THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER. DEO OPT. MAX. Ir may be proper to observe, that fome paffages, in the preceding Essay, having been unjustly sufpected of a tendency towards fate and naturalism, the author composed this Prayer as the fum of all, to show that his fyftem was founded in free-will, and terminated in piety: That the First Cause was as well the Lord and Governor of the Universe as the Creator of it; and that, by fubmiffion to his will (the great principle enforced throughout the Essay) was not meant the suffering ourselves to be carried along by a blind determination, but the resting in a religious acquiefcence, and confidence full of hope and immortality. To give all this the greater weight, the poet chose for his model the Lord's Prayer, which, of all others, best deserves the title prefixed to this Paraphrase. DR. WARBURTON. FATHER of all in every age, In every clime ador'd, By faint, by favage, and by fage, Thou Great First Cause, least understood; Who all my sense confin'd To know but this, that thou art good, Yet gave me, in this dark cftate, And, binding nature fast in fate, What confcience dictates to be done, This, teach me more than hell to fhun, That, more than heaven pursue. What bleffings thy free bounty gives, For God is paid when man receives, Yet not to earth's contracted fpan When thousand worlds are round: Let not this weak, unknowing hand And deal damnation round the land, If I am right, thy grace impart, Save me alike from foolish pride, Mean though I am, not wholly fo, Through this day's life or death. To thee, whofe temple is all space, THE Effay on Man was intended to have been, which more exactly reflected the image of his comprised in four books. The first of which, the author has given us under that title, in four epiftles. The fecond was to have confifted of the fame number: 1. Of the extent and limits of human reason. 2. Of thofe arts and fciences, and of the parts of them, which are ufeful, and therefore at tainable, together, with thofe which are unufeful, and therefore unattainable. 3. Of the nature, ends, ufe, and application of the different capacities of mea. 4. Of the ufe of learning, of the fcience of the world, and of wit; concluding with a faire against a misapplication of them, illuftrated by pictures, characters, and examples. The third book regarded civil regimen, or the fcience of politics, in which the feveral forms of a republic were to be examined and explained; together with the several modes of religious worhip, as far forth as they affect fociety; between which the author always fuppofed there was the most interesting relation, and clofeft connection; fo that this part would have treated of civil and religious fociety in their full extent. The fourth and last book concerned private ethics, or practical morality, confidered in all the circumstances, orders, profeffions, and stations of human life. The scheme of all this had been maturely digefted, and communicated to Lord Bolingbroke, Dr. Swift, and one or two more; and was intended for the only work of his riper years; but was, partly through ill health, partly through difcouragements from the depravity of the times, and partly on prudential and other confiderations, inrupted, poftponed, and, laftly, in a manner laid afide. But as this was the author's favourite work, ftrong capacious mind, and as we can have but a very imperfect idea of it from the “disjecta mem"bra Poeta," that now remain, it may not be amifs to be a little more particular concerning each of these projected books. The first, as it treats of man in the abstract, and confiders him in general under every of his relations, becomes the foundation, and furnishes out the fubje&s, of the three following; fo that The fecond book was to take up again the firft and fecond epiftles of the first book, and treats of man in his intelle&ual capacity at large, as has been explained above. Of this only a small part of the conclufion (which, as we faid, was to have contained a fatire against the mifapplication of wit and learning), may be found in the fourth book of the Dunciad, and up and down, occasionally, in the other three. The third book, in like manner, was to re-affume the fubject of the third epiftle of the first, which treats of man in his focial, political, and religious capacity. But this part the poet afterwards conceived might be beft executed in an Epic Poem, as the action would make it more animated, and the fable lefs invidious; in which all the great principles of true and falfe governments and religions should be chiefly delivered in feigned examples. The fourth and last book was to pursue the fubject of the fourth epiftle of the first, and treats of ethics, or practical morality; and would have confifted of many members; of which the four following epiftles were detached portions: the two firft, on the characters of men and women, being the introductory part of this concluding book, DR. WARBURTON. EPISTLE I TO SIR RICHARD TEMPLE, LORD COBHAM. Of the Knowledg: and Characters of Men. THE ARGUMENT. I. THAT it is not fufficient for this knowledge to confider man in the abstract: books will not ferve the purpose, nor yet our own experience fingly, ver. 1. General maxims, unless they be formed upon both, will but be notional, ver. 10. Some peculiarity in every man, characteriític to himfelf, yet varying from himself, ver. 15. Difficulties arising from our own paflions, fancies, faculties, &c. ver. 31. The fhortnefs of life to obferve in, and the uncertainty of the principles of action in men to obferve by, ver. 37, &c. Our own principle of action often hid from ourfelves, ver. 41. Some few characters plain, but in general confounded, diffembled, or inconfiftent, ver. 51. The fame man utterly different in different places and feafons, ver. 71. Unimaginable weakneffes in the greateft, ver. 70. &c. Nothing conftant and certain but God and nature, ver. 95. No judging of the motives from the actions; the fame actions proceeding from contrary motives, and the fame motives influencing contrary actions, ver. 100. II. Yet, to form characters, we can only take the ftrongeft actions of a man's life, and try to make them agree: the utter uncertainty of this, from nature itfelf, and from policy, ver. 120. Characters given according to the rank of men of the world, ver. 135. And fome reason for it, ver. 140. Education alters the nature, or at leait chara&er, of many, ver. 149. Actions, paffions, opinions, manners, humours, or principles, all fubject to change. No judging by nature, from ver. 158. to ver. 178. III. It only remains to find (if we can) his ruling paffion: that will certainly influence all the reft, and can reconcile the feeming or real inconfiftency of a his actions, ver. 175. Infianced in the extraordinary character of Clodio, ver 179. A caution against miltaking fecond qualities for firft, which will destroy all poflibility of the knowledge of mankind, ver. 210. Examples of the ftrength of the ruling paffion, and its continuation to the laft breath, ver. 222, &c. YES, you defpife the man to books confin'd, Yet more; the difference is as great between The optics feeing, as the objects feen. All manners take a tincture from our own; Or come difcolour'd through our paffions fhown. Or fancy's beam enlarges, multiplies, Contracts, inverts, and gives ten thousand dyes. Nor will life's ftream for obfervation stay, It hurries all too fast to mark their way: In vain fedate reflections we would make, [take. When half our knowledge we must fnatch, not Oft, in the paffion's wild rotation toft, Our spring of action to ourselves is loft: And what comes then is matter of the field. Tir'd, not determin'd, to the last we yield, As the laft image of that troubled heap, When fenfe tublides and fancy fports in fleep, (Though paft the recollection of the thought), Becomes the ftuff of which our dream is wrought: Something as dim to our infernal view, Is thus, perhaps, the cause of moft we do. 41 50 True, fome are open, and to all men known; Or puzzling contraries confound the whole; See the fame man, in vigour, in the gout; 60 70 Otho a warrior, Cromwell a buffoon? ΙΟΙ Know, God and nature only are the fame: In man, the judgment fhoots at flying game; A bird of paffage! gone as foon as found, Now in the moon perhaps, now under ground. In vain the fage, with retrofpective eye, Would from th' apparent What conclude the Why, Infer the motive from the deed, and fhow, That what we chanc'd was what we meant to do. Behold if fortune or a mistress f owns, Some plunge in bufinefs, others fhave their crowns: To cale the foul of one oppreffive weight, This quits an empire, that embroils a itate: The fame aduft complexion has impell d Charles to the convent, Philip to the field. 110 Not always actions fhow the man: we find Who does a kindness is not therefore kind : Perhaps profperity becalm'd his breast, Perhaps the wind just shifted from the east: Not therefore humble he who feeks retreat, Pride guides his steps, and bids him fhun the great: Who combats bravely is not therefore brave, He dreads a death-bed like the meanest slave: Who reafons wifely is not therefore wife, His pride in reatoning, not in acting, lies. But grant that actions beft difcover man; 119 Take the most ftrong, and fort them as you can. The few that glare, each character must mark, You balance not the many in the dark. What will you do with fuch as difagree? Suppress them, or mifcall them policy? Muft then at once (the character to fave) The plain rough hero turn a crafty knave? Alas! in truth the man but chang'd his mind, Perhaps was fick, in love, or had not din'd. Afk why from Britain Cæfar would retreat? Calar himself might whilper, he was beat. 130 Why risk the world's great empire for a punk? Cæfar perhaps might anfwer, he was drunk. But, fage hiftorians! 'tis your task to prove One action, conduct; one, heroic love. 'Tis from high life high characters are drawn: More wife, more learn'd, more juft, more every 'Tis education forms the common mind; 150 160 170 That gay Free-thinker, a fine talker once, What turns him now a ftupid, filent dunce? Some god, or fpirit, he has lately found; Or chanc'd to meet a minifter that frown'd. Judge we by nature? Habit can efface, Intereft o'ercome, or policy take place: By actions? thofe uncertainty divides! By paflions thefe diffimulation hides: Opinions? they fill take a wider range: Find, if you can, in what you cannot change. Manners with fortunes, hun.ours turn with climes, Tenets with books, and principles with times. Search then the ruling paffion: There, alone, The wild are conftant, and the cunning known; the fool confiftent, and the falfa fincere; Piefts, princes, women, no diffemblers here. I his clue once found, unravels all the reft, The profpect clears, and Wharton ftands confeft. Wharton, the fcorn and wonder of our days, 180 Whole ruling paffion was the luft of praife: Born with whate'er could win it from the wife, Women and fools muft like him, or he dies: VARIATIONS. After ver. 86. in the former editions. Ak why from Britain Cæfar made retreat? VARIATIONS. The mighty Czar what mov'd to wed a punk? The mighty Czar would tell you he was drunk Altered as above, becaule Cafar wrote his Commentaries of this war, and doe- not tell you he was beat. As Cæfar too afforded an inftance of both cafes, it was thought better to make him the fingle example. Though wondering fenates hung on all he spoke, Yet, in this fearch, the wifeft may mistake, 210 In this the luft, in that the avarice, Were means, not ends; ambition was the vice. In this one paffion man can ftrength enjoy, 220 230 Old politicians chew on wifdom past, And totter on in business to the laft; As weak, as earnest; and as gravely out, As fober Lanesborow dancing in the gout. Behold a reverend fire, whom want of grace Has made the father of a nameless race, Shov'd from the wall perhaps, or rudley prefs'd By his own fon, that paffes by unbless'd: Still to his wench he crawls on knocking knees, And envies every sparrow that he fees. A falmon's belly, Helluo, was thy fate; The doctor call'd, declares ail help too late: "Mercy! cries Helluo, mercy on my foul! "Is there no hope?-Alas!-then bring the jowl." VARIATIONS. In the former editions, ver. 208. Nature well known, no miracles remain. 240 The frugal Crone, whom praying priests attend, Still ftrives to fave the hallow'd taper's end, Collects her breath, as ebbing life retires, For one puff more, and in that puff expires. "Odious! in woollen! 'twould a faint provoke, (Were the laft words that poor Narciffa fpoke) "No, let a charming chintz, and Bruffels lace, "Wrap my cold limbs, and fhade my lifeless face: "One would not, fure, be frightful when one's "dead"And-Betty-give this cheek a little red." 250 The courtier smooth, who forty years had fhin'd An humble fervant to all human kind, [flir, Juft brought out this, when scarce his tongue could "If-where I'm going-I could ferve you, Sir !" "I give and I devife (old Euclio faid, And figh'd)" my lands and tenements to Ned." Your money, Sir?" My money, Sir! what all? "Why-if I must-(then wept) I give it Paul.” The manor, Sir?" The manor! hold, he cry'd. 260 "Not that, I cannot part with that"-and dy'd. And you! brave Cobham, to the latest breath, Shall feel your ruling paffion strong in death: Such in those moments as in all the past, Oh, fave my country, Heaven" fhall be your laft. EPISTLE II. TO A LADY. Of the Characters of Women, THERE is nothing in Mr. Pope's works more highly finished than this epiftle: Yet its fuccefs was in no proportion to the pains he took in compofing it. Something he chanced to drop in a fhort advertisement prefixed to it, on its first publication, may perhaps account for the fmall attention given to it. He faid that no one character in it was drawn from the life. The public believed him on his word, and expreffed little curiofity about a fatire, in which there was nothing perfonal. NOTHING fo true as what you once let fall, If folly grow romantic, I must paint it. I Come then, the colours, and the ground prepare! |
