Tho' the fame Sun with all-diffufive rays 145 Blush in the Rofe, and in the Di'mond blaze, COMMENTARY. Cottages, it is but juft to fet an infinitely higher value on it; which, fays he with much pleasantry, is moft agreeable to all the fashionable ways of eftimation. For why do the connoiffeurs prefer the lively colour in a Gem before that in a Flower, but for its extreme rarity and difficulty of production? VER. 149. 'Tis Education forms, &c.] This fecond mistake of the Man of the world is more ferious; it is, that Characters are beft judged of by the general Manners. This the poet confutes in a lively enumeration of examples (from 148 to 158) which fhew, that how fimilar or different foever the Manners be by Nature, yet they are all new model'd by Education and Profeffion; where each man invariably receives that exotic form which the mould he falls into, is fitted to imprint. The natural Character therefore can never be judged of by these fictitious Manners, NOTES. be given to lying, it is certainly on a more fubftantial motive, and will therefore rather deferve the name, which this philofopher gives it, of wisdom; it VER, 152, The next a Tradef man, meek, and much a lyar ;] "The only glory of a Tradef"man (fays Hobbes) is to "grow exceffively rich by the wifdom of buying and fell-being indeed the wisdom of this ing." A purfuit very wide of all vain-glory; fo that if he world, by which all things in it are governed. SCRIBL. Tom ftruts a Soldier, open, bold, and brave; 160 Afk men's Opinions: Scoto now shall tell Or chanc'd to meet a Minifter that frown'd, 165 COMMENTARY. VER. 158. Afk mens Opinion's: &c.] The third mistake is in judging of mens characters by their Opinions and turn of thinking. But thefe, the poet fhews by two examples (from 157 to 166.) are generally fwayed by Intereft, both in the affairs of Life and Speculation. VER. 166. Judge we by Nature? &c.] The poet having NOTES. VER. 164, 165. Some God, or Spirit he has lately found, Or chanc'd to meet a Minifter that frown'd.] Difafters the most unlooked for, as they were what the Free-thinker's Specu |lations and Practice were principally directed to avoid.—The poet here alludes to the ancient claffical opinion, that the fudden vifion of a God was fuppofed to ftrike the irreverend By Actions? thofe Uncertainty divides: By Paffions? these Diffimulation hides : Opinions? they still take a wider range: 170 Find, if you can, in what you cannot change. Manners with Fortunes, Humours turn with Climes, Tenets with Books, and Principles with Times. COMMENTARY. gone through the mistakes both of the Philofopher and Man of the world, feparately, turns now to both; and (from ✯ 165 to 174) jointly addrefies them in a recapitulation of his reasoning against both: He fhews, that if we pretend to develope the Character by the natural difpofition in general, we fhall find it extremely difficult, because this is often effaced by Habit, overfwayed by Intereft, and fufpended by Policy.-If by Actions, their contrariety will leave us in utter doubt and uncertainty.-If by Paffions, we fall be perpetually milled by the mafk of Diffimulation.--If by Opinions, all thefe concur together to perplex the enquiry. Shew us, then, fays he, in the whole range of your Philofophy and Experience, the thing we can be certain of: For (to fum up all in a word). Manners with Fortunes, Humours turn with Climes, We muft feek therefore fome other road to the point we aim at. NOTES. obferver fpeechlefs. He has only a little extended the conceit, and fuppofed, that the terrors of a Court-God might have the like effect on a very devoted worshipper. SCRIBL. VER. 172, 173. Manners with Fortunes, Humours turn with Climes, Tenets with Books, and Principles with Times.] The poet had hitherto reckon ed up the feveral fimple caufes that hinder our knowledge of the natural characters of men. In these two fine lines he defcribes the complicated caufes. Humours bear the fame relation to Manners, that Principles do to Tenets; that is, the former are modes of the latter; Search then the RULING PASSION: There, alone, The Wild are conftant, and the Cunning known; The Fool confiftent, and the False fincere ; 176 Priefts, Princes, Women, no diffemblers here. This clue once found, unravels all the reft, The profpect clears, and Wharton stands confest. Wharton, the scorn and wonder of our days, 180 Whofe ruling Paffion was the Luft of Praise: Born with whate'er could win it from the Wife, Women and Fools muft like him or he dies; COMMENTARY. VER. 174. Search then the Ruling Paffion: &c.] And now we enter on the third and last part; which treats of the right means of furmounting the difficulties in coming to the Knowledge and Characters of Men: This the poet fhews, is by investigating the RULING PASSION; of whofe origin and nature we may find an exact account in the second Ep. of the Effay on Man. This Principle he rightly obferves (from 173 to 180) is the clue that must guide us thro' all the intricacies in the ways of men: To convince us of which, he applies it (from 179 to 210) to the most wild and inconfiftent Character that ever was; which (when drawn out at length, in a fpirit of poetry as rare as the character itself) we fee, this Principle unravels, and renders throughout of one plain confiftent thread. NOTES. our Manners are warped from nature by our Fortunes or Stations; our Tenets, by our Books or Profeffions; and then each drawn ftill more oblique, into humour and political principles, by the temperature of the climate, and the conftitution of the government. VER. 174. Search then the Ruling Paffion:] See Essay on Man, Ep. ii. 133. & feq.. VER. 181. the Luft of Praife:] This very well exprefies the groffness of his appetite for it; where the strength Tho' wond'ring Senates hung on all he spoke, The Club must hail him master of the joke. 185 Shall parts fo various aim at nothing new? He'll shine a Tully and a Wilmot too. Then turns repentant, and his God adores With the same spirit that he drinks and whores; Enough if all around him but admire, 190 And now the Punk applaud, and now the Fryer. And wanting nothing but an honeft heart; A conftant Bounty which no friend has made ; NOTES. of the Paffion had deftroyed all the delicacy of the Senfation. VER. 187. John Wilmot, E. of Rochester, famous for his Wit and Extravagancies in the time of Charles the Second. P. VER. 189. With the fame fpirit] Spirit, for principle, not Too rafb for Thought, paffion. VER. 200. A Fool, with more of Wit] Folly, joined with much Wit, produces that behaviour which we call Abfurdity; and this Abfurdity the poet has here admirably described in the words, for Action too refin'd: |