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Though, as has been intimated, it was unjustly furmised, from his intimacy with Swift, and others of that party, that he took a share in the political fquabbles of those days; yet, it is now certain, that he never intermeddled with any public concerns.

His pen was guided by more noble and extenfive views, than that of ferving a faction or party. He expreffes a manly and generous indignation of fuch narrow motives, addreffing himself to Dean Swift, on the subject of party-writing.

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"God forbid," fays he, "that an honeft and witty man should be of any party, but that "of his country. They have fcoundrels enough "to write for their paffions and their designs; "let us write for truth, for honour, and for posterity."

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He was fo cautious, as not even to express his fentiments on thofe occafions, in his most intimate correspondences.

In one of his letters to Mr. Allen, he difclaims all topics of this nature.

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"The face of public affairs," fays he, "is very much changed, and this fortnight's va"cation very bufy. It is a moft important in"terval; but I never in my life wrote a letter "on thefe fubjects: I content myself, as you do, with honeft wishes for honest men to go

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vern us, without afking for any party or de"nomination befide. This is all the diftinction "I know."

In another letter, he expreffes himself to the fame effect

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"I have nothing," fays he, "to tell "public affairs. I never, I think, in my was guilty of one letter upon thofe fubjects, "though no man wishes the public better. But "I find all those that seem to design it beft, "better contented than ever."

Nevertheless, our author teftified great anxiety on account of the distracted ftate of affairs, which, from time to time, threatened mifchief to the public. In a letter to the gentleman above-mentioned, he fays,

---"The public is, indeed, more my concern "than it ufed to be, as I fee it in more danger; "but your reflection and advice ought to alle"viate those uneafy thoughts, when, to trust

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providence, is all I can do; and fince my "fphere is refignation, not action."

At another time, he expreffes himself very feelingly on the fame fubject.

"As this world," fays he, " is a place of no "ftability, of no dependance, I believe there "is no honeft man, who has any affections out lefs " of himself, but will always find more or

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to be forry for, or to wifh otherwife; foĮ own my mind troubled, whenever I reflect on public difappointments, and the prevalence of corrupt and selfish counsels.”

But in the following letter, he seems to have been more than commonly affected, by fome alarming apprehenfion *.

"My mind," fays he to Mr. Allen, "at prefent "is as dejected as poffible; for I love my coun66 try †, and I love mankind; and I see a dif"mal fcene opening for our own and other na"tions, which will not long be a fecret to you."

He was indeed a lover of mankind, and his diffusive benevolence forms the moft amiable part of his character. His fentiments on this head were not penned for the public eye alone, but are expreffed throughout the courfe of his private correfpondences, with fuch unaffected feeling, as prove them to have been the genuine offspring of his heart.

In one of his letters to Mr. Allen, his reflections on univerfal benevolence, fhew the extenfive liberality of his mind.

The unhappy and unfuccefsful war which a faction forced the nation into, in oppofition to, and in order to defroy, Sir Robert Walpole.

Our author's patriotic fentiments were fo delicate, that whenever he made ufe of any foreign manufacture, he would fay- Pardon me, my country; I offend but feldom."

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"Dear

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"Dear Sir,

"For you are always truly fo to me; and I "know your goodness fo well, that I need not "be put in mind of it by your benefactions. A man is not amiable because he is good to our"felves only, but the more fo the more he is good to; therefore, when we hear of benefits, we ought to be as fenfible of them as when we feel them: Yet this is feldom the cafe: we apply the terms of good, benevolent, juft, &c. merely as relative to ourfelves, and are in this as unjust to men, as philofophers and divines. are to God, whofe ways and workings they "magnify or difapprove, according to the effect "they have on themselves only."

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His humanity and benevolence not only embraced mankind, but comprehended a feeling for the whole animal creation. He fhewed very strong traits of this tender difpofition in a converfation which he held with fome of his friends, concerning the late Dr. Hales

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One of the company, fpeaking of the Doctor, faid, "I love to fee him, he is so good a man.' "True," faid Mr. POPE," he is a very good ( man; only I am forry he has had his hands. "fo much imbrued in blood." the other, "he cuts up rats!" Mr. POPE," and dogs too. "with a view of being ufeful to man; but how "do we know that we have a right to kill crea

"What," faid "Yes," replied Indeed he does it

66 tures,

' tures, that we are so little above, as dogs, for 66 our ufe ?"

It will not be matter of wonder, that a man who had fuch pure, fuch warm, fuch extenfive ideas of benevolence, humanity, and every branch of moral virtue, fhould have a ftrong abhorrence and antipathy to vice.

This antipathy gave birth to his fatires, which created him fo many enemies; and which, though they did not produce all the reformation. he wifhed, did nevertheless, perhaps, contribute, in fome degree, to check the growing profligacy and licentiousness of the times in which he lived *.

Such

* Mr. POPE died at the very opening of this fcene, and fo only faw the first movement of the giant ftrides he fomewhere fpeaks of, but divined the reft. The monfters which made them were but juft hatched, and it was fome time after that their full horrors aftonished the affembled public, in blafphemies too impious to be recorded. To these extreams of evil times, and to the countenance and protection these inftruments of ruin met with, the Editor of Mr. POPE's works alludes, in the following words of his dedication to the third volume of the Divine Legation, the edition of 1765. As it contains a very graphical defcription of the then miferable ftate of things, it may be neither unentertaining nor un

ufeful.

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"I have detained your Lordship with a tedious story; " and ftill I muft beg your patience a little longer. We are not yet got to the end of a bad profpect.-While [ and others of my order, have been thus vainly contend"ing pro aris, with the unequal arms of reafon, we had the "further

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