MORAL ESSAYS, IN FOUR EPISTLES TO SEVERAL PERSONS. Eft brevitate opus, ut currat fententia, neu fe HOR. EPISTLE I. то SIR RICHARD TEMPLE, LORD COBHAM. ARGUMENT. Of the Knowledge and Characters of MEN. THAT it is not fufficient for this knowledge to confider Man in the Abstract: Books will not ferve the purpose, nor yet our own Experience fingly, Ver. 1. General maxims, unlefs they be formed upon both, will be but notional, Ver. 10. Some peculiarity in every man, characteristic to himself, yet Difficulties arifing from our varying from himself, Ver. 15. own Paffions, Fancies, Faculties, &c. Ver. 31. The shortnefs of Life, to obferve in, and the uncertainty of the Principles of Action in men, to observe by, Ver. 37, &c. Our own Principle of action often hid from ourselves, Ver. 41. Some few characters plain, but in general confounded, diffembled, or inconfiftent, Ver. 51. The fame man utterly different in different places and seasons, Ver. 71. Unimaginable weaknesses in the greatest, Ver. 77, &c. Nothing conftant and certain but God and Nature, Ver. 95. No judging of the Motives from the actions; the fame actions preceeding from contrary Motives, and the fame Motives influencing contrary actions, Ver. 100. II. Yet to form Characters, we can only take the strongest actions of a man's life, and try to make them agree: The utter uncer tainty tainty of this, from Nature itself, and from Policy, Ver. 120. Characters given according to the rank of men of the world, Ver. 135. And some reason for it, Ver. 141. Education alters the Nature, or at leaft the Character, of many, Ver. 149. Actions, Paffions, Opinions, Manners, Humours, or Principles, all subject to change. No judging by Nature, from Ver. 158 to 174. III. It only remains to find (if we can) his RULING PASSION: That will certainly influence all the reft, and can reconcile the feeming or real inconfiftency of all his actions, Ver. 175. Inftanced in the extraordinary character of Clodio, Ver. 179. A caution against mistaking fecond qualities for firft, which will deftroy all poffibility of the knowledge of mankind, Ver. 210. Examples of the Strength of the Ruling Paffion, and its continuation to the laft breath, Ver. 222, &c. EPISTLE I. Of the Knowledge and Characters of MEN. YES, you despise the man to Books confin❜d, ; Who from his study rails at human kind NOTES. The Epifle I. Of the Knowledge and Characters of Men.] Whoever compares this with the former editions of the Epiftle, will observe, that the order and difpofition of the feveral parts are entirely changed and reverfed; though with hardly the alteration of a fingle word. When the Editor, at the Author's defire, firft examined this epistle, he was furprised to find it contain a number of exquifite obfervations, without order, connection, or dependence but much more fo, when, on an attentive review, he faw, that if the epiftle were put into a different form, on an idea he then conceived, it would have all the clearness of method and force of connected reasoning. The Author appeared as much ftruck with the thing as the Editor, and agreed to put the poem into the present order; which has given it all the justness of a true compofition. The introduction to the epistle on Riches was in the fame condition, and underwent the same reform. But this reform is not happily made. W. Moral Elays.] The ESSAY ON MAN was intended to be comprised in four books: The First of which, the Author has given us under that title, in four epiftles. The Second was to have confifted of the fame number: 1. Of the extent and limits of human reafon. 2. Of thofe arts and fciences, and the parts of them which are useful, and therefore attainable; together with those which are unufeful, and therefore unattainable. 3. Of the nature, ends, ufe, and application of the VOL. III. N different |