  the  ofioes  of  the  priefthood ;  till,  at  length,  he  becomes 
**  a  divinity,  and  ernttis  wxAfrsfidu  over  the  whole. 
"  Now  breaks^  Of  now  direds  ■      ■  ^*" 

inftead 


246    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
inftead  of 
That  tells—  ? 

Our  nuthor  is  never  happier  than  iri  his 
allulions  to  painting,  an  art  he  fo  much  ad- 
mired and  underllood :  So  below,  at  verffl 


The  wood  fuppartt  the  plain,  the  parts  «»(>(■, 
hnAjirength  oijbadt  eontinds  with  firtngtb  of  light. 

Indeed,  the  two  arts  in  queftion  differ  only 
in  the  materials  which  they  employ.  And 
it  is  neither  exaggeration  or  affet^tion  to 
call  Mr.  Brown  a  great  fainter;  for  he  has 
realized 

Whate'er  Lorkain  light-touch'd  with  fortening  hue. 
Or  favagc  Rosa  dalfa'd,  or  learned  Poussin  drew  *• 

26.  Still  follow  fenfe,  of  ev'ry  art  toe  foul. 

Farts  anfwering  parts  fliall  Hide  into  a  Whole  j 
Spontaneous  beauties  all  around  advance. 
Start  ev'n  from  difficulty,  ftrilte  from  chance; 
Nature  (hall  join  you ;  Time  fhall  make  it  grow, 
A  work  to  wonder  at— perhaps  a  Stow  t- 

•  Caftlc  of  Indolence,  ft  38.  f  V.  6;. 

I  MtrST 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      247 

I  MUST  confcfs  (fays  the  Earl  of  Peter- 
borough, Letter  34,  vol.  viii.)  that  in  going 
to  Lord  Cobham's  I  was  not  led  by  curiofity : 
I  went  thither  to  fee  what  I  had  feen,  and 
what  I  was  Aire  to  like.     I  had  the  idea  of 
thofe  gardens  fo  fixed  in  my  imagination  by 
many  delcriptions,   that  nothing  furprized    , 
me ;  Immenfity  and  Van  Brugh  appear  in 
the  whole,  and  in  every  part.     Your  joining 
in  your  letter  animal  and  vegetable  beauty» 
makes  me  ufe  this  expreflion  :  I  confcfs  the 
ftately  Sacharissa  at  Stow,  but  am  con- 
tent with  my  little  Amoret."  (meaning  Be- 
vis  Mount,  near  Southampton.)     It  is  plain, 
therefore,  that  Lord  P.  was  not  pleafed  with 
thefe  gardens ;    but   they  have,   fince  his 
time,  received  many  capital  alterations  and 
additions;  of  which  the  ingenious  author  of 
Obfervationi  on  Modern  Gardening  has  given 
an  accurate  account,  and  a  minute  analyfis, 
in  page  213  of  his  entertaining  work;  and  ■ 
he  concludes  his  defcription  in  the  follow- 
ing   words  :    *'  Magnificence  and    fplcndor 
^e  the  chara^eriftics  of  Stow;  it  is  like 

6  QOC 


14-9  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
one  of  thofe  places  celebrated  in  anttquity, 
which  were  devoted  to  the  purpofcs  of 
religion,  and  filled  with  facred  groves,  hal- 
lowed fountains,  and  templet  dedicated  to 
feveral  deities  j  the  refort  of  diftant  nationip 
and  the  object  of  veneration  to  half  the  heft- 
then  world;  this  pomp  is,  at  Stow,  blended 
with  beauty ;  and  the  place  is  equally  diftin- 
gui^ied  by  its  amenity  and  grandeur." 

a;.  And  Nero's  terraces  defert  their  mils  *. 

This  line  is  obfcure ;  it  is  difficult  to  know 
what  is  meant  by  the  terraces  de&rting  their 
walls.  In  line  1^2,  below,  is  another  obfcu- 
rity; — ''  iiis  hard  heart  denies"— it  does  not 
immediately  occur  wiefi  heart,  the  word  ii 
fo  far  feparated  from  the  perfon  intended* 

jS.  Ev'n  in  an  ornament  it's  place  remarlc. 
Nor  in  »n  hermitage  fet  Da.  CLAKKS-f 

Thcfe 


AND  GENIUS  OF  PbPE.       240 

These  lines  are  as  ill-placed,  and  as  inju- 
dicious, as  the  bufto  which  they  were  dc- 
iigned  to  cenfure.  Pope  caught  an  aver- 
fion  to  this  excellent  man  from  Koling- 
BROKE,  who  hated  Clarke,  not  only  be- 
caufe  he  had  written  a  book,  which  this 
faihionable  philofopher  could  not  confute, 
but  bccaufe  he  was  a  favourite  of  Queen 
Caroline.  In  our  author's  manufcripts 
were  two  other  lines  upon  this  writer ; 

Let  Clarki  live  half  his  days  the  poor's  Tupport, 
But  let  htm  pafs  the  other  h^f  at  Court. 

His  AttributeSt  arid  his  SermonSy  will  be  read 
and  admired  by  all  lovers  of  good  reafoning^ 
as  long  as  this  Epiftle  by  all  lovers  of  good 
foetry; 

29.  At  Timoh's  villa  let  us  pafs  a  day. 

Where  all  cry  out, "  What  fums  are  thrown  a»ay*  I" 

The  whole  gang  of  malignant  and  dirty 
fcribblcrs,  who  envied  the  fuccefs  and  fupe- 

•  V.»9- 

VoL.  U.  K  k  nor 


fl50    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

rior  merit  of  Pope,  was  In  arms  at  this  dc- 
fcription,  which  they  applied  to  the  Diike 
of  Chandos,  and  his  houfe  at  Canons.  Wel- 
fted  publiihed  in  folio  a  moft  abufivc  libel, 
entitled,    Of   Dulncfs    and    Scandal,    offtf-     j 
fioncd  by  the  CharaBer  of  Lord  timon,  6cc, 
And  Lady  Wortlcy  Montague  joined  in  the 
accufation,  in  her  Verfes  addreflcd  to  the  Imt- 
tatar  of  Horace  *.     The  Duke,  the'  at  firft 
alarmed,  wa?,  it  is   faid,  afterwards  con- 
vinced of  our  author's  innocence.     I  have 
thought  it  not  improper  to  infert  at  length. 
the  following  letter,  as  it  contains  the  moit 
direct  and  pojuive  denial  of  this  faft;   as  it: 
was  written  at  the  very  time,  to  a  privates' 
friend,  and  expreired  all  Pope's  feelings  oik- 
thc  fubjei^ ;  and  as  it  is  not  to  be  found  ii^- 
this  edition  of  his  works.     It  is  addrejQed  to^ 

•Tkefearetlielinej.    Fige  ;,  folio.    LondoD,fbr  A.Dodd    - 
But  if  thou  fee'ft  2  great  and  generom  hem. 
Thy  bow  is  doubly  bent  to  force  a  dart. 
Nor  only  jullice  vainly  we  demand. 
But  even  benefits  can't  rein  thy  hand; 
To  this,  or  that,  alike  in  vun  we  truft. 
Nor  find  thee  left  uDgntcful  than  unjull. 

I  Aaroa 


-1-  — ?np" 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       251 

Aaron  Hill,  Efq;  an  afFcdled  and  fuftian  *  wri- 
ter, but  who,  by  fome  means  or  other,  gained 
our  author's  confidence  and  friendfliip. 

Twickenham,  Dec.  22,  1731- 

Dear  Sir, 

T  THANK  you  for  your  Tragedy,  which 

I  have  read  over  a  fixth   time,  and  of 

which  I  not  only  prefcrve,  but  increafe,  my 

•  See  his  Athelwood— and  his  Merope,  which  I  have  fre- 
quently reproached  Mr.  Garrick  for  adling— his  Poem  on 
idling— >his  poem  in  praife  of  Blank  Verfe,  which  begins 
(hus  I  and  which  one  woald  think  was  burlefijue  : 

Up,  from  Rhyme's  poppied  vale !  and  ride  the  florm 
That  thunders  in  blank  verfe  !— • 

See  his  works  throughout,  in  4  vols,  oflavo  ;  from  which 
the  treatifc  on  the  Bathos  might  have  been  much  enriched 
with  many  truly  ridiculous  examples,  viz. 

Some  black. fouTd  Fiend,  fome  Fury  ris'n  from  heU 
fLsLS  darken'd  all  difcernment.  Merope. 

Thro'  night's  eye 

^aw  the  pale  murdcrpr  ftall;  !  Ibid* 

Some  hint's  ofncious  reach  had  touch'd  her  ear. 

One  is  furprized  (hat  fucl^  a  writer  ^oM  be  an  intin;ate 
friend  of  Bolingbroke,  Pope,  an  J  Thomfon .  He  was,  however, 
one  of  the  very  firil  perfons  who  took  notice  of  the  Uft*  on  the 
publication  of  Winter,  on  which  he  wrote  a  complimentary 
copy  of  verfet.  See  a  letter  of  Thomfon's  to  Hill,  dated 
Goodmnn's  Coffee-houfe,  1726. 

K  k  2  cflcem. 


252    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

cfteem.  You  have  been  kind  to  this  age, 
in  not  telling  the  next,  in  your  preface,  the 
ill  tufte  of  the  town ;  of  which  the  reception 
you  defcribe  it  to  have  given  of  your  play— • 
worle,  indeed,  than  I  had  heard,  or  could 
have  imagined — is  a  more  flagrant  inftanco 
than  any  of  thofe  trifles  mentioned  in  my 
Epijlle ;  which  yet,  I  hear,  the  fore  vanity  of 
our  pretenders  to  tafte  flinches  at  extremely. 
The  title  you  mention  had  been  properer  to 
that  Epiflle. — I  have  heard  no  criticifms 
about  it,  nor  do  I  liften  after  them.  Nos 
haec  novimus  efle  nihil.  (I  mean,  I  think 
the  verfes  to  be  fo  :)  But  as  you  are  a  man 
of  tender  fentiments  of  honour,  I  know  it 
will  grieve  you  to  hear  another  undefcrvedly 
charged  with  a  crime  his  heart  is  free  from ; 
for,  if  there  is  truth  in  the  world,  I  declare 
to  you,  I  never  imagined  the  leaft  applica- 
tion  of  what  I  faid  of  Timoa  could  b2 

made  to  the  D —  of  Ch s,  than  whom 

there  is  fcarce  a  more  blamelefs,  worthy, 
and  generous,  beneficent  chara6ler,  among 
all  our  nobility :  And  if  I  have  not  loft  my 

fenfes^ 


mtm^mm^- 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       253 

ifcnfes,  the  town  has  loft  'em,  by  what  I 
heard  fo  late  as  but  two  days  ago,   of  the 
uproar  on  this  head.     I  am  certain,  if  you 
calmly  read  every  particular  of  that  defcrip- 
tion,  you'll  find  almoft  all  of  em  point- 
blank  the  reverfe  of  that  perfon's  villa.     It's 
an  aukward  thing  for  a  man  to  print,  in  de- 
fence of  his  own  work,  againft  a  chimaira : 
you  know   not   who,   or   what,  you  fight 
figainft;  the  objedlions  ftart  up  in  a  new 
^ape,  like   the   armies   and   phantoms    of 
magicians,  and  no  weapon  can  cut  a  mift  or 
^  fhadow.  Yet  it  would  have  been  a  pleafure 
to  me,  to  have  found  fpme  friend  faying  a 
word  in  my  juftification,  againft  a  malicious 
falftiood.     I  fpeak  of  fuch^  as  have  known 
by  their  own  experience,  thefe  twenty  yearSj, 
that  I  always  took  up  their  defence,  when 
any  ftream  of  calumny  ran  upon  them.     If 
it  gives  the  Duke  one  moment's  uneafinefs, 
J  (hould  think  mylclf  ill  paid,  if  the  whojc 
earth  admir'd  the  poetry;  and,  believe  me, 
would  rather  never  have  written  a  verfc  in 
my  life,  than  any  one  of 'em  fhould  trouble  a 

trulyj 


«54    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

truly  good  man.  It  was  once  my  cafe  be- 
fore^ but  happily  reconciled;  and»  among 
generous  minds^  nothing  fo  indears  friends» 
as  the  having  offended  one  another.  I  la- 
ment the  malice  of  the  age»  that  ftudies  to 
fee  its  own  likenefs  in  every  thing ;  I  la-» 
ment  the  dulnefs  of  it,  that  cannot  fee  an 
excellence :  The  firfl  is  my  unhappinefs, 
the  fecond  your*s ;  I  look  upon  the  fate  of 
your  piece,  like  that  of  a  great  treafurc, 
which  is  bury'd  as  fpon  as  brought  to  light; 
but  it  is  fure  to  be  dug  up  the  next  age,  an4 
enrich  poflerity,'* 

» 

30*  His  ftudy  !  with  what  authors  is  it  ftor'd  } 
In  Books,  not  Authors,  curious  is  my  Lord ; 
To  all  their  dated  backs  he  turns  you  round  ; 
Thefe  Aldus  printed,  thefe  Du  Sueil  has  bound : 
Lo  ?  Tome  are  vellum,  and  the  reft  as  good. 
For  all  his  Lordfhip  knows  j  but  they  are  wood  ^. 

There  is  a  flatnefs  and  infipidity  in  the 
lafl  couplet,  much  below  the  ufual  manner  of 
our  author.  Yovng  has  been  more  fprightly 
:^nd  poignant  on  the  fame  fubjedt. 

•  V.  133. 

With 


riMr 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       255 

With  what^  O  Codrus  I  is  thy  fancy  fmit  ? 
The  dower  of  learning,  and  the  bloom  of  wit* 
Thy  gaudy  (helves  with  crimfon  bindings  glow. 
And  Epictstus  is  a  perfeA  beau ; 
How  fit  for  thee  !  bound  up  in  crimfon  too^ 
Gilt,  and  like  them  devoted  .to  the  view* 
Thy  books  zxtfurniturem     Methinks  'tis  hard 
That  Science  fhould  be  purchased  by  the  yard  ; 
And  ToNsoN,  turn'd  upholfterer,  fend  home 
The  gilded  leather  to  //  up  thy  xoom  *• 

31.  Where  j^tfw/t  the  Saints  of  Verrio  and  La* 

GUERRE  t« 

One  fingle  verb  has  marked  with  felicity 
and  force  the  diflorted  attitudes,  the  inde*- 
cent  fubjedts,  the  want  of  nature  and  grace, 
fo  vifible  in  the  pieces  of  thefe  two  artifts, 
employed  to  adorn  §  our  royal  palaces  and 
chapels.      ^^  I  cannot  help  thinking  (fays 

^  XTniverfal  Faflion,  Sat.  t. 

f  He  is  not  fo  happy  in  the  ufe  of  another  verb  belowy  at 
•Yerfe  153. 

The  rich  buffet  well-coloared  ferpentf  grMCim 

I  V.  146. 

%  Strange  as  it  may  feem«  yet  I  beliere  we  may  ventart 
|o  aflert,  that  there  is  not  a  painted  ceiling  or  ftair-cafe  iv 
(his  kingdom,  that  we  fliould  not  be  afliamcd  to  ihew  to  aa 
intelligent  foreigner* 

Pope 


256    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITING^ 

Pope  to  Mr.  Allen,  in  Letter  89,  vol.  ix.) 
and  I  know  you  will  join   with  me,  whd 
have  bebn  making  an  altar-piece,  that  the 
zeal  of  the  firfl  reformers  was  ill-placed, 
in  removing  piSlures  (that  is  to  fay,  exam^ 
pies)  out  of  churthes  * ;  and  yet  fuffering 
epitaphs  (that  is  to  fay,  flatteries  and  falfe 
hiftory)  to  be  a  burthen  to  church- walls,  and 
the  (hame  as  well  as  derifion  of  all  honefl 
men." — This  is  the  fentiment,  it  may  be 
faid,  of  a  papijlical  poet  ^  and  yet  I  cannot 
forbear  thinking  it  is  founded  on  good  fenfe, 
and  religion  well-underftood.  Notwithftand- 
ing  the  illiberal  and  ill-grounded  rage  which 
has  lately  been  excited  againft  Popery,  yet  I 
hope  we  may  ftill,  one  day,  fee  our  places  of 
worihip  beautified  with  proper  ornaments, 
and  the  generofity  and  talents  of  our  living 
artiAs  perpetuated  on  the  naked  walls  of  St* 
Paul's. 

^  The  cbi4>el  of  New  College  In  Oxfonl  will  foon  receive 
k  fingolar  and  invaluable  ornament :  A  window,  the  glaff 
of  which  ife  ftained  by  Mr*  Jiavia,  from  that  exijuifite  pic* 
tare  of  the  Nativity  by  Sir  Joihua  Reynolds* 

32- To 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      257 

32.  To  reft  the  culhion  and  foft  Dean  invite. 
Who  never  mentions  hell  to  ears  polite  ♦• 

This  it  fcems  was  a  fail  concerning  a  cer- 
tain fmooth^  and  fupple,  and  inoffeniive  Di- 
vine, one,  we  may  imagine,  that  held  the  doc- 
trines which  Dr.  Toung  fo  agreeably  laughs 
at  in  his  fixth  fatire : 

'^  Shall  pleafures  of  a  (hort  duration  chain 

*^  A  Lady^s  foul  in  everlafting  pain  ? 

•*  Will  the  great  Author  us  poor  worms  deftroy, 

"  For  now  and  then  zfip  of  tranficnt  joy  ?" 

No,  he's  for  ever  in  a  fmiling  mood. 

He's  like  themfelves ;  or  how  could  he  be  good  ? 

And  they  blafpheme,  who  blacker  fchemes  fuppofe.«-« 

Devoutly  thus,  Jehovah  they  depofe 

The  pure,  the  juft  I  and  fct  up  in  his  ftead, 

A  deity,  that's  perfcftly  well-bred  f 

33.  Yet  hence  the  poor  are  cloath'd,  the  hungry  fed  ; 
Health  to  himfelf,  and  to  his  infants  bread 
The  lab'rcr  bears  f      

•  V.  149.  t  V.  169. 

Vol.  II.  LI  A  fine 


■*l^'« 


258     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

A  fine  turned  and  moral  refledtion,  .which 
illuftrates  the  dodtrines  of  his  EflTay,  in  tho 
fecond  epiflle^  when  he  fays,  at  line  237,; 

£ach  individual  fceks  a  fev'ral  goal ; 
But  Heav'n's  great  view  is  One,  aiid  that  the  whole  i 
That  counterworks  each  folly  and  caprice  | 
That  difappoints  th*  efFedk  of  every  vice  3— 
That  Virtues  end  from  Vanity  can  raife^ 
Which  fceks  no  intereft,  no  reward  but  praife; 
And  builds  on  wants,  and  on  defeAs  of  mind^ 
The  joy,  thepeate5  the  glory  of  mankind* 

That  Providence  fliould  extraft  good 
from  evil,  and  alter  its  natural  biafs  and  ma- 
lignity, is  a  doftrine  widely  different  ffom  the 
loofe  and  flagitious  principles  of  Mande-^ 
viLLE,  who  has  endeavoured  to  prove  that 
Private  Vices  are  Public  Benefits ^ 

34.  You  too  proceed !  make  falling  arti  your  care^ 
£re£t  new  wonders,  and  the  old  repair ; 
Jones  and  Palladio  to  themfelves  reftore. 
And  be  whatever  Vitruvius  was  before** 

•  V.  192. 

This 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       259 

This  is  not  fulfome  adulation,  but  only  ^ 
fuch  honeft  praife  as  the  noble  Lord  whom  he 
addrcffed  ftridtly  defervcd :  who  inherited  all 
that  love  of  fcience  and  ufeful  knowk4gc 
for  which  his  family  has  been  fo  famous. 
The  name  of  Boyle  is,  indeed,  aufpicious 
to  literature.  That  fublime  genius  and  goocj 
man,  Biihop  Berkley,  owed  his  preferment 
chiefly  to  this  accompliflied  peer,  For  it 
was  he  that  recommended  him  to  the  Duke 
-of  Grafton,  in  the  year  1721,  who  took  him 
pver  withhipi  to  Ireland  when  he  was.  Lord 
Lieutenant,  and  promoted  him  to  the  deanery 
pf  Derry-  in  the  year  1 724*,  Berkley  gained 
the  patronage  apd  friendihip  of  Lord  Bur- 

*  Attbrburv  was  defirons  of  feeing  Berkley  ;  to  whom 
he  was  introdaced  by  the  Earl  of  Berkley.  After  he  had  left 
the  rooin«  What  does  your  Lordihip  think  of  my  coafin^  faid 
the  Earl,  does  he  anfwer  your  Lordfhip*s.expedation$?  The 
Bifliop»  lifting  up  his  hands  in  aftoni(hment>  replied,"  So 
sniich  underftanding,  fo  much  knowledge,  fo  much  inno* 
cence,  and  fo  much  humility,  I  did  not  think  had  been 
ffae  portion  of  any  but  angels,  till  I  faw  this  gentleman.'^ 
Plincombe's  Letters* 

L  1  2  lington, 


a6o    ES  SAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

lington,  not  only  by  his  true  politenefs  and 
the  peculiar  charms  of  his  converfation, 
which  was  exquifite,  but  by  his  profound  and 
pcrfeft  fkill  in  architedture ;  an  art  which 
he  had  very  particularly  and  accurately  flu- 
died  in  Italy,  when  he  went  and  con  tinned -f* 
abroad  four  years,  with  Mr  Afhe,  fon  of  th^ 
Bifhop  of  Clogher.  With  an  iniiatiable  and 
philofophic  attention,  Berkley  farveyed  and 
examined  every  objedt  of  curiofity.     He  not 

f  In  this  journey  he  paid  a  vlfit  to  Father  Malebranche. 
The  converfaiion  turned  on  our  author's  celebrated  iyftem  of 
the  non-exiilence  of  matter.  Malebranche»  who  had  an  infiam* 
fnatioirin  his  lungs,  and  whom  he  found  preparing  a  medi* 
cioe  in  his  cell,  and  cooking  it  in  a  fraall  pipkin,  for  his  difi 
order,  exerted  his  voice  and  lungs  fo  violently  in  the  heat  ot 
their  difpute,  that  he  increai'ed  his  diforder,  which  carried 
him  off  a  few  days  after.  St^e  Biogr.  Britannica,  voJ.  ii.  p.  25I9 
as  it  is  highly  improved  by  the  candid  and  learned  Dr.  Kip. 
pis. — Many  a  vulgar  critic  hath  fneered  at  the  Si  a  is  of  fierk* 
ley,  for  beginning  with  Tar  and  ending  with  the  TrsMity;  in- 
capable of  obferving  the  great  art  with  which  the  tranhtioni. 
in  that  book  are  finely  made,  where  each  paragraph  depends 
on  and  arifes  out  of  the  preceding,  and  gradually  and  imper* 
cepiibly  leads  on  the  reader,  from  common  objedls  to  inoit 
lemote,  from  matter  to  fpiritj  from  earth  to  heaven. 

only 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       a6i 

only  made  the  ufual  tour,  but  went  over 
Apulia  and  Calabriay  and  even  travelled  on 
foot  through  Sicily y  and  drew  up  an  accouny 
of  that  very  claflical  ground ;  which  was  Ipft 
in  a  voyage  to  Naples,  and  cannot  be  fuf- 
ficiently  regretted.  His  generous  projeS 
for  creding  an  Univerfity  at  Bermudas,  the 
effort  of  a  mind  truly  adtive,  benevolent,  and 
patriotic,  is  fufficiently  known. 

55.  Bid  harbours  open,  public  ways  extend. 
Bid  temples  worthier  of  the  God  afcend ; 
Bid  the  broad  arch  the  dangerous  flood  contain. 

The  mole  projeSed  break  the  roaring  main ; 
Back  to  his  bounds  their  fuhjefl  fea  command. 
And  roll  obedient  rivers  through  the  land  **. 

No  country  has  been  enriched  and  adorned, 
within  a  period  of  thirty  or  forty  years,  with 
fo  many  works  of  public  fpirit,  as  Great 
Britain  has  been ;  witnefs  our  many  exten- 
0ve  roads,  cur  inland  navigations  (fome  of 

•  V.  197- 

which 


262    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

which  excel  the  boaftcd  canal  oiLanguedoc) 
the  lighting  and  the  paving  and  beautifying 
our  cities,  and  our  various  and  magnificent 
edifices.  A  general  good  tafle  has  been  dif? 
fufed  in  planting,  gardening,  and  building. 
The  ruins  of  Palmyra,  the  Antiquities  of 
Athens  and  Spalatro,  and  the  Ionian  anti- 
quities, by  W90D,  Stuart,  Adam,  and 
Chandler,  are  fuch  magnificent  monu- 
ments of  learned  curiofity  as  no  country  in 
Europe  can  equal.  Let  it  be  remembered, 
that  thefe  fine  lines  of  Pope  v^^cre  written 
when  we  had  no  Wyatt  or  Brown, 
Brindley  or  Reynolds  i  no  Weflmxnftcr 
bridge,  no  Pantheon,  no  Royal  Academy,  no 
King  that  is  at  once  a  judge  and  a  patron 
of  all  thofe  fine  arts,  tjiat  ought  to  be  em-? 
ployed  in  raifing  and  beautifying  a  palac^ 
equal  to  his  dignity  and  his  taftp. 


36.  Sec  the  wild  wafte  of  all-devouring  years. 
How  Rome  her  own  f^d  fepulchrc  appears 


This 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      26^ 

'This  is  the  opening  of  the  cpiftle  to  Mr. 
Addifon*f  upon  his  treatife  on  medals,  writ- 
ten in  that  pleafing  fofm  of  compofition  fo 
unfuccefsfully  attempted  by  many  modern 
authors,  DialoCUe.  In  no  one  fpeci^s  of 
Vriting  have  the  ancients  fo  indifputable  a 
fuperiority  over  us.  The  dialogues  of  Plato 
and  Cicero,  efpecially  the  former,  are  perfed: 
dramas ;  where  the  charadters  are  fupported 
with  confiftency  and  nature,  and  the  reafon* 
ing  fuited  to  the  charaAers* 

**  There  are  in  Englifli  T'bree  dialogues, 
and  but  three"  (fays  a  learned  and  ingenious 
author -J-,  who  has  himfelf  praftifed  this 
way  of  writing  with  fuccefs)  *<  that  deferve 

*  F2C0RiNi»  the  celebrated  virtaofo^  faid  to  Mr.  Spence^ 
at  Florence  :*-''  Addifon  did  not  go  any  great  depth  in  the 
ftttdy  of  medals :  all  the  knowledge  he  had  of  that  kind» 
I  believe  he  received  of  me  :  and  I  did  not  give  him  above 
twenty  leflbns  on  that  fubje^." 

t  Dr.  Hnrd»  in  Moral  and  Political  Dialogsei,  Preface, 
P-  H- 

commendation ; 


464    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

commendation;  namely,  the  Mor^ltfts  of 
Lord  Shaftesbury;  Mr.  Addison's 
Treatife  on  Medals ;  and  the  Minute  Phi- 
lofopher  of  Bifliop  Berkley."  Alci- 
PHRON  did,  indeed,  well  deferve  to  be  men- 
tioned on  this  occafion ;  notwithftanding 
it  has  been  treated  with  contempt  by  a 
writer*  much  inferior  to  Berkley  in  ge- 
nius, learning,  and  tafte.  Omitting  thofe 
paflages  in  the  fourth  dialogue,  where  he 
has  introduced  his  fanciful  and  whimfical 


*  Bidiop  Hoadly,  in  letters  to  Lady  Snndon,  vol.  i.  of 
his  works.  But  Sherlock  thought  highly  of  Alciphronj  and 
prefented  it  to  Queen  Caroline  with  many  encomiums.  The 
Queen  was  ufed  to  be  delighted  with  the  converfation  of  Berk- 
ley ^  and  perhaps  Hoadly  was  a  little  jealous  of  fuch  a  riVal. 
Lord  Bachurfi  told  me«  that  all  the  members  of  the  SeriSbnu'^ 
c/u&,hcing  met  at  his  houfe  at  dinner^  they  agreed  to  rally  Berk- 
ley»  who  was  alfo  his  gucfk^  on  his  fcheme  at  BermudasBerk* 
ley  having  lillcned  to  all  the  lively  things  they  had  to  fay,  beg- 
ged to  be  heard  in  his  turn;  and  difplayed  his  plan  with  fuch  an 
afloniHiing  and  animating  force  of  eloquence  and  ent]iiifiafm» 
that  they  were  llruck  dumb,  and,  after  fome  paufe,  rofe  op  all 
together  with  earneflncfs,  exclaiming— Let  vs  all  fet  oat  Vith 
him  immediate] V. 

9  opinions 


mm 


mrfjrrr . :  ■      ^^f.^ 


AND  Gl£NltJS  OF  POPE.      265 

(>pinion8  about  vtfion,  an  attentive  reader 
.  will  find  that  there  is  fcarce  a  fingle  argu- 
ment that  ean  be  urged  in  defence  of  Reve- 
lation,  but  what  is  here  placed  in  the  clear- 
eft  lights  and  in  the  mofl  beautiful  diction : 
in  this  work  there  is  a  happy  union  of  rea- 
ibning  and  imagination.  The  two  different 
characters  of  the  two  different  forts  of  free- 
thinkers>  are  ftrongly  contrafted  with  each 
other^  and  with  the  plainnefs  and  fimplicity 
^    of  Eupbranor^ 

These  Dialogues  of  Addifdn*  are  written 
with  that  fweetnefs  and  purity  of  ftyle,  that 
contribute  to  make  him  the  firft  of  our  profe- 
writers.  The  Plcafures  of  Imagination,  the 
Effay  on  the  Georgics,  and  his  lafl:  papers 
ih  the  Spectator  and  Guardian,  are  models 
of  language.     And  fome  late  writers,  who 

*  It  ii  obfervable  how  much  he  improved  aftet*  he  wfotd 
bit  Trmveb.  In  Swift's  Preface  to  Sir  W.  Temple's  works, 
and  in  his  traDilatioDs  from  the  French^  &c.  in  that  book, 
there  are  many  inaccurate  and  almoft  ongramAatical  ezpref« 
fions :  thefe  were  his  very  firft  publicationj. 

Vol.  II.  M  m  feeni 


266    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

feem  to  have  miftaken  Jitffhefs  for  Jirengtb^ 
and  are  grown  popular  by  a  pompous  rotun- 
dity of  phrafe,  make  one  wifli  that  the  rifing 
generation  may  abandon  this  unnatural,  falfe, 
and  florid  ftyle,  and  form  themfelves  on  the 
chiijler  model  of  Addilbn.  The  chief  imper- 
fedion  of  his  treatife  on  medals,  is,  that  the 
perfons  introduced  as  fpeakers,  in  dircdl  con- 
tradiftion  to  the  pracftice  of  the  ancients,  arc 
fi^Uious,  not  real:  forCvNTHio*,  Philan- 
der, PaL/^MON,  EuGENI0,andTHE0CLE8, 

cannot  equally  excite  and  engage  the  atten- 
tion of  the  reader  with  Socrates  and  Al- 
ciBiADES,  Atticus  and  Brutus,  Cow- 
ley and  Spratt,  Maynard  and  Somers. 
It  is  fomewhat  fingular,  that  fo  many  mo- 
dern dialogue-writers  ihould  have  failed  in 
tills  particular,  when  fo  many  of  the  moft 
celebrated  wits  of  modern  Italy  had  given 
them  eminent  examples  cf  the  contrary  pro- 

*  How  ill  the  forms  and  ceremonies  and  complimeiits  of 
modern  good- breeding  would  bear  cj  be  exadly  reprefentiedi 

frt  CharaJltriflU},  vol.  i.  p.  239. 

ceedinj^r 


■  ■HI  I  H«-Z--^^Ma^Hii«MMMi'<  "T^     mi  '»    ■^■m'»i 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      267 

cecding,  and,  clofcly  following  the  fteps  of 
the  ancients,  conftantly  introduced  living  and 
real  perfons  in  their  numerous  compofitions 
of  this  fort ;  in  which  they  were  fo  fond  of 
delivering  their  fentiments  both  on  moral 
and  critical  fubjefts;  witnefs  the  //  Corte- 
giano  of  B.  Castiglione,  the  Aftdani  of 
P.  Bembo,  Dialoghi  del.  S.  Sperone,  the 
Naugeriusof  Fracastorius,  and  LU.  Gv- 
n  ALDUS  Vi?  Poetis^  and  many  others.  In  all 
which  pieces,  the  famous  and  living  ge« 
niufes  of  Italy  are  introduced  as  difcufling 
the  feveral  dilFerent  topics  before  them. 

37»  Huge  theatres,  that  now  unpeopled  woods*; 

is  not  fo  poetical  as  what  Addison  fays  of 
an  amphitheatre. 

That  on  its  public  (hews  unpeopled  Romf, 
And  held,  uncrowdedj  nations  in  its  woml  f. 

•  V,  7.  t  Letter  from  Italy. 

M  m  2  But 


268    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

But  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  line 
is  eminently  beautiful ; 


Ambition  figh'd- 


38.  And  fcarce  are  feen  the  projirati  Nils  or  Rhx  nb  ; 
A  fmall  Euphrates  thro'  the  piece  is  roH'd, 
And  little  eagles  wave  their  wings  in  gold  %• 

The  two  firft-mentioned  rivers  having 
been  perfontfied^  the  Euphrates  (hould  not 
have  been  fpoken  of  as  a  mere  river.  The 
pircumftance  in  the  lafl  line  is  puerile  and 

little. 

*        • 

39.  To  gain  Pcfcennius  one  employs  his  fchcmc$ 
One  grafps  a  Cccrops  in  ccftatic  dreams  §. 

How  his  eyes  languifli !  how  his  thoughts  adore 

That  painted  coat  which  Jofeph  never  wore  ? 

He  {hews,  on  holiday 5 ^  a  facrcd  pin. 

That  toucht  the  rufF,  that  touch t  Queen  Bcfs's  chin  J]. 

A  GREAT  deal  of  wit  has  been  wafle4  on 
Antiquarians  i   whofe  fludies  are  not   only 

I  V.  28.        §  V.  J9.        II  Young,  Satire  iy. 

plcafing 


-I.   tm 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      269 

pleafing  to  the  imagination,  but  attended 
with  many  advantages  to  fociety,  efpecially 
fince  they  have  been  improved,  as  they  late* 
ly  have  been,  in  elucidating  the  moft  im-p 
portant  part  of  all  hiftory,  the  Hijiory  of 
Manners. 

4.O.  Oh  when  (hall  Britain,  confcious  pf  her  claim, 
Stand  emulous  of  Greek  and  Roman  fame  f 
In  living  medals  fee  her  wars  enroll'd, 
And  vanquifh'd  realms  fupply  recording  gold  1^ 

Addison,  in  the  ninety-fixth  paper  of  th» 
Guardian,  has  given  us  a  propofal,  which  he 
drew  up  and  delivered  to  thp  I^ord  Treafurer; 
The  paper  ends  thus ; 

It  is  propofed, 

I.  That  the  Engliih  farthings  and  half-- 
pence  be  recoined  upon  the  union  of  the 
two  nations.'  2.  That  they  bear  devices 
gnd  infcriptions  alluding  to  all  the  moft  re-^ 
markable  parts  of  her  Majefty's  reign.     3. 

II  V.  S3- 

That 


270    15:SSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

That  there  be  a  fodety  eftabliihed  for  the 
finding  out  of  proper  fubjeds,  infcriptionst 
and  devices.  4.  That  no  fubjed,  infcrip* 
tion,  or  device,  be  (tamped  without  the  ap- 
probation of  this  fociety,  nor»  if  it  be  thought 
proper^  without  the  authority  of  privy-coun- 
cil.  By  this  means^  medals,  that  are  at  pre- 
fent  only  a  dead  treafure,  or  mere  curioii- 
ties,  will  be  of  ufe  in  the  ordinary  commerce 
of  life,  and,  at  the  fame  time,  perpetuate  the 
glories  of  her  Majefly's  reign,  reward  the  la- 
bours of  her  greateft  fubjcdls,  keep  alive  in 
the  people  a  gratitude  for  publick  fervices, 
and  excite  the  emulation  of  pofterity.  To 
thefe  generous  purpofes  nothing  can  fo  much 
contribute  as  medals  of  this  kind,  which  arc 
of  undoubted  authority,  of  neceffary  ufe  and 
obfervation,  not  perifhablc  by  time,  nor  con- 
fined to  any  certain  place ;  properties  not  to 
be  found  in  books,  ftatues,  pidtures,  build- 
ings, or  any  other  monuments  of  illudrious 
ȣtions, 

41.  Then 


.J 


^mmmm^^^-»f^^  ■  i^— — ^^m^»— ^i»-— —  — ^-^^ — r^nm-t^^mL.im'Zj.i^  .  !■. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     271 

41.  Then  (hall  thy  Caaggs  (and  let  me  call  him  mine) 
On  the  caft  ore,-another  Pollio  (hine  ^,    ' 

TicKELL  -f*,  in  his  preface  to  the  works 
of  Addifon,  concludes  a  copy  of  highly  cle-r 
gant  and  polifhed  verfes^  addreffed  to  the 
Earl  of  Warwick,  with  -  the  following  fine 
lines : 

Thefe  works  divine,  which,  on  his  death-bed  laid. 
To  thee,  O  Craggtj  th' expiring  fage  convey'd. 
Great,  but  ill-omen'd  monument  of  fame. 
Nor  he  fucyivM  to  give,  nor  thou  to  claim. 
Swift  after  him  thy  fecial  fpirit  flics, 
And  clofe  to  his,  how  foon  I  thy  coffin  lies* 
Bleft  pair !  whofe  union  future  bards  (hall  tell. 
In  future  tongues;  each  othei^s  boaft  $9  farewell! 
Farewell  1  whom  join'd  in  fame,  in  friendihip  try*d. 
No  chance  could  fever,  nor  the  grave  divide. 

42.  Statefman, 

•  V.  6s. 

t  In  the  few  things  that  Tickell  wrote,  there  appear  t6 
be  a  peculiar  tericneiii  and  neatnefs. 

X  Addifon's  works  (fays  Atterbary,  Letter  x.  v.  8.)  came 
to  my  hands  yefterday,  OA.  15,  1721.  I  cannot  but  thinkit 
a  very  odd  fet  of  incidents,  that  the  book  fliould  be  dedi- 
cated by  a  dead  man  to  a  dead  man  (Mr.  Craggs)  and  ercn 
that  the  new  patron  (Lord  Warwick)  to  whom  Tickell  chofe 

ca 


272     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

42.  Statcfman,  yet  friend  to  truth  !  of  foul  fincere^ 
In  adlion  faithful,  and  in  honour  clear  ; 
Who  broke  no  promife,  ferv'd  no  private  end. 
Who  gain'd  no  title,  and  who  loft  no  friend  ^ 
Ennobled  by  himfelf,  by  all  approved. 
And  prais'd,  unenvy'd^  by  the  mufe  he  lov*df« 

These  nervous  and  finifhcd  linefi  wert 
afterwards  infcribed  as  an  epitaph  on  this 
worthy  man's  monument  in  Weftminftcf 
Abbey,  with  the  alteration  of  two  words 
in  the  laft  verfe;  which  there  flands  thus: 

Prais'd,  wept,  and  honour'd  by  the  mufe  he  lov'd. 

It  was  Cr  aggs,  who  in  the moft  friendly 
and  alluring  manner  offered  our  author  a 
penfion  of  three  hundred  pounds  per  annum; 
which  if  he  had  accepted,  we  (hould  have 
been  deprived  of  his  bcft  fatires.  Poets  have 
a  high  fpirit  of  liberty  and  independenccf. 

to  infcribe  his  verfes,  fhould  be  dead  alfo  before  they  weri 
publiihed.  Had  I  been  in  the  Editor's  place.  I  (hould  have 
been  a  little  apprehenfive  for  myfclf,  under  a  thought  that 
every  one  who  had  any  hand  in  that  work^  was  to  die  befort 
the  publication  of  it. 

•  V.  (>-]. 

10  They 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  ^     573 

They  neither  feek  or  expedl  rewards.  Me- 
CJEHASES  do  net  create  geniufes.  Neither 
Spencer  or  Milton,  or  Dante  or  Tasso, 
or  CoRNEiLLE*,  Were  patronized  by  the 
governments  under  which  they  lived.  And 
Horace  and  Virgil  and  Boileau  were 
Jormed^  before  they  had  an  opportunity- of 
flattering  Augustus  and  Lewis  XIV. 

Though  Pope  enlifted  under  the  banner 
of  Bolingbroke,  in  what  was  called  the 
country  party,  and  in  violent  oppofition  to 
the  meafures  of  Walpole,  vet  his  clear  and 
good  fenfe  enabled  him  to  fee  the  follies  and 
virulence  of  all  parties  \  and  it  was  his  fa- 
vourite maxim,  that,  however  factious  men 

•  II  n'  aimoit  point  Ic  Cour,  (fays  Fontenellc,  fpeaking 
of  his  uncle  Comeiile)  il  y  apportoit  un  vifage  prcfqu*  inconnu, 
un  grand  nom  qui  nc  s'  acdrolt  que  dcs  louanges,  &  un  mc- 
rite  qui  n'  etoic  point  le  mcri:e  de  ce  pays-U.  Tom,  iii. 
p«  126. 

N.  B.  The  piece  of  Fontcnelie,  alluded  to  in  page  115  of 
this  volume,  is  to  be  found  in  Bayle*s  NouvelUs,  &c.  vol.  v. 


Vol.  II.  N  n  thought 


S74     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
thought  proper  to  diftinguilh  themfclves  by 
names,  yet  when  they  got  into  power  they  all 
aded  much  in  the  fame  manner;  iaying, 

I  know  how  like  J^hig  mintften  to  Tory, 

And  among  his  manufcripts  were  four 
very  fenfible  lines,  which  contain  the  moft 
folid  apology  that  can  be  made  for  a  minifter 
of  this  country : 

Our  miniilers  Vikegladidtm  Vivci 
'Tis  half  their  bufiners  blows  to  wariit  or^iw; 
The  good  their  virtu  would  eSe&,  or  ftnftt 
Dies,  between  exigents  zad  fet/'de/tKct. 

Yet  he  appears  fometimes  to  have  forgottet^ 
this  candid  refleftion. 


SECT, 


as 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       275 


S  E  C  T.     XL 

Of  the  Epistle  to  Dr.  Arbuthnot. 

I.  QHUT,  (hut  the  door,  good  John !  fatigu'd,  I  faid, 
^  Tie  up  the  knocker,  fay  I'm  fick,  Vm  dead ! 
The  dog-ftar  rages !  nay,  'tis  pad  a  doubt. 
All  Bedlam  or  Parnaflus  is  let  out : 
Fire  in  each  eye^  and  papers  in  each  hand. 
They  rave,  recite,  and  madden  round  the  land  *• 

This  abrupt  exordium  is  animated  and 
dramatic.  Our  poet,  wearied  with  *hc  im- 
pertinence and  flander  of  a  mr\itude  of 
mean  fcribblers  that  attacked  him,  fuddenly 
breaks  out  with  this  fpirited  complaint  of 
the  ill  ufage  he  had  fuftained.  This  piece 
was  published  •!•  in  the  year   1734,  in  the 

•  V.  1. 

t  With  this  motto ;  Neque  fcrmonibus  fulgi  At^tv\i  te,  ncc 
in  premiis  humsnis  fpem  poi'ucris  rerum  tuarum:  fuis  te 
oportet  illecebris  ip/a  Vinui  trahac  ad  i^rum  Jccus.  Qjid 
de  te  alii  loquantur,  ipfi  videant^  fed  loqueniur  tamen. 

T'JLLY. 

N  n  2  form^ 


^76     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

form  of  an  epiftle  to  Dr.  Arbuthnot ;    it  is 
now  given  as  a  Dialogue^  in  which  a  very 
fmall  fliare  is  allotted  to  his  friend,     ^r- 
buthnotvizs  a  man  of  confummate  probity -j-, 
integrity,  and  fwectnefs  of  temper :  he  had 
infinitely  more  learning  than  Pope  or  Swift, 
and  as  much  wit  and  humour  as  either  of 
them.     He  was  an  excellent  mathematician 
and  phyfician,  of  which  his  letter  on   the 
ufefulnefs  of  mathematical  learning,  and  his 
treatife  on   air   and  aliment,   arc   fufficient 
proofs.  His  tables  of  ancient  coins,  weights^ 
and  meafures  *,  are  the  work  of  a  man  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  ancient  hiftory  and 
literature,  and  are  enlivened  with  many  cu- 
rious and  interefting  particulars  of  the  man- 
ners and  ways  of   living  of  the  ancients. 

f  Swift  faid,  "  he  was  a  man  that  could  do  every  thing 
but  walk."  His  chearfulnefs  was  remarkable:  "  As  for  your 
humble  fervant,  ^with  a  great  ftone  in  his  kidnrys,  and  a 
family  of  men  and  women  to  provide  for,  he  is  as  chearful  at 
ever  in  public  affairs."    Letters^  vol.  xx.  p.  206. 

*  Oh,  fays  Swift,  if  the  world  had  but  a  dozen  of  Arbuth- 
not!  in  it»  I  would  burn  my  Travtls  !   Letters,  vol.  xx.  p.  56. 

Tbe 


And  genius  of  pope.     277 

"^be  Bijlory  of  John  Bull,  the  befi  parts  of  the 
JMemoirs  cfScriblerus, tliz  Art  of  Political  hying^ 
the  Freeholders  Catechifm,  It  cannot  rain  but 
St  pours,  &c.  abound  in  ftrokes  of  the  moft 
exquifite  humour.  It  is  known  that  he  gave 
numberlefs  hints  to  Swift,  and  Pope,  and 
Gay,  of  fome  of  the  moft  ftriking  parts  of 
their  works.  He  was  fo  negledtful  of  his 
writings,  that  his  children  tore  his  ihanu- 
fcripts  and  made  paper^kites  of  them.  Few 
letters  in  the  Englifh  language  are  fo  inte- 
refting,  and  contain  fuch  marks  of  Chriftiaii 
refignation  *  and  calmnefs  of  mind,  as  end 
that  he  wrote  to  Swift  a  little  before  his 
death,  and  is  inferted  in  the  3d  vol.  of  Let- 

*  ^'  I  make  ic  my  lafl  requell  (fays  Arbuthnot  in  his  lail  let- 
ter CO  Pope)  chat  you  will  continue  that  noble  difdain  and  ab- 
horrence of  vice^  which  you  feem  naturally  endued  with  ;  but 
Aill  with  a  due  rer^ard  to  your  own  fafety ;  and  (ludy  more  tof 
rtform  than  cbaflije,  though  the  one  cannot  be  efFe£led  with- 
out the  other."  Letters^  vol.  viii.  p.  290.  The  words  are  re* 
markable,  and  cannot  fail  of  raiiing  many  refledlions  in  the 
mind  of  the  reader.  Pope,  in  his  anfwer,  fays,  "  To  reform, 
and  not  10 cbaftife,  is  impoflxble  ;  and  the  bed  precepts,  as  well 
as  the  bell  laws,  would  prove  of  fmall  ufe,  if  there  were  no  ex-* 
amplei  to  enforce  them." 

ters. 


— ^^AxiuBKUKE  ana  c 

The  ftrokes  of  fatin 
epiille,  have  fuch  an  ex 
poignancy,  that  our  au 
has  been  much  cenfurt 
whether  it  will  be  a  fu 
&jt  .that  thcfc  malevo 
ever  impotent  and  inli^ 
perfiit,  morals,  and  f am 
cules  and  rallies  vile 
jfeeming  pleaTantry  and  | 
ought  to  recolleft,  thai 
greflbr,  anct  had  receive 
when  he  fell  upon  Cotm, 
jSmmdt  CoUetet,  Cbapeh 
^vas  on  this  account  tl: 
,  a  man  of  rigid  \ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      279 

and  be  reconciled  to  him.  The  authors  that 
Pope  profcribed  were  in  truth  fo  mean  and 
contemptible,  that  Swift  faid,  **  Give  me  a 
fhilling,  and  I  will  infure  you  that  pofterity 
(hall  never  know  you  had  a  fingle  enemy, 
excepting  thofe  whofe  memory  you  have  prc- 
ferved." 

Laiflez  mourir  un  fat  dans  fon  obfcuritc. 
Un  autcur  ne  pcut-il  pourir  en  feuretc  ? 
Le  Jonas  inconnu  feche  dans  la  pouflicrc. 
Le  David  imprime  n'a  point  vcu  la  lumiere. 
Le  MoiTe  commence  d  moifir  par  les  bords. 
Quel  mal  celafait-il  ?  Ceux  qui  font  morts  font  morts. 
Le  tombeau  contre  vous  ne  peut-il  les  defendre, 
.Et  qu'on  fait  tant  d'auteurs  pour  remuer  leur  cendre  t 
Que  vous  ont  fait  Perrin,  Bardin,  Pradon,  Hainaut, 
Colletet,  Pelletier,  Titreville,  Qiiinaut. 
Dont  les  noms  en  cent  lieux,  placez  comme  en  leurs 

niches, 
Vonbde  vos  vers  malins  remplir  les  hemiftiches. 

BoiLEAU,  Satire  ix.  v.  89*. 

This  is  cxquifitely  pleafant;  and  exprefled 
with  that  purity  and  force,  both  of  thought 
and  didtion,  that  happy  Horatian  mixture 

7  of 


a8o    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

of  jeft  and  earneft,  that  contribute  to  place 
Defpreaux  at  the  head  of  *  modern  clajjics. 
I  think  it  muft  be  confefled,  that  he  has 
caught  the  manner  of  Horace  more  luccefs- 
fully  than  Pope.  It  is  obfervable  that  Boi- 
leau,  when  he  firft  began  to  write,  copied 
Juvenal  5  whofe  violent ^  downwrighty  de- 
clamatory ipecies  of  fatire,  is  far  more  \t^{y  to 
^)e  imitated,  than  the  oblique,  indired:,  deli- 
cate touches  of  Horace.  The  opinion  of 
L.  Gyr ALDUS  concerning  Juvenal  feems 
to  be  judicious  and  well-founded.  Ego,  li 
quidquan>  mihi  credendum  putatis,  non  eo 
yfque  Juvenalem  legendum  cenfeo,  nifi 
quoufque  cafta  &  Romana  ledlione,  plane 
iimus  imbuti :  atque  hoc  eo  vobifcum  liben-. 
tius,  quo  a  magiftris  video  minus  obfervari. 
Lilii  G.  Gyraldi.    De  Poet.  Dial.  iv.  p.  1-79. 

*  His  generoiity  was  equal  to  his  genius.  Patru  was  re- 
duced to  great  extremities,  and  compelled  to  fell  his  very  va- 
luable library.  He  not  only  gave  Patku  a  larger  Aim  for 
his  books  than  he  could  get  of  any  body  elfe^  but  added  to 
the  conditions  of  the  fale,  that  he  ihould  continue  to  ufe  his 
library  as  long  as  he  lived, 

2.   Is 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      281 

2t*  Is  there  a  Parfon,  much  be-mus'd  in  beer, 

» 

A  maudlin  Poetefs,  a  rhyming  Pecr^ 
A  Clerk,  pre-doom'd  his  father's  foul  to  crofs. 
Who  pens  a  ftanza  when  he  (hould  engrofs  ? 
Is  there,  who  lock'd  from  ink  and  paper,  fcrawls 
With  defp'rate  charcoal  round  his  darkened  walls? 
All  fly  to  Twitnam,  and  in  humble  (train 
Apply  to  me  to  keep  them  mad  and  vain ! 
Arthur,  Mhofe  giddy  fon  neglefts  the  laws. 
Imputes  to  me  and  my  damn'd  works  the  caufe  *• 

BEFORE  this  epiille  was  publidied.  Dr. 
Young  addrefled  two  epiftles  to  our  author, 
in  the  year  1730,  concerning  the  authors  of 
the  age ;  in  which  are  many  paflages  that 
bear  a;  great  relembLitice  to  each  other; 
though  Pope  has  heightened,  improved, 
and  condenfcd  the  hints  and  fentiments  of 
Young. 

'   Shall  vre  not  ccnfure  all  the  motley  train. 
Whether  with  ab  irriguous,  or  champaign  ? 

•  V.  15. 
Vol.  II.  O  O  Whether 


^^^^^^^^^ 


282      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Whether  they  tread  the  vale  of  Profe,  or  climb. 
And  whet  their  appetites  on  clifis  of  Rhyme  i 
The  college  Sloven,  or  embroider'd  Spark, 
The  purple  Prelate,  or  the  Parifh-clerk, 
The  quiet  Quidnunc,  or  demanding  Prig, 
The  plaintiff  Tory,  or  defendant  Whig ; 
Rich,  poor,  male,  female,  young,  old,  gay^  or  fad. 
Whether  extremely  witty,  or  quite  mad  ; 
Profoundly  dull,  or  fhallowly  polite. 
Men  that  read  well,  or  men  that  only  write  : 
Whether  peers,  porters,  taylors,  tune  their  reeds. 
And  meafuring  words  to  meafuring  fhapes  fucceeds  i 
For  bankrupts  write,  when  ruin'd  (hops  are  (but, 
As  maggots  crawl  from  out  a  perifhM  nut. 
His  hammer  this,  and  that  his  trowel  quits. 
And,  wanting  fenfe  for  tradefmen,  ferve  for  wits. 
Thus  his  material,  paper,  takes  it's  birth. 
From  tatter'd  rags  of  all  the  fluff  on  earth  f. 

3.  Seiz'd  and  ty'd  down  to  judge,  how  wretched  I  J! 

Odifti  &  fugis,  ut  Drufonem  debitor  xris ; 
Qui,  nifi  cum  triftes  mifero  venere  Calendar, 
Mercedem  aut  nummo  unde  unde  extricat,  amaras 
Porredo  jugulo  hiftorias,  captivus  ut,  audit. 

f  Epiflle  on  the  authors  of  the  age,  page  ;,  1730* 
I  V.  33- 

7  Few 


•^»<"M«^iM«i^an«MttvMViKa 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      283 

Few  paflages  In  Horace  are  more  full  of- 
humour,  than  this  ludicrous  punifhment  of 
the  poor  creditor. 

4.  Nine  years !  cries  he,  who  high  in  Dniry  Lane, 
LulI'd  by  foft  zephyrs  thro'  the  broken  pane. 
Rhymes  ere  he  wakes         ■ *. 

Qui  facit  in  parva  fublimia  carmina  cella  t* 

Lo !  what  from  cellars  rife,  what  rufh  from  high. 
Where  Speculation  roofted  near  the  (ky: 
Letters,  eflays,  fock,  bufkin,  fatire,  fong. 
And  all  the  garret  thunders  on  the  throng  J ! 

5*  Blefs  me !  a  packet^-'tis  a  firanger  fues, 

» 

A  virgin  tragedy,  an  orphan  mu^fc. 

If  I  diflike  it,  furies,  death,  and  rage! 

If  I  approve,  commend  it  to  the  ftage. 

Then,  thank  my  ftars,  my  whole  commiffion  ends. 

The  play'rs  and  I  are  luckily  no  friends  ]. 

This  alludes  to  a  tragedy,  never  afted,  but 
publi(hed   1723,  called,  The  Virgin  S^ueen^ 

*  V.  41.        t  Juv.  Sat.  vii.        )  Young*  Epiille  i.  p.  4. 
«  V.  55. 

O  o  2  written 


284     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

written  by  Mr.  Richard  Barford.  It  is  faid 
that  he  offended  Pope,  by  adopting  the  ma- 
chinery of  his  Sylphs*,  in  an  heroicomical 
poem,  called  TheAff'embly,m  five  cantos,  pub- 
lidded  1726, and  not  wdl  received,  though  the 
author  was  reckoned  a  learned  and- ingenious 

■  ■  ■  • 

man,  and  patronized  by  Lord  Pembroke^ 

6.  'Tis  fung,  when  Midas'  ears  began  to  fpring, 
(Midas,  a  facrcd  perfon,  and  a  king) 
His  very  miniftcr,  who  fpy'd  them  firft. 
Some  fay  his  queen,  was  forc'd  to  fpcak,  or  burft. 
And  is  not  mine,  my  friend,  a  forer  cafe, 
When  evVy  coxcomb  perks  them  in  my  face  J  ? 

The  abruptnefs  with  which  this  ftory  from 
Perfius  is  introduced,  occalions  an  obfcurity 
in  the  pallligcj  for  there  is  no  connexion 
with    the    fcicgoing    paragraph.       j^oileau 

*  He  was  jealous  that  his  exquifite  machinery  ihould  bo 
touched  by  any  other  hand.  The  Uticr:^  oi  M,  Je  Sevigne^ 
in  which  the  Sylphs  arc  mentioned  as  invifible  attendants,  and 
as  intcreft'.d  in  the  affairs  of  the  ladies,  are  the  loift,  iOi|.th« 
195th.     See  vol.  i.  of  this  elTay,  p.  240,  third  edition.     * 

X  V.  69. 

fays. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       28^ 

fays.  Satire  ix.  v.  22 1,  I  have  nothing  to  do 
with  Cbapelatns  honor,  or  probity,  or  candor, 
or  civility,  or  complaifance :  but  if  you  hold 
Lim  up  as  a  model  of  good  writing,  and  as 
the  king  of  authors. 

Ma  bile  alors  s'  cchauffe,  &  je  brulc  d'  ecrirc ; 
£t  s'il  ne  m'eft  pcrmis  de  le  dire  au  papier; 
pirai  creufer  la  terre,  &  comme  ce  barbierj 
Faire  dire  aux  rofcaux  par  un  nouvel  organe, 
♦*  Midas,  le  Roi  Midas  ades  oreilles  d'Afne." 

There  is  more  humour  in  making  the 
prying  and  watchful  eyes  of  the  miniftcr, 
inftead  of  the  barber,  firft  difcover  the  afs's 
carsj  and  the  yf  or  A  perks  has  particular  force 
and  emphafis.  Sir  Robert  Walpole  and  ^een 
Caroline  were  here  pointed  at. 

•  7,  Who  {hames  a  fcribblcr  ?  break  one  cobweb  thro'. 
He  fpins  the  flight,  felf-pleafing  thread  anew : 
Dcftroy  his  fib  or  fophiftry,  in  vain ! 
The  creature's  at  his  dirty  work  again  ; 
Thron'd  in  the  center  of  his  thin  defigns. 


to' 

Proud  of  a  vaft  extent  offiimfy  lines  §. 

S  V.  89. 


The 


«86    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  metaphor  ^f-  is  moft  happily  carried  on 
through  a  variety  of  correfponding  particu- 
lars^  that  exa£tly  hit  the  natures  of  the  two 
infeSls  in  qucftion.  It  is  not  purfued  toofar^ 
nor  jaded  out,  fo  as  to  become  quaint  and  af^ 
feSled,  as  is  the  cafe  of  many,  perhaps,  in 
Congreves  Comedies^  particularly  in  the  Way 
of  the  World,  and  in  Toungs  Satires.  For 
inflance : 

Critics  on  verfe,  zs /quits  on  triuai.phs,  wait. 
Proclaim  the  glory,  and  augment  the  (late ; 

f  Berkley,  in  his  Alciphron,  Dialogue  vi.  p»  107 ,  has 
beautifully  employed  an  image  of  this  fort,  on  a  more  ferious 
fubjeft.  '*  To  tax  or  ftrike  at  this  divine  dodlrine,  on  account 
of  things  foreign  and  adventitious,  the  fpeculations  and  dif- 
pates  of  curious  men,  is,  in  my  mind,  an  abfurdity  of  the 
fame  kind,  as  it  would  be  to  cut  down  a  fine  tree,  yielding 
fruit  and  ihade,  becaufe  its  leaves  afforded  nourilhment  to  car 
terpillars,  or  becaufe  fpidcrs  may  now  and  then  weave  cob- 
webs among  the  branches."  Berkley  had  a  brilliant  imagina- 
tion. See  his  charming  defcription  of  the  ifland  luarimt^  \n 
Letters  to  P.  vol.  vii.  p.  330.  I  have  been  told,  that  Blackwell 
received  his  idea  of  Homtr,  and  of  the  na/ons  and  cau/et  of 
Homer^%  fuperior  excellence^  from  Berkley^  with  whom  he  had 
been  connected. 


Hot, 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       ^87 

Hot,  envious,  noify,  proud,  the  fcribbling  fry  tt 
Burn,  hifs,  and  bounce,  wafte  paper,  (link  and  die  t* 

The  epithets  envious,  znd  proud,  have  no- 
thing to  do  with  fquibs.  The  laft  line  is 
brilliant  and  ingenious,-  but  perhaps  too 
much  fo. 

£.  There  are  who  to  my  perfon  pay  their  court : 
I  cough  like  Horace^  and  tho'  7^0^,  am^^r/; 
Amnion's  great  Ton  one  ihoulder  had  too  high. 
Such  Ovid*s  nofe,  and,  Sir,  you  have  an  eye  §• 

The  fmalleft  perfonal  particularities  are- 
interefting  in  eminent  men.  We  liften  with 
pleafure  to  Montaigne,  when  he  tells  us, 
•*  My  face  is  not  pufF'd,  but  full,  and  my 
complexion  between  jovial  and  melancholy, 
moderately  fanguine  and  hot.  In  dancings 
tennis,  or  wreftling,  I  could  never  arrive  at 
any    excellence  j    in    fwimming,    fencing, 

f-  See  alfo  a  paffage  in  his  twoEpiflles,  where  the  tranfmi* 
gratioos  of  Proteus  are  adapted  to  the  various  fhapes  aiFuined 
by  modem  fcribblers. 

X  UQiverfaJ  Paffion«  Sat*  iiL  (V.  115. 

vaulting. 


288      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

vaulting,  and  leaping,  to  none  at  all.  My 
hands  are  fo  clumfy,  that  I  cannot  read  what 
I  write  myfelf.  I  cannot  handfomely  fold 
up  a  lettei",  nor  could  I  ever  make  a  pen,  nor 
carve  at  table,  nor  Carry  a  hawk.  My 
fight  is  perfeft  and  entire,  and  difcbvers  at 
a  great  diflance,  but  is  foon  weary ;  which 
obliges  me  not  to  read  long,  but  I  am 
forced  to  have  a  perfon  to  read  fo  me." 
Vol.  ii.  372. 

What  palTages  in  Horace  are  *  more  agree- 
able than— 

Me  pinguem  &  nitidum  bene  curati  cute  vifes— » 
Lufum  it  Mxcxnas,  dcrmitum  ego  Virgiliufquc— 
Namque  pila  lippis  inimicum  &  ludere  crudis'^ 
Me  primis  urbis  hilli  placuifTc  domique\ 
Corporis  exigui^  pracanum^  folibus  aptunij 
Irafci  celeremy  tamen  ut  plaiabilis  eiTem. 

•  **  My  converfation  (fays  Dryden  very  entertainingly  df 
Idrnfelf)  is,  flow  and  dull,  my  humour  facurnine  and  referved. 
In  fliortj  I  am  none  of  thofe  who  eudeavour  to  break  jefts  in 
iompaoy,  or  make  repartees/' 

Preface  to  his  Indian  Eiiperor. 

What 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       289 

What  Addifon  fays  in  jeft,  and  with  his 

iifual  humour,   is   true  in   fadt : — ^^  I  have 

obferved  that  a  reader  feldom  perufes  a  book 

with  jpleafure,  'till  he  knows  whether  the 

writer  of  it  be  a  black  or  fair  man,  of  a  mild 

or  cholerick  difpofition,  married  or  a  bat- 

chelor."     I  will  add,  at  the  hazard  of  its 

being  reckoned  a  trifling  and  minute  remark, 

that  many  of  our  Englifh  poets  have  been  in 

their   perfons    remarkably  handfome;  fuch 

were  Spenser,  Milton,  Cowley,  Rowe, 

Addison,  Congreve,  Garth,  Gray.— • 

Virgil  and  Vida  are  faid,  by  Lil.  Gy- 

R ALDUS,  to   be  facie  prope  rufticanaj  and 

Ovid  and  Cardinal  Bembo,  to  be  tenui 

&  vefco  corpore,  nervifque  compado;  as  alfo 

was  TiBULLus. — The  portraits  of  Dante, 

Petrarch,  and  BoccACio,arc  thus  given, 

in  the  curious  and  entertaining  hiftory  of 

their    lives    by   Jannot.    Manettus,    a 

celebrated  writer  of  the  fifteenth  century, 

but  not  publiftied  till    1746,   at  Florence. 

Dante,  he  fays,  was  mediocri  &  decent! 

Vol.  II;  P  p  ftatura. 


290    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ftatura^  facie  paulum  oblonga^  oculis  pau- 
lo  grandioribus^  nafo  aquiiino,  latis  pendent!- 
bufque  maxillis,  inferior!  labro  aliquan- 
tulum  quam  alterum  fuper  ementientiori, 
colore  fufco,  capillis  ac  barba  prolixis^  nigris, 
fubfcrifpifque.  Petrarch^  forma  ita  de- 
cora fuiiTe  dicitur,  ut  per  omnem  xtatis  par- 
tem majeftatem  quandam  prae  fe  fcrre  vide- 
batur.  Tanta  corporis  agilitate  ac  dexteritate 
praevalebat,  ut  vix  ab  aliquo  fuperari  pofTet. 
Valetudine  profperrina  ufque  ad  fencdam 
ufus  eft.  Of  BoccACio  he  fays.  Habitude 
corporis  ejus  obefa  fuifle  dicitur,  ftaturi 
proceri,  rotundiori  facie,  hilari  &  jucundo 
afpedtu,  fermone  ita  facetus  &  comis,  ut 
fingulis  ejus  verbis  dum  loqueretur  fumma 
urbanitas  appareret.  In  amores  ufque  ad 
maturam  fere  aetatcm  vcl  paulo  proclivior. 
p.  8i. 

9.  Why  did  I  write?  what  fin,  to  me  unknown. 
Dipt  me  in  ink,  my  parents  or  my  own  ? 
As  yet  a  cliild,  nor  yet  a  fool  to  fame, 
I  lifp'd  in  numbers,  for  the  numbers  came. 

Ileft 


*-=—  ■■     LHH 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       291 

I  left  no  calling  for  this  idle  trade. 
No  duty  broke,  no  father  difobey'd  *. 

BoiLEAU  fays,  in  his  fifth  epiftle,  verfe 
no,  that  his  father  left  hitn  a  decent  patri* 
xnony,  and  made  him  ftudy  the  law : 

Mais  bien-toft  amoreux  d'un  plus  noble  metier, 
Fils,  frere,  oncle,  coufin,  bcau-frere  de  Grefficr, 
Pouvant  charger  mon  bras  d'une  utile  liaile, 
J'allay  loin  du  Palais  errer  fur  de  Parnafle. 
La  famille  en  palit,  ic  vit  en  frcmifTant, 
Dans  la  Poudre  du  GrefFe  un  poete  naiilant^ 
On  vit  avec  horreur  une  mufe  efFrenee 
Dormir  chez  un  Grcfiier  la  grafle  matinee  t» 

SO.  But  why  then  publifh  ?  Granville  the  polite. 

And  knowing  Waljh^  would  tell  me  I  could  write  \ 
Wcll-natur'd  %  Garth  inflam'd  with  early  praife, 
/Vnd  Congrevi  lov'd,  and  &wift  endur'd  ipy  l^ys : 

•  V.  125. 

f  He  was  a  grca;;  fleeppr ;  got  op  late,  and  always  was  ac- 
cuflomed  to  deep  afcer  dinner  :  as  alfo  was  Pope. 

{  Every  word  and  epithet  here  ufed  is  charaAeriilicaU  ^d 
peculiarly  appropriated  to  the  temper  and  manner  of  each  of 
the  perfons  here  mentioned;  the  elegance  of /^a«//i7<u;«,  thp 
open  free  benevolence  of  Garth,  the  warmth  of  Congrfve, 
the  difficulty  of  pleafing  Sivi/t,  the  very  gefture  that  jftter" 
hmy  ufed  when  he  was  pleafed^  and  the  animate^  air  and  fpiric 
f f  Silififiroie. 

P  p  2  Th? 


■K^lfct— I.'      1--^ 


292    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  courtly  Talbot^  Somcrsy  Sheffield  read,' 
Ev'n  mitred  Rochcjhr  would  nod  the  head  5 
And  St,' Johns  fcif  (great  Drydcn's  friend  before) 
With  open  arms  received  one  poet  more  f. 

To  the  three  firft  names,  that  encouraged 
his  earlieft  writings,  he  has  added  other 
friends,  whofe  acquaintance  with  him  did 
not  commence  till  he  was  a  poet  of  efta- 
bliflied  reputation.  From  the  many  com- 
mendations which  WalJJoy  and  Garths  and 
Granville  beftowed  on  his  Pajioralsy  it  may 
fairly  be  concluded  how  much  the  public 
tafte  has  been  improved,  and  with  how  many 
good  compofitions  our  language  has  been 
enriched,  fince  that  time.  When  Gray 
'  publiftied  his  exquifite  ode  on  Eton  College, 
his  firft  publication,  little  notice  was  taken 
of  it ;  but  I  fuppofe  no  critic  can  be  found, 
that  will  not  place  it  far  above  Pope's  Pafto- 
rals. 

II.  From  thefe  the  world  will  judge  of  men  and  books, 
Not  from  the  Burnets^  Oldmixcnsj  and  Cooks  §. 

t  V,  13s.  §  V.  145, 

Such 


■^nwv^"^ 


^  AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       293 

Such  authors,  efpecially  the  two  laft,  are 
a  kind  of  literary  harpies  ;  whatever  fubjed: 
they  touch,  they  debafe  and  defile ; 

At  fubitae  horrifico  lapfu  de  montibus  adfunt 
Harpyiae,  &  magnis  quatiunt  clangoribus  alas^ 
Diripiuntquc  dapes,  contaSluque  omm^/iedant 
Immundo ;  turn  vox  tetrum  dsra  inter  odorem  •• 

As  to  Burnet  J  his  charadter  is  thus  drawn  by  . 
the  very  fenfible  and  judicious  tranflator  of 
Polybius,  Mr.  Hampton,  in  a  pamphlet 
that  defervcs  to  he  more  kn r^vn,  entitled, 
RefleSlions  on  Ancient  and  Modern  Hijiory  z 
printed  in  quarto  at  Oxford,  1746,  **  His 
perfonal  refentmcnt  put  him  upon  writing 
hiftory.  He  relates  the  aftions  of  a  perfe- 
cutor  and  benefadtor :  and  it  is  eafy  to  believe 
that  a  man  in  fuch  circumftances  muft  vio- 
late the  laws  of  truth.  The  remembrance 
of  his  injuries  is  always  prcfent,  and  gives 
yenom  to  his  pen.     Let  us  add  to  this,  that 

*  Virg.  ^n.  iii.  v.  125. 

intemperate 


t  ^.1  -  ^*  *Z" 


a94    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

intemperate  and  malicious  curiofity,  which 
penetrates  into  the  moft  private  receffes  of 
vice.  The  greateft  of  his  triumphs  is  to 
draw  the  veil  of  fecret  infamy,  and  expofe 
to  view  tranfadtions  that  were  before  con- 
cealed from  the  world;  though  they  fcrve 
not  in  the  leaft,  either  to  cmbellifli  the 
ftyle,  or  connedt  the  ferics,  of  his  hiftory ; 
and  will  never  obtain  more  credit,  than  per- 
haps to  fufpend  the  judgment  of  the  reader, 
lince  they  are  fupported  only  by  one  fingle, 
fufpedted  teftimony."     P.  28# 

12.  Yet  then  did  Gillon  draw  his  venal  quill  j 
I  wifh'd  the  man  a  dinner,  and  fat  ftill : 
Yet  then  did  Dennii  rave  in  furious  fret ; 
I  never  anfwer'd,  I  was  not  in  debt : 
If  want  provok'd,  or  madncfs  made  them  print, 
J  wag'd  no  war  with  Bedlam  or  the  Mint  f- 

The  J  unexpefted  turn  in  thzfccojid  line 

t  V.  151. 

X  Ingcnio  plurimum  eft  in  eo,  &  acerbitas mira,  &  urbanlr 
tas,  &  v:s  fumma ;  fed  plus  ilomacho  quam  confilio  dedit. 
Pn-eterca  ut  axnari  ULtt,  ita  frequenter  amaricudo  ipfa  ridi- 
cnla  eil.  M.  F.  Quintil.  lib.  x.  c.  i. 


of 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       295 

of  each  of  thefe  three  couplets^  contains  as 
cutting  and  bitter  flrokes  of  fatire,  as  perhaps 
can  be  written. 

It  is  with  difficulty  we  can  forgive  our 
author  for  upbraiding  thefe  wretched  fcrib-^ 
biers  for  their  poverty  and  diftrefles,  if  we 
do  not  keep  in  our  minds  the  grofsly  abufivc 
pamphlets  they  publiihed^  without  previous 
provocation  from  him  i  and  even,  allowing 
this  circumftance,  we  ought  to  feparate  ran-- 
cour  from  reproof. 

13.  Yet  ne*er  one  fprig  of  laurel  gracM  thefe  ribalds^ 
Ytomjkjhing  Bentley         ■     ■  t* 

Swift  imbibed  from  Sir  W.  Temple, 
and  Pope  from  Swift,  an  inveterate  and  un- 
reafonable  averfion  and  contempt  for  Bent- 
ley  I  whofe  admirable  Boyle  s  LeSfures,  Re-- 
^^wr^j  on  Collins,  Emendations  of  MenaM- 
PER  and  Callimachus,  and  Tully's  Tu/cuL 

t  V.  163. 

Di/p. 


296    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Difp* ;  whofe  edition  of  Horace,  and  above 
all.  Differ  tation  on  the  Epiftles  of  Ph  alar  is, 
(in  which  he  gained  the  moft  complete  vic- 

,  tory  over  a  whole  army  of  wits)  all  of  them 
exhibit  the  moft  ftriking  marks  of  accurate 
and  extenfive  erudition,  and  a  vigorous  and 
acute  underftanding.  He  degraded  himfelf 
much  by  his  edition  of  the  Paradife  Lojly  and 
by  his  ftrange  and  abfurd  hypothelis  of  the 

•  faults  which  Milton's  amanuenfis  introduced 
into  that  poem.  But  I  have  been  informed 
that  there  was  ftill  an  additional  caufe  for 
Pope's  rcfcntmcnt;  that  Atterbury,  being 
in  company  with  Bentley  and  Pope,  in- 
iifted  upon  knowing  the  Doftor's  opinion  of 
the  Englifh  Homer;  and  that,  being  earneftly 
prefled  to  declare  his  fcntiments  freely,  he 
faid,  "  The  verfes  arc  good  verfes,  but  the 
work  is  not  Homer,  it  is  Spondanus.''  It  may 
however  be  obferved,  in  favour*  of  Pope, 

that 


•  And  yet  Pope,  in  a  letter  which  Dr.  Rutherforth  (hewed 
me  at  Cambridge,  in  the  year  1771,  written  to  a  Mr.  Bridges. 

ai 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE*        297 

ttiat  Dr.  Clarke,  whofe  critical  exaftnefs 
is  well  known,  has  not  been  able  to  point 
but  above  three  or  four  miftakes  in  the  fenfe 
through  the  whole  Iliad.  The  real  faults  of 
that  tranflation  are  of  a  different  kind. 

14.  — — — —■ ^--  down  to  ^/Vi/;.'7^  Tibalds. 

Yet  tills  very  dull  and  laborious  man  was 
the  firft  publifher  of  Sbakejpeary  that  hit 
upon  the  true  and  rational  method  of  cor- 
redling  and  illuftrating  his  author,  that  is, 
by  reading  fuch  books  (whatever  trafh  Pope* 
might  call  them)  as  Shakespear  read,  and 
by  attending  to  the  genius,  learning,  and  no- 
tions of  his  times  -f-.     By  purfuing  and  per- 

at  Falham,  mentions  his  confulting  Chapman  and  Hobbes, 
and  talks  of  "  their  authority,  joined  to  the  knowledge  of 
my  own  imt)erfe6lners  in  the  language,  over-ruled  me.** 
Thefe  are  the  very  words,  which  I  tranfcribed  at  that  time. 

*  Pope  was  irritated  at  the  many  blunders  in  his  Shakefpeor, 
that  Theobald  pointed  out. 

f  In  this  manner  alfo  has  Spencsr  been  illoflrated.  Se« 
Obfervations  on  the  Fairy  ^un,  by  T.  Warion,  -A.  M. 
London,  1762,  8vo.  ad  edit.;  and  the  Canterbury  Tales  of 
Chancer,  with  incomparable  remarks  by  Mr.  Tjrwbii. 

Vol.  !!•  Q^q  fcding 


labours  of  fuch  ex 


IS- Esch  wight,  who  „, 
Each  word-catcher. 

It  it  very  eafy, 
laugh  at  coileftors 
adjuftcrsoftMis,  ,1 
•crature,  who  drag 

A-waggon-loadofmci 
«  V.  ,6j. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       299 

To  the  indefatigable  refearches  of  many  a 
Dutch  commentator  and  German  editor,  arc 
we  indebted  for  that  eafe  and  facility  with 
which  we  now  are  enabled  to  read.  *^  I  am  per- 
fuaded,"  fays  Bayle,  **  that  the  ridiculous 
obftinacy  of  the  firft  critics,  who  lavifhed  fo 
much  of  their  time  upon  the  queftion,  whe- 
ther we  ought  to  fay  Virgilius  or  Vergilius, 
has  been  ultimately  of  great  ufe ;  they  there- 
by infpired  men  with  an  extreme  veneration 
for  antiquity ;  they  difpofed  them  to  a  fedu- 
lous  enquiry  into  the  condud:  and  charadler 
of  the  ancient  Grecians  and  Romans,  and 
that  gave  occafion  to  their  improving  by 
thofe  great  examples."  Dift.  tom.  v.  p.  795. 
I  have  always  been  (track  with  the  following 
words  of  a  commentator,  who  was  *  alfo  ^ 


*  Mallet,  to  gratify  Pope,  by  abufing  Bentlqr^  pub* 
]i(hedy  about  this  time,  a  very  feeble  and  flixnfy  poem,  cm 
Ftrb^d  CritUi/m,  flufTed  with  illiberal  cant  about  pedantry, 
and  collators  of  manufcripts.  Real  fcholars  will  always  fpeak 
with  due  regard  of  fuch  names  as  the  Scaligers,  Salmafiuj^s, 
Hi'mfiui^Si  Burmans,  Groao^iui's,  Reijkiui^s^  Marklandt^  Gif* 
Mirs,  and  fftyags* 


QLSI  2  great 


t . 


3O0     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

great  philofopher,  I  mean  Dr.  Clarke,  who 
thus  finifhes  the  preface  to  his  incomparable 
edition  of  Homer : 

**  Levi  A  quidem  haec,  &  parvi  forte,  fi 
per  fe  fpeftentur  momenti.  Sed  ex  elementis 
conftant,  ex  principiis  oriuntur,  omnia :  Et 
ex  judicii  confuetudine  in  rebus  minutis  ad- 
hibita,  pendet  faepiflime  in  maximis  vera  at- 
que  accurata  fcientia." 

1 6.  Pretty !  in  amber  to  obferve  the  forms 

Of  hairs,  or  ftraws,  or  dirt,  or  grubs,  or  worms  \  ! 

Very  elegant  imagery,  happily  applied! 
Addifon  has  made  a  beautiful  ufe  of  a  limi- 
lar  image  to  a  contrary  purpofe,  and  to  il- 
luftrate  excellence.  "  Shakefpear,"  fays  he, 
Speftator  398,  **  was  born  with  all  the  feeds 
of  poetry,  and  may  be  compared  to  the  flone 
in  Pyrrbus^  ring,  which,  as  Pliny  tells  us, 
had  the  figure  of  Apollo  and  the  nine  Mufes 
in  the  veins  of  it,  produced  by  the  fpontane- 

t  V.  169. 

ous 


i^n 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      301 
0U8  band  of  nature,  without  any  help  of 


art." 


17.  Did  feme  more  fober  critic  come  abroad ; 
If  wrong,  I  fmil'd ;  if  right,  I  kifsM  the  rod  %. 

Such  he  eftecmcd  to  be  Mr.  SpENCE't 
judicious  Eflay  on  his  tranflation  of  the 
Odyffey;  a  work  of  the  trueft  tafte,  and 
which  Pope  was  fo  far  from  taking 
amifsy  that  it  was  the  origin  of  a  lad- 
ing friendfhip  betwixt  them.  I  have  feea 
a  copy  of  this  work,  with  marginal  ob- 
/crvations  written  in  Pope's  own  *  hand, 
and  generally  acknowledging  the  juftnefs 
of  Spence's  obfervations,  and  in  a  few 
inftances  pleading,  humoroufly  enough,  that 
ibme  favourite  lines  might  be  fpared.  I  am 
indebted  to  this  learned  and  ai^iable  man, 

t  V.  171. 

*  Which  do  you  look  apon  (fays  Spence  one  day  to  Pope) 
as  the  heft  age  of  our  Poetry  ?     '*  Why  the  laft.  I  think  |  , 
bat  now  the  old  ones  are  all  gone,  and  the  young  feem  (o 
jiave  no  emulation  among  them/' 

oa 


302    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

on  whofc  friendfhip  I  fet  the  greateft  value, 
for  moft  of  the  anecdotes  relating  to  Pope, 
mentioned  in  this  work,  which  he  gave  me, 
when  I  was  making  him  a  viiit  at  Byjket^ 
in  the  year  1754^ 

l8*  The  bard  whom  pilfcr'd  paftorals  renown. 
Who  turns  a  Periian  tale  for  half  a  crown  *• 

And  in  a  line  befprc. 

Still  to  one  Bifhop  Philips  fcems  a  wit. 

Philips,  certainly  not  a  very  animated  or 
firft-rate  writer,  yet  appears  not  to  dcfervc 
quite  fo  much  contempt,  if  we  look  at  his 
firft  and  fifth  paftqral,  his  epiftle  from  Co- 
penhagen, his  ode  on  the  death  of  Earl  Gow- 
per,  his  tranflations  ^  of  the  two  firft  olym- 

•  V.  180. 

t  The  fecret  grounds  of  Philipi's  malignity  to  Pope,  arc 
faid  to  be  the  ridicule  and  laughter  he  met  with  from  all  the 
Hanover  Club,  of  which  he  was  fecretary,  for  miftaking  the 
incomparable  ironical  paper  in  the  Guardian,  N°  40,  which 
was  written  by  Pope>  for  a  fcrious  cricicifm  on  padoral 
pc<3;r>'. 

pic 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      303 

pic  odes  of  Pindar,  and  the  two  odes  of  Sap- 
pho^  and  above  all^  his  pleafing  tragedy  of 
the  Diftreft  Mother  J. 

How  far  Addifon,  as  hath  been  infinuated, 
was  concerned  in  altering  and  improving 
Philips's  works^  cannot  no.w  be  afcertained. 
He  was  accufed  of  reporting  that  Mr.  Pope 
was  an  enemy  to  the  government,  and  that 
•he  had  a  hand  in  the  famous  party  paper 
called  The  Examiner. 

ig.  And  own'd  that  nine  fuch  poets  made  a  Tate  f* 

Young  fays,  with  equal  pleafantry,  of  the 
fame  Nabum  Tate^ 

He's  now  zfcribblerj  who  was  once  a  man  ♦. 

I  I  have  heard  Mr.  Garrick  fay,  that  Addifon  wrote  the 
celebrated  epilogue  to  this  tragedy^  publifhed  in  the  name  of 
Budgell :  that  this  was  a  fad  he  received  from  fome  of  thd 
Too  Tons.  And  Addifon  is  faid  alfo  to  have  largely  correfted 
and  improved  fiadgell's  tranflation  of  Theophrafius. 

t  V.  190.  •  Sat.  i. 

20.  Pease 


304     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ao«  Peace  to  all  fuc^ !  but  were  there  one  whofe  fires 
True  genius  kindles,  and  fair  fame  infpires  : 
Bleft  with  each  talent  and  each  art  to  pleafe. 
And  born  to  write,  converfe,  -ind  live  with  cafe : 
Should  fuch  a  man,  too  fond  to  rule  alone. 
Bear,  like  the  Turk*,  no  brother  near  the  throne^ 
View  him  with  fcornful,  yet  wiih  jealous  eyes. 
And  hate  for  arts  that  caus'd  hrmfelf  to  rife ; 
Damn  with  faint  praife,  afl'cnt  with  civil  leer,- 
And,  without  fneering,  teach  tlie  reft  to  fneer : 
Willing  to  wound,  and  yet  afraid  to  ftrike, 
Juft  hint  a  fault,  and  hcfitate  diflike  j 
Alike  refcrv'd  to  blame,  or  to  commend,  • 

A  tim'rous  foe,  and  a  fufpicious  friend ; 
Dreading  ev'n  fools,  by  flatterers  beficgM, 
And  fo  obliging  that  he  ne'er  oblig'd  j 

*  This  is  from  Bacon  de  Augmentis  Scienc.  lib.  iii.  p.  i8o. 
Etfi  enixn  Arifloteles,  more  Octoinannorum^  regnare  fe  hand 
Cute  pcfTe  putaret,  nifi  fratres  fuos  omnes  contrucidaflet. 

Which  thoughts  and  alfo  that  of  Cato^s  little  fenate^  art 
ufed  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Craggs,  dated  July  15^  I7i5*  Our 
author  frequently  has  verfified  paiTages  from  his  own  letters. 
"  It  is  ufual  with  the  fmaller  party  to  make  up  in  intereft 
what  they  want  in  number;  and  this  is  the  cafe  witk  tht 
little  fenate  of  Cato.  We  have,  it  feems,  a  Great  Turk  in 
poetry^  who  can  never  bear  a  brother  on  the  tbroDe ;  aad 
has  his  mutes  too,  a  fet  of  nodders,  winkers,  and  whifpererf« 
whofe  buiinefs  it  is  to  (Irangle  all  other  offspring  of  wit  in 
theic  birth."    Vol.  Tii.  p.  300W 

I^ikc 


rfiriU 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      305 

Like  Cato^  give  his  little  fenatc  laws^ 
And  fit  attentive  to  his  own  applaufe; 
While  wits  and  Templars  cv'ry  fcntcncc  raife^ 
And  wonder  with  a  foolifli  face  of  praifc — 
Who  but  mult  laugh,  if  fuch  a  man  there  be  ? 
Who  would  not  weep,  if  Jtticus  were  he  f  ! 

This  is  thnt  famous  charadter  of  Addi- 
son *,  which  has  been  fo  much  commended 
for  it's  wit  and  poignancy,  and  fo  much 
cenfured  for  it's  bitternefs  and  malignity. 
The  provocations  that  induced  our  author 
to  write  it,  which  he  did  fo  early  as  1721, 
though  it  was  not  inferted  in  this  epiflle  till 
1733,  have  been  touched  upon  in  the  firft' 
volume  of  this  eflay,  at  page  160.  Since 
,that  time,  a  writer,  of  the  firft  eminence, 

t  V.  192. 

*  Old  Jacob  Tonfon  hated  Addifon.  You  will  fee  hiin, 
fays  he,  one  day  a  Bifhop.  He  intended  to  have  given  a 
tranflatlonof  all  the  Pfalms^  of  which  defign  bis  verfion  of 
the  23d  is  a  beautiful  fpecimen.  Addifon  uied  to  fpeak  con- 
temptuoafly  of  his  own  account  of  the  Englilh  poets,  addrefled 
CO  his  old  friend  SMcbeverelL  It  is  remarkable,  that  he  de- 
clared he  had  never  read  Spenctr,  when  be  gave  bis  character 
ia  that  account. 

Vol.  II.  R  r  who. 


3o6    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

who,   to  a  confiimmate  knowledge  of  the 
laws,  hiftory,  and  antiquities  of  his  coun- 
try, joined  tlie  moil:  exquiiite  tafte  in  polite 
literature,  the  late  much-lamented  Sir  Wil- 
liam Blackftone,   drew  up,  with  his  ufual 
precifion  and  penetration,  a  paper  that  mi- 
nutely inveftigatcd  iiil   the  fa<5ts   that  have 
been    urged   againil   Addifon's    conduft   to 
Pope.    The  chain  of  his  reafoning  would  be 
injured,   by   endeavouring    to   abridge    this 
paper ;  I  mull  therefore  refer  the  reader  to 
the  fccond  volume  of  the  Biographia  Britan* 
nica,  publiflicd  by  Dr.  Kippis,  page  56,  and 
fliall  only  infert  the  conclulion  of  it;  \\4iich 
is  as  follows :  **   iJpon  the  whole,  however 
Mr.   Pope   may   be   excufable  for   penning 
fuch  a  charader  of  his   friend  in  the   firft 
tranfports  of  poetical  indignation,  it  refledls 
no  great  honour  on   his  feelings,   to  have 
kept  it  in  petto  for  fix  years,  till  after  the 
death  of  Mr.  Addifon,  and  then  to  permit 
its  publication  (whether  by  recital  or  copy 
inakes  no  material  difference;)  and  at  length, 

at 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      307 

at  the  diftance  of  18  years,  hand  it  down  to 
pofterity  Ingrafted  into  one  of  his  capital 
produdtions.     Nothing  furely  could  juflify 
fo  long  and  fo  deep  a  refentment,  unlefs  the 
ftory  be  true  of  the  commerce  between  Ad- 
difon  and  Gildon;  which  will  require  to  be 
very  fully  proved,  before  it  can  be  believed 
of  a  gentleman  who  was  fo  amiable  in  his 
moral  charadler,  and  who  (in  his  own  cafe) 
had  t\vo  years  before  exprefsly  difapproved 
of  a  perfonal  abufc  upon  Mr.  Dennis.   The 
perfon,  iiidecd,  from  whom  Mr.  Pope  is  faid 
to  have  received  this  anecdote,  about  the 
time  of  his  writing  the  charader  (viz.  about 
July  171 5)  was  no  other  than  the  Earl  of 
Warwick,  fon-in-law  to  Mr.  Addifon  him- 
felf  J  and  the  fomething  about  Wycherley, 
(in  which  the  flory  fuppofes  that  Addifon 
hired  Gildon  to  abufe  Pope  and  his  family)  is 
explained  by  a  note  on  the  Dunciad,  vol.  i. 
p.  296,  to  mean  a  pamphlet  containing  Mr.  ^ 
Wycherley's  life.     Now  it  happens,  that  in 
July  17^  S^  ^^^  ^^^^  of  Warwick  (who  died 

R  r  2  at 


3o8     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITIN  GS 

at  thenge  of  twenty- three,  in  Auguft  1721) 
was  only  a  boy  of  feventeen,  and  not  likely 
to  be  entrufted  with  fuch  a  fccret,  by  a  ftatef- 
man  between  forty  and  fifty,  with  whom  it 
does  not  appear  he  was  any-way  connected 
or  acquainted.  For  Mr.  Addifon  was  not 
married  to  his  mother  tlie  Countcfs  of  War- 
wick till  the  following  ye.^r,  17 16;  nor 
could  Gildon  have  been  emplo3'ed  in  July 
171 5   to  write  Mr.  Wychcrley's  life,  who 

As 

therefore  fo  many  inconfillcncics  are  evident 
in  the  ftory  itfclf,  which  never  found  its 
\vay  into  print  till  near  lixty  years  after  it 
is  faid  to  have  happened,  it  will  be  no  breach 
of  charity  to  fuppofc  that  the  whole  of  it  was 
founded  on  fomc  ir.iuipprchcnfion  in  either 
Mr.  Pope  or  the  Eurl  j  and  unlcis  better  proof 
can  be  given,  v/c  Hiall  readily  ac(|uit  Mr.  Ad- 
difon of  this  moil  odious  part  of  the  charge." 


lived    till    the   December    following. 


I  BEG  leave  to  add,  that  as  to   the  other 
sccufaiion,  Dr.  Young,  Lord  BathurA,  Mr, 

1 0  I larte. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      309 

Hartc,  and  Lord  Lyttelton,  each  of  them 
affured  me,  that  Addifon  himfelf  certainly 
tranflated  the  firft  book  of  Homer,  Yet  J 
have  very  lately  heard,  that  fome  proofs  to  the 
contrary  have  been  jufl:  difcovered. 

21.  Proud  as  Apollo  on  his  forked  hill. 

Sate  full-blown  Bufoy  pufF'd  by  evVy  quill ; 

Fed  with  foft  Dedication  all  day  long, 

Horace  and  he  went  hand  in  hand  in  fong. 

His  library  (where  bufts  of  poets  dead  *, 

And  a  true  Pindar  flood  without  a  head) 

Receiv'd  of  wits  an  undiftinguifli'd  race. 

Who  firft  his  judgment  afic^d,  and  then  a  place; 

Much  they  extoll'd  his  pitSlures,  much  his  feat. 

And  flatter'd  evVy  day,  and  fome  days  eat ; 

Till,  grown  more  frugal  in  his  riper  days. 

He  paid  fome  bards  with  port,  and  fome  with  praife  X» 

*  Thepovertyof  Butler  is  often  mentioned  among  the  dif« 
treflbs  of  poets,  as  a  reproach  to  his  age,  and  particalarly  to 
Charles  II.  who  wasfofondof  Hudibrafs.  BucDr.  Pearce,  the 
late  BlHiop  ot  Rochefter,  related,  that  Mr.  Lowndes,  then  be- 
longing to  the  Treafury,  and  in  the  reigns  of  King  V/illiam 
and  Queen  Anne  Secretary  to  it,  affured  him,  that,  by  order  of 
King  Charles  II.  he  bad  paid  to  Butler  a  yearly  penfion  of  looU 
CO  the  time  of  his  deceafe. — After  having  been  in  many  im- 
porunt  offices,  and  an  Ambaflador  at  Paris,  Prior  had,  at  one 
time  of  his  life,  nothing  left  but  the  income  of  his  fellowfhip 
of  St.  John's  college^  Cambridge. 

Dr. 


3IO     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Dr.  Young's  parafites  and  flatterers  arc 
painted  with  equal  humour,  and  a  generous 
contempt  of  fervility; 

Who'd  be  a  crutch  to  prop  a  rotten  peer ; 
Or  living  pendant  dangling  at  his  ear; 
For  ever  wrhifp'riiig  fccrcts,  which  were  blown. 
For  months  before,  by  trumpets  thro'  the  town  ? 
Who'd  be  a  glafs,  with  flattering  grimace. 
Still  to  refledt  the  temper  of  his  face  j 
Or  happy  pin  to  ftick  upon  his  flccvc. 
When  my  lord's  gracious,  and  vouchfafes  it  leave  ; 
Or  cufliion,  when  his  Hcavinefs  ftiall  pleafc 
To  loll,  or  thump  it  for  his  b>.tter  eafe ; 
Or  a  vile  butt,  for  noon  or  night  befpoke. 
When  the  peer  raflily  fvvears  he'll  rlub  his  joke? 
Who'd  fliakc  with  laughter,  tho'  he  cou'd  not  find 
His  Lordfhip's  jeft,  or,  if  his  nofe  broke  wind. 
For  bleflings  to  the  Gods  profoundly  bow — 
That  can  cry  chimncy-Avcep,  or  drive  a  plough  ? 


22.  Drydoi  alone  *  (what  wonder  ?)  came  not  nigh  ; 
Drydcn  alone  cfeap'd  his  judging  eye  ; 


But 


•  AHuding  to  the  fubfcription  that  was  made  for  his  fun&- 
raL  Garth  fpoke  an  oration  over  him.  His  neceflities  obliged 
him  to  produce  (befidcs  many  other  poetical  pieces)  twenty* 

feven 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      311 

But  ftill,  the  great  have  kindnefs  in  referve. 
He  help*d  to  bury  whom  he  hclp'd  to  ftarve  t» 

■ 

Our  poet,  with  true  gratitude,  has  feized 
every  opportunity  of  fhewing  his  reverence 
for  his  great  mafter.  Dry  den :  whom  Swift 
as  conftantly  depreciated  and  maligned.  "  I 
do  affirm  (fays  he,  with  exquifite  irony 
indeed,  in  the  Dedication  of  the  Tale  of 
a  Tub  to  Prince  Pollerity)  upon  the  word 
of  a  fincere  man,  that  there  is  now  ac-  ' 
tually  in  being  a  certain  poet,  called  John 

feven  plays  in  twenty-five  years.  He  got  25U  for  the  copy, 
and  70I.  for  his  benefits  generally.  Dramatic  poetry  was  cer- 
tainly not  his  talent.  It  is  remarkable,  that  he  did  not  fcru- 
ple  to  confefs,  that  he  could  not  relifh  the  pathos  and  iimpli-  , 
city  of  Euripides.  When  he  publiihed  his  fables,  Tonfoa 
agreed  to  give  him  two  hundred  and  fixty-eight  pounds  for 
an  thou/and  ver/es.  And,  to  complete  the  full  number  of  lines 
iUpulated  for,  he  gave  the  bookfeller  the  epiflle  to  his  coufin, 
and  the  divine  mufic  ode.—*'  Old  Jacob  Tonfon  ufed  to  fay« 
that  Dryden  was  a  little  jealous  of  rivals.  He  would  compli- 
ment Crown  when  a  play  of  his  failed,  but  was  very  cold  to 
him  if  he  met  with  fuccefs.  He  fometimes  ufed  to  fay  that 
Crtmfit  had  fome  genius  ;  but  then  he  added  always,  that  hit 
lather  and  Crown's  mother  were  very  well  acquainted.^'  Mr. 
Pope  to  Mr.  Spence. 

tV.24$. 

Dryaen, 


312     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Dryden^  whofe  tranflation  of  Virgil  was 
lately  printed  in  a  large  folio,  well-bound> 
and,  if  diligent  fearch  were  made,  for  aught 
I  know  is  yet  to  be  feen."  And  he  attacks 
him  again  in  the  Battle  of  Books.  Shaftes- 
bury is  alfo  very  fond  of  petulantly  carping^ 
at  Dr}'den.  **  To  fee  the  incorrigibleneft 
of  our  poets,  in  their  pedantic  manner  (fays 
he,  vol,  iii.  p.  276)  their  vanity,  defiance 
of  criticifm;  their  rhodomontade,  and  poeti* 
cal  bravado ;  we  need  only  turn  to  our  fa- 
mous poet-laureat,  the  very  Mr.  Bays  him*" 
felf,  in  one  of  his  lateft  and  moil  valued 
pieces,  Don  Sebajiian*^  writ  many  yeard 
after  the  ingenious  author  of  the  Rebcarfat 
had  drawn  his  pidture/*  Shaftefbury's  re* 
fentment  -f-  was   excited   by  the   admirable 

poem 

*  The  dramatic  works  of  Lope  de  Vega  mftke  twenty-fix 
▼olames,  befidcs  four  hundred  fcriptural  dramatic  pieces,  hu 
jintos  Sacramentaks.  His  biographer  a£irms>  that  he  ofKeo 
£niihed  a  play  in  twenty-four  hours,  nay  ibme  of  his  comedies 
in  \t^  than  five*  He  wrote  during  his  life  a  1,31 6,000  verfes. 

f  I  remember  to  have  heard  my  father  fay,  that  Mr. 
Elijah    Fentoni  who   was   hi»   intimate    friend,    and  had 

beea 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       313 

pofim  oiAbfalom  and  Acbitopbehy  and  particu- 
larly by  four  lines  in  it,  that  related  to  Lord 
Afliley,  his  father; 

And  all  to  leave,  what  with  his  toll  he  won. 
To  that  unfeathcr'd,  two-legg'd  thing  a  fon  ; 
Got  while  his  foul  did  huddled  notions  try, 
And  born  a  (hapelefs  lump,  like  anarchy. 

But  Dryden*s  works  will  remain,  when  the 
CbaraSieriJiics  ^ill  be  forgotten, 

a3-  Blcft  be  the  Great  for  thofe  they  take  away^ 
And  thofe  they  left  me ;  for  they  left  me  Gay  i 
Left  me  to  fee  negledled  genius  bloom, 
Negle£ted  die,  and  tell  it  on  his  tomb. 
Of  all  thy  blamelefs  life  the  fole  return 
My  verfe,  and  Queenfb'ry  weeping  o'er  thy  urn  •  ! 

httVL  hif  mafter,  informed  him,  that  Dryden,  upon  fee- 
ing feme  of  Swift*!  earlieft  verfes,  faid  to  hyn,  *'  Young 
xnan,  you  will  never  be  a  poet."  And  that  this  was  the  cauie 
of  Swift's  rooted  averfion  to  Dryden,  mentioned  above. 
Baucis  and  Philemon  was  fo  much  and  fo  often  altered,  at 
the  inftigation  df  Addifon,  that  not  above  eight  lines  remaia 
as  they  originally  ftood.  ^  The  violence  of  party  difputes  never 
intermpted  the  fincere  friendship  that  iublifttd  between  Swifc 
snd  Addifon,  though  of  fdch  oppofite  tempers  as  well  as  prid« 
ciples. 
V.  ^ss. 


jbB33J^B1— 1— i^l^M— B^^— ^M""ii**fcJ^*'^**"*^        —    "^  '■w 


314    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  fwcctncfs  and  (impllcity  of  Gay'i 
temper  and  manaers,  much  endeared  him 
to  all  his  acquaintance,  and  make  them  zU 
vrays  fpeak  of  him  with  particular  fondnefi 
and  attachment.  He  wrote  with  neatnefs, 
and  terfenefs,  aequali  quadam  mediocritate, 
but  certainly  without  any  elevation;  frequent- 
ly without  any  fpirit.  Trivia  ♦  appears  to 
be  the  beft  of  his  poems,  in  which  arc  many 
ilrokes  of  genuine  humour  and  pictures  of 
London-life,  which  hath  been  much  altered 
and  changed  within  a  few  years.  His  fables, 
the  moft  popular  of  all  his  works,  have  the 
fault  of  many  modern  fable- writers  •{•,  the 

afcribing 


*  Th«  fable  of  CIoaciD^  is  indelicate.  I  flioold  think 
this  was  one  of  the  hints  given  him  by  Swift,  to  whom  he  fays 
he  was  much  indebted  for  many  in  this  poem.  Swift  himfelf 
was  indebted,  for  many  hints  in  his  Gulliver,  to  Bifliop  Gnf* 
witi^s  Man  in  tbi  Moon,  or  Voyage  of  Domingo  Gonzales, 
1638. 

t  The  long  and  languid  introdndioni  to  the  fables  in  tim 
iecond  volume  (which  is  indeed  mnch  inferior  to^he  firft)  read 
like  party  pamphlets  verfified.  Diom  has  not  refcsed  aa/nM^ 
the  imputation  of  having  no  paftoral-comedy,  that  can  be 
compared^  in  the  fmalleft  degree,  to  the  Amiau  or  Paftor  Fido. 

'tht 


GENIUS  OF  POPE.       3 1 5 

afcribing  to  the  different  animals  and  objeAs 
introduced,  fpeeches  and  adtions  inconfiftent 
with  their  feveral    natures.      An   elephant 
can  have  nothing  to  do  in  a  bookfeller's  {hop; 
They  are  greatly  inferior  to  the  fables  of 
Fontaine^  which  is  perhaps  the  moft  unri- 
valled work  in  the  whole  French  language. 
The  Beggar's  Opera  has  furely  been  extolled 
beyond  it*s  merits;  I  could  never  perceive 
that  fine  vein  of  concealed  fatire  fuppofed  tQ 
run  through  it;  and  though  I  fhould  not 
join  with  a  bench  of  Weftminftcr  Judges  in 
forbidding  it  to  be  reprefented  on  the  flage^ 
yet  I  think  pickpockets,  flrumpets,  and  high-^ 
waymen,  may  be  hardened  in  their  vices  by 
this  piece ;  and  that  Pope  and  Swift  talked 
too  highly  of  it's  moral  good  efFecfts.     One 
undefigned  and  accidental  mifchief  attended 
it's  fuccefs :  it  was  the  parent  of  that  mod  - 

The  paftoralt  were  writtefki  to  ridicule  thofe  o^  Fhilipt,  uA 
confequently  very  acceptable  to  Pope.  PoUj^  the  fecond  part 
of  the  Beggar's  Opera,  though  it  brought  him  a  good  deal  of 
money 9  above  isoo  pounds,  being  publilhed  by  fubfcripcioa^ 
Is  AOt  e^al  to  t^e  firiU 

S  f  2  monflroQt 


3 1 6    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

monftrous  of  all  dramatic  abfurdities,  tho 
Comic  Opera.  The  friendfhip  of  two  fuch 
excellent  perfonages  as  the  Duke  and  put- 
chilis  of  Qiieenfberry,  did,  in  truth,  compcn- 
fate  poor  Gay's  want  of  pcnfion  *  and  pre- 
ferment. They  behaved  to  him  copftantly 
with  that  delicacy,  and  fenfe  of  Teeming 
equality,  as  never  to  fuffer  him  for  a  moment 
to  feel  his  ftate  of  dependence.  Let  every 
man  of  letters,  who  wifhes  for  patronage, 
read  D'Alcmbert's  Ejay  on  living  with  the 
Great,  before  he  enters  the  houfe  of  a  pa- 
tron. And  let  him  always  remember  the 
fate  of  Racine,  who  having  drawn  up,  at 
Madame  Maintenon's-f-  fecrct  requeft,  ame- 

•  r  was  informed  by  Mr.  Spence,  that  Addifan,  in  hi*  laft 
illnefs,  fent  to  dffire  to  fpeak  with  Mr.  Gay,  and  told  him 
he  had  much  injured  him  ;  probably  with  rclpcA  to  hit  gaining 
fome  appuintmcnt  from  the  court ;  but,  faid  he,  if  I  recover,  I 
will  cndEavottr  ;o  tecompenfe  you. 

f  Ths  moA  <:\n&  account  of  the  occafion  on  which  Racine 
wrote  his  E.'fk-r  and  Athaliab,  at  the  requeft  of  Madstne  Matn- 
tenon,  for  the  tife  of  :h?  young  ladies  at  St.  Cyr,  is  to  be  fonad 
in.  La  Si>u-vc:iirs  di  MaJ.  De  Cjjlus,  p.  1S3.  There  aJfi^  are 
Ibme  very  interEding  and  aathentic  parcicolars  of  the  life  of. 
MaJ.  Mainiiuca, 

morial 


.    AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       ^17 

« 

fnoirial  that  ftrongly  painted  the  diftreffcs  of 
the  French  nation,  the  weight  of  their  taxes^ 
and  the  expences  of  the  court,  fhe  could 
jiot  refift  the  importunity  of  Lewis  XIV. 
but  (hewed  him  her  friend's  paper:  ag^inft 
whom  the  king  immediately  conceived  a 
yiolent  indignation,  becaufe  a  poet  (houl^ 
dare  to  bufy  himfelf  with  polities.  Racine 
had  the  weaknei's  to  take  this  anger  of  the 
king  fo  much  to  heart,  that  it  brought  on  a 
low  fever,  which  haftened  his  death.  The 
Dutchefs  of  Queenflberry  would  not  have  fo 
betrayed  her  poetical  friend  Gay. 

24«  Curs'd  be  the  verfc,  how  well  foe'er  it  flow. 
That  tends  to  make  one  worthy  man  my  foe. 
Give  virtue  fcandal,  innocence  a  fear. 
Or  from  the  foft-cy*d  virgin  fteal  a  tear*  ! 

M,  Despreaux  s'applaudifToit  fort  a  Tage 
de  foixante  &c  onze  ans,  de  n  avoir  rien  mis 
dans  fes  vers  qui  choquat  les  bonnes  mo^urs. 
C*cft  une  confolation,  difoit  il,  pour  les  vieux 

•  V.  aBj. 

poetes^ 


3i8    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

poetes,  qui  doivent  bient6t  rendre  compte  \ 
Dieu  de  leurs  a£tions.  Tom.  v.  4. 

Happy  indeed  was  the  poet,  of  whom  his 
worthy  and  amiable  *  friend  could  fo  truly  fay, 
that  in  all  his  works  was  not  to  be  dif- 
covercd 

One  line,  that  dying,  he  could  wl(b  to  bloti 

Would  to  God,  faid  Averroes  (regret- 
ting the  libertinifm  of  fome  verfes  which  he 
had  made  in  his  youth)  I  had  been  bora 
old  I 

Fontaine  and  Chaucer,  dying,  wifht  unwrote 
The  fprightlieft  effort  of  their  wanton  thought : 
Sidney  and  Waller,  brighteft  fons  of  fame^ 
Condemned  the  charm  of  ages  to  the  flame  f. 

25.  Let  Sporus  tremble — ^What !  that  king  of  filk, 
Sporus,  that  mere  white  curd  of  afs's  milk  ? 

*  Lord  Lyttelton,  in  the  Prologof  to  Thomfoa'i  Corio» 
lanns. 

t  Yonag't  Epiftle  to  Aathort. 

Satire 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE. 


3«? 


Satire  or  (enfe,  alas  !  can  Sporus  feel  ? 
Who  breaks  a  butterfly  upon  a  wheel  ?— 
Yet  let  me  flap  this  bug  with  gilded  wings. 
This  painted  child  of  dirt,  that  (links  and  ftings  i 
Whofe  buzz  the  witty  and  the  fair  annoys. 
Yet  wit  ne'er  taftes,  and  beauty  ne'er  enjoys  } 
So  well-bred  fpaniels  civilly  delight 
In  mumbling  of  the  game  they  cannot  bite* 
Eternal  fmiles  his  emptinefs  betray. 
As  (hallow  ftreams  run  dimpling  all  the  way. 
Whether  mjiorid  impttena  he  fpeaks, 
.And  as  the  prompter  breathes  the  puppet  fqueaks. 
Or  at  the  ear  of  Eve,,  familiar  toad  *, 
Half  froth,  half  venom,  fpits  himfelf  abroad. 
In  puns,  or  politics,  or  tales,  or  lyes. 
Or  fpite,  or  fmut,  or  rhymes,  or  blafphemies*— t* 
Amphibious  thing  !  that  aSing  either  part. 
The  trifling  head,  or  the  corrupted  heart. 
Fop  at  the  toilet,  flatt'rer  at  the  board. 
Now  trips  a  lady,  and  now  (Iruts  a  lord. 

*  It  is  but  juftice  (faid  Pope  in  the  firft  edition)  to  own  that 
^e  hint  of  Eve  and  the  Serpent  was  taken  from  the  vtiies  to 
the  Imitator  of  Horace-— 

*'  When  God  created  thee,  one  would  believe 

"  He  faid  the  fame  as  to  the  fnake  of  Eve  j 

''  To  haman  race  antipathy  declare^ 

"  'Twixt  them  and  thee  be  everlafting  war. 

"  Bat  oh !  the  fequel  of  the  fentcnce  dread, 

**  Aq4  wbilft  yon  brnife  their  heel,  beware  yoitt  btid.^ 


iSS 


339    ESSAY  ON  THE  WfelTlN^S 

Eve^s  tempter  thus,  the  rabbins  have  expreft^ 
A  cherub's  face,  a  reptile  all  the  reft. 
Beauty  that  fhocks  you,  parts  that  none  will  tnift^ 
Wit  that  can  creep,  and  pride  that  licks  the  duftf. 

Language  cannot  afford  more  glowing  or* 
more  forcible  terms  to  exprefs  the  utmoft  bit- 
ternefs  of  contempt.  We  think  we  are  here 
reading  Milton  againft  Salmasius.  The 
raillery  is  carried  to  the  very  verge  of  railingi 
fome  will  "fay  ribaldry.  He  has  armed  his  muftf 
\yith  a  fcalping-knife.  The  portrait  is  cer- 
tainly over-- charged :  for  Lord  H.  fof  whom 
it  was  defigncd,  whatever  his  morals  might 
be,  had  yet  confiderable  abilities,  though 
marred  indeed  by  affedation.  Some  of  his 
fpeeches  in  parliament  were  much  be- 
yond florid  impotence.  They  were  indeed  in 
favour  of  Sir  jR.  Walpole"^^  and  this  was 
fufficiently   offenfive   to    Fope.      The   iz& 

t  V.  305. 

*  He  fought  a  duel  with  Mr.  Pulteney  upon  %  polidcal 
quarrel. — See  alfo  a  pamphlet,  entitled.  The  Court  Sicnt^ocd^' 
£oned  by  Lord  Scarborough's  death,  for  a  fevere  charmQer  of 
Ibrahim,  intended  for  this  X4ord.    Printed .?vo.  17^1* 

2  thac 


And  genius  of  pope.    321 

that  particularly  incited  his  indignation,  was 
Lord  H's  Epiftle  to  a  DoSlor  of  Divinity^ 
(Dr.  Sh^rwin)  from  a  Nobleman  at  Hampton 
Court 9   1733^    ^s  well  as  his  having  been 
concerned  with  Lady  M.  W.  M,  *  in  Verfes 
to  the  Imitator  of  Horace^  ^72^*     This  lady's 
beauty,  wit,  genius,  and  travels,  of  which 
fhe  gave  an  account  in  a  feries  of  elegant 
and  entertaining  letters,  very  charafteriftical 
of  the  maimers  of  the  Turks,  and  of  which 
many  are  addreiTed  to  Pope ;  are  well  known, 
and  juftly  celebrated.     With  both  thefe  no- 
ble perfonages  had  Pope  lived  in  a  flate  of 
intimacy.     And  j  uAice  obligeth  us  to  con-- 
fcfs,  that  he  himfelf  was  the  aggreiTor  in  the 

*  After  her  qaarrel  with  Mr.  Pope«  which  Lord  Peterborough 
in  vain  endeavoured  to  reconcile,  (he  wrote  thus  from  Flo-. 
rence,  to  the  Conntefs  of  -  <'  The  word  malignity,  and 

.a  paflage  in  your  letter,  call  to  my  mind  the  wicked  wafp  of 
Twickenham ;  his  lyes  affeft  me  now  no  more ;  they  will  be  all 
aa  much  defpifed  as  the  flory  of  the  feraglio  and  the  handker- 
chief, of  which  I  am  perfuaded  he  was  the  only  inventor.  Thac 
sna^  has  a  malignant  and  ungenerous  heart ;  and  he  is  ba(e  . 
CDOOgh  to  afliime  the  mafk  of  a  moralilt,  in  order  to  decry  hu- 
snan  nature,  and  to  give  a  decent  vent  to  his  hatred  of  man  and 
womaskind/' 

Vol.  IL  T  t  quarrel 


322     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

quarrel  with  them ;  as  he  firft  afTaulted  and 
alFronted  Lord  H.  by  thefe  two  lines  in  his 
imitation  of  the  id  Sat.  of  Horace's  fecond 
book^ 

The  lines  are  weak,  attothcr*s  pleased  to  fay^ 
Lord  F^nny /pins  a  thoufand  fuch  a  day* 

And  Lady  M,  W.  M.  by  the  eighty-third 
line  of  the  fame  piece,  too  grofs  *  to  be  here 
repeated. 

■ 

It  is  a  fingular  circumftance,  that  our  au* 
thor's  indignation  was  fo  vehement  and  in-^ 
exhauftible,  that  it  furnifhed  him  with  ano** 
ther  invedive,  of  equal  power,  in  profe, 
which  is  to  be  found  at  the  erid  of  the 
eighth  volume,  containing  his  letters.  The 
reader  that  turns  to  it,  page  253  (for  it  is 
too  long  to  be  here  inferted,  and  too  full  of 

*  So  alfo  are  lines  87,  88,  89,  90  of  the  third  epiftie  am* 
cernxng  Fulvia  and  old  Narfes.    But  let  us  remember,  that. 

As  the  foft  plume  gives  fwiftnefs  to  the  dart« 
Good-breeding  fends  the  iatire  to  the  heart*   Yovmo* 

2  matter 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      323 

matter  to  be  abridged)  will  find,  that  it 
abounds  in  fo  many  new  modes  of  irony, 
in  fo  many  unexpedted  ftrokes  of  farcafm, 
in  fo  many  fudden  and  repeated  blows,  that 
he  does  not  allow  the  poor  devoted  peer  4 
moment's  breathing- time ; 

Nunc  dextra  ingeminans  i£tu8,  nunc  ille  iiniftra ; 
Nee  mora,  nee  requies ;  quam  multi  grandine  nimbi 
Culminibus  crepitant ;  fie  denfis  i£tibus  heros 
Creber  utraque  manO  pulfat,  verfatque  — ^— — *, 

Jt  is  indeed  the  mafter-piece  of  inveSiive^ 
and  perhaps  excels  the  character  of  Sporus 
itfelf,  capital  as  that  is,  above  quoted.  Yet 
who  would  wifli  to  be  the  author  of  fuch  an 
inventive?  But  can  this  be  the  nobleman 
(we  are  apt  to  afk)  whom  Middleton^  in  his 
dedication  to  the  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of 
TuUy,  has  fo  ferioufly  and  earncftly  praifed, 
for  his  ftrong  good  fenfe,  his  confummate 
politenefs,  his  real  patriotifm,  his  rigid  tern- 
perance^   his  thorough  knowledge  and  de-- 


•  J£»n.  V,  vcr.  -^56, 
T  t  2 


fence 


324     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

fence  of  the  laws  of  his  country,  his  accu- 
rate fkill  in  hiftory,  his  hofpitality,  his  ui>- 
exampled  and  unremitted  diligence  in  lite- 
rary purfuits,  who  added  predit  to  this  very 
hiftory,  as  Scipip  and  L«lius  did  to  that  of 
Polybius,  by  revifing  and  correcting  it  ?  an4 
brightening*  it,  as  he  exprcffes  it,  by  the 

ftrokes 

4 

•  The  life  of  Tully  procured  Dr.  Middleton  a  grett  reps- 
tation,  and  a  great  fum  of  money.  It  is  a  pleafing  and 
nfeful'  work,  efpecially  to  younger  readers,  as  it  gives  a  com- 
preheniive  view  of  a  moii  interefting  period  in  the  Roman 
hifkofy,  and  of  the  charaders  principally  concerned  in  \ho^ 
important  events.  It  may  be  worth  obferving,  that  he  is  mack 
indebted,  without  acknowledging  it,  to  a  carions  book  lictU 
known,  entitled,  G.  BillenMni,  Scoti,  de  Trihus  Lummial 
*  Romanorum,  Libri  i6.  Parijsis,  ApudTaJfauum  du  BrMj^  1^34* 
Folio ;  dedicated  to  King  Charles.  It  comprehends  a  hiftorjr 
of  Rome,  from  the  foundation  of  the  city  to  the  time  of  Aa- 
guflus,  drawn  up  in  the  very  words  of  Cicero^  without  any  al- 
teration of  any  exprefHon.  In  this  book  MiddUtw  found  every 
part  of  Cicero's  own  hiilory,  in  hb  own  WQr4s,'and  his  works 
arranged  in  chronological  order,  without  farther  troable. 
The  impreflion  of  this  work  being  (hipped  for  England,  was 
loH  in  the  veiTel,  which  was  caft  away,  and  only  a  few  copid 
remained,  that  had  been  left  in  France.  I  only  add,  that  the 
ilyle  of  Middlecon,  which  is  commonly  efteemed  very  /irrv,  it 
blemished  with  many  mulgar  and  cant  terms.  Such  as  Pom- 
pey  bad  a  monthh  mind,  &c.  He  has  not  been  fuccefsfol  ui 
the  tranflations  of  thofe  mai^y  epifUes  of  Tully  which  he  has 
inferted  ;  which,  however  curious,  yet  break  the  thread  of  the 
*  narration^ 


kMH 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.    •    3*^ 

I 

ftrokes  of  his  pencil  ?  The  man  that  bad 
written  this  fplendid  encomium  on  Lord  H. 
could  not,  we  may  imagine,  be  very  well 
affected  to  the  bard  who  had  painted  Lord 
Fanny  in  fo  ridiculous  a  li^ht.  We  find 
him  writing  thus  to  Dr.  Warburton,  Jan.  7, 
1740:  "  You  have  evinced  the  orthodoxy  of 
Mr.  Pope's  principles ;  but,  like  the  old  Com- 
mentators on  his  Homer,  will  be  thought 
perhaps,  in  feme  places,  to  have  found  a  mean- 
ing for  him,  that  he  himfelf  never  dreamt  of^ 
However,  if  you  did  not  find  hira  a  pbilojb^ 
fberf  you  will  make  him  one ;  for  he  will  be 
wife  enough  to  take  the  benefit  of  your  read- 
ing, and  make  his  future  efifays  more  clear 
and  confifientJ* 

ft 

26.  That  not  in  Fancy's  maze  he  wanderM  long. 
But  ftoop'd  to  Truths  and  moralized  his  fong*. 

narration.  Mongamlt  and  Melmoth  bare  far  exceeded  him  in 
their  excellent  tranflations  of  thefe  pieces,  which  are«  after 
all,  fome  of  the  moft  precious  remains  of  antiquity.  What  m 
tfMfore  would  it  have  been,  if  the  letters  of  Tully  to  Jaliut 
Caefiur  had  remained  I 

•  V.  349. 

Herb 


326    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Here  is  our  author's  own  declaration,  de* 
livered  in  the  moft  prccife  and  pofitivc  terms, 
that  he  early  left  the  more  poetical  provincei 
pf  his  art,  to  become  a  moral,  dida^c,  and 
fatiric  poet. 

37.  Of  gentle  blood  *  [put  flied  ia  honour's  cxnlc* 
While  yet  in  Britain  honour  had  appUufe) 
Each  parent  Tpning ;  what  fortune  prajitheir  own. 
And  better  got  than  Beftia's  from  the  throne. 

*  When  Mr.  Pope  pnblilhcd  the  notes  oa  the  E^ftle  ta 
Pr.  Arbuthnoc,  giving  an  account  ofhi*  f  imilj,  Mr.  Potiin- 
ger,  a  relation  of  hisj  obferved,  that  bit  coufin  Pope  ha4 
made  hiDirelf  out  a  fine  pedigree,  but  he  woodered  where  he 
got  it ;  that  he  never  had  heard  any  thing  himfelf  of  thni 
being  defcended  from  the  Earls  of  Down ;  and,  what  ii  mor«, 
he  had  an  old  maldca  aunt,  equally  related,  a  great  genealc^ 
gift,  who  was  always  talking  of  her  family,  but  never  men' 
tioned  this  circumHance  ;  on  which  ihe  certainly  would  iio| 
have  been  filent,  had  ihe  known  any  thing  of  it.  Mr.  Pope*! 
grandfather  was  a  clergyman  of  the  church  of  Englwd^  ia 
Hamplhire.  He  placed  his  fon,  Mr.  Pope's  father,  with  ^ 
merchant  at  Lifbon,  where  he  became  a  convert  to  Popeij. 
(Thus  far  Dr.  SilttM,  late  Dean  of  Carii/t,  a  friend  of  Pops, 
from  Mr.  Ptitiitgtr.J  The  bnrying-place  and  moat|meati  of 
ihe  family  of  the  Popes,  Earli  of  Down,  ii  at  Wroxton,  0»i 
fordlhite.  The  Earl  of  Gnildford  fays,  that  he  hu  feen  and 
examined  the  pedigree  and  defcenta  of  that  family,  and  i« 
fure  that  there  were  then  none  of  the  name  of  Pope  left,  who 
could  be  defcended  from  that  family.— ^fn*  ^tbu  Ltmdttft 
«f  Cawrfiam,  E/jmri,J 


AND  GENIUS  op  PCM-E.      317 

JKorh  to  M  pride,  inheriting  no  ftriFe, 
Nor  marrying  dircofd  in  a  noUe  wife  j 
Stranger  to  civil  and  religious  rage^ 
The  good  man  wallc'd  innoxious  thro*  bis  age, 
Ko  courts  he  faw>  no  Tuits  would  erer  try, 
Kor  dar'd  an  oath,  no^  hazarded  a  lye. 
tJnlearn'd3  he  knew  no  fchoolman's  fubtile  artj 
No  language,  but  the  language  of  the  heart. 
By  nature  honeft,  by  experience  wife. 
Healthy  by  temp'rance,  and  by  exercife ; 
Hi*  life,  tho'  long,  to  licknefs  paft  unknown, 
His.dcath  was  inflant,  and  without  a  groan  *. 

BoiL£Au*j-,  who  has  been  Co  frequently 
quoted,  becaufe  he  was  the  model  of  our 
ftuthor,  fpeaks  thus  of  hia  father  and  family^ 

•  V.388. 

i  He  had  DO  afperity  in  hit  temper.  Mad.  de  Sevigne 
tfed  to  fay,  he  ia  croel  only  in  vcrfe.  Being  panfidal  in  pen 
jbrmiag  all  a&  of  religion,  he  wa>  one  dajr  in  the  conntiT, 
and  went  to  confcflion  to  a  prieft  who  did  not  know  hira. 
What  ii  your  occDpation  I  faid  the  good  man.— To  make 
terlei,  replied  Boileau. — So  much  the  worfe,  faid  the  PrieA— * 
And  what  fort  of  verfei  ?— Satiiei  — Still  worfe  ud  wwlc,  faid 
the  confeJTor.-r-And  againft  whomf— Agunft  thofe,  faid 
Bulcan,  who  miKe  had  verfet ;  againft  fnch  mifckievoai  wotkt 
.as  operas  and  rojnaneet.->Ah  I  ray  friend,  fayi  the  Coahftott 
there  u  no  ham  in  this,  and  I  have  nothing  more  to  fay  to 
JW4  Memuivs  de  }.  Rkibc,  p>  ig6. 


•  \ 


328    fiSSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

in  an  epiftle  that  was  jnftly  one  of 
^vourite  works,  addrifled  (in  imitation  of 
Horace's  Vertumnum  JanumqueJ  to  his  verjes. 

Que  fi  quelqu'un,  mes  vers,  alofs  vous  importune^ 
Pour  fcavoir  mes  parens,  ma  vie  &  ma  fortune, 
Cdntes-Iui,  qu'  allie  d'afses  bauts  Magiftrats, 
Fils  d'un  Pere  Greffier,  ne  d'ayeux  Avocats  ; 
Des  le  berceau  perdant  une  fort  jeune  mere, 
Reduit  feize  ans  apres  a  pleurer  mon  vieox  Pere, 
J'allai  d*un  pas  hardi,  {^r  moi-mefme  guide, 
£t  de  mon  feul  Genie  tn  marcbant  feconde, 
Studieux  amateur,  &  de  Perfe  If  d'Horace, 
Afses  pres  de  Regniet  m^a/Teoir  fur  le  Parnafle  ^ 
Que  par  un  coup  de  fort  au  grand  jour  amene 
£t  de  bords  du  PermcfTe  i  la  Cour  entraifne, 
Je  f^eus,  prenant  I'efTor  par  de  routes  nouvellel 
Eflever  afses  baut  mes  poetiques  ailes ; 
Qjie  ce  Roy  *  dont  le  nom  fait  trembler  tant  de  Rois 

Voulut 

•  He  was  appointed  Hidoriographer  to  the  Kbg^  with 
Raciiie»  in  Odlober  1677.  They  both,  together  with  Vander* 
Meixlen,  the  painter^  accompanied  Lewis  XIV.  in  hit  pom« 
pout  expedition  to  Flanders.  After  the  death  of  Racine,  bt 
went  once  to  Verfaillet,  to  inform  the  King  of  the  death  of 
Ilia  colleague  ;  and  when  he  took  his  leave,  Louis  obligmgly 
fatd  to  him>  ihewing  him  his  watch,  which  he  happened  to 
hold  in  his  hand,  ''  Remember  that  I  have  always  one  hoot 
in  the  week  to  glve^  you,  whenever  yon  will  come  to  me." 

It 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       329 

Voulut  bicn  que  ma  main  crayonnait  fcs  exploits : 
Q^e  plus  d'uii  grand  m'aima  jufques  a  la  tendreflej 
Que  ma  vcue  a  Colbert  infpiroit,  ranegreflc; 
Qu*  aujourd'hui  mefme  ejicor  de  deux  fens  affbibli 
Retire  de  la  cour  &  non  mis  en  oubli : 
Plus  d'un  Heros  eprls  des  fruits  de  mon  eftude, 
Vient  quelquefois  ches  moi  gouter  la  folitude  f. 

All  thefe  particularities  of  his  father, 
family!  and  fortunes,  become  interefting. . 
There  is  in  this  paiTage  the  true  manner 
of  Horace,  his  cafy  vigour,  ^iXi^  Jirma fycili^ 
tas.  It  is  on  occafion  of  this  epiftle  that 
Boileau  wrote  his  celebrated  letter  to  Monf. 
de  Maucraix,  from  which  I  fhall,  without 
any  fcruple,  give  a  large  extradt,  as  it  is  fo 
replete  with  good  fenfe  and  folid  criticifm» 
and  contains  fo  many  obfervations  on  the 

.  h  IS  to  be  regretted  that  Boileau  never  finiihed,  what  he 
told  his  friends  he  had  (ketched  out,  the  life  of  Diogenes  the 
Cynic>  a  comic  romance,  in  which  much  literature,  facire,  and 
knowledge  of  life  and  manners,  would  have  appeared.  Let 
me  take  this  occafion  of  adding,  that  it  is  alfo  to  be  rt-^ 
gretted,  that  Montefquieu  never  finiihed  a  political  romance 
ke  intended  to  give,  called  Jr/acn. 

f  Epiftre  X.  ver*  93, 

Vol.  II.  U  u  more 


33©    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

more  remote  and  Interior  beauties  of  Ayle. 
Tom.  iii.  p.  185.  Par  M.  dc  Saint  Marc. 
1747- 

Racan  excelle  fur  tout,  k  mon  avis^  h, 
dire  les  petites  chofes,  &  c'eft  en  quoi  il  ref- 
femble  mieux  aux  anciennes^  que  j*adoiire 
fur  tout  par^  cet  endroit.  Plus  les  chofei 
font  feches  Sc  mal  aif<^  k  dire  en  vers^  plus 
elle  frapent  quand  elles  font  dites  noblement, 
&  avec  cette  elegance  qui  fait  proprement  la 
poefie.  Je  me  fbuviens  que  M.  de  la  Fon- 
taine^ m'a  dit  plus  d'une  fois^  que  les  deux 
vers  de  mes  ouvrages  qu'il  eftimoit  davantage 
c'efloit  ceux  oii  je  loue  le  Roi  d'avoir  ^tabli 
la  manufacture  des  points  de  France,  a  la 
place  des  points  de  Venife.  Les  voici« 
C'eft  dans  la  premiere  Epifbe  a  fa  Majeft^, 

£t  nos  Toifins  fruftrez  de  ces  tributs  (erviles. 
Que  payoit  a  leur  art  le  luxe  de  nos  villest 

ViROiLE  &  Horace  ibnt  divins  en  cela, 
aufli  bien  qu'  Homere.     C'efl  tout  le  con- 

tndre 


i 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       331 

traire  de  nos  I^oetes,  qui  ne  difent  que  des 
chofes  vagueSy  que  d'autres  ont  d^ja  dites 
avant  eux,  &  dont  les  expreflions  font  trou- 
v^s.  Quand  ils  fortent  de  la,  ils  ne  r9au-* 
roient  plus  s'exprimeTf  &  ils  tombent  dans 
une  fecherefle  qui  eft  encore  pire  que  leurs 
larcins.  Pour  moy,  je  ne  f9ay  pas  fi  j'y  ay 
r^ufii :  mais  quand  je  fais  des  vers^  je  fonge 
toujours  k  dire  ce  qui  ne  s'eft  point  encore 
dit  en  noftrc  langue.  C'eft  ce  que  j'ay  prin- 
cipalement  afFe<^e  dans  une  nouvelle  epiflre^ 
que  j'ay  faite  k  propos  de  toutes  les  Critiques, 
qu'on  a  imprind^es  contre  ma  derniere  fatire. 
J'y  conte  tout  ce  que  j'ay  fait  depuis  que  je 
fuis  au  Qionde,  j'y  rapporte  mes  defauts, 
mon  age^  mes  inclinations,  mes  mceurs* 
J'y  dis  de  quel  Pere  &  de  quelle  Mere  je 
fuis  ne,  J'y  marque  les  degrcs  de  ma  for- 
tune; comment  j'ay  dfte  a  la  cour,  com- 
ment j 'en  fuis  fortii  les  inconimodite;  qui 
me  font  furvenues;  les  ouvrages  que  j'ay 
faits.     Ce  font  bien  de  pctites  chofes  dites 

U  u  2  en 


332    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

en  affes  peu  de  mots,  puifque  la  piece,  n'a 
pas  plus  descent  trcnte  vers.  Elle  n'a  pas 
encore  veu  le  jour,  &  je  ne  Tay  pas  mefme 
encore  ecrite.  Mais  il  me  paroifl  que 
tous  ceux  a  qui  je  I'ay  rccitee,  en  font  audi 
frappez  que  d  aucun  autre  de  mcs  buvrages. 
Croiriez-vous,  Monficur^  qu'un  des  endroits 
ou  ils  fe  recrient  le  plus,  c'eft  un  endroit 
qui  ne  dit  autre  chofe,  (inon  qui  aujourd*huy 
que  j'ai  cinquante-fept  ans,  je  ne  dois  plus 
pretendrc  a  Tapprobation  publique.  Cela 
eft  dit  en  quatre  vers  que  je  veux  bien  vous 
ecrire  ici,  afin  que  vous  me  mandiez  d  vous 
Jes  approuvez. 

Mais  aujourd'hui  qu'  cnfin  la  Vicillcffc  venue. 
Sous  mes  faux  chevcux  blonds  deja  toute  chcnuc, 
A  jctte  fur  ma  tcftc  avcc  fcs  doigts  pefans, 
Onze  luftrcs  coroplets  furchargcz  de  deux  ans. 

* 

II  me  femble  que  la  Perruquc  eft  zffis 
hcureulcment  frondcc  dans  ces  quatres  vers, 

•       28.  O  friend  1 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       333 

28. 0  friend  !  may  each  domeftic  blifs  be  thine  I 
Be  no  unpleafing  melancholy  mine  I 
Mcy  let  iht  tender  office  long  engage. 
To  rock  the  cradle  of  repofing  age  * ; 

With  lenient  arts  extend  a  mother's  breath, 
to  ' 

Make  languor  fmile,  and  fmooth  the  bed  of  death  ; 
JExpIore  the  thought,  explain  the  aiking  eye. 
And  keep  awhile  one  parent  from  the  iky  f  I 

These  exquifite  lines  give  us  a  very  in* 
terefting  pidure  of  the  exemplary  filial  piety 
of  our  X  author.  There  is  a  penfive  and  pa« 
thetic  fweetnefs  in  the  very  flow  of  them* 
The  eye  that  has  been  wearied  and  oppreft  by 
the  harfh  and  auftere  colouring  of  fome  of 
the>  preceding  paflages,  turns  away  with 
pleafure  frgm  thefe  afperities,  and  repofes 
with  complacency  on  the  foft  tints  of  do- 

*  See  a  letter  to  Mr.  Richardfen,  defiring  him  to  come  to 
Twickenham*  and  take  a  iketch  of  his  mother,  juft  after 
Ihe  was  dead,  Jane  20,  1733.  ••  It  would  afibrd,  fayt  he, 
the  fineft  image  of  a  (aint  expired,  that  ever  painting  drew.*' 
Vol.  Tiii.  p.  933* 

t  V.406. 

X  For  which  alfo  another  troly  great  poet  wu  remarkably 
See  Memoirs  of  Mr.  Gra/i  Life,  paffim. 

I  o  meflic 


334    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS  ' 

medic  tendcrnefs.  We  are  naturally  grati- 
fied to  fee  great  men  defcending  from  their 
heights,  into  the  familiar  offices  of  common 
life ;  and  the  fenfation  is  the  more  plcafing 
to  us,  becaufe  admiration  is  turned  into  ^ 
fe^ion.  In  the  very  entertaining  memoirs 
of  the  life  of  Racine  (publiflicd  by  his  ion) 
we  find  no  *  paflage  more  amufing  and  in- 
terefting,  than  ^here  that  great  poet  fends 
an  excuie  to  Mcn*^.  the  Duke>  who  had 
earneftly  invited  him  to  dine  at  the  Hotel 
de  Conde,  becaufe  he  had  promifed  to  par- 
take of  a  great  fifli  that  his  children  had  got 
for  him,  and  he  could  not  think  of  difap- 
pointing  them, 

Melancthon  appeared  in  an  amiable 
light,  when  he  was  feen,  one  day,  holding  a 
book  in  one  hand,  and  attentively  reading, 

•  Memoires  fur  I>  Vie  de  Jean  Racine,  p.  iSs,  printed 
1747 :  by  the  author  of  the  didaOic  poemj  on  Rtlighm  aod 
Gract,  of  ReJUainKt  am  Pttlty,  of  TW  EfifiUi  on  iUn,  Mil 
Tome  excelleot  Sactid  Qdt$,  paiticiilar]/  one  from  Xfaiah,  c.  zir. 

and 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       335 

and  with  the  other  rocking  the  cradle  of  his 
infant  child.  And  we  read  with  more  iktis^ 
fadtion^ 


>tf  weui^i  opifaTo  faihiAA^  ^xrtfff 


A^f  y  I  9aXi  vpo(  iMXsrvt  ivj^ftio  riOqvnf 

than  we  do. 


*  Iliad  ?i.  V.  467* 


t  Iliad  xiii.  ?•  SQJ 


SECT. 


?"5C^ 


/ 


336    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 


SECT.     XII. 

Of  the  Satires  and  Epijiks  of  Horace 
imitatedy  of  the  Satires  of  Donne 
verfijiedy  and  of  the  Epilogue  to  the 
Satires. 


WHEN  I  had  a  fever  one  win- 
ter in  town  (faid  Pope  to  Mn 
Spence)  that  confined  me  to  my  room 
for  five  or  fix  days.  Lord  Bolingbroke 
came  to  fee  me^  happened  to  take  up  a 
Horace  that  lay  on  the  table,  and  in  turn- 
ing it  over,  dipt  on  the  firft  fatire  of  the 
fecond  book.  He  obferved,  how  well  that 
would  fuit  my  cafe,  if  I  were  to  imitate 
it  in  Englifh.  After  he  was  gone^  I  read 
it  over,  tranflated  it  in  a  morning  or  two, 
and  fent  it  to  prefs  in  a  week  or  fortnight 
after.    And  this  was  the  occafion  of  my 

^^  imitating 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       337 

imitating  fome  other  of  the  Satires  and 
Epiftles.  To  how  cafual  a  beginning  (adds 
Spence)  are  we  obliged,  foF  the  moft  de- 
lightful things  in  our  language!  When 
I  was  faying  to  him,  that  he  had  already 
imitated  near  a  third  part  of  PTora«e*s  fa- 
tires  and  epiftles,  and  how  much  it  was  to 
be  wiflied  that  he  would  go  on  with  them; 
he  could  not  believe  that  he  had  gone  near 
fo  far;  but  upon  computing  it,  it  appeared 
to  be  above  a  tliird.  He  fccmcd  on  this  not 
difinclin:d  to  carry  it  farther;  but  his  lafl: 
illnefs  was  then  growing  upon  him,  and 
robbed  us  of  him,  and  of  all  hopes  of  that 
kind^  in  a  few  months  ***. 


No  part  of  our  author's  works  have  been 
more  admired  than  thefc  imitations.  The 
aptnefs  of  the  allufions,  and  the  happinefs  of 
many  of  the  parallels,  give  9  pleafure  that  is 
always  no  fmall  one  to  the  mind  of  a  reader, 
the  pleafure  of  comparifon.     He  that  has  the 

*  Tranfcribed  from  Spence't  Ane€dotC9j  1754. 

Vol.  II.  X  X  leaft 


338    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

leaft  acquaintance  with  thcfc  pieces  of  Horace, 
which  rcfemble  the  Old  Comedy ^  immediately 
perceives,  indeed,  that  our  author  has  a/Tumed 
a  higher  tone,  and  frequently  has  defertedf' 
the  free  colloquial  air,  the  infinuating  Socratic 
manner  of  his  original.  And  that  he  clearly 
refembles  in  his  ilyle,  as  he  did  in  his  na« 
tural  temper,  the  fevere  and  ferious  Juvenal, 
more  than  the  fmiling  and  fportive  Horace. 
Let  us  feledt  fome  paflages,  in  which  he  may 
be  thought  to  have  equalled,  excelled,  or 
fallen  fliort  of,  the  original;  the  latter  of 
which  cannot  be  deemed  a  difgrace  to  our 
poet,  or  to  any  other  writer,  if  we  confider  the 
extreme  difficulty  of  transfufing  into  another 
language  the  fubtle  beauties  of  Horace's 
dignified  familiarity ^  and  the  uncommon 
union  of  fo  much  facility  and  force. 

f  After  nil  that  has  been  faid  of  Horace,  by  fo  many  critics, 
ancient  and  modern,  perhaps  no  words  can  defcribe  him  fo 
exadlly  and  juftly,  as  the  following  of  Tully,  fpoken  on  ano- 
ther fubject.  Lib.  i.  de  Oratore.  Accedit  lepos  qutdam, 
faceciacque,  Sc  .eruditio  libero  digna,  celcricafque  fz  brevitM 
refpondendi  Sc  lacefTendi  fubtili  vcuuilate  &  urbanitite  coa*> 
jundla. 

Trpbati 


.      AND  GENIUS  OF  PQPE.       339 

ti Trcbati     • 

Quid  faciam  ?  prefcribe.    T.  Quiefcas.   H.  Ne  faci« 

am,  inquis, 
Omnino  verfus  ?  T.  Aio.  H.  I^eream  male,  fi  non 
Optimum  erat :  vtrum  nequeo  dormire.  T.  Ter  undli 
Tranfnanto  Tiberim,  fomno  qiiibus  eft  opus  alto; 
IrrigUumve  mero  fub  no6lem  corpus  habento  * : 

Timorous  by  nature,  of  the  rich  in  awe, 

I  come  to  counfel  learned  iti  the  law  : 

You'll  give  me,  like  a  Friend,  both  fage  and  free 

Advice  5  and  as  you  ufe,  without  a  fee. 

F.  I'd  write  no  more.  P.  Not  write  ?  but  then  I  think^ 

And  for  my  foul  I  cannot  fljcp  a  wink. 

I  nod  in  company,  I  wake  at  ni^ht. 

Fools  rufh  into  my  heaH,  and  fo  I  write. 

F.  You  could  not  do  a  worfo  thing  for  your  life  : 

Why,  if  the  r.i;;ht  fecm  tcrli.;js,  take  a  wife. 

Or  rarhcr  truly,  if  yi;ur  point  be  rcit. 

Lettuce  end  cowfii;)-wine  ;  probatum  eft. 

But  talk  with  Ccjfus,  Cclfus  will  advife, 

Hartftiorn,  or  fomcthing  that  fhall  clofe  your  eyes  t« 

Horace,  with  much  fceming  ferioufnefs, 
applies  for  advice  to  the  celebrated  Roman 
lawyer,  C.  Trebatius  T^ejla^  an  intimate  friend 

•  Sat.  i.  lib.  I.  V.  4.  t  V.  8. 

X  X  2  ©f 


340    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

of  JiiUits  Cafar,  and  of  ^uHy,  as  appears 
from  many  of  his  epiftlcs  to  Atticus^  The 
gravity  and  ielf-importance  of  whofe  cha- 
ratftcr  is  admirably  fupportcd  throughout 
this  little  drama.  His  anfwers  are  fiiort, 
authoritative,  and  decifive.  ^tefcas,  jtio. 
And,  as  he  was  known  to  be  a  great  drinker 
and Jhvimmcr,  his  two  abfurd  pieces  of  ad- 
vice have  infinite  pleafantry.  All  thcfc  cir- 
cumilances  of  humour  are  dropt  in  the  copy. 
The  Lettuce  and  Cowfiip-wine  are  infipid 
and  unmeaning  prefcriptions,  and  have  no- 
thing to  do  with  Mr.  Forfefcue's  charafter. 
The  third,  fourth,  and  ninth  lines  of  this  imt- 
tation  are  flat  and  languid.  We  muft  alfb 
obferve  (from  the  old  Commentator  •)  that 
the  verbs  tranftiantOj  and  babentOf  are,  in 
the  very  ftylc  of  the  Roman  law,  **  Vide  ut 

*  There  are  many  excellent  remarks  in  Jer»  xnd  P*rffyru ; 
from  whom,  as  well  as  from  Cmqutmi,  Daeitr  ha*  banowcd 
much,  without  owning  iL  Daeitr's  traiiflation  of  Horace  U 
not  equal  to  his  Arijeile'i  Poetics.  Jo  the  former,  he  is  per- 
petually llriving  to  difcover  new  meanings  in  hii  author, 
which  Boileau  called.  The  Revelations  of  Dacicr. 

diredis 


z^ J 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  341 
direflis  junfconrultorum  verbis  utltur  ad 
Trebatium  jurirconfultuin. 

2.  Aut  G  tantus  amor  fcribendi  te  rapit^  aude 
Cxfaris  invifti  res  dicere,  multa  laborum 
Pnemia  laturus •  i 

Or,  if  you  needs  muft  write,  write  Cxfar's  praife. 
You'll  gain  at  leaft  a  inightbeaJ,  or  the  hejt  f. 

This  is  fuperior  to  the  original,  becauif' 
pramia  laturas  is  general  and  fiat,  in  compa- 
rifon  of  the  particular  rewards  here  Ipecl- 
fied. 

3.    ■     neque  cTlm  quivis  horrentia  pilis  % 
Agcnina,  ncc  fradla  percuntes  cufpide  Gallos, 
Aut  Jabcmis  cquo  defcitbat  vulnera  Parthi  §. 

What  •  like  Sir  Richard,  rumbling,  rough,  and  fierce. 
With  Arms,  and  George,  and  Baunswice  crowd 
the  verfc, 

•  V.  10.  t  V.  ai. 

X  Of  thefe  verfet  fayt  PtrpiyrU,  Bkganter  u  hftc   if<|. 
cxcnfatione,  p9flit  ft  fciibcrc  ofieadit. 


^1       .IMiW 


342    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Rend  with  tremendous  found  your  ears  afunder, 
With  gun,  drum,  trumpet,  blundcrbufs,  and  thundcN 

Pope  has  turned  the  compliment  to  Au-* 
guHus  into  a  fevere  farcafm.  All  the  wits* 
feem  to  have  leagued  again  ft:  Sir  Richard 
Blickmore,  In  a  letter  now  lying  before 
me,  from  Elijah  Flnton  to  my  father, 
dated,  Jan.  24,  1707,  he  fays,  "  I  am 
glad  to  hear  Mr.  Phillips  will  publifli  his 
Pomona:  Who  prints  it?  I  fliould  be 
mightily  obliged  to  you,  if  you  could  get 
me  a  copy  of  his  verfes  againji  Blackmore/* 
As  the  letter  contains  one  or  two  literary 
particulars,  I  will  tranfcribe  the  reft.     "  As 

•  ^1X31  ft  never  could  forgive  Blackmore  the  following  ftric- 
tures  on  a  Tale  of  a  Tub^  in  his  effays^  London,  1 7 17. 
*'  Had  this  writing  been  publilhed  in  a  Pagan  or  Popifh 
nation^  whoarejulUy  impatient  of  all  indignity  offered  to 
the  eflablifhcd  religion  of  their  country^  no  doubt  but  the  au« 
thor  would  have  received  the  punilhment  he  deierved.  Boc 
the  fate  of  this  impious  huffccn  is  very  different ;  for  in  a  Pro-* 
teilant  kingdom^  zealous  of  their  civil  and  religious  immuni- 
ties, he  has  not  only  efcapcd  affronts,  and  the  effeds  of  pub- 
lic refentmenty  but  he  has  been  carcfTcd  and  patronised  bjr 
perfons  of  great  figure,  and  of  all  denominations/' 

2  ta 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       3^3 

to  what  you  write  about  rpakin^i  a  co 
tion,  I  can  only  advife  you  to  buy  what 
poems  you  can,  that  Ton/on  h:s  printed, 
except  the  Ode  to  the  S/m;  unlefs  you  will 
take  it  in,  becaufe  I  writ  it ;  which  I  am 
the  freer  to  own,  that  Maf\  Prior  may  not 
fufFer  in  his  reputation,  by  having  it  afcrihed 
to  him.  My  humble  fervice  to  Mr-  Sacbe^ 
njerelU  and  tell  him  I  will  nevc:r  imitate  Mil-* 
ton  more,  till  the  author  of  Blenheim  is  for- 
gotten."  In  vain  was  Blackmorc  extolled  . 
by  Molyneux  and  Locke:  but  Locke^  to  his 
Qther  fuperior  talents,  did  not  add  a  good 
tafte.  He  affefted  to  defpife  poetry,  and 
he  depreciated  the  ancients  ;  which  circum- 
ftance,  as  1  am  iniormed  from  undoubted 
authority,  was  the  fource  of  perpetual  dif- 
content  and  dif.mte  betwixt  him  and  his 
pupil  Lord  Sh(iftejbury  \  who,  in  many  parts 
of  the  Characleriftics,  has  ridiculed  Locke's 
philofophy,  and  endeavoured  to  reprefent 
him  as  a  difciple  of  liobbes  ^,  from  which 

writer. 


344    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

writer,  however,  it  is  certain  that  Locke  bor- 
rowed frequently  and  largely. 


nifi  dextro  tempore,  Flacci 


Verba  per  attentam  non  ibunt  Caefaris  aurem. 
Cui  male  fi  palpere  recalcitrat  undique  tutus*. 

Alas  !  few  verfes  touch  their  nicer  ear. 

They  fcarce  can  bear  their  Laureate  twice  a  year. 

And  juftly  Csefar  fcorns  the  poet's  lays  j 

It  is  to  Hijlory  he  trufts  for  praife  f. 

Superior  to  the  original,  on  account  of 
the  mention  of  the  Laureate;  andthe  fudden 
unexpedled  turn  in  the  laft  line,  which  is 
uncomnionlyy?^^  znAfevere. 

j.  Quid  faciam  ?  faltat  Milonius,  &c.  % 
Each  mortal  has  his  pleafure§. 

These  words,  indeed,  open  the  fenfc  of 
Horace ;  but  the  quid  faciam  is  better,  as  it 
leaves  it  to  the  reader  to  difcovcr  what  is 
one  of  Horace's  greatcfl  beauties,  his  fecret 

•  V.  18.        t  V.  33.        J  V.  24.-       J  V.  45, 

an4 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPfi.        345 

and  delicate  tranfttions  and  conneBions,  to 
which  they  who  do  not  carefully  attend^ 
lofe  half  the  pleafure  of  reading  him. 


—  none  deny 

Darty  his  ham-pyc  *, 


Lyttelton,  in  his  Dialogues  of  the 
Dead^  has  introduced  Darteneuf^  in  a  plea- 
fant  difcourfe  betwixt  him  and  Apicius^  bit- 
terly lamenting  his  ill  fortune,  in  having 
lived  before  turtle  -feajls  -f-  were  known  in 
England.  **  Alas  !'*,  fays  he,  **  how  imperfedt 
is  human  felicity !  I  lived  in  an  age  when  the 
pleafure  of  eating  was  thought  to  be  carried  to 
its  higheft  perfeftion  in  England  and  France. 
And  yet  a  turtlc-feaft  is  a  novelty  to  me ! 
Would  it  be  impoflible,  do  you  think,  to 
obtain  leave  from  Pluto,  of  going  back  for 
one  day,  juft  to  tafte  of  that  food  ?  I  would 


•  V.  45. 

t  He  might  have  faid  the  faiAe  of  the  Chine/t  Biri*s  Nift, 
piece  of  Oriental  luxury  lately  imported. 


Vol.  II. 


Yy 


'  promife 


« 


346     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

promife  to  kill  myfelf  by  the  quantity  I 
would  eat  before  the  next  morning." 

6.  Caftor  gaudet  equis ;  ovo  prognatus  eodem, 
Piignis  — — — — — — ♦. 

F.  loves  the  fcnate,  Hockley-hole  his  brother. 
Like  in  all  clfe,  as  one  egg  to  another  f- 

This  parallel  is  not  happy  and  exadt;  to 
fliew  the  variety  of  human  paffions  and  pur- 
fuits,  Caftor  and  Pollux  were  unlike,  even 
though  they  came  from  one  and  the  fame 
egg.  This  is  far  more  extraordinary  and 
marvellous  than  that  two  common  brothers 
fliould  have  different  inclinations. 

a 

7. ]\Ic  pcdibus  dclcclat  claudere  verba, 

Luciii  ritu J. 

I  love  to  pour  out  all  myfelf,  as  plain 

As  downright  SUppen^  or  as  old  Montaigne^. 

*^  My  chief  pleafure  is  to  write  fatiret 
like  Lucilius,"  fays  Horace.     "  My  chief 


♦  V.  26. 


t  V.  49,  i  V.  23. 


S  V.  SI. 

pleafure^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      347 

pleafure,  fays  Pope,  is, — What  ?  tojpeak  my 
mind  freely  and  openly.'*  There  fhould  have 
been  an  inftance  of  fome  employment^  and 
not  a  virtuous  habit-,  there  follows  in  the 
original,  a  line  which  Bent  ley  has  explained 
very  acutely,  and  in  a  manner  different  from 
the  other  commentators—^ 


neque  fi  male  geHcrat,  ufquam 


Decurrens  alio,  neque  fi  bene—  *. 

He  affirms,  that  the  true  reading  (hould 
be  male  cejferat^  and  that  it  does  not  mean, 
whether  his  affairs  went  ill  or  not,  but  whe- 
ther he  wrote  fuccefsfully  or  not.  **  Nuf- 
quam  alio  pra^terquam  ad  libros  decurrens, 
feu  bene  ei  ceflcrat  in  fcribendoy  feu  mal^. 
Scilicet  quovis  ille  die  fcribere  amabat,  five 
aptus  turn  ad  ftudium,  feu,  utfaepe  ufu  venit, 
ineptior:  feu  mufis  faventibus  five  averfis." 

The  pafTage  that  immediately  follows, 
in  the  origin^},  at  verfe  the  thirty-fifth,— 

•V.  31. 

Y  y  2  Nam 


I 


348     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Nam  Venufinus  arat  — down.to  verfe  the 
thirty-ninth,  to  the  words,  incuterct  violen- 
ta,  which  are  frequently  printed  in  a  paren- 
thefis,  and  have  been  fuppofed  to  be  aa 
awkward  interpolation,  were  undoubtedly 
Intended  by  Horace  to  reprefent  the  loofe, 
incoherent,  and  verbofc  manner  *  of  Lucl- 
lius  (incompolito  pede)  who  loaded  his  fatires 
with  many  ufelefs  and  impertinent  thoughts. 


-  O  Pater  &  Rex, 


Jupiter,  ut  pcrcat  pofitum  rubiginc  teluai  f. 

Save  but  our  army  !  and  let  Jove  jncrull 
Swords,  pikes,  and  guns,  with  cverUfting  ruft  % ! 

He  could  not  fufler  fo  favourable  an  op- 
portutiity  to  pafs,  without  joining  with  his 
friends,  the  patriots  of  that  time,  in  the  cry 

• atnat  fcripGiTe  duccotiu 

Atilc  cibum  verfu),  totidem  cznatoi^^ 

Hot.  Tat.  x.  lib.  i.  r.  6i. 
Jd.  Baillti,  among  hi)  nuDieroui  blunder*  and  faire  judg- 
tnents,  is  fo  abrurd,  as  to  take  literallx  tbecxpreffioBof  Lud- 
lii3»— Stans  pede  in  uno. 
t  V.  i!.  J  V.  73. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      349 

againfl  a  (landing  army.  The  fentiment  in 
the  original  is  taken,  as  the  old  fcholiaft  ob- 
ferves,  from  Callimachus ; 

Numberless  are  the  pafTages  in  Horace, 
which  he  h^s  fkilfully  adopted  and  interwo- 
ven from  the  Greek  writers  ;  with  whom  he 
was  minutely  and  intimately  acquainted; 
perhaps  more  fo  than  any  other  Roman  poet, 
having  fludied  at  Athens  longer  than  any  of 
them. 

^  He  imitates  two  other  epigrams  of  Callimachus*  in  verfii 
8.  of  the  2d  Sac.  lib.  i . 

Pneclaram  ingrata  flringat  malus  ingluvie  rem- 
and Mo,  as  Heinfius  obferves,  in  the  105  th  verfe  of  the  fame 
latire— — 

Leporem  venator  ut  alta 
In  nive  fedatur  -— — 

In  the  iixth  fatire  of  the  fecond  book,  he  has  Sopk^clet  in  hia 
Loferat  in  campo  fortunx  filius  ■    ■ 

I    (£dip.  Tyrann.  lo^. 

Q^idquid 


350    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

QiiidquiJ  fub  terra  eft  in  apricum  proferet  xtas 
Dcfodiet  cdndetquc  nitenlia— —  • 

i»  from  the  Oedipus  of  Sophocles,  vcrfe  659. 

Pcrnicies  &  Ttrnpifiaiy  Barathrumque  macelli  — —  f 

Grotius,  in  that  very  entertaining  book, 
his  Excerptaex  I'ragadUs  &  Comadiis  GractSt, 
has  preferved,  page  583,  a  fragment  of 
Alexis,  to  which  this  paffage  of  Horace  al- 
ludes ; 

^uvtei  J'a'NM:;  TriMfii,  tonn  nim 

Per  mure  paunt-rieni  fugieiis,  per  faxa,  per  ignes  Xi 

is  from  Tbeo^nis ; 

•  Ep.  vi.  V.  24.  t  V-  3>-  «P-  'S*  *  '^P-  *• 

lib.  1.46. 

Sunt 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      351 

Sunt  verba  &  voces  quibus  hunc  lenire  dolorem 
Poilis,  &  magnam  morbi  deponerc  partem  *, 

is  from  the  Hippolitus  of  Euripides ; 


Si  quid  novifti  rc£tius  idis 


Candidus  impcrti,  fi  non,  his  utere  mecum  f, 

is  taken,  as  Cfuquius  remarks,  from  Ifocrates 
to  Nlcoc/es; 

Spes  jubet  efiTc  ratas,  in  praelia  trudit  inermemf, 

from   an  elegant  fragment  of  Diphilusi  in 
which  Bacchus  is  addreiTcd : 

■ 

Orav  T»^ti90p  fAtyct  f^ofetf  votm;  ji^oiq^y 
Toy  TO*  o^^vq  at^ovra  <rt//x7rMGM(  7E^a»9 
Toy  t'  ajdf»ii  roAfUKy  Ti>  Toy  ^fiXoy  O^a^'My* 

The  bold   and  beautiful   metaphor  in   the 
fourth  ode  of  the  fourth  book, 

*  Ep.  i.  lib.  I.  ver.  35.      f  Ep.  vi.  67.       {  V.  17.  Ep.  5. 

Per 


352    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Per  Siculas  equitavit  undas, 

is  from  the  Pbaniffle  of  Euripides,  verfe  222, 
(the  Oxford  edition'  in  4to.  by  Dr.  Muf- 
grave,  1778,) 


Zif  v^  flr»oia>( 


Iwivaetnoi  ly  if^aftj-^^ 


The  beginning  of  the  firft  ode  of  the  firft 
book,  which  points  out  the  different  incli- 
nations and  purfuits  of  men,  alludes  to  a 
paflage  in  Pindar,  preferved  by  Sextus  Em- 
piricuSf  in  the  firft  Pyrrh.  Hypothef. 

Tf^TTflat  ^1  r%%  fir  oi^/ak  aXioy  veti  Oo«  auv  ^ajtmCm** 

And  line  the  25th  of  the  fecond*  ode  of  the 
third  book,  is  taken  from  a  fragment  of  5/- 
monides  -f-,  cited  by  Arijiide^.     2.  Platonica. 

•  See  P.  Pctiti.  Mifc.  Obf.  lib.  iii.  cap.  25. 

f  The  words.  Mors  &  fugacem  perfequitur  virum,  in  Ode  s« 
book  iii.  are  even  tranflated  from  SimomiJet ; 

7  Eft 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      353 

Eft  &  fideli  tuta  Silentio 

Merces    '   '  . 

Bentley,  with  his  ufual  acutencft,  con* 
jcfturcd,  that  an  obfcure  paflage  in  Horace 
would  be  illuftrated,  if  ever  the  Greek  epi- 
gram of  Philodemus^  to  which  he  alluded, 
ihould  be  diicovered. 

♦  Gallis^  hanc,  Philodemns  ak L.  i.  fat.  2,  I2I« 

Reijkius  has  fince  printed  the  very  epi- 
gram, and  the  laft  words  of  it  confirm  Bent- 
ley's  conjecture. 

9«  Nec  quifquam  noceat  cupiJo  mihi  pacis  !  at  ille 
Qui  me  commorit  (melius  non  tangerc  clamo) 
Flebit,  &  infignis  tota  cantabitur  urbe  f* 

Peace  is  my  dear  delight— ir^/  Fleurfs  mon: 
But  touch  me,  and  no  minifter  fo  fore. 

•  See  Anthol.  Grsec.  Lib.  tres  Oxonii,  1766,  p.  93*  Phi> 
lodemus  lived  at  Rome  in  the  time  of  Tnlly,  and  i<  motioned 
}iy  him  as  a  friend  of  Pifom 

tv.44. 

Vol.  II.  Z  %  -Vn^oc'er 


35+    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITING? 

Whoe'er  offends,  at  fome  unlucky  time. 
Slides  into  verfe,  and  hitches  into  rhyme  t« 

Superior  to  the  original,  on  account  of 
the  lively  and  unexpefted  fatire  at  the  end  of 
each  of  the  two  firft  lines ;  a  high  improve- 
ment of  Ciipido  viihi  pads. 

■ 

10.  Ccrvius  iratus  leges  minitatur  &  urnam  ; 

Canidia  Albuti,  quibus  eft  inimica,  venenum  ; 
Grande  malum  Turius,  fi  quid  fe  judjce  certas — % 

Slander  or  poifon  dread  from  Delia's  rage. 

Hard  words,  or  hanging,  if  your  judge  be  Page  §. 

It  is  difficult  to  fay  which  paflagc  is  the 
more  fpirited.     But  what  follows  in  Pope, 

It's  proper  power  to  hurt  each  creature  feels, 
is  inferior  to 


utque 


Iinperct  hoc  natura  potcns,  fic  coUIgc  mccum* 
Utiitc  lupus,  cornii  taurus  petit;  undo  nifi  iatu^ 
Monltratuin  ? jl 

j   V.  ->:,,  X  V.  46.  5   V.  81.  11  V-  51. 

1  But 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      355 
But  then  again  thefe  two  lines^ 

So  drink  with  Walters,  or  with  Cliartres  cat^ 
They'll  never  poifon  you,  they'll  only  cheat  % 

is  expreiTed  with  an  archnefs  and  a  drynefs 
beyond  the  original,  that  follows : 


Scxvx  vivacem  crcde  nepoti 


Matrem  i  nil  faclet  fceleris  pia  dextera  (mirum  ; 
Vt  heqne  cake  lupus  quemquam,  nee  dehte  petit  bos) 
Sed  mala  toilet  anum  vitiatd  mclle  cicuta  f. 

i  I.  Ne  longum  faciam  :  feu  me  tranquilla  feneAus 
£xpe6lat,  feu  mors  atris  circumvolat  alis ; 
Dives;  inops;  Romz,  feu  fors  ita  juilerit  exul^ 
Quifquis  erit  vita;  fcribam  Color  %• 

Then,  learned  Sir !  (to  cut  the  matter  (hortj 
Whatever  my  fate,  or  well  or  ill  at  court; 
Whether  old  age,  with  faint  but  chearful  ray. 
Attends  to  gild  the  ev'ning  of  my  day. 
Or  death's  black  wing  already  be  difplay'd. 
To  wrap  me  in  the  univerfal  (hade ; 
Whether  the  darkened  rooms  to  mufe  invite. 
Or  whiten'd  wall  provoke  the  fkewcr  to  write; 
In  durance,  exile,  Bcdiaiti,  or  the  miAt, 
Like  Lee  or  Budgell,  I  will  rhyme  and  print  $• 

•V.  S9.  t  V  53.  tV.54.  SV.91. 

Zz  2  The 


*-.~^r- 


-1  ini 


356     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  brevity  and  force  of  the  original  it 
evaporated  in  this  long  and  feeble  paraphrafe* 
The  t&irJ,  and  three  fucceeding  lines,  arc 
languid  and  verbofe^  and  fome  of  the  worft 
he  has  written. 

12.  ——Quid  cum  eft  LucUius  aofus 

Primus  in  hunc  operis  componere  carmina  morem^ 
Detrahere  &  pellem,  nitidas  qua  quifqae  per  ora 
Cederet,  introiTum  turpis— — — ♦. 

• 

What  ?  arm'd  for  virtue  when  I  point  the  pen. 
Brand  the  bold  front  of  (hamelefs  guilty  men, 
Dafh  the  proud  gamefter  from  his  gilded  car. 
Bare  the  mean  heart  that  lurks  beneath  a  ftar^ 
Can  there  be  wanting,  to  defend  ha:  caufe. 
Lights  of  the  church  or  guardians  of  the  laws  f  f 

^hatjiraln  %  I  heard  was  of  a  higher  mood — 

and  of  a  tone  more  awful  and  majeflic  than 
the  original  pretends  to  aflume.  Our  au- 
thor*s  Horace  differs  as  much  from  his  ori- 
ginal as  does  his  Homer  i   yet  both  will  b# 

•  V.  64.  t  V.  105*  I  Milton's  Lyddai^  87, 

always 


.Ti^^^r- 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.        357 

always  read  with  great  pleafure  and  ap« 
plaufe. 

13.  Could  penfionM  Bolleau  lafh,  in  honeft  ftraiiiy 
FlattVers  and  Bigots  ev'n  in  Louis*  reign*  7 

BoiLEAu  a(^ed  with  much  caution  and 
circumfpedlion,  when  he  firft  publifhed  his 
Lutrin,  here  alluded  to ;  and  endeavoured  to 
cover  and  conceal  his  fubjedt,  by  a  preface 
intended  to  miflead  his  reader  from  the  real 
fcene  of  action ;  which  preface  is  mentioned 
in  the  firft  volume  of  this  eflay,  page  214; 
but  it  ought  to  be  obferved,  that  he  after- 
wards, in  the  year  1683,  threw  afide  this 
difguife ;  openly  avowing  the  occaiion  that 
gave  rife  to  the  poem,  the  fcene  of  which 
was  not  Bourges  or  Pourges,  as  before  he  had 
faid,  but  Paris  itfelf  ^  the  quarrel  he  cele- 
brated being  betwixt  the  Treafurer  and  th# 
Chanter  of  the  Holy  Chapel,  in  that  city. 
The  canons  were  fo  far  from  being  offended, 

•  V.  Ill* 

that 


358    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

that  they  (hewed  their  good  fenfe  and  good 
temper  by  joining  in  the  laugh.  Upon 
which  Boileau  compliments  them,  and  adds, 
that  many  of  that  fociety  were  pcrforis  of  fo 
much  wit  and  learning,  that  he  would  as 
foon  confult  them  upon  his  works,  as  the 
members  of  the  French  Academy  -j-. 

14.  Quin  ubi  fe  a  vulgo  &  fccna  in  fecreta  remorant 
Virtus  Scipiadae  &  mitis  fapientia  Laeli, 
Nugari  cum  illo,  &  difcindti  ludere,  donee 
Decoqueretur  olus,  foliti  % 

There,  my  retreat  the  beft  §  companions  grace,- 
Chiefs  out  of  war,  and  flatefmen  out  of  place  ; 
There  St.  John  mingles  with  my  friendly  bowl 
The  feaft  of  reafon,  and  the  flow  of  foul : 
And  he,  \»hofe  lightning  pierc'd  th'  Iberian  lines. 
Now  forms  my  quincunx,  and  now  ranks  my  vines, 

t  Oeuvres  de  M.  Boileau,  Dcfpreaux,  par  M.  de  SaintMtrc; 
Tom.  ii.  177,  Paris,  1747. 

tV.71. 

f  In  the  two  preceding  line^  is  z  bad  expreflion  that  ouglft 
to  be  noted 


the  din  the  world  can  Jteefm 

Or 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      359 

Or  tames  the  genius  of  the  ftubliom  plain, 
Almoft  as  quickly  as  he  conquered  Spain  ^. 

I  KNOW  not  whether  thefe  lines,  fpirited 
and  fplendid  as  they  are,  give  us  more  plea* 
fure  than  the  natural  pidiure  of  the  great 
Scipio  and  Lalius^^  unbending  themfelves 
from  their  high  occupations,  and  defcending 
to  common  and  even  trifling  fports :  for  the 
pld  commentator  fays,  that  they  lived  ia 
fuch  intimacy  with  Lucilius,  ^^  ut  quodem 
pmpore  Lah'o  circum  le(5tos  triclinii  fugienti 
Lucilius  fuperveniens,  eqm  obtorti  mappi 
quafi  percuflurus  fequeretur."  For  this  is  the 
fa6l  to  which  Horace  feems  to  allude,  rather 
than  to  what  Tul/y  mentions  in  the  fecoad 
hook DeOrator£,  of  their  amufing  themfelve* 
;n  picking  up  ihells  and  pebbles  on  the  fea-« 
fhore.  Bolmgbroke  is  here  reprefented  as 
pouring  out  himfelf  to  his  friend,  in  the 

•  V.  125. 

t  Whofc  charaaer  is  finely  touched  by  that  fwcct  cxprcf- 
fipn^  mith  fafitntia. 

m 

mod 


360    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

moft  free  and  unreferved  converfations  on 
topics  the  moft  interefting  and  important. 
But P^^  was  deceived;  for  it  is  aflertcd  that 
the  philofopher  never  difcovcred  his  real 
principles  to  our  poet ;  who  is  faid,  ftrangeas 
this  appears,  not  even  to  have  been  acquaint- 
ed with  the  tenets  and  contents  of  thofe  very 
cflays  which  were  addreft  to  himfelf,  at  the 
beginning  of  Bolingbroke's  Philofophical 
Works.  And  it  is  added,  tha(  Pope  w^ 
furprifed,  in  his  lad  illnefs,  when  a  common 
acquaintance  informed  him,  that  his  Lord{hip» 
in  a  late  converfation,  had  deny*d  ^he  moral 
attributes  of  God.  There  is  a  remarkable  paf- 
fage  in  a  letter  from  Bolingbroke  to  Swift, 
dated  June  1734: — *'  I  am  glad  you  approve 
of  his  Moral  EJfays.  They  will  do  more  good 
than  the  fermons  and  writings  of  fome,  who 
had  a  mind  to  Jind  great  fault  with  them. 
And  if  the  doftrincs  taught,  hinted  at, 
and  IMPLIED  in  them,  and  the  trains  of 

CONSEQ^UEKCES  DEDUCIBLE  from  thcfc  doC- 

trines,  were  to  be  difputed  in  profe,  I  think 

be 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       361 

he  would  have  no  rea(on  to  apprehend,  cither 
the  freethinkers  on  one  hand,  or  the  narrow 
dogmatiils  on  the  other.  Some  few  things 
maybe  expreffed  a  XlnXt  hardly  i  but  none 
are  I  believe  unintelligible/'  With  refpeft 
to  the  doArines  of  the  Eflay  on  Man,  I  fhall 
here  infert  an  anecdote  copied  exaftly  frotn 
the  papers  of  Mr.  Spence^  in  the  words  of 
Pope  himfelf.  **  In  the  moral  poem,  I  had 
**  written  an  addrefs  to  our  Saviour,  imitated 
*•  from  Lucretius'^  compliment  to  Epicurus-, 
**  but  omitted  it,  by  the  advice  of  Dean 
^*  Berkley.  One  of  our  priefts,  who  are 
*'  more  narrow  than  yours,  made  a  lefs  fen- 
**  fible  objection  to  the  epiftle  on  happinefs. 
^*  He  was  very  angry  that  there  was  nothing 
**  faid  in  it  of  our  eternal  happinefs  hcreaf- 
^'  ter;  though  my  fubjcdl  was  exprefsly  to 
i^  treat  only  of  the  ftate  of  man  here." 

'  "^HERE  are  not,  perhaps,  four  more  fi- 

nifhed^ines  in  our  auth'br's  works,  than  thofc 

above  mentioned,  relating  to  Lord  Peterbo- 

Vai..  II,  3  A  rough : 


362    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

rough;  particularly  the  yesy  striking  turn 
of  compliment  in  the  laft  line,  which  fo 
beautifully  and  vigoroufly  figure$  ihp  n^pir 
dity  of  his  conqueft  of  Valepcia. 

ij.                              ■                tamco  me 
Cum  i^gnis  vixiQe  invita  fotebitur  ufquq 
Invidia • 

Envy  muft  own,  I  livp  amqng  the  Oieat* 
No  pimp  of  pleafure,  and  no  fpjr  of  ftatcf' 

Pope  triumphs  and  felicitates  himfclf  upr 
on  having  lived  with  the  Great,  without  de- 
fcending  into  one  of  thofe  chara«^ers  which 
he  thinks  it  unavoidable  to  efcape,  ip  fi^ch  a 
fituation.  From  the  gcnerofity  and  open- 
ncis  of  Horace's  charadter,  I  think  he  might 
be  pronounced  equally  free  fat  leaft  from 
the  /i!/ij  of  thefe  imputations.  There  mui^ 
have  been  fomething  uncommonly  captivat- 
ing in  the  temper  and  manners  of  Horace, 
that  could  have  made  Auguftus  fo  fond,  of 

•  V.  75.  i  V.  133. 

z  flinty 


~~   -^  ■■»!  —  ^m      "    ■■    JJf 


I 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  .     363 

him^  though  he  had  been  fo  avowed  an  ene«> 
tnyi  and  ferved  under  Bl-utus.  I  have  feen 
fome  manufcript  Letters  of  Sbaftejbury^  in 
which  he  has  ranged  in  three  different 
claifes  the  Ethical  writings  of  Horace^  ac« 
cording  to  the  different  periods  of  his  life  in 
which  he  fuppofes  them  to  have  been  writ* 
ten.  The  firft,  during  the  time  he  pro- 
fefled  the  Stoic  philofophy^  and  was  a  friend 
of  Brutus.  The  fecond,  after  he  became 
diflblute  and  debauched,  at  the  court  of  Au- 
guftus.  The  third,  when  he  repented  of  this 
abandoned  Epicurean  life,  wifhed  to  retire 
from  the  city  and  court,  and  become  a  pri- 
vate man  and  a  philofopher. 

r 

i6.  ■    '  ■        ct  fragili  quxrens  illidere  dentem, 

Offcndct  folido— r-  * 

Pope  has  omitted  this  elegant -allufion. 
Horace  feems  to  have  been  particularly  fond 
of  thofe  exquifite  morfels  of  wit  and  genius^ 

•  V.  77. 
3  A  3  the 


I 

r 


364    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

the  old  Mfopic  *  fables.  He  frequent^  al- 
ludes to  them,  but* always  with  a  brevity 9 
very  different  from  our  modem  writers  of 
fable  ;  even  the  excellent  La  Fontaine  ha» 
added  a  quaint  and  witty  thought  to  this 
very  faUe;  The  File  fays  to  tlie  Vipers 
Fab.  98, 

Tu  te  romprois  t<mtcs  Fes  deiit9« 
J«  ne  crains  que  alUs  du  Temp^ 

17.  Si  mala  condiderit  in  quem  quis  carmina^  jtars  eft 
Judiciumque.    H*  cflo  fi  quis  mala,  fed  bona  fi  qai» 
Judice-condiderit  Undatus  Gxiare— — —  f 

To  laugh  at  the  (blemnity  of  Trebatius^r 
Horace  puts  him  off  with  a  play  upon  words: 
But  our  important  lawyer  takes  no  notice'  of 
the  jeft,  and  finiflies  ,with^a  gravity  fuited  to- 

his  charafter. 

Solventur  rifu  tabula,  Tu  miflus  abibis. 

*  Sfce  the  learned  Diflercation,  Di  Bamio^  latdlf  pab* 
lifhed  by  Mr.  Tyrwhic ;  in  which  are  fevera  1  of  the  greauft 
elegance,  f'  V.  81. 


.  ^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  365 
This  dialogue  I  heard  lately  fpoken  *  with 
fo  much  fpirit  and  propriety^  that  if  our  au- 
thor tould  have  been  prcfent,  he  perhaps 
might  have  been  inclined  to  alter  an  opinion, 
of  which  he  Teems  very  fond,  in  the  fourth 
book  of  the  Dunciad,  '*  that  Words  only 
are  learnt  at  our  great  Schools." 

X8.  Non  mens  h\cferint  \  iei  quse  przcepit  OfeUut    ■ 
Rofticus,  abnormis  fapieos,  craflaque  Mincrvif. 

Hear  Buhl's  fennoii,  one  not  versM  In  fchools. 
But  ftrong  in  Cenky  and  wife  without  the  rules}. 

This  difcourfe  in  praife  of  Temperanctf 
-tofes  much  of  it's  grace  and  propriety,  by 
being  put  into  the  mouth  of  a  perfon  of  a 
much  higher  rank  in  life  than  the  honefl 
countryman  Ofellut ;  whofc  patrimoay  had 
been  feized  by  Auguftus,  and  given  to  one  of 
his  foldiers  named  XJmbrenusi  and  whom, 
perhaps,  Horace  recommended  to  the  enw 
peror,  by  making  him  the  chief  Ipeaker  In 

*  At  Etw  Scbod.       t  Sat.  ii.  Ub.  x>  r.  a.       t  V.  ■•• 

thil 


I 


366  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
this  very  fatire.  We  may  imagine  that  ^ 
difcourfe  on  temperance  from  Horace,  raifed 
a  laugh  among  the  courtiers  of  Auguftus ; 
and  we  fee,  he  could  not  venture  to  deliver 
it  in  his  own  perfon.  This  imitation  of 
Tope  is  not  equal  to  moft  of  his  others. 


-  Leporem  fe£latus,  eqtiovc 


Laflus  ab  indomlio,  vd,  (fi  Romana  fatigac 
Militia  affuctum  grarcari)  feu  pila  vclox, 
Motlicer  aufterum  Audio  fallente  laborem  ; 
Seu  te  difcus  agic,  pete  ccdeiitcm  aera  difco ; 
Cum  labor  extuderit  fallidia,  liccus,  inanis, 
Epcrne  cibum  vikm  j  nifi  •  Hymcttia  mella  Fall 
Nc  biberis  diluta.  Foris  eft  promus  &  atrum 
Defcndens  pifccs  hJetnat  fflare  \  cum  Talc  panls        ' 
Latrantem  ftomachum  bene  Ie;)iet.     Unde  putas  ii 
Qiii  partum  f  non  in  caro  nidore  voluptas  1 

Summa,  fn]  in  teipfo  eft.     Tu  pulmentana  quzre 
Sudando,     Pinguem  vitiis  albumquc  ncque  oftra 
Ncc  fcarus,  am  poteiit  peregrina  juvarc  lagois  f. 


*  We  «rc  iolbrmed  by  Mr.  Stuart,  in  his  Atheni,  thai  tbe 
honey  of  Hymciiug,  even  10  this  time,  continues  to  be  in 
Toguc,  and  thai  the  reraglio  of  the  Grand  SeigRor  is  ferred 
with  a  quantity  of  il  yearly. 


tv.,. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       367 

Go  hunt,  work,  exercife  I  he  thus  began. 

Then  fcorn  a  homely  dinner  if  you  can. 

Y«ur  wine  lock'd  up,  your  butler  ftroU'd  abroad, 

pr  fiOi  deny'd  (the  river'yet  unthaw'd} 

If  then  plain  bread  and  milk  will  do  the  feat. 

The  pleafure  lies  tn  you,  and  not  the  meat  %, 

This  paragraph  is  much  inferior  to  the' 
original;  in  which  the  mention  of  many 
particular  exercifts  gives  it  a  pleafing  variety. 
The  fixth  and  fevcnth  lines  in  Horace  are 
nervous  and  llrong.  The  third  in  Pope  lan- 
guid and  wordy,  which  kiA^ta forts  eft premus. 
Defendfns,  &  latrantemt  &  caro,  icpinguemy  & 
albumt  are  all  of  them  very  expreflivc  epi- 
tket«.  And  the  allufion  to  Socrates  %  con- 
Aant  exercife,  tu  pulaientaria,  &£-.  ought  not 
^P  haye  been  omitted.  Pope's  two  laft  lines 
in  this  paiTage  are  very  exceptionable. 

90.  Vix  tamen  eripiam,  pofito  pavatUj  vclis  quitt 
Hoc  potius  quam  gaUha  tergere  palatum  f . ' 
Preach  as  I  pleafe,  I  doubt  our  curious  men 
"WiW  chufe  a  pheafant  fttll  before  a  Hen  |. 

J  V.  II.  J  V.  »3.  |l  V.17. 


368    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

He  might  have  inferted  the  original  word 
peacocks^  as  many  of  our  Euglilh  epicure^ 
are  fond  of  them,  Q^  Horlcnfius  had  the 
honour  of  being  the  firft  Roman  that  intro- 
duced this  bird  to  the  table  as  a  great  dainty, 
in  a  magnificent  feaft  which  he  made  on  hi» 
being  created  Augur.  The  price  of  a  pea- 
cock, fays  Arbuthnot,  page  129,  was  50 
denarii,  that  is,  1/.  izs.  3d'.  A  flock  of  x 
hundred  was  fold  at  a  much  dearer  rate,  for 
322/.  i8j.  ^d.  of  our  mooey.  M.  Aufidius 
Lurco,  according  to  Varrp,  ufed  to  maka: 
every  year  of  his  pea^ock$  484/.  7^.  td. 


11.  Undc  datum  fcntis  Lupvs  hie  Tibcrinus,  an  alta 
Captus  hiet  ?  pontefnc  inter  ja£latus,  an  aoinij 
Oftia  fub  Tufci  ?  laudas  infanc  UJlibrem 
Mullum  }  in  Ungula  qucm  oiinoaE  palmeiltx  DC* 
eft*. 

or  carps  and  mullets  why  prefer  the  great, 
Tho'  cut  in  pieces  ere  my  Lord  can  cat ; 
Yet  for  fmall  turbots  fuch  eftcem  profcfs  ? 
Becaufe  God  made  thefe  large,  the  other  Icfs  %, 


■  V.JI. 


t  V.  SI 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,  369 
Very  inferior  to  the  origlnali  and  princi- 
pally fot  becaufc  that  pleafant  ftroke  is  omit- 
ted,  of  the  eater's  knowing  in  what  part 
bf  the  river  the  Lupus  *  waa  taken,  and 
whether  or  no  betwixt  the  two  bridges, 
irhich  was  deemed  an  eilential  circuroftance. 
The  reader  wilt  be  well  entertained  on  this 
fubjed,  if  he  will  look  into  the  feventeenth 
chapter  of  the  third  book  of  Macrobius,  par- 
ticularly into  a  curious  fpeech  of  C.  Titiuf^ 
there  recited.  But  Horace  feems  to. have 
bad  in  his  eye  a  pailage  of  Lucilius,  quoted 

*  Plfoff  In  Iiii  Nitmral  Bidorj,  b.  ix.  e,  34,  nentiou 
«n  cxtraordimry  circDmftance  that  g>re  vtlge  to  their  filb. 
Tot  pifciDio  r«poribui,  quibtu  pretia  capiencium  pericalo  fiunt* 
The  fiOi  were  ellecmed,  «id  fuppofed  to  have  a  higher  flavoar, 
IB  praportioB  to  the  dangen  that  hsd  been  nndergone  id  th« 
cttching  them.  We  axe  not  yet  amred  to  the  height  M 
«Akh  Roman  Iiuiary  wu  curied,  however  we  may  fluttr  our* 
ftlre*  on  our  impravctnenu  in  caiiag, 

t  Cojni  verba ideop^no.iioM  non  rolorndtlBpointertiaM 
pontei  capio  erunt  teStnoiiio,  fed  etiam  rntrn,  qaibue  plcri- 
^oe  taMt  viviimmt,  facile  publicabnnt.  Dcfcribeai  enira  bo- 
ninei  prodigoi  in  forum  ad  Judicuidom  ebrio*  commeantei  i 
.f  nx^ae  fbleut  inur  fa  lerinocinan,  fie  ait  |  "^adant  ale^  iK. 
p.  J15.  Pariiii^  1585, 

Vol.  II.  3B  by 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     371 

for  48/.  S/.  9^.  According  to  Macro^, 
there  w^  paid  for  another  56/.  10s.  id. 
For  a  third,  according  to  P/inyt  64/.  i  is,  Zd. 
Our  age  is  as  yet  unacquainted  with  the  nice- 
nefs  of  the  ancients  in  weighing  their  fiflies 
at  table,  and  beholding  them  expire-  The 
death  of  a  muUut,  with  the  variety  aiid  change 
of  colours  in  it's  laft  moments,  was  reckon- 
ed one  of  the  (noft  entertaining  fpei^tacles 
in  the  world,  by  the  men  of  tafle  at  Rome. 

yi.PrerenUf  Auftrl,  coquitehorumobronia— * 

Oh  I  blaft  it  fouth  innds  t  till  a  ftench  exhale. 
Rank  at  the  ripeneft  of  a  rabbit's  tail  \, 

,  A  VBRT  filthy  and  olfenCive  Image,  for  the 
happy  and  decent  word  coquite;  it  muft  be 
^wned  pur  au(hor»  as  well  as  Swift,  wat 
but  too  fond  of  fuch  di%ullful  Images. 

^.  Tuttis  erat  Rhombus,  tatoque  Ciconia  nido. 
Donee  vos  autor  docuit  Prxtoiiua-M— }. 

fv.41.       ty.«7-        jy.4B. 


372    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  Robin-red-bretft  till  of  late  had  reft. 
And  children  facred  held  a  Martin's  neft, 
•Till  Beccafico's  fold  fo  dev'liOi  dear. 
To  one  that  was,  pr  would  have  been,  a  peer  |* 

# 

He  has  happily  fubftituted  for  the^ari( 
two  forts  of  birds  that  among  us  are  held  as 
it  were  facred.  AfcUus  Sempronius  Rufus  was 
the  pcrfon  *  who  firft  taught  the  Romans  tq 
t2Xjlorks^  for  which  he  was  faid  to  have  loft 
the  prastorfhip.  On  which  fubjedl  the  fol- 
lowing  verfcs  were  written,  and  have  beca 
prefcrved  by  the  old  commentator  Forfbyrio. 

Ciconiarum  Rufus  ifle  Conditor  ^, 
Hie  eft  duobus  elegantior  Plancis  ; 
,       Suffragiorun?  punda  noa  tulit  feptem  : 
Ciconiarum  populus  ultus  eft  mortem* 

/ 

•3.  Porreftum  magno  magnum  fpeftare  catino 
Vellem,  ait,  Harpyiis  Gula  digna  rapacibus  t« 

I 

«  V.  37. 

*  See  the  Horace  of  Baiiui  Afmfiut^  printed  at  P4111  ia 
'^folio,  1519,  f.  213. 

t  V.  40. 

Oldfidd, 


AND  GEIflUS  OF  POPE. 


373 


CrieS}  fend  me,  Gods  I  a  whole  hog'  barbecu'd  *  I 

He  has  happily  introduced  this  brge  un- 
wieldy inAance  of  gluttony,  luppofed  to  bs 

.  peculiar  to  the  Weft  Indies.   But  Athenaus  \ 
.ipeaks  of  a  cook  that  could  drefs  a  whole  hog 
with  various  puddings  in  his  belly.    I  unfor-  ' 
tunately  know  not  with  what  wine  it  was 
|>ailed.  The  flow  movement  of, the  lines  in  tho 

-  cniginal,  loaded  with  fpondees,  aptly  reprc* 
fent  the  weight  and  vailnefs  of  the  difh.  Gyla 
is  ufed  perfonally :  as  it  is  alfo  by  Juvenal, 

34.81  quis  nunc  merges  fuares  tdixtrit  aflbs, 
Parebit  pravi  docilis  Romaaa  juventui^. 

Let  me  extol  a  cat,  on  oyfters  fed, 
\'\\  have  a  party  at  the  Bedford-Head  ; 

•  y.  2j.  ', 

f  Aft  author  that  defervei  to  be  more  read  and  regarded^u 
•boanding  with  cnterUining  anecdote*,  and  variotit  ac^ 
connu  of  the  manners  and  wayi  of  living^of  the  ancicnu,  and 
lb  quotationi  cf  elrgani  fragments  of  wriceri  now  lofl.  Th« 
iainc  any  be  faid  oiSttimtu,  a  work  foil  «f  cnriou  cxtra^ 
■pon  important  and  pleafiog  labjeiSii 

»V.sl. 

,  Or 


J74     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Or  ev'n  to  crack  live  craw*fi(h  recommend, 
{  I'd  ficvcr  doubt  xt  Court  to  have  a  friend  §. 

To  dine  upon  a  cat  fattened  with  oyften«' 

and  to  crack  live  craw-filh,  is  infinitely  mor» 
pkafant  and  ridiculous  thaa  to  eat  mergot 
effoi.  But  then  the  words  extQl^  and  r/fcm* 
mendf  fall  far  below  edixfrit;  give  out  a  dS^" 
tree :  So  Virgil,  Georgic  the  third,  line  295, 
does  not  advife  but  raifes  hit  fubjei^  hjA 
faying. 


Incipiens  fta^ulii  tditi  }p  moIliblM  hcrbaqt 
Carpere  ovet— —  ^ 

15.  Tile  rrpotia  natales  iltofque  dicrum 

FcAos  albacus  cclebiet  ——  -  f 


I 


But  on  fome  lucky  day  (as  when  they  found 

A  loft  Bajik-billi  or  heard  their  fon  was  drown'd  t« 

Much  heightened  and  improved  bj  two 


J  Tbii  fbiirtb  line  ii  Mk\t  ud  naneanlng. 

jv.«i.         !y.«».         tv.st. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  37J 
iuch  fuppofed  occafions  of  th»  unnatural  fef- 
tivity  and  joy  of  a  true  mifer. 

t6.  Dulcu  le  in  bilem  vertent,  fiomaclioque  fiMvJItaMr 
Lenta  ferct  pituita  {, 

Wlfcn  bile,  and  phle^,  and  wind,  and  acid  jar. 
,      And  all  the  man  it  mw  iuteftine  war  $. 

Ta  yap  avotxoia  cTM^st,  lays  Hippocrates  s 
the  very,  metaphor  here  employed  by  Horace, 
Two  writers  of  fclence,  in  Greek,  have  ufed 
a  ftyle  eminently  pure,  precife,  and  elegant* 
Hippocrates  and  Euclid, 


-  vid^s,  ut  pallidut  omnlt 


'    Ccoa defurgat  dubia  -i  •. 

How  pale  each  worfbipfiil  and  rev'rend  guefr 
Rife  from  a  clergy  ot  1  city  feaft  t< 

Our  author  has  been  firangely  guilty  h«r» 
of  falfe  Englilh  and  falfe  grammar,  by  ufing  ^ 
rife  for  rifet.    The  expreflion  in  the  original 

tV.7S-  SV.7I.  •V.77.  tV.76. 


3^6    ESSAY  Or^  tH^  WRITING^ 

is  from  T'erence;  in  the  iecond  aA  of 

Pbormio. 

Ph.  Cxnz  duUa  zifiyitC}pix  \ 

*       * 

Geta.  Quid  iftud  verbi  eft?  Pa;  uCi  tu  dubltet  quid 
fumas  potiffimum* 

From  which  paflage  it  is  worth,  ohferving^ 
that  Terence  was  the  firft  writer  that  ufed 
this  cxprcflion* 

|g,  ,„  Hos  utinam  intcf 

Seroas  natum  tellus  me  prima  tuliflet*; 

Why  had  I  not  in  thefe  good  times  my  birdr. 
Ere  coxcomb-pyes,  or  coxcombs,  were  on  earth  f » 

The  laft  line,  and  the  conceit  of  coxcomb^ 
fyes  and  coxcombs^  fink  it  below  the  ori- 
ginal j  which,  by  the  way,  fays  CrtiquiuSp 
feems  to  allude  to  that  of  Hefiod^  Ofer.  & 
Vieb. 

•y'9y        t  V.  97. 

S9.  Du 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       377 

39.  Das'aliquij  Famae,  quse  carmliie  gratior  aiirem 
Occupet  humanam J 

Unworthy  hcy  the  xoice  of  Fame  to  hear. 
That  fwreteft  tnufic  to  an  boneft  ear  §. 

Two  very  beautiful  lines,  that  excel  the 
original ;  though  in  truth  the  word  occufat 
has  much  force.  Hora<%  again  alludes  to 
his  favourite  Grecians.  Antifthencs  philo- 
Ibphus,  fays  the  old  commentator,  cum  vi- 
diflet  adolefccntem  Acroamatibus  multum 
*  deledari,  O  te,  ait,  infelicem,  qui  fumihum 
Acroama,  hoc  eft,  Laudem  tuam  non  au- 
divifti. 

30.  Cui  *  eget  indignus  quifquam  te  dfvite  t  ? 
How  d4tr*Jl  thou  let  one  wortbj  man  be  poor    i 

Very  ipiritcd,  and  fuperior  to  the  original; 
for  ^'ft  is  far  beyond  the  mere  €get* 

J  V.  9*.  s  V.  99. 

*  "  Ev'o  modeft  want  io<iy  blefi  your  hand  anfittn, 
*'  Tho'  hulh'd  in  patient  wretchednefi  at  hone." 
Which  Tccond  line  (of  Dr.  ArinSraiis)  it  ctqniitdi/  tendtfc 
t  V.  103.  H  V.  lit. 

Vol.  II.  jC  31.  N« 


378    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS      ' 

31.  Non  aliquid  patriae  tanto  cmctiris  accrvo*  f 

Or  to  thy  country  let  that  heap  be  lent, 
'  As  M — ' o's  was— but  not  at  five  per  cent  \. 

He  could  not  forbear  this  ftroke  againft  a 
nobleman^  whom  he  had  been  for  many  years 
accuftomed  to  hear  abufed  by  his  moft  inti- 
mate friends.  A  certain  parafite,  who  thought 
to  pleafe  Lord  Bolingbroke  by  ridiculing  the 
avarice  of  the  Duke  of  M.  was  ftopt  fhort 
by  Lord  Bolingbroke;  who  faid,  H^  was  fo, 
very  great  a  man,  that  I  forget  he  had  that 
vice. 

32.  Non  ego,  narrantem,  tetnere  edi  luce  profefta 
Quidquam,  &c.  ■  *         % 

This  fpecch  of  Ofellus  continues  in  the 
original  to  the  end  of  this  fatire.  Pope  has 
taken  all  that  follows  out  of  the  mouth  of 
Betbelly  and  fpeaks  entirely  in  his  own  pcr- 
fon.  'Tis  impoffible  not  to  tranfcribc  the 
pleafing  pidure  of  his  way  of  life,  and  the 

•¥•105.  fV.  lai.  J  V.  116. 

account 


AND  GENIUS'  OF  POPE.'  .  379 
account  he  gives  of  his  own  table,  in  Ifnes 
that  exprefs  common  and  familiar  obje(5b 
with  dignity  and  elegance.  See  therefore 
his  bill  of  fare,  of  which  you  will  long  to 
partake,  and  wiDi  you  could  haye  dined  at 

33'  'Tis  true,  no  turbots  dignify  my  bovds, 

^ut  gud^ons,  flounders,  what  my  Tii^ines  afllordi : 
To  Hounfiow- Heath  I  point,  and  B^nftcd-Down, 
Thence  comes  your  mutton,  and  thefc  chicks  my 

own. 
'  From  yon  old  walnut-tree  a  fliow'r  Ihall  fall. 
And  grapes,  long  ling'ring  on  my  only  wall> 
And  iigs  from  llandard  and  efpalier  joii)  % 
The  dev'l  ii  in  you  if  you  cannot  dine. 
Then '  chearTul   healths  (your  miftrefs    (hall    have 

place) 
And,  what's  more  rare,  apoetfliall  fay'gracef. 

33.  Nam  proprlx  Telluris  herum  natura  ncque  ilium 
Nee  me  nee  quemquam  ftatuit       .   X 

*  Which  Swift  alwayt  did,  with  remarkable  decency  and 
devotion. 

t  V.  141.  t  V.  130. 

3C  a  What'a 


380    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Vf^z^sfnftrtj?  dear  Swift !  yoa  fee  it  aJter, 
From  joM  to  me,  from  me  to  Peter  Wilttr  ^ 

Swift  was  always  reading  leAures  of  cec^ 
noniy>  upon  which  he  valued  himfelf,  to  hit 
poetical  friends.  A  fliilling,  fays  he,  is  a  fe? 
rious  thing.     His  favourite  ntaxim  wa^^ 
* 
<*  Have  money  in   your  bead,   but  nof  in  jour 
heart." 

Our  author  would  have  been  pleaied,  if  he 
could  have  known  that  his  pleafant  villa 
would,  after  his  time,  have  been  the  property 
of  a  perfun  of  diAinguiHied  learning,  tafte, 
and  virtue  *.  - 


-  quoc jrca  yivite  fortes. 


Fortiaque  advcrlii  opponite  pefiora  rebus  f* 

Let  lands  and  hou'es  have  what  lords  they  wUl» 
Let  us  be  fix'd,  and  our  own  maftera  ftill  (. 

i  V.  167, 

*  1  he  Right  Hmonrable  Welbore  EIUi. 

t  V.  13s.  t  V.  179. 


Th* 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      j»t 

The  majeftit;  pldinnei^  of  the  original  is 

weakened  and  impaired,  by  the  addition  of 

an  antithefis,  and  a  t^rn  oi  wit^  in  the  la^ 

Mac. 

35.  Priml  difi«  mil)!,  fuaml  diceode  Caipvni, 
'        Spi^d^um  fatis,  &  donatunn  jam  rude  quaris, 
Mzcenas*;  iterum  antique  me  includce  ludow 
Kon  cfdem  eft  xut^  aon  mnuj  Vcitniiu  armit 


*  It  hat  been  rurpeAed  tliat  hii  ■ffefiioii  to  hii  Friend  «>( 
fo  ftrong,  ai  to  matce  him  refolve  not  to  ouilire  him ;  and  that 
he  lAually  pot  into  execution  hii  promifc  of  iiimui,  iiimut, 
4Dd,  zvii.  I.  }■  Both  died  in  the  end  of  the  ycM  74 1 1  U.  C. 
litrtui  oalj  three  week*  af^er  M/eeiMu,  Novc.t}  r  S7, 
Nothing  can  be  lb  different  as  the  piuia  and  manly  fryle  of 
die  former,  fa  comparifon  with  what  Qi^intili^n  calli  the  m* 
Immifirfi  of  the  latter,  for  which  Sanoniut,  and  MatreiUi,  c.  iS, 
piyt  Anguitai  frequeniljr  ridiculed  him,  tboutih  Au^utliia 
fcioirelf  waighilt)'  of  the  fame  fault.  TheleamrdC  CH/jnt, 
in  hii  excellent  edition  of  Virgil,  after  obferving.  mat  tb« 
welt-hnowD  ve'fe»  ufually  afcribed  to  Aogollus,  on  Virgil's 
•rdering  hi)  Aneid  to  be  burnt,  are  the  work  of  fome  bung* 
liag  grammarian,  and  not  of  that  Emperor,  adds,  *'  ViOcaa 
tamen  Fttimrium,  horridoi  hoi  tc  ir.cptoi  verfus  non  modo 
Augafto  tribuere,  verum  etiam  magnopere  probare;  ill  font 
beaux  Se  femblent  partirdn  ctgur.  Ei^i  furlaPo«fieEp:que, 
C.  3.  Ita  vides,  adverum  polchrarom  feotentiarum  fenfuia 
Ji  jadicium,  fermonii  intetlig«ntiam  aliquam  elle  neceflariam." 
P*  VtMaroni*  Opera,  tom.i.  p.  131.  Liplir,  1767. 

HciculU 


38»    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Herculis  ad  poftem  fixis,  latct  zlxlitus  agro» 
Ne  poputum  extremi  tpties  cxorct  arena*. 

St.  John,  whofe  lovcindulg'd  my  labours  paft. 
Matures  my  prerent,  and  Ihall  bound  my  laft. 
Why  will  you  break  the  fabbath  of  my  days  t 
Kow  Tick  alike  of  envy  and  of  pratfe. 
Public  too  long,  ah  let  me  hide  my  -age  I 
See  modeft  Cibber  now  has  left  the  ftage : 
Our  gen'rals  now,  retir'd  to  their  ellates. 
Hang  thdir  old  trophies  o'er  the  garden  gates  f. 

There  is  more  plcafantry  and  humour  in 
Horace's  comparing  himfelf  to  an  pJ4  gla* 
.  diator,  worn  out  in  the  fervicc  of  the  pub-r 
lie,  from  which  he  had  often  begged  his 
life,  and  has  now  at  lall  been  difmifled  with 
the  ufual  ceremonies,  than  for  Pope  to  com- 
pare himfelf  to  an  old  adtor  or  retired  gene- 
ral. Pope  was  in  his  forty-ninth  year,  and 
Horace  probably  in  his  forty-feventh,  when 
he  wrote  this  epiflle.     Bentley  has  arranged 

•  Ep.  i.  lib.  i.  T.  1.  t  V.  L  ep.  i. 

3  *I»C 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,  383 
the  writings  *  of  Horace  in  the  following 
order.  He  compofed  the  iirft  book  of  his 
Satires,  between  the  twenty-fixth  and  twen- 
ty-eighth years  of  his  age  j  the  fecond  Book, 
from  the  years  thirty-one  to  thirty-thrcej 
next,  the  Epodes,'  in  his  thirty-fourth  and 
fifth  year ;  next,  the  firft  book  of  his  Odes,  in 
three  years,  from  his  thirty-fixth  to  his  thirty- 
eighth  year;  the  fecond  book  in  his  fortieth 
and  forty- firft  year  J  the  third  book,  in  the 
two  next  years  j  then,  the  firft  book  of  the 
Epiflles,  in  his  forty-fixth  and  feventh  year; 
next  to  that,  the  fourth  book  of  his  Odes,  in 
his  forty-ninth  to  his  fifty-firft  year.  Laftly, 
the  Art  of  Poetry,  and  fecond  book  of  the 
Epiftlcs,  tp  which  an  exaft  date  cannot,  be  - 
afiigned. 

36.  Eft  mihi  purgatam  crebro  qui  perfonet  aurem. 
Solve  fenefcentem  mature  lanus  equum,  ne 
Peccet  ad  extremuin  rideiidus  &  ilia  ducat  f . 

•  J.  Maffm,  aaihor  of  the  Latin  Life  of  Horace,  doei  not 
Agree  to  this  arrangement  of  Horace's  worlci ;  but  does  not 
feem  to  be  able  to  fubHitute  a  more  probable  chronological 
ctder.     Sec  Hifi.  Crit.  Rcpub.  Lit.  torn.  v.  p<  5i> 

»v.?. 

A  voice 


384    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRlTrtfCS 


1 


A  voice  there  is  that  whifpers  in  my  ear  •, 

('Tis  Rcafon't  voice,  which  fonctimcs  one  eta  hevj 

Friend  Pope,  be  prudent,  i«  yout  mufe  take  breath. 

And  never  gallop  Pegafut  to  death, 

ieft  ftilFand  Ilately,  void  0/  6re  and  ferxxf 

You  limp  like  BJackmore,  or  a  Lord  Mayor't  hoilef, 


Horace  plainly  atludcs  to  the  good  genius 

ctf  Socriatesy  which  conflantly  warned  lutai 
sgainfl  approaching  evils  and  inconveniences^ 
Pope  has  happily  turned  it  to  Wifdom's  voic^ 
and  as  happily  has  added,  "  v/h'ioh  /&meti/fu» 
one  can  hear."  The  purged  ear  is  a  term  of 
philc^ophy.  The  idea  of  the  jaded  PegafuSi 
and  the  Lord  Mayor's  horfe.  are  high  im* 
prorements  on  the  originah     A  Roman  rcf^ 

*  He  has  excelled  Soileau's  imiiicioii  ef  thefe  verfci^ 
Cp.  X.  V.  44.  And  Boileau  himfelf  it  excelled  hy  an  oUf, 
poet,  whom  indeed  he  has  fret^uentl/imiutcd.that  U,tiFrt^ 
nait  faufui/in,  who  was  the  faibcr  of  N.  V.  de«  Yvciaux,  the 
preceptor  of  Louis  XIII.  whofe  pcems  were  pabliflicd  towards 
theend  of  his  life,  1611.  He  fays  thai  he  profited  much  by 
the  fatires  ofjritjt.  Botleaa  has  borrowed  much  from  hia^^ 
He  alfo  wrote  an  Art  of  Poeirj'.  One  of  his  befl  pieces  is  I 
imitation  of  Horace'*  Trtitniai,  being  1  duJogat  bet« 
himfelf  and  the  Chancellor  of  f  raace. 

t  V.  11. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  385 
der  was  pleafed  with  the  allufion  to  two 
well-known  verfes  of  £nnius  *  ^ 

37.  Vir^nth  Tcne  cuft«,  rigijBfque  fatellesf- 

True  as  young  LvTTiLTON  her  caufe  piufue. 
Still  true  to  virtue,  zai  as  warm  as  true  |. 

A  ju&T,  and  not  over-charged  encomium, 
en  ah  excellent  man,  who  always  ferved  his 
friends  with  warmth  (witnefs  his  kindnefs 
to  Thomfon)  aftd  his  country  with  adivity 
and  tseal.    His  Poems,  and  Dialogues  of  the 

*  Sicnt  f<Mtit  eqani  fpatio  qui  forte  rupretno 
Vicit  Olympia,  nunc  fenio  confeftu  quiefcit.  ' 

Bhbhi9,  poeu  aociquuj  (Ai/s  Jul.  Scaliger,  with  lui 
vfoftl  bluntnerx)  magoificeo  ingenio.  Utinam  huoc  ba^ 
bcremui  intcgrHm,  It  amiltema},  Lacanum,  Statium,  Si- 
lion  Italicnm,  U  lua  m  gar(mu-l;_  The  learned  M. 
JtfM>4fr,  to  whom  we  are  iodebted  for  lb  many  addiiioot 
/to  tbe  Mm^'vi  reads  with  great  acutenefs,  Ga/t^Hi-U,  by 
•which  term  he  ibinlcs  Scaliger  pojoti  out  the  inllatetl,  boin> 
-teftic  ftyle  of  Lucia  and  Staiiui.  How  elegantl}',  and  ttea. 
poeticallyi  doet  Quintilian  give  hit  judgment  of  Eonioi  j 
Hnnc  CcDt  facroa  vetoftate  lucos  adoremui,  in  quibu*  gran- 
4ia  it  antiqua  robora,jam  noo  tantam  habcnt  fpectem,  qifSDian 
(vligioDoa.   Lib.  X.  c.  i. 

t  V.  17.  X  V.  ay. 

Vol,  II»  3D  Dead/ 


^ 


386  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINOS 
Pead,  are  written  with  elegance  and  eaie 
his  Obfervations  on  the  converfion  of  SUi 
Paul,  with  clearnefs  and  clofcncfs  of  reafon^ 
ing  ;  and  his  Hirtory  of  Henry  II.  with  aCf. 
curacy,  and  knowledge  of  thofc  early  times, 
and  of  the  Englifh  conftitutioii ;  and  whjch, 
was  compiled  from  a  laborious  fearch  into 
authentic  documents,  and  the  records  lodged 
in  the  Tower  and  at  the  Rolls.  A  .UttI?. 
befyre  he  died,  he  told  me,  that  he  had  dCf 
termined  to  throw  out  of  the  concision  0$ 
all  bis  works,  which  was  thcii  foon  to  bp 
puhlilhed,  his  firft  juvenile  performance, 
the  Perfun  *  Iteiters,  Wfjttcn,  i735>  in  imi- 
tatioo 

*  Montefqoieo  himfelf  alfb  fays,  tliM  io  thii  agreeable 
ihere  were  faite  Juvtitilra,  iliac  he  would  w>(h  to  coneAf 
*'  for  chotieh  a  Turk  ought  neceffjrilv  lO  fee,  think,  > 
fpeak  like  j  Turk,  and  not  liltc  a  Chriftian,  yet  many  pcrft 
do  not  aiEcnd  to  ihii  circa  in  Dance,  in  reading  my  PerfiiB 
Lecieri."  See  xn  entertaining  colleflion  orbia  Uiiginal  LM* 
UTS,  p  iSo-  In  this  catleilion  are  fome  corious  parucolu^ 
relating  10  his  great  work.  The  Spirit  of  Lb*i.  He  lelto 
}tit  Frirnil.  the  Ciunt  de  Guafco,  "  1  hough  roiDy  king* 
have  not  done  me  that  honoar,  yet  I  know  odc  loho  hu  read  igf. 
wclc;  and  M.  Jt  Maii_  iriuii  hat  informed  me,  thai  ihia  mo* 
4^rcii  is  not  always  of  Djr  opinion.  1  bire  infwcicd  Man* 
pcrtuifj 


AND  Genius  of  ?ope.     387 

tstion  of  thofe  of  his  friend'  Mmtefquieu^ 
whom  he  had  known  and  admired  in  Eng- 
land i  in  which  he  fdid  there  were  princi- 
ples and  remarks, that  hs  wfhed  to  rctraft 
and  altef.     I  told  him,  that,  notwithAand- 


ptfttdii,  and  told  tiim,  I  v^dM  lay  %  wager,  T  could  nfilj 
pat  sty  finger  on  thofe  pafTages  which  the  King  diflikei." 
In  page  l&fi,  be  t'hlis  Tprkk)  of  Ft/tMrti  "  Quant  IVoluire, 
il  t  trop  d'efprit  poor  m'tntendre  i  tou)  lei  livre*  gu'il  lit,  il 
Icifait,  apresquoiil  approuveou  critique  c«qu'il  ■  fait.  And 
afterward),  fpetking  of  Voltaire')  dlfmilSon  from  Berlin, 
*'  Voiladonc  Voltaire  qoi  paroit  ae  ffavoir  ourepoferfaiftet 
ut  eadem  letlui  tjux  modo  vidori  defu'erat,  deelTct  ad  fepul- 
tnram.  Le  bon  efphic.  Vaot  bcancoap  micux  que  le  belefprit." 
^,  198.  It  il  much  to  be  lamcDtcd,  that  the  hifiorjr  of  Lnit 
the  Eleventh,  which  Moniefquicu  bad  written,  was  burnt  bf 
a  miftake  of  hii  fecretar/,  p.  98.  Mr.  Stanley,  for  whom 
MOhiefquieu  had  a  fincere  cAeem  and  regard,  told  me,  that 
Monterqtiicu  alTared  him,  he  had  received  more  information 
from  the  cotdmentarici  Of  J%e  on  the  Codex  and  Digeft,  a  fa- 
noui  civilian  of  Bologna  in  the  twelfth  century,  than  fron  any 
Odier  writer  on  the  civil  law.  He  it  faid  to  have  had  10,009 
Scholars.  Trithe mini  mcntiont  him,  c.  487.  Sec  Arifii  Cte-; 
,  Bionasi  Litteratiffl.    Tom,  i.  p.  89 

I  beg  to  add,  that  Lyttclton  was  not  filiod  to  the  fault* 
niid  bleminiea  of  his  friend  Moniefquien.  See  notes  on  the 
H}Aory  of  the  Life  of  Henry  IT.  p.  391,  4(0,  where  he  is  cen- 
fured  for  an  excef&ve  defire  of  faying  fomething  new  apon 
every  fubjefi,  and  differing  from  the  common  opioitus  of  man- 
Jciad. 


3^  D  2  ing 


388  ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 
ing  his  caution,  the  bookfellers,  as  in  faSb 
they  have  done,  would  preierve  and  infert 
thefe  letters.  Another  little  piece,  written 
alfo  in  his  early  youth,  docs  him  much  ho- 
nour ;  the  Obfervations  on  the  Life  of  tuUy, 
in  which,  perhaps,  a  more  difpanionate  and 
impartial  charader  of  TuUy  is  exhibited, 
than,  in  the  panegyrical  volumes  of  Middle- 
ton. 

jS.Nunc  in  Arifitppi  ruttim  precepta relibor *. 

Sometimes  with  Artilippus,  or  St.  Paul, 
Indulge  my  candor,  and  grov  all  to  all  f* 

There  is  an  impropriety  and  indecorum, 
in  joining  the  name  of  the  raoft  profligate 
parafitc  of  the  court  of  Dionyfius  with  that 
of  an  apoAIe.  In  a  few  lines  before,  the  hame. 
of  Montaigne  is  not  fufficiently  contrafted  1^ 
thenameofZ.O£-/^;  tlie  place  required  that  two 
philofophers,  holding  very  ditfercnt  tenets, 
ihould  have  been  iatFoduced.     Hobbes  might 

•  V.  19,  t  V.  51. 

have 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPR  j8^ 
hav«  ^Ken  oppofod  tx)  Hufcbtfof^.  X  kaow 
not  why  he  omitted  a  ftrmg  Sentiment  that 
follows  imtnediaiely, 

£t  mihi  rea*  noa  bu  nbus  fubjupgere  conor*. 
Which  lllte  CornelUfi  took  for  his  motto^ 

39.  Non  ttmen  idcirco  contemius  lippus  inuagi  t< 
1*11  do  what  Mead  and  Cherdden  adrife}. 

Mead>  a  judge  of  pure  Latinity,  haring 
difputed  whh  Pope  on  theimproprie^  of  th« 
expreflion.  Amor  ^hWcn^  on  Shakefpear's 
monument,  ended  the  controverfy  by  ^ving 
up  his  opinion,  and  ^yingto  him, 

Omiua  vincic  amor  U  not  cedamus  amori. 

It  may  be  amufing  to  the  lovers  of  aMc- 
dotes,  juft  to  mention,  that  in  a  public  in* 
fcriptioh  at  Rhdms  in  France,  Racine^ 

•V.  M.  tV.  39.  jV.jiJ 

who 


j9o    ESSAVONTHEWRITIMCS 

who  drew  it  up,  ufcd  the  words  Amor  pulw 
licus,  in  the  very  fame  fenfe.  I  believe  both 
thefe  great  poets  were  wrong. 

^O.  lov'jiui,  iracunduf,  iturs,  vitiofus,  amatar*^ 

Be  furious,  enviuust  llothfu],  mad,  or  Atatik^ 
SUve  to  a  wife,  or  valTal  to  a  punlc  t> 

I  CANNOT  forbear  thinking  but  tha6 
Horace  glanced  at  his  %  own  frailties  and 
imperfeiSions,  as  he  frequently  docs,  in  the. 
Jour  laft  epithets  of  this  verfe,  in  the  ori- 
ginal. As  to  aivy,  he  had  not  a  grain  of  it 
in  his  nature. 

•  V.  38.  t  V.  61. 

J  Ai  he  doc5  it  bit  ptfficn  for  bdldiog,  in  vcric  ioq^ 
below. 

Diruiti  cdificat,  matat  quadrat*  rotondit. 

So  ilfo.  Sat.  Ui.  lib.  ii.  v.  508. 

■  Aecipe,  prim  u  IB 

-^dificai  i  hoc  eft  longM  imtiiri),  ab  imo 
Ad  fuiUBiim  tatiu  nodali  bipcdalJ}-— - 


AND  OENIUS  OF  POPlt.      jji^ 

4It  Vintn  eft  vitium  fugert  *. 

'Til  the  lirft  virtue,  vices  to  a$hor. 

And  the  firft  wifdom^  to  be  fool  no  Kurt\» 

Dr.  King  informed  me,  that  theji  were 
two  of  the  rhymes,  to  which  ^Swift,  who 
was  fcrupuloufly  exaift  in  this  ref]}e£t,  ufcd 
to  obje<^,  as  he  did  to  fome  others  In 
Pope. 

4'a.  Per  mare  pauperiem  fugienii  per  f«ct,  per  ignet}. 
Scar'd  at  the  fpeSre  of  pale  Pq7Irty  5  f 

^op£  has  given  life  to  the  image,  and  add- 
ed  terror  to  the  iiraple  exprenion  pauperiem, 

43.  At  pueri  ludentei.  Rex  crif>  aiant, 
ti  xtdK  faciei |, 

Yet  ev'ry  child  another  fong  will  fiog, 
Virtue,  b]^ve  boyi  I  'tis  virtue  makes  a  king**. 

•V.41.       fV.tfs*       JV.46.      *V.70.      |V^59- 

jfipm* 


39S    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Some  commentators  think  Horace  alluded 
to  an  old  Greek  play  among  children,  called, 
BafffXiv^a.  But  Lambinus  obferves,  that  the 
{port  alluded  to  is  mentioned  in  the  Tbea^ 
tetiu  of  Plato';  where  Socrates  fays,  he  diat 
fails  in  his  purfuit  will  be  reckoned  an  afs« 
as  the  children  fay  of  him  who  CAnnot 
catch  the  ball}  and  he  that  catches  it  is 
called  their  king. 

44.  Ut  propius  fpe^s  Ixcr/moTa  *  poemata  Fupi  f  I 

For  what  ?  to  have  a  box  when  eunuchi  fing, 
■   And  forcmoft  in  the  circle  eye  a  king  \. 

Our  author  is  To  perpetually  expreiling 
I  affefted  contempt  for  kings,  that  it  bc- 
, comes  almoA  a  naufeous  cant ; 

-~tht  pridi  of  iingt— 

—fsmt  mtnfitr  of  a  iing-^ 

—fitf  iittgt—tbt  gi/i  of  Ungs— 

—GoA  of  iingt—  mueb  abovi «  kin^-^       ■   ■ 

—Settle  wrote  of  Hugs— 

*  The  epithet  taetymfm  it  irontcal.      f  V.  67.      jT.  1^ 

X  Hawkins 


an 


AND 'GENIUS  OF  POPfe;      393 
Hawkins  Browi}  laughed  at  him  for 
this  afiedatiod,  in  ttie  pleafatiC  Imitations  d£ 
Engliih  poets;  oil  Tobacco; 

CooKj'iet  me  tafle  thee^  mitxtii'H  hj  irngs  I    ■ 

**  Since  we  tannot  attain  to  greatnefs  (Czy3 
MoniagheJ  let  us  have  our  revenge  by  rail^ 
ing  at  it." 

4.$^  Olim  quod  vulpes  srgroto  caiita  Icon! 

Rcffktndit,  refenim  :  Quia-me  vdligia  terrcnt. 
Omnia  te  adverrum  jpe^htia;  nuUa  retTorfum*. 

Faitb>  I  Ihall  glvi  the  arifwcr  Reynard  gave : 
I  cannot  like,  dread  Sir  !  yoar  royal  care  ; 
Bccaufe  I  fee,  by  all  the  tracks  about. 
Full  many  a  beaft  goes  in^  but  nftn«  coOies  out  f: 

Both 

4  CoaGifeiic&  WU  the  qaality,  for  whldi  Bairlui,  if  we  ttiaf^ 
|sdgefrointliefragine)m.r«in( tohaVetwenroeXcelteoi.  Sec  i 
Diflertu.  de  Babrio,  fab.  97,  50,  242  ;.  and  above  all,  tbe  ex- 
qnifiu  fij>1e  of  the  Swallow  and  Nightingale,  Fable  149,' 
;i^d.  the  lall  in  tUi  learned  and  elegant  diflertatioD.  In  tJt« 
WmMtnm  Mfificmnm  Dtbami,  a  book  not  fu£cicstl]i  knottAr 
Md  now  out  of  yrint.  publilhed  at  Oxford,  1698,  aie/ir/)r  ^' 

Vot.  II.  iB  Wi 


394    ESSAY  ONTHEWB-ITK^GS 

Both  poets  have  told  the  JFable  vfOh  an 
elegant  brevity.  Whydi^Vopcoxiat^tgrvttf 
Dread  Sir,  and  Rtyal  cave,  are  good  additions. 
Plato  was  alfo  fond  of  this  fable.  He  has 
put  it  into  the  mouth  of  Socrates,  in  the  firfl; 
Alcibiadcs.  Aax'  a,ysj0>tis,  kxTX  tw  Aiawn 
IJLU00V,  o¥  1}  AXQ-m^i  Tpot  Tov  Afovrtt  tnri,  not 
Ttf  eic  Aaateixttiova  voiufffOiTot  eurtwrot  fuv  ta 

IXy^    7A    EXfJffC    TtTpai^llVA     S'/^p     EfyWTOt   h, 

sSoMt]  av  Tts  iSoi  *. 

bles  exquifitely  written.  TCrfibai  IcDatiii,  b]r  Jut.  Jifpf^.  The 
bell  life  of  j^fap  ii  by  M.  MtztriMc,  ikfi  le^rud  editor  of 
DiefiawtMt.-  a  book  fo  Tcarce,  tbat  St»tUj  complaiaed  be  conld 
never  get  a  fight  of  it ;  and  B^U  had  never  feen  it,  when  h* 
firlt  publilbed  his  Diflionaty.  It  was  reprinted  in  the  Me^boim 
de  LictcracureofM.  de  SalleDgre,  171^,  torn.  i.  p.  87.  Thu 
was  the  author,  whom  Malherbe  alked,  wben  he  fhcwed  him 
the  ediiioa  of  Diophutiu}  "  if  it  wonUkflin  tke  price  t£ 
"  bread?" 

■  Tom.  ii.  p.  121.  Serrani.  Ed.  H.  Stepfa.  1578.    Pope 
hai  teinf3tJ,tiie  paJTage  that  immediately  fblibw*  ta  a'  Aiccd 
snd  (quaint  manner,  which  Horace  never  thooght  of  j 
Well,  if  a  king*)  a  /im,  at  the  leaft 
The  people  are  a  nany-headed  beaft.      V.  120. 

ti  if  the  fford  Ming  had  wy  telatioi)  to  ^  Hm  h^an-tum- 
tivntd. 

46.  .^xcipiaat^w 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     395 

4S.  Excipiantque  Tcnes  quos  in  vivu-is  mittiint  f . 
Some  with  fat  bucks  on  childifli  dotards  fawn  t> 

The  legacy-hunters,  the  JLeredipeta^wtTC 
A  more  common  charadler  among  the  ancients 
than  with  us.  The  ridicule,  therefore,  is 
fiot  now  (o  ftriking.  Lucian  has  five  pJea- 
faot  Dialogues  on  the  fubjeft,  from  page  343 
to  363,  in  the  4to.  edition  of  Heml^erhufius. 
Horace  hJmfelf  appears  to  have  failed  more 
ifi  expofing  this  folly,  than  in  any  other  of 
ilia  fatires  p  and  priacipally  Co,  by  mixing 
liQcient  with  modern  maimers,  and  making 
■Tiiefiasinftruft  Ulyfies  in  petty  frauds,  and 
'  artifices  too  ibbtle  for  the  old  prophet  and 
hero  to  (Udate  and  to  praftife.  Sat.  5. 
lib.  a. 

47.  Multis  occulto  crefcit  res  foenqre  *,■■—■■ 

is  far  excelled  in  force  and  fpirit  hy. 

While  with  the  filen^  growth  often  ftr  cent^ 
In  Mrf  and  daritte/t^  haadieis  JJini  content  §i 

tV.79.  JV.  130.  'V.  «Q.  |V.  iji. 

3  £  a  48.  Nuiliu 


)96     ESSAY  C^  TK£.;WRM!!rG8 

^.  Nullus  in  oAt  fiont  Bdit  pralocet  iiBCBnji,    ' 
$i  dixit  divet ;  laeui  &  ouce  &ntit  UMicm 
Feftintntii  hen  ••rrrr 

Sir  job  t  f«ntd  ferA,  tfiecTCsiag, Imgltt  mI  JKU,     ^ 
**  Noplace  oneftrtb|becr]r'4,liUGReinric)h^l!^ 
Up  lUrts  a  palace  i  lo*  dt'  obedient  bde'  1 

^lopes  at  its  foM^  Uie  woodl  ifa  ^deacntne^      I 
ThelUverTlitmMr4e&Uaaw^^Mi|.       J. 

Superior  to  thsoriginal:  apletfinglitde 
landfcapc  is  added  to  the  iatice.  But  GrM»- 
wich'billii  not  an  exaft  parallel  (oxBami 
ivhere  the  RonuuiB  of -die  beft  tafle  ahd 
fafhion  built  .dieir -villas.  Popx'a  ii  <&e 
yilla  of  a  citizen.  The  abfuid  and  aulniiBd 
magnificence  of  opulent  cttizeiu  haa,'<'of 
late,  beeii  frequently  expofidi  bat'nb  iroen 
with  more  humour  than  in  the  C^ftu^fikt^  .. 
zn6.  in  the  chars^rs  of  SterUi^  and  Jfr/f 
Heidelhergt  in  die  plandeftitK  Mahi^, 

.  J  V.  I3.  /  ,     ' 

t  lAm  Urc^  tkai  Aff  gplird  mird,  40^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     397 


— — Cui  fi  vitic^a  *  libido 
Fecierit  zufpicium  j  cm  ferramenta  Tcanum 
ToIletJi,  fabri f 

Now  let  fomc  whimff,  or  that  dev'l  within. 
Which  guides  all  thofe  who  know  not  vhat  tl 

mean. 
But  give  the  knight  (or  give  bis  lady)  fpleen; 
Away,  away  <  take  all  your  fcaffolds  down. 
For  jhug's  the  word } — my  deaf,  we'll  live  in  town  (. 


lattheyf 


Horace  f»ys,  he  will  carry  bis  build* 
ings  from  fo  proper  and '  pleaCint  a  fitua- 
tion  as  Baia,  to  Teanumi  a  lituation  un-* 
healthy  and  unpleafant.  Pope  fays,  he  will 
pot  build  at  all,  he  will  again  retire  to 
town.  He  has,  I  think,  deflroyed  the  coi^ 
nexion  by  this  alteration.  Mutability  of 
temper  is  indeed  ogually  exhibited  in  both 
inibnces,  but  Horace  keeps  clofer  to  his 
fubjed. 

•  Scaliger  obferns,  that  Horace  ii  fond  of  adje&ir^  that 
end  in  t/u, 

■fv.as.  jv.i«, 


S^S     ESSAY  ON  THS  WRITINGS 

49.  Quo  teneam  vultus  tnuttiitem  Protei  nodo  i 
Quid  psuper  i  ride  i  muut  coeniCuIa^  leAos> 
Balnea,  tonrores ;  condu^  navigio  zque, 
Naufcat  ac  locuples  quern  ducit  priva  triremis*^ 

pid  ever  Proteus,  Merlin,  any  wmh,  ^ 

Transform  themfelves  fo  flrangcly  as  the  rich.  > 

Well,  but  the  poor — the  poor  have  the  iamc  itch.      J 
iThey  change  their  weekly  barber,  weekly  ofiws, 
Prefer  a  new  japanncr  to  thctr  flioes  j 
Difcharge  their  garrets,  move  their  beds,  and  run, 
(They  know  not  whither)  in  achaife  and  one; 
They  hire  their  fcu]l4r,  and,  wbenonce  aboard. 
Grow  lick,  and  Aaxbn  the  climate— lik«  » Iwd  f. 

This  imitation  is  in  truth  admirable. 
It  is,  perhaps,  one  of  his  fineft  pallages.  AH" 
the  parallels  are  fortunate,  and  exaAIy  hit 
the  original ;  and  the  images  drawn  from 
IDodern  life  are  miautely  applicable  to  tho 
purpofe. 

f  0.  Si  curtatuB  inaetjuali  tonfore  capilltts, 
Occurro ;  rides :  fi  forte  fubucula  pex% 
Trita  fiibcft  tunica,  vel  fi  toga  diffidet  inparj 
Rides J. 

•V.50.  tV.i5z.  ty-9h 


AND  GENIV8  OF  POPE.      39^ 

You  laugh,  half  b^au,  half  floven  if  I  fland. 
My  wig  all  powder,  and  all  fnutf  oiy  band  ; 
You  laugh,  if  coat  and  breeches  ftratigeLy  vary. 
White  gloves,  and  linen  worthy  Lady  Mary*l  , 

I  AM  inclined  to  think  that  Horace  laughs 
at  himfelf  (not  at  Virgil,  as  has  been  fup-. 
pofed)  for  the  ungraceful  appearance  he 
Sometimes  made,  and  the  incongruity  of  his 
drefs.  Perhaps  our  iittle,  rot^d^  fatj  oily 
man,  was  fomewhat  of  a  floven.  Poor 
Pope  was  fo  weak  and  infirm,  and  his  body 
required  fo  many  wrappers  and  coverings', 
that  it  was  hardly  poffible  for  him  to  be 
neat.  No  poet,  except  MtUbtrhe,  ever  wore 
fo  many  -j-  pair  of  ftockings.  "Tom/on  fpeaka 
elegantly  of  his  p^rfoUj  in  that  deb'ght- 
ful  poem.  The  Caillc  of  Indolence,  fiaoa 
the  33d. 

•  V.  161. 

t  ?Vs  in  number,  KCffdiDg  to  hit  frifp4.SAQAK*  ^  tht 

afconntof  hiilift. 


Grofs  he  who  judges  fo.- 

JI.  Nil  admirari,  prope  res  c 
Solaque  ijuic  poffit  facere 

•'  Kot  to  admin,  is  all  t] 

••  Tomaldtmen  happy,  a 

'  Plain  truth,  dear  Muaii, 

fpeech,  ,  ^ 

•  So  take  it  in  the  veiy  „or 

Who,  io  truth,  is  a  mu 
than  he  is  uTually  fupj 

•  Bpit  Ti. 

t  He  knew  the  exaft  taAe  an< 
•«■»«",  and  haa  hhoured  this  i 

»  V.  I. 

BMr.  CbritopherPitthaaini 
».ii.llhei5tkepaic,  b.ii,  ith, 
jyffle.  b.  i. ,  the  i8th  epilUe  b.  i 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  401  ' 
be.  He  is  a  nervous  and  vigorous  writer : 
and  many  parts,  not'  only  of  his  Lucretius, 
but  of  his  Theocritus  and  Horace  (though 
now  decried)  have  not  been  eiCcelled  by 
other  tranflators.  One  of  his  pieces  may 
b^  pronounced  excellent ;  his  translation  of 
the  thirteenth  fatire  of  Juvenal  j  equal  to 
any  that  Dryden  has  given  us  of  that  au- 
thor* 

5a.  Hunc  roletn  &  ilelUs  it  decedencia  cert'is 
Tempora  momentis,  funt  qui  formidine  nulU 
Iinbuti  fpeflent— — — •. 

This  vault  of  air,  this  congregated  ball, 
.Self-center'd  fun  and  liars,  that  rife  and  fall : 
There  arc,  my  friend,  whofc  philofophic  eyes 
Look  through,  and  truH  the  Ruler  with  his  ikieSf. 

This  laft  line  is  quaint  and  obfcure;  the 
two    firfl    vigorouHy    exprelTed.      Horace 

tioB,  would  not  be  to  adopt  t\it  familiar  bisnk  verie,  wliick 
Mr.  Ctimam  hai  lb  faccersfully  employed  in  his  Terence }  « 
Jbrt  of  Terfe  no  more  refembling  that  of  Milton,  than  th* 
Hexameter!  of  Homer  rcfemble  thole  of  Theocrttui. 

•V.3.  tV.5- 

Vot.  II.  3  F       '  tlwught 


402    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

thought  of  a  noble  paflage  *  in  Lucretiuiy 
book  V.  line  1185. 

In  coeloque,  Deum  fedes,  &  templa  locarunt. 
Per  coelum  volvi  quia  fol,  &  luna  videntur  : 
Luna,  dies,  ic  nox,  •&  no£Us  figna  fcrena, 
Nodivagxque  faces  cccli,  flaounaeque  volantcs, 
Nubila,  ros,  ^nbres,  nox,  venti,  fulmina,  grando^ 
£t  rapid!  fremitus,  &  murmura  magna  minarum. 

53.  Ludicra  quid,  plaufus,  &  amicidona  Quiritis  f. 

Or  popularity  ?  or  ftars  and  ftrings  ? 

The  mob's  applaufes,  or  the  gifts  of  kings  %• 

Considering  the  prefent  ftate  of  poli- 
tics, the  abilities  of  politicians  in  this  coun- 
try, and  the  Tiumber  of  thofe  who  think 
themfelves  completely  qualified  to  guide  the 
ftate,  might  I  be  pardoned  for  the  pedantry 
of  recommending  to  them  the  few  following 

*  To  thofe  who  know  the  number  oftbomgbts  that  hnmii^ 
mnd  nuordt  that  hurn^  in  this  animated  writer,  it  is  farprifing 
that  Tally  could  fpeak  of  him  in  focold  and  taftelefs  a  man-' 
ner ;  Lucretii  poemata  non  funt  lita  mollis  Ittminibns  Iggnii, 
multx  tamen  Jr/is.    £p.  ad  Fratrem,  Lib*  ii«  Sp*  ii. 

fV.y.  $V.i3. 

words 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       40J 

Words  of  Socrates ;  who  thus  addrcfles  Alci- 
biades :  FvpiVxtTXi  rpo^rov,  cd  fixiuipte  kxi  iiol6€ 
OL  hi  fJLx6ourx  isvou  iiri  ret  ryfi  T0X6aiC>  rporepw 
h  fxij.  Alcibiad.  2d.  p.  133.  Serr.  Platon. 
T.4. 

54.  '    — rCum  bene  notuin 

Porticus  Agripp«,  &  via  te  confpexerit  Appi ; 
Ire  tamen  reftat,  Numa  quo  devenit  &  Ancas  *• 

Grac'd  as  thou  art  with  all  the  pow'r  of  words. 
So  known,  fo  honour'd,  at  the  Houfe  of  Lords  ;* 
Confpicuous  fcene  !— another  yet  is  nigh, 
(More  filent  far  !)  whtre  kings  and  poets  lie; 
Where  Murray,  long  enough  his  country's  pride,  » 
Shall  be  no  more  than  Tully,  or  than  Hyde  f. 

Much  beyond  the  original;  particularly 
on  account  of  the  very  happy  and  artful  ufe 
Pope  has  made  of  the  "neighbourhood  of 
the  Houfe  of  Parliament  to  Weftminfter  Ab- 
bey ;  and  of  the  well-turned  and  unexpefted 
compliment  he  has  paid  to  hi^  illuftrious 
friend.     The  charaftcr  of  Lord  Chancellor 

♦  V.  25,  t  V.  48. 

3  F  2  Clarendon 


404'  ESS  AY.  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Clarendon  fecms  to  grow  every  day 
brighter,  the  more  it  is  fcrutinized,  and  his 
integrity  and  abilities  are  more  afcertained 
and  acknowledged,  even  from  the  publication 
of  private  papers,  never  intended  to  fee  Ac 
light. 

55«  ■■  vis  reSe  vivcrc  ?  quis  non  ? 
Si  virtus  hoc  una  poteft  dare,  fortis  omiffis 
Hoc  age  deliciis • 

Would  ye  be  bleft  ?  defpife  low  joys,  low  gains  ; 
Difdain  whatever  Cornbury  difdains ; 
Be  virtuous,  and  be  happy  for  your  pains  f. 

This  again  is  fuperior  to  the  original  ( 
where  quis  non,  is  feeble  and  flat :  and  the 
mention  of  a  particular  fhining  charadler 
gives  a  force  and  fpirit  to  the  line.  This 
amiable  young  nobleman  wrote,  from  Paris^ 
1752,  a  very  prefling  remonftrance  to  Mr. 
Mallet,  to  diffuade  him,  but  in  vain,  from 
publifliing  a  very  oflfenfivej  digreflion  on 

the 

•  V.  29.  t  V.  60. 

J  It  appears  that  Swift  fufpcaed  the  irreligious  principles 
Hf  Bolingbroke>  fo  early  at  the  year  1724;  for  he  makes  for 

hi^nfclf 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPEw  405 
the  Old  Tcftament,  in  Lord  Bolingbroke's 
Letters  on  Hiftory.  **  I  muft  fay  to  you. 
Sir,  for  the  world's  fake,  and  for  his  fake, 
that  part  of  the  work  ought  by  no  means  to 
be  communicated  further.  If  t^is  digreflion 
be  made  public,  it  will  be  ccnfured,  it  mqft 
be  ccnfured,  it  ought  to  be  ccnfured.  It 
will  be  criticifed  too  by  able  pens,  whofe 
erudition,  as  well  as  their  reafonings,  will 
not  eafily  be  anfwered."     He  concludes  by 

liimrelf  the  follawtng  apology  to  the  Dean : — *'  I  mnft  on  tbii 
•ccafion  fet  you  right,  as  to  an  opinion,  which  I  Ihoutd  be 
rcty  forry  to  have  yon  entertiUD  cancerning  me.  The  lena 
*/^f  fert,  in  EngliOi  free-thinker,  it,  according  to  my  ob- 
fervacion,  ufually  applied  to  them,  whom  I  look  upon  to  be 
iheftfii  of  fociety ;  becaofe  their  endeavoun  are  dtreded  to 
loofeo  the  bands  ofic.ond  to  take  at  leaft  one  curb  oat  of  the 
mouth  of  that  wild  bead  man,  when  it  would  be  well  if  he 
wai  checked  by  half  a  fcore  others."  Oneof  thefe/^f/.^ow- 
erer,  he  chofe  to  become,  by  ftriAly  enjtnning  Mr.  Mallet  to 
publilh  the  writings  he  left  ag^inft  religion.  Sec  Letters  of 
Swift  by  Hawkefworth.  vol.  ii.  p.  200.  In  thi«  colle6Uon  is 
the  very  entertaining  jo  nmal  which  Amft  wrote  daily  to  Mti* 
'  Jofanfon,  containing  a  minute  account,  and  many  private 
snecdotes  of  the  minUtry  of  Qaeen  Anne.  Perhapa  the  infidc 
of  a  co^n,(vits  poilfceaia)  was  never  fo  clearly  difpUyed, 
But  yet  Swift  does  not  feein  to  have  known  all  ^e  intrigue* 
thcB  carried  qn. 


T  (!  UIU11.C,  not  to  raile  nc 

^'  mory," 

5^'  ' Virtutem  verb 

Lucum  ligna  ? .». 

But  art  thou  one,  whom  n, 
One  who  believes  as  Tinii 
Who  Viriu,  anj  a  Ci«rd  a 
Thinks /i«, but  words, and, 

HiRi  we  have  a  dire 
fureof  a  celebrated  infi 
«un<,  therefore,  which  w 
ftnmgly  and  openly  on  t 
«  he  knew  the  great  law 
he  was  writing.  Horace 
to  the  words  of  a  dying  H 
tomedr;  and  n;«„  r^.a- 


.^iZtA 


AND  GENIUS  OP  POPE.       407 

the  words  vrluch  Brutus  ufed  juft  before  he 
ftabbed  himfelf,  after  his  defeat  at  Philippi. 
But  it  is  obfervable,  that  this  fad  refts  folely 
on  the  credit  of  this  fawning  and  fulibme 
court-hiilorian  i  and  that  Plutarch,  who 
treats  largely  of  Brutus,  is  filent  on  the  fubr 
je£t.  If  Brutus  had  adopted  this  pafTage,  I 
cannot  bring  myfelf  to  believe,  that  Horace 
would  fo  far  have  forgotten  his  old  princi- 
ples, as  to  have  mentioned  the  words  adopted 
by  the  dying  patriot,  with  a  mark  of  reproach 
and  reprobation, 

57.  Scilicet  uxorem  cum  dote,  fidemque  ic  amicos, 
£t  genus  &  formam  *  regina  Pscunia  donat, 
Ac  bene  nummatum  decorat  Suad£La,  VBNUsquBf. 

For  mark  th'  advantage  ;  juft  fo  many  fcore 
Will  gain  a  wife  with  half  as  many  more ; 
Procure  her  beauty,  make  that  beauty  chafte. 
And  then  fuch  friends  as  cannot  fail  to  laft.  ^ 

^  The  Dake  of  M.  dining  with  Prince  Eqgene^  in  a 
very  large  company,  fpoke  in  high  terms  of  his  C^een  Anne ; 
the  Prince  whifpeied  to  the  oldeft  and  mofl  venerable  genefftl 
officer  n^w  liwng^  Rtgina  Picuma  **  tbat^s  his  ^m.'* 

t  V.  38. 

A  man 


i 


408    ESSAY  ON  THB  WRITINGS 

A  tnanof  wealdiiidaU'daataoffmdl^  ' 
Venus  fliall give  bim  ttna,$ui  AidU»Uc|A*. ^ 

Not  imitated  with  the  ngoor  and  ^oitgr 
of  the  original.  Tie  fiift  line  ^  weak  N^od 
languid.  Three'  Diwikkt,  for  ibdi  fa| 
makes  them,  Pecunia*  Suaobla*  and  Vi- 
Nus,  confpire  in  '^Ting  dieir  accon^ifli- 
ments  to  this  faVbaiite  of  fortune.  Modern 
images  could  not  be  found  tq  aitfwar  ^tnAi 
profopopceias. 

58. Chlamyde*  LncuUits,  nt  uaa^ 

Si  polTet  centum  fceiue  pnebeie  ragHMfk  1    ' 

•V-??-  ", '    .   ■■: 

t  Oradonii  Tnbdlitat  iaiteKlii  QU  qdAiB  i)dMr  itt 
exiftiiniiici,  fed  niUl  opcrienli  ■!■■••  Cfaii*'   SiavhiK'' 
Oemetrw  Phalcreiu  iiiyi.  in  •  pkfligB  fill  of  tale  »d  jid^  ^. 
ment,  ti;i  m  .*;c«.  x<i(Mi^K*  pag.  II5.  Oxn.  ttfjfi. 

TherelinetofHonceana  Ara^nUipkaf  ^■%adl»''*. 

offtyle,  .  -  "     (*  .,, 

■  ptTcendi  ^nbu  aif  ■•    -  -^ 
Exteanantis  eu  coafalto 

This  treadTc^f  DemetriuPkiknwIa  aotbaaekntd*  bi^., 
pwhapi  it  more  n&Ail  duu  em  IKobj^  da  StniEL    80M 
hxTcimagined  that  IMon^niwutkeaMfiorof  iu-   liwt 
are  many  tntcrnal  ptooA  why  it  cwddaatbcwtinm  ft  ot^ 
MD.FhaUrnut 

■  M  Qjii 


,   ' 


AND  GENIUS  OP  POPE.      409 

^*  Qui  poflum  ?  tot  ait ;  tamen  &  quaerem  &  quo( 

habeboy 
«*  Mittam" — poft  paulo  fcribit  fibi  millia  quinque 
£fle  domi  chlamydum ;  partem  vel  tollerct  omnes  *• 

His  wealth  brave  Timon  glorioufly  confounds  ( 
AfkM  for  a  groat,  he  gives  a  hundred  poupds  i        > 
Or,  if  three  iadies  like  a  lucklefs  play,, 
Takes  the  whole  houfe  upon  the  poet's  dayf  •    ^ 

■ 

By  no  means  equal  to  the  original :  there 
is  fo  much  pleafantry  in  alluding,  to  the 
known  ftory  of  the  Praetor  coming  to  bor- 
row dreiTes  (paludamenta)  for  a  chorus  in  a 
public  fpeAa^le  that  he  intended  to  exhibit^ 
who  afked  bim  to  lend  him  a  hundred,  fays 
Plutarch ;  but  Lucullus  bade  him  take  two 
hundred.  Horace  huiporoufly  has  made  it 
fiye  tf)oufand.  We  know  nothing  of  Timon, 
or  the  three  ladies  here  mentioned.  There 
is  AiU  another  beauty  in  Horace ;  he  has 
fuddenlyi  according  to  his  manner,  intra- 
duced  LucuUu^  ipeaking ;  **  quifoffum,  &cJ* 

•V.4».      ,         tV.8s, 

Vol.  II,  3  Q  He 


4IO     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

He  is  for  ever  introducing  thefc  little  inteN 
locutions,  which  give  his  fatires  and  epUUet 

an  air  fo  lively  and  dramatic. 


J.  M  ro-nur  fcrvum,  qui  diftet  nomisi, ! 
Qui  fodl^t  Utus,  ii  cogat  trans*  pondera  dextrtai 
Forri^ere  :  hie  niultum  in  Faiti  valet,  ille  Ftiiw^ 
Cui  libet  is  fafces  dabit}  eripirtquc  curule^ 
Cui  volet,  importunus  ebuT :  Frater,  Fater,  iddef 
Ut  cuii^uc  efl  ztas  ita  qucmquc  facctus  adoptaf* 

Then  hire  a  Have,  or,  if  you  will,  a  lord. 
To  do  the  honours,  or  to  give  the  word  t  , 

Tell  at  your  levee,  as  the  crowds  approach} 
To  whom  to  nod,  whom  take  into  your  coacll. 
Whom  honour  wilb  your  ^lai :  to  malcc  remarks. 
Who  rules  in  CornwJli  or  who  rules  in  Berksj 


*  Various  are  the  optDioni  about  the  meaning  of  frtat 
Jfondtra ;  foine  coiDmeniatort  think  it  tattM,  icroTi  the  carV 
riagrs  and  waggons  loaded  with  beanii  and  flonei,  &c  or  the 
•tuei^ht  of  che  gown/n/Wup.  But  Gi/mn'%  interpreiadoq 
fcems  the  n  oft  fenfible  j  ultra  xquilibtium  corporit,  cui^ 
periculo  cadon'li ;  the  cjudid^ie  h-yut  A>  low  that  he  almoli 
orerf-'ti  hh  body  F>dit  laiui  Ixvum  candidaii  nomencla* 
tor  i  alacris  nimiuni  &  cupidus  can  Utlatm  ita  protendtt  dcXt 
trim,  ut  xquiiibrium  pcche  perdat.  And  Ovid  ufef/fM^^ 
\n  this  fenfe ;  Pondcribut  Ubrau  full.  Met.  i.  ij. 

t  V.  so. 


ANb  GfeNltJs  6P  POi*Ei      4u 


**  This  ma^  be  troublefome*  is  near  the  chair : 

**-  That  makes  three  members)  this  caQ  chufe  a 

may'r." 
Inftmded  thiis,  you  bow,  fembtace,  protcft^ 
Adopt  him  fon>  or  coufin,  at  the  leaft. 
Then  turn  about,  and  laiigh  at  your  ovrn  jell  *i 


...} 


An  admtrabTe  pifhire  of  feptenniat  iblly 
find  meannefs  during  an  eleSlion  catroafsf  in. 
which  the  arts  of  Englifh  folicilation  are 
happily  applied  to  Roman.  Some  flrokcs 
of  this  kind>  thbugh  mixed  Svitb  unequal 
trafh,  in  the  Pafyuin  of  Fielding^  may  be 
mentioned  as  capital,  and  full  of  the  trneil 
humour.  It  is  indeed  a  fine  and  fruitful 
fubje£t  fot-  a  fatyrift.  As  Pops  could  not 
ufe  a  nomenclaior  fjervumj  he  has  happily 
added  — a  Lord,  And  if  he  has  omitted  a 
livfely  circumftance,^/«/jw/  latus^  he  has  made 
ample  compenfation  by,  take  tftta  yoitr  coacBi 
Jmportunus\s  admirably  turned  by,  thtf  m^ 
be  trouhlefome  %  as  is/acetut,  b/j  /attgh  at  ytlb^ 
9wnjefii 

'   •ViiiO. 

3  G  X  in  — —  rani|it^n^ 


uiiii.uus  cireas  ol  early 

Frem  Laiian  Syrens,  Fun 
Return  well  travell'd,  ,„d 
Or  for  a  titled  punk,  or  fo, 
Renounce  our  country,  juuj 

»,I.  Si,  Mimneimui  ml  cenfet, 
Nil  e«  jucundum,  vivas  in  : 
If  SwwT  ciy  wi&lj,  •■  y„ 

The  Dean  made  his  , 
by  mif-rpending  it  iq  „^ 
in  fcribbling  paltry  riAt 
»nd  venting  hu  fpleen  in 
Hi*  baniihment  to  Irela 
thought  it,  and  hia  difap. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  PO?E,      413 

philofopher^  whofe  lofs  I  (hall  long  and  fin« 
.   cerely  deplore^  has  lately  made  the  follow*^ 

ing  ftridures  upon  one  of  his  capital  works. 

> 

^'  Mifantbropy  is  fo  dangerous  a  thing, 
and  goes  fo  far  in  fapping  the  very  founda« 
tion  of  morality  and  religion^  that  I  efteem  tho 
laft  part  of  Swiff  %  Gulliver  (that  I  meaii 
relative  to  his  Houyhnhnms  and  Yahoos)  to 
be  a  worfe  book  to  perufe,  than  thofe  which 
we  forbid,  as  the  moft  flagitious  and  ob- 
fcene.  One  ahfurdity  in  this  author  (a 
wretched  philofopher,  though  a  great  wit) 
is  well  worth  remarking :  in  order  to  render 
the  nature  of  men  odious,  and  the  nature  of 
beafts  amiable,  he  is  compelled  to  givb  human 
*  characters  to  his  beajlsj  and  beajily  charadtert 
to  his  men ;  fo  that  we  are  to  admire  the 
beafis,  not  for  being  bea/ls,  but  amiable  men ; 
and  to  detejl  the  men,  not  for  beings  men,  but 
deteAable  beafls. 

Whoever  has  been  reading  this  unnatU'^ 
ral  FiLTH,  let  him  turn  for  a  moment  to  2 

SfeHator 


"■  '       '  Ij.  Cum  tot  fuftrnns  i  tani 

Kes  Italasarmis  tuteris  i 
I-'gibus  emeiiclcs,  ;„  p„b 
Si  loogo  fermoM  mo„,  , 

Wiile  ro»,  greit  patron 
The  balanc'd  world,  and 
Your  country,  chief,  in  an 
At  home  with  moralj,  am 
How  Hull  the  manrromf 
*«  W,  and  not  defraurf , 

All  thofc  naufeou! 
eompliments,  which  He 
■*j=a«diJation,  degrade, 

\,*S*!°«™"»9"rie..in,k, 
»".  «I?I  London,  ,,8,.    p„,  iij 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  4^5, 
to  Auguftus,  Pope  has  converted  into  bitter 
find  pointed  farcafms*  conveyed  under  the 
form  of  the  moll  artful  irony.  Of  this  irony 
the  following  fpecimens  Ihall  be  placed  to- 
gether, in  one  view,  added  to  the  preceding 
lines,  which  are  of  the  fame  caft. 

Wonder  of  kingb!  like  whom,  to  mortal  eyes« 
None  e'er  has  rircn«  and  none  e'er  fhall  rife  *. 
How  Iball  we  fill  a.  library  with  wit. 
When  Merlin's  ctvc  is  half  unfioifli'd  yet  f?  ^ 

My  liege  !  why  writers  little  claiiD  your  though^ 
I  guefs  i  and  with  their  leave  will  tell  the  faulttr 
Yet  think,  great  Sir  (■  fo  many  virtues  fliown. 
Ah,  think  what  poet  beft  mayjnake  them  kiu)iyn4- 
Or  thufe  at  lealtfome  minifter  of  grace. 
Fit  to  beftow  the  Laurcat's  weighty  place  f, 

fTt,  and  with  a  tnsply  regard  to  hit  owa  chantOer."  Sfli^. 
kc  forgot. 

Juranda'qae  tifai  per  Numtn  ponimus  ftntr, 
^il  oriiurnn  aliii,  nil  ortum  talc  fatentes,  &C. 

W«  foine*!inMfpeakincorreAlyof  what  areca:|rd  Ihewriten 
of  the  AtigmfiaM  age.  .  Terence,  Lucietiai^  Catgllui,  Tullf, 
J.  Czfiir.  and  SJtuft,  wrote  btfari  th«  time  ot  Auguft»t 
S«l  Livy,  Virgil.  Horace,  TibuUui,  and  Prcpertius,  wer* 
||Ot  made  good  wri^ert  by  faia  patronage  and  encouragement* 

•V.JJ.       tV.JS4-       tV.JsS.       II  V.  376. 

0I( 


I 


416    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Oh  could  I  mount  on  the  Mconian  wing. 
Your  arms,  your  aftions,  your  npofe^  to  ling  ! 
What  feas  you  travers'd,  and  what  fields  you  fought. 
Your  country's  peace,  hotv  oft,  how  dearly  bought ! 
How  oarbarous  rage  fubiided  at  your  word. 
And  nations  wonderM  while  they  dropp'd  the  fword  I 
How  when  you  nodded,  o'er  the  land  and  deep. 
Peace  ftole  her  wing,  and  wrapt  the  world  in  fleep^ 
Till  earth's  extremes  yoi^r  piediation  own^ 
And  Ada's  tyrants  tremble  at  your  thron^^f 
•  But  verfe,  alas !  your  majefty  difdains^ 
And  I*m  not  us'd  to  panegyric  ftrains : 
Befides,  a  fate  attends  on  all  I  write, 

when  I  aim  at  praife,  they  fa^  I  bite\ 


-  It  (nay  be  obferved,  in  general,  that  thci 
imitations  of  thefe  two  epiilles  of  xhtfecond 
book  of  Horace,  are  finifhed  with  fb  much 
accuracy  and  care,  and  abound  in  fo  niany 
applications  and  allufions  mod  nicely  and 
luckily  adapted  ta  the  original  paOiiges^  that  a 
fninute  comparifon  would  be  ufelefs.  In  a  very 
few  inftances,  however,  he  may  be  thought 
%o  fall  fhort  of  his  model.    This  appears  in 

•V.394- 

Ihf 


in  ^^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     41^ 

the  accouut  of  the  rife  of  poetry  among  the 
Romans,  v.  139 — becaufe  he  could  not  pof- 
fibly  find  a  parallel  for  the  facrifices  paid  to 
Teilus^  and  Silvanus^  and  the  Gtnius,  nor  to 
the  liccntioufnefs  of  the  Fefcennine  verfes, 
which  wer^  rcftrained  by  a  law  of  the  Twelve  \ 
Tables. 

Pope  has  alfo  failed  in  afcribing  that 
introduction  of  our  polite  literature  to 
France,  which  Horace  attributes  to  Greece 
among  the  Romans j  (v.  156.  orig.)  It  was  to 
Italy,  among  the  moderns,  that  we  owed 
our  true  tafte  in  poetry.  Spencer  and  Milton  . 
imitated  the  Italians,  and  not  the  French.  ^ 
And  if  he  had  correftnefs  in  his  view,  let 
us  remember,  that  in  point  oi  regularity  and 
correSlnefs,  the  French*  had  no  dramatic 
.piece  equal  to  the  Silent  Woman  of  Ben  John^ 
fon,  performed  1609,  ^At  which  time  Cor^^ 
neille  was  but  three  years  old.     The  rules  of    ^ 

•  The  very  firft  French  play,  in  which  the  rules  were  ob- 
ferved,  was  the  Sofbonijha  of  Maint,  163}. 

Vol.  II.  3H  the 


4i8    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

the  drama  are  as  much  violated  in  the  *  CUf 
1637,  beautiful  as  it  is,  as  in  the  Macbeth^ 
Lear^  and  Othello^  all  written  before  Corneille 
was  born ;  wliofe  firft  comedy,  Melite,  which  is 
now  never  a<3:Ld,  was  reprefented  1625.  The 
pieces  of  the  very  fertile  Hardy  (for  he  wrote 
fix  hundred)  the  immediate  predeceffor  of 
Corneille s  are  full  of  improbabilities,  indeco- 
rums, and  abfurdities,  and  by  no  means  com- 
parable  to  Mclite.     As  to  the  correSlnefs  of 

•  Father  Tcurncmine  ufed  to  relate,  that  M.  dc  CbaUnff 
who  h.nd  been  fecretary  to  Mary  dt  MtJicif,  and  had  retired 
to  Rouen,  was  the  peribn  who  advifed  Corneille  to  ftcdy  the 
Spanifh  language  ;  and  read  to  him  fome  paflage^  of  Gaillin 
^e  Cajiroy  which  ilruck  Corneille  fo  much,  that  he  determined 
to  Imitate  his  C/V.  The  artifices  ufed  by  Ricblhu^  and  the  en-» 
gines  he  let  to  work  to  crufli  this  fine  play,  are  well  knowii« 
Not  one  of  the  Cardinal's  tools  was  To  vehement  as  the  Ab- 
be d*Aubignae\  who  attacked  Corneille  on  account  of  hif 
family,  his  perfon,  his  gefture,  his  voice,  and  even  the  con- 
dud  of  his  domeflic  affairs.  When  the  Cid  firft  appeared 
(fays  Fontenclle)  the  Cardinal  was  as  much  alarmed  as  if  he. 
had  {t^'\  the  Spaniards  at  the  gates  of  Paris.  In  the  year 
1635,  Richlieuy  in  the  midft  of  the  important  political  con- 
cerns that  occupied  his  mighty  genius,  wrote  the  greateft  part 
of  a  play,  called,  La  comedit  des  Tuilleriis,  in  which  Corneille 
propofed  fome  alterations  to  be  made  in  the  third  a£t :  which 
bpnefl  freedom  the  Cardinal  never  forgaye. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,       4ig 

the  French  ftage,  of  which  we  hear  fo  miich^ 
the  rules  of  the  three  unities  are  indeed  ri- 
goroufly  and  fcrupuloufly  obferved*  ;  but  the 
beft  of  their  tragedies,  even  Jbme  of  thofe  of 
the  fweet  and  exa<5l  Racine,  have  defe<Ss  of 
another  kind,  and  arc  what  may  be  juftly 
called,  de/criptive and  declamatory  dramas;  and 
contain  the  fentiments  and  feelings  of  the 
author  or  the  J^eSlator^  rather  than  of  the 
f^^fi^  introduced  as  fpeaking«  "  After  the 
rcftoration,  fays  Pope  in  the  margin,  WaU 
Icr,  with  the  Earl  of  Dorfet,  Mr.  Go- 
dolphin,  and  others,  tranflated  the  Pompey 
of  Corneille ;  and  the  more  correct  French 
poets  b?gan  to  be  in  reputation/'  But  the 
model  was  unfortunately  and  injudicioufly 
chofen ;  for  the  Pompey  of  Corneille  is  one 
of  his  moft  declamatory  -f^  tragedies.  And 
the  rhyme  tranflation  they  gave  of  it,  is  per- 
formed 

*  As  they  are  certainly  in  Samfm  Agonifia. 

t  See  the  Eflay  on  Shakefpeare  by  Mrs.  Montagoe,  io 
which  ihe  has  done  honour  to  her  fex  and  nation ;  and  which 

3  H  2  was 


\ 


420    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

formed  pitifully  enough.  Even  Vojlaire  cott;^ 
fcfles,  that  Corncillc  is  always  making  bk 
heroes  lay  of  thcmfclvcs,  that  tliey  are  great 
men.  It  is  in  this  palTage  that  Pope  fays  of 
two  great  mallerg  of  vcrfification  j 

If'alkr  was  fmooth  ;  but  Dryden  taught  to  join. 
The  varying  vcrfc,  the  fuU-rcfounding  line. 
The  long  majcftic  march,  aad  energy  divine  •• 

What  !  did  Milton  contribute  nothin|^ 
to  the  harmony  and  extent  of  our  language  ?i 
nothing  to  our  national  tafte,  by  his  noble> 
imitations  of  Homer,  Virgil,  and  the  Grecfe 
tragedies  ?  Surely  liis  verfcs  vary,  and  refound 
as  much,   and  difpky  as  much   majejiy  and. 

wu  fent'  to  VolM^re  with  chii  motto  pre&xed  10  it ;  by  4  pcr- 
feo  who  admired  it  ai  a  piece  of  cxquifite  cricicifm  ; 

Pallas  Te  hoc  Vulnere,  Pallas 

Imtnolat  Vi«ia. 

The  Iphigcnie  of  Racine,  it  mufl  be  owned,  i>  an  incoiBf 
parable  piece  ;  it  is  chiefly  To,  frxi'm  Racine's  atieniive  fludy 
of  Euripides,  Corneille  had  not  read  the  Gtefk  iragedifi. 
He  was  able  to  read  Ariflotle's  Poetics  only  in  Heinfiu)'! 
tranflaticn.  h  is  remarkable,  that  there  \\  doi  a  ftnglc  lineia 
Oiway  or  Rowe  from  the  Greek  tragedies,  And  Dryden  ia 
hit  (£dipus  has  imiuted  Seneca  and  Corneille,  not  Sopho- 
cles. 

V.  ^':^. 

3  energy. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      421 

energy,  as  any  that  can  be  found  in  Dryden. 
And  we  will  venture  to.  fay,  that  he  that 
ftudies  Milton  attentively,  will  gain  a  truer 
tafle  for  genuine  poetry,  than  he  that  formSi 
himfelf  on  French  writers.  His  name  furely 
was  not  to  be  omitted  on  this  occafion. 

The  other  paflages  in  which  Pope  ap- 
pears not  to  be  equal  to  his  original,  are,  in 
the  three  little  ftorics  which  Horace  has  in- 
troduced into-  his  fecond  epiflle,  with  {q 
much  nature  and  humour;  namely,  ihe  flory 
of  the  flave*fcller,  at  vcrfe  2 ;  that  of  the  fol* 
dier  of  LucuUus,  at  verfe  26 ;  and  the  ftory 
of  the  madman  at  Argos,  verfe  128,  The 
lad,  particularly,  Ibfes  much  of  its  graces  and 
propriety,  by  transferring  the  fcene  from  the 
theatre  to  the  parliament-houfe,  from  poetry 
to  politics. 

63.  Two  noblemen  of  tafte  and  learning, 
the  Duke  of  Shrewfbury  and  the  Earl  of 
Oxford,  defired  Pope  to  melt  down  and  caft 

.anew 


422    ESSAY  ON  THE  WIUTIM6S 

anew  the  weighty  bullion  of  Dv.  Ddnht^ 
fatires;  who  had  degnded  and  JttTui/iied' » 
vaft  fund  of  fterling  wit  and  ilroag  tjenfief^ 
the  moft  harfh  apd  uncoajtb-didniik.     Voltp 
fuccecded  in  giving  harmonj  to  a,  wntcr;v, 
more  rough  and  rugged  than  erch  an^-iBfiiJi) 
age,  and  who  profited  Ca  little  by  tlie  exaa^  ■ 
pie  Spencer  had  Cct,  -of  a  moft  moficd  vadi. 
mellifluous  verfification ;  &r  bcTond  dkU  'df 
Fairfax,  who  is  (6  frequently  mentioned  M' 
the  greatcfl:  improver  of  the  harmony-  of  oi^  ' 
language.    The  fitirea  of  Haff,  written  i4= 
very  fmooth  and  pleating'  numbers,  prectedrf: . 
thoie  of  DoMtw  man  J  years;  for  his  Fi^giiftti ' 
miarum  were  publilhed,  in  fix  books,  in  the,. 
year  1597;  in  whidi  he  calls  himielf  the  very., 
firll Engliih  fatiriit,  This,  however,  wasn^^ 
true  in  faft  j  for  -Sir  Thomas  W^tt,  of  Al?||' 
lingtonCaAlein  Kent,  the  friend  and  ftvoorki^' 
oi  Henry  VIIL  and,  as  was  fuggefled,  ofj^i,, 
Boleyn,  was  our  firft  writer  of  iatire  wdrdf'^ 
notice.^    But  it  was  hot  in.his  numbers  on^^^ 
that  Donne  was  reprtthe&fiUe.  He  abonndt  jEC. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  423 
falfe  thoughts,  in  far- fought  fentiments,  la 
forced  unnatural  conceits.  He  was  the  cor- 
rupter of  Cowley.  Drydett  was  the  firft  who 
called  him  a  metafbyfical  poet.  He  had  a 
.confiderable  iharc  of*  learning  j  and,  though 
he  entered  late  into  orders,  yet  was  eftcenied 
a  good  divine.  "James  I.  was  fo  earncft  to 
prefer  him  in  the  church,  that  he  even  re- 
fufed  the  Earl  of  Somerfet,  his  favourite,  the 
requeft  he  carneftly  made,  of  giving  Donne 
an  office  in  the  council.  Iri  the  entertain- 
ing account  of  that  converfation  which  Ben 
Jobnfon  is  faid  to  have  held  with  Mr.  Drum- 
mpnd  of  Hawthornden  in  Scotlsjid,  in  the 

*.  He  waa  one  of  our  poets  who  wrote  elegantly  in  Latiii  i 
as  did  Btn  JtbnftM,  {wbo  tranflated  into  that  langnage  great, 
part  of  Bacon  de  Apgnentis  Scient.)  Cttultf,  Miii»m,  Addiftm, 
and  Gray  In  Donne'i  introduSion  to  his  wit(^  catalogue  of 
corioui  boolcs,  written  plainly  ia  imitation  ofRaitlaii,  (whom 
alfo  Sw/i  imitated,  in  a  catalogqe  of  odd  trcatifes,  prefixed  to 
the  Talc  of  a  Tub)  there  is  a  pallage  fo  minately  applicable 
to  the  nrefent  tiraei,  that  I  am  tempted  to  tranfcribe  it. 
M^xita  ronitiUUqni,  quo  plani  indoflis  nihil  tnrpins,  plend 
doflis  nihil  rarins.  Tam  omnes  in  literii  altquid  rdant, 
tam  nemo  omnia.  Media  jgitur  pleramqae  itar  jA,  Se  ad  eri* 
(Midaa  ignorantia  tarpitvdiDem,  *  Icgcndi-faAidium. 

.    .  year 


424    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITING! 

year  1619,  containing  his  judgments  of  the 
Engliih  poets,  he  fpcaks  thus  of  Donne, 
who  was  his  intimate  friend,  and  had  fre- 
quently addreA  him  in  various  poems. 


i 


•*  He  told  Mr.  Drummond,  that  Donni 
was  originally  a  poet}  his  grandfather  on 
the  mother's  fide  was  Heywood  the  epigram-  ■ 
matift :  that  Donne,  for  not  being  undcr^ 
flood,  would  perifh.  He  efteemed  him  the  '' 
firft  poet  in  the  world  for  fome  things  j  his 
verfes  of  the  loft  Ochadinc  he  had  by  heart, 
and  that  paflage  of  the  calm,  that  duft  and 
feathers  did  not  ftir,  all  was  fo  quiet,  ^e 
affirmed,  that  Donne  wrote  all  his  bcft  pieces 
before  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age.  The 
conceit  of  Donne's  transformation,  or  me- 
tcmpfychofis,  was,  that  he  fought  the  foul  of 
that  apple  which  Eve  pulled,  and  hereaft 
made  it  the  foul  of  a  bitch,  then  of  3  flie- 
wolf,  and  fo  of  a  woman  ;  his  general  pur- 
pofe  was  to  have  brought  it  into  all  the  bo-- 
dies  of  the  heretics,  from  the  foul  of  Cain, 

and 


*« 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     425 

and  at  laft  left  it  in  the  body  of  Calvin.  He 
only  wrote  one  (hcct  of  thi^,  and  lince  he 
was  made  doftor  repented  earneftly,  and  re- 
folved  to  deftroy  all  his  poems.  He  told 
Donne^  that  his  Anniverfary  was  prophane, 
and  full  of  blafphemies ;  that  if  it  had  beeh^ 
written  on  the  Virgin  Mary,  it  had  been  to^ 
lerable :  to  which  Donne  anfwered,  that  he 
defcribed  the  idea  of  a  woman,  and  not  as 
fhe  was  *•" 

64.The  two  Dialogues,  entitled  One  thou- 
fend  fevcn  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  which 
arc  the  laft  pieces  that  belong  to  this  fedtion, 
were  more  frequently  tranfcribcd,  and  re- 
ceived more  alterations  and  corrections,  than 
almoft  any  of  the  foregoing  poems.  By  long 
habit  of  writing,  and  almoft  conftantly  in 
one  fort  of  meafure,  he  had  now  arrived  at  a 


*  And  again  in  his  Di/covirits  :'-^*^  As  it  ii  fit  to  read  the 
ii/l  aiuhors  to  youth  forft,  Co  let  them  be  of  the  ofemejf  and 
the  diortjt.     As  Liyy    before  Salluftt  and  Sydntr^  before 

VoLt  II.  J  I  happy 


/ 


426     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

happy  and *clcgant  familiarity  of  ftyle,  with^ 
outflatnefst  Tiie  fatire  in  thefe  pieces  is  of 
the  flrongeft  kind;  fometimes^  diredl  and 
disclamatory,  at  otherSy  ironical  and  oblique. 
It  muft  be  owned  to  be  carried  to  excefs, 
^ur  country  is  rcprefented  as  totally  ruined, 
and  overwhelmed  with  diffipation,  depravity, 
ajid  corruption.  Ye*  this  very  country,  fo 
cpiafculated  and  debafed  by  every  fpecies  of 
folly  and  wickednefs,  in  about  twenty  years 
afterwards,  carried  its  triumphs  over  all  its 
enemies,  through  all  the  quarters*  of  the 
world,  and  afloniflied  the  moft  diftant  na- 
tions with  a  difplay  of  uncommon  efforts, 
abilities,  and  virtues.  So  vain  and  ground- 
Iffs'are  the  prognoftications  of  poets,  as  well 
as  politicians.  It  is  to  be  lamented,  that  no 
genius  could  be  found  to  write  an  Om 
^houfand  Seven  Hundred  and  Sixty-one,  as  a 
counterpart  to  thefe  two  fatires.      Several 


•  Wc  cannot  afcrlbe  thefe  fuccefles,  as  M.  de  VoltaIr« 
flpes,  to  the  tSt&A  of  Brown^s  EJlimati.  See  Additions  « 
}'Hill.  Gencralc,  p.  40^, 


JQ 


Eaflagc^ 


r     AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      417 

paiTages  deferve  particular  notice  and  ap- 
plaufe.  The  defign  of  the  Friend,  introduced 
in  thefe  dialogues,  is  to  difTuade  our  poet 
from  perfonal  invedlives.  He  defires  him  to 
copy  the  fly,  iniinuating  ftyle  of  Horace;  and 
dextroufly  turns  the  very  advice  he  is  giving 
into  the  bittereft  latire, 

Horace  would  fay.  Sir  Billy /erv*d  the  Crown, 
Blunt  could  do  bufirufs,  H — ggins  inew  the  town  : 
In  Sappho  touch  the  failings  of  the  fex. 
In  rev'rend  bifbops  note  (ome  fmalJ  negle^s  % 
And  own  the  Spaniard  did  a  waggijh  thing, 
'  Who  cropt  our  eais  and  fent  them  to  the  king.'^* 

The  character  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole  was 
diftated  by  candour  and  gratitude. 

Seen  him  I  have,  but  in  his  happier  hour 
Ot  focial  pleafure,  ilUexchang'd  for  pow*r ; 
Seen  him,  uncumber'd  with  the  venal  tribe. 
Smile  without  art,  and  win  without  a  bribe  f. 

This  charadter,  together  with  that  drawn 
of  the  fame  minifter  by  Hume,  in  his  fourth 

•  V.  13.  t  V.  28. 

3  ^  2  cflay-^. 


\ 


428    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

eflay,  will  perhaps  contribute  to  give  a  dir* 
pailionate  pofterity  a  more  amjable  chara£ter 
of  him  than  we  ufually  allow  him,  and  conn- 
ter-work  the  Difertatum  on  Paities.-Nothing 
can  be  more  animated  and  lively,  than  where 
our  author.  Teeming  to  follow  the  cautions 
admonitions  of  his  friend,  replies. 

Came,  hu-mlcfs  cbara^n,  that  no  one  hit. 

Come,  Henley'i  ontoiy,  OflKirn's  wit. 

The  honey  dropping  from  F&vonJo'a  tongue. 

The  flow'rs  of  Bubo,  and  the  flow  of  Young ! 

The  gracious  dew  of  pulpit  eloquence. 

And  all  the  well-whipt  cream  of  courtly  fenfe*! 

To  which  muft  be  added  a  Aroke  that  cuts 
to  the  quick ; 

Oi-  teach  the  melancholy  mule  to  mourn. 
Hang  the  fad  verfe  on  Carolina's  nrn; 
And  hail  her  pafTage  to  the  realms  of  reft. 
All  ^arls  perform'd,  and  a// her  children  bleftf. 

I  RECOLLECT  no  paiTagc  in  Horace,  Ju- 
venal, or  Boileau,  more  ftrongly  pointed,  or 
•  V.  65.  +  V.  79. 

more 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  429 
more  well-turned,  than  where  our  poet  iniifts 
that  the  dignity  of  vice  muft  not  be  loft. 

Ye  gods  !  Ihall  Gibber's  Ton,  without  rebuke. 

Swear  liko  a  lord,  or  Rich  out-whore  a  dulce  I 

A  fav'rite's  porttr  with  his  mafter  vie. 

Be  brib'd  as  trften,  and  as  often  lie  ? 

Shall  Ward  draw  contract  with  a  ftuterinan'4  flcil). 

Or  Japhet  pocket,  like  his  Grace,  a  will  ? 

Is  it  for  Bond,  or  Peter,  (paltry  things  !) 

To  pay  their  debts,  or  keep  their  faith  likr  kings^F 

This,  this,  my  friend,  I  cannot,  muft  not  bear. 

Vice  dius  abus'd  demands  a  nation's  care  *. 

The  noble  defcription  of  the  triumph  of 
Vice,  one  of  the  mofl'pi^turefque  in  all  his 
works,  mull  not  be  here  omitted. 

Lo  I  at  the  wheels  of  her  triumphal  car. 
Old  England's  Genius,  rough  with  many  a  fear, 
Dragg'd  in  the  duilj  his  arms  hang  idly  round. 
His  Bag  inverted  trails  along  the  ground  ) 
Our  youth,  all  liv'ry'd  o'er  with  foreign  gold. 
Before  her  dance ;  behind  her,  crawl  the  old  I 
S^  thronging  millions  to  the  pagod  run. 
And  offer  country,  parent,  wife,  or  Ion  t 

•  V.  n». 


43©    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Hear  her  black  trumpet  through  th^land  proclaim^ 
That  Not  To  Be  Corrupted  is  the  (hame  ♦. 

Swift  tells  him,  in  a  letter  dated  Auguft  8, 
1738,  that  he  takes  his  fecond  dialogue  to 
equal  any  thing  he  had  ever  writ.  The  fame 
Friend  is  here  again  introduced  making  fuch 
remonftrances  as  before.  And  feveral  parts 
of  the  dialogue  are  more  rapid,  and  approach 
nearer  to  converfation  than  any  lines  he  had 
ever  before  written : 

P.  The  pois'ning  dame.— F.  You  mean. — P.  I  don't. 

F.  You  do. 
P.  See  now  I  keep  the  fecret,  and  not  you. 
The  bribing  ftatefman.— F.  Hold — too  high  you  go-— ^ 
,      P.  The  brib*d  elector. — F.  There  you  ftoop  too  low. 
P.  I  fain  would  pleafe,  if  I  but  knew  with  what^ 
Tell  me  what  knave  is  lawful  game^  or  not. 
Suppofe  I  cenfure — you  know  what  I  mean ; 
To  favc  a  f  bifhop,  may  I  name  a  dean  i 

F.  A  dean, 

•  V.  150. 

f  Some  of  the  reverend  bench,  and  particularly  one  of  t 
truly-exalted  charader,  are  injurioufly  treated  ia  line  70. 


Ev^M  in  a  iijbof,  I  can  fpy  defert ; 
Si€kir  is  iUceni  ■ 


•  ■' 


Th« 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     431 

F.  A  dean.  Sir  ? — No — his  fortune  U  not  made  ;  - 
You  hurt  a  man  that's  riling  in  the  trade*. 

Wearied  with  the  feverity  and  poig- 
nancy of  moft  of  the  preceding  paffages,  we 
look  with  delight  on  the  pleafing  ei\umera- 
tion  of  his  illuftrious  and  valuable  friends : 

Oft,  in  the  clear,  ftill  rairrour  of  retreat, 
I  fludy'd  Shrnofiurfi  the  wife  and  great : 
CarUlm'i  calm  fcnfe,  and  Stanhepis  noble  flame, 
Compar'd,  and  knew  their  gen'rous  end  the  fame. 
How  pleafing  jitterhury'i  fofter  hour .' 
How  fliin'd  the  foul,  unconqucr'd  in  the  Tow'r  f 
How  can  t,  I  Pult'itfy,  Chejlerfieid,  forget. 
While  Koman  fpiric  charms,  and  Attic  wit;  ' 

■Tha  exemplary  life,  and  extenfivc  learning,  of  this  great  pre- 
late are  fuflicient  and  ample  confutations  of  llic  inviAtm 
tfitbci  here  ufcd ;  which  ihofe,  who  are  acquainted  with  his 
LeAurei  and  Sermons,  in  which  are  found  a  rare  mixture  of 
fimplicicy  and  energy,  read  with  indignation. 

•  V.  3S. 

t  That  Palttney  had  a  more  manly  undtrfianding  than  ChiJ- 
frfiiU,  will  not  be  doubted  :  but  I  verily  believe  he  had  alfo 
more  true  -wit.  The  two  Hncj  on  ^rgjk  areYaid  to  have 
been  added^  on  the  duke's  declaring  in  the  Houfe  of  Lordt, 
on  occaGon  of  fome  of  Pope's  fatires,  that  if  any  man  dared 
t&  ufc  hit  name  in  an  invcAive,  he  would  run  him  through 


432     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Argyliy  the  (bte's  whole  thimder  born  to  wirlds 
And  (hade  alike  the  fenate  and  the  field  ; 
Or  JVyndhantj  juft  to  freedom  and  the  throne,  « 
The  mafter  of  our  paffions,  and  his  own  ♦  ? 

Among  thcfc,  Atterbury  was  his  chief  in- 
timate. The  turbulent  and  imperious  tem- 
per of  this  haughty  prelate  was  long  felt 
and  remembered  in  the  college  over  which 
he,prcfided/  It  was  with  difficulty  Queen 
Anne  was  perfuadcd  to  make  him  a  bishop ; 
which  fhedid  at  laft^  on  the  repeated  impor- 
tunities of  Lord  Harcourt,  who  prefled  the 
queen  to  do  it,  becaufe  fhe  had  before  dlf- 
appointed  him,  in  hot  placing  Sacheverell 
on  the  bench.  Afjter  her  dpceafe,  Atterbury 
vehemently  urged  his  friends  to  proclaim  the 
Pretender;  and  on  their  refufal,  upbraided 
them  for  their  timidity  with  many  oaths  \  for 
he  was  accuftomcd  to  fwear,  on  any  ftrong 

tbe  body,  and  throw  himfelf  on  the  mercy  of  his  peers,  wbo» 
he  trufted,  would  weigh  the  provocation.  B^limghr^kt'^  Let- 
ter to  IVyndham^  is  one  of  the  moil  curious  of  his  works,  aodl 
gave  a  deadly  s^id  incurable  blow  to  the  folly  and  madneft  of 
Jacobitifm. 
*   •  V.  78. 

provocation. 


'       AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     '433 

provocation.  In  a  collection  of  letters  lately 
piibliflied  by  Mr.  Duncombe,  it  is  affirmed, 
on  the  authority  of  Elijah  Fenton^  that  At- 
tcrbury,  fpeaking  of  Pope,  faid,  there  was 

Mens  curva  in  Corpore  curvo. 

This  fentiment  feems  utterly  inconfiftent 
with  the  warm  friendlhip  fuppofed  to  fub- 
tift  between  thefe  two  celebrated  men.  But 
Dr.  Herring,  in  the  2d  vol.  of  this  collec- 
tion,  p.  104,  fays;  **  If  Atterbury  was  not 
worfe  ufed,  than  any  honeft  man  in  the 
world  ever  was,  there  were  ftrong  contra- 
didions  between  his  public  and  private 
charafter."  There  is  an  anecdote,  fo  un^ 
common  and  remarkable,  lately  mentioned  in 
Dr.  Matf%  Memoirs  of  the  Earl  of  Chefter-  , 
field,  and  which  he  gives  in  the  very  words 
of  that  celebrated  nobleman,  that  \  cannot 
forbear  repeating  it  in  this  place: — *^  I  went, 
faid  Lord  Chefterfield,  to  Mr.  Pope,  one 
'morning  at  Twickenham,  and  found  a  large 
folio  bible,  with  gilt  clafp5,  lying  before 
Vol.  IL  l^  him 


434    ESSAY.  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

him'  upon  his  table ;  and,  as  I  knew  his  way 
of  thinking  upon  that  book,  I  afked  him^  jo- 
cofely,  if  he  was  going  to  write  an  anfwer  to 
it  ?  It  is  a  prefent,  faid  he,  or  rather  a  legacy, 
from  my  old  friend  the  Bifliop  of  Rocheftcr. 
I  went  to  take  my  leave  of  him  yeftcrday  in 
the  Tower,  where  I  faw  this  bible  upon  his 
table.  After  the  firft  compliments,  the 
Bifliop  faid  to  me.  My  friend  Pope,  conii- 
dering  your  infirmities,  and  my  age  and  ex- 
ile, it  is  not  likely  that  we  fhould  ever 
meet  again;  and  therefore  I  give  you  this 
Jcgacy  to  remember  me  by  it.— Dpes  your 
lordftiip  abide  by  it  yourfelf  ? — I  do.— If 
you  do,  my  lord,  it  is  but  lately.  May  I 
beg  to  know  what  new  light  or  arguments 
have  prevailed  with  you  now,  to  entertain 
an  opinion  fo  contrary  to  that  which  you 
entertained  of  that  book'  all  the  former  part 
of  your  life  ? — The  Bifhop  replied,  Wc  have 
not  time  to  talk  of  thefe  things;  but  take 
home  the  book ;  I  will  abide  -  by  it,  and  I 
recommend  you  to  do  fo  t00|  and  fo  God 

blefs 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       ^35 

/  I 

'  blefs  you!" — Charity  andjuftice  call  on  us,  not 
haftily  to  credit  fo  marvellous  a  tale,  with- 
out  the  ftrongeft;^  teftimony  for  its  truth.  In 
one  of  thofe  entertaining  letters,  which  the 
Bifliop  wrote  about  the  year  1727,  to  a  Mr. 
Thiriot*  a  French  gentleman,  we  find  a 
ftriking  remark  on  the  Birtiop  of  Meaux. 
*'  There  is  a  ferious  warmth  in  all  he  fays, 
and  his  manner  of  faying  it  is  noble  and 
moving ;  and  yet  I  queftion,  after  all,  whe- 
ther h^  fometimes  is  in  good  earneji.**  Atter^ 
Auryvrzs  J  on  the  whole,  rather  a  man  of  ability 
than  a  genius.  He  writes  more  with  ele- 
gance and  corredlnefs,  than  with  any  force 
of  thinking  or  reafoning.  His  letters  to 
Pope  are  too  much  crowded  with  very  trite 

*  In  one  of  thefe  letters  he  fpeaki  thus  of  Sir  I/aac  Newt  en  : 
—The  very  lively  and  piercing  eye  that  Mr.  Fontenelle^  in  his 
famous  eulogium,  gives  hixn»  did  not  belong  to  him,  at  lead 
not  for  twenty  years  paft»  about  which  time  1  firft  became  ac- 
quainted with  him.  Indeed,  in  the  whole  air  of  his  face  and 
make,  there  was  nothing  of  that  penetrating  fagacity  which 
appears  in  his  works.  He  had  fomething  rather  languid  in 
his  look  and  manner,  which  did  not  raife  any  gieat  expefta- 
tion  in  thofe  who  did  not  know  him. 

3  K  2  quotations 


436     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

quotations  from  theclaHics.  It  is  fkid,  he  ei- 
ther tranflated,  or  intended  to  tranflate,  the 
Georgics  of  Virgil,  and  to  write  the  life  of 
Cardinal  Wolfey,  whom  he  much  refembled. 
Dr.  Warburton  had  a  mean  opinion  of  his 
critical  abilities,  and  of  his  difcourfe  on  the 
lapis  of  Firgil.  He  was  though  t  to  be  the 
author  of  the  life  of  Waller,  prefixed  Jo  the 
£rft  odlavo  edition  cf  that  poet's  works.. 

There  is  a  happy  imitation  oi Fif^^Ui^ 
^nd  oi  LuiUau^  at  verfc  izZ. 

Come  then,  1*11  comply  ; 


Spirit  of  Arnall !  aid  mc  while  I  lie  ! 
(lclhafn'>  a  coward,  Pdlwartb  is  a  flavc^ 
And  LytteJon  a  dark  defigning  knave  j 
$t,  Jchfi  lias  ever  been  a  wealthy  fool  j 
But  let  me  add,  Sir  Robe^fs  mighty  dulj. 

This    is    the    paflage   oi  Perfiu^^     Sat,    i. 

V.  I  lo. 


Per  rnc  cquidem  Tint  omnia  prottnus  alba. 


Nil  inorori  Euge,  omncs,  omnes,  bene  mirs^eritisres  j 

An4 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.    .  437 

And  thus  Boileau,  Sat.  ix'.  v.  287. 

Puifque  vous  le  voulez,  je  vais  changer  de  flile, 
Jc  Ic  declare  done,  Quinault  eft  un  Virgile. 
Pradon  comme  un  folerl  en  nos  ans  a  paru. 
Pelletier  ecrit  mieux  qu'Ablancouit  ni  Patra. 
Cotin,  1  fcs  rcrmons  trainant  toute  la  terre. 
Fend  Ics  flou  d' Auditeurs' pour  alter  a  fa  chaire. 

But  Pope  has  plainly  the  fuperiority,  by 
the  artful  and  ironical  compliments  to  bis 
friends, 

The  beaftly  fimile,  at  line  171,  may 
fifely  be  pronounced,  however  difficult  it 
xnAj  be  in  many  cafes  to  trace  refemblances, 
^o  be  taken  from  a  paflagc  in  the  Remains  of 
Butler,  the  incomparable  author  oiHudibras  : 

Let  courtly  wits  to  wits  afford  fupply. 
As  hog  to  hog  in  flate  of  Wtfipbaiy; 
Ifone,  through  nation's  bounty,  or  his  lord's. 
Hits  what  the  frugal  dirty  foil  affords. 
From  him  tha  next  receives  it,  thick  or  thin. 
As  pur«  a  mefs  almoft  as  it  came  in  i 
The  bleHcd  benefit,  not  there  confin'd, 
Props  to  the  third,  who  nuzzles  clofe  behind ; 

From 


438    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

.   From  t^il  to  mouth  they  feed,  and  they  caroufe^ 
The  lafl  full  fairly  gives  it  to  the  Houfe* 

The  paflage  in  Butler  runs  thus: — *'  Our 
modern  authors  write  plays,  as  they  feed 
hogs  in  Wejiphalia ;  where  but  one  eats  peafe 
or  acorns,  and  all  the  reft  feed  upon  his,  and 
one  another's  excrements T  Thoughts' on 
Various  Subjedls,  p.  497.  v.  2.— —Though 
thofe  Remains  were  not  publifhcd  in  the  life- 
time of  Pope,  yet  Mr.  T!byer  informs  us, 
that  Mr.  Longueville,  in  whofe  cuftody  they 
were,  communicated  them  to  Atterbury^ 
from  whom  Pope  might  hear  of  them.  'Tis 
impofTible  any  two  writers  could  cafually  hit 
upon  an  image  fo  very  peculiar  and  cm- 
common. 

I  CONCLUDE  this  feftion  by  obferving, 
that  thele  Dialogues  exhibit  many  marks  of 
our  author's  petulance^  party- fpirit,  and  felf- 
importance,  and  of  afluming  to  himfelf  the 
charafter  of  a  general  cenfor ;  who,  alas  !  if 
he  had  polTefTed  a  thoufand  times  mofc  ge- 
10  niu^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       439 

I 

nius  aind  ability  than  he  adually  enjoyed, 
could  not  alter  or  amend  the  manners  of  a 
rjich  and  commercial,  and,  confequently,  of  a 
luxurious  and  difiipated  nation.  «, 


X 


i^ig^;pgfe^*Hbtiftyl^!irfSi^*^tf»^^ 


SEC  T.     XIII. 


Of    the    DuNCiAD. 


WHEN  the  firft  complete  and  corrcft  . 
edition  of  the  Dunciad  was  pub- 
liflied  in  quarto,  1729,  it  confifted  of  three 
books ;  and  had  for  its  hero  T'ibbald,  a  cold, 
plodding,  and  tailelefs  writer  and  critic, 
who,  with  great  propriety,  was  chofen,  oH 
the  death  of  Settle^  by  the  Goddefs  of  Dul- 
nefs,  to  be  the  chief  inftrumentof  that  great 
work  which  was  the  fubjedt  of  the  poem  ; 

gamely. 


440     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

namely,  "  the  introduftion  (as  our  autfior 
exprelTes  it)  of  the  lowcft  diverfions  of  the- 
rabble  of  Smitbfieldt  to  be  the  entertainment 
of  the  court  and  town  j  the  aEtion  of  the 
Dunciad  being,  the  removal  of  the  imperial 
feat  of  Dulnefs  from  the  city  to  the  polite 
world  ;  as  that  of  the  ^neid  is  the  removal 
of  the  empire  of  Troy  to  Latium."  This 
was  the  primary  fubjeft  of  the  piece.  Our 
author  adds,  "  as  Homert  finging  only  the 
wrath  of  Achilles,  yet  includes  in  his  poem 
the  whole  hiflory  of  the  Trojan  war;  in  like  ' 
manner  our  poet  hath  drawn  into  t\ii&^ngU 
a^ion  the  whole  hiftory  of  Dulnefs  and  her 
children.  To  this  end,  fhe  is  reprelented,4t 
the  very  opening  of  the  poem,  taking  a  view 
of  her  forces,  which  arc  diftinguiAed  int« 
thefe  three  kinds,  party- writers,  dull  poets, 
and  wild  critics.  A  perfun  muft  be  fixed 
upon  to  fupport  tini  a^ion,  who  (to  agree 
with  the  dejign,)  muft  be  fuch  an  one  as  is 
capable  of  being  all  three.  This  phantom  in 
the  poet's  mind,  muft  have  a  name.  He 
feeka 


AND  GENIUS  6f  POPE.  -     44* 

fceks  for  one  who  hath  been  concerned  in 
thcjourna/jt  written  bad  p/ays  or  pcerrut  and 
publiflied  low  criticifms.  He  finds  his  nama 
to  be  Tibhald*,  and  he  becomes  of  courfe 
the  hero  of  the  poem."  ' 

This  dcGgn  is  carried  on,  in  the  frft 
book,  by  a  defcription  of  the  Goddcfs  fixing 

•  Who  wta  a  kind  of  Marglta.  It  \t  a  fingalar  faB.  in  tlit 
hiftory  of  literature,  thai  the  fame  migbty  genius,  who  hj 
hii  IHmJ  and  Oijffrj  became  the  founder  of  Tragedy,  (honld 
alfo,  by  lui  Mmrgitu,  as  Ariltotle  obferves  in  Ch6  fecond  chapter 
of  his  Poetics,  become  the  father  of  Comedy.  This  piece  was 
written  in  variout  forts  of  metre,  and  particularly  hexameter 
and  iambic.  Only  three  verfei  remain  of  thia  piece,  whicb 
was  much  celebrated  by  the  ancients ;  one  in  the  fcconA 
JUiiiadti  of  Piaii  i 

Anttther  in  the  fixth  boolt  of  ArifittW*  Ethics  t 
T«(  y  A'  o^'narlnfs  Siw  8is-sr,  ar*  «f*T«(«> 
A  third  is  cited  by  the  fcholiaft  of  jirifiafhsimt  ui  th* 

Mutant  tifurtn,  niti  tmifftKil  AmUwHC. 

The  poem  ia  mentioned  by  PbIjUmi,  Di»»  Chryftfimut 
Flutareh,  Lkcmm,  Staitnu,  and  others. 

Vol.  ir.    .  3L  htr 


442      ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

her  eye  on  Tibbald ;  who,  on  the  evei^iing  of 
n  lord- mayor's  day,  is  rcprefented  as  fitting 
pcnfively  in  his  ftudy,  and  apprehending  the 
period  of  her  empire,  from  the  old-age  of  the 
prefent  monarch  Settle ;  and  alfo  by  ao  ac- 
count of  a  facrifice  he  makes  of  his  ui\fuc- 
cefsful  works ;  of  the  Goddefs's  revealing  ber- 
felf  to  him,  announcing  the  death  of  Settle 
that  night,  anointing  and  proclaiming  him 
fucceflbr.  It  is  carried  on  in  the  fecond 
book,  by  a  defcription  of  the  various  games 
inftituted  in  honour  of  the  new  king,  in 
which  bookfellerSf  poets^  and  critics  contend^ 
This  dcfign  is,  laftly,  completed  in  the  tinrd 
book,  by  the  Goddefs's  tranfporting  the  new 
king  to  her  temple,  laying  him  in  a  deep 
flumber  on  her  lap,  and  conveying  hirti  in  a 
vifion  to  the  ban|cs  of  Lethe ,  where  he  meets 
with  the  ^hoft  of  his  predcceflbr  Settle  \ 
who,  in  a  fpeech  that  begins  at  line  35,  •  to 
almoft  the  end  of  the  book,  {hews  him  the 
part  triumphs  of  the  empire  of  Dulnefs,  then 
the  present,  and  laftly  the  future :  enumc- 
rating  particularly  by  what  aids>  and  by  wjiat 

perfons. 


AND  OENltJS  OF  POPE.      443 

lyerfonsy  Creat  Britain  fhall  be  forthwith 
brought  to  her  empire,  and  prophefying 
how  firft  the  nation  fhall  be  over-run  with 
farces^   operas,   fliows;   and  the  throne  of 

Dulnefs  advanced  over  both  the  theatres : 

* 

then,  how  her  fons  fhall  prefide  in  the  feats 
of  arts  and  fcien^es ;  till,  in  conclufion,  all 
fhall  return  to  their  original  chaos.  Oa 
hearing  which, 

Enough  I  enough  !  the  raptur'd  Monarch  cries ; 
And  through  the  ivory  gate  the  vifion  flies. 

with  which  words,  the  defign  above  recited, 
being  perfected,  the  poem  concludes.  Thus 
far  all  was  clear,  confiflent,  and  of  a  piece; 
and  was  delivered  in  fuch  nervous  and  fpi- 
rited  verfification,  that  the  delighted  reader 
had  only  to  lament  that  fo  m^ny  poetical 
beauties  were  thrown. away  on  fuch  dirty 
and  defpicable  fubjefts,  as  were  the  fcrib- 
blers  here  profcribed ;  who  appear  like 
monflers  prcferved  in  the  rnofl  coftlyj^/- 
rifs.    But  in  the  year  1742,  our  poet  was 

3  L  a  perfuaded, 


444     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINQS 

perfuaded,  unhappily  enough,  to  add  ^  fourth 
book  to  \i\%  finijhed  piece,  of  fiich  a  very  dif- 
ferent caft  and  colour,  as  to  render  it  at  laft 
on^  of  the  moft  motley  compofitions,  that 
perhaps  is  any  where  to  be  found,  in  the 
works  of  fo  exadl  a  writer  as  Popk.  For 
one  great  purpofe  oi^\^ fourth  book,  (where, 
by  the  way,  the  hero  does  nothing  at  all) 
was  to  fatirize  and  profcribc  infidels,  and 
free-thinkers,  to  leave  the  ludicrous  for  the 
ferious,  Grub-ftreet  for  theology,  the  mock- 
heroic  for  metaphyfics ;  which  occafioned  a 
marvellous  mixture  and  junible  of  images 
snd  fcntiments,  Pantomipie  and  Philofo- 
phy.  Journals  and  Moral  evidence.  Fleet- 
ditch  and  the  High  Priori  road.  Curl  and 
Clarke. — To  ridicule  our  fashionable  liber- 
tines, and  afFedted  minute  philofophers,  was 
doubtlefs  a  moft  laudable  intention;  but 
fpeaking  of  the  Dunciad  as  a  work  of  art, 
in  a  critical  not  a  religious  light,  we  muft 
venture  to  affirm,  that  the  fubjedl  of  this 
fourth  book  was  foreign  and  heterogeneous^ 

3  and 


.  .^.  ^.^u 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE,      445 

and  the  addition  of  it  as  iojudicious^ill-pl^ced^ 
and  incongruous^  as  any  of  thofe  difliniilar 
images  we  meet  with  in  Tulci  or  Ariojlo. 
ft  is  like  introducing  a  crucifix  into  one 
of  ^eniers's  burlefque  converfation-pieccs. 
Some  of  his  priofl  fplendid  and  fl^riking  lines 
are  indeed  hereto  be  found;  but  we  muft 
beg  leave  to  infift  that  they  want  propriety 
and  decorum^  and  muft  wifh  they  had  adorned 
{omt  feparate  work,  againft  irreligion,  which 
would  have  been  worthy  the  pen  of  ouf 
bitter  and  immortal  fatirift. 

But  neither  was  this  the  only  alteration 
the  Dunciad  was  deftined  to  undergo.  For 
in  the  year  1743,  our  author,  enraged  with 
Cibber^  (whom  he  had  ufually  treated\with 
contempt  ever  fince  the  affair  of  Three  Hours 
after  Marriage^  for  piiblifliing  a  ridiculous 
pamphlet  againft  him,  dethroned  Tibbald^ 
and  made  the  Laureate  the  hero  of  his  poem. 
Gbber,  with  a  great  ftock  of  levity,  vanity, 
and  afFedtation,  had  ienfe,  and  wit,  and  hu« 

mour« 


1  • 


»  * 


446    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

mour.  And  the  author  of  the  CareUJi 
Hujbandy  was  by  no  means  a  proper  king  of 
the  dunces.  **  His  treatife  on  the  Stage^ 
fays  Mr.  Walpolc,  is  inimitable :  where  an 
author  writes  on  his  own  profeflion,  feels  it 
profoundly,  and  is  fenfible  his  readers  dp 
not,  he  is  not  only  excufable  but  meritori- 
.ous,  for  illuminating  the  fubjedl  by  new 
metaphors,  or  bolder  figures  than  ordinary. 
He  is  the  coxcomb  that  fneers,  not  he  that 
infl;ru6ts  by  appropriated  didlion."  The 
confcquencc  of  this  alteration  was,  that  many 
lines,  which  exactly  fuited  the  heavy  cha- 
radcr  of  'Tibbaldf  loft  all  their  grace  and 
propriety  when  applied  *  to  Cibber.   Such  as,. 

Sinking  from  thought  to  thought,  a  vaft  profound  \ 

Such  alfo  is  the  defcription  of  his  gothic 
library;   for   Cibbcr   troubled   not  himfelf 

•  'Tis  dangerous  to  difoblige  a  great  poet  or  painter. 
Dante  placed  his  mafter  Brunetto  in  his  Infem:  And  Mi* 
chael  Angela  placed  the  Pope'a  mailer  of  the  ceremonies^  Bu 

M^?io  in  hell,  in  his  Laft  JudgmetC. 

with 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      447 

with  Caxton^  Wyniyn,  and  De  Lyra.  I'ibbaldf 
who  was  an  antiquarian^  had  collected  thefe 
curious  old  writers.  And  to  dumber  in  the 
Coddcfs*s  iap  was  adapted  to  bis  Jiupidity^ 
not  to  the  vivacity  of  his  fucceflbr. 

»■* 

If  wc  now  defcend,  from  thefe  remarks 
on  the  general  dejign  and  conftitution  of  the 
Punciad^  to  particular  paflages,  the  follow*  • 
ing  muft  be  mentioned^  as  highly  finifhed, 
and  worked  up  with  peculiar  elegance  and 
force.  In  book  i,  the  Chaos  of  Abfurd 
Writings,  v.  55,  to  v,  78.  In  book  ii.  v.  35, 
the  Phantom  of  a  Poet,  to  v,  50.  The  De- 
fcription  of  the  Tapeftry,  v.  143,  to  v.  1^6. 
The  Adventures  of  S medley,  and  what  he 
faw  in  the  (hades  below,  v.  331,  to  v.  350. 
The  EfFefts  of  hearing  two  dull  Authors 
read>  V,  387,  to  the  end  of  that  book.  In 
bopkiii.  the  Ghoft  o{  Settle^  v.  35,  to  v.  66^ 

View  of  Learning,  v.  83,  to  v.  102.   .T4ic 

I* 

Dcfcription  of  Pantomimes,  Farces,  and  their 
monftrous  Abfurdities,  v.  235,  to  v.  264. 

In 


1?  "juent*  parodies  iul 

gil,  Milton,  and  i 
which  nothing  has 
roi-comic  poems,  ; 
pleafmtry,  happinef 

BuTJuft  criticifiu 
out  Come  of  thofc 

'MaDyoftlieaaciciium 
huma  bow  many  wfrjtf«/i« 
and  othtr  cmgcdiaa,,    Jti 

""  *«<~"  ""<  He  lir«  ao  .1 
•«•  called,  »„,(i„,;,^, 
"d  the  Athenian,  »ere  Co  fo 
"""  "■"  t'0"Sht  of  their 
"Ot  qait  the  theatte,  bat  in( 
"epieee.  He  «•>,  a  .,eat  lav 
and  Hrn.,-^_     ^., 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPfi.     449 

^eptionable  in  the  Efunciad.  Such^  in  book  i* 
V.  163,  is  the  hero's  firft  fpeech;  in  which^ 
contrary  to  all  decorum  and  probability,  ha 
addreiTes  the  Goddefs  Dulnefs,  without  dif* 
guiling  her,  as  a  defpicable  being ;  and  evea 
calls  himfelf  Fool  and  Blockhead  ;    . 

Me  emptinefs  atid  dlilnefk  could  infplre^ 
And  were  my  eiafticicy  and  fire**— • 
Did  on  the  ftage  my  fops  appear  confined  ^    - 
My  life  gave  ampler  leflTons  to  mankind.        ■ 
What  then  remains  ?  Ourfelf  ftill,  ftill  remain^ 
Cibberian  forehead,  and  Cibberian  brain.—— 

For  a  perfon  to  be  introduced,  fpeaklng  thui 
of  himfelf,  is  in  truth  outrageoufly  unnatural 
and  out  of  character. 

At  v.  300,  in  this  book,  alfb,  is  a  fiferokc 
of  profanenefs  that  cannot  pafs  unblamed : 

.   Lift  up  your  gates,  ye  princes,  fee  him  come  I 
.    Sound Jound,  ye  viols;  be  the  catcall  dumb  1 

^o  alio,  book  iii.  v.  126.  (and  book  iv.  v.562/) 

Dove-like,  (he  gathers  to  her  wings  again. 

Vol.  II.  3  M  And 


450    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

And  in  the  arguments  he  talks  of  giving 
a  Pifgah'/igbt  of  the  future  fulnefs  of  bef 
^lorjy  and  of  fending  priefts  and  comforters. 
In  book  ii.  the  iilthinefs  of  the  images^ 
r.  93,  and  v,  160,  is  extremely  ofFenfive  and 
difguding.  In  book  iii.  the  ridictile  on  the 
ufeful  and  curious  publications  of  Heame, 
was  very  iindeferved.  In  book  iv.  the  Ge- 
nius of  the  fchools  is  made  to  declare,  v.  148, 
that. 

Words  are  man's  protince,  words  we  teach  alone  | 
Confine  the  thought,  to  exercife  the  breath, 

r 

And  keep  them  in  the  pale  of  words  till  death. 

* 

Surely  our  author,  when  he  paffed  thi^ 
tenfure,  was  ill-informed  of  what  was  taught 
a'n4  cxpeded  in  our  great  fchools ;  namely, 
befides  reading,  interpreting,  and  tranflating 
the  bcft  writers  of  the  bcft  ages,  to  be  ^blc 
to  compofe  Eflays,  Declamations,  and  Verfes, 
in  Greek f  in  Latin,  and  in  Englijb ;  and  id 
fome,  to  write  critical  remarks  on  Homer^ 
Sophocles,  Demofthenes,  ArtfiQtlci  Poetics, 

or 


AND  QENIUS  OF  POPE,       451 

or  Longtnus ;  an  cxercifc  not  of  the  memory, 
but  judgment.  And  as  to  plying  the  memory^ 
and  loading  the  brain  (fee  verfe  157)  it  was 
the  opinion  of  Milton,  and  is  a  pradice  in 
bur  great  fchools,  "  that  if  pafTages  from 
the  heroic  poems,  orations,  and  tragediea  of 
the  ancients  were  folemnly  pronounced,  with  / 
right  accent  and  grace,  as  might  be  taught, 
iand  is)  they  would  endue  the  fcholars  even 
with  the  fpirit  and  vigour  of  Demoftbenes  or 
Cicero^  Euripides  or  Sophocles^  The  il- 
luftrious  names  of  Wyndham^  I'albot,  Murray^ 
and  Pulteney^  which  our  author  himfelf  im- 
mediately adds,  and  ivhich  catalogue  might 
be  much  enlarged,  with  the  names  of  many 
great  flatefmen^  lawyers,  and  divines,  are  z 
^rong  confutation  of  this  opprobrious  opi- 
nion. In  book  iv.  v.  2jo.  is  juft  fuch  another 
breach  of  truth  and  decorum  as  was  remarked 
above,  in  making  Arijiarcbus  (BentleyJ  abufc 
kiffff^^9  <tnd  laugh  at  bis  dwn  labours  : 

Thy  mighty  fcholiaft,  whofe  unweary'd  pains 
^adc  Horace  dull,  and  humbled  Maro's  ftrains.  . 

3  M  3  Turn 


45 1    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Turn  what  they  will  tp  verfe,  their  toil  is  vain, 
'  Critics  like  Mt^  (hall  make  it  profe  agaifi. 
for  attic  phrafe  in  Plato  let  them  Teek^ 
I  poach  in  Suidas  for  unlicensM  Greek— 
For  thee  we  dim  the  eyes,  and  ftufFthe  head, 
Wiih  all  fuch  reading,  as  was  never  read  ; 
For  thee  explain  a  thing  till  all  men  doubt  if. 
And  write  about  it,  Goddefs !  and  about  it« 

J-iASTLY,  in  this  4th  book,  the  fudden 
appearance  of  Annius,  v.  347,  of  Mummius, 
371,  and  of  a  gloomy  clerk,  v.  459,  make 
fhis  part  pf  the  poem  obfcure,  as  we  know 
pot  who  thcfe  perfonages  are,  nor  whence 

■ 

they  came..    After  all,  the  chief  fault  of  the 
Punciad  is  the  *  violence  and  vehemence  of 

its 

t  Which  four  the  temper  of  the  reader ;  infomuch  that  I 
^Lnow  a  perfon,  whofe  name  would  be  an  ornament  to  thefe 
papers,  if  I  was  fuffered  to  infert  it,  who,  after  reading  a 
book  of  the  Dunciad,  always y^/i&/  himfelf^  as  he  calls  it,  by 
|oming  to  a  canto  in  the  Fairy  Queen.  This  is  npt  the  cafe  in 
that  ytxy  delightful  and  beautiful  poem,  Mac  FUcuh^  from 
which  Pope  has  borrowed  fo  many  hints,  and  images,and  ideas. 
^ut  Dryden's  poem  was  the  offspring  oi  contempt,  and  Popovs 
pf  indignation :  one  is  full  oi mirth,  and  the  other  ofmalignitym 
A  vein  of  pJeafantry  is 'uniformly  preferved  through  the 
l^holc  of  Mac  Flecnoe^  and  the  piece  begins  and  end^ln  the 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  453 
Its  fatirc,  and  the  exccffive  heighth  to  which 
it  is  carried  j  and  which  therefore  I  have 
heard  compared  to  that  marvellous  column 
of  boiIi|ig  water,  near  mount  HedOy  thrown 
upwards,  above  ninety  fect^  by  the  force  of  a 
fubterraneous  6re  *, 


/^Kt  iff.  It  is  nttural  and  obviooi  to  bononr  a  mctaphar 
from  mafic,  when  we  are  fpcaKiog  of  a  poem  whofe  verfifica- 
don  u  particularly  and  exqaificeljr  fweet  and  barm<mioui. 
The  numberi  of  the  Dundad,  by  being  mnch  laboared,  and' 
encumbered  with  epiiheia,  have  fomething  in  them  of  ftif- 
fiels  and  barfhncfi.  Since  the  total  decay  of  learning  waa 
foretold  in  the  Dunctad,  howmany  rery  excellent  piecei'of 
dniitifm,  Ptttrj.  Uifitrj,  fhih/tpbj,  and  1>ivim'tf,  have  ap- 
peared in  thii  country,  and  to  what  a  degree  of  pcrfcdiqn 
has  almoft  every  art,  either  ufefal  or  elegant,  been  carried  t 

*  It  is  in  a  valley  in  Iceland,  aboat  lizty  miles  from  th« 
fea;  it  u  called  the  fountain  of  Gn^fr.  Sir  Jofeph  Basics, 
our  great  philolbphical  traveller,  had  0^  fatu&iUoq  of  feeiit; 
fhit  wondcrfal  pbxnoiiienoii. 


SECT. 


^i^    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 


I 


SECT.    XIV.    AND  Last. 

Of  forae  Imitations  of  Horace, 
the  Miscellanies^  £fitaphS)  and 
Prose  Works. 


TH  E  feventh  epiftic  of  the  firft  book 
of  Horace,  and  the  Jixth  fatire  of 
the  fccond,  are  here  imitated  in  a  ftyle  and 
manner  different  from  the  former  imita- 
tions, in  the  burlefque  and  colloquial  flyle 
and  meafure  of  Swift*;  in  which  our  au- 
thor 

•  The  rollowing  is  written  ia  the  firft  leaf  of  a  copjr  of 
SteTcns's  Herodotus,  now  in  the  library  of  Wincheftcr  col- 
lege, in  Swift's  e'U'n  hemJ-wriiiKg,  and  ii  a  literary  curioficy. 
being  a  fpectmen  of  his  Latin.  —  "  yuMciitm  Jt  Htradtt^ 
foft  hngunt  tmpi'i  riUilD.  Ctifias  rachdacilJiiniil  Uir^ 
4tt»9  nefl<}acioruin  arguitj  cxceptij  padciffijiuSt  (ut  mca 


•AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      45^ 

thor  has  not  fucceeded,  but  falls  back,  as  was 
natural,  from  the  familiar,  into  a  more  high, 
and  pompous  manner ;  as  in  th?  following 
lines,  V.  125,  I*crditur  haec  inter*  &c. 

Thus  la  a  fea  of  Folly  toft* 
My  choiceft  hours  of  life  2re  toft  | 
Yet  always  wjflling  to  retreat. 
Oh,  could  I  fee  my  country  feat ! 

And  again  at  line  189  ;  in  the  fable  of  ths 
Mice; 


fert  fen(nitia)  omn!  mods  excurandam.  Cztenim  Ainr- 
tkolU  abundans  bic  pater  biftoricamai,  filnm  aUndoBil 
ad'  iKdtum  abruoipit.  Unde  oritur  (ut  par  t&)  legcDti~ 
bus  confafio,  et  exinde  oblivio.  Quin  ct  fbrfan  ipfs 
auraitones  circumftantiti  niniom  pro  tt  fcateu.  Q^  a4 
cxteTa,lHinc  IcriptorcraiDter  apprimc  laudandos  c;Drcfi,Dei]tif; 
<^rKci9  ncqae  barbarii  plus  xqao  favCDtem  aut  iniqnam;  in 
orationibuj  fere  brevem,  iimplicein,  nee  nimii  freqaoii' 
tern.  Neque  abfunt  dogmata  c  qulbus  eruditoa  leAor  prn- 
dendam  tarn  moralem  quam  civilem  haurire  potent."  .  ■ 
Swift,  in  hii  difcourfe  on  the  Cantijii,  Scq.  appears  to  be  well 
soquunted  wtik  TbkejJiJti,  Pafjbiui,  and  Diewjf.  Umiicmr. 
,  and  to  have  had  a  coafidu-able  knowledge  of  ancient  hiftoiy. 
Of  allour.poeu,  perhapi  4i«i^4  wm  the  bcfl  Crwk  Icftolw 


Teii 


456    ESSAY  Ol4  THE  WRITINGS 

I 

*    Tell  how  the  moon-beam  trembling  falls, 
^     And  tips  with  filver  all  the  walls  ; 

Palladian  walls,  Venetian  doon, 

(^rotefco  roofs,  and  ftucco  floors. 

^    The  diflfcrcncc  of  ftylcs  is  more  perceivable, 
from  the  circumftance  of  their  being  im-* 
'  mediately  fubjoined  to  the  lighter  and  lefs 
ornamental  vcrfes  of  Swift. 

The  firft  ode  of  the  fourth  book  of 
Horace,  is  an  elegant  compliment  to  Mr. 
Murray^  now  Lord  Mansfield.  And  it  may 
be  worth  obferving,^that  the  meafure  Pope 
has  chofen,  is  precifcly  the  fame  that  Ben 
yobttjbn  ufed  in  a  tranflation  of  this  very 
ode,  in  which  are  fome  lines  fmoother  than 
cur  old  bard  s  ufual  ftrains ;  p.  268, 

Then  twice  a  day,  in  facred  lays. 
The  youths  and  tender  m^ids  (hall  fing  thy  praife^ 

And  in  the  Saltan  manner  meet 
Thrice  round  thy  altar  with  their  ivory  feet* 

I  cannot 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE;       45^ 

1  cannot  forbear  acjding,  that  there  is  much 
harmony  and  eafc  of  vcrfification  in  Ben 
Johnfon's  ten  lyric  pieces  addrcfled  to  Cbaris^ 
in  page  165  of  his  works. 

The  fecohd  ftanza  of  the  imitation  of 
part  of  the  ninth  ode  of  Horace,  book  iv^ 
is  well  exprefTed ; 

Tho'  daring  Milton  fits  fublime^ 
In  Spencer  native  Mufes  play  ; 

■ 

Nor  yet  {hall  Waller  yield  to  time ; 
Nor  peniive  Cowley's  moral  lay. 

Pope  fcems  to  fpeak  of  Spencer  with  par- 
ticular  complacency.  How  much  this  au- 
thor was  his  favourite,  will  appear  from  what 
he  faid  to  Mr.  Spence;  from  whofc  anec- 
dotes this  paflage  is  tranfcribed: — '*  There 
is  fomething  in  Spencer  that  pleafcs  one  as 
ftrongly  in  one's  old-age,  as  it  did  in  one's 
youth ;  I  read  the  Fairy  Queen  when  I  was 
about  twelve i  with  a  vaft  deal  of  delight;  and 
1  think  it  gave  me  as  much,  when  I  read  it 
over  about  a  year  or  two  ago/' 

Vol.  II.  3  N  Out 


.Miiiii  i 

Vain  was  the 
I'hi'y  had  no 
Jn  vain  they  1 
They  had  no 


But  he  has  m 
epiftle  addreffed 
he  prefented  to 
his  old  friend  F 
there  is  a  weigh 
of  diaion,  whic. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       459 

furpaffed.  His  •  genius  feems  to  have  . 
been  invigorated  and  exalted  by  the  high 
opinion  he  had  juftly  conceived  of  the  per- 
fon  to  whom  he  was  writing  j  who  muft  be 
confefled,  now  that  parly-prejudices -f-  are 
worn  away,  to  have  had  great  genius,  learn- 
ing, and  honeily.  Strength  of  mind  appears 
to  have  been  his  predominant  charadlerirtic ; 
of  which  he  gave  the  moft  ftriking  proofs, 
when  he  was  Jiahhed,  dijpiacedy  imprtfoned. 
Thefe  circumftances  are  alluded  to  in  thofe 
noble  and  nervous  verfes ; 

And  fure,  if  aught  below  the  feats  divine, 
Can  touch  immortals,  'tis  a  foul  like  thine  I 

>  *  I  am  well  informed  thit  Lord  Bolingbroke  was  greatljr 
mortified  at  Pope's  beftowing  fuch  p^aifes  on  his  old  antago- 
,nift,  whom  he  mortally  hated.  Vet  I  have  feen  two  original 
letters  of  Lord  Balingbroke  to  Lord  Orford,  full  of  the  moft 
fulfome  flattery,  and  profane  applications  of  fciipture. 

t  At  the  time  when  the  Secret  Committee  was  held  to 
examine  the  conduft  of  the  Earl  of  Orford,  who  was  the  per- 
fon  that  impeached  the  Earl  of  Oxford.  Mr.  Harley  made  an 
stdmirable  fpeech  in  the  Houfe  of  Commons,  declaring,  that 
he  would  not  treat  Walpole,  as  he  \i$A  treated  his  relation ; 
and  immediately  left  the  Houfe  without  giving  his  vote 
agaioil  him.  Sir  Robert  Walpole  feemed  much  affeded  with 
(his  geocroui  behaviour  of  Mr.  Harley. 

3  N  I  A  foul 


ftriking  proot  ftiU 
tlie  Earl  wrote  fy, 
who  advifed  him  t 
'I'hich  is  worthy  o 
tiquity.  This  ext. 
pleafure  of  reading, 
cellent  grand-daugl 
Dowager  of  Portlat 
of  literature  and  (, 
anceftors  and  famil3 

JeRvas  owed  m 
tibn  to  the  epiftJe 
Pryden's  tranHatior 


,  •  Thii  didaaic  d 


/ 


AND  GENIUSf  OF  POPE.       461 

his  fkill  as  a  painter.  He  was  defe<flive, 
fays  Mr.  Walpole,  in  drawing,  colouring, 
and  compofition  5  and  even  in  that  moft  nc- 
ceflary,  and  perhaps  moft  eafy  talent  of  a 
portrait-painter,  likencfs.  In  general,  his 
piftures  are  a  light  flimfy  kind  of  fan-paint- 
ing, as  large  as  the  life.  His  vanity  waj 
cxceflive.  The  reafon  why  Lady  Bridge^ 
waters  name  is  fo  frequently  repeated  in 
this  epiftle,  is,  becaufe  he  aiFedted  to  be 
violently  in  love  with  her.  Yet  his  ♦  vanity 
was  greater  than  his  pa/Iion.  One  day,  as 
flie  was  fitting  to  him,  he  ran  over  the  beati- 
ties  of  her  face  with  rapture ;  but,  faid  he,  I 
cannot  help  telling  your  lady/hip  that  you 
have  not  a  handfome  ear.     **  No !  laid  Lady 

c^nfe  they  are  little  known,  and  not  inferted  in  the  works  of 
ftneloup  and  are  worthy  to  be  read  even  after  the  admirable 
tenth  chapter  of  thjB  twelfth  book  oi  ^intiUim. 

*  He  tranflated  Don  Quixote,  without  underfiandiog 
Spaniflit  as  hit  friend  Pope  ufed  to  fay.  Warburton  added 
a  fupplement  to  the  preface  of  this  tranflatioot  concerning 
the  origin  and  nature  of  romances  of  chivalry  ;  whicli  fup- 
plement Pope  extols,  in  bis  Letters,  vol.  ix.  p.  352,  in  the 
higheft  terms ;  but  the  opinions  in  it  are  thoroughly  con* 
fnted  by  Mr.  Tjrwhitt,  in  vol.  xi.  of  Sufflmimtal  Obferva- 
lions  on  Shakefpe^re^  p«  373. 

Bridgewater  if 


As  our  author  was 
in  this  his  favourit 
there  is  a  warmth  ai 
throughout  this  epiill 

Together  o'er  the  Alps  i 

'  FirM  with  ideas  of  fair  7. 

With  thee,  on  RaphaePa 

Or  wait  infpiring  dreams 

*  In  a  carioiM  and  unpabli 
iinclct  he  tellt  him,  that  his  perf 
to  3000  dacau  of  gold  that  it 
hu  50  crowns  of  gold  per  ano 
that  ii,  14I.  7s,  6d. ;  and  a  ye 
dacats  of  gold,  that  is,  861.  y 
pbce;  that  the  church  of  St.  P 
millioD  of  gold,  a87,;ool.  i  that 
it  (jo,ooo  ducats  a  year,  that  it, 
uiecdotet,  uken  from  Riihara 
ipodelly  confultcd  hit  friend  ^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.  "    465 

With  thee  repofe  where  Tully  once  was  laid. 
Or  feek  fome  ruin's  formidable  (hade  t 

Though  the  laft  line»  hy  the  way,  is  infe-  , 
rior  to  the  reft,  becaufe  it  pafles  from  parti- 
cular images  to  iomt^mg  general.  Yet  how- 
ever elegafit  and  finifhed  this  epiftle  muJl  be 
allowed  to  be,  it  does  not  excel  that  of 
Dry  den,  addrefled  to  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller*; 
and  the  following  lines,  both  in  point  of 
fcience  and  tafte,  may  be  compared  to  any  of 
Pope's ; 

Thence  roCe  the  Roman,  and  the  Lombard  line : 
One  colour'd  beft,  and  one  did  beft  deftgn. 
Raphael's,  like  Homer's,  was  the  nobler  part. 
But  Titian's  painting  look'd  like  Virgil's  art. 
Thy  genius  gives  thee  both  ;  where  true  dcfign, 
PoJlures  unTonrM,  and  lively  colours  join. 
Likencfs  is  ever  there ;  but  ftill  the  bell, 
Like  proper  thoughts  in  lofty  language  drefl : 


*  To  make  aa  experiment  what  grofg  flattery  Sir  Godfrejr 
wat  capable  of  fwallowing.  Pope  one  day  (aid  to  him, 
"  God,  we  are  lotd,  made  man  in  hii  mitn  image  ;  if  tliit 
Ugare  of  jamr't  had  exiAed,  man  would  have  been  made  h ''" 
Par  D.  je  Je  croii  auffi,  Uonf.  PopCf  rvplled  KocDcr. 

■     Where 


464    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Where  lights    to    fhades   defcehding,   plays^    hot 

ftrives^ 
Dies  by  degrees,  and  by  degrees  revives. 
Of  various  parts  a  perfe&.whole  is  wrought : 
Thy  pictures  think,  and  we  divine  their  thoughts 

One  cannot  forbear  reflcfting  on  the 
great  progrefs  the  art  of  painting  has* 
made  in  this  country,  iince  the  time  that 
Jervas  was  thought  worthy  of  this  panegyric : 
a  progrefs,  that,  we  truft,  will  daily  encreafe, 
if  due  attention  be  paid  to  the  incomparable 
difcourfes  that  have  been  delivered  at  the 
Royal  Academy :  which  difcourfes  contain 
more  folid  inftruflion  on  that  fubjedt  than^ 
I  verily  think,  can  be  found  in  any  language^ 
The  precepts  are  philofophically  founded  on 
truth  and  nature,  and  illuflrated  with  the 
moft  proper  and  pertinent,  examples.  The 
characters  are  drawn  with  a  prectfion  and 
diJlinSlnefsy  that  we  look  for  in  vain  in  Felt- 
bicTif  De  Pi/es,  and  even  Vafaru  or    Pliny 

f  Sec  Mr.  Hayley's  fine  epiiUe  to  Mr.  Romocy. 

himfelf. 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     465 

himfelf,  Npthing,  forexample.^an  be  more 
juft  and  elegant,  as  well  as  profound  and 
fcicntific,  than  the  compariibn  betwixt 
Michael  Angela  and  Haffaflty  page  169  of 
thefc  Difcourfcs.  Michael  .Angela  is  plainly 
the  hero  of  Sir  Jojkua  Reynolds^  for  the  fame 
rcafons  that  Homer,  by  every  great  mind>  » 
preferred  to  Virgil. 

The  epiflle  to  Mifs  Blount^  accompained 
with    the   works   of  Voiture*^    is    full   of 
gaiety  .and  gallantry.     Our  author's  attach- 
ment 

*  Some  curioui  particuUn  in  ilu  life  of  Voitnre  «re  OMa-  - 
tioned  in  vol.  ii.  p.  409,  of  the  eatertaiDiiig  MifcelliDiei . 
of  ri;fMB/ Mar  VILLI.     An  elegant  epiuph,  to  which  Pi^ 
allndci,  wai  made  on  hinif  copM4  from  MirtuU,  uid  woftfc 
pcru  AI : 

Etrufcx  Ftntrei,  Camtfn^  Iberx  ; 

Htrmti  Gillicnt,  U  Lacina  Sim  $ 

Jtijui,  DtUti^,  &  Bitanlaiu, 

Lmfmt,  Ingtaium,  Jbcu  UffrU, 

£t  quicquid  fiiit  clegi^tuuiiai,^ 

Qua  FtSm-iiu  hoc  jacnt  fepulcTO. 
Corneille  wu  invited  to  read  hn  Ptfytmat,  tt  the  hotel  ab 
XamitiaUet ;  where  the  principal  wiu  of  the  time  nfualljr 
aflcmbled,  and  where  fti/ia-t  prtfidcd.    It  wu  vety  coldly  > 
received ;  and  in  a  few  dajn,  Voinn  camt  M  CtnteiUe,  aad 

Vpl.  IJ.  3p.    '  >* 


466     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

iDpnt  to  this  lady,  ended  but  with  Jiis  life. 
Her  afFedation    and  ill-temper    gave  him^ 
however,   many   hours    of    uneafinefs    and 
difquiet.       When   fl)e  vjiitcd   him    in   his 
very  laft  Jllnefs,  and  her  company  feemcd 
to  give   him   freih    fpirits,  the   antiquated 
prude   cquld    not  be  prevailed  on    to    ftay 
and   pafs   the   night  at  Twickenhapi,   be- 
caufe  of  her  reputation.     She  occafioned   an 
ynhappy  breach  betwixt  him  and  his  old 
friend  Allen.     The   works   of  Voiture.   oa 
which  much  of  this  epiflle  turns,  aftef  hav- 
ing been  idolized  in  France,  are  now  funk 
into  neglctt^and  oblivion.     The  charad:e- 
^   riftical  difference  betwixt  Voiture  and  Balfac  *, 
is  well  expreffed  by  BoileaVy  in  two  letters 
•written  under  their  names,  from  the  Elylian 
fields,  %o  the  Due  de  Vivonne^  in  p.  1 55  of 

in  gentle  terms  told  him,  ij  was  the  opinioi^  of  his  friends 
that  the  piece  would  not  fucceed.  Such  ill  judges  were  then 
fhc  moft  fafliionablc  wits  of  France. 

•  Difcartes,  who,  as  well  as  Leiimitz,  was  an  elegant  fcholar, 
wrote  a  judicious  cenfure  of  Bal/ac,  in  admirable  Latin. 
^al/ac  was,  however,  much  foperior  to  Voiture.  But  he  was 
alFcdcdly  turgid,  pompous,  and  bloated  on  all  fubjefts,  and 
.pn  all  occafions  alike,  Vet  was  he  tjie  firft  that  gaTC  form 
find  harmony  tp  x\ie  French  profi;, 

vol, 


And  genius  6i^  Popfi.    467 

.Vol.  iii,  of  his  works.  And  Boi/eau,  fpeaking 
often  of  abfurd  readers  and  critics,  loved  to 
relate;^  that  one  of  his  relations,  to  whom  he 
had  prefented  his  works, faid  to  him;  **  Pray* 
Coufin,  how  c^me  you  to  infert  any  other 
perfon's  writings  among  your  owh  ?  I  find 
in  your  works  two  letters,  one  from  Balfac, 
and  the  other  from  Voiture/'  III  the  other 
cpiftle  to  the  fame  perfon>  the  calamitous 
,  ftate  of  an  unfortunate  lady,  banifhed  from 
town  to 

Old-fa(hionM  halls,  dull  aunts,  and  croakiiig  rooks; 

and    the    coarfe    compliments    of   a   rural 
fquire. 

Who  with  his  hbtind  comes  hollowi^ig  from  tht 
flable, 

ire  painted  with  humour* 

The  I'own  Echgue  was  written  i^  concert 
with  Lady  Wortley  Montague,  who  pub- 
liftied  five  more  of  this  fort.  Gay  wrote  a 
^wker's  eclogue,   and  Swift  a  Footman's 

3  O  2  eclogue  I 


468    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

eclogue;  and  faid  to  Pope,  I  think  the 
fajloral  rklicule  is  not  exhaufted:  what 
think  you  of  a  Newgate  paftoral^  among 
the  whores  and  thieyei  there  ?  When  Lady 
M.  W.  Montague  would  fometimes  (hew  a 
copy  of  her  vcrfes  to  Popc^  and  he  would 
make  fome  little  alterations,  *'  No/'  faid  (he^ 
•*  Pope ;  no  touching ;  for  then,  whatever 
is  good  for  any  thing  will  pafs  for  yours^  and 
the  reft  for  mine/' 

Next  follows  a  cloie  tranflation  of  a  fable 
from  Boileau ;  which  fable  Boileau  removed 
from  the  end  of  his  Epiftle  to  the  King,  as 
unfuited  to  Che  fubje(ft,  and  fimihed  with  it 
^b  epiillc  to  L'Abb^  des  Roches,  torn,  ir 
p.  285.  It  will  be  no  unuieful  or  perhaps 
unpleaiing  amufement  to  compare  rhefetwo 
pieces.  And  1  will  not  think  of  making 
any  apology  for  ib  frequently  quoting  a 
writer  fo  pure,  fcnfible,  and  claflicaU  ^ 
BoiUau. 


Once 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     469 

Once  (fays  an  luthor,  where  I  need  not  iky) 
Two  trzv'Iers  found  an  oyflcr  in  their  way;*  . 
Both  fierce,  both  hungry  j  the  diCpute  gretr  ftnMlgj 
While,  fctle  in  hapd,  dame  Juftit:e  paft  along. 
Before- her  each  with  clamour  pleads  thelitn, 
Explain'd  the  matter,  and  would  wis  the  cau(e. 
Dame  Juflicc,  weighing  long  the  doubtful  rigbt^ 
Talces,  opens,  fwallows  it,  before  their  fight. 
The  caufe  of  Arifc  removM  fo  rarely  vrell, 
There  take  {fays  Jufticc)  take  ye  e«ch  a  ftiejfl. 
We  thrive  at  Weftminfter  on  fools  like  you ! 
'Twas  a  fat  oyiler— live  in  peace.— Adieu. 

Un  jour,  dit  tin  Auteur,  n'importe  en  <jucl  chapitre^ 
Deux  voyageurs  i  jeun  rencontrerent  une  huttip, 
Tous  deux  la  contefloient,  lorfque  dans  Icur  chemin. 
La  Juftice  pafla,  la  balance  i  la  main,  ' 

Devant  elle  it  grand  bruit  ils  explrquent  la  chofe. 
TdUt  deux  avec  depcas  veulent  gagner  leur  caufe. 

*  I  cannot  forbear  mendooinjl  a  work,  not  fo  well  knowA 
u  it  deferref  u>  be,  che  Latin  Fablea  of  J.  Delbilloat,  • 
Jefuit,  primed  at  Manheim,  Vvo.  1768.  in  a  moll  cbafic  and 
voaffeAed  ftj-le.    To  fpeak  in  his  own  wordt ; 

Me  Fabularum  fuRvii  indolei  capit,' 
Capit  tcauAa  mundiiie  kciiritas 
Sinplex,  Sc  arti  prxniteiu  facilii  color 
Labofiofae  ■   ' 

The  fablci  in  your  £/ef,  f*id  Pope  to  Vanbragh,  have  th« 
very  fpirit  of  Z«  Faniainti  It  may  be  fo,  replied  Vaubmgli  f 
but  I  proieH  ID  you  I  nsver  have  read  Lit  Ftmtaimt't  Fable*. 

L» 


470    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

La  Juftice  pefant  ce  droit  litigieux, 
Demande  Thuitre,  Touvre,  &  Tavale  a  leur  jcux^ 
£t  par  ce  bel  arreft  tcrminant  la  bataille ': 
Tcnez  voila,  dit  elle,  a  diacun  une  ecaiUe. 
Des  fottifes  d'autrui,  nous  vivons  au  Palais ; 
Mcffieurs,  Thuitre  etoit  bonne.    Adieu.    Vivez  cm, 
paix. 

We  will  pafs  over  the  hext  ten  little 
pieces,  (lopping  only  to  commend  the  verfes 
on  the  Grotto,  and  the  lines  addreiied  to 
Southerner  when  he  was  eighty  years  old.  In 
the  former,  is  a  paflage  of  a  iiriking  and 
awakening  folemnity« 

Approach  !  great  Nature,  (ludioufly  behold 
And  eye  the  mine,  without  a  wifh  for  gold  ! 
Approach,  but  aweful !  Lo,  th'  ^gerian  grot. 
Where  nobly  penfive  5/.  John  fate  and  thought  5 
Where  Britifli  fighs  from  dying  Wyndham  •  ftole, 
And  the  bright  flame  was  (hot  thro'  Marchmonfs  foul* 

*  Who  was  one  6f  the  ihoft  zh\t  and  eloquent  of  that  re- 
fpedable  body  of  pttriots,  that  leagued  together  againft  Sir 
Robert  Walpole.  Indeed  almoft  all  the  men  of  wit  and  ge- 
tiius  in  the  kingdom  oppofed  this  minider^  who  in  vain  paid 
the  enormous  fum  df  above  fifty  thoufiuid  pounds,  to  paltr/ 
&ribl4ers  iu  his  defepce. 

■ 

la 


I 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.     471 

'  In  the  latter,  the  venerable  father  of  Ifabella 
and  Itnoinda^  is  faid  to  have  raifed  by  his 
eminence. 

The  price  of  prologues  and  of  plays. 

For  Southerne  was  the  firft  author  that 
had  two  benefjt-nights,  the  third  and  fixth^ 
at  the  exhibition  of  his  coinedy,  entitled^ 
Sir  Anthony  Love,  j  69 1 .  By  the  cuftom^ 
which  had  ibmething  illiberal  in  it,  and  was 
firft  dropt  by  Addifon^  of  diftributing  tickets^ 
Southerne  gained  700I.  for  one  play.  In  the 
year  1722,  he  rcpeived  of  a  bookfejlcr  120I. 
for  copy-money ;  when,  the  year  beforc^i 
Pr.  Young  could  get  no  more  than  fifty 
pounds.  But  to  drive  a  bargain,  was  not 
the  talent  of  this  generous  and  difiriterefte4 
man« 

The  fifteen  Epitaphs^  which  conclude  ouf 
jiythor's  poetical  works,  do  not  feem  to 
^lerit  a  particular  difcuflion.  The  three 
tcft  are  that  on  Mrs.  Corbctt,  Fenton^  and 

the 


47?     ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

the  Duke  oi  Buekingbam.  They  are  all  in  ge« 
aeral  over-run  with  poiat  and  antithefis, 
and  arc  a  kind  of  panegyrical  epigrams. 
They  arc,  confequently,  very  different  from 
iHtit  Jimpk  fepulchral  infcriptions  of  the  an- 
cicnts,  of  vi^hich  that  of  Meleager  on  his 
wife,  in  the  Greek  Anthology,  is  a  model  and 
mailer-piece.  And  in  which  tafte  a  living 
author,  that  mufl  be  namelefs,  has  written 
the  following  hendecafyllables  ; 

O  dulcis  puer,  O  venufie  Marce, 
O  multi  puer  et  merj  Icporis, 
Fcftivi  puer  ingeni,  valeto  ! 
Ergo  cum,  yirideis  vigens  per  annos, 
Acvi  ver  agercs  nqvum  tenelli, 
VidifU  Stygias  peremptus  i^ndas } 
Tuum,  moeAus  avus^  tuum  propin^ui 
Os  plenum  lepida  loquacicat^, 
£t  rifus  facileis  tuos  requifunt. 
Te  lufus,  puer,  in  fuos  fuetos 
Aequales  vocitant  tui  frequenter. 
At  furdus  recubas,  trahifque  fomnos 
Cunflis  deniqtie,  Marce,  dormiundos. 


As 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       475 

« 

As  it  was  the  profeffed  intention  of  thefe 
papers  to  confid6r  Pope  as  a  foet^  the  ob- 
fervations  on  his  *  profe^works^  will  not  be 
long. 

The  rich  vein  of  humour  that  runs 
through  the  Memoirs  of  ScriA/erus,  is  height- 
ened by  the  variety  of  learning  they  contain  i 
and  it  may  be  worth  obferving^  that  the 
chief  of  thofe  who  have  excelled  in  works 
of  wit  and  humour,  have  been  men  of  ex- 
tenfive  /earning.  We  may  inflance  in  Lu^ 
cian,  Cervantes,  ^uevedo,  Rahelais,  and  Butler  i 
for  no  work  in  our  language  contains  more 
learning  than  Hudibras.^ '  This  life  of  the 
folemn  and  abfurd  pedant.  Dr.  Scriblerus,  is 
the  only  imitation  we  have  of  the  Jerious 
manner  of  Cervantes 'f;  for  it  is  not  eafy  to 

*  The  Ifyle  of  which  is  certainly  not  Co  melodious  and  vov 
Ittble  as  that  of  Ofyden's  enchanting  profe* 

t  Don  Quixote  is  the  moft  original  and  unrivalled  work  of 
modern  times.    The  great  art  of  Cenrantes  confifts  in^ha^^  - 
ing  painted  his  mad  hero  with  fuch  a  quantity  of  amiable 

Vol.  IL  3?  '^'''^^^^ 


474-    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

fay,  why  Fielding  (houid  call  his  yofeph 
Andre-ws,  excellent  as  it  is,  an  imitation  of 
thii  manner.  Arbuihnot,  .whofe  tiumput 
was  cxquilite,  had  a  very  large  fliare  in  thefij 
Memoirs;  and  I  fhould  gucls  that  the  fifth, 
fixth,  Tcventh,  eighth,  tenth,  and  twelfti 
chapters  are  by  his  hand ;  as  they  contain 
allufions  to  parts  of  learning  and  fciencp 
\vith  which  {*OPe  was  little  acquainted.      , 

There  are  few  of  the  many  faults  and  ab- 
furdities,  of  which  modern  writers  areguilt)^ 
but  what  arc  well  expofcd  in  ^^Batho!;  par 
ticularly  in  chapters  eleventh  and  twelfths 
and  in  the  Project  for  advancement  gf  the 
Stage,  in  c.  i6.  It  is  rather  fingular,  that  fom* 
of  the  moft  ufeful  criticifm  in  our  language 
ihould  be  delivered  in  two  ludicrous  pieces 
the  Rehcarfal  and  the  Bathos. 

quiUties,  35  to  make  it  impoffible  for  us  totttly  to  ^elpH 
\aa.  TIiU  light  and  fhade  in  dnwing  cliaraftTrj,  (bcwt  tbi 
inaller.  It  k  tbas  Addifon  has  reprerented  his  Sir  Rogeij 
|A^  Shpkerp eare  his  FalHaF. 


AND  CENIUS  OF  POPE*     475 

^The  familiar,  gofftpirtg^  ftylc  of  Burnet  ia 
his  hiftory,  iis  ridiculed  in  the  Memoirs  of  a 
Parifli  Clerk,  The  Difcourfe  on  the  office 
and  creation  of  the  Poet  Laureat,  might  be 
much  enriched  by  the  curious  particulars^ 
which  our  author's  own  tfanflatot,  the  in- 
genious fihhi  Du  Refnelt  has  given  us  id 
the  15th  vol.  of  the  Memoirs  of  Literature, 
in  his  learned  refearches  on  poets  Laureat. 
The  eight  papers  in  the  Ouardian  are  ele- 
gantly written,  particularly  niimber  6i>  oa 
cruelty  to  animals,  aiid  number  91^  on  a 
club  of  little  men.  ' 

Tnfc  Preface  to  his  trailflaflon  of  the 
Iliad,  is  a  declamatory  piece  of  criticifm,  inr 
the  way  of  Longinus;  it  is  written  with 
force  ,and  fpirit,  but  deals  too  much  in  gene^ 
raU.  The  moil:  exceptionable  paffage  in  it^ 
is  where  he  compares  the  different  great  ^ 
Epic  poets  to  different  forts  di  Jire.  The 
Pofifcript  to  the  OdyfTey  is  better  written,  and 
more  inftrudive.     So  alfo  is  the  Preface  to 

3  P  2  llis 


476    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

his  Shakefpcare ;  though  it  appears^  by  what 
later  authors  and  editors  have  done,  that  he 
was  not  fufficiently  acquainted  with  the 
hiftory  of  our  poetry,  nor  with  the  works  of 
Shakefpeare's  predeceffors  and  contempora- 
ries. The  Letters  to  various  friends,  oc- 
cupy three  volumes  in  that*  colle£tion  of 
his  works,  which  we  profeffedly  made  ufe  of 
in  drawing  up  thefe  remarks.  They  appear 
to  have  been  written  with  a  defign  to  have 
them  one  day  publifhed.  They  contain, 
it  mufl  be  allowed,  many  interefting  parti- 
culars; but  they  are  tindtured  and  blemifhed 
with  a  great  ihare  of  vanity,  and  fclf-im- 
portance,  and  with  too  many  commenda- 
tions of  his  own  integrity,  independency, 
and  virtue.  Pope,  Swift,  and  Bolingbroke, 
appear  by  the  letters,  to   have  formed  a 

*  Hb  tranflation  of  Homer  11  therefore  not  here  included ; 
the  difcuiiioo  of  whofe  beauties  and  faults  (for  faults  it  has) 
well  deferve  a  feparate  volume  ;  a  work,  which  if  well  exe^ 
cated,  would  be  of  the  greateft  utility  in  forming  a  jufl  ta^e, 
^y  (hewing  readers,  efpecially  of  the  younger  fort«  how  very 
inferior  and  unlike  it  is  to  the, original,  and  how  moch  over- 
loaded with  improper  and  unneceflary  ornaments. 

kind 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE*      477 

,  kind  of  haughty  triumvirate,  in  order  to 
ifluc  forth  pfofcriptions  againft  all  who 
would  not  adopt  thpir  fentiments  and  opi- 
nions.    And  by  their  own  account  of  tbem^ 

felves,  they  would  have  the  reader  believe 
that  they  had  engroiTed  and  monopolized  all 
the  genius^  and  all  'the  honefly  of  the  aze^ 
in  which,  according  to  their  opinioi^,  they  ' 
had  the  misfortune  to  live. 

Thus  have  we  endeavoured  to  give  a  cri- 
tical account,  with  freedom,  but  it  is  hoped 
with  impartiality,  of  each  of  Pope's  works ; 
by  which  review  it  will  appear,  that  the 
largefi  portion  of  them  is  of  the  didaSiic^ 
moral,  and  fatyric  kind  ;  and  confcquently, 
not  of  the  mo^  poetic  fpecies  of  poetry ;  whence 
it  is  manifeft,  xhzX,  good  fenfe  ^Jidi  judgment 
were  his  charadteriftical  excellencies,  rather 
iham  fancy  and  invention  ;  not  that  the  author 
of  the  Rape  of  the  Lock,  and  Eloifa,  can  be 
'  thought  to  want  imagination,  but  becaufe 
his  imagination  was  not   his   predominant 

talent. 


v 
47^    ES^AY  ON  THE  WklTINC?S 

talent,  becaufehe  indulged  it  not,  and  becaufij 
he  gave  not  fo  many  proofs  of  this  talent 
^  of  the  other.  \  This  turn  of  mind  led  him 
to  admire  French  models ;  he  ftudied  Boileau 
attentively ;  formed  himfelf  upon  bimy  as 
Milton  formed  himfelf  upon  the  Grecian  and 
Italian  fons  of  Fancy.  He  gradually  became 
one}  of  the  moft  correct,  even,  and  exaft 
poets  that  ever  wrote ;  polifliing  his  pieces 
with  a  care  and  afliduity,  that  no  bufinefs  or 
avocation  ever  interrupted  :  fo  that  if  he 
does  not  frequently  ravifh  and  tranfport  his 
reader,  yet  he  does  not  difguft  him  with 
unexpedled  inequalities,  and  abfurd  impro* 
prieties.  Whatever  poetical  enthufiafm  he 
adtually  poflfciTed,  he  withheld  and  ftifled. 
The  perufal  of  him  afFeds  not  our  minds 
with  fuch  ftrong  emotions  as  we  feel  from 
Homer  and  Milton ;  £o  that  no  man  of  a  true 
poetical  fpirit,  is  majier  of  himfelf  while  he 
Teads  them.     Hence,  he  is  a  writer  fit  for 

» 

univerfal  perufal ;  adapted  to  all  ages  and 
Nations  J  for  the  old  and  for  the  young;  the 

man 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      479 

jpan  of  bufincfs  and  the  fcholar.  He  who 
would  think  Palamon  and  Arcite^  the  7V/»- 
feji  or  Comus,  childifh  and  romantic,  might 
relifli  Pope.  Surely  it  is  no  narrow  and 
liiggardly  encomium  to  fay  he  is  the  great 
Pocf  of  Reafop,  the  pirft  of  E^tbical  authors 
ip  v^rfe.  Aftd  this  fpecies  of  writipg  is, 
^fter  all^  the  fureft  road  to  an  extcnCve  re- 
putation. It  lies  more  level  to  the  general 
capacities  of  men,  than  t^e  higher  flights 
of  more  genuine  poetry.  We  all  remcmbct 
when  cvefi  a  Churchill  was  more  in  yoguc 
th^  a  Gray.  Hp  that  tr^ts  of  fafhionable 
follies,  and  the  topics  of  the  day,  that  de-^ 
fcribes  prefent  perfons  and  recent  events, 
finds  many  readers,  whofe  underftandings 
and  whofe  paflions  he  gratifies.  The  name  of  / 
Chejlerjield  on  one  hand,  and  of  JValpok  on 
the  other,  failed  not  to  make  a  poem  bought 
up  and  talked  of.  And  it  cannot  be  doubt- 
ed, that  the  Odes  of  Horace  which  cele- 
brated,  and  the  fatires  which  ridiculed,  wpUr 

knowa 


48o    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

known  and  real  charadlcrs  at  Rome,  were 
more  eagerly  read,  and  more  frequently  cited^ 
than  the  ^neid  and  the  Georgic  of  Virgil. 

IFbere  then,  according  to  the  qucftion 
propofed  at  the  beginntj^g  of  this  Effay,  (hall 
we  with  juftice  be  authorized  to  place  our 
admired  Pope  ?  Not,  affuredly,  in  the  fame 
rank  with  Spencer,  Sbakefpeare,  and'  MUton  \ 
however  juftly  we  may  applaud  the  Rloifa 
and  Rape  of  the  Lock ;  but,  confidering 
the  correftncfs,  elegance,  and  utility  of 
his  works,  the  weight  of  fentiment,  and 
the  knowledge  of  man  they  contain,  we 
may  venture  to  aflign  him  a  place,  next 
to  MiltOTiy  and  juft  above  Dryden.  Yet,  to 
bring  our  ifiinds  fteadily  to  make  this  de- 
cifion,  we  muft  forget;  for  a  moment,  the 
divine  Mtdfic  Ode  of  Dryden ;  and  may  per- 
haps then  be  compelled  to  confefs^  that 
though  Dryden  be  the  greater  genius,  yet 
Pope  is  the  better  artift.  , 

5  The 


AND  GENIUS  OF  PO^E.       '4U 

Tut  preftrcnce  here  given  to  Pope,  above 
bther  modem  EngUfli  poets>  it  muft  be  re* 
inembered>  is  fouhded  on  the  excellonj:iel 
of  his  works  in  general^  And  taif/t  a//  t0ge^ 
ibtr  i  for  there  are  pdrti  and  pajfagts  in  othef 
modern  aathots,  in  Toung  and  in  ^of^iH, 
for  iniUncct  equal  to  any  of  Pope  j  and  lie 
has  written  nothing  in  a  flrain  £)  thdy  fub* 
lime,  ai  the  ^ard  of  Grs^ 


Vol.  It.  3  ^         APPENDIX 


THE  Alma  of  Prior,  ■ 
only  compofition  of  ] 
played  a  knowiedge  of  the  w 
For  I  have  lately  been  permi 
nufcript,  now  in  the  hands 
Dovagerof  Portland,,  con  tai 
the  Dead,  on  the  following  { 

I.  Hbads  for  a  Treatifei 
Opinion.  3.'a  Dialogue  t 
and  Clenard  the  Grammarian 
Monuign.  5,  The  Vicar  c 
More.  6. '  Oliver  Cromwell 
pieces  were  puWifhed,  Prior  * 
a  profe-writcr  as  poet.  It  fa 
fafliionable  to  decry  his  grea 
who  do  this,  feem  not  fufliclei 
admirable  Ode  to  Mr.  Char 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      48^ 

lire  many  ftrokcs  of  true  tendernefs  and  pathos)  and  bis 
Soloiaoir:  A  poem,  which  however  faulty  in  its  plan, 
hat  very  many  noble  and  finiihed  paiTages  :  and  which 
'  has  beea  fo  elegantly  and  claffically  tranllated  by  Dob- 
ion*  as  to  refled  honour  on  the  college  of  Wincbefter, 
where  he  was  educated,  and  where  he  tranQatcd  the  firft 
book  as  a  fcbool-exercifc.  I  once  heard  him  lament, 
that  he  had  not,  at  that  time,  read  Lucretius,  which 
would  have  given  a  richnefs,  and  variety,  and  force  to  Mt 
verfes ;  the  only  fault  of  which,  feems  to  be  a  monotony, 
ajid  want  of  different  paufes,  ocicaConed  by  tranflatiog 
9  poem  in  rhyme,  which  he  avoided  in  his  Milton, 

The  political  condu£t  of  Prior  was  blamed  on  account 
of  the  part  he  took  in  the  famous  Partition-treatyj  but 
in  fome  valuable  Memairsoflih  life,  written  by  the  Hon. - 
Mr.  Monugue,  his  friehd,  which  are  alfo  in  the  pof- 
(eflion  of  the  Duchefs  Dowager  of  Portland,  this  con- 
du£l  is  clearly  account^  for,  and  amply  defended.  In 
thofe  Memoirs  are  many  curious  and  interefting  paiticu^ 
X^s  of  the  billory  of  that  tin>c« 

APPENDIX     N*U. 

The  following  is  a  fummary  of  the  arguments  of 
each  Seme  and  Jilj  in  L'Adamo  of  G.  B.  Andkbiki, 
fientigned  above,  page  242. 

5(^,2  ATT(J 


4l4    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ATTO     PRIMO. 

ScBNA  I.  Iddio  di  creta  forma  Adamo,  quale  incoii* 
tanente  forzafidi  lodaftoma  divinamente  addormenutofi, 
mentre  in  eftad  fcorge  altifl\ini  mifteri  della  fantiffim^ 
Trinita^  t^  Inc^rnatione  del  verbo  eterno :  dalla  cofta  di 
|ui  ne  viene  formata  Eva  :  la  quale  egli^  'dope  fuegliato, 
caramente  abbraccia,  &  accetta  percompagna  ondebene* 
dettidaDiO)  e  fecondati,  acci&  riempiflero  il  mondo 
d^huominiy  riceuono  il  precetto  di  non  mangiare  del  al- 
bcroy  che  fuela  il  bene^  &  il  ma^e,  e  cctminclano  a  con^ 
templare  la  bcllesca  delle  creature, 

'   ScBVA2.  Lueifero  tifcito.dair  Abiflb  contetnpla  il 
f  aradifo  terreftre9  biafmando  tutte  Topre  di  Die. 

ScsNA  3.  LucilcrQ  eflbrta  Sathan  e  Bdxeba  a  farsarfi 
di  far  peccare  Adamo,  accio  macchiato  di  peccato^  fia  in 
odio  a  Dio,  e  non  s'i|ic%rai  il  Verbo  Etem*. 

ScEVA  4*  Lueifero  man4a  Melecano^^  Lurcone  a 
ientar  Eya^  quelli  di  Superbia,  &  quefti  dlnvidia^  accio 
fi  dolga  di  Dio,  perche  non  Thal^i  create  prima  di 
Adamo, 

SqiNA  5«  Si  mandMo  RqfpicaQOi  if  Arfsu^t^  a  ten* 

4arla  4'Ira9  2f  4i  Avaritia. 

I 

:     SciKA 


AN»  GENIUS  OF  POPE,      485 

ScKHA  6.  MaltoR  vi  itentarlad'AcculMj  Dolciab*, 
4i  LuCuriaj  le  Gutiar*  di  Gola, 


ATTO     SECOND  O. 

SciKA  I.  <;{uihdeciangeIi'|gKralo<Iono  tatte  I'opre 
divine. 

ScSHA  a*  A^amo  pone  i)  tiome  ^  tittti  gli  aninaii, 
^  infieme  con  Eva  loda  coq  piolti  01000114  \\  fotnnm 
Pio.' 

SciKyi  J.  Sarpe  t'appareccbia  per  tentar  Eva*  e  dicq 
per  qual  ^ agione  habbi  prefq  ^Htlla  forma,  U  non  4tn, 

ScBMA  4.  Volfino  narra  ^  S^baq  rinfieri^I  cpnfij^ 
M  modo  di  aflaltar  Era.    • 

ScEtTA  5<  V^na  Gloria  e  Serpe  cqngiuntt  d'accQrdq 
cntrano  |iel  Paradlfo  temeftre^  e  fi  nafcondpao  lix  I'al^ra 
della  fcienca  del  be^e;  c  (M  ^c,  fct  teo(ar  Eva  4 
suftare  i  frut^rdi  %uel(o, 

ScEHA  6'  Eva-gloftaodofi  d«i  tat^ti  farori,,  e  gratis 
ficeuute  da  Dio,  ritnira  il  Serpe  fopra  I'albero,  e  coi^  . 
inolte  ragiooi  da  quello  per&iaia,  prende  il  pooq*  l^ 
g^fta,  e  \i ferc^rtdy  Adamo, per  farlo  {inl'iSpBiih 

ATTO 


I 


486    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

ly  ATTOTERZO. 

SccNA  !•  Adamo  dopo  ITiaver  defcrltto  leggiadrz-^ 
ncnte  U  fontc  chc  irrigava  il  Paradifo  tcrrcflre  fu  da  E»a 
pflfuafo  a  gutlare  il  pocno,  e  to  mangia  per  non  con- 
Iriftarla  ;  ondc  ambiduc  conobbero  d'cfler  nudl,  foggctti 
a  taotte  U  a  milk  altii  mali  &  fi  nakofcro. 

ScENA  2>  VoSana  rallegrandoli  d'd  peccato  d^Ada- 
I         Kcs  ci^'  fuono  di  roca  tromba  cbiamz  tutti  gli  fpini  In-^ 
lujiali. 

SciNA  3.  Sachan  certificato  d'elln  caduta  d'AdantK 
fflbrU  gli  alcrj  fpiriti  a  far  fefta. 

ScENA  4.  Serpe  con  Vana  Gloria  tomando  trioafajiti 
d'Adamo  fono  da  Sathan,  e  da  gli  allii  fpirti  pcrci^ 
a4orati :  e  da  Canoro  ven^oo  cantate  Ic  lodi  loro. 

ScENA  5.  Gli  Foltetti  per  a]^e>gmza  delta  cadatt 
d'^damodanzano  rnCemc:  ma  fentcndo  trontke  celefti 
V  fcorgendo  la  divina  lace  tutti  rciggoao  all'  abUIb. 

StEKA  6-  II  Padre  Etcrno  chiamanda  Adamo  It  Eva  a 
da  ]oro  confeflato  I'trrore^  ad  ainbiduc  publica  Ic  pene 
selle  quali  tono  incoi£,  malcdice  il  ferpeate  &  fi  ia£i 
f  code  da  loro. 

ScxwA 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      487 

ScENA  '7.  L'Angelo  porta  due  vefti  ii  pelle  ad  Adzmo 
&  Eva,  e  da  quclli  partendo  a  volo  gli  lafcia  dolenti,  ft 
lagnarfi  de  gli  errori  Iwo. 

ScENA  8.  L'Archzngelo  Mkliaele  con  fpada  di  ft>c« 
Icaccia  Adamo  &  Evadal  Paradifo,  &  dTortando  gli  aloi 
Angioli,  che  folevano  ftare  con  loro,  ad  andar  feco  M 
Ciele,  fa  che  rcfti  un  Chembino  con  la  ipada  di  ibco  a 
guardare  la  porta  del  Paradifo. 

ScBKA  9.  Gli  Angeli  pria  che  partirfi,  licentiatifi 
J' Adamo,  I'eflbrtano  a  piaiigere  il  fuo  etrore,  promdttea* 
<lolJ  aliegrezza,  c  canto. 

ATTO     aUARTO. 

ScEKA  I.  Volano  a  fuono  di  tromba  chiamando  tutti 
gli  fpiriti  de  gli  element!,  che  vengano  ad  incontrare  ' 
LucifcrOj  cgliiio  vengono  cuttL 

ScEKA  3.  Luci&ro  chiamat!  tutti  ^li  fpiriti  a  confc* 
^liOj  dimanda  a  ciafcuno  il  fuo  parere,  (i  dclle  attioni 
d' Adamo,  come  delle  Divine;  manonfapendoquellibene 
interpietaric,  egli  loio  Ic  dichiara. 

SCSNA  3<    Lucifero  emulo~  dt   Dio,  nella  creatiohe  *. 
del   mo.ido,    da  una  malTa  di  terra  confufa   fa   ufcire 
^uatiw  mollri  a  danno  dell'*buomO}  Mondot    Carne, 
9  Mortc, 


48S    feSSAV  Oli  THE  WttltlNG^ 

Klorte»  e  Demotisoi  poi  con  tutti  gli.  idtri  tonu  all^ 
Inferno* 

§ 

ScENA  4*  A4amo  folingo  nairfa  come  gli  ahlmaiij  t 
tutte  Taltre  cofe  hanno  cangiato  forma,  e  coftUmi,  ptr  ii 
ftto  peccatO)  &  amarahientt  to  piange^ 

ScENA  5.  Le  fere  feguendofij  St  amatsatidoC  trA  lon>, 
Inettono  gran  tcnore  ad  Adamo  tc  £va  che  peicio  fi 

nafcondono* 

ScENA  6.  Apparifcoik)  ad  Adamb  qikattro  moftri  ^a^ 
Fame»  Sete^  Fatica,  <:,De(peratioiie9  e  fai  Fame  gli  dice^ 
che  mat  queftijiflliii  partiranno. 

ScEMA  7«  La  Mdrte  mihacda  di  tfoncate  la  viu  ad 
Eva,  &  Adamo,  e  fubito  il  Ciel  tufbaCo  coH  Cuoni^  laettei 
gfandini,  pioggie^  e.yenti,  gli  fpauenta. 

A  T  T  O     Q^U  INTO; 

ScBNA  I.  Ita  Ca^ne  tenta  Adamo^  e  Crottandolo  ix^ 
bofo^  gli  moftra^  come  tutte  le  cofe  fentclkio  amore. 

ScBlTA  s.  Luciferb  s'aggiunge,  alia  Carne,  e  tenta^di 
perfuadere  Adamo  a  congioogerii  con  effii|  iagc&doA 
Adamo  eeleftc; 

ScBiU 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.      489 

SeiHA  3.  Adamo  con  I'agtuto  dell*  Augelo  fuo  cuftodc 
fupen  la  Carne  ii  Lucifera. 

SckHA  4.  II  Mondo  nam  le  fue  graiulezze,  €  cio  che 
Hnano  gli  huommi  per  I'aro,  e  s'apparecchia  per  teatar 
Eva, 

SC£NA  5.  II  Mondo  propone  ad  Eva  tutte  le  Cue  pompe| 
c  gli  fa  apparUe  un  vago,  e  ricco  palazzo  d'oro. 

ScEHA  6.  Dal  palazzo  del  Mondo  ufcito  un  chore  di 
Ponzelle,  con  moiti  ornamentt  vogliono  ornarne  Eva, 
ma  alia  voce  ic  precetto  d'Adamo  rcftano  confufc,'Sc  il 
tutto  fpzrifce  :  onde  il  Mondo  miiiacciando  ad  Adamo, 
cbiama  contra  di  lui  tutti  gl'Infernali  Moftri. 

ScENJb  7.  Lucifera,  Morte,  Mondo,  e  chor!  di  Oia- 
voli,  s'appar^cchiano  per  far  violenza  ad  Adamo,  e  cooi'- 
^ztten  con  Pio. 

ScENA  8>  L'Archangelo  Micaele,  con  chori  d'Angeli, 
combatte  con  Lucifero,  &  i  cbori  di  Demonii,  iSi  fupe- 
lati  gli  fcacciano  lino  all'  AbiQb. 

ScENA  9'  Adfinio  &  Eva  riverircono  I'Arcbangelo 
Micaele,  e  da  lui  fbno  confolati  &  afficuntti,  che  per  la 
penitenza  lore,  an  dranno  a  goder  in  cielo  :  on  de  per 
alle^x>zza  gli  angeli  cantano  lodi  a  pio,  della  vittoria* 
U  felicita  dell'  tavomo,  per  I'imvpfod  pieu  &  Amor  di- 
Tino. 

Voulh  3R  Tbp 


"4 


490    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

The  lovers  of  Paradifc  Loft  will,  wc  tnift,  be  entcf^ 
gained  with  having  an  opportunity  of  feeing  bow  grratly 
and  judiciouHy  our  fubtime  and  divine  poet  has  height' 
ened  and  improved  any  the  leaft  hints  or  images,  he  hU 
been  fuppofed  to  have  talceit  from  this  ancient  drami 
copies  of  which  are  extrcrncly  fcarce  and  uncommon 
and  therefore  a  fpecimen  of  the  verification  is  fubjoined* 
Not  that  it  can  be  imagined,  that  the  copious,  compiCM 
hciifive,  and  creative  mind  of  Milton,  fo  rich  in  tW 
ilprcs  of  nalurt,  could  condel'ccnd  to  be  a  meer  borrowtr-^ 
as  Voltaire  would  infinuate:  nor  can  we  alTent  to  the 
opinion  of  that  critic  who  fays,  **  that  the  poetical  fire 
of  Milton  glows  like  a  furnace,  kept  up  to  an  uncom- 
mon ardour  by  the  force  oi  Jrt," 

ATTO    Q.UARTO,    ScekaQuinta, 

Adamo.    Doue  men  fuggo  ahi  lafTa,  oue  m'afcondo  ? 
Corri  nc  le  mic  braccia, 
E  chi  ha  infieme  peccato 
Sia  da  le  fere  infieme  anco  Ibranaiq. 

Eta.  Ahi  ch'ogni  fcampo  e  latto 

Varco  di  morte,  a  chi  di  vita  c  indegno. 
Pur  di  qucir  antro  in  fcno 
Sommergiamoci  Adano. 

AOAMo.    Lafli  partiro  al  fin,  ma  gia  non  partoro 
Da  I'Huomo  le  ruine,  il  duol  mortale  : 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       4^i 

Strano  cafo  infelice^  il  rifb  piangtf, 
L'allegreziEa  fta  ihefta; 
Hc^gi  Ix  vita  more.' 

Zv*^  Q^anto  m'afBigo  Adamo, 

Ahi  quanto  piango  o  Cicio, 
Quanco  fofpiro  b  Dio,  quanto  m'accorof 
Ne  fon  viva,  ne  mord. 

Adamo^    Ma  quat  rugglti  horrendi 

L'aer  fa  rimbombar  frcmer  le  valli  i 

MdRTK.    Til  par  fufti,'  o  vil  Donna^ 
Che  prima  mi  chiamafti 
Con  voce  di  peccato 
Sin  dal  Taitafeo  ofcurd. 
Tu  tu  {lutrida  came,  e  poca  teirti 
Qucfto  terribil  moftro 

D'ofla  humane  contelto  * 

A  rimirar  Je  ftelle  hoggi  chiamafU> 
ttor,  che  vuoi  ?  di  f  favella. 
Stand  fe  de  la  vita  ? 
Ecco  la  falciatrice,  ecco  la  falctf 
,  Che  la  luce  a  lafciar  hoggi  t'invita.' 

Gia  con'  occhio  lincco  , 

Scorgo  mirando  la  futura  etate 

€h*al  ihio  nome,  a  qukft'  armi  Arempietat^ 

Trofei  s'ergoh  funefti: 

Ma*  che  i  non  fininn  qui  le  mine 

6hjt  ti  flunaccia  il  Cielo  i  alte  fuenwrs 


492    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

T'appreft'smco  I'lnftroo, 
Colme  d'horrorfi  grande; 
Ch'io  che  la  Morte  fono 

Bramo  morir^  per  non  mirarle  in  volto : 

Gia  tu  fe  reo  di  morte, 

Gii  tua  ftanza  e  rinfernoy 

Fatto  rubello  al  tuo  Fatter  fuptrno* 

« 

Adamo.    Ahi  lagrime,  ahi  dolore 
A  hi  crudo  peccatore. 

£vA«         Ahi  dplente,  infelice 
Eva  gran  pcccatrice. 

Adamo*    Ahi,  che  s'annera  il  Ciclo,  ahi  che  ne  toglie 
Com'  indegni  di  luce  ogni  fua  luce. 
Ma  tiual  tofto  nel  Ciel  s'auuina,  e  more, 
Fiamma,  ch'  abbaglia,  e  ferpeggiando  fiigge 
Fatta  ferpe  di  foco  i 

Eva.       ^  Ahi,  che  fin  non  hsiuran  qui  del  Ciel  Tire 
Ne  conuien  pria  morire. 

Adamo.    Deh  qual  rimbombo  la  (u  in  alto  afcolto  f 
Forfe  con  fimil  voce 
Ne  difcaccia  dal  Mondo,  il  Cielo  irato, 
£  ne  condanna  de  I'abiiTo  al  fondo  I 
Quante  faette^  6  quante 
Atterran  fclue,  e  bofchi|  ^  quaatl^  &  qiiaoti 

Vei^ 


AND  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       493 

Venti  fremon  per  I'aria  ; 
QuantO'fcende  dal  Cielo 
Humor  converfo  in  groSe  palle,  io  |peIo> 

£vA>  Lais  noi>  che  da  I'alto 
Diluviano  tant'acque, 
Cbe  trabboccano  i  riui, 
E'n  fupcrbiti  i  fiumi 
Van  le  bclue  fugando, 
E  di  borchi,  e  di  felue 
Gli  humidi  pefci  babitator  fi  fanno. 

Adamo.    Fuggiamo,  ohimS  fuggiamo 
D£  monti  a  quelle  cime 
Ou  il  Ciel  fembra  c'hoggi 
Dal  luflgo  fulminar  ftanco  B'appt^gi. 

The  mean  of  the  perfons  reprtfentcd,  an  »  fol- 
lowi : 

i  N  T  E  R  L  O  C  U  T  O  R  I. 

Padre  Etbrho. 

Chord  di  Shrafiki,  CHtRtruNi,  ft  Ahoui. 

ARCANCELO  MiCAlLR. 

Adamo. 

Eva. 

Chkrvbiho  cuftode  d'AoAiio. 

lucipero. 

SathaR. 

Buuiv. 


494    ESSAY  ON  THE  WRITINGS 

Belzebu.  ^  X  ' 

Gli  Sette  Peccati  MoRTAXii. 

MONDO. 

Carne.  ^ 

4 

Fame. 
Fatica. 

DiSPERAZIONE. 
MoRTE. 

Vanagloria. 
Seri»e. 

VoLANO,  meflaggicro  infernale. 
Chord  di  Foletti. 
'    Choro  di  Spiriti  Ignei,  AereIj  AcquaticiV 
&  Infernali. 


Since  page  6  was  written,  it  has  been  clearly  proved,  that  the 
Palaxnon  and  Arcite  of  Chaucer,  is  tilken  from  the  Tbtfeida 
of  Boccace ;  a  poem  which  has  been,  till  within  a  few  yean 
pad^  flrangcly  ncgledled  and  unknown ;  and  of  which  Mr. 
Tyrwhitc  has  given  a  curious  and  exa6l  fummary,  in  his  dif. 
on  the  Canterbury  Tales,  tol;  iv.  p.  135.  1  cannot  forbeat* 
exprefTing  my  furprife,  that  the  circumilance  of  Chaacer's 
borrowing  this  tale  Ihould  have  remained  fo  long  unkiih>wn; 
when  it  is  fo  plainly  and  poiitively  mentioned  in  a  book  iof 
very  common  as  the  Memoirs  of  Niceroni  who  fays,  t.  35.* 
p.  44>  after  giving  an  abflracl  of  the  Uory  of  Palamoh  and 
Arcite,  G.  Chaucer,  THomerede  fonpays,  a  mis  Pouvrage  dc* 
Boccace  en  <vers  Jnglois,  This  book  was  publiflied,  IJ'^6* 
He  alfo  mentions  a  French  tranHation  of  the  Thefeida,*  pob^ 
lilhed  at  Paris  M.D.CC.  .1597,  in  i2mo.  The  late  Mr» 
Stanley,  who  was  as  accurately  (killed  in  modern  as  in  an- 

2  atai 


ANii  GENIUS  OF  POPE.       495 

cieat  Greek,  fot  a  long  time  wss  of  opinion,  that  thU  poem, 
in  modem  political  Greek  veHes,  was  the  original ;  in  which 
opinioo  he  was  confirmed  by  the  Abbf  Barthelemy,  at  Paiis,. 
whofe  learned  correfpondenec  with  Mr.  Stanley  on  iliii  fub- 
jcAIhave  read.  Atlallhe  candidly  gave  up  this  opinion,  and 
was  convinced  that  Boccace  invented  the  lale.  Crt/ctmiini  and 
Muraieri  hive  mentioned  the  Thefeida' more  than  once.  That 
.  very  laborioua  and  learned  ar.tiquary  Apefido  Zena,  fpeakj  thus 
of  it,  in  his  noie^  to  the  Bibliotheca  of  FoHtanini,  p.  450.  1. 1. 
.Quelta  opera  paftorale  (that  it,  the  Jmiu)  che  prende  il  nomc 
dal  paftore  Ameto,  ha  data  I'origine  all  EgUga  Itfttiana,  non 
Tenza  lode  del  Boccaci»,  coi  pure  la  noftra  lingga  du  il  ritro- 
vamento  della  eitava  rima  (which  was  firft  ufed  in  the  The- 
feida)  e  del  fetmrn  trtice.  GrM'uimi  doei  ttoi  mention  thb 
poem.  Crt/cimhini  gives  this  opinion  of  it,  p.  iiS,  t.  j, 
Nel  medefim^  fccolo  del  Petrarca,  il  Saccacio  dicde  principU 
all'  tpka,  colla  fua  Tifddt,  e  col  FUofiraA  ;  lAt  nello'  ftile 
non  L'ccede  la  mediocma,  anzi  fovente  cadde  nell'  umile. 
I  mall  except  out  of  the  number  of  French  writers,  mentioned 
at  the  bottom  of  this  page,  William  of  Lorris,  author  of  thac 
beautiful  old  poem,  Li  RamM  dt  U  Rtfi,  who,  f»Jkbit  fays, 
died  1  z6o.  The  fafhion  that  has  lately  obtained,  m-  all  the 
nations  of  Furopc,  of  repubtitKinf;  and  illullradag  their  old 
poets,  docs  honour  to  the  good  tafte  and  liberal  curiolity  of 
theprefcni  age.  It  is  always  pleafing,  and  indeed  ufcful,  to 
look  back  to  the  rude  beginnings  of  any  art,  brought  to  i 
greater  degree  of  elegance  and.  grace. 

Aurea  nunc,  olim  fylveftribui  horrtda  dumii.        Viko. 


FINIS. 


;.  line  i6.  far  lUi  tt*i  tii, 

b,  I.  17.  after  a^Miir,  add  uuitt  W^iirttm  it  Lull. 

,.  I.  4.  Tor  <r_j  r«d  /imk. 

i.  1.  10.  Ii>r  rt/turtt  ciU  fmrct. 

].  I.  19.  for  bifitrj  tiipti»i'n[  read  bifitrj-ftuiim^, 

b,  ddc  the  whole  note  it  ihe  battem. 

%.  1,  7.  for  aai^mtt  leij  awdmii.     Line  11.  per  aver. 

t.  for  uToru^iiH;  Kid  MTair^9,ur  1;. 

I.  10.  for  »  ri*  I}>-.iJ)  r.id  hi,  ul.r  ci,. 
4.1.  ii.forifijirrud/™.. 
3.1.  14.  foiMif/rodif/o^fe. 

4.  I,  II.  %  bav  read  iai, 
J.  1.  a.  Sk  awi  rod  lltrv 
o.  I.  I],  for  itfWiudiv' 

o.  1.  i;.  for  £Jhtft  nn  tBSurl. 

5.  1.3.  fDraka^TVT  read  mw^tv,  and  for  ofia;  r£ad  ai 
0. 1.  iS.  afiatf  ptiiiadt,  rtti  tf  irtlilndi. 

1. 1.  II.  for  [irvn  reid  p^iK\. 
f>.  t.  iS.  for  IW  read  ^(. 

0.  DMe,  fo(  1747  read  1741. 

1.  I.  IX.  for  liUtrtd  read  nnltilmdt 
7.  1,  I.  for  rttmiwg  read  rvr. 

1. 1.  5-  for  binnr  rtad  tt*wtiir, 
5.  I.  16.  for  RiRHT  read  Eight. 
I.  no'e.  for  ari  found  read  ti  found. 
9.  next.  I.  4.  for  O'ftrd  rtid  OxfirJ. 
].  noM.  for  ftmij  read  «a»>tr. 


i 

Li 


5 


t  r  K. 


i*.  I 


-.  o    ., 


93^