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fee the Manner and the Motive; for what we hear is generally fpoke according to the Rank that Men fill in the World, as Shakespear fays, That what in the General is but a hafty Word, is in the Soldier's Mouth flat Blafphemy, fo as it takes from the Blacknefs and Infamy of any Perfon to be great, it adds confiderably to the Luftre of those who are great, with any Degree of Goodness or Defert.

A Saint in Crape is twice a Saint in Lawn; A Judge is juft, a Chanc❜lor juster ftill; A Gownman learn'd; a Bishop, what you will: Wife, if a Minifter; but if a King, [Thing More wife, more learn'd, more juft, more ev'ry

That we may not seem to draw a Picture without Fault, we beg Leave here to censure that Opinion of Mr. Pope's which here afferts, that all Mankind bring into the World, or receive at the Moment of their Birth, (this, indeed, he softens with perhaps) a Disease of their Mind, which he calls the ruling Paffion, and always feems very fond of difcourfing of it; he fays, all that fhould feed either Body or Soul flies to it, whether it be what warms the Heart or fills the Head, to which Imagination likewife lends all her Helps, and the more Wit, Faculties, or Spirit, the Man has, it only makes this Paffion ftronger, even Reason itself, he fays helps it; now this being quite contrary to our Sentiments of Philofophy, we fhall leave Mr. Wn to defend it, with his ufual Perfpicuity, and Soundnefs of Thinking, not doubting but at laft, the World will be convinc'd of that Gentleman's Force of Argument, and that Commentations will be wrote on his Commentations. Mr. Pope endeavours to give fome Examples of this ruling Paffion, which only ferve to prove, that many

die in the fame Habit of Mind they have liv'd; that Description of the dying Miser making his Will, is very humorous:

"I give and devife (old Euclio faid,

And figh'd) 66 my Your Money, Sir?" My Money, Sir ! what all? "Why-if I must-(then wept) I give it Paul." The Mannor, Sir? The Mannor! hold, he cry'd, "Not that- I cannot part with that”—and dy’d.

Lands and Tenements to Ned."

From this Notion of the ruling Paffion, he takes Occafion to make a fine prophetical Compliment (very poffibly true) to the Noble, Brave, and Patriot Lord, to whom the Epiftle was addrefs'd:

And you! brave COBHAM, to the latest Breath, Shall feel your ruling Passion strong in Death : Such in thofe Moments, as in all the past, "Oh fave my Country, Heav'n !" shall be your last.

The Friendship of this Nobleman increas'd with Mr. Pope, after a certain Change in the Army, about ten or eleven Years ago, and continued without Interruption, notwithstanding a fresh Alteration, so that we must still infift upon it, that our Author never loft any Friends, by their being more or less in Favour at Court, neither did he ever feem fond of any Foreigners, let them be of what Religion they might, as of his own Countrymen, always a Difcourager of Italian Operas, always a Promoter of English Senfe, and fo particular in Regard to the Manufactures of England, that when he us'd Things of foreign Factory or Growth, he would often fayPardon me my Country, I offend but feldom.

This Epiftle of the Characters of Men, which we

think the worst of the Ethicks, and liable to fome Exception, efcap'd the Verfificating Ninnyhammers fpoke of in the Dunciad.

Being naturally now led to the Epiftle of the Characters of Women, which is a Corollary to the other Epiftle; we heg Pardon of our Readers, being refoly'd to make no Quotations from it that may offend the Fair, to whom we bear a more tender Regard, than to repeat, what is enough that it has been once faid. Mr Pope, as we imagine, took the Liberty to addrefs it to Mrs. Blount, though fome few Lines in it may feem to the contrary: She is a Lady to whom Mr. Pope has had an uncommon Refpect and Regard for many Years; he had a very early Acquaintance with her, and foon diftinguifhed her from the Croud, by a Letter he wrote in Verfe, which he sent to her with the Works of Voiture, in which he compares her to Madamoiselle Paulet, the first Favourite of that French Wit, and imagines him plac'd in the Elyfian Fields, while he beholds her perufing his Lines, at the fame Time confeffing her fairer than the Rambouillet. Soon after the Coronation, this young Lady was oblig❜d to leave the Town, and in that Time of Abfence, Mr. Pope firft felt how uneafy it was, to live without the Sight and Company of the Perfon that takes up moft of our Thoughts, nor that he imagin'd their Friendship would ever be carried to fuch Heights as it afterwards was; a young Lady in the very Bloom of her Youth, Miftrefs of fuch agreeable Qualifications, both acquir'd and natural, it might have been thought would have been too vain and fickle to remain long in one Mind, as to Profeffions of Friendship, of how little Value are they in common among Men? Few Women are capable, that is, have Conftancy enough, to abide long by any Refolution, as yet none was made, it was only

the

the Hope and Wish of our Author, that he might be fix'd in the fame Degree of Efteem with that Lady, as fhe was with him, though as yet fhe knew of no particular Regard he had for her; the imagin'd his Civility arofe from his Youth, Complaifance to her Sex, and Respect to her Family, all which were us'd as Pleas for more frequent Opportunities of converfing with her; but this was now put an End to for the present, if she went a little unwillingly from the Town it is no Wonder, for fhe was a great Admirer of Mufick, and the publick Diverfions, (as moft at the Age fhe was then at do) and the Place she went to was as retir'd and little vifited, or less than a Nunnery, with no Company in the fcatter'd Neighbourhood, that could give the leaft Relief to the Solitude: On the contrary, Mr. Pope, who could with great Delight have enjoy'd that very Solitude, (without enquiring who was his Neighbours) was by reafon of tranfacting fome Affairs, under an Obligation of being in Town: He conceal'd his real Concern for this Separation, and wrote Mifs Blount a Letter, being the fecond he had wrote to her in Verfe, wherein he confeffes, (without feeming te do it formally) that she is seldom or ever out of his Thoughts: It has a great deal of Livelinefs and Spirit in it, and is very fine Poetry, though he has taken the Liberty (a poetical Liberty perhaps rather too great in a Poem of this Kind) of making Use of double Rhymes in more Places than one; to be fure it gives a greater Air of Freedom, but then it takes from the Exactnefs, the Neatnefs he fhould have appear'd in before that Lady. However, gentle Reader, judge thou.

A

S fome fond Virgin, whom her Mother's Care
Drags from the Town to wholfom Country Air,

Juft

Juft when she learns to roll a melting Eye,
And hear a Spark, yet think no Danger nigh;
From the dear Man unwilling fhe must fever,
Yet takes one Kifs before fhe parts for ever.
Thus from the World fair Zephalinda flew,
Saw others happy, and with Sighs withdrew;
Not that their Pleafures caus'd her Difcontent,
She figh'd not that they stay'd, but that she went.
She went to Plain-work and to purling Brooks,
Old fashion'd Halls, dull Aunts, and croaking Rooks,
She went from Op'ra, Park, Affembly, Play,
To Morning Walks, and Pray'rs three Hours a Day;
To part her Time 'twixt Reading and Bohea,
To mufe, and fpill her folitary Tea,

Or o'er cold Coffee trifle with the Spoon,
Count the flow Clock, and dine exact at Noon;
Divert her Eyes with Pictures in the Fire,
Hum half a Tune, tell Stories to the Squire ;
Up to her godly Garret after fev❜n,

There ftarve and pray, for that's the Way to Heav'n.
Some Squire, perhaps, you take Delight to rack;
Whofe Game is Whisk, whofe Treat a Toaft in Sack,
Who vifits with a Gun, presents you Birds,

Then gives a fmacking Bufs, and cries-No Words!
Or with his Hound comes hallowing from the Stable,
Makes Love with Nods, and kneels beneath a Table;
Whofe Laughs are hearty, tho' his Jefts are coarse,
And loves you beft of all Things-but his Horse.

In fome fair Evening, on your Elbow laid,
You dream of Triumphs in the rural Shade,
In penfive Thought recall the fancy'd Scene,
See Coronations rife on ev'ry Green,
Before you pass th' imaginary Sights

Of Lords, and Earls, and Dukes, and garter'dKnights
While the spread Fan o'erfhades your clofing Eyes;
Then give one Flirt, and all the Vifion flies:

Thus

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