Who, with herself, or others, from her birth Finds all her life one warfare upon earth: 120 Shines, in expofing Knaves, and painting Fools So much the Fury ftill out-ran the Wit, 125 The Pleasure mifs'd her, and the Scandal hit. Who breaks with her,provokes Revenge from Hell, But he's a bolder man who dares be well. 130 Her ev'ry turn with Violence purfu'd, VARIATIONS, After 122. in the MS. Opprefs'd with wealth and wit, abundance fad! you live: Offend her, and she knows not to forgive; Atoffa, curs'd with ev'ry granted pray'r, VARIATIONS. After 148. in the MS. This Death decides, nor lets the bleffing fall Curs'd chance! this only could afflict her more, If any part should wander to the poor. NOTES. VER. 150. Or wanders, Heav'n-directed, &c.] Alluding and referring to the great principle of his Philofophy, which he never lofes fight of, and which teaches, that Providence is inceffantly turning the evils arifing from the follies and vices of men to general good. Some wand'ring touches, fome reflected light, "Yet Cloe fure was form'd without a spot"--Nature in her then err'd not, but forgot. NOTES. VER. 156. Chameleons who can paint in white and black?] There is one thing that does a very diftinguished honour to the accuracy of our poet's judgment, of which, in the course of these obfervations, I have given many inftances, and fhall here explain in what it confifts; it is this, that the Similitudes in his didactic poems, of which he is not fparing, and which are all highly poetical, are always chofen with fuch exquifite difcernment of Nature, as not only to illuftrate the particular point he is upon, but to eftablifh the general principles he would inforce; fo, in the inftance before us, he compares the inconftancy and contradiction in the Characters of Women, to the change of colours in the Chameleon; yet 'tis nevertheless the great principle of this poem to fhew that the general Characteristic of the Sex, as to the Ruling Paffions, which they all have, is more uniform than that in Man: Now for this purpose, all Nature could not have fupplied fuch another illuftration as this of the Chameleon; for tho' it inftantaneously affumes much of the colour of every fubject on which it chances to be placed, yet, as the moft accurate Virtuofi have observed, it has two native colours of its own, which (like the two ruling paffions in the Sex) amidst all thefe changes are never totally difcharged, but, tho' often difcoloured by the neighbourhood of adventitious ones, ftill make the foundation, and give a tincture to all thofe which, from thence, it occafionally affumes. VER, 157. "Yet Cloe fure &c.] The purpofe of the poet in this Character is important: It is to fhew that the politic or prudent government of the paffions is not enough to make a Character amiable, nor even to fecure it from being ridiculous, if the end of that government be not purfued, which is the "With ev'ry pleasing, ev'ry prudent part, СС Say, what can Cloe want?"---She wants a Heart. She speaks, behaves, and acts just as she ought; 161 But never, never, reach'd one gen'rous Thought. Virtue fhe finds too painful an endeavour, Content to dwell in Decencies for ever. her breast, 165 She, while her Lover pants upon She e'er should cancel---but she may forget, Safe is Secret ftill in Cloe's ear; But none of Cloe's fhall you ever hear. NOTES. 175 free exercise of the focial appetites after the felfifh ones have been fubdued; for that if, tho' reafon govern, the heart be never confulted, we intereft ourfelves as little in the fortune of fuch a Character, as in any of the foregoing, which paffions or caprice drive up and down at random. Cloe is prudent---Would you too be wife? 185 And show their zeal, and hide their want of skill. We owe to models of an humble kind. If QUEENSBERRY to ftrip there's no compelling, "Tis from a Handmaid we must take a Helen. From Peer or Bishop 'tis no easy thing 195 To draw the man who loves his God, or King: Alas! I copy, (or my draught would fail) From honeft Mah'met, or plain Parfon Hale. NOTES. VER. 181. One certain Portrait-the fame for ever!-] This is intirely ironical, and conveys under it this general moral truth, that there is, in life, no fuch thing as a perfect Character; fo that the fatire falls not on any particular Character, or Station, but on the Character-maker only. See Note on 78. 1 Dialogue 1738. VER. 198. Mah'met, fervant to the late King, faid to be |