"its final refidence, and concludes the progrefs." If this had been written after the Poem, it would have passed for an abridgement of it-perhaps, Prior's calling it the Progress of the mind, might have been occafioned by the laft word of the quotation. Befides taking Montaigne's ideas as the plan of his Poem, he has verfified the above paffage as a profpectus of the whole defign.

My fimple fyftem fhall suppose,
That Alma enters at the toes;
That then fhe mounts by just degrees,
Up to the ancles, legs, and knees;
Next, as the fap of life does rise,
She lends her vigor to the thighs:
And, all these under-regions past,
She neftles fomewhere near the wafte:
Gives pain or pleasure, grief or laughter;
As we shall show at large hereafter.
Mature, if not improv'd, by time,
Up to the heart fhe loves to climb:
From thence, compell'd by craft and age,
She makes the head her latest stage.

It has been often faid, that Voltaire is much obliged to English literature-he

is fo, but then it is in fuch a fort as to do honour to the fources of his imitation.

Who but himself could have made the following paffages fo dexterously his own?

"There is a tall long-fided dame
(But wondrous light) ycleped Fame

*

Two trumpets fhe does found at once,
But both of clean contrary tones;
But whether both with the same wind,
Or one before and one behind,
&c. &c."

HUDIBRAS.

"La Renommèe a toujours deux Trompettes,
L'une à fa bouche appliquée à propos,

Va celebrant les Exploits des Heros,

L'autre eft au cu"

LA PUCELLE.

As an owl that's in the barn

Sees a mouse creeping in the corn,

Sits ftill, and shuts his round blue eyes
As if he flept, until he spies

The little beast within his reach,

Then starts, and seizes on the wretch.

HUDIBRAS.

"Ainfi qu'un chat qui, d'un regard avide
Guette au paffage une fouris timide,
Marchant tout doux, la terre ne fent pas
L'Impreffion de ces pieds delicats,
Dés qu'il l'a vue, il a fautè fur elle."

LA PUCELLE.

The thievery of a fool is never excused, because no one can return the compliment; but, we pardon a genius, because if he takes, he is qualified to give in return. The great natural poffeffions of Sterne, Prior, and Voltaire, will afford ample resources to those of their fucceffors who have abilities to make re

prifals.

S

On

On Pope's Epitaphs.

"If there is any writer whofe genius can embellish impropriety, and whofe authority can make error venerable, his works are the proper objects of critical inquifition."

RAMBLER, No. 139.

AN endeavour to restore fame where it has been taken away, is a pleafing employment; but if it be neceffarily connected with the fame fault in yourself which you wish to correct in another, there feems caufe for at least as much pain as pleasure.

I am in this very predicament-and hope my intention to reinstate a poet in his ancient honours, will be held as an equivalent to any juft motive which may be affigned for abating the credit of his critic-I wish the one could be done with

out

out the other—and must beg to have it remembered, that this is not an attack upon Johnson, but a vindication of Pope.

The defire of having a dead friend remembered by a good Epitaph, occafions frequent applications to those poets who enjoy public reputation, which they are expected to comply with, as if answering a demand for a commodity in which they dealt. Pope, I believe, had nothing of this fort to difpofe of, unless his heart very powerfully seconded the application -in consequence, his Epitaphs have generally a pathetic caft, and feem rather intended to affect our feelings, than to be objects of criticism. Dr. Johnfon thought differently-my intention is to hypercriticize his criticism. Where I could abridge his remarks without prejudice to the fenfe, I have done it. The Epitaphs for the most part could not be abridged; which forces me to tranfcribe (what I would willingly have avoided) lines fo well

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