encing contrary actions, ver. 100. II. Yet, to form Characters, we can only take the strongest actions of a man's life, and try to make them agree: The utter uncertainty of this, from Nature itself, and from Policy, ver. 120. Characters given according to the rank of men of the world, ver. 135. And fome reafon for it, ver. 140. Education alters the Nature, or at least Character, of many, ver. 149. Actions, Paffions, Opinions, Manners, Humours, or Principles, all fubject to change. No judging by Nature, from ver. 158. to ver. 178. III. It only remains to find (if we can) his RULING PASSION: That will certainly influence all the reft, and can reconcile the feeming or real inconfiftency of all his actions, ver. 175. Inftanced in the extraordinary Character of Clodio, ver. 179. A caution against mistaking second qnalities for first, which will destroy all possibility of the knowledge of mankind, ver. 210. Examples of the strength of the Ruling Paffion, and its continuation to the laft breath, ver. 222, &c.

EPISTLE

Y

EPISTLE I.

ES, you defpife the man to Books confin'd,
Who from his ftudy rails at human-kind;

Though what he learns he speaks, and may advance,
Some general maxims, or be right by chance.
The coxcomb bird, fo talkative and grave,

5

That from his cage cries Cuckold, Whore, and Knave,
Though many a paffenger he rightly call,
You hold him no Philosopher at all.

And yet the fate of all extremes is such,
Men may be read, as well as Books, too much.
To obfervations which ourselves we make,
We grow more partial for th' Observer's fake;
To written Wisdom, as another's, lefs:

Maxims are drawn from Notions, these from Guess.
There's fome Peculiar in each leaf and grain,
Some unmark'd fibre, or fome varying vein :
Shall only Man be taken in the gross ?
Grant but as many forts of Mind as Mofs.

That each from other differs, first confefs;

Next, that he varies from himself no lefs;
Add Nature's, Cuftom's, Reafon's, Paffion's ftrife,
And all Opinion's colours caft on life.

Our depths who fathoms, or our fhallows finds,
Quick whirls, and fhifting eddies, of our minds?
On human actions reafon though you can,
It may be Reason, but it is not Man:

ΤΟ

15

20

25

His Principle of action once explore,

That inftant 'tis his Principle no more.

Like following life through creatures you diffect,
You lose it in the moment you detect.

Yet more; the difference is as great between

30

The optics feeing, as the objects feen.

All Manners take a tincture from our own;

Or come discolour'd through our Passions shown.
Or Fancy's beam enlarges, multiplies,

35

Contracts, inverts, and gives ten thousand dyes.

Nor will Life's stream for observation stay,

It hurries all too faft to mark their way:

In vain fedate reflections we would make,

When half our knowledge we must snatch, not take. 40
Oft, in the Paffion's wild rotation tost,
Our spring of action to ourselves is loft:
Tir'd, not determin'd, to the last we yield,
And what comes then is master of the field.
As the laft image of that troubled heap,
When fenfe fubfides, and Fancy sports in fleep,
(Though past the recollection of the thought)
Becomes the ftuff of which our dream is wrought:
Something as dim to our internal view,

Is thus, perhaps, the cause of most we do.

True, fome are open, and to all men known :

50

Others, so very close, they're hid from none;

(So darkness strikes the sense no less than light)

Thus gracious Chandos is belov'd at fight;

And

And every child hates Shylock, though his foul
Still fits at fquat, and peeps not from its hole.
At half mankind when generous Manly raves,

All know 'tis Virtue, for he thinks them knaves:
When univerfal homage Umbra pays,

55

All fee 'tis Vice, and itch of vulgar praise.

60

When Flattery glares, all hate it in a Queen,

While one there is who charms us with his Spleen.
But these plain Characters we rarely find:

65

Though strong the bent, yet quick the turns of mind :
Or puzzling Contraries confound the whole;
Or Affectations quite reverse the foul.
The Dull, flat Falfehood ferves, for policy:
And in the Cunning, Truth itself's a lie:
Unthought-of Frailties cheat us in the Wife;
The Fool lies hid in inconfiftencies.

70

See the fame man, in vigour, in the gout;

Alone, in company; in place, or out;
Early at Business, and at Hazard late;

Mad at a Fox-chase, wise at a Debate ;
Drunk at a Borough, civil at a Ball;
Friendly at Hackney, faithless at Whitehall.

75

Gatius is ever moral, ever grave,
Thinks who endures a knave, is next a knave,
Save just at dinner-then prefers, no doubt,
A Rogue with Venison to a Saint without.

Who would not praise Patricio's high defert,
His hand unftain'd, his uncorrupted heart,
His comprehenfive head! all Interests weigh'd,
All Europe fav'd, yet Britain not betray'd.
VOL. II.

H

80.

He

He thanks you not, his Pride is in Picquette,
Newmarket-fame, and judgment at a Bett.

25

What made (fay, Montagne, or more fage Charron !) Otho a warrior, Cromwell a buffoon?

A perjur'd Prince a leaden faint revere,

A godlefs Regent tremble at a Star?
The throne a Bigot keep, a Genius quit,

Faithlefs through Piety, and dup'd through Wit?
Europe a Woman, Child, or Dotard rule,
And just her wifeft monarch made a fool ?

Know, God and Nature only are the fame :
In Man, the judgment fhoots at flying game;
A bird of paffage! gone as foon as found,
Now in the Moon perhaps, now under ground.
In vain the fage, with retrospective eye,

Would from th' apparent What conclude the Why,
Infer the Motive from the Deed, and shew,

That what we chanc'd was what we meant to do,
Behold if Fortune or a Mistress frowns,

Some plunge in business, others shave their crowns:

To ease the Soul of one oppreffive weight,

This quits an Empire, that embroils a State:
The fame aduft complexion has impell'd
Charles to the Convent, Philip to the Field.

VARIATION.

After ver. 86. in the former Editions,

Triumphant leaders at an army's head,

90

95

105

Not

Hemm'd round with glories, pilfer cloth or bread;
As meanly plunder as they bravely fought,
Now fave a people, and now fave a groat.