markable that the French did not relish this incomparable comedy for the three first representations. The ftrokes of its fatire were too fubtle and delicate to be felt by the generality of the audience, who expected only the grofs diversion of laughing; fo that at the fourth time of its being acted, the author was forced to add to it one of his coarfeft farces; but Boileau in the mean time affirmed that it was the capital work of their stage, and that the people would one time be induced to think fo. 3. Unthought-of frailties cheat us in the wife *. FOR who could imagine that LOCKE was fond of romances; that NEWTON Once studied aftrology; that Roger ASCHAM and Dr. WHITBY were devoted lovers of cock-fighting; that Dr. CLARKE valued himself for his agility, and frequently amufed himself in a private room of his houfe in leaping over the tables and chairs: and that our author himself was a great VOL. II. * Ver. 69. K epicure? . epicure? When he spent a summer with a certain nobleman, he was accustomed to lie whole days in bed on account of his head-achs, but would at any time rife with alacrity, when his fervant informed him there were stewed lampreys for dinner. On the eve of an important battle, the Duke of MARLBOROUGH was heard chiding his fervant for having been fo extravagant as to light four candles in his tent, when Prince Eugene came to confer with him. · ELIZABETH was a coquet, and BACON received a bribe. Dr. BUSBY had a violent paffion for the ftage; it was excited in him by the applaufes he received in acting the Royal Slave before the King at Chrift-Church; and he declared, that. if the rebellion had not broke out, he had certainly engaged himself as an actor. LuTHER was fo immoderately paffionate, that he fometimes boxed MELANCTHON's ears; and MELANCTHON himself was a believer in judicial aftrology, and an interpreter of dreams. RICHLIEU and MAZARIN were fo fuperftitious as to employ and penfion MORIN, MORIN, a pretender to aftrology, who caft the nativities of these two able politicians. Nor was TACITUS himself, who generally appears fuperior to fuperftition, untainted with this folly, as may appear from the twenty-second chapter of the fixth book of his annals. Men of great genius have been fomewhere compared to the pillar of fire that conducted the Ifraelites, which frequently turned a cloudy fide towards the spectator. 4. See the fame man, in vigour, in the gout; Early at bufinefs, and at hazard late; Mad at a fox-chase, wife at a debate ; THE unexpected inequalities of our minds and tempers are here exhibited in a lively manner, and with a perfect knowledge of nature. I cannot forbear placing before the reader Tully's pourtrait of Cataline, whofe inconfiftencies and varieties of conduct are thus enumerated : "Ute batur hominibus improbis multis, et quidem optimis fe viris deditum effe fimulabat; erant apud illum illecebræ libidinum multæ erant etiam induftriæ quidam ftimuli ac laboris; flagrabant libidinis vitia apud illum vigebant etiam ftudia rei militaris neque ego unquam fuiffe tale monftrum in terris ullum puto, tam ex contrariis diverfifque inter fe pugnantibus naturæ ftudiis, cupiditatibus que conflatum. Quis clarioribus viris quodam tempore jucundior? Quis turpioribus conjunctior? Quis civis meliorum partium aliquando? Quis tetrior hoftis huic civitati? Quis in voluptatibus inquinatior? Quis in laboribus patientior? Quis in rapacitate avarior? Quis in largitione effufior * ?" 5. What made, fay, Montagne, or more fage Charron †. ONE of the reasons that makes Montagne fo agreeable a writer is, that he gives fo ftrong a picture of the way of life of a country gentleman in the reign of Henry the Third. The descriptions of his castle, + Ver. 87. • Orat. pro M. Cælio. Sect. 3. of of his library, of his travels, of his entertainments, of his diet and dress, are particularly pleafing. Malebranche and Pascal have severely and justly cenfured his scepticifm. Peter Charron contracted a very ftrict friendship with him, infomuch that Montagne permitted him by his will to bear his arms: in his book of Wisdom which was published at Bourdeaux, in the year one thousand fix hundred and one, he has inferted a great number of Montagne's fentiments; this treatife has been loudly blamed for its freedom by many writers of France, and particularly GARASSE the Jefuit. Our Stanhope, though esteemed an orthodox Divine, tranflated it. BAYLE has remarked in oppofition to these cenfurers, that of a hundred thousand readers, there are hardly three to be found in any age, who are well qualified to judge of a book, wherein the ideas of an exact and metaphysical reasoning are set in oppofition to the most common opinions. POPE has borrowed many remarks from Charron, of which sensible writer Bolingbroke was particularly fond. 6. A godless K3 |