At half mankind when generous Manly raves,
All know 'tis Virtue, for he thinks them knaves:
When univerfal homage Umbra pays,
All fee 'tis Vice, and itch of vulgar praise.
When Flattery glares, all hate it in a Queen,
While one there is who charms us with his Spleen.
But these plain Characters we rarely find:
Though ftrong the bent, yet quick the turns of mind:
Or puzzling Contraries confound the whole;
Or Affectations quite reverse the foul.
The Dull, flat Falfehood ferves, for policy;
And in the Cunning, Truth itself's a lie:
Unthought-of Frailties cheat us in the Wife;
The Fool lies hid in inconfiftencies.
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-chase, wife at a Debate;
Drunk at a Borough, civil at a Ball;
Friendly at Hackney, faithlefs at Whitehall.
Catius is ever moral, ever grave,
Thinks who endures a knave, is next a knave,
Save juft at dinner-then prefers, no doubt,
A Rogue with Venifon to a Saint without.
Who would not praife Patricio's high defert,
His hand unftain'd, his uncorrupted heart,
His comprehenfive head! all Interefts weigh'd,
All Europe fav'd, yet Britain not betray'd.
He thanks you not, his Pride is in Picquette,
Newmarket-fame, and judgment at a Bett.
VOL. XLVI.
What made (fay, Montagne, or more fage Charron!) Otho a warrior, Cromwell a buffoon?
A perjur'd Prince a leaden faint revere,
A godless Regent tremble at a 'Star?
The throne a Bigot keep, a Genius quit,
Faithlefs through Piety, and dup'd through Wit?
Europe a Woman, Child, or Dotard rule,
And juft her wifeft monarch made a fool?
Know, God and Nature only are the fame:
In Man, the judgment fhoots at flying game;
A bird of paffage! gone as foon as found,
Now in the Moon perhaps, now under ground.
In vain the fage, with retrofpective eye,
Would from th' apparent What conclude the Why,
Infer the Motive from the Deed, and fhew,
That what we chanc'd was what we meant to do.
Behold if Fortune or a Mistress frowns,
Some plunge in business, others fhave their crowns:
To ease the foul of one oppreffive weight,
This quits an Empire, that embroils a State:
The fame aduft complexion has impell'd
Charles to the Convent, Philip to the Field.
Not always Actions fhew the man: we find
Who does a kindness, is not therefore kind:
VARIATION.
After ver. 86. in the former Editions,
Triumphant leaders at an army's head,
Hemm'd round with glories, pilfer cloth or bread;
As meanly plunder as they bravely fought,
Now fave a people, and now fave a groat.
Perhaps Profperity becalm'd his breaft,
Perhaps the Wind just shifted from the Eaft:
Not therefore humble he who feeks retreat,
Pride guides his fteps, and bids him fhun the great:
Who combats bravely is not therefore brave,
He dreads a death-bed like the meaneft slave:
Who reafons wifely is not therefore wife,
His pride in Reasoning, not in Acting, lies.
But grant that actions beft difcover man;
Take the most strong, and fort them as you can.
The few that glare, each character must mark,
You balance not the many in the dark.
What will you do with such as difagree?
Suppress them, or miscall them policy?
Muft then at once (the character to fave)
The plain rough Hero turn a crafty Knave?
Alas! in truth the man but chang'd his mind,
Perhaps was fick, in love, or had not din'd.
Ak why from Britain Cæfar would retreat?
Cæfar himself might whisper, he was beat.
VARIATION.
Ver. 129, in the former Editions:
Afk why from Britain Cæfar made retreat?
Cæfar himself would tell you he was beat.
The mighty Czar what mov'd to wed a Punk?
The mighty Czar would tell you he was drunk.
Altered as above, because Cæfar wrote his Commentaries of this war, and does not tell you he was beat. As Cæfar too afforded an inftance of both cafes, it was thought better to make him the fingle example.
Why risk the World's great empire for a Punk?
Cæfar perhaps might anfwer, he was drunk.
But, fage hiftorians! 'tis your task to prove
One action Conduct; one, heroic Love.
'Tis from high Life high characters are drawn: 135 A Saint in Crape is twice a Saint in Lawn;
A Judge is just, a Chancellor jufter still;
A Gownman, learn'd; a Bithop, what you will;
Wife, if a Minister; but, if a King,
More wife, more learn'd, more juft, more every thing.
Court-Virtues bear, like Gems, the highest rate,
Born where Heaven's influence fcarce can penetrate:
In life's low vale, the foil the Virtues like,
They please as beauties, here as wonders strike.
Though the fame fun with all-diffufive rays
Blush in the Rose, and in the Diamond blaze,
We prize the ftronger effort of his power,
And justly set the Gem above the Flower.
'Tis Education forms the common mind;
Just as the twig is bent, the tree 's inclin'd.
Boaftful and rough, your first son is a 'Squire;
The next a Tradesman, meek, and much a lyar;
Tom ftruts a Soldier, open, bold and brave;
Will fneaks a Scrivener, an exceeding knave:
Is he a Churchman? then he's fond of power: 155
A Quaker? fly: A Prefbyterian? four:
A fmart Free-thinker? all things in an hour.
Atk men's Opinions: Scoto now shall tell How Trade increafes, and the world goes well;
Strike off his Penfion, by the fetting fun,
And Britain, if not Europe, is undone.
That gay Free-thinker, a fine talker once,
What turns him now a ftupid, filent dunce?
Some God, or Spirit, he has lately found;
Or chanc'd to meet a Minister that frown'd.
Judge we by Nature? Habit can efface,
Intereft o'ercome, or policy take place:
By Actions? thofe Uncertainty divides:
By Paffions? thefe Diffimulation hides:
Opinions? they fill 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. Search then the Ruling Paffion: There, alone,
The Wild are conftant, and the Cunning known; 175
The Fool confiftent, and the Falfe fincere;
Priefts, Princes, Women, no diffemblers here.
This clue once found, unravels all the rest,
The profpect clears, and Wharton flands confeft.
Wharton, the fcorn and wonder of our days,
Whofe ruling Paffion was the Luft of Praise:
Born with whate'er could win it from the Wife,
Women and Fools must like him, or he dies:
Though wondering Senates hung on all he spoke,
The Club muft hail him mafter of the joke.
fo various aim at nothing new?
He'll fhine a Tully and a Wilmot too.
Then turns repentant, and his God adores
With the fame fpirit that he drinks and whores;
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