MORAL ESSAYS, IN FOUR EPISTLES TO SEVERAL PERSONS. Eft brevitate opus, ut currat fententia, neu fe HOR. EPISTLE I. то SIR RICHARD TEMPLE, LORD COBHAM. ARGUMENT. Of the Knowledge and Characters of MEN. THAT it is not sufficient for this knowledge to confider Man in the Abstract: Books will not serve the purpose, nor yet our own Experience fingly, Ver. 1. General maxims, unlefs they be formed upon both, will be but notional, Ver. 10. Some peculiarity in every man, characteristic to himself, yet Difficulties arifing from our varying from himself, Ver. 15. own Paffions, Fancies, Faculties, &c. Ver. 31. The fhortness of Life, to observe in, and the uncertainty of the Principles of Action in men, to obferve by, Ver. 37, &c. Our own Principle of action often hid from ourselves, Ver. 41. Some few characters plain, but in general confounded, diffembled, or inconfiftent, Ver. 51. The fame man utterly different in different places and seasons, Ver. 71. Unimaginable weaknesses in the greatest, Ver. 77, &c. Nothing conftant and certain but God and Nature, Ver. 95. No judging of the Motives from the actions; the fame actions proceeding from contrary Motives, and the fame Motives influencing contrary actions, Ver. 100. II. Yet to form Characters, we can only take the strongest actions of a man's life, and try to make them agree: The utter uncer tainty tainty of this, from Nature itself, and from Policy, Ver. 120. Characters given according to the rank of men of the world, Ver. 135. And fome reason for it, Ver. 141. Education alters the Nature, or at least the Character, of many, Ver. 149. Actions, Paffions, Opinions, Manners, Humours, or Principles, all fubject to change. No judging by Nature, from Ver. 158 to 174. III. It only remains to find (if we can) his RULING PASSION: That will certainly influence all the reft, and can reconcile the feeming or real inconfiftency of all his actions, Ver. 175. Inftanced in the extraordinary character of Clodio, Ver. 179. A caution against mistaking fecond qualities for first, which will deftroy all possibility of the knowledge of mankind, Ver. 210. Examples of the Atrength of the Ruling Paffion, and its continuation to the laft breath, Ver. 222, &c. EPISTLE I. Of the Knowledge and Characters of MEN. YES, Who from his study rails at human kind; NOTES. The Epifle I. Of the Knowledge and Charaders of Men.] Whoever compares this with the former editions of the Epiftle, will obferve, that the order and difpofition of the feveral parts are entirely changed and reversed; though with hardly the alteration of a fingle word. When the Editor, at the Author's defire, first examined this epistle, he was surprised to find it contain a number of exquifite obfervations, without order, connection, or dependence but much more fo, when, on an attentive review, he saw, that if the epistle were put into a different form, on an idea he then conceived, it would have all the clearness of method and force of connected reafoning. The Author appeared as much ftruck with the thing as the Editor, and agreed to put the poem into the present order; which has given it all the juftness of a true compofition. The introduction to the epiftle on Riches was in the fame condition, and underwent the fame reform. But this reform is not happily made. W. Moral Effays.] The ESSAY ON MAN was intended to be comprifed in four books: The Firft of which, the Author has given us under that title, in four epiftles. The Second was to have confifted of the fame number: 1. Of the extent and limits of human reafon. 2. Of thofe arts and sciences, and the parts of them which are useful, and therefore attainable; together with those which are unufeful, and therefore unattainable. 3. Of the nature, ends, ufe, and application of the VOL. III. N different |