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MORAL ESSAYS.

EPISTLE II.

то

ALA

A D Y.

Of the Characters of Women.

TOTHING fo true as what you once let fall,

N

"Moft Women have no Characters at all."

Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear,

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

NOTES.

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 Advertifement prefixed to it, on

its firft publication, may perhaps account for the fmall attention given to it. He faid, that no one character in it was drawn from the life. The Public be lieved him on his word, and expreffed little curiofity about a Satire in which there was nothing perfonal.

late XIII.

Vol. III. facing p.126.

N.Blakey inv. & del

G. Scotin Joulp

In Men we various ruling Passions find,
In Women, two almost divide the Kind?:
Those only fix'd, they first
or last obey,
The Love of Pleasure, and the Love of Sway.

Char: of Women

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILD OUT AT 5.

How many pictures of one Nymph we view, 5
All how unlike each other, all how true!
Arcadia's Countefs, here, in ermin'd pride,
'Is there, Paftora by a fountain fide.

Here Fannia, leering on her own good man,
And there, a naked Leda with a Swan.
Let then the Fair one beautifully cry,
In Magdalen's loose hair and lifted eye,
Or dreft in smiles of fweet Cecilia fhine,
With fimp'ring Angels, Palms, and Harps divine;
Whether the Charmer finner it, or faint it,

IO

15

Come then, the colours and the ground prepare!

If Folly grow romantic, I must paint it.

Dip in the Rainbow, trick her off in Air;

Chufe a firm Cloud, before it fall, and in it

19

Catch, e'er she change, the Cynthia of this minute.

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NOTES.

that, whereas in the Characters of Men he has fometimes made use of real names, in the Characters of Women always fictitious. P.

VER. 7, 8, 10, &c. Ar- | this inftance amongst others, cadia's Countefs,-Paftora by a fountain-Leda with a fwan Magdalen - Cecilia-] Attitudes in which several ladies affected to be drawn, and sometimes one lady in them all--The poet's politeness and complaifance to the fex is obfervable in

forma veneres

VER. 20. Catch, e'er fhe change, the Cynthia of this minute.] Alluding to the precept of Fresnoy, captando fugaces.

Rufa, whofe eye quick-glancing o'er the Park,
Attracts each light gay meteor of a Spark,
Agrees as ill with Rufa ftudying Locke,
As Sappho's di'monds with her dirty smock;
Or Sappho at her toilet's greazy task,
With Sappho fragrant at an evʼning Mask :
So morning Infects that in muck begun,
Shine, buzz, and fly-blow in the setting-fun.
How foft is Silia! fearful to offend;

25

The Frail one's advocate, the Weak one's friend : 30 To her Califta prov'd her conduct nice;

And good Simplicius afks of her advice.

Sudden, she storms! fhe raves! You tip the wink, But spare your cenfure; Silia does not drink.

NOTES.

VER. 21. İnftances of contrarieties, given even from fuch Characters as are moft ftrongly mark'd, and feem ingly therefore moft confiftent: As, I. In the Affected, 21, &c. P.

VER. 23. Agrees as ill with Rufa ftudying Locke,] This thought is expreffed with great humour in the following stanza :

Tho' Artemefia talks, by fits,
Of councils, claffics, fathers, wits ;
Reads Malbranche, Boyle, and Locke?
Yet in fome things, methinks, she fails,
Twere well if he wou'd pare her nails,
And wear a cleaner fmock.

VER.29 and 37. II. Contrarieties in the Soft-natured. P.

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