this Kind. Again, if, by Forms of Government, muft needs be meant legitimate Government, bes caufe that is the Subject under Debate, then by Modes of Faith, which is the correfpondent Idea,, muft needs be meant the Modes or Explanations of the true Faith, because the Author is here too on the Subject of true Religion:

Relum'd her antient Light, not kindled new. Befides, the very Expreffion (than which nothing can be more precife) confines us to understand, by Modes of Faith, thofe human Explanations of Christian Mysteries, in contefting which, Zeal and Ignorance have fo perpetually violated Charity.

Secondly, if we confider the Context; to fuppofe him to mean, that all Forms of Government are indifferent, is making him directly contradict the preceding Paragraph; where he extols the Patriot for difcriminating the true from the falfe Modes of Government. He, fays the Poet,

Taught Pow'r's due Ufe to People and to Kings, Taught not to flack, nor ftrain its tender Strings; The lefs and greater fet fo juftly true,

That touching one muft ftrike the other two;
'Till jarring Int'refts of themselves create
Th' according Mufick of a well-mix'd State.

Here he recommends the true Form of Government, which is the mixt. In another Place he as strongly condemns the falfe, or the abfolute Jure Divine Form:

For Nature knew no Right Divine in Men.

L. 237.

To fuppofe him to mean, that all Religions are indifferent, is an equally wrong as well as an uncharita

ble

ble Sufpicion. Mr. Pope, tho' his Subject in this Effay on Man confines him to natural Religion, (his Purpose being to vindicate God's natural Difpenfations to Mankind against the Atheift) yet gives frequent Intimations of a more fublime Difpenfation, and even of the Neceffity of it; particularly in his fecond Epiftle, [L. 139.] where he fpeaks of the Weakness and Infufficiency of human Reason.*

Again, in his fourth Epiftle, [L. 331] fpeaking. of the good Man, the Favourite of Heaven, he fays, For him alone, Hope leads from Gole to Gole, And opens ftill, and opens on his Soul; Till lengthen'd on to Faith, and unconfin'd, It pours the Blifs that fills up all the Mind.

But natural Religion never lengthened Hope on to Faith; nor did any Religion, but the Christian, ever conceive that Faith could fill the Mind with Happiness.

Laftly, the Poet, in this very Epiftle, and in this very Place, fpeaking of the great Reftorers of the Religion of Nature, intimates that they could only · draw God's Shadow, not his Image:

Relum'd her ancient Light, not kindled new,
If not God's Image, yet his Shadow drew.

As reverencing that Truth, which tells us, that this
Discovery was referv'd for the glorious Gospel of
Chrift, who is the IMAGE of God.

Mr. Pope, it has been obferv'd by many with great Truth, has in this Epiftle thrown in the greatest Beauties of Poetry, and ftill kept a Stile no Way unbecoming Philofophy; his Terms are fine chofen,

See the Second Letter.

and

LORD BOLINGBROKE

Parr Sculp

and his Expreffions full, yet concife, and in general very diftinct; he has afferted chiefly, that the two Principles Self Love and Social, are two Motions of the Appetite to Good, which induces Man to feek his own Happiness in the Happiness of the Whole:

On their own Axis as the Planets run,
Yet make at once their Circle round the Sun :.
So two confiftent Motions act the Soul,
And one regards itfelf, and one the Whole.

Which is a Confirmation of what he had faid before, namely, that the Paffions were all but modified Self Love, and that nothing was made wholly for itself, or wholly for another: And having spoke of Man with regard to the Deity, as an Individual, and as a fociable Creature, our Poet in his fourth and last Epiftle, difcourfes of the Nature and State of Man with respect to Happiness: This Epistle begins with an Invocation, as neither of the other had done, and as the ancient Poets had done by their Gods, he invokes Happinefs by feveral Names, Good, Pleafure, Content, Ease, or by what other Name ever

known:

Plant of celeftial Seed if drop'd below,

Say, in what mortal Soil thou deign'ft to grow.

Where making Enquiry after Happiness, he takes an Opportunity to make a very great Compliment to the Lord Bolinbroke:

Where grows where grows it not?—if vain our We ought to blame the Culture, not the Soil: [Toil, Fix'd to no Spot is Happiness fincere;

'Tis no where to be found, or ev'ry where; 'Tis never to be bought, but always free,

And fled from Monarchs, St. John! dwells with thee.

VOL. II.

A a

Having