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N.Blakey inv. & del

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In Men, we various ruling Passions find, In Women, two almost divide the Kind? :Those only fix'd, they first or last obey, The Love of Pleasure, and the Love of Sway.

Char: of Women.

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N

OTHING fo true as what

you once let fall, "Moft Women have no Characters at all."

Matter too foft a lasting mark to bear,

And beft diftinguish'd by black, brown, or fair,

NOTES.

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 small 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 Satire in which there was nothing perfonal.

VER. 1. Nothing fo true &c.] The reader perhaps may be

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How

many pictures of one Nymph we view, 5 All how unlike each other, all how true!

NOTES.

difappointed to find that this Epistle, which propofes the fame fubject with the preceding, is conducted on very different rules of method; for instead of being disposed in the fame logical connection, and filled with the like philofophical remarks, it is wholly taken up in drawing a great variety of capital Characters: But if he would reflect, that the two Sexes make but one Species, and confequently, that the Characters of both muft be ftudied and explained on the fame principles, he would fee, that when the poet had done this in the preceding Epistle, his business here was, not to repeat what he had already delivered, but only to verify and illuftrate his doctrine, by every view of that perplexity of Nature, which his philofophy only can explain. If the reader therefore will but be at the pains to study thefe Characters with any degree of attention, as they are here mafterly drawn, one important particular (for which the poet has artfully prepared him by the introduction) will very forcibly strike his obfervation; and that is, that all the great ftrokes in the feveral Characters of Women are not only infinitely perplexed and difcordant, like thofe in Men, but abfolutely inconfiftent, and in a much higher degree contradictory. As ftrange as this may appear, yet he will fee that the poet has all the while ftrictly followed Nature, whofe ways, we find by the former Epiftle, are not a little mysterious; and a myftery this might have remained, had not our author explained it at 207. where he shuts up his Characters with this philofophical reflexion:

In Men, we various ruling Paffions find ;
In Women, two almoft divide the kind;
Thofe, only fix'd, they firft or laft obey,

The love of Pleasure, and the love of Sway.

If this account be true, we fee the perpetual neceffity (which is not the cafe in Men) that Women lye under of difguifing their ruling paffion. Now the variety of arts employed to this purpose must needs draw them into infinite contradictions in those Actions from whence their general and obvious Character is

Arcadia's Countess, here, in ermin'd pride,
Is there, Paftora by a fountain fide.

NOTES.

denominated: To verify this obfervation, let the reader examine all the Characters here drawn, and try whether with this key he cannot discover that all their Contradictions arise from a defire to hide the ruling Paffion.

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But this is not the worft. The poet afterwards (from 218 to 249) takes notice of another mifchief arifing from this neceffity of hiding their ruling Paffions; which is, that generally the end of each is defeated even there where they are most violently pursued: For the neceflity of hiding them inducing an habitual diffipation of mind, Reason, whofe office it is to regulate the ruling Paffion, lofes all its force and direction; and these unhappy victims to their principles, tho' with their attention ftill fixed upon them, are ever profecuting the means deftructive of their end, and thus become ridiculous in youth, and miferable in old age.

Let me not omit to obferve the great beauty of the conclufion: It is an Encomium on an imaginary Lady to whom the Epiftle is addreffed, and artfully turns upon the fact which makes the subject of the Epiftle, the contradiction of a Woman's Character, in which contradiction he fhews that all the luftre even of the best Character confifts:

And yet, believe me, good as well as ill,

Woman's at best a Contradiction ftill, &c.

VER. 5. How many pictures] The poet's purpose here is to fhew, that the Characters of Women are generally inconfiftent with themselves; and this he illuftrates by fo happy a Similitude, that we fee the folly, defcribed in it, arifes from that very principle which gives birth to this inconfiftency of Cha

racter.

VER. 7, 8, 10, &c. Arcadia's Countefs,-Paftora by a fountain-Leda with a fwan.-Magdalen-Cecilia-] Attitudes in which feveral ladies affected to be drawn, and fometimes one lady in them all-The poet's politenefs and complaifance to the fex is obfervable in this inftance, amongst others, that, whereas in the Characters of Men, he has fometimes made

Here Fannia, leering on her own good man,
And there, a naked Leda with a Swan.
Let then the fair one beautifully cry,

10

In Magdalen's loose hair and lifted eye,
Or dreft in smiles of fweet Cecilia shine,
With fimp'ring Angels, Palms, and Harps divine;
Whether the Charmer finner it, or faint it, 15
If Folly grow romantic, I must paint it.

Come then, the colours and the ground prepare! Dip in the Rainbow, trick her off in Air; Chufe a firm Cloud, before it fall, and in it 19 Catch, ere fhe change, the Cynthia of this minute.

Rufa, whofe eye quick-glancing o'er the Park, 'Attracts each light gay meteor of a Spark, Agrees as ill with Rufa ftudying Locke,

As Sappho's di'monds with her dirty fmock;

NOTES.

ufe of real names, in the Characters of Women always ficti

tious. P.

VER. 20. Catch, ere fhe change, the Cynthia of this minute.] Alluding to the precept of Fresnoy,

formæ veneres captando fugaces.

VER. 21. Inftances of contrarieties, given even from fuch Characters as are most strongly mark'd, and feemingly therefore moft confiftent: As, I. In the Affected, 21, &c. P.

VER. 23. Agrees as ill with Rufa ftudying Locke,] This thought is expreffed with great humour in the following ftanza:

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