Though, as has been intimated, it was unjuftly furmised, from his intimacy with Swift, and others of that party, that he took a fhare in the political fquabbles of those days; yet, it is now certain, that he never intermeddled with any public concerns.

His pen was guided by more noble and extenfive views, than that of ferving a faction or party. He expreffes a manly and generous indignation of fuch narrow motives, addreffing himself to Dean Swift, on the subject of party-writing.

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"God forbid," fays he, "that an honeft and witty man fhould be of any party, but that "of his country. They have fcoundrels enough to write for their paffions and their defigns; "let us write for truth, for honour, and for pofterity."

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He was fo cautious, as not even to exprefs his fentiments on those occafions, in his moft intimate correfpondences.

In one of his letters to Mr. Allen, he difclaims all topics of this nature.

"The face of public affairs," fays he, "is very much changed, and this fortnight's va❝cation very bufy. It is a moft important interval; but I never in my life wrote a letter on these subjects: I content myself, as you "do, with honest wishes for honest men to go

5

6c vern

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vern us, without asking for any party or de"nomination befide. This is all the diftinction "I know."

In another letter, he expreffes himself to the fame effect

"I have nothing," fays he, " to tell you of "public affairs. I never, I think, in my life "was guilty of one letter upon thofe fubjects,

though no man wishes the public better. But "I find all those that seem to design it beft, "better contented than ever."

Nevertheless, our author teftified great anxiety on account of the diftracted ftate of affairs, which, from time to time, threatened mifchief to the public. In a letter to the gentleman above-mentioned, he says,

---"The public is, indeed, more my concern "than it used to be, as I fee it in more danger; "but your reflection and advice ought to alle"viate thofe uneafy thoughts, when, to truft providence, is all I can do; and fince my “sphere is resignation, not action."

At another time, he expreffes himself very feelingly on the same subject.

"As this world," fays he, " is a place of no ἐσ stability, of no dependance, I believe there "is no honeft man, who has any affections out "of himself, but will always find more or less

to

to be forry for, or to with otherwise; so I " own my mind troubled, whenever I reflect on "public difappointments, and the prevalence of corrupt and felfifh counfels."

But in the following letter, he seems to have been more than commonly affected, by fome alarming apprehenfion *.

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My mind," fays he to Mr. Allen, "at prefent is as dejected as poffible; for I love my country †, and I love mankind; and I see a dif"mal fcene opening for our own and other na"tions, which will not long be a fecret to you."

He was indeed a lover of mankind, and his diffufive benevolence forms the most amiable part of his character. His fentiments on this. head were not penned for the public eye alone, but are expreffed throughout the courfe of his private correfpondences, with fuch unaffected feeling, as prove them to have been the genuine offspring of his heart.

In one of his letters to Mr. Allen, his reflections on univerfal benevolence, fhew the extenfive liberality of his mind.

The unhappy and unfuccefsful war which a faction. forced the nation into, in oppofition to, and in order to deftroy, Sir Robert Walpole.

Our author's patriotic fentiments were fo delicate, that whenever he made ufe of any foreign manufacture, he would fay-Pardon me, my country; I offend but feldom."

L 1

"Dear

"Dear Sir,

"For you are always truly fo to me; and I "know your goodness fo well, that I need not "be put in mind of it by your benefactions. A 66 man is not amiable because he is good to our"felves only, but the more fo the more he is "good to; therefore, when we hear of benefits, 66 we ought to be as fenfible of them as when we feel them: Yet this is feldom the cafe : we "apply the terms of good, benevolent, juft, &c. merely as relative to ourselves, and are in this as unjuft to men, as philofophers and divines. are to God, whofe ways and workings they "magnify or difapprove, according to the effect "they have on themselves only."

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His humanity and benevolence not only embraced mankind, but comprehended a feeling for the whole animal creation. He fhewed very ftrong traits of this tender difpofition in a converfation which he held with fome of his friends, concerning the late Dr. Hales

6.6

One of the company, fpeaking of the Doctor, faid, "I love to fee him, he is fo good a man. "True," faid Mr. POPE, "he is a very good man; only I am forry he has had his hands. "fo much imbrued in blood." the other," he cuts up rats!" Mr. POPE," and dogs too.

:

"What," faid "Yes," replied Indeed he does it

"with a view of being useful to man; but how "do we know that we have a right to kill crea

tures,

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tures, that we are fo little above, as dogs, for "our use?"

It will not be matter of wonder, that a man who had fuch pure, fuch warm, fuch extenfive ideas of benevolence, humanity, and every branch of moral virtue, fhould have a ftrong abhorrence and antipathy to vicę.

This antipathy gave birth to his fatires, which created him fo many enemies; and which, though they did not produce all the reformation he wifhed, did nevertheless, perhaps, contribute, in fome degree, to check the growing profligacy and licentioufnefs of the times in which he lived *.

Such

* Mr. POPE died at the very opening of this fcene, and fo only faw the first movement of the giant ftrides he fomewhere fpeaks of, but divined the reft. The monfters which made them were but juft hatched, and it was fome time after that their full horrors aftonished the affembled public, in blafphemies too impious to be recorded. To thefe extreams of evil times, and to the countenance and protection these inftruments of ruin met with, the Editor of Mr. POPE's works alludes, in the following words of his dedication to the third. volume of the Divine Legation, the edition of 1765. As it contains a very graphical defcription of the then miferable ftate of things, it may be neither unentertaining nor unufeful.

"I have detained your Lordship with a tedious ftory; " and still I must beg your patience a little longer. We are not yet got to the end of a bad profpect. While I "and others of my order, have been thus vainly contend"ing pro aris, with the unequal arms of reason, we had the "further

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