Some, in their choice of Friends (nay, look not

grave)

Have still a secret Bias to a Knave:

To find an honest man I beat about,

And love him, court him, praise him, in or out.
F. Then why so few commended?

P. Not so fierce;

Find
you the Virtue, and I'll find the Verse.
But random Praise-the task can ne'er be done;
Each Mother asks it for her booby Son,
Each Widow asks it for the Best of Men,

For him she weeps, for him she weds agen.

100

105

Praise cannot stoop, like Satire, to the ground; 110
The Number may be hang'd, but not be crown'd.
Enough for half the Greatest of these days,
To 'scape my Censure, not expect my Praise.

NOTES.

Ver. 99. My LORD MAY'R.] Sir John Barnard, Lord Mayor in the year of the Poem, 1738. A citizen eminent for his virtue, public spirit, and great talents in Parliament. An excellent Man, Magistrate, and Senator. In the year 1747, the City of London, in memory of his many and signal services to his Country, erected a statue to him. But his image had been placed long before in the heart of every good Man. W.

Ver. 100. nay, look not grave] This is a feeble and useless parenthesis.

Ver. 102. To find an honest man, &c.] In this search, in which he was very sincere, it would have been well if he had not sometimes trusted to the reports of others, who had less penetration, but more passions to gratify. W.

Ver. 112. Enough for half] Is not this rather too high language! except you will call it,

115

Are they not rich? what more can they pretend?
Dare they to hope a Poet for their Friend?
What RICHELIEU wanted, LOUIS scarce could gain,
And what young AMMON wish'd, but wish'd in vain.
No Pow'r the Muse's Friendship can command;
No Pow'r when Virtue claims it, can withstand:
To Cato, Virgil pay'd one honest line;

O let my Country's Friends illumine mine!

NOTES.

120

Ver. 116. What RICHELIEU wanted,] A curious and uncommon fact is mentioned by the learned Abbé Longuerue, Part ii. p. 5. That Cardinal Richelieu had, from time to time, fits of insanity, during which no person was permitted to approach him but a few confidants, and especially Bois-Robert. He gave, says Segrais, p. 170, one hundred and twenty thousand crowns a year in pensions to men of learning and science. The history of his founding the French Academy is well known; which is frequently said to have polished and fixed the French language. But Malherbe, their first correct writer, died before the institution of this Academy.

Ver. 116. Louis scarce could gain,] By this expression finely insinuating, that the great Boileau always falls below himself in those passages where he flatters his Master. Of which he gives us an instance in Ver. 231, where the topic of adulation is exceeding childish and extravagant. W.

66

"The relentless despotism of Louis," says a certain eloquent writer, was proudly arrayed in manners, gallantry, splendour, magnificence, and even covered over with the imposing robes of science and literature."-But the despotism was notwithstanding relentless.

Ver. 120. One honest line ;] The line, however, is not so honest, as, at first sight, it appears to be. Virgil here spoke the language of Augustus's courtiers, who held that the rigid precepts of the over-virtuous Cato were utterly impracticable, and unsuited to the times in which he lived; that they were calculated for a nation of Sages and Philosophers, and were proper for the Polity of Plato, and not for the Dregs of Romulus. Augustus was too cool and subtle a tyrant not to suffer the praises of the patriots; and even his friend Horace was permitted to say, "Catonis no

-What are you thinking? F. Faith the thought's

no sin,

I think your Friends are out, and would be in.

P. If merely to come in, Sir, they go out,
The way they take is strangely round about.
F. They too may be corrupted, you'll allow?
P. I only call those Knaves who are so now.
Is that too little? Come then, I'll comply-
Spirit of Arnall! aid me while I lie.

NOTES.

125

bile Lethum." The line in question is in the 8th Book of the Eneid, v. 670.

Secretosque Pios, his dantem jura Catonem.

They were only the Pii (not the Romans of that age) who were capable of obeying the jura Catonis. So artful is the expression A much honester passage, in Virgil, is that in which he had the courage to represent his hero assisting the Etruscans in punishing their tyrannical king, in the 8th Book of the Æneid, p. 494.

Ver. 121. O let my Country's Friends illumine mine!] A pretty expression, alluding to the old practice of illuminating MSS. with gold and vermilion. W.

A remote allusion!

Ver. 128. Come then, I'll comply,] Here is a most happy imitation of Persius, and of Boileau ;

-Per me equidem sint omnia protinus alba,

Nil moror; euge! omnes, omnes, bene miræ eritis res:
Hoc juvat?

And thus Boileau, Sat. ix. v. 287.

Persius, Sat. i. v. 110.

Puisque vous le voulez, je vais changer de stile,
Je le declare donc, Quinault est un Virgile.
Pradon comme un soleil en nos ans a paru.
Pelletier ecrit mieux qu' Ablancourt ni Patru.
Cotin a ses sermons trainant toute la terre,

Fend les flots d'auditeurs pour aller à sa chaire.

But Pope has plainly the superiority by the artful and ironical compliments paid to his friends.

COBHAM'S a Coward, POLWARTH is a Slave, 130
And LYTTLETON a dark designing Knave,
ST. JOHN has ever been a wealthy Fool—
But let me add, Sir ROBERT's mighty dull,
Has never made a Friend in private life,
And was, besides, a Tyrant to his Wife.

135

But pray, when others praise him, do I blame? Call Verres, Wolsey, any odious name? Why rail they then, if but a wreath of mine, Oh All-accomplish'd ST. JOHN! deck thy shrine? What? shall each spurgall'd Hackney of the day,

When Paxton gives him double Pots and Pay, 141 Or each new-pension'd Sycophant, pretend

To break my Windows if I treat a Friend;

Then wisely plead, to me they meant no hurt,
But 'twas my Guest at whom they threw the dirt?
Sure, if I spare the Minister, no rules

Of honour bind me, not to maul his Tools;

Sure, if they cannot cut, it may be said

His Saws are toothless, and his Hatchet's Lead.

NOTES.

146

Ver. 129. Spirit of Arnall!] Look for him in his place, Dunc. B. ii. Ver. 315. P.

Ver. 130. POLWARTH] The Hon. Hugh Hume, Son of Alexander Earl of Marchmont, Grandson of Patrick Earl of Marchmont, and distinguished, like them, in the cause of Liberty. P.

Ver. 143. To break my Windows] Which was done when Lord Bolingbroke and Lord Bathurst were one day dining with him at Twickenham. All the great persons celebrated in these Satires were in violent opposition to government. It is rather singular that he has not mentioned Mr. Pitt, one of the most able and most formidable; especially with his friends Lyttleton, Cobham, and Pulteney.

It anger'd TURENNE, once upon a day,

To see a Footman kick'd that took his pay :
But when he heard th' Affront the Fellow gave,
Knew one a Man of Honour, one a Knave;
The prudent Gen'ral turn'd it to a jest,

150

And begg'd, he'd take the pains to kick the rest: 155 Which not at present having time to do—

F. Hold Sir! for God's sake, where's th' Affront to you?

Against your worship when had S-k writ?
Or P-ge pour'd forth the Torrent of his Wit?
Or grant the Bard whose distich all commend 160
[In Pow'r a Servant, out of Pow'r a Friend]
To W-le guilty of some venial sin;

What's that to you who ne'er was out nor in?
The Priest whose Flatt'ry be-dropt the Crown,
How hurt he you? he only stain❜d the Gown.

NOTES.

Ver. 159. Or P-e] Judge Page, who is said to have treated delinquents too roughly.

Ver. 160. the Bard] A verse taken out of a poem to Sir R. W. P.

Ver. 161. In Pow'r] Lord Melcombe was the Author of this line, in an Epistle to Sir Robert Walpole.

Ver. 164. The Priest, &c.] Spoken not of any particular priest, but of many priests. P.

Meaning Dr. Alured Clarke, who wrote a Panegyric on Queen Caroline. The two following unpublished lines of our Author, have been communicated to me by a learned friend, on a picture of this Queen, drawn by Lady Burlington:

Peace! flattering Bishop, lying Dean!

This Portrait only saints the Queen!

A comet happening to appear when Cardinal Mazarine lay on his death-bed, some of his many abject flatterers insinuated, that it