lift, established in his fublime Speculations, will content himself with faying, What a Happiness is this! Had not this Murder happened, one Chain wou'd have been broke, and all the reft wou'd have felt the Effects of it. The Universe wou'd have been fhaken, and perhaps quite overfet by it. "But do not you pity "the afflicted Family, who fuffer fo "greatly by the Lofs of fuch a Father? You may weep with them if you please (will he reply;) fince you fhedTears, I conclude that they are neceffary: But with me, the Ill that happens to a Part gives Place to the Good of the Whole. The Universe is more dear to me than a fingle Family, That which has just happen'd gives me Joy.

THERE is a great deal of Difference between admiring the Wisdom, Goodness, and Power of God, who does not fuffer Vice to produce all the Ill in Society, that might naturally arife from it, and who even draws ufeful Effects from it; there is, I fay, a great deal of Difference between this, and laying it down for certain, that God himself is the Author of

thofe

thofe Actions which we call vicious, and that he produces them in order to deduce that Good which we see arife from them. I will not therefore, like Mr Pape reckon the Virgin's Shame as a Frailty, I will not fay that, in order to counterwork each Folly and Caprice, God has given

To Kings Prefumption, and to Crowds Belief. V. 234.

PRESUMPTION ought not to be looked upon as the Gift of God to Princes: This Gift is not advantageous to themfelves. I can eafily comprehend that the People often fuffer by it, and this is proved by Experience; but I do not fee what Advantage they reap from it. A Prince, who has not a greater Opinion of his own Ability than it really deferves, takes Counfel, and deliberates with Attention; A Prince who does not think of himself greater than he is, and reckons himself to be of no greater Value in the fight of God than his Subjects are, will govern them with much the greater Juftice.

Neither is Credulity a Gift of Heaven. To believe without Proof, is to abandon Reason;

dom.

Reafon; but not to prefume to decide that which is above the Reach of what we know ourselves to be capable of, is Wif A Man of the common People, lets thofe, who think they have more Sense than he, difpute, without troubling him, felf to make them agree, and without en deavouring, by rash Affertions or Negati ons, to ftrengthen a Party.

Taught half by Reafon, half by mere Decay,
We welcome Death, and calmly pass away.

If there be a ruling Paffion in Man, it is the Defire of Life. Mr. Pope in this Place thinks fit to fubject it to Reason, whose Weakness he had before established. There are People who are terribly afraid of Death notwithstanding these two Affiftances, and there are a great Number whofe Fears the Sentiments of Religion alone are able to remove. But Mr Pope has not thought fit to celebrate this valuable Prefent in his Poem; he there celebrates our Weakneffes, our very Vices difguifed under the Name of Virtues; and it was not fit that Religion hou'd be put upon a Level with them.

Whate'er

Whate'er the Paffion

33

v. 251.

Not one will change his Neighbour with himself.

THESE Expreffions are equivocal: No. Man that confiders what he fays wou'd change himself for another, that is to fay, ceafe to be himself in order to become another, for what Advantage wou'd he gain from fuch a Change? Ceafing to be himself, he wou'd ceafe to be; but as to Circumstances, nothing is more common than to fee People difcontented with their own Condition, and admiring that of others. Mr Pope is a great Poet, and therefore I am perfuaded he has a great regard for Horace, who has fo elegantly declared this Truth in his Verfes. So Mr Pope will not convince us by the Force of Antithefes, though to augment the Number of them he makes a Collection of Madmen;

The Sot a Hero, Lunatic a King. v. 258.

THERE does not seem to me any thing

to draw this Confequence from,

See! Some Strange Comfort every State attend.

This pretended Fact is contrary to Experience, and in fome of these Comforts there wou'd be more Folly than Wonder, and we shou'd be rather to be pitied than congratulated. Here feems to me to be one truly folid and rational: It is neceffary for Mankind, that those who compose it shou'd be divided into several Profeffions. A low Mechanick, a Shepherd, or Labourer may fay, There are fome Profeffions, more fhining than mine, but I had not a Capacity of attaining to them, and the great Governor of Men is as well pleased with me, if I discharge that which is fallen to my Share with Diligence and Fidelity, as if I was ferviceable to Mankind in a higher Rank, of which, perhaps, I might not acquit my felf so well.

'Tis thus too that Envy and Emulation are not the Gifts of God, especially Envy, which Mr Pope joins with Emulation, tho' they are very different: Providence however directs them to good Effects, but thefe Effects might flow more pure and more abundant from another Source. An honeft Man fees another of the fame Profeffion work induftriously,

and