And hail her paffage to the Realms of Rest, All Parts perform'd, and all her Children bleft! So-Satire is no more--I feel it die No Gazetteer more innocent than I -- 141 And let, a God's-name, ev'ry Fool and Knave 85 NOTES. "that afterwards he might have fuch eyes himfelfe. For indeed, as Austin witneffeth, THERE IS MORE GOOD TO BE "DONE with fighing than with speaking, with weeping than with "with words. Plus gemitibus quam fermonibus, plus fletu << quam affatu." VER. 75. As, tho' the Pride of Middleton] i. e. though fo able a judge as Dr. Middleton himself should approve the Latinity, I fay it is bad and barbarous. VER. 76. All Boys may read, and Girls may understand!] i. e. full of fchool-book phrafes and Anglicifms. VER. 78. Nation's Senfe;] The cant of Politics at that time. VER. 80. Carolina] Queen confort to King George II. She died in 1737. Her death gave occafion, as is obferved above, to many indiscreet and mean performances unworthy of her memory, whose last moments manifested the utmost courage and refolution. P. How highly our Poet thought of that truly great perfonage may be seen by one of his letters to Mr. Allen, written at that time; in which, amongst others, equally respectful, are the following words: "The Queen fhewed, by the confeffion of "all about her, the utmoft firmnefs and temper to her last "moments, and through the courfe of great torments. What "character hiftorians will allow her, I do not know; but all her domestic fervants, and thofe nearcft her, give her the "beft teftimony, that of fincere tears." VER. 84. No Gazetteer more innocent than I.] The Gazet 300 You grow correct, that once with Rapture writ, 5 Why now, this moment, don't I fee you fteal? 'Tis all from Horace; Horace long before ye Said, "Tories call'd himWhig, and Whigs a Tory;" And taught his Romans, in much better metre, "To laugh at Fools who put their truft in Peter." I I But Horace, Sir, was delicate, was nice; Bubo obferves, he lash'd no fort of Vice: Horace would fay, Sir Billy ferv'd the Crown, Blunt could do Bus'nefs, H-ggins knew the Town; VARIATIONS. P. Sir, what I write, fhould be correctly writ. NOTES. VER. 9. And taught his Romans, in much better metre, laugh at Fools who put their trust in Peter."] The general turn of the thought is from Boileau, Avant lui, Juvénal avoit dit en Latin, Qu'on eft affis à l'aise aux fermons de Cotin. But the irony in the first line, and the fatirical equivoque in the fecond, mark them for his own. His making the objector fay, that Horace excelled him in writing verfe, is pleafant. And the ambiguity of putting their trust in Peter, infinuates that Horace and he had frequently laughed at that fpecific folly, arifing from indolence, which still difpofes men to intruft their spiritual and temporal concerns to the abfolute difpofal of any fanctified or unfanctified cheat, bearing the name of PETER. VER. 12. Bubo obferves,] Some guilty perfon very fond of making fuch an obfervation. P. In Sappho touch the Failings of the Sex, 15 21 Could please at Court, and make AUGUSTUS fmile: NOTES. VER. 14. H-ggins] Formerly Jaylor of the Fleet prifon, enriched himself by many exactions, for which he was tried and expelled. P. VER. 18. Who cropt our Ears,] Said to be executed by the Captain of a Spanish fhip on one Jenkins a Captain of an English one. He cut off his ears, and bid him carry them to the King his master. VER. 22. Screen.] Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico P. Tangit, et admiffus circum præcordia ludit Perf. P. Ibid. Screen.] A metaphor peculiarly appropriated to a certain perfon in power. P. VER. 24. Patriots there are, &c.] This appellation was ge nerally given to thofe in oppofition to the Court. Though fome of them (which our author hints at) had views too mean and interested to deserve that name. VER. 26. The Great man] A phrafe, by common use, appropriated to the first minifter. P. P. P. See Sir ROBERT!--- hum -- And never laugh--- for all my life to come? NOTES. VER. 29. Seen him I have, etc.] This and other strokes of commendation in the following poem, as well as his regard to him on all occafions, were in acknowledgment of a certain fervice the Minifter had done a Prieft at Mr. Pope's folicitation. Our Poet, when he was about feventeen, had a very ill fever in the country, which, it was feared, would end fatally. In this condition, he wrote to Southcot, a Priest of his acquaintance, then in town, to take his last leave of him. Southcot with great affection and folicitude applied to Dr. Radcliffe for his advice. And not content with that, he rode down poft, to Mr. Pope, who was then an hundred miles from London, with the Doctor's directions; which had the defired effect. A long time after this, Southcot, who had an intereft in the Court of France, writing to a common acquaintance in England, informed him that there was a good abbey near Avignon, which he had credit enough to get, were it not from an apprehenfion that his promotion would give umbrage to the English Court, to which he (Southcot) by his intrigues in the Pretender's fervice, was become very obnoxious. The perfon to whom this was written happening to acquaint Mr. Pope with the cafe, he immediately wrote to Sir Robert Walpole about it; begged that this embargo might be taken off; and acquainted him with the grounds of folicitation: That he was indebted to Southcot for his life, and he muft difcharge his obligation, either here or in purgatory. The Minifter received the application favourably, and with much good-nature wrote to his brother, then in France, to remove this obftruction. In confequence of which Southcot got the abbey. Mr. Pope ever after retained a grateful fenfe of his civility. VER. 31. Seen him, uncumber'd] Thefe two verfes were Would he oblige me? let me only find, He does not think me what he thinks mankind. Come, come, at all I laugh he laughs, no doubt; The only diff'rence is, I dare laugh out. 36 F.Why yes: with Scripture ftill you may be free; A Horse-laugh, if you please, at Honefty; A Joke on JEKYL, or fome odd Old Whig Who never chang'd his Principle, or Wig: 40 NOTES. originally in the poem, though omitted in all the firft editions. P. VER. 34. what he thinks mankind.] This requeft feems fomewhat abfurd: but not more fo than the principle it refers to. That great Minifter, it seems, thought all mankind Rogues; and that every one had his price. It was ufually given as a proof of his penetration, and extenfive knowledge of the world. Others perhaps would think it an instance of a narrow underftanding, that, from a few of Rochefaucault's maxims, and the corrupt practice of those he commonly converfed with, would thus boldly pronounce upon the character of his Species. It is certain, that a Keeper of Newgate, who should make the fame conclufion, would be heartily laughed at. VER. 37. Why yes: with Scripture &c.] A fcribler, whose only chance for reputation is the falling in with the fashion, is apt to employ this infamous expedient for the preservation of his fleeting existence. But a true Genius could not do a foolisher thing, or fooner defeat his own aim. The fage Boileau ufed to fay on this occafion, "Une ouvrage fevere peut bien plaire "aux libertins; mais un ouvrage trop libre ne plaira jamais "aux perfonnes feveres." Ibid. Why yes: with Scripture ftill you may be free;] Thus the Man commonly called Mother Ofborn, who was in the Minifter's pay, and wrote Journals; for one Paper in behalf of Sir Robert, had frequently two against J. C. VER. 39. A Joke on Jekyl,] Sir Jofeph Jekyl, Mafter of the Rolls, a true Whig in his principles, and a man of the utmost 4. |