Page:The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, Volume 4.djvu/112

108 only to the lawful dominion of Nature, in obeying the resistless authority of his ruling Passion. Pope has formed his theory with so little skill, that in the examples by which he illustrates and confirms it, he has confounded passions, appetites, and habits.

To the "Characters of Men," he added soon after, in an Epistle supposed to have been addressed to Martha Blount, but which the last edition has taken from her, the "Characters of Women." This poem, which was laboured with great diligence, and in the author's opinion with great success, was neglected at its first publication, as the commentator supposes, because the publick was informed, by an advertisement, that it contained no Character drawn from the Life; an assertion which Pope probably did not expect or wish to have been believed, and which he soon gave his readers sufficient reason to distrust, by telling them in a note, that the work was imperfect, because part of his subject was Vice too high to be yet exposed.

The time however soon came, in which it was safe to display the Dutchess of Marlborough under the name of Atossa; and her Rh