There, where no Father's, Brother's, Friends, dif grace Once break their reft, or stir them from their Place: But past the Sense of human Miseries, All Tears are wip'd for ever from all eyes; No cheek is known to blush, no heart to throb, 101 P. Good Heav'n forbid, that I should blast their glory, Who know how like Whig Ministers to Tory, 105 And when three Sov'reigns dy'd, could fcarce be vext, Confid'ring what a gracious Prince was next. VER. 99. There, where no Father's,] The miferies and meanneffes of a mere court-life, are painted with a force and vigour furprizing in an Author that was himself a courtier, and preceptor to Louis the XIVth's brother; the celebrated La Mothe Le Vayer, 2d vol. p. 354. in his Effay, intitled, De la Servitude de la Cour; abounding, as his manner is, with a multitude of examples and illuftrations from ancient and modern hiftory. He goes fo far as to fay, that a true courtier would not scruple to behave as Harpalus does in Herodotus, who being asked by Aftyages, how he relished the flesh of his own fon, which the tyrant had obliged him to eat, politely answered, "That every thing he found at the king's table was always agreeable." Virtue, I grant you, is an empty boast; But shall the Dignity of Vice be loft? Ye Gods! fhall Cibber's Son, without rebuke, 115 Swear like a Lord, or Rich outwhore a Duke? A Fav'rite's Porter with his Master vie, Be brib'd as often, and as often lie? Shall Ward draw Contracts with a Statefman's fkill? Or Japhet pocket, like his Grace, a Will? Is it for Bond, or Peter, (paltry things,) Το 120 pay their Debts, or keep their Faith, like Kings? If Blount dispatch'd himself, he play'd the man, And fo may'ft thou, illuftrious Pafferan! But NOTES. VER. 115. Cibber's Son,-Rich] Two Players; look for them in the Dunciad. P. VER. 122. To pay their Debts,] This fevere line relates to a fact of too delicate a nature to be explained. VER. 123. If Blount] Author of an impious foolish book called The Oracles of Reason, who being in love with a near kinfwoman of his, and rejected, gave himself a stab in the arm, as pretending to kill himself, of the confequence of which he really died. P. VER. 123. If Blount difpatched himself,] He was the younger fon of Sir Henry Blount, who wrote an admirable account of a Voyage to the Levant, 1636; and younger brother of Sir Thomas Pope Blount, who wrote the Cenfura Authorum. And this Charles Blount was not only the Author of The Oracles of Reafon, but of an infidel treatife, intitled, Anima Mundi, and of the Life of Apollonius Tyanaus, in folio, 1680; with notes faid to be taken from the manufcript of Lord Herbert of Cherbury. It was his fifter-in-law, with whom he was in love, when he deftroyed himself. VER. 124. Pafferan!] Author of another book of the fame stamp, called, A Philofophical Difcourfe on Death, being a defence of fuicide. He was a nobleman of Piedmont, banished from his country for his impieties, and lived in the utmoft mifery, yet feared to practife But shall a Printer, weary of his life, 125 Learn, from their Books, to hang himself and Wife? This, this, my friend, I cannot, must not bear Vice, thus abus'd, demands a Nation's care: NOTES. This practise his own precepts; of which there went a pleasant story about that time. Amongft his pupils, to whom he read in moral philofophy, there was, it feems, a noted Gamefter, who lodged under the fame roof with him. This useful citizen, after a run of ill-luck, came one morning early into the Philosopher's bed-chamber with two loaded piftols; and, as Englishmen do not understand raillery in a cafe of this nature, told the Piedmontefe, on prefenting him with one of his pistols," that now was come the time to put his doctrine in practice: that as to himself, having loft his laft ftake, he was become an useless member in fociety, and so was refolved to quit his flation; and that as to him, his guide, philofopher, and friend, furrounded with miferies, the outcaft of government, and the sport even of that Chance which he adored, he doubtlefs would rejoice for fuch an opportunity to bear him company." All this was faid and done with so much refolution and folemnity, that the Italian found himself under a neceffity to cry out Murder which brought in Company to his relief.-This unhappy man at laft died a penitent. W. er; VER. 125. But fball a Printer, &c.] A fact that happened in London a few year paft. The unhappy man left behind him a paper juftifying his action by the reafonings of fome of these Authors. P. In the Gentleman's Magazine for April 1732, it is related, that Richard Smith, a bookbinder, and prifoner for debt in the King's Bench, and Bridget his wife, were found hanging in their chamber, about two yards diftant from each other; and below in their kitchen, their little child, two years old, fhot through the head, in its cradle. They were neatly dreffed in clean linen, a curtain was drawn between the man and woman, a pistol loaded lying near him, and a knife by her. They left two letters, one for the landlord about his rent, and the other to Mr. Brindley, endeavouring to justify the manner and causes of their death; and begging their dog and cat might be taken care of. Voltaire also has given this account in an Effay on English Suicides. Melanges, vol. iv. This calls the Church to deprecate our Sin, A fimple Quaker, or a Quaker's Wife, 130 Let humble ALLEN, with an aukward Shame, 135 Do good by stealth, and blush to find it Fame. NOTES. Virtue VER. 129. This calls the Church to deprecate our Sin,] Alluding to the Forms of Prayer composed in the times of public calamity and distress; where the fault is generally laid upon the People. W. VER. 130. Gin.] A fpirituous liquor, the exorbitant use of which had almost destroyed the loweft rank of the People, till it was reftrained by an act of Parliament in 1736. P. VER. 131. Let modeft FOSTER,] This confirms an obfervation which Mr. Hobbes made long ago, That there be very few Bishops that at a fermon fo well, as divers Prefbyterians and fanatic Preachers can do. Hift. of Civ. Wars, p. 62. SCRIBL. W. He was an eloquent and persuasive Preacher, and wrote an excellent Defence of Christianity against Tindal. Dr. Warburton's note is a direct contradiction to the fentiment of his friend, who meant to pay a deserved compliment to a worthy and amiable diffenting Teacher, and who quoted him with approbation to Bolingbroke. VER. 133. A Quaker's Wife,] Mrs. Drummond, celebrated in her time. VER. 134. Outdo Landaffe] A Prelate of irreproachable character, who is faid never to have offended Pope; and whose son is no small ornament to his Profeffion, Dr. Harris of Doctors Com mons. VER. 134. Landaffe] A poor Bishopric in Wales, as poorly fupplied. P. VER. 135. Let bumble ALLEN,] Mr. Pope, on the republication of this Poem, in a letter to Mr. Allen, writes thus-" I am going to infert, in the body of my works, my two laft poems in quarto. Virtue may choose the high or low Degree, 'Tis just alike to Virtue, and to me; Dwell in a Monk, or light upon a King, She's still the fame, belov'd, contented thing. And stoops from Angels to the Dregs of Earth: NOTES. 140 Her quarto. I always profit myself of the opinion of the public, to correct myself on fuch occafions; and fometimes the merits of particular men, whofe names I have made free with, for examples either of good or bad, determine me to alterations. I have found a virtue in you more than I certainly knew before, till I had made experiment of it, I mean Humility. I must therefore, in justice to my own confcience of it, bear teftimony to it, and change the epithet I first gave you of low-born, to humble. I shall take care to do you the justice to tell every body, this change was not made at your's, or at any friend's requeft for you, but my own knowledge, you merited it," &c. Twit. Nov. 2. W. VER. 144. Let Greatness OWN HER, and she's mean no more,] The Poet, in this whole paffage, was willing to be understood as alluding to a very extraordinary story told by Procopius, in his Secret Hiftory; the fum of which is as follows: The Empress THEODORA was the daughter of one Acaces, who had the care of the wild beasts, which the Green Faction kept for the entertainment of the people. For the Empire was, at that time, divided between the two Factions of the Green and Blue. But Acaces dying in the infancy of Theodora and her two Sifters, his place of Mafter of the Bears was disposed of to a stranger: and his widow had no other way of fupporting herself than by proftituting her three daughters (who were all very pretty) on the public Theatre. Thither fhe brought them in their turns, as they came to years of puberty. Theodora first attended her Sifters in the habit and quality of a slave. And when it came to her turn to mount the stage, as she could neither dance nor play on the flute, she was put into the lowest class of Buffoons, to make diver |
