Page images
PDF
EPUB

то THE

REA DE R.

IT

T is not my intention to make an apology for my poem: fome will think it needs no excufe, and others will receive none. The defign I am fure is honeft: but he who draws his pen for one party, must expect to make enemies of the other. For wit and fool are confequents of Whig and Tory; and every man is a knave or an afs to the contrary fide. There is a treasury of merits in the Fanatic church, as well as in the Popish; and a pennyworth to be had of faintship, honefty, and poetry, for the lewd, the factious, and the blockheads: but the longest chapter in Deuteronomy has not curfes enough for an Anti-Bromingham. My comfort is, their manifeft prejudice to my cause will render their judgement of lefs authority against me. Yet if a poem have genius, it will force its own reception in the world. For there is a sweetness in good verfe, which tickles even while it hurts: and no man can be heartily angry with him who pleases him against his will. The commendation of adverfaries is the greatest triumph of a writer, because it never comes unless extorted. But I can be fatisfied on more easy terms: if I happen to please the more moderate fort, I fhall

4

be

be fure of an honeft party, and in all probability, of the best judges; for the leaft concerned are commonly the leaft corrupt. And I confefs I have laid in for those, by rebating the fatire, where juftice would allow it, from carrying too fharp an edge. They who can criticife fo weakly as to imagine I have done my worft, may be convinced at their own coft that I can write feverely, with more ease than I can gently. I have but laughed at fome men's follies, when I could have declaimed against their vices: and other men's virtues I have commended, as freely as I have taxed their crimes. And now, if you are a malicious reader, I expect you should return upon me that I affect to be thought more impartial than I am: but if men are not to be judged by their profeffions, God forgive you commonwealth's-men for profeffing so plaufibly for the government. You cannot be fo unconscionable as to charge me for not fubfcribing my name; for that would reflect too grofly upon your own party, who never dare, though they have the advantage of a jury to fecure them. If you like not my poem, the fault may poffibly be in my writing; though it is hard for an author to judge against himself. But more probably it is in your morals, which cannot bear the truth of it. The violent on both fides will condemn the character of Abfalom, as either too favourably or too hardly drawn. But they are not the violent whom I defire to please. The fault on the right hand is to extenuate, palliate, and indulge; and to confefs freely, I have endeavoured to commit it. Befides the refpect which I owe his birth, I have a greater for his heroic virtues; and David himself could not be more ten

der

der of the young man's life, than I would be of his reputation. But fince the most excellent natures are always the most eafy, and, as being fuch, are the fooneft perverted by ill counfels, efpecially when baited with fame and glory; it is no more a wonder that he withstood not the temptations of Achitophel than it was for Adam not to have refifted the two devils, the ferpent and the woman. The conclufion of the ftory I purposely forbore to profecute, becaufe I could not obtain from myself to fhew Abfalom unfortunate. The frame of it was cut out but for a picture to the waift; and if the draught be fo far true; it is as much as I defigned.

Were I the inventor, who am only the hiftorian, I fhould certainly conclude the piece, with the reconcilement of Abfalom to David. And who knows but this may come to pafs? Things were not brought to an extremity where I left the ftory: there feems yet to be room left for a compofure; hereafter there may be only for pity. I have not so much as an uncharitable wish against Achitophel, but am content to be accused of a good-natured error, and to hope with Origen, that the devil himself may at last be faved. For which reafon, in this poem, he is neither brought to fet his houfe in order, nor to difpofe of his person afterwards as he in wisdom fhall think fit. God is infinitely merciful; and his vicegerent is only not fo, because he is not infinite.

The true end of fatire is the amendment of vices by correction. And he, who writes honeftly, is no more an enemy to the offender, than the phyfician to the patient, when he prefcribes harfh remedies to VOL. I.

I

an

an inveterate disease; for those are only in order to prevent the chirurgeon's work of an Enfe refcindendum, which I wish not to my very enemies. To conclude all; if the body politick have any analogy to the natural, in my weak judgment, an act of oblivion were as neceffary in a hot diftemper'd ftate, as an opiate would be in a raging fever.

சோம்..

ABSALOM

1

ABSALOM

AND

A CHITO PH E L.

IN

PART the FIRST.

N pious times ere prieftcraft did begin,
Before polygamy was made a fin;
When man on many multiply'd his kind,
Ere one to one was curfedly confin'd;
When nature prompted, and no law deny'd
Fromifcuous ufe of concubine and bride;

[ocr errors][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »