Hence diff'rent paffions more or less inflame, 130 As Man, perhaps, the moment of his breath, Receives the lurking principle of death; The young disease, that must subdue at length, 135 Grows with his growth, and ftrengthens with his ftrength: So, caft and mingled with his very frame, The Mind's disease, its RULING PASSION came; NOTES. 140 in a strain of Poetry so wonderfully fublime, as fufpends, for a while, the ruling paffion, in every Reader, and engroffes his whole Admiration. This naturally leads the poet to lament the weakness and infufficiency of human reafon; and the purpose he had in fo doing, was plainly to intimate the neceffity of a more perfect difpenfation to Mankind. VER. 133. As Man, perhaps, &c.]" Antipater Sidonius "Poeta omnibus annis uno die natali tantum corripiebatur "febre, et eo confumptus eft, fatis longa fenecta." Plin. N. H. 1. vii. This Antipater was in the times of Craffus, and is celebrated for the quickness of his parts by Cicero. Nature its mother, Habit is its nurse; Wit, Spirit, Faculties but make it worse 145 ; Reafon itfelf but gives it edge and pow'r : In this weak queen, fome fav'rite still obey:. 150 NOTES. 155 VER. 147. Reafon itself, &c.] The poet, in fome other of his epiftles, gives example of the doctrine and precepts here delivered. Thus, in that Of the ufe of Riches, he has illuftrated this truth in the character of Cotta: Old Cotta fham'd his fortune and his birth, VER. 149. We, wretched fubjects, c.] St. Paul himself did not chufe to employ other arguments, when difpofed to give us the higheft idea of the usefulness of Chriftianity (Rom. vii.) But, it may be, the poet finds a remedy in Natural Religion. Far from it. He here leaves reafon unrelieved. What is this then, but an intimation that we ought to feek for a cure in that religion, which only dares profess to give it? Proud of an easy conqueft all along, She but removes weak paffions from the ftrong: The doctor fancies he has driven them out. 160 Yes, Nature's road muft ever be preferr'd: And treat this paffion more as friend than foe: NOTES. VER. 163. 'Tis her's to rectify, &c.] The meaning of this precept is, That as the ruling Paffion is implanted by Nature; it is Reafon's office to regulate, direct, and reftrain, but not to overthrow it. To regulate the paffion of Avarice, for instance, into a parfimonious difpenfation of the public revenues; to direct the paffion of Love, whofe object is worth and beauty, To the first good, first perfect, and first fair, Tò xaλóv r' ayatov, as his master Plato advises; and to reftrain Spleen to a contempt and hatred of Vice. This is what the poet meant, aud what every unprejudic'd man could not but fee he must needs mean by RECTIFYING THE MASTER PASSION, though he had not confined us to this fenfe in the reafon he gives of his precept in thefe words: A mightier Pow'r the ftrong direction fends, For what ends are they which God impels to, but the ends of Virtue ? 5 Like varying winds, by other paffions toft, The merchant's toil, the fage's indolence, 175 Th' Eternal Art educing good from ill, Grafts on this Paffion our best Principle: 'Tis thus the Mercury of Man is fix'd, Strong grows the Virtue with his Nature mix'd; The drofs cements what else were too refin'd, And in one int'rest body acts with mind. As fruits, ungrateful to the planter's care, On favage ftocks inferted, learn to bear; NOTES. 180 VER. 175. Th' Eternal Art, &c.] The author, throughout these epiftles, has explained his meaning to be, that vice is, in its own nature, the greatest of evils; and produced by the abuse of man's free-will, What makes all physical and moral ill? There deviates Nature, and here wanders will: but that God, in his infinite goodness, deviously turns the natural bias of its malignity to the advancement of human happinefs: a doctrine very different from the Fable of the Bees, which impiously and foolishly supposes it to have that natural tendency, ): 185 The fureft Virtues thus from paffions shoot, VARIATIONS. After ver. 194 in the MS. 190 How oft, with Paffion, Virtue points her Charms! E |