Whatever is, is right,

That Reason, Paffion, answer one great Aim,
That true Self-love and focial are the fame,
That Virtue only makes our Blifs below,
And all our Knowledge is ourselves to know.

We refer the Reader to the Effays, which upon the Whole feem to have been Notes collected from different Books, and by Mr. Pope turn'd into these fine Verses; for the Sentiments of different Authors differing in Opinion, we think may be easily trac'd; there has been a Commentary wrote on it, which is rejected by most Philofophers and Scholars, and is indeed a very mean Performance.

This Effay has been (tho' but indifferently) tranflated into French, and a confiderable Price has been offer'd a Gentleman here in England, who refided many Years in Italy, and has tranflated several Pieces out of Italian, to render it into that Language, but he has hitherto refus'd it; it would abundantly please the Jefuits, and the following eight Lines are of the College :

Thus Nature gives us (let it check our Pride)
The Virtue nearest to our Vice allied;

Reafon the Biafs turns from Good to Ill,
And Nero reigns a Titus if he will:
The fiery Soul abhor'd in Cataline,
In Decius charms, in Curtius is divine.
The fame Ambition can deftroy or fave,
And makes a Patriot as it makes a Knave.

When thefe Epiftles were publifh'd, they came out fingly and without a Name. A little after the Appearance of the first, a certain Gentleman, who has attempted fome Things in the poetical Way, particularly a Piece for Mufick, which was perforP 4

med

med in private before fome of the Royal Family this Gentleman accidentally about that Time paid a Vifit to Mr. Pope, who, after the first Civilities were over, enquired of him, What News there was in the Learned World, and what new Pieces were brought to Light: The leffer Poet reply'd, that there was little or nothing, or at leaft little or nothing worthy Notice: That there was indeed a Thing come out, call'd An Essay on Man, the first Epistle, threatning more, for he had read it, and it was a moft abominable Piece of Stuff, fhocking Poetry, infufferable Philofophy, no Coherence, no Connection at all; if I thought (continued he) that you had not seen it, I would have brought it with me. Upon this Mr. Pope very frankly told him, that he had feen it before it went to the Prefs; for it was his own Writing, a Work of Years, and the Poetry fuch as he thought proper for the Expreffion of the Subject, on which Side he did not imagine it would ever have been attack'd, especially by any pretending to the Study of Harmony and Knowledge of Numbers.

This was like a Clap of Thunder to the mistaken Bard; he took his Hat, and with a Blush and a Bow took his Leave of Mr. Pope, and never more ventured to fhew his unlucky Face there again. For the Verity of this Story we have the Testimony of a learned Gentleman, who has obliged the World with feveral Theological Treatifes, and who was at that Time and always very intimate with Mr. Pope,

It was expected, after what had happened, that the faid unlucky Gentleman would have given fome Reason in publick for his Diflike of the Effay, and have show'd where the Poetry was defective, where the Philofophy; but whether intimidated by Fears of being clapp'd into the Dunciad; or whether what

ho

he faid was only Wantonnefs, and the Love that a Poet has too often to speak ill of all others, wegannot fay; but he always remained filent.

This Effay is the Poem that the Bishop of Rochefter enquires after, and wishes to peep into the Manufcript: It would have done it no Harm; he would have honeftly declar'd against all which he did not like, as he did in Relation to the Epitaph upon Mr. Harcourt, which did not entirely please my Lord Chancellor, as appears by his Letter to Mr. Pope:

Cannot but fufpect myself of being very unreafo

of

very

nable in begging you once more to review the inclos'd. Your Friendship draws this Trouble on you. I may freely own to you, that my Tenderness makes me exceeding hard to be fatisfy'd with any Thing which can be faid on fuch an unhappy Subject. I caus'd the Latin Epitaph to be as often alter'd before I could approve it.

When once your Epitaph is fet up, there can be no Alteration of it, it will remain a perpetual Monument of your Friendship, and I affure myself you will fo fettle it, that it fhall be worthy of you. I doubt whether the Word, deny'd, in the third Line, will justly admit of that Conftruction which it ought to bear, viz. renounced, deferted, &c. deny'd is capable, in my Opinion, as having an ill Senfe put upon it, as too great Eafinefs, or more good Nature than a wife Man ought to have. I very well remember you told me, you could scarce mend those too Lines, and therefore I can scarce expect your Forgivenefs for my defiring you to reconfider them:

Harcourt ftands dumb, and Pope is forc'd to speak. I can't perfectly, at least without further difcourfing you, reconcile myself to the first Part of that Line;

and

and the Word forc'd (which was my own, and I perfwade myself for that Reafon only fubmitted to by you) feems to carry too doubtful a Conftruction. for an Epitaph, which, as I apprehend, ought as eafily to be understood as read. I fhall acknowledge it as a very particular Favour, if at your beft Leifure you will perufe the inclos'd, and vary it, if you think it capable of being mended, and let me fee you any Morning next Week.

I am, &c.

Mr. Harcourt was the Lord Chancellor's only Son, and it is prov'd by his Letter, that Mr. Pope was in fome Measure directed by him: The Line pointed at was alter'd, and the Infcription on the Monument in' the Church of Stanton-Harcourt, in Oxfordshire, ftands thus:

O this fad Shrine, whoe'er thou art! draw near, Here lies the Friend moft lov'd, the Son moft dear,

Who ne'er knew Joy, but Friendship might divide, Or gave his Father Grief, but when he dy❜d.

How vain is Reason, Eloquence how weak! If POPE muft tell what HARCOURT cannot speak. › Oh let thy once-lov'd Friend infcribe thy Stone, And, with a Father's Sorrows, mix his own!

Befides thefe, and other Epitaphs mention'd before, Mr. Pope wrote feveral more; on Sir William Trumball; on the Earl of Dorfet; on General Withers ; on Mr. Corbet; on the Hon. Robert, and on his Sifter Mary, Digby; on Sir Godfrey Kneller, and on Sir Ifaac Newton, and Mr. Fenton..

Mr. Fenton was a Gentleman, for whom Mr. Pope had a very high Regard, and who was in much Efteem for his excellent Poems. He was educated

at

at Fefus-College in Cambridge, and was preferr'd to be Secretary to the Right Hon. Charles Earl of Orrery. He was interr'd at Easthamstead in Berks, in the Year 1730. His Epitaph:

T

HIS modeft Stone, what but few Marbles can,
May truly fay, here lies an honeft Man.

A Poet, bleft beyond the Poet's Fate,

Whom Heav'n kept facred from the proud and Great.
Foe to loud Praife, and Friend to learned Ease,
Content with Science in the Vale of Peace.
Calmly he look'd on either Life, and here
Saw nothing to regret, or there to fear;
From Nature's temp'rate Feast rofe fatisfy'd,
Thank'd Heav'n that he had liv'd, and that he dy’d.

Never was Character more true; and it was Men of this quiet and contented State, (notwithstanding Mr. Pope was not without Pride and fome Ill-nature, being almost always indifpós'd) that pleas'd him beft ; to these he was continually making his Court, and showing himself in his best Humours, and tho' he entertain❜d them but sparingly, he entertain'd them chearfully: When we fay fparingly, we only mean temperately, for he was not a Niggard, but always avoided Luxury; lefs than which he could not well do, having openly exclaim'd against it, and endeavoured to prove Temperance the more happy State, therefore he fhow'd an Example of it; and it is feen at all Times, where the Occafion permits, as it does in the Invitation he gives Mr. Fenton, to come and remain with him, 'till Mr. Craggs fhould be ready to receive him at the House he had taken near Mr. Pope. The Letter we have copied :

Dear