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Say, for fuch worth are other worlds prepar'd? Or are they both, in this their own reward? 336 A knotty point! to which we now proceed. But you are tir'd-I'll tell a tale—B. Agreed. P.Where London's column, pointing at the skies Like a tall bully, lifts the head, and lyes;

VARIATIONS.

VER. 337. in the former Editions,

That knotty point, my Lord, fhall I difcufs,
Or tell a tale ?-A Tale. It follows thus,

COMMENTARY.

340

VER. 339. Where London's column, &c.] For, the foregoing examples of profusion and avarice having been given to fhew, that mifapplied wealth was not enjoyed; it only remained to prove that in fuch circumftances wealth became the heaviest punishment; and this was the very point to be concluded with, as the great MORAL of this inftructive poem; which is to teach us, how miferable men make themselves by not endeavouring to restrain the ruling Paffion, tho' it be indeed implanted in the conftitution of

NOTES.

a word, like Sir J. Cutler's purfe, nothing for ufe, but kept clofe fhut, and centerd all within himself.-Now virtue and wealth, thus circumftanced, are indeed no other than mere names.

VER. 339. Where London's column,] The Monument, built in memory of the fire of London, with an inscription, importing that city to have been burnt by the Papists, P.

VER. 340. Like a tall bully, lifts the head, and lies.] Tho' Scriblerus is not infenfible to the humour of this line; yet his gravity makes him with that the City-monument had been honoured with a comparifon of more dignity. He thinks, particularly, it should rather have been compared to the Court-champion; as, like him, it only spoke the sense of the Government; which, at

There dwelt a Citizen of fober fame,

A plain good man, and Balaam was his name;
Religious, punctual, frugal, and so forth;
His word would pass for more than he was worth.
One folid dish his week-day meal affords,

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An added pudding folemniz'd the Lord's : Conftant at Church, and Change; his gains were fure, His givings rare, fave farthings to the

poor. The Dev'l was piqu'd fuch faintfhip to behold, And long'd to tempt him like good Job of old: 350

COMMENTARY.

things; while, at the fame time, it is an answer to the latter part of the question,

Say, for fuch worth are other worlds prepar'd?

Or are they both, in this their own reward?

For the folution of which only, this example was jocularly pretended to have been given.

All this the poet has admirably fupported, in the artful conftruction of his fable of Sir Balaam; whofe character is fo drawn, as to let the reader fee he had it in his power to regulate the ruling Paffion by reafon, as having in himself the feeds of Inte grity, Religion, and Sobriety. Thefe are gradually worked out by an infatiable thirst of Wealth; and this again (thro' a falfe fense of his own abilities in acquiring it) fucceeded by as immoderate a Vanity: Which will lead us to another beauty in the management of the Story. For, in order to fee, in one conclud

NOTES.

that time, no man could have denied without the danger of a challenge, of Jury, at least: When,as a great writer obferves, a jealous of Popery heated the

minds of men to such a degree, that it feems almost wonderful the Plague was not imputed to the Papilts as peremptorily as the Fire. Diff, upon Parties.

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But Satan now is wifer than of yore,

And tempts by making rich, not making poor. Rouz'd by the Prince of Air, the whirlwinds fweep The furge, and plunge his Father in the deep; Then full against his Cornish lands they roar, 355 And two rich fhip-wrecks blefs the lucky fhore.

COMMENTARY.

ing example, the miseries of exorbitant wealth ill employed; it was neceflary to fet before the Reader all the misuse, that flowed from avarice and profusion at once. The vices of the Citizen and the Noble, therefore, which were separated and contrafted in the foregoing inftances, are here fhewn incorporated in a Courtly Cit. Perhaps it will be faid, that the character has, by this means, the appearance of two ruling passions: but those ftudied in human nature know the contrary: and that alieni appetens fui profufus, is frequently as much one as either the profufe or avaricious apart. Indeed, this is fo far from an inaccuracy, that it produces a new beauty. The Ruling Paffion is of two kinds, the fimple and the complex. The first fort the poet had given examples of before. Nothing then remained to complete his philofophic plan, but concluding with the latter. Let me only obferve farther, that the author, in this Tale, has artfully fummed up and recapitulated those three principal mischiefs in the abuse of money, which the fatirical part of this poem throughout was employed to expofe, namely AVARICE, PROFUSION, and PUBLIC CORRUPTION.

NOTES.

VER. 355. Cornish] The author has placed the scene of thefe fhipwrecks in Cornwall, not only from their frequency on that coaft, but from the inhumanity of the inhabitants to those to whom that misfortune arrives: When a fhip happens

to be stranded there, they have been known to bore holes in it, to prevent its getting off; to plunder, and fometimes even to maffacre the people: Nor has the Parliament of England been yet able wholly to fuppress these barbarities. P.

Sir Balaam now, he lives like other folks,

He takes his chirping pint, and cracks his jokes: "Live like yourself," was foon my Lady's word; And lo! two puddings fmoak'd upon the board. 360 Afleep and naked as an Indian lay,

An honest factor stole a Gem away :

He pledg'd it to the knight; the knight had wit, So kept the Di'mond, and the rogue was bit.

Some scruple rose, but thus he eas'd his thought, "I'll now give fix-pence where I gave a groat; 366 "Where once I went to church, I'll now go twice-"And am fo clear too of all other vice."

The Tempter saw his time; the work he ply'd; Stocks and Subscriptions pour on ev'ry fide, 370

NOTES.

VER. 360. And lo! &c.] The poet had obferved above, that when the luxuriously-felfifh had got more than they knew how to use, they would try to do more than live; in

ftead of imparting the leaft pittance of it to those whom fortune had reduced to do lefs than live: The VANITY of which chimerical project he well expofed in these lines:

What Riches give us let us then enquire.

Meat, Fire, and Cloaths. What more? Meat, Cloaths, and Fire.

But here, in one who had not yet learnt the art of difguifing the Poverty of Wealth by the Refinements of Luxury, he

fhews, with admirable humour, the ridicule of that project:

And lo! two Puddings Smoak'd upon the board.

"Till all the Dæmon makes his full defcent
In one abundant fhow'r of Cent per Cent,
Sinks deep within him, and poffeffes whole,
Then dubs Director, and fecures his foul.

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Behold Sir Balaam, now a man of fpirit, Ascribes his gettings to his parts and merit ; What late he call'd a Bleffing, now was Wit, And God's good Providence, a lucky Hit. Things change their titles, as our manners turn : His Compting-house employ'd the Sunday-morn; Seldom at Church ('twas fuch a busy life) But duly fent his family and wife.

NOTES.

VER. 377. What late he call'd a Bleffing, now was Wit, &c.] This is an admirable picture of human nature: In the entrance on life, all, but coxcombs-born, are modeft; and efteem the favours of their fuperiors to be marks of their benevolence: But, if these favours happen to increafe; then, instead of advancing in gratitude to our benefactors, we only improve in the good opinion of ourselves; and the conftant returns of fuch favours make us confider them no longer as accommodations to our wants, or the hire of our fervice, but debts due to our

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merit: Yet, at the fame time, to do justice to our common nature, we fhould obferve, that this does not proceed fo often from downright vice as is imagined, but frequently from mere infirmity; of which, the reafon is evident; for, having fmall knowledge, and yet an exceffive opinion, of ourfelvés, we eftimate our merit by the paffions and caprice of others; and this perhaps would not be fo much amifs, were we not apt to take their favours for a declaration of the sense of our merits. How often, for inftance, has it been seen, in the feveral learned Profeffions,

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