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he will not be eafily induced, by the Clamours of the falfely Delicate, to betray the Interefts of all that is good and valuable amongst Men, in complaifance to their Notions of Politenefs. Tis no time to ftand upon ceremony when Religion is struggling for Life; when the whole Head is fick, and the whole Heart faint.

The Bigot, who between a corrupt Will, and a narrow Understanding, imputes odious Designs to his Adverfaries, and impious Confequences to their Opinions, is not, I fuppofe, to be complimented, either into Senfe or Honefty. The Writer here confuted is amongst the chief of them. And it is not impoffible but the recent Memory of the like Ufage our Author himself met with from others of the fame leaven, might give him a quicker Senfe and ftronger Refentment of the Injury done his Neighbour.

As for the Tribe of Free thinkers, Toland, Tindal, Collins, Coward, Blount, Strutt, Chub, Dudgeon, Morgan, Tillard, and their Fellows, the mortal Foes both of Reafon and Religion, injured Wit as well as Virtue, by the Mouth of their happiest Advocate

and

and Favourite, long ago called out for Vengeance on them:

-The Licence of a following Reign Did all the Dregs of bold Socinus drain; Then unbelieving Priefts reform'd the Na

tion,

And taught more plea fant Methods of Sal-
vation;

Where Heav'n's free Subjects might their
Rights difpute,

Left God himself fhould feem too abfolute.
Encourag'd thus, Wit's Titans brav'd the
Skies,

And the Prefs groan'd with licens'd Blaf-
phemies.

Thefe Monsters, Critics, with your Darts en-
gage,

Here point your Thunder, and exhaust your
Rage!

A COM

A

COMMENTARY

ON

Mr. Pope's ESSAY ON MAN.

W

LETTER I.

'HEN a great Genius, whose Writings have afforded the World much Pleasure and Inftruction, happens to be enviously attack'd and falfely accused, it is natural to think, that a Sense of Gratitude due from Readers fo agreeably obliged, or a Sense of that Honour resulting to our Country from such a Writer, fhould raise a general Indignation. But every Day's Experience fhews us the very contrary. Some take a malignant Satisfaction in the Attack; others, a foolish Pleasure in a literary Conflict; and the greater Part look on with an absolute Indifference.

B

Mr.

Mr. De Croufaz's Remarks on Mr. Pope's Effay on Man, feen in part, thro' the deceitful Medium of a French Tranflation, have just fallen into my Hands. As those Remarks appear to me very groundless and unjust, I thought fo much due to Truth, as to vindicate our Great Countryman from his Cenfure.

The principal Object therefore of this Vindication fhall be, to give the Reader a fair and just Idea of the Reasoning of that Essay, fo egregiously misrepresented; in which I fhall not confider it as a Poem (for it ftands in no need of the Licence of fuch kind of Works to defend it) but as a Syftem of Philofophy; and content myself with a plain Reprefentation of the Sobriety, Force, and Connection of that Reasoning.

I fhall begin with the firft Epiftle. The opening of which, in fifteen Lines, is taken up in giving an Account of his Subject; which he fhews us (agreeably to the Title) is An ESSAY ON MAN, or a Philofophical Inquiry into his Nature, and End, his Paffions, and Pursuits:

A mighty Maze!-but not without a Plan,

as Mr. De Croufaz and I have found it, between us. The next Line tells us with what Design he wrote,viz. To vindicate the Ways of God to Man.

a They are contained in two feveral Books, the one intitled Examen de l'Effai de Mr. Pope. A Laufanne, 1737The other, Commentaire fur la Traduction en vers de M. Abbe Du Refrel de l'Efai de Mr. Pope fur l'Homme. A Geneve, 1738.

The

The Men he writes against he hath frequently informed us are fuch, as

Weigh their Opinion against Providence.

Such as

-cry, if Man's unhappy, God's unjust.

Such as fall into the Notion,

1. 110

1. 114.

That Vice and Virtue there is none at all.
Ep. ii. 1. 202.

This occafioneth the Poet to divide his Vindication of the Ways of God, into two Parts. In the first of which he gives direct Answers to those Objections which libertine Men, on a View of the Disorders arifing from the Perversity of the human Will, have intended against Providence: And, in the Second, he obviates all those Objections, by a true Delineation of human Nature, or a general but exact Map of Man; which these Objectors either not knowing, or mistaking, or else leaving (for the mad Pursuit of metaphyfical Entities) have loft and bewildered themselves in a thousand foolifh Complaints against Providence. The first Epistle is

employed in the Management of the first part of this Difpute; and the three following in the Management of the fecond. So that the whole conftitutes a complete Essay on Man, written for the best Purpose, to vindicate the Ways of God.

The Poet therefore having enounced his Subject, his End of Writing, and the Quality of his Adverfaries,

B 2

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