Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

But what are these to great Atoffa's mind? Scarce once herself, by turns all Womankind! Who, with herself, or others, from her birth Finds all her life one warfare upon earth: Shines in expofing Knaves, and painting Fools, Yet is, whate'er fhe hates and ridicules. !

NOTES.

115

120

No

"The Author at this time," he obferves, "feems to have been fo much out of temper with the fair fex, that he cannot long keep within the bounds of decorum." Ruffhead.

VER. 115. great Atossa's mind?] Atoffa is a name mentioned in Herodotus, and faid to be a follower of Sappho. She was daughter of Cyrus and fifter of Cambyfes, and married Darius. She is alfo named in the Perfæ of Æfchylus. She is faid to be the first that wrote Epiftles. See Bentley on Phalaris, p. 385. and Dodwell againit Bentley. WARTON.

VER. 120. Yet is, whate'er fhe hates] Thefe fpirited lines, that paint a fingular character, are defigned for the famous Duchefs of Marlborough, whom Swift had alfo feverely 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 Duchefs, difliking his advice, followed him down stairs, swore at him bitterly, and was going to tear off his periwig. Her friend Dr. Hoadley, Bishop of Winchester, was present at this scene. Thefe lines were fhewn to her Grace as if they were intended for the portrait of the Duchefs of Buckingham; but fhe foon stopped the perfon who was reading them to her, as the Duchefs of Portland informed me, and called out aloud, "I cannot be so impofed upon: I fee plainly enough for whom they are defigned:" and abufed Pope moft plentifully on the subject, though she was afterwards reconciled to him, and courted him, and gave him a thoufand pounds to fuppress this portrait, which he accepted, it is faid, by the perfuafion of Mrs. M. Blount; and, after the Duchefs's death, it was printed in a folio fheet, 1746, and afterwards here inferted with thofe of Philomedé and Cloe. This is the greatest

[blocks in formation]

No Thought advances, but her Eddy Brain
Whisks it about, and down it goes again.

Full fixty years the World has been her Trade,
The wifest Fool much Time has ever made.
From lovelefs Youth to unrespected Age,
No Paffion gratify'd, except her Rage.
So much the Fury still out-ran the Wit,

125

The Pleasure miss'd her, and the Scandal hit.

Who breaks with her, provokes Revenge from Heil,

But he's a bolder man who dares be well.

130

Her ev'ry turn with Violence pursu’d,

No more a storm her Hate than Gratitude:

VARIATIONS.

To

After Ver. 122. in the MS.

Opprefs'd with wealth and wit, abundance fad!
One makes her poor, the other makes her mad.

NOTES.

These three portraits are That of Cloe is particucontent merely and only

blemish* in our Poet's moral character. all animated with the moft poignant wit. larly juft and happy, who is reprefented as to dwell in decencies, and satisfied to avoid giving offence; and is one of those many infignificant and useless beings,

"Who want, as thro' blank life they dream along,

Senfe to be right, and paffion to be wrong."

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 spleen and ill-nature. These were the first characteristical satires in our language, and are written with an ease and familiarity of ftyle very different from this author's other works. The four first were published in folio, in the year 1725; and the fifth and fixth, 1727. WARTON.

* A blemlh!--call it rather, if it be fact, the moft fhameful dereliction o every thing that was manly and honourable.

To that each Paffion turns, or foon or late;
Love, if it makes her yield, must make her hate:
Superiors? death! and Equals? what a curfe!
But an Inferior not dependant? worse.
Offend her, and fhe knows not to forgive;
Oblige her, and she'll hate you while you live:
But die, and she'll adore you-Then the Bust
And Temple rife-then fall again to duft.

NOTES.

135

140

Laft

VER. 139. But die, and fhe'll adore you-]" It is feldom," fays Mr. Walpole," the public receives information on princes and favourites from the fountain-head. Flattery or invective is apt to pervert the relation of others. It is from their pens alone, whenever they are fo gracious, like the lady in question, as to have a paffion for fame and approbation, that we learn exactly how trifling, and foolish, and ridiculous their views and actions were, and how often the mischief they did proceeded from the most inadequate causes. We happen to know indeed, though he was no author, that the Duke of Buckingham's repulfes, in very impertinent amours, involved King James and King Charles in national quarrels with Spain and France. From her Grace of Marlborough we may collect, that Queen Anne was driven to change her miniftry, and, in confequence, the fate of Europe, becaufe fhe dared to affect one bed-chamber woman as fhe had done another. Duchefs could not comprehend how the coufins, Sarah Jennings and Abigail Hill, could ever enter into competition, though the one did but kneel to gather up the clue of favour which the other had haughtily toffed away, and which she could not recover by putting the Whole Duty of Man into the Queen's hands to teach her friendship. This favourite Duchefs, who, like the proud Duke of Efpernon, lived to brave the fucceffors in a court where fhe had domineered, wound up her capricious life, where it seems fhe had begun it, with an apology for her conduct. The piece, though weakened by the prudence of those who were to correct it, though maimed by her Grace's own corrections, and though great part of it is rather the annals of a wardrobe than of a reign, yet

The

has

[graphic][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Published by Cadell & Davies. Strand, and the other Proprietors. May 1.1807.

« PoprzedniaDalej »