we may see how happily POPE has caught the manner of Boileau, let us furvey one of his pourtraits: it shall be that of his learned lady. Qui s'offrira d'abord? c'eft cette Scavante, 14. No thought advances, but her eddy brain * Which laft line is a little grofs and offenfive: as it must be confeffed are fome of POPE. There is not a single stroke of this fort in Young's Satires on Women. I wish the delicacy and refervedness of four or five Ladies now living, who have real learning and tafte, would permit me to infert their names in this place, as a contrast to this affected character in Boileau. So So much the fury ftill outran the wit, THESE fpirited lines are part of a character defigned for the famous Dutchess of Marlborough; whom SwIFT had also severely fatirized in the Examiner. Her beauty, her abilities, her political intrigues, are fufficiently known +. The violence of her temper frequently broke out into wonderful and ridiculous indecencies. In the laft illness of the great Duke her husband, when Dr. Mead left his chamber, the Ver. 125. Epift. ii. See the account of her own conduct, drawn up under her own eye and direction, by Mr. HookE, author of the Roman Hiftory, of the life of Fenelon, and of the tranflation of the travels of Cyrus. Dr. KING, of St. Mary Hall, in Oxford, informed me, that this elegant tranflation was made at Dr. Cheyne's houfe at Bath, and that he himfelf had often been Hooke's Amanuenfis on this occafion, who dictated his tranflation to him with uncommon facility and rapidity. The Dutchefs rewarded Hooke with 5,000/. for his trouble; but quarrelled with him afterwards, because, as the affirmed, he attempted to convert her to Popery. Hooke was a Myftic, and a Quietift, and a warm disciple of Fenelon. It was he who brought a Catholic priest to take our author's confeffion on his death-bed. The priest had scarce departed, when Bolingbroke, coming over from Batterfea, flew into a great fit of paffion and indignation on the occafion. VOL. II, L Dutchefs Dutchess, difliking his advice, followed him down stairs, wore at him bitterly, and was going to tear off his perriwig. Her friend Dr. Hoadly, bishop of Winchester, was prefent at this fcene. Thefe lines were fhewn to her Grace as if they were intended for the portrait of the Dutchess of Buckingham, but the foon ftopped the perfon that was reading them to her, and called out aloud-" I cannot be fo impofed upon-I fee plainly enough for whom they are defigned;" and abufed POPE moft plentifully on the fubject; though he was afterwards reconciled to, and courted him. This character, together with those of PHILOMEDE and CLOE, were first publifhed in this edition of POPE. They are all animated with the most poignant wit. That of Cloe is particularly juft and happy, who is reprefented as content merely and only to dwell in decencies, and fatisfied to avoid giving offence; and is one of those many infignificant and useless beings, Who want, as thro' blank life they dream along, as as fays the ingenious author of the Univerfal Paffion; a work that abounds in wit, obfervation on life, pleafantry, delicacy, urbanity, and the most well-bred raillery, without a fingle mark of fpleen and illnature. Thefe were the first characteriftical fatires in our language, and are written with an eafe and familiarity of style, very different from this author's other works. The four firft were published in folio, in the year 1725*; and the fifth and fixth, incomparably the best, on the characters of women, in the year 1727, that is, eight years before this epistle of In thefe, the characters of Clarinda, of Zantippe the violent lady, of Delia the chariot-driver, of Maßter Betty the huntress, of Daphne the critic, of Lemira the fick lady, of the female Philofopher, of the Theologist, of the languid lady, of Thaleftris the fearer, of Lyce the old beauty, of Lavinia, of a nymph of fpirit, of Julia the manager, of Alicia the floven, of Clio the flanderer, of the affected Afturia, of the female Atheist, and of the female Gamefter; are all of them drawn with truth and spirit. And the introductions to these two satires, particularly the addrefs to the incomparable Lady Betty Germain, are perhaps as elegant as any thing in our language. After reading thefe pieces, so full of a knowledge of the world, one is at a lofs to know what Mr. POPE could mean by saying, that though Young was a man of genius, yet that he wanted common fenfe. POPE. Dr. Young was one of the most amiable and benevolent of men, moft exemplary in his life, and fincere in his religion *. Nobody ever faid more brilliant things in converfation. The late Lord MELCOMBE informed me, that when he and Voltaire were on a vifit to his Lordship at Eastbury, the English poet was far fuperior to the French, in the variety and the novelty of his bon mots and repartees; and Lord Melcombe was himself a good judge of wit and humour, of which he himself had a great portion. If the friendship with which Dr. Young honoured me does not mislead me, I think I may venture to affirm, that many high ftrokes of character in his Zanga; many fentiments and * Mr. Walter Harte affured me, he had seen the preffing letter that Dr. Young wrote to Mr. POPE, urging him to write fomething on the fide of Revelation, in order to take off the impressions of those doctrines which the Effay on Man were supposed to convey. He alluded to this in the conclufion of his firft Night-thought. O had he prefs'd his theme, purfu'd the track images |