5 The coxcomb bird, so talkative and grave, That from his cage criesCuckold, Whore,andKnave, Tho' many a passenger he rightly call, You hold him no Philofopher at all. COMMENTARY. EPISTLE! This Epiftle is divided into three principal parts or members: The firft (from 1 to 99) treats of the difficulties in coming at the Knowledge and true Characters of Men. -The fecond (from 98 to 173) of the wrong means which NOTES. Wit; concluding with a Satyr against the Mifapplication of them, illuftrated by Pictures, Characters, and Examples. The Third Book regarded Civil Regimen, or the Science of Politics, in which the feveral forms of a Republic were to be examined and explained; together with the feveral Modes of Religious Worship, as far forth as they affect Society; between which the Author always fuppofed there was the most interesting relation and clofeft connection; fo that this part would have treated of Civil and Religious Society in their full extent. The Fourth and laft Book concerned private Ethics or practical Morality, confidered in all the Circumftances, Orders, Profeffions, and Stations of human Life. The Scheme of all this had been maturely digefted, and communicated to L. Bolinbroke, Dr. Swift, and one or two more, and was intended for the only work of his riper Years: but was, partly through ill health, partly through difcouragements from the depravity of the times, and partly on prudential and other confiderations, interrupted, poftponed, and, lastly, in a manner laid afide. But as this was the Author's favourite Work, which more exactly reflected the Image of his ftrong capacious Mind, and as we can have but a very imperfect idea of it from the dif jesta membra Poete that now remain, it may not be amifs to be a little more particular concerning each of thefe projected books. The FIRST, as it treats of Man in the abftract, and confiders him in general under every of his relations, becomes the And yet the fate of all extremes is such, Men may be read, as well as Books, too much, 10 To obfervations which ourselves we make, COMMENTARY. both Philofophers and Men of the World have employed in furmounting those difficulties. And the third (from 174 to the end) treats of the right means, with directions for the application of them. VER. I. Yes, you defpife the man &c.] The Epiftle is introduced (from 1 to 15) by obferving, that the Knowledge of Men is neither to be gained by Books nor Experience alone, but by the joint use of both; for that the Maxims of the Philofopher and the Conclufions of the Man of the World can, feparately, but fupply a vague and fuperficial knowledge: And often not fo much; as thofe Maxims are founded in the abstract notions of the writer; and these conclusions are drawn from the uncertain NOTES. foundation, and furnishes out the fubjects, of the three following; so that Of The SECOND Book was to take up again the First and Second Epiftles of the First Book, and treats of man in his intellectual Capacity at large, as has been explained above. this, only a fmall part of the conclufion (which, as we faid, was to have contained a Satire against the mifapplication of Wit and Learning) may be found in the Fourth book of the Dunciad, and up and down, occafionally, in the other three. The THIRD Book, in like manner, was to reaffume the fubject of the Third Epiftle of the First, which treats of Man in his Social, Political, and Religious Capacity. But this part the Poet afterwards conceived might be beft executed in an EPIC POEM; as the Action would make it more animated, and the Fable lefs invidious; in which all the great Principles of true and falfe Governments and Religions should be chiefly delivered in feigned Examples. The FOURTH and last Book was to pursue the fubject of the Fourth Epiftle of the First, and treats of Ethics, or practical To written Wisdom, as another's, lefs: Maxims are drawn from Notions, thofe from Guefs. COMMENTARY. conjectures of the obferver: But when the writer joins his speculation to the experience of the obferver, his notions are rectified into principles and when the obferver regulates his experience on the notions of the writer, his conjectures advance into fcience. Such is the reafoning of this introduction; which, befides its propriety to the general fubject of the Epiftle, has a peculiar relation to each of its parts or members: For the causes of the difficulty in coming at the knowledge and characters of men, explained in the firft, will fhew the importance of what is here delivered, of the joint affiftance of fpeculation and practice to furmount it; and the wrong means, which both philofophers and men of the world have employed in overcoming thofe difficulties difcourfed of in the second, have their fource here deduced, which is feen to be a feparate adherence of each to his own method of studying men, and a mutual contempt of the others. Laftly, the right means delivered in the third, will be of little use in the application, without the direction here delivered: For tho' the obfervation of Men and Manners difcovered a ruling passion, yet, without a philofophic knowledge of human nature, we may eafily mistake a fecondary and fubfidiary paffion for the principal, and fo be never the nearer in the Knowledge of Men. But the elegant and eafy Form of the introduction equals the Propriety of its matter; for the epiftle being addreffed to a noble perfon, diftinguished for his knowledge of the World, it opens, as it were, in the midft of a familiar conversation, which lets us at once into his character; where the poet, by politely affecting only to ridicule the useless Knowledge of Men confined to Books, and only to extol that acquired by the World, artfully infinuates how equally defective the latter may be, when conducted on the fame narrow principle: Which is too often the cafe, as men of the world are more than ordinarily prejudiced in favour of their own obfervations for the fake of the NOTES. Morality; and would have confifted of many members; of which the four following Epiftles were detached Portions: the two firft, on the Characters of Men and Women, being the introductory part of this concluding Book. There's fome Peculiar in each leaf and grain, 15 COMMENTARY. 20 obferver, and, for the fame reason, less indulgent to the difcoveries of others. I. VER. 15. There's fome Peculiar &c.] The poet enters on the Firft divifion of his fubject, the difficulties of coming at the Knowledge and true Characters of Men. The first cause of this difficulty, which he profecutes (from 14 to 19) is the great diverfity of Characters, of which, to abate our wonder, and not difcourage our inquiry, he only defires we would grant him -but as many forts of Mind as Mofs. Hereby artfully infinuating, that if Nature has varied the most worthlefs vegetable into above three hundred fpecies, we need not wonder at the like diverfity in the human mind: And if a variety in that vegetable has been thought of importance enough to employ the leifure of a serious enquirer, much more will the fame quality in this master-piece of Nature deferve our study and attention. VER. 19. That each from other differs, &c.] A fecond cause of this difficulty (from 18 to 21) is Man's inconftancy, whereby not only one man differs from another, but each man from himself. NOTES. VER. 9. And yet - Men may be read, as well as Books, toa much, &c.] The poet has here covertly defcrib'd a famous. fyftem of a man of the world, the celebrated Maxims of M. de la Rochefoucault, which are one continued fatire on human Nature, and hold much of the ill language of the Parrot: Our author's fyftem, of human nature will explain the reason of the cenfure. 4 Add Nature's, Custom's, Reafon's, Paffion's ftrife, And all Opinion's colours caft on life. 1 Our depths who fathoms, or our shallows finds, Quick whirls, and shifting eddies, of our minds? On human actions reason tho' you can, It may be Reason, but it is not Man : COMMENTARY. 25 VER. 21. Add Nature's &c.] A third cause (from 20 to 23) is that obfcurity thrown over the Characters of men, through the ftrife and contest between nature and custom, between reason and appetite, between truth and opinion. And as moft men, either thro' education, temperature, or profession, have their Characters warp'd by custom, appetite, and opinion, the obscurity arifing from thence is almoft univerfal. VER. 23. Our depths who fathoms, &c.] A fourth cause (from 20 to 25) is deep diffimulation, and reftlefs caprice, whereby the fhallows of the mind are as difficult to be found, as the depths of it to be fathom'd. VER. 25. On human actions &c.] A fifth cause (from 24 to 31) is the fudden change of his Principle of action, either on the point of its being laid open and detected, or when it is reafoned upon, and attempted to be explored. NOTES. VER. 22. And all Opinion's colours caft on life.] The poet refers here only to the effects: In the Efay on Man he gives both the efficient and the final caufe: The First in the third Ep. 231. E'er Wit oblique had broke that fteddy light. For oblique Wit is Opinion. The other, in the fecond Ep. 283. Mean while Opinion gilds with varying rays These painted clouds that beautify our days, &c. VER.26. It may be Reafon, but it is not Man:] i. e. The Philofopher may invent a rational hypothefts that fhall account for the appearances he would inveftigate; and yet that hypothefis be all the while very wide of truth and the nature of things. 3 |