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Relifh of Fruits and other Food, all the Pleasure of Converse, all the Joys of Friend Jhip, derive a new Value, and are infinitely enhanced by the Confideration that these are the Gifts of the great Governor of the Work, by whom we are beloved.

-BY Thoughts like thefe we animate ourfelves with a fresh Vigor to fulfil our Duties. What a new Matter of Admiration is this! To what does this Duty tend? To perfect ourfelves, and render us useful to other Men, our Equals, our Brethren, who are the Work of our common Mafter, and therefore Subjects worthy of our Affection, ESteem, and Refpelt.

PERSONS of this Turn of Thought bend all their Attention to become true, fincere, and friendly; they diftribute with Joy their external Goods, and with ftill greater Earnestness thofe of their Mind; they apply themselves with the utmost Care to a fcrupulous Examination, in order to affure themselves of what is true, and to introduce it in the Mind of others, who are not fo capable of inftructing themselves.

THESE are a Series of Ideas which came into my Mind upon reflecting on fome

Lines

Lines of Mr Pope's Effay. Tho' I have written them, it was not with a Defign to prejudice my Readers either in Favour of the Effay itself, or the Examination which I have taken the Liberty to make of it. My only End was to give my Readers fome Affiftance to form right Notions of the Subject both of the one and the other.

AN

A N

EXAMINATION

O F

Mr POPE's

ESSAY ON MAN.

To Monf.

Y

YOU requeft, Sir, that I would communicate to you the Thoughts which occurr'd to me upon reading Mr Pope's Effay. It is a Pleasure to obey you; indeed I can refuse you nothing, and I am at leifure. But do not let it enter into your Thoughts to look upon what I am going to write, as a Criticism; for you will be extremely mista

ken.

From my Youth I have always felt

B

a

a great Averfion for that Spirit; the very Name of it is odious to me. My first Inclination carries me to acquiefce in whatever is propos'd to me. I have always need of Violence to bring myself to object, and nothing ever determines me to an Examination, but the Fear of deceiving myself, and afterwards drawing others into Mistakes. Befides, I am too well acquainted with the Charms of Poetry, to engage with a Poet who has already acquir'd fo great a Name.

THRO' a Prose Translation I feel the Power of his Enthufiafm; I have never talk'd on this Subject with any one Person, who has not own'd that Mr Pope is at least a fhining Author. It concerns the Intereft of Mankind that Geniuses of this Character fhould be likewife judicious and circumfpect. Their Errors are contagious, we give into them with Pleasure, and 'tis not without Difficulty that we diffent; especially, when they think in fuch a Manner as tends ever fo little to favour the ruling Paffions, and in general that Inclination fo univerfal in Men, to di

rect

rect themselves according to their own Opinions, and not to bear their Satisfaction. to be molested by any Reproach. I am far from prejudicing myself against Mr Pope, by imagining that his End was to countenance fuch Inclinations, and to gain Applaufe from Readers of this Character. I have fuppofed him to have had in view that End I wifh'd him. In reading him I have endeavoured to turn his Expreffions into a good Senfe, and have conftantly been fearful of laying fuch Principles to his Charge as I could not avoid condemning.

THE Subject he has undertook to write upon requires our chief Regard, and 'tis of the utmost Importance to us to be folidly inftructed in it. God is an Object infinitely more exalted, and therefore more worthy our Attention. But if we do not know ourselves, how fhall we arrive at the Knowledge of God our Creator? What can we do more to our Advantage than to inform ourselves clearly in these Queftions? Have I always exifted? If my Exiftence had a Beginning, am I an Effect of Caufes which have no Intelligence? which