A salmon's belly, Helluo, was thy fate; The doctor call'd, declares all help too late : 'Mercy!' cries Helluo, mercy on my soul! 240 Is there no hope ?—Alas !—Then bring the jowl.' The frugal crone, whom praying priests attend, Still tries to save 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 saint provoke!' Were the last words that poor Narcissa* spoke : 'No, let a charming chintz and Brussels lace Wrap my cold limbs, and shade my lifeless face: One would not, sure, be frightful when one's dead : And-Betty +-give this cheek a little red.' 250 The courtier smooth, who forty years had shined A humble servant to all human-kind, Just brought out this, when scarce his tongue could stir : 'If, where I'm going, I could serve you, sir?' 'I give and I devise,' old Euclio said, And sigh'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.' I The manor, sir !-The manor hold,' he cried; 'Not that, I cannot part with that; ' and died. And you, brave Cobham! to the latest breath, Shall feel your ruling passion strong in death: Such in those moments as in all the past ;'O, save my country, Heaven!' shall be your last. * Mrs. Oldfield, the celebrated actress. Mrs. Saunders, an actress. The words of Sir William Bateman in his last moments. EPISTLE II. OF THE CHARACTERS OF WOMEN. TO A LADY.* ARGUMENT. Of the characters of women only, as contradistinguished from the other sex. That these are yet more inconsistent and incomprehensible than those of men, of which instances are given, even from such characters as are plainest and most strongly marked; as in the affected, ver. 7 to 21. The soft-natured, v. 29 to 37. The whimsical, v. 53 to 86. The wits and refiners, v. 87. The stupid and silly, v. 101. The capricious and passionate, v. 115. The decent and cold, v. 157. How contrarieties run through them all. But though the particular characters of this sex are more various than those of men, the general characteristic, as to the ruling passion, is more uniform and confined. In what that lies, and whence it proceeds, v. 207. Men are best known in public life, women in private, v. 215. What are the aims and the fate of the sex, both as to power and pleasure, v. 219. Advice for their true interest, v. 257. The picture of an estimable woman, made up of the best kind of contrarieties, v. 269, &c. NOTHING SO true as what you once let fall;- Here Fannia, leering on her own good man; 10 Miss Martha Blount. (See note of Pope's Epistle to Mr. Jervas.) Her tongue bewitch'd as oddly as her eyes; As when she touch'd the brink of all we hate. * 50 60 To make a wash, would hardly stew a child; The Duchess of Hamilton here intended. 70 80 Jeremy Taylor's "Holy Living and Dying;" Foxe's Book of Martyrs." A character in a play called 'The Jovial Crew.' So Philomedé,* lecturing all mankind Flavia's a wit; has too much sense to pray: To toast our wants and wishes, is her way; Nor asks of God, but of her stars, to give The mighty blessing, While we live, to live.' 90' Then all for death, that opiate of the soul! Lucretia's dagger, Rosamonda's bowl. 6 Say, what can cause such impotence of mind? Wise wretch! with pleasures too refined to please; 100 Turn then from wits, and look on Simo's mate; No ass so meek, no ass so obstinate: Or her, that owns her faults, but never mends, Because she's honest, and the best of friends: Or her, whose life the church and scandal share, For ever in a passion or a prayer: 6 Or her, who laughs at hell, but, like her grace,+ Cries, Ah! how charming if there's no such place!' Or who in sweet vicissitude appears, 110 Of mirth and opium, ratafia and tears, But what are these to great Atossa's mind? The Duchess of Montague, Lady Mary Churchill. The old Duchess of Marlborough. It is said she gave Pope £1,000 to suppress this character, and that he received the money, and then published it:-a story apparently without any foundation. |