Britain and the States General, as to the towns on the
frontiers of the Dutch, which were to be permanently
strengthened as barrier fortresses. Pope, in the mask of
Esdras Barnivelt, apothecary, thus makes out his poem to be a
political satire. "Having said that by the _lock_ is meant the
_Barrier Treaty_--first then I shall discover, that Belinda
represents Great Britain, or (which is the same thing) her
late Majesty. This is plainly seen in the description of her,

"On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore."

Alluding to the ancient name of Albion, from her white cliffs,
and to the cross which is the ensign of England. The baron who
cuts off the lock, or Barrier Treaty, is the Earl of Oxford.
Clarissa, who lent the scissors, my Lady Masham. Thalestris,
who provokes Belinda to resent the loss of the lock or treaty,
the Duchess of Marlborough; and Sir Plume, who is moved by
Thalestris to re-demand it of Great Britain, Prince Eugene,
"who came hither for that purpose." He concludes 32 pages of
similar argument by saying, "I doubt not if the persons most
concerned would but order Mr. Bernard Lintott, the printer and
publisher of this dangerous piece, to be taken into custody
and examined, many further discoveries might be made both of
this poet's and his abettors secret designs, which are
doubtless of the utmost importance to Government." Such is a
specimen of Pope's chicanery.] Its innocent extravagance could
only have been designed to increase attention to a work, which
hardly required any such artifice. [In the preface to this
production, "the uncommon sale of this book" is stated as one
reason for the publication; "above six thousand of them have
been already vended."] In the same spirit he composed the
"Guardian," in which Phillips's Pastorals were insidiously
preferred to his own. Pope sent this ironical, panegyrical
criticism on Phillips anonymously to the "Guardian," and
Steele not perceiving the drift, hesitated to publish it, till
Pope advised it. Addison detected it. I doubt whether we have
discovered all the _supercheries_ of this kind. After writing
the finest works of genius, he was busily employed in
attracting th