Ana ail her paffage to the Realms of Reft, No Gazetteer more innocent than I And let, a God's-name, ev'ry Fool and Knave 85 Be grac'd thro' Life, and flatter'd in his Grave. F. Why fo? if Satire knows its Time and Place, You ftill may lash the greatest-in Disgrace : For Merit will by turns forfake them all; Would you know when? exactly when they fall. But let all Satire in all Changes spare Immortal S-k, and grave De- -re. 91 NOTES. "but all her domeftic fervants, and those nearest her, give "her the beft teftimony, that of fincere tears." ་་ VER. 84. No Gazetteer more innocent than I.] The Gazetteer is one of the low appendices to the Secretary of State's office; and his bufinefs is to write the Government's new'spaper, published by authority. Sir Richard Steel for fome time had this poft; and he defcribes the condition of it very well, in the Apology for himself and his writings: "My next appearance as a writer was in the quality of the lowest Mi"nister of State, to wit, in the office of Gazetteer; where I "worked faithfully, according to order, without ever erring "against the rule obferved by all Minifters, to keep that paper very innocent and very infipid. It was to the re"proaches I heard every Gazette-day against the writer of "it, that I owe the fortitude of being remarkably negligent "of what People fay, which I do not deferve." VER. 92. Immorta! S-k, and grave De-re!] A title given that Loid by King James II. He was of the Bedcham Silent and foft, as Saints remove to Heav'n, These may fome gentle minifterial Wing 95 Receive, and place for ever near a King! There, where no Paffion, Pride, or Shame tranfport, Lull'd with the fweet Nepenthe of a Court; NOTES. ber to King William; he was fo to King George I. he was fo to King George II. This Lord was very skilful in all the forms of the House, in which he discharged himself with great gravity. P. VER. 97. There, where no Paffion, &c.] The excellent writer De l'Esprit des Loix gives the following character of the Spirit of Courts, and the Principle of Monarchies : "Qu'on life ce que les Hiftoriens de tous les tems on dit fur "la Cour des Monarques; qu'on fe rapelle les conversations "des hommes de tous les Pais fur le miferable caractère des "COURTISANS; ce ne font point des chofes de fpeculation, "mais d'une trifte expérience. L'ambition dans l'oifiveté, "la baffeffe dans l'orgueil, le defir de s'enrichir fans travail, "l'averfion pour la vérité; la flaterie, la trahifon, la perfi"die, l'abandon de tous fes engagements, le mepris "des devoirs du Citoyen, la crainte de la vertu du "Prince, l'efperance de fes foibleffes, et plus, que tous cela, 66 LE RIDICULE PERPETUEL JETTE SUR LA VERTU, font, "je crois, le Caractére de la plupart des Courtifans marqué "dans tous les lieux et dans tous les tems. Or il est très "mal-aifé que les principaux d'un Etat foient malhonnêtes gens, et que les inferieurs foient gens-de-bien, que ceux"la foient trompeurs, & que ceux-ci confentent à n'être que "dupes. Que fi dans le Peuple il fe trouve quelque malheureux "honnête-homme, le Cardinal de Richelieu dans fon Tefta"ment politique infinue, qu'un Monarque doit fe garder de "s'en fervir. Tant il eft vrai que la Vertu n'eft pas le reffort de ce Gouvernment." There, where no Father's, Brother's, Friend's difgrace Once break their reft, or stir them from their Place: But past the Sense of human Miseries, All Tears are wip'd for ever from all eyes; 100 No cheek is known to blush, no heart to throb, Save when they lofe a Question, or a Job. P. Good Heav'n forbid, that I fhould blast their glory, 105 Who know how like Whig Ministers to Tory, And when three Sov'reigns dy'd, could scarce be vext, Confid'ring what a gracious Prince was next. But shall the Dignity of Vice be lost? VARIATIONS. VER. 112. in fome editions, Who ftarves a Mother NOTES. ΠΙΟ VER. 108. gracious Prince] The ftyle of addreffes on an Acceffion. VER. 113. Virtue, I grant you, is an empty boaft;] A fatirical ambiguity—either that those starve who have it, or Ye Gods! fhall Cibber's Son, without rebuke, 115 Swear like a Lord, or Rich out-whore a Duke? A Fav'rite's Porter with his Mafter vie, Be brib'd as often, and as often lie? Shall Ward draw Contracts with a Statesman's fill? Or Japhet pocket, like his Grace, a Will? 120 Is it for Bond, or Peter, (paltry things) To pay their Debts, or keep their Faith, like Kings? If Blount difpatch'd himself, he play'd the man, And fo may'st thou, illuftrious Pafferan! NOTES. that those who boaft of it, have it not: and both together (he infinuates) make up the prefent ftate of miden virtue. VER. 115. Cibber's Son,-Rich] Two Players: look for them in the Dunciad. P. VER. 123. if Blount] Author of an impious foolish book, called the Oracles of Reajon, who being in love with a near kinfwoman of his, and rejected, gave himself a ftab in the arm as pretending to kill himfelf, of the confequence of which he really died. P. VER. 124. Paeran !] Author of another book of the fame ftamp, called A philofophical Difcourfe on Dea h, being a defence of fuicide. He was a nobleman of Piedmont, banished from his country for his impieties, and lived in the utmost misery, yet feared to practife his own precepts; of which there went a pleasant story about that time. Amongst his pupils, to whom he read in moral philofophy, there was, it feems, a noted Gamefter, who lodged under the fame roof with him. This useful citizen, after a run of ill luck, came one morning early into the Philofopher's bed-chamber with two loaded piftols; and, as Englishmen do not understand VOL. IV. X But shall a Printer, weary of his life, 125 Learn, from their Books, to hang himself and This, this, my friend, I cannot, must not bear; NOTES. raillery in a case of this nature, told the Piedmontefe, on prefenting him with one of his piftols, "that now was come the time to put his doctrine in practice: that as to himself, having loft his laft ftake, he was become an ufeless member in fociety, and fo was refolved to quit his fltation; and that as to him, his guide, philofopher, and friend, furrounded with miferies, the outcast of government, and the sport even of that Chance which he adored, he doubtlefs would rejoice for fuch an opportunity to bear him company." All this was faid and dore with fo much refolution and folemnity, that the Italian found himself under a neceffity to cry out Murder; which brought in Company to his relief.-This unhappy man at last died a penitent. VER. 125. But shall a Printer, &c.] A fact that happened in London, a few years paft. The unhappy man left behind him a paper justifying his action by the reafonings of fome of thefe Authors. P. VER. 129. This calls the Church to deprecate our Sin,] Alluding to the Forms of Prayer, compofed in the times of public calamity and diftrefs; where the fault is generally laid upon the Perple. VER. 120. Gin.] A fpirituous liquor, the exorbitant ufe of which had almoft deftroyed the lowest rank of the People, till it was reftrained by an act of Parliament in 1736. P. VER. 131. Let med ft FOSTER,] This confirms an obfervation which Mr. Hobbes made long ago, That there be very |