At half mankind when gen'rous Manly raves, All know 'tis Virtue, for he thinks them knaves: When universal homage Umbra pays, All fee 'tis Vice, and itch of vulgar praise. 60 When Flatt'ry glares, all hate it in a Queen, COMMENTARY. plain-dealing of the other.-The Reader fees this objection is more particularly level'd at the doctrine of ✯ 23. Our depths who fathoms, and our shallows finds? for it here endeavours to prove, that both are equally explorable. VER. 63. But thefe plain Characters &c.] To this objection, therefore, our author replies (from 60 to 67) that indeed the fact may be true in the inftances given, but that fuch plain characters are extremely rare: And for the truth of this, he not only appeals to experience, but explains the caufes of it: 1. The First of which is, the vivacity of the Imagination; for that when the bias of the Paffions is enough determined to mark out the Character, yet then, as the vigour of the Fancy generally rifes in proportion to the strength of the Appetites, the one no fooner directs the bias, than the other reverses it, Tho' ftrong the bent, yet quick the turns of mind. 2. A Second caufe is the contrariety of Appetites, which drawing feveral ways, as Avarice and Luxury, Ambition and Indolence, &c. they muft needs make the fame Character inconfiftent to itfelf, and confequently inexplicable to the obferver, Or puzzling Contraries confound the whole. VER. 66. Or Affectations &c.] 3. A Third caufe is Affectation, The Dull, flat Falfhood ferves, for policy; And in the Cunning, Truth itself's a lye: 70 See the fame man, in vigour, in the gout; Alone, in company; in place, or out; Early at Bus'nefs, and at Hazard late; Mad at a Fox-chace, wife at a Debate; Catius is ever moral, ever grave, COMMENTARY. 75 80 that afpires to qualities, which neither nature nor education has given us, and which, confequently, neither art nor ufe will ever render graceful or becoming. On this account it is, he well obferves, that Affectation reverses the foul; other natural passions may indeed turn it from that bias which the ruling one has given it; but the affected paffions distort all its faculties, and cramp all its operations; fo that it acts with the fame constraint that a tumbler walks upon his hands. VER. 69. Unthought-of frailties &c.] 4. A Fourth caufe lies in the Inequalities in the human mind, which expofe the wife to unexpected frailties, and conduct the weak to as unlooked for wisdom. VER. 71. See the fame man, &c.] Of all thefe Four caufes he here gives examples: 1. Of the vivacity of the Imagination (from 71 to 77)-2. Of the contrariety of Appetites (from 76 to 81) 3. Of Affetation (from 80 to 87) - and 4. Of the Inequalities of the human mind (from 86 to 95.) 85 Who would not praise Patritio's high desert, His hand unstain'd, his uncorrupted heart, His comprehenfive head! all Int'refts weigh'd, All Europe fav'd, yet Britain not betray'd. He thanks you not, his pride is in Picquette, New-market-fame, and judgment at a Bett. What made (fayMontagne, or more fage Charron!) Otho a warrior, Cromwell a buffoon ? A perjur'd Prince a leaden Saint revere, A godless Regent tremble at a Star? VARIATIONS. After 86. in the former Editions, Triumphant leaders, at an army's head, Hemm'd round with glories, pilfer cloth or bread; NOTES. VER. 81. Patritio] Lord G-n. VER. 87.-fay Montagne, or more fage Charron!] Charron was an admirer of Montagne; had contracted a ftrict friendfhip with him; and has tranfferred an infinite number of his thoughts into his famous book De la Sageffe; but his moderating every-where the extravagant Pyrrhonism of his friend, is the reafon why the poet calls him more fage Char ron. 90 VER. 89. Aperjur'd-Prince] Louis XI. of France, wore in his Hat a leaden image of the Virgin Mary, which when he fwore by, he feared to break his oath. P. VER. 90. A godless Regent tremble at a Star?] Philip Duke of Orleans, Regent of France in the minority of Louis XV. fuperftitious in judicial aftrology, tho' an unbeliever in all religion. The fame has been obferved of many other Politicians. The The throne a Bigot keep, a Genius quit, Faithless thro' Piety, and dup'd thro' Wit? NOTES. Italians, in general, are not more noted for their refined Politics than for their attachment to the dotages of Aftrology. It may be worth while to enquire into the cause of fo fingular a phenomenon, as it may probably do honour to Religion. These men obferving (and none have equal opportunities of fo dojng) how perpetually public events fall out befides their expectation, and contrary to the beft-laid schemes of worldly policy, cannot but confefs that human affairs are ordered by fome power extrinfical. To acknowledge a God and his Providence would be next to Such in those moments as in all the past, VER. 91. The throne a Bigot keep, a Genius quit,] Philip V. of Spain, who, after renouncing the throne for Religion, refumed it to gratify his Queen; and Victor Amadeus II. King of Sardinia, who refigned the crown, and trying to reaffume it, was im | prifoned till his death. P. per VER. 93. Europe a Woman, Child, and Dotard rule,-And just her ableft monarch made a fool?] The Czarina, the King of France, the Pope, and the abovementioned King of Sardinia. I Know, GoD and NATURE only are the fame : In Man, the judgment shoots at flying game, A bird of paffage! gone as foon as found, 96 Would from th'apparent What conclude the Why, COMM OMMENTARY. VER. 95. Know, God and Nature &c.] Having thus proved what he had propofed, the premises naturally lead him into a moral reflexion, with which he concludes his first part, namely, that conftancy is to be expected in no human Character whatfoever, but to be found only in God and his Laws: That as to Man, he is not only perpetually fhifting and varying, even while within the verge of his own nature; but is frequently flying out into each extreme both above and below it: Now affociating in good earneft with Brutes; and now again affecting the imaginary conversation of Angels [See Essay on Man, Ep. ii. † 8.] A bird of paffage! gone as foon as found, Now in the Moon perhaps, now under ground. II. VER. 99. In vain the Sage, &c.] The author having fhewn the difficulties in coming to the Knowledge and true Characters of men, enters now upon the fecond divifion of his Poem, which is of the wrong means that both Philofophers and Men of the world NOTES. VER. 95. Know, God and Nature &c.] By Nature is not here meant any imaginary fubftitute of God, called a Plaftic nature; but his moral laws : And this obfervation was inferted with great propriety and discretion, in the conclufion of a long detail of the various characters of men: For, from this circumftance, Montagne and others have been bold enough to infinuate, that morality is founded more in custom and fashion than in the nature of things. The speaking therefore of a moral law of God as having all the conftancy and durability of his Effence, had an high expediency in this place. |