PRAYER. [To Save the Stamp.] · Keep us, we beseech thee, from the hands of fuch barbarous and cruel Jews, who albeit they abhor the blood of blak puddings, yet thirft they vehemently after the blood of white ones. And that we may avoid fuch like calamities, may all good and well-difpofed Chriflians be warned by this unhappy wretch's woeful example, to abominate the hainous fin of avarice, which, fooner or later, will draw them into the cruel clutches of Satan, Papifs, Jews, and Stockjobbers. Amen. A KEY TO THE LOCK: OR A TREATISE, Proving beyond all contradiction the dangerous ten dency of a late poem, intitled, The Rape of the Lock, to government and religion., WRITTEN IN THE YEAR MDCCXIV. A KEY TO THE LOCK. SINCE this unhappy divifion of our nation into PARTIES, it is not to be imagined how many artifices have been made ufe of by writers to obfcure the truth, and cover defigns which may be detrimental to the public. In particular, it has been their cuftom of late to vent their political spleen in allegory and fable. If an honeft believing nation is to be made a jeft of, we have a flory of John Bull and his wife; if a treasurer is to be glanced at, an ant with a white ftraw is introduced; if a treaty of commerce is to be ridiculed, it is immediately metamorphofed into a tale of Count Tariff. But if any of these malevolents have a small talent in rhyme, they principally delight to convey their malice in that pleafing way; as it were, gilding the pill, and concealing the poifon under the sweetness of numbers. It is the duty of every well defigning fubject to prevent, as far as he can, the ill confequences of fuch pernicious treatises; and I hold it mine to warn the public of a late poem, intitled, The RAPE of the Lock; which I fhall demonftrate to be of this nature. It is a common and juft obfervation, that, when the meaning of any thing is dubious, one can no way better judge of the true intent of it, than by confidering who is the author, what is his character in general, and his difpofition in particular. Now, that the author of this poem is a reputed papift, is well known; and that a genius fo capable of doing service to that caufe may have been corrupted in the course of his education by jefuits or others, is juftly very much to be fufpected; notwithftanding that feeming coolness and moderation, which he had been (perhaps artfully) reproached with by thofe of his own perfuafion. They are fenfible, that this nation is fecured by good and wholefome laws, to prevent all evil practices of the church of Rome: particularly the publication of books, that may in any fort propagate that doctrine: their authors are therefore obliged to couch their defigns the deeper; and though I cannot aver the intention of this gentleman was directly to fpread popifh doctrines, yet it comes to the fame point if he touch the government; for the court of Rome knows very well, that the church at this time is fo firmly founded on the state, that the only way to fhake the one is by attacking the other. What confirms me in this opinion, is an accidental discovery I made of a very artful piece of management among his popifh friends and abetters, to hide his whole defign upon the government, by taking all the characters upon themselves. Upon the day that this poem was published, it was my fortune to ftep into the Cocoa-tree, where a certain gentleman was railing very liberally at the author with a paffion extremely well counterfeit ed, for having, as he faid, reflected upon him in the character of Sir Plume. Upon his going out, I |