Alike essential to the amazing Whole,
The least confusion but in one, not all
250 That system only, but the Whole must fall.
Let earth unbalanc'd from her orbit fly,

Planets and suns run lawless through the sky;
Let ruling angels from their spheres be hurl'd,
Being on being wreck'd, and world on world;
255 Heav'n's whole foundations to their centre nod,
And Nature tremble to the throne of God!

All this dread Order break for whom? for thee?

Vile worm!-Oh! madness! pride! impiety!

IX. What if the foot, ordain'd the dust to tread, 200 Or hand, to toil, aspir'd to be the head?

What if the head, the eye, or ear repin'd
To serve mere engines to the ruling mind?
Just as absurd for any part to claim

To be another in this gen'ral frame;

265 Just as absurd to mourn the tasks or pains The great directing Mind of all ordains.

All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body Nature is, and God the soul; That, chang'd through all, and yet in all the same, 270 Great in the earth, as in th' ethereal frame, Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees, Lives through all life, extends through all extent, Spreads undivided, operates unspent ;

275 Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part,
As full, as perfect in a hair as heart;

As full, as perfect in vile man that mourns,
As the rapt Seraph that adores and burns:

259. See 1 Corinthians xii. 15-21.

278. The rapt seraph, alluding to the name seraphim, signify. WARBURTON. ing burners.

To him no high, no low, no great, no small; 280 He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all.

X. Cease then, nor Order imperfection name: Our proper bliss depends on what we blame. Know thy own point: this kind, this due degree Of blindness, weakness, Heav'n bestows on thee. 285 Submit: in this or any other sphere,

Secure to be as blest as thou canst bear;
Safe in the hand of one disposing Pow'r,
Or in the natal, or the mortal hour.
All nature is but art unknown to thee;

90 All chance, direction which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good;

And, spite of pride, in erring reason's spite,
One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.

ARGUMENT OF EPISTLE II.

Of the Nature and State of Man with Respect to Himself, as an Individual.

I. The business of Man not to pry into God, but to study himself. His middle nature: his powers and frailties, verses 1 to 19. The limits of his capacity, verse 19, etc. II. The two principles of Man, Self-love and Reason, both necessary, verses 53, etc. Self-love the stronger, and why, verse 67, etc. Their end the same, verse 81, etc. III. The Passions, and their use, verses 93 to 130. The predominant passion, and its force, verses 132 to 160. Its necessity, in directing men to different purposes, verse 165, etc. Its providential use, in fixing our principle, and ascertaining our virtue, verse 177. IV. Virtue and Vice joined in our mixed nature; the limits near, yet the things separate and evident: what is the office of Reason, verses 203 to 216. V. How odious Vice in itself, and how we deceive ourselves into it, verse 217. VI. That, however, the ends of Providence and general good are answered in our passions and imperfections,

verse 238, etc. How usefully these are distributed to all orders of men, verse 241. How useful they are to Society, verse 251. And to individuals, verse 263. In every state, and every age of life, verse 273, etc.

EPISTLE II.

I. KNOW then thyself, presume not God to scan: The proper study of mankind is Man.

Plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state,

A being darkly wise and rudely great:

s With too much knowledge for the Skeptic side,
With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,
He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest;
In doubt to deem himself a god or beast;
In doubt his mind or body to prefer;
10 Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err;
Alike in ignorance, his reason such,

Whether he thinks too little or too much :
Chaos of thought and passion, all confus'd;
Still by himself abus'd, or disabus'd;
15 Created half to rise, and half to fall;
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;
Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurl'd;
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!

Go, wondrous creature; mount where science

guides,

20 Go, measure earth, weigh air, and state the tides
Instruct the planets in what orbs to run,
Correct old Time, and regulate the sun;
Go, soar with Plato to th' empyreal sphere,

;

5-6. The Skeptics "always considered and never discovered;" the Stoics held that nothing was of account but duty. 22. This alludes to Sir Isaac Newton's Grecian Chronology. WARBURTON.

To the first good, first perfect, and first fair; 25 Or tread the mazy round his foll'wers trod, And quitting sense call imitating God; As Eastern priests in giddy circles run, And turn their heads to imitate the sun. Go, teach Eternal Wisdom how to rule 30 Then drop into thyself, and be a fool!

85

Superior beings, when of late they saw
A mortal man unfold all Nature's law,
Admir'd such wisdom in an earthly shape,
And show'd a Newton, as we show an ape,
Could he, whose rules the rapid comet bind,
Describe or fix one movement of his mind?
Who saw its fires here rise, and there descend,
Explain his own beginning or his end?

Alas! what wonder! Man's superior part
40 Uncheck'd may rise, and climb from art to art;
But when his own great work is but begun,
What Reason weaves, by Passion is undone.
Trace science, then, with modesty thy guide;
First strip off all her equipage of pride;
45 Deduct what is but vanity or dress,
Or learning's luxury, or idleness,

Or tricks to show the stretch of human brain,
Mere curious pleasure, or ingenious pain;
Expunge the whole, or lop th' excrescent parts
50 Of all our vices have created arts;

Then see how little the remaining sum,

Which serv'd the past, and must the times to cane! II. Two principles in human nature reign; Self-love to urge, and Reason to restrain; 55 Nor this a good, nor that a bad we call, Each works its end to move or govern all: And to their proper operation still Ascribe all good; to their improper, ill.

Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul;
60 Reason's comparing balance rules the whole.
Man, but for that, no action could attend,
And, but for this, were active to no end:
Fix'd like a plant on his peculiar spot,
To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot;
65 Or, meteor-like, flame lawless thro' the void,
Destroying others, by himself destroy'd.

Most strength the moving principle requires;
Active its task, it prompts, impels, inspires:
Sedate and quiet, the comparing lies,

zo Form'd but to check, deliberate, and advise.
Self-love still stronger, as its objects nigh;
Reason's at distance and in prospect lie:
That sees immediate good by present sense;
Reason, the future and the consequence.

75 Thicker than arguments, temptations throng,

At best more watchful this, but that more strong. The action of the stronger to suspend,

Reason still use, to reason still attend.

Attention, habit and experience gains;

30 Each strengthens Reason, and Self-love restrains.

Let subtle schoolmen teach these friends to fight, More studious to divide than to unite;

And grace and virtue, sense and reason split,
With all the rash dexterity of wit.

35 Wits, just like fools, at war about a name,
Have full as oft no meaning, or the same.
Self-love and Reason to one end aspire,

59. Acts, actuates.

71-74. From Bacon: "The affections carry even an appetite to good, as reason doth. The difference is, that the affection beholdeth merely the present; reason beholdeth the future and sum of time." - BOWLES.