therefore angry at Swift, who represents him as refufing the vifits of a Queen, because he knew that what had never been offered, had never been refused.

Befide the general system of morality fupposed to be contained in the Essay on Man, it was his intention to write distinct poems upon the different duties or conditions of life; one of which is the Epiftle to Lord Bathurst (1733) on the Ufe of Riches, a piece on which he declared great labour to have been beftowed *.

Into this poem fome incidents are hiftorically thrown, and fome known characters, are introduced, with others of which it is difficult to fay how far they are real or ficti→ tious; but the praife of Kyrl, the Man of Rofs, deferves particular examination, who, after a long and pompous enumeration of his publick works and private charities, is faid to have diffused all those bleffings from five hundred a year. Wonders are willingly told, and willingly heard. The truth is, that Kyrl

* Spence.

was

was a man of known integrity, and active benevolence, by whofe folicitation the wealthy were perfuaded to pay contributions to his charitable schemes; this influence he obtained by an example of liberality exerted to the utmost extent of his power, and was thus enabled to give more than he had. This account Mr. Victor received from the minister of the place, and I have preserved it, that the praise of a good man being made more credible, may be more folid. Narrations of romantick and impracticable virtue will be read with wonder, but that which is unattainable is recommended in vain; that good may be endeavoured, it must be fhewn to be poffible.

This is the only piece in which the author has given a hint of his religion, by ridiculing the ceremony of burning the pope, and by mentioning with fome indignation the inscription on the Monument.

When this poem was firit published, the dialogue, having no letters of direction, was perplexed and obfcure. Pope feems to have written with no very diftinct idea; for he Vot. IV. calls

I

calls that an Epistle to Bathurst, in which Bathurst is introduced as fpeaking,

He afterwards (1734) infcribed to Lord Cobham his Characters of Men, written with close attention to the operations of the mind and modifications of life. In this poem he has endeavoured to establish and exemplify his favourite theory of the Ruling Paffion, by which he means an original direction of defire to fome particular object, an innate affection which gives all action a determinate and invariable tendency, and operates upon the whole fyftem of life, either openly, or more fecretly by the intervention of some accidental or fubordinate propenfion.

Of any paffion, thus innate and irresistible, the existence may reasonably be doubted. Human characters are by no means conftant; men change by change of place, of fortune, of acquaintance; he who is at one time a lover of pleasure, is at another a lover of money. Those indeed who attain any excellence, commonly spend life in one purfuit; for excellence is not often gained upon easier terms. But to the particular fpecies of excellence

cellence men are directed, not by an ascendant planet or predominating humour, but by the first book which they read, fome early conversation which they heard, or some accident which excited ardour and emulation.

It must be at least allowed that this ruling Paffion, antecedent to reason and obfervation, must have an object independent on human contrivance; for there can be no natural de fire of artificial good. No man therefore can be born, in the ftrict acceptation, a lover of money; for he may be born where money does not exist ; nor can he be born, in a moral fenfe, a lover of his country; for fociety, politically regulated, is a state contradiftinguished from a state of nature; and any attention to that coalition of interefts which makes the happiness of a country, is poffible only to those whom enquiry and reflection have enabled to comprehend it.

This doctrine is in itself pernicious as well as false its tendency is to produce the belief of a kind of moral predeftination, or overruling principle which cannot be refifted; he that admits it, is prepared to comply with

every defire that caprice or opportunity shall excite, and to flatter himself that he fubmits only to the lawful dominion of Nature, in obeying the refiftlefs authority of his ruling Paffion.

Pope has formed his theory with so little skill, that, in the examples by which he illuftrates and confirms it, he has confounded passions, appetites, and habits.

To the Characters of Men he added foon after, in an Epiftle fuppofed to have been addreffed to Martha Blount, but which the last edition has taken from her, the Characters of Women. This poem, which was laboured with great diligence, and in the author's opinion with great fuccefs, was neglected at its firft publication, as the commentator fuppofes, because the publick was informed by an advertisement, that it contained no Character drawn from the Life; an affertion which Pope probably did not expect or wish to have been believed, and which he foon gave his readers fufficient reafon to diftruft, by telling them in a note, that the work was imperfect, becaufe part of his fubject was Vice too high to be yet expofed.

The