among the Tories, which occafioned the author of a piece, intitled A Key to the Lock, whimsically to maintain, that the Rape of the Lock was an allegorical poem, written with a view to expofe and ridicule that treaty: And taking it for granted, that, by the Lock, the treaty was to be understood, he very readily adapted every part to fquare with this poftulatum.

The fame of this poem, together with the agreeable nature of the fubject, tempted many witlings and poetafters to play with the favourite Lock, and exercife their little talents for double entendre. Thefe fugitive Effays, the offsprings of a weak judgment and a prurient imagination, are defervedly forgotten. But the reader probably will not be difpleafed with the following lines, which have something lively in them, though not very poetical, and have never yet, that I know of, been made public.

To Belinda, upon the Rape of the Lock.

"Pleas'd in thefe lines, Belinda, you may view "How things are priz'd which once belong'd " to you.

"If on fome meaner head, this Lock had grown,

"The Nymph defpis'd, the Rape had been "unknown.

This piece of pleafantry was penned by Mr. POPE himself.

"But what concerns the Valiant, and the Fair, "The Mufe afferts as her peculiar care. "Thus Helen's Rape, and Menelaus' wrong, "Became the fubject of Great Homer's fong. "And loft in antient times, the golden Fleece "Was rais'd to Fame by all the Wits of "Greece.

"But yet if fome, with Malice more than "Wit,

"Will needs mifconftrue what the Poet writ; "Deem it but Scandal which the jealous raise, "To blaft his Fame, and to detract your Praise. "Too bright your Form, and too renown'd "his Song,

"Not to draw Envy from the bafer throng. "Whose minds, I know not by what awk"ward fate,

"Like eyes a-fquint, look every way but "ftraight.

ແ Nature, to your undoing, arms mankind "With ftrength of body, artifice of mind; "But gives your feeble Sex, made up of Fears, "No guard but Virtue, no redress but Tears. "Yet cuftom (feldom to your favour gain'd) "Abfolves the Virgin, when by force con"ftrain'd.

"Thus Lucrece lives unblemish'd in her Fame, Abright example of young Tarquin's shame. "Such Praife is yours---And fuch shall you poffefs,

"Your Virtue equal, tho' your Lofs be lefs. "Then fiile, Belinda, at reproachful Tongues, "Still warm our Hearts, and ftill infpire our "Songs;

" But

"But would your Charms to diftant times ex"tend;

"Let Kneller paint them, and let POPE com"mend."

Mr. POPE's next poetical compofition, was an Effay to the memory of an unfortunate Lady, which came warm from the heart, and does honour to his fenfibility.

This lady is fuppofed to have been the fame perfon, to whom the Duke of Buckingham addreffed fome lines on her intentions of retiring into a monastery, which defign is also hinted at in one of Mr. POPE's Letters, where he fays, addreffing himself, as it is prefumed, to this very perfon: "If you are refolved, in revenge "to rob the world of fo much example as you may afford it, I believe your design will be vain: for even in a monaftery, your devo❝tions cannot carry you fo far towards the next "world, as to make this lofe fight of you: "but you will be like a ftar, that, while it is "fixed in heaven, fhines over all the earth. "Wherefoever providence fhall difpofe of the "moft valuable thing I know, I fhall ever fol"low you with my fincereft wishes; and my "best thoughts will be perpetually waiting upon “ you, when you never hear of me or them. "Your own guardian angels cannot be more "conftant or more filent."

This unfortunate lady, as Mr. POPE very properly calls her, was diftinguished by her rank, fortung

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fortune and beauty, and was committed to the guardianship of an uncle, who gave her an education fuitable to her expectations; but while she was yet very young, he was fuppofed to have entertained a partiality for a young gentleman of inferior degree, which occafioned her to refuse a match which her guardian proposed to her.

It was not long before her correspondence with this gentleman was discovered by means of fpies, whoin her guardian had employed to watch over her conduct, and when he upbraided her with this fecret intercourfe, fhe had too much truth and honour to deny the charge.

The uncle, finding her affections fo rooted, that he had not power to withdraw them, forced her abroad, where he was received with the refpect due to her quality, but confined from the fight of every one but the dependants of this rigid guardian.

Her defpondent lover tranfmitted feveral letters on the faith of repeated affurances, that they would be privately delivered to her, but his hopes were betrayed, and his letters, inftead of being prefented to the object of his affections, were fent to England, and only ferved to render her confinement more frait and fevere.

In this miferable and hopeless condition, the languished a confiderable time in ficknefs and forrow,

forrow, till at length she put an end to her life with a fword which fhe bribed a woman fervant to procure her, and was found yet warm upon the ground.

Being, by the laws of the place, denied Chriftian fepulture, fhe was interred without the least folemnity, being caft into the common earth, without any mournful attendants to perform the laft duties of affection, and only followed by fome young people in the neighbourhood, who beftrewed her grave with flowers.

Such a moving catastrophe might have infpired a favage with fenfibility; but in Mr. POPE it awakened all the power of the Pathos. With what awful folemnity he fuddenly commands our attention, and calls forth all our fympathy, in the very opening, where he fancies to behold the apparition of the bleeding fair.

"What beck'ning Ghost, along the moonlight "fhade

"Invites my steps, and points to yonder glade? "'Tis the !---but why that bleeding bofom gor'd, "Why dimly gleams the vifionary fword? "Oh ever beauteous, ever friendly! tell, "Is it, in heav'n, a crime to love too well? "To bear too tender, or too firm a heart, "To act a Lover's, or a Roman's part? "Is there no bright reverfion in the sky, "For those who greatly think, or bravely die?"