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MORAL ESSAYS.

EPISTLE II.

ΤΟ

ALAD Y.

Of the Characters of WOMEN.

OTHING fo true as what you once let fall,

NOTH

"Moft Women have no Characters at all." Matter too foft a lafting mark to bear,

And best distinguish'd by black, brown, or fair.

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 personal.

VER. 1. Nothing fo true, etc.] The reader perhaps may be difappointed to find that this Epiftle, which proposes the fame fubject with the preceding, is conducted on very different rules of method: for, instead of being difpofed in the fame

MORAL ESSAYS.

EPISTLE II.

N

ΤΟ

ALAD Y.

Of the Characters of WOMEN.

OTHING fo true as what you once let fall,

"Moft Women have no Characters at all." Matter too foft a lafting mark to bear,

And best distinguish'd by black, brown, or fair.

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 composing it. Something he chanced to drop in a short 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 personal.

VER. 1. Nothing fo true, etc.] The reader perhaps may be difappointed to find that this Epiftle, which proposes the fame subject with the preceding, is conducted on very different rules of method: for, instead of being difpofed in the fame

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

5

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 must be studied and explained on the fame principles, he would fee that when the poet had done this in the preceding Epiftle, 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 these Characters with any degree of attention, as they are here masterly 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 strokes 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 strictly followed Nature, whofe ways, we find by the former Epifle, are not a little myfterious; and a mystery this might have remained, had not our author explained it at ver. 207. where he shuts up his Characters with this philo fophical reflection:

In Men, we various ruling Paffions find ;
In Women, two almost divide the kind:
Thofe, only fix'd, they firft or last 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 disguising 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

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

is 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 arife from a defire to hide the ruling Paffion.

But this is not the worst. The poet afterwards (from ver. 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, whose 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 beft a Contradiction ftill, etc.

VER. 5. How many pictures] The poet's purpose here is to fhew, that the Characters of Women are generally inconfistent 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 inconsistency of Character.

VER. 7, 8, 10, etc. Arcadia's Countess, fountain-Leda with a fwan

Paftora by a

Magdalen Cecilia - Atti

tudes in which several ladies affected to be drawn, and fome

times one lady in them all.

The poet's politeness and

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