called MERUM SAL, was written in less than a fortnight, in two cantos only: but it was fo univerfally applauded, that, in the next year, our poet enriched it with the machinery of the fylphs, and extended it to five cantos; when it was printed with a letter to Mrs. Fermour, far fuperior to any of Voiture. The infertion of the machinery of the fylphs in proper places, without the least appearance of it's being aukwardly ftitched in, is one of the happiest efforts of judgment and art. He took the idea of these invisible beings, fo proper to be employed in a poem of this nature, from a little french book entitled, Le Comte de Gabalis, of which I have lately met with an account, in an entertaining writer. "The Abbe Villars, who came from Thoulouse to Paris, to make his fortune by preaching, is the author of this diverting work. The five dialogues of which it confifts, are the result of those gay conversations, in which the Abbe was engaged, with a small circle of men, of fine wit and humour, like himself. When this book first appeared, it was univerfally

read, as innocent and amufing. But at length, it's confequences were perceived, and reckoned dangerous, at a time when this fort of curiofities began to gain credit. Our devout preacher was denied the chair, and his book forbidden to be read. It was not clear whether the author intended to be ironical, or fpoke all seriously. The fecond volume which he promised, would have decided the queftion but the unfortunate Abbe was foon afterwards afsaffinated by ruffians, on the road to Lyons. The laughers gave out, that the gnomes and fylphs, difguifed like ruffians, had shot him, as a punishment for revealing the fecrets of the Cabala; a crime not to be pardoned by these jealous fpirits, as Villars himself has declared in his book *."

IT may not be improper to give a fpecimen of this author's manner, who has lately been well imitated in the way of mixing jeft with earnest, in an elegant piece called HER

* Melanges d'Hiftoire et de Literature. By Dom. Noel Dargonne, disguised under the name of Vigneul Marville. Tom. prem. pag. 275. edit. Roterdam, 1700.

"Le mot

MIPPUS REDIVIVUS. The Comte de Gabalis being about to initiate his pupil into the most profound mysteries of the Roficrufian philosophy, advises him to confider seriously, whether or no he had courage and refolution fufficient to RENOUNCE all those obstacles, which might prevent his arifing to that height, which the figure of his nativity promised. de RENONCER, fays the scholar, m'effraya, et je ne doutay point qu'il n'allast me propofer de renoncer au baptefme ou au paradis. Ainfi ne fçachant comme me tirer de ce mauvais pas; Renoncer, luy dis-je, Monfieur, quoi faut il renoncer a quelque chofe? Vrayement, reprit il, il le faut bien; et il le faut fi neceffairement, qu'il faut commencer par là. Je ne fçay fi vous pourrez vous refoudre: mais je fçay bien que là fageffe l'habite point dans un corps fujet au pechè, comme elle n' entre point dans une ame prevenûe d' erreur ou de malice. Les fages ne vous admittront jamais a leur compagnie, fi vous ne renoncez dés á present á un chofe qui ne peut compatir avec la fageffe. Il faut, ajoûta-t-il tout bas en

fe baiffant a mon oreille, il faut renoncer á toute commerce charnel avec les femmes *." On Оп a diligent perufal of this book, I cannot find that POPE has borrowed any particular circumstances relating to thefe fpirits, but merely the general idea of their existence.

THESE machines are vaftly fuperior to the allegorical perfonages of Boileau and Garth; not only on account of their novelty, but for the exquifite poetry, and oblique fatire, which they have given the poet an opportunity to display. The business and petty concerns of a fine lady, receive an air of importance from the notion of their being perpetually overlooked and conducted, by the interpofition of celeftial agents.

Ir is judicious to open the poem, by introducing the Guardian Sylph, warning Belinda against fome fecret impending danger. The account which Ariel + gives of the na

* LE COMTE DE GABALIS, OU ENTRETIENS fur les Sciences Secretes. Second ENTRETIEN, pag. 30. a Amfterdam, 1671. + Cant. i. ver. 27, to ver. 119.

ture,

<

ture, office, and employment of these inhabitants of air, is finely fancied: into which several strokes of fatire are thrown with great delicacy and addrefs.

Think what an equipage thou haft in air,

And view with fcorn two

pages and a chair.

The transformation of women of different

tempers
be too much applauded.

into different kinds of fpirits, cannot

*The sprites of fiery Termagants, in flame

Mount up, and take a falamander's name.

Thefe images have been lately expreffed in Latin, with much purity and elegance; and deserve to be here inferted. Mortua lafcivum refoluta liquefcit in igne m, Aut abit in molles fingula nympha notos: Etheriofque trahens hauftus, tenuiffima turba, Verfat ad aeftivum lucida membra jubar. Gaudet adhuc circum molles operofa puellas Verfari, et veneres fuppeditare novas. Curat uti dulces commendent ofcula rifus, Purior ut fenfim prodeat ore rubor: Ne quatiat comptos animofior aura capillos, Nec faedet pulcras puftula faeva genas: Neve recens maculâ violetur purpura palli, Excidat aut niveo pendula gemma finu. Corpora nympharum vacuas tenuentur in auras ; At ftudia in memori pectore prisca manent.

Carm. Quadragef. vol. ii. pag. 32. Oxon. 1748.

Soft