The poet, in this epiftle, difplays an accurate knowledge of human nature. He appears to have been thoroughly acquainted with the fecret workings of the heart, and the force and influence of the various emotions which contending paffions produce *

Nevertheless, with all it's poetical merit, it is much to be feared that it has done no fervice to the cause of virtue; which it certainly never was the worthy poet's intention to injure. Though, taken all together, the piece conveys a most excellent moral, by fhewing the lamentable distress which attends the indulgence of sensual appetite, and that religion alone has power to affuage and compofe the perturbation it creates; yet, at the fame time it is to be apprehended, that the exquifite painting and animating defcriptions of licentious paffion, which abound in detached parts of this epiftle, have too frequently made fatal impreffions on perfons of warm temperament, and of light reflection. The glowing lines which exprefs the extrava

* Our poet, with all his genius, had never yet been able to give that fupreme perfection to the ftrains of this poem, had he not been early converfant amongst the books in his mother's closet, with those tracts of mystical devotion which fo much charm the female mind when religion turns its ftrongest paffion upon love celestial. And there being but one way of expreffing rapturous emotions, whether the object be earthly or heavenly, the imagination, which only is employed in these meditations, foars on the wings of poetry. So that our young poet could not but be much taken with this kind of reading: And, in fact, the beft of the mystic writers had a place in his library amongst the bards.

gance

gance of Eloifa's fondness, her contempt of connubial ties, and the unbounded freedom of her attachment, have been often repeated with too much fuccefs by artful libertines to forward the purposes of feduction, and have as often, perhaps, been remembered by the deluded fair, and deemed a fanction for illicit deviations from the paths of virtue.

Soon after this celebrated epiftle, Mr. POPE wrote his Temple of Fame, which, agreeably to his ufual practice, he kept in his ftudy for two years before it was published.

Nor did he then venture to make it public, till it had received the approbation of two critical judges, Mr. Steele and Mr. Addison, being, as he fays himself, afraid of nothing so much as to impofe any thing on the world unworthy of its acceptance. Having fent a copy of it to the former, he received the following answer:

"I have read your Temple of Fame twice, "and cannot find any thing amifs, of weight enough to call a fault, but fee in it a thousand "thoufand beauties. Mr. Addison fhall fee it "to morrow; after his perufal of it, I will let "you know his thoughts."

After it was published, he prefented it to a lady; accompanied with a letter which, if we may judge from the conclusion, appears to have been penned in a very jocofe mood.

"Now

"Now I talk of Fame, I fend you my Temple

of Fame, which is just come out: but my fen"timents about it you will fee better by this epigram.

"What's Fame with men, by custom of the "nation

“Is call'd in women only reputation,

"About them both, why keep we fuch a "pother?

"Part you with one, and I'll renounce the "other."

This piece is taken from Chaucer's House of Fame. The defign, however, is in a manner entirely altered, the descriptions and most of the particular thoughts being Mr. POPE's; yet he was too candid to fuffer it to be printed without making due acknowledgment. The reader who would compare it with Chaucer, must begin with his third book of Fame, there being nothing in the two first books that answers to their title. Though this poem is by no means the most interefting of Mr. POPE's works, nor of the most harmonious verfification, yet there are several paffages in it highly beautiful, both with refpect to fentiment and poetry.

His defcription of the centre of the Temple is finely imagined. Six pompous columns are reprefented afpiring above the reft around the fhrine of Fame, on which are placed the greatest names in learning of all antiquity. These are described in attitudes expreffive of their diffe

rent

rent characters, and the columns on which they are raifed, are adorned with fculptures, taken from the most striking subjects of their works; which fculpture, in its manner and character, bears a resemblance to the manner and character of their writings.

Among these literary chiefs, Homer ftands eminently distinguished, and it is obfervable that our Poet never fpeaks of him but with a kind of grateful enthusiasm.

"High on the first, the mighty Homer shone; "Eternal adamant compos'd his throne; "Father of verfe! in holy fillets dreft, "His filver beard wav'd gently o'er his breaft; "Tho' blind, a boldness in his look appears; "In years he feem'd, but not impair'd by � years.

"The wars of Troy were round the Pillar "feen:

"Here fierce Tydides wounds the Cyprian "Queen;

"Here Hector glorious from Patroclus' fall, "Here dragg'd in triumph round the Trojan

"wall:

"Motion and life did ev'ry part infpire,

"Bold was the work, and prov'd the master's "fire;

"A ftrong expreffion most he seem'd t'affect, "And here and there difclos'd a brave neglect."

The nice ftrokes likewife, by which he marks the column appropriated to Virgil, are very beautiful and characteristic.

"Finish'd

"Finish'd the whole, and labour'd ev'ry part, "With patient touches of unweary'd art: "The Mantuan there in fober triumph fate, Compos'd his posture, and his looks fedate; "On Homer ftill he fix'd a rev'rend eye, "Great without pride, in modest majesty.”

Pindar, Horace, Aristotle and Tully are likewife finely characterized. But the beauty of description is the least merit of this little piece; it contains a great deal of good fenfe and poignant fatire: Particularly in that part where the feveral fuppliants prefer their petitions to the goddefs. Having firft introduced the learned, then the good and juft, &c. the warlike scourges of mankind next advance, and are treated with a juft contempt.

"A troop came next, who crowns and armour

wore,

"And proud defiance in their looks they bore: "For thee (they cry'd) amidst alarms and "ftrife,

"We fail'd in tempefts down the stream of "life;

"For thee whole nations fill'd with flames and

"blood,

"And fwam to empire thro' the purple flood. "Those ills we dar'd, thy inspiration own,

66

What virtue feem'd, was done for thee "alone.

"Ambitious fools! (the Queen reply'd, "and frown'd)

Be all your acts in dark oblivion drown'd;

"There