is the Subject in Question: And it was for no flight Cause they admired; it was to fee a mortal Man unfold the whole Law of Nature; which, by the way, might have fhewn the Translator, that the Poet was speaking of real Science in the foregoing Paragraph. Nor was it Mr. Pope's Intention to bring any of the Ape's Qualities, but its Sagacity into the Comparison. But why the Ape's, it may be faid, rather than the Sagacity of fome more decent Animal; particularly the half-reasoning Elephant, as the Poet calls it, which, as well on Account of this its Superiority, as for its having no ridiculous Side, like the Ape, on which it could be viewed, feems better to have deserved this Honour? I reply, Because as none but a Shape resembling human, accompanied with great Sagacity, could occafion the Doubt of that Animal's relation to Man, the Ape only having that Resemblance, no other Animal was fitted for the Comparison. And on this Ground of Relation the whole Beauty of the Thought depends; Newton, and those superior Beings being equally immortal Spirits, tho' of different Orders. And here let me take notice of a new Species of the Sublime, of which our Poet may be justly said to be the Maker; so new that we have yet no Name for it, tho' of a Nature diftinct from every other poetical Excellence. The two great Perfections of Works of Genius are Wit and Sublimity. Many Writers have been witty, feveral have been sublime, and fome few have even poffeffed both thefe Qualities Qualities Separately. But none that I know of, befides our Poet, hath had the Art to incorporate them. Of which he hath given many Examples, both in this Effay, and in his other Poems. One of the nobleft being the Paffage in Queftion. This seems to be the laft Effort of the Imagination, to poetical Perfection. And in this compounded Excellence the Wit receives a Dignity from the Sublime, and the Sublime a Splendour from the Wit; which, in their State of separate Existence, they both wanted. To return, This Miftake feems to have led both the Tranflator and Commentator into a much worfe; into a strange Imagination that Mr. Pope had here reflected upon Sir Ifaac Newton's moral Character; which the Poet was as far from doing, as the Philofopher was from deferving: For, After Mr. Pope had fhewn, by this illuftrious Inftance, that a great Genius might make prodigious Advances in the Knowledge of Nature, and at the fame time remain very ignorant of himself, he gives a Reason for it:-In all other Sciences the Understanding has no oppofite Principle to cloud and biass it; but in the Knowledge of Man, the Paffions obfcure as faft as Reafon can clear up. Could he, whofe Rules the rapid Comet bind, Describe, or fix, one Movement of the Mind? Who faw those Fires here rife, and there defcend, Explain his own Beginning, or his End? 9 Sir Ifaac Newton in calculating the Velocity of a Comet's Motion, and the Course it defcribes, when it Alas, Alas, what Wonder! Man's fuperior Part Uncheck'd may rife, and climb from Art to Art; But when his Own great Work is but begun, What Reason weaves, by Paffion is undone. Here we fee, at the fifth Line, the Poet turns from Newton, and fpeaks of Man and his Nature in general. But the Tranflator applies all that follows to that Philofopher: Toi qui jufques aux cieux ofes porter ta vue, On which the Commentator thus candidly remarks; "It is not to be difputed, but that whatever Pro"grefs a great Genius hath made in Science, he "deferves rather Cenfure than Applaufe, if he has cr fpent that Time in barren Speculations, curi"ous indeed, but of little Ufe, which he fhould have employ'd to know himfelf, his Beginning becomes visible in its Defcent to, and Afcent from the Sun, conjectured, with the highest Appearance of Truth, that they revolve perpetually round the Sun, in Ellipfes vaftly excentrical, and very nearly approaching to Parabolas. In which he was greatly confirmed, in obferving between two Comets a Coincidence in their Perihelions, and a perfect Agreement in their Velocities. " and "and his End, and how to regulate his Conduct; "and if, instead of that Candour and Humanity, "and Defire to oblige, Virtues fo becoming our "Nature, he be over-run with Ambition, Envy, "and a Rage of Preheminence, whose Violence " and Rancour are attended with the most scan"dalous Effects, of which there are too many "Inftances: Vices which Mr. Newton liv'd and "died an entire Stranger to"." I have transcribed this Paffage to expofe the malignant Motives the Commentator appears to have had in writing against the Essay on Man. As to the Tranflator, it would be indeed harder to know what Motives he could have in tranflating it, for it is plain he did not understand it. Yet this is he who tells us, that the Author of the Effay has not formed his Plan with all the Regularity of Method which it might have admitted, that he was oblig'd to follow a different Method; for that the French are not fatisfied with Sentiments however beautiful, unless they be methodically difpofed, Method being the Characteristic that diftinguishes their Performances from thofe of their Neighbours. Thus neither did the Critic, nor Translator, suspect (and never were poor Men so miserably bit) that Thofe oft' are Stratagems which Errors feem, Nor is it Homer nods, but we that dream. The poetical Tranflator could not imagine so great a Poet would pique himself upon close Rea Commentaire, p. 147. foning; foning; and the faftidious Philofopher, of course, concluded, that a Man of fo much Wit could hardly reason well; fo neither of them gave a proper Attention to the Poet's Syftem. A System logically close, tho' wrote in Verse, and complete, tho' ftudiously concife: This fecond Epiftle particularly (the Subject of the present Letter) containing the trueft, clearest, shortest, and consequently the best Account of the Origin, Use, and End of the Paffions, that is, in my Opinion, any where to be met with. Which I now proceed to confider, in the fame ftrict Manner I have scrutinized the Introduction. For our Poet's Works want nothing but to be fairly examined by the feverest Rules of Logic and good Philofophy, to become as illuftrious for their Sense, as they have long been for their Wit and Poetry. I go on therefore to the Body of the Discourse; which, as plain as it is, I find Mr. De Croufaz has made a Shift (tho' extremely free with his Infinuations of Irreligion and Spinozism) to mistake from End to End. So true is the old Saying, Homine imperito nihil eft iniquius. The Poet having thus fhewn the Difficulty attending the Study of Man, proceeds to our Affiftance in laying before us the Elements or true Principle of this Science, in an Account of the Origin, Ufe and End of the Paffions. He begins [from 1. 42 to 49] with pointing out the two grand Principles in human Nature, SELF-LOVE and REASON. Describes their general Nature: The first sets Man upon |