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 strengthens with his ftrength: So, caft and mingled with his very frame, The Mind's disease, its RULING PASSION came; Each vital humour which should feed the whole, Soon flows to this, in body and in soul : 140 Whatever warms the heart, or fills the head, Nature its mother, Habit is its nurse; 145 Wit, Spirit, Faculties, but make it worse ; NOTES. VER. 133. As Man per- | haps, &c.] Antipater Sidonius Poëta omnibus annis uno die natali tantum corripiebatur febre, et eo confumptus eft fatis longa fenecta. Plin. 1. vii. N. H. This Antipater was in the times of Craffus, and is celebrated for the quickness of his parts by Cicero. 1 We, wretched fubjects tho' to lawful fway, 150 In this weak queen, fome fav'rite still obey: She but removes weak paffions for the ftrong: Yes, Nature's road must ever be preferr'd ; And treat this paffion more as friend than foe: NOTES. 155 160 tion that we ought to seek for a cure in that religion, which only dares profefs to give it? VER. 149. We, wretched | is this then, but an intimafubjects, &c.] St Paul himfelf did not chufe to employ other arguments, when difpofed to give us the highest idea of the usefulness of Christianity. (Rom. vii.) But, it may be, the poet finds a remedy in Natural Religion. Far from it. He here leaves, reafon unrelieved. What 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, 165 A mightier Pow'r the ftrong direction fends, Th' Eternal Art educing good from ill, NOTES. direct, and reftrain, but not to overthrow it. To regulate the paffion of Ava- | rice, for instance, into a parfimonious difpenfation of 175 180 To the firft good, firft perfect, and firft fair, τὸ καλόν τ ̓ ἀγαθὸν, as his mafter | frain Spleen to a contempt Plato advises; and to re- and hatred of Vice. As fruits, ungrateful to the planter's care, 185 190 Nor Virtue, male or female, can we name, VARIATIONS. After 194. in the MS. How oft, with Paffion, Virtue points her Charms! Thus Nature gives us (let it check our pride) Reason the byas turns to good from ill, This light and darkness in our chaos join'd, VARIATIONS. 196 200 For right or wrong have mortals fuffer'd more? NOTES. VER. 203. This light, | pafs of things upon what&c.] A Platonic phrase for Confcience; and here employed with great judgment and propriety. For Confcience either fignifies, fpeculatively, the judgment we ever principles we chance to have; and then it is only Opinion, a very unable judge and divider. Or elfe it fignifies, practically, the application of the eternal rule |