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As these Lines feem not to have been understood by the Tranflator, and are scandalously misreprefented by the Commentator, who would infinuate them to be a kind of Approbation of Suicide, I fhall here give the Reader their plain and obvious Meaning.

"To these Frailties (fays he) we owe all the "Endearments of private Life, yet, when we cc come to that Age, which generally difpofes "Men to think more feriously of the true Value "of Things, and confequently, of their Provi"fion for a future State, the Confideration that "the Grounds of thofe Joys, Loves and Friend"Ships, are Wants, Frailties and Paffions, proves "the best Expedient to wean us from the World;

a Difengagement fo friendly to that Provision we ૯ are now making for another." The Obfervation is new, and would in any Place be extremely beautiful, but has here an infinite Grace and Propriety, as it fo well confirms, by an Instance of great Moment, the Poet's general Thefis, That God makes Ill, at every Step, productive of Good.

III. The Poet having thus fhewn the Ufe of the Paffions in Society and in domeftic Life, he comes in the laft Place [from 1. 250 to the End] to fhew their Ufe to the Individual, even in their Illufions; the imaginary Happiness they prefent helping to make the real Miseries of Life lefs infupportable. And this is his third general Division:

Commentaire, p. 206.
H 2

- Opinion

Opinion gilds with varying Rays

Those painted Clouds that beautify our Days:
Each Want of Happiness by Hope fupply'd,
And each Vacuity of Sense by Pride.
Thefe build as fast as Knowledge can destroy:
In Folly's Cup ftill laughs the Bubble Joy;
One Profpect loft, another ftill we gain;
And not a Vanity is given in vain.

Which must needs vastly raise our Idea of God's Goodness, who hath not only provided more than a Counter-ballance of real Happiness to human Miferies, but hath even, in his infinite Compaffion, bestowed on thofe who were fo foolish as not to have made this Provifion, an imaginary Happiness; that they may not be quite over-borne with the Load of human Miferies. This is the Poet's great and noble Thought, as strong and solid as it is new and ingenious. But fo ftrangely perverfe is his Commentator, that he will suppose him to mean any thing rather than what the obvious Drift of his Argument requires; yet, to say Truth, cares not much in what Senfe you take it, fo you will believe him that Mr. Pope's general Design was to reprefent human Life as one grand Illufion fatally conducted. But if the Rules of Logic ferve for any other Purpofe than to countenance the Paffions and Prejudices of fuch Writers, it may be demonftrated, that what the Poet here teaches is only this, "That thefe Illufions are the Follies of Men, "which they wilfully fall into, and thro' their

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"own Fault; thereby depriving themfelves of "much Happiness, and expofing themselves to "equal Mifery: But that ftill God (according

to his Univerfal way of Working) graciously "turns thefe Follies fo far to the Advantage of his "miferable Creatures, as to be the prefent Solace "and Support of their Diftreffes,"

-Tho' Man's a Fool, yet God is wife.

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LETTER III.

E are now got to the Third Epiftle of the Ef

Wfay on Man. Mr. Pope, in explaining the

Origin, Use, and End of the Paffions, in the second Epiftle, having fhewn that Man has focial as well as selfish Paffions; that Doctrine naturally introduceth the Third, which treats of Man as a SOCIAL Animal; and connects it with the Second, which confidered him as an INDIVIDUAL. And as the Conclufion from the Subject of the First Epiftle made the Introduction to the Second, fo here again, the Conclufion of the Second,

Even mean Self-love becomes, by Force divine, The Scale to measure others Wants by thine, makes the Introduction to the Third:

Here then we rest; the Universal Cause
Acts to one End, but acts by various Laws.

The Reason of Variety in those Laws, all which tend to one and the fame End, the Good of the Whole, generally, is, because the Good of the Individual is likewife to be provided for; both which together, make up the Good of the Whole

univer

univerfally. And this is the Cause, as the Poet fays elsewhere, that

Each Individual feeks a feveral Goal.

Ep. ii. 1. 227.

But to prevent their refting there, God has made
each need the Affiftance of another; and so,
On mutual Wants, built mutual Happiness.
Ep. iii. l. 112.

It was neceffary to explain these two first Lines, the better to fee the Pertinency and Force of what follows [from 1. 2 to 7] where the Poet warns fuch to take Notice of this Truth, whofe Circumstances placing them in an imaginary Station of Independence, and a real one of Infenfibility to mutual Wants (from whence general Happiness results) make them but too apt to overlook the true System of Things; fuch as thofe in full Health and Opulence. This Caution was

neceffary with regard to Society; but still more neceffary with regard to Religion: Therefore he especially recommends the Memory of it both to Clergy and Laity, when they preach or pray; because the Preacher who does not confider the First Cause under this View, as a Being consulting the Good of the Whole, must needs give a very unworthy Idea of him: And the Supplicant, who prays as one not related to a Whole, or as difregarding the Happiness of it, will not only pray in vain, but offend his Maker, by an impious Attempt to counterwork his Difpenfation:

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