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this fort of mistake for want of considering, that as the worst men do well sometimes, the very beft are not infallible.

(i) Chofe to live.] This is the hardest thing I have faid of BRUTUS in this whole ode; which the thought of CÆSAR'S clemency, and his ingratitude, has wrung from me: for, tho' a benefactor may carry himself afterwards fo unjustly as to forfeit all title to our friendship, and perhaps to our service also; yet to return him evil for good, is in my opinion horrible, and the very reverfe of CHRIST's excellent fermon of morality. And fince he kill'd CESAR after receiving a pardon of his life from him, I do BRUTUS no wrong in fuppofing him again capable of the same fault against another CÆSAR, whom he neither knew, nor loved fo well; fince the publick good and liberty of Rome were as much concern'd in destroying one as the other.

(k) Betray.] In this inftance of betraying a friend, and in the following one, of destroying one's father, or children; my meaning only is, that whatever obligation or concern we happen to be under, it may be a good reason for facrificing our interest to it, but not our honesty, by doing any ill-natur'd or immoral action.

(1) Can we.] In repeating these four verses of Mr. Cowley, I have done an un ufual thing; for, notwithstanding that he is my adversary in the argument, and a very famous one too, I could not endure to let fo fine a thought remain as ill exprefs'd in this ode as it is in his; which any body may find by comparing them together. But I would not be understood as if I pretended to correct Mr. Cowley, tho' expreffion was not his best talent: for, as I have mended these few verses of his, I doubt not but he could have done as much for a great many of mine.

(m) As ftrong as fine.] I, who oppose his argument, must be allow'd to say 'tis not a good one; tho' at the same time I acknowledge it to be so fine a fallacy, and to have something in it so very sublime, that it imposes on our reason, as much as CESAR did on Rome; and may be a little excused by that

ufurper's apophthegm, "Si violandum eft jus, regnandi

"caufa eft."

(n) A Rape.] No-body argues well, who does not argue fairly; and therefore I freely admit there was a Rape in the cafe at first, which is not to be defended. Accordingly, if BRUTUS had killed CESAR at the famous battle of Pharfalia, he might have prevented this Rape, and his own crime befides in revenging it fo long afterwards. But, inftead of con piring against his life at that time, he only begg'd his

own.

(0) Amarriage fince.] CESAR was inexcufable for doing violence to his country; yet Rome at last finding him fo mild a governor, and fo excellent a perfon in all refpects, fubmitted chearfully to him; all her greatest men, of whom BRUTUS him felf was one, acquiefcing entirely under his dictatorship : which has made me carry on Mr. Cowley's metaphor a little farther than he did, and give his violated matron in marriage; fuppofing Rome a wealthy bride, who, out of kindness and prudence together, is willing enough to make the best of it, and to efpoufe an agreeable ravisher.

(p) Fair Truth.] He was a wife man who faid women were stronger than either the king or wine; but his wisdom appeared moft in preferring Truth to them all. She has a beauty outshining all the art and eloquence in the world; and I should not wonder to fee a very Deift willing to die a martyr for her, tho' he believ'd no refurrection, and expected no reward. There was one of that principle lately among the Turks; a man of parts, and in nothing fantastical, who, rather than renounce fome doctrines he maintain'd against a future life, and the foolish superstition of adoring MAHOMET, chose rather to die as calmly and as confiderately as SOCRATES himself.

(q) In this bafe Age.] 'Tis almost incredible what the ancients have written, and really performed of friendship. And therefore we see the famous old tragedies are often turned all upon that; whereas ours are only filled with love; which,

tho' as tender a concern as the other, yet (a woman being one of the parties) is uncapable of many sublime thoughts that arife among the men, a sex so much more knowing and active in the world. And even for foftness itself, it will be hard to fhew a scene more moving than that between AMYNTOR and M ELANTIUs in the Maid's Tragedy; which I fhould be forry to fee without great emotion, fince 'tis a fhrewd fign of being both dull and ill-natur'd. No-body has equalled the ancients on this subject, except MONTAGNE, who on all subjects has hardly been equalled by the moderns. The worst of it is, this friendship is a virtue which does not depend upon one's felf alone to have; for in fuch a felfish age, one man, tho' never fo capable of it, may look about a great while before he finds out another; and this contract will never hold, without an exact counterpart.

(r) Affift, ye Angels.] All religions agree in believing that fuperior beings affist us on some important occafions; but above all Poetry, and especially this kind of it, has an established right to depend on inspiration. To speak truth, all poets have endeavoured to hide their vanity under this veil of pretended modefty; nothing feeming more humble than to dif truft themselves, and implore affiftance, while at the same time they prefum'd that something like divine inspiration might fine out in their poems. On which occafion (these notes being already a rambling fort of rhapfody) I will venture to fay a little on a fubject, of which others, for aught I can find, have not faid much: I mean, of that which poets call a muse, by whom they pretend to be inspir'd, and is by all understood to be a genius for poetry; to which genius a poet may be allowed in fome measure to pretend, because whoever wants it, tho' with never fo good words and smooth cadence, is yet little better than a player at Crambo. My imperfect notion of a genius is this, which I fubmit to better judgments; I think it a happy temper of the brain, fo equally mix'd of fancy and judgment, that as great heat of imagination is apt to spring

all fort of game, fo the understanding faculty is still near at hand, to select the good, and to reject the rest.

(S) How plainly.] This is according to the universal opinion of angels, that they need no organs of speech among themselves; and their thoughts are communicated to one another by what the schoolmen call intuition. Which, however true or false, is enough for a poet's applying it to this fubject of friendship, which seems, even among us mortals, to have something of divine in it.

(t) A Race as far, &c.] According to the Chriftian faith, the angels had a beginning, tho' they can have no end; and we have as good an opinion of our own fouls also.

(u) You saw and smil'd.] Since angels are suppos'd to be particularly concern'd for mankind (tho' I confess I think we are very unworthy of that honour) they must needs be pleas'd with feeing in us any fort of virtue, especially this fort of friendship, so much practis'd by themselves.

· (w) Life receiv'd.] Besides that BRUTUS received his life once from CESAR on the account of the civil war, he was very much fufpected to be his fon; and the more, because of his great fondness of him. 'Tis certain the time of CÆSAR'S intrigue with SERVILIA is very confiftent with it. But his forgiving him at Pharfalia was not fo much as the least proof of it; for the mother's past favours had been alone fufficient to procure a pardon for her son, especially with so merciful a nature as CÆSAR's.

(x) Obligations.] This to fome humours is like enough to appear an over-refinement; and I expect they will rather faney to have the pleasure of receiving good turns, let who will take the other of doing them. But I appeal to many, if they have not found the doing a kindness a much greater fatisfaction than receiving one. Yet I admit the latter part to be very agreeable also, when 'tis from worthy perfons; being a new inftance of their esteem and favour.

(y) All.] Because a fact committed in paffion, or by inadvertence, is nothing in comparison with one done on delibera

tion, and by a long-laid defign: which fo far excus'd ALEXANDER's killing of CLYTUS, that it has leffened his great fame of being generous and good-natured.

(z) The Centre.] This was so great a defign, that none but fuch an extraordinary person as BRUTUS could have brought it about by his influence over all the confpirators; who being the chief patriots among the nobleft people that ever the fun shined on, I cannot but think BRUTUS appears higher at the head of fuch an illustrious party, than CESAR himself com. manding the whole Roman empire.

(a) Ample Marks.] CÆSAR had in a publick manner given BRUTUS the preference to CASSIUS, and to all Rome besides, by making him the chief Practor a few days before he killed him.

(b) Empire.] It was generally believed in Rome, that CESAR thought BRUTUS the fittest man to fucceed him; which therefore excufes BRUTUS fo far, as it is a proof of his preferring the good of the commonwealth, not only to his best friend, but to the highest temptation of intereft and ambition that could poffibly be laid in any man's way.

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