For Modes of Faith let graceless zealots fight;
His can't be wrong whose life is in the right:

NOTES.

305

In

and another? and, Whether every form may not become good or bad, according as it is well administered? Were it once admitted, that all Governments are alike, and that the only difference confifts in the character and conduct of the governors, most political difputes would be at an end, and all zeal for one conftitution above another, must be efteemed mere bigotry and folly. But, though a friend to moderation, I cannot forbear condemning this fentiment, and should be very sorry to think that human affairs admit of no greater stability than what they receive from the cafual humours and characters of particular men.

""Tis true, those who maintain that the goodness of all Government confifts in the goodness of the administration, may cite many particular instances in history, where the very fame Government, in different hands, has varied suddenly into the opposite extremes of good and bad. Compare the French Government under Henry III. and under Henry IV. Oppreffion, levity, artifice, on the part of the rulers: faction, sedition, treachery, rebellion, difloyalty, on the part of the fubjects: these compose the character of the former miferable æra. But when the patriot and heroic prince, who fucceeded, was once firmly feated on the throne, the government, the people, every thing feemed to be totally changed, and all from the difference of the temper and sentiments of these two sovereigns. An equal difference of a contrary kind may be found on comparing the reigns of Elizabeth and James, at least with regard to foreign affairs: and instances of this kind may be multiplied, almoft without number, from ancient as well as modern hiftory.

"But here I would beg leave to make a distinction. All abfolute Governments (and fuch that of England was, in great meafure, till the middle of the laft century, notwithstanding the numerous panegyrics on ancient English liberty) muft very much depend on the administration: and this is one of the great inconveniencies of that form of Government. But a republican and free Government would be a most obvious abfurdity, if the particular checks and controuls, provided by the constitution, had really no influence, and made it not the intereft, even of bad men, to ope

rate

In Faith and Hope the world will disagree,
But all Mankind's concern is Charity:

All

NOTES.

rate for the public good. Such is the intention of these forms of Government, and such is their real effect where they are wifely conftituted: As, on the other hand, they are the fources of all diforders, and of the blackest crimes, where either skill or honesty has been wanting in their original frame and institution.

"So great is the force of laws, and of particular forms of Government, and fo little dependance have they on the humours and temper of men, that confequences almoft as general and certain may be deduced from them, on most occafions, as any which the mathematical sciences afford us.”

Hear alfo the opinion of the Cambridge Profeffor, Dr. Rutherforth, on this fubject, which is an important one: "Politicians are very well employed in comparing and balancing the advantages and inconveniencies of each form of Government with one another. For though the refult of their inquiries will never determine what form it is which any particular nation has agreed to establish, yet it may serve to fhew every nation what is the most defireable form, and may lead them, as they have opportunity, to make fuch alterations in their own as will bring them nearer to that point, if they cannot quite reach it. Certainly our English Poet has but little reafon on his fide, when he reprefents fuch an inquiry as the bufinefs of fools; and maintains, that the only difference between civil conftitutions of Government confifts in the better or worfe adminiftration of them: for that conftitution is, in his judgment, to be called the beft, let it be what it will, which is beft administered. Whatever public benefit depends upon the character of the perfons in power, it is derived from their wisdom and goodnefs, and not from the nature of the form of government. So that to call that form the beft, which is beft administered, feems to be speaking improperly. Or if we will call it the beft, we must in the mean time allow, that it is the best by accident only, and not in its own nature. In the common course of human affairs it is almoft impoffible to prevent the civil power from coming into the hands of weak and bad men, whatever the constitution is. That form of Government, therefore, is beft in itself, which guards most effectually against this evil; or if this evil ever does happen,

14

All must be false that thwart this One great End;
And all of God, that blefs Mankind or mend.

NOTES.

310

Man,

happen, which lays the perfons in power under fuch checks and restraints as are most likely to prevent them from abufing their truft; or, laftly, if this truft is abufed, which has provided the readiest means for correcting the abuses. An abfolute monarchy is a conftitution which has fo little title to these characters, that it can have no pretenfion to be thought the only natural, and much less the only poffible, form of Government, upon account of its being the best form." In that elegant and valuable publication, intitled Athenian Letters, written by fome of the most refpectable perfons of the prefent age, and in which fubjects of literature, philosophy, and politics are treated with uncommon candour and penetration, is an excellent difcourfe on Forms of Government, by the honourable Charles Yorke, p. 216. London. 4to. 1781.

A penetrating writer has well obferved, "that all Forms of Government, in fact, mutually approach each other, or recede, by many, and often infenfible gradations?" Ariftotle is of opinion, in the feventh chapter of the feventh book of his Politics, that there are fome nations who cannot live under a free Government.

VER. 305. For Modes of Faith let graceless zealots fight ;] These latter ages have seen so many scandalous contentions for modes of faith, to the violation of Christian Charity, and dishonour of facred Scripture, that it is not at all strange they should become the object of fo benevolent and wife an Author's refentment. W.

He borrowed this from Cowley; who, extolling the piety of his friend Crafhaw, the Poet, who went over to the Romish Church, and died a Canon of Loretto, fays,

"Pardon, my Mother Church, if I confent
That Angels led him, when from thee he went;
For e'en in error fure no danger is,

When join'd to fo much piety as his :

His Faith, perhaps, in fome nice tenets might
Be wrong; his life, I'm fure, was in the right.”

Cowley alfo, poffibly, might take the hint from Lord Herbert of
Cherbury; who hath this distich in his works:
3

"Digladient

Man, like the gen'rous vine, fupported lives;

The strength he gains is from th' embrace he gives. On their own Axis as the Planets run,

Yet make at once their circle round the Sun;

So two confiftent motions act the Soul;

315

And one regards Itself, and one the Whole.
Thus God and Nature link'd the gen'ral frame,
And bade Self-love and Social be the fame.

NOTES.

"Digladient alii circa rès religionis :

Quod credas nihil eft, fit modo vita proba."

But "digladient is a barbarifsm; he should have faid, digladientur, or contendant," fays Dr. Jortin.

VER. 313. On their own Axis] This illuftration is plainly taken from the Spectator, No. 588, faid to be written by Mr. Grove:

Is therefore Benevolence inconfiftent with Self-love? Are their motions contrary? No more than the diurnal rotation of the earth is oppofed to its annual; or its motion round its own centre; which might be improved as an illuftration of Self-love; that whirls it about the common centre of the world, answering to univerfal benevolence. Is the force of Self-love abated, or its intereft prejudiced by benevolence? So far from it, that benevolence, though a distinct principle, is extremely ferviceable to Selflove, and then doth most service when it is leaft defigned."

VER. R. 315. At the Soul;] It fhould certainly be actuate, or act upon. He has used this expreffion again, Iliad xv. v. 487.

Such inaccuracies are not worth remarking, but in writers fo correct and eminent as our author, leaft they should give a fanction to errors. Dr. Lowth in his Grammar has pointed out feveral in our Author's Works.

VER. 318. And bade Self-love] The Remarks of Warburton on the Effay on Man, on the Moral Epistles, and the Alliance betwixt Church and State, were tranflated into French by M. De Silhouette; for which tranflation, fuppofing it contained opinions unfavourable to the defpotic government of France, he was much

cenfured,

NOTES.

cenfured, and had nearly been prosecuted, when he became Controller General of the Finances; and he immediately bought up and destroyed all the copies of this work that could be found.

Voltaire, writing to M. De Cideville, in June 1759, fays of M. De Silhouette, "Le genie de M. De Silhouette est Anglais, calculateur, et courageux; mais fi on nous prend des Guadeloupe, fi ces mandits Anglois ont plus de vaiffeaux que nous, et meilleurs, fi les frais de la vifite qu'on veut leur rendre font perdus, fil les depenses immenfes d'une guerre jufte, mais ruineuse, absorbent les revenus de l'état, ni M. De Silhouette, ni Pope, n'y pourront fuffire."

In this paffage, (Ver. 318.) Pope uses the very words of Bolingbroke: “Thus it happens that Self-love and Social are divided, and fet in oppofition to one another in the conduct of particular men, whilst in the making laws, and the regulation of government, they continue the fame." Minutes of Effays, fection 51. addreffed to Pope.