A judge is just, a chancellor juster still; trate: "Tis education forms the common mind; Ask men's opinions: Scoto now shall tell How trade increases, and the world goes well: Strike off his pension, by the setting sun, 160 And Britain, if not Europe, is undone. That gay free-thinker, a fine talker once, Judge we by nature ? habit can efface, 170 Find, if you can, in what you cannot change. Manners with fortunes, humours turn with climes, Tenets with books, and principles with times. III. Search then the ruling passion : There, alone, The wild are constant, and the cunning known; The fool consistent, and the false sincere ; Priests, princes, women, no dissemblers here. This clew once found unravels all the rest, 180 190 And now the punk applaud, and now the friar. Thus with each gift of nature and of art, And wanting nothing but an honest heart; Grown all to all, from no one vice exempt, And most contemptible, to shun contempt; His passion still, to covet general praise ; His life, to forfeit it a thousand ways; A constant bounty, which no friend has made; An angel tongue, which no man can persuade; A fool, with more of wit than half mankind, 200 Too rash for thought, for action too refined : A tyrant to the wife his heart approves; A rebel to the very king he loves; He dies, sad outcast of his church and state, And harder still! flagitious, yet not great. Ask you why Wharton broke through every rule? 'Twas all for fear the knaves should call him fool. Nature well known, no prodigies remain, Comets are regular, and Wharton plain. Yet, in this search, the wisest may mistake, 210 If second qualities for first they take. When Catiline by rapine swelld his store ; When Cæsar made a poble dame a whore; In this the lust, in that the avarice, Were means, not ends; ambition was the vice, That very Cæsar, born in Scipio's days, Had aim'd, like him, by chastity, at praise. Lucullus, when frugality could charm, Had roasted turnips in the Sabine farm. 230 In vain th' observer eyes the builder's toil, 220 In this one passion man can strength enjoy, Old politicians chew on wisdom past, Behold a reverend sire, whom want of grace A salmon's belly, Helluo, was thy fate; The frugal crone, whom praying priests attend, • Odious ! in woollen ! 'twould a saint provoke,' Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke; No, let a charming chintz and Brussels lace Wrap my cold limbs, and shade my lifeless face : One would not, sure, be frightful when one's deadAnd-Betty-give this cheek a little red.' 251 The courtier smooth, who forty years had shined An humble servant to all human-kind, Just brought out this, when scarce his tongue could *If-where I'm going--I could serve you, sir! (stir, I give and I devise,' old Euclio said, And sigh'd, 'my lands and tenements to Ned.' • Your money, sir ? – My money, sir, what all? Why,–If I must—then wept, ' I give it Paul.' •The manor, sir?'- The manor! hold,' he cried, 260 Not that,-- I cannot part with that,'-and died. And you ! brave Cobham, to the latest breath, Shall feel your ruling passion strong in death : Such in those moments as in all the past, Oh, save my country, Heaven !' shall be your last. EPISTLE II, TO A LADY. ARGUMENT. of the Characters of Women. That the particular characters of women are not so strongly marked as those of men, seldom so fixed, and still more inconsistent with themselves, ver. 1, &c. Instances of contrarieties given, even from such characters as are more strongly marked, and seemingly, therefore, most consistent: as, 1. In the affected.-2. In the soft-natured.-3. In the cunning and artful.-4. In the whimsical.-5. In the lewd and vicious.-C. In the witty and refined.-7. In the stupid and simple, ver. 21 to 207. The former part having shewn that the particular characters of women are more various than those of men, it is nevertheless observed that the general characteristic of the sex, as to the raling passion, is more uniform, ver. 207. This is occasioned partly by their nature, partly by their education, and in some degree by necessity, ver. 211.' What are the aims and the fate of this sex :-1, As to power.-2. As to pleasure, ver. 219.-Advice for their true interest.-- The picture of an estimable woman, with the best kiud of contrarieties, ver. 249 to the end There is nothing in Mr. Pope's works more highly finished than this epistle ; yet its success was in no proportion to the pains he took in composing it. Something he chanced to drop in a short advertisement prefixed to it on its first pub. lication, may, perhaps, account for the small attention given to it. He said that no one character in it was drawn from the life. The public believed him on his word, and expressed little curiosity about a satire, in which there was nothing personal. NOTAING so true as what you once let fall, . Most women have no characters at all.' Matter tou soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguish'd by black, brown, or fair. How many pictures of one nymph we view, Here Fannia, leering on her own good man, 10 Come then, the colours and the ground prepare! Rufa, whose eye, quick glancing o'er the park, How soft is Silią! fearful to offend; Papilia, wedded to her amorous spark, Ladies, like variegated tulips, shew, 50 |