Prefume not God to fcan. v. 1. &c.

.THIS Stroke falls upon the Leibnitzian Syftem: There never was a more daring one. Its Defenders deny God the Power of giving Being to free and active Intelligences. They conceive him to be under a neceffity of creating fuch a World as we fee, and deprive him of the Freedom of Choice. They make him as well the Author of whatever appears the most fhocking to Human Understanding, as of that which it acknowledges to be the most lovely and eftimable.

The proper Study of Mankind is Man.

Mr. Pope draws, at firft fight, an Idea of this Man, whom he excites us to ftudy; but he clogs this Idea with fo many figurative Terms, he looks upon it in fo many different Lights, he prefents it under fo many Oppofitions, and fo many either real or feeming Contradictions, that his Reader, not daring to hope to unfold it himself, is quite difpofed to give himfelf up to any one who will endeavour to inftruct him.

HE

.

He makes Sir Ifaac Newton appear like an Ape*. He wou'd be in the right, if Man was nothing but a Machine, whose Springs were fet to Work by Foreign Causes. Sir Ifaac Newton had studied Himself, he knew from whence he came, and to what he was appointed; he made this his Employment. Endued with Knowledge, perhaps, without an Equal, his Modefty was as great as his Knowledge, and he was a better Chriftian than an Aftronomer. This is the true Picture that Mr De Fontanelle gives of him.

Two Principles in human Nature reign ;
Self-Love to urge, and Reason to restrain.

I can eafily excufe Mr Pope for having perfonified Self-Love and Reafon, and having presented them as two Parties, and almost two Subftances, which have each their proper Function different from that of the other. Many Authors have made ufe of this Method, and by that Means perplex'd what they propofed to clear. Mr Pope, carried along with the Crowd,

and

And fhew'd a Newton as we fhew an Ape. v. 39;

and his own Fire, is fo little aware of his having rendered himself obfcure, and departed from Exactness, that he confidently infults the Schoolmen, more ftudious to

divide than to unite.

In order to profit by reading him, I have apply'd my felf to feparate my Ideas. Man loves himfelf, and for that Reafon feeks to render himfelf happy. In this Search, when he follows confufed Opinions, he falls into Mistakes; but when he conducts his Steps by clear Ideas, he has no need to repent. Instructed by these clear Ideas, far from reftraining himfelf, he takes Courage. His Ideas make him foresee the future. They bring back, agreeably to his Mind, the Remembrance of the past, which they procured him. They give him a Right to applaud himfelf in the prefent, of which they make him understand and perceive the Value. The better we are acquainted with the Value of any Good, the more earnest are we to procure it before we have it, and when we are in Poffeffion of it, we take the greater Care to keep it, and give ourfelves the Enjoyment of it with the greater Attention

Attention and Perfeverance. In proportion as our Choice, our Endeavours, and our Attachments are lively, they take the Name of Paffions, and these Paffions are more or lefs vehement. They are of great ufe, because they make us endeavour with the greater Ardour and Perfeverance to acquire what we have need of, and what may contribute to our Happinefs and Perfection. But for this End, it is neceffary that the Plans which we form of our Behaviour, and their Executions, fhou'd be founded upon, and directed by clear Ideas, and juft Conclufions. If confufed Ideas, and obfcure Opinions produce our Defires, and direct our Projects, we fhall quit the firft for a fecond, and the fécond for a third, and our Life will be but a Succeffion of flattering Hopes, Repentance, Confufions, imperfect Pleasures, and fuch as are always either accompanied or followed by Inquietudes and Chagrin.

By the Affiftance of this little System, I easily discover, that which Mr Pope has not been diftinct enough in, what we are, what we ought to be, and what we may

arrive

arrive to, if we will endeavour for it. A fcrupulous Exactnefs wou'd not have fuited a Poem, whofe End is as much to furprize as inftruct, to move as well as enlighten. The Reader must be left to the Pleasure of making Reflections, if he thinks fit, and to make a Progrefs himself in the Way which the Author was contented only to open.

As Man, perhaps, the Moment of nis Breath,
Receives the lurking Principle of Death;
The young Difeafe, that must fubdue at length,
Grows with his Growth, and strengthens with
his Strength:

So, caft and mingled with his very Frame,
The Mind's Difeafe, its ruling Paffion came :
V. 123, &c.

POETRY gives an Author the Privilege of not troubling himself about the Juftnefs of Comparifons, it is fufficient for him if they are specious, and, if poffible, new, and by this Character ftrike the Imagination of the Reader more ftrongly. I excufe then thefe fort of Comparisons in a Poet, but fhou'd blame them in a Philofopher.