lines as nervous and energetic as are to be found in any part of our author. A frame of zidamant, a foul of fire, No dangers fright him, and no labours tire; And afterwards of his unexpected death. He left a name, at which the world grew pale, Two fucceeding paffages, in this fourth epiftle, the first, at line 237, on the emptiness of Fame; the fecond, at line 259, on the inconveniences that attend fuperior parts and talents, are replete with strong fenfe, and a penetrating knowledge of men and things, expreffed with vigour and concifeness, 51. Self-love but ferves the virtuous mind to wake, As the fmall pebble stirs the peaceful lake †. Dodfley's Mifcellanies, vol. iv. The Vanity of Human Wishes, by Mr. Johnson. + Ver. 363. in It is obfervable that this fimilitudo, which is to be found in Silius Italicus, 1, xiii. v. 24, and alfo in Du Bartas, and in Shakespear's Henry VI, hath been used twice more in the writings of our poet; the Temple of Fame in the four hundred and thirty-fixth line, and in the Dunciad at the four hundred and fifth. This Effay is not decorated with many comparisons ; two however ought to be mentioned, on account of their aptnefs and propriety. The first is, where he compares man to the vine, that gains its ftrength from the embrace it gives: the fecond is conceived with peculiar felicity; all Nature does not perhaps afford fo fit and close an application, It is indeed equally new, philofophical, and poetical. On their own axis as the planets run, Yet make at once their circle round the fun; Should it not be acuate, pr aft upon? He has used this expreffion again, Illiad xv. v. 487, That fix'd as fate, this aded by a God, + Ep. iii. ver. 301 52. Come 52. Come then, my Friend! my Genias! come along; boh maffer of the poet and the fong * ! In this concluding addrefs of our author to Lord Bolingbroke †, one is at a loss which to admire moft, the warmth of his friendship, or the warmth of his genius. POPE indeed idolized him: when in company with him, he appeared with all the deference and fubmiffion of an affectionate scholar. He used to speak of him as a being of a fuperior order, that had condefcended to vifit this lower world; in particular, when the laft comet appeared and approached near the earth, he told fome of his acquaintance," it was fent only to convey Lord Bolingbroke HOME AGAIN; jn as a stage-coach stops at your door to take up a paffenger." A graceful perfon, - Ver. 373 + Thofe paffages in Bolingbroke's. pofthumous works, that bear the clofeft: refemblance to the tenets of this Essay are the following. Vol. iv. octavo edition, p. 223 & p. 324; p. 94 of vol. 5; p. 388 of vol. iv. & 389; and p. 49 of vol, iv. p. 5 & 6 of vol. v. p, 17 of vol. v. p. 316 of vol. iv. p. 36 of vol. v. p. 55 of vol.:v. p. 328 of vol. iv. and more particularly than all, p. 326 of vol. iv a flow of nervous cloquence, a vivid imagination, were the lot of this accomplished nobleman; but his ambitious views baing frustrated in the early part of his life, his difappointments embittered his temper, and he seems to have been disgusted with all religions and all governments. I have been informed from an eye-witness of one his laft interviews with POPE, who was then given over by the phyficians, that Bolingbroke, ftanding behind POPE'S chair, looked carneftly down upon him, and repeated several times, interrupted with Jobs, "O Great God, what is man! I never knew a person that had so tender a heart for his particular friends, or a warmer benevolence for all mankind." It is to be hoped that Bolingbroke + profited by thafe remarkable • His manner of reafoning and philofophifing has been lo happily caught in a piece entitled A Vindication of Natural Society; that many, even acute readers, miftook it for, a genuine difcourfe of the author whom it was intended to expofe; it is indeed a mafter-piece of irony.-No writings that raised fo mighty an expectation in the public as those of Bolingbroke, ever perished fo foon and funk into oblivion. It is aferted on good authority, that Bolingbroke was accustomed to ridicule POPE as not understanding the drift of remarkable words that POPE spoke in his laff illness to the fame gentleman who com municated the foregoing anecdote ;—~-~ "I am so certain of the foul's being imt mortal, of his own principles in their full extent: It is plain from many of our author's letters, vol. ix. ́p. 324, that he was pleafed to find fuch an interpretation could be given to this poem as was confiftent with the fundamental principles of religion. This also farther appears from fome curious letters that paffed in the year one thousand seven hundred and forty-two, between Ramfay, Racine the younger, and our author, The former addreffed a vindication of the principles of the Effay on Man to Racine, who had charged it with Spinozifm and irreligion. This produced a letter from Par to Racine, which concludes with these remarkable words. "I declare therefore loudly and with the greatest fincerity, that my fentiments are diametrically oppcfite to thofe of Spinoza, and even of Leibnitz. They are in truth perfectly agreeable to the tenets of Pascal, and the Archbishop of Cambray: and I fhall think it an honour to imitate the moderation and docility of the latter, in always fubmitting all my private opinions to the decifion of the church." London, Sept. 1, 1742. There is a circumstance in the letter of Ramfay abovementioned, too remarkable to be omitted; and which per-. haps fome may be almoft tempted to doubt the truth of. In cafe of fo delicate a nature I chufe to quote the original. "M. le Chevalier Newton, grand Géométre & nullement Metaphyficien, étoit perfuadé de la vérité de la Religion: mais il voulut rafiner fur d' anciennes erreurs Orientales, & renouvella l'Arianifme par l' organe de fon fameux difciple & intreprete M. Clarke; qui m' avoua quelque tems avant que de mourir après plufieurs conférences que j'avois eues avec lui, combien il fe repentoit d'avoir fait imprimer fon Ouvrage : |