Pride, the common Effect of Sovereignty, erected himself, like leffer Monarchs, into a Tyrant. But what does Tyranny confift in, but in fuppofing all made for the Ufe of one? And fo, taking thofe Freedoms with all, confequent on fuch a Principle. This was the Cafe of Man, as we fay; He foon began to confider the whole Animal Creation as his Slaves, rather than his Subjects; as being created for no Use of their own, but only for his; and so used them with all poffible Cruelty: And not content with that, to add Infult to his Cruelty, he endeavoured to philofophize himself into a Belief, that Animals were mere Machines, without the leaft Senfation of Pain or Pleafure. And thus, as Mr. Pope fays, Man affected to be the Wit, as well as Tyrant of the Whole*. Our Commentator can tell us what deep Philofopher it was that invented this witty Syftem, and by the Affistance of what Method fo wonderful a Difcovery was brought to Light. It became then one who adhered to the Scripture Account of Man's Dominion to reprove this Abuse of it, and to fhew that,

"Heaven's Attribute was univerfal Care, "And Man's Prerogative to rule, BUT SPARE."

Mr. Pope fays of God,

"Breathes in our Soul, informs our mortal Part, "As full, as perfect in a Hair as Heart."

The Commentator remarks, that "one fhould "make a criminal Abuse of these pompous Expreffions if one launched out with SPINOZA, to confound the Subftance of God with our own;

and to imagine that the Subftance of that " which we call Creature, is the fame with that

Being's to which we give the Name of Crea"tor." Spinoza is still the Burthen of the Song, To cut this Matter fhort, we fhall therefore give Mr. Pope's own plain Sentiments, in a Line of this very Effay, that overturn all Spinozism from its very Foundations.

"THE WORKMAN FROM HIS WORK DISTINCT WAS KNOWN,

"And fimple Reafon never fought but one."

But the Commentator is, at every Turn, crying out,—A Follower of Spinoza would express himself just fo. I believe he might; and I will explain this Riddle to Mr. Croufaz: That execrable Wretch, to disguise his Impiety, covered it with fuch orthodox Expreffions that he concealed it a long Time from his Contemporaries, as we may fee by his Literary Correfpondence. Hence it muft neceffarily happen, that every the beft intentioned, moft orthodox Writer, will ufe many Expreffions that a Spinozist would employ.

To perfift therefore from henceforth, in this Accufation, will deferve a Name that is not my Business to give.

Mr. Pope concludes thus ;

"Cease then, nor Order Imperfection name:
"Our proper Blifs depends on what we blame.
"Know thy own Point: this kind, this due De-

gree

"Of Blindnefs, Weaknefs, Heaven bestows on
thee.

"Submit. In this, or any other Sphere,
Secure to be as bleft as thou canft bear :

"Safe

"Safe in the Hand of one difpofing Power, "Or in the natal or the mortal Hour."

"The Heart gives itself up (fays Mr. Croufax) "to the Magnificence of these Words.-But I ask "Mr. Pope, with regard to these confolatory "Ideas, whether he was not beholden, in fome Measure, to Religion for them?" This is truly pleasant. Our Critick had taken it into his Head that the Poet had no Religion; tho' he does not pretend his Proofs rife higher than to a legitimate Sufpicion; and finding here a Paffage that fpoke plainly to the contrary, instead of retracting that rash uncharitable Opinion, he would turn this very Evidence of his own Miftake into a new Proof for the Support of it; and fo infinuates, you fee, that Mr. Pope has here contradicted himself. This is in the true Spirit of modern Controversy. -After this he preaches, for two Pages, on the Paffage, and ends in thefe Words: From all "this I conclude, that the Verfes in Queftion are "altogether edifying in the Mouth of an honest "Man, but that they give Scandal and appear pro"fane in the Mouth of an ill one +." How exactly can Rome and Geneva jump on fome Occafions. So the Conclave adjudged, that those Propofitions which in the Mouth of St. Austin were altogether edifying, became fcandalous and profane in the Mouth of Janfenius.

Thus have I gone thro' what I thought material in his Commentary on the first Epistle: I will only observe, that Mr. Croufaz has, in feveral Places, charged Mr. Pope with pretended Abfurdities and Impieties, for which his free Tranflator is only anfwerable. But as he profeffes not to understand English, thofe Things may be paffed over.

* Page 124, 125.

+ Page 127,

How

F 3

However, it may not be amifs to give an Inftance or two of this Matter, as a Specimen of this Part of the Performance.

The Tranflator fays,

"Il ne defire point cette celefte Flame "Qui des purs Seraphins devore & nourrit l'Ame. *

That is, the Savage does not defire that heavenly Flame, which, at the fame Time that it devours the Souls of pure Seraphims, nourishes them. Mr. Croufaz remarks:-"Mr. Pope, by exalting the Fire of "his Poetry by an Antithefis, throws, occafionally, "his Ridicule on thofe heavenly Spirits. The Indian, fays the Poet, contents himself without any Thing of that Flame which devours at the fame Time that it nourishes." But Mr. Pope is quite free from this Imputation; nothing can be more grave or fober than his English on this Occafion.

"Tobe, contents his natural Defire,

"He asks no Angel's Wing or Seraph's Fire.

But neither, I dare fay, did the Tranflator mean any Thing of Ridicule in his devore & nourrit l'ame. It is the fober folid Jargon of the Schools; and Mr. l'Abbe no doubt had frequently heard it from the Benches of the Sorbonne. Indeed had Mr. Pope ufed fuch an Expreffion, one might have fufpected that he was not fo ferious as he fhould be.

Mr. Pope, fpeaking of God's Omnipresence, says

"As full as perfect in vile Man that mourns "As the rapt Seraph that adores and burns.

* Page 77•

Which Mr. Abbe thus tranflated,

"Dans un homme ignore fous une humble chaumiere,

"Que dans le Seraphin rayonnant de lumiere.*

That is, as well in the ignorant Man who inhabits an 'bumble Cottage, as in the Seraphim encompassed with Rays of Light. Our Frenchman here, in good Earneft, thought that a vile Man that mourned could be none but fuch a one as lived in a Cottage. Which has betrayed Mr. Croufaz into this important Remark:-"For all that, we fometimes find "in Perfons of the lowest Rank, a Fund of Probi66 ty and Refignation that preferves them from Contempt; their Minds are indeed but narrow, yet "fitted to their Station, &c."-But Mr. Pope had no fuch childish Idea in his Head. He was oppofing here the human Species to the angelic, and fo fpoke of that, when compared to this, as vile and difconfolate. The Force and Beauty of the Reflection depends on this Senfe and, what is more, the Propriety of it; and it is amazing that neither the Tranflator nor Critick could fee it.-There are many Mistakes of this Nature, both of one and the other, throughout the Tranflation and the Commentary. The Tranflation is indeed a very elegant one, and it often very well exprefles the Senfe of the Original; but fometimes it both envenoms and mistakes it.

:

But I must by no means forget our Critick's Remark on these Lines of Mr. Pope's fourth Epiftle, fpeaking of the good Man :

"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, 65 It pours the Blifs that fills up all the Mind.

* Page 120.