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, ver. 1 to 19. The Limits of his Capacity, ver.. 19, &c. II. The two Principles of Man, Self-love and Reason, both neceffary, ver. 53, &c. Self-love the stronger, and why, ver. 67, &c. Their end the fame, ver. 81, &c. III. The Paffions, and their ufe, ver. 93 to 130. The Predominant Paffion, and its force, ver. 132 to 160. Its Neceffity, in directing Men to different purposes, ver. 165, &c. Its providential Use, in fixing our Principle, and afcertaining our Virtue, ver. 177. IV. Virtue and Vice joined in our mixed Nature; the limits near, yet the things feparate and evident: What is the Office of Reason, ver. 202 to 216. V. How odious Vice in itfelf, and how we deceive ourselves into it, ver. 217. VI. That, however, the Ends of Providence and general Good are anfwered in our Paffions and Imperfections, ver. 238, &c. How usefully these are diftributed to all Orders of Men, ver. 241. How useful they are to Society, ver. 251. And to Individuals, ver. 263. In every ftate, and every age of life, ver. 273, &c.
NOW then thyself, prefume not God to scan,
The proper study of Mankind is Man.
Plac'd on this ifthmus of a middle state,
A being darkly wife, and rudely great :
With too much knowledge for the Sceptic fide,,
With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,
He hangs between; in doubt to act, or reft;
In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beaft';
In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer;
Born but to die, and reasoning but to err;:
Alike in ignorance, his reason fuch,
Whether he thinks too little, or too much :
Chaos of Thought and Paffion, all confus'd;
Still by himself abus'd or disabus'd;
Created half.to rife, 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, jeft, and riddle of the world!
Go, wondrous creature! mount where Science guides, Go, measure earth, weigh air, and state the tides ;
The only science of Mankind is Man.
After ver. 18. in the MS.
For more perfection than this state can bear
In vain we figh, Heaven made us as we are.
As wifely fure a modeft Ape might aim
To be like Man, whose faculties and frame
Inftru&t the planets in what orbs to run,
Correct old Time, and regulate the Sun;
Go, foar with Plato to th' empyreal sphere,
To the first good, first perfect, and first fair;
Or tread the mazy round his followers trod,
And quitting fenfe 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-
Then drop into thyself, and be a fool!
Superior beings, when of late they faw.
A mortal Man unfold all Nature's Law,
Admir'd fuch wifdom in an earthly shape,
And fhew'd a Newton as we fhew an Ape.
He fees, he feels, as you or I to be
An Angel thing we neither knew nor fee.
Obferve how near he edges on our race;
What human tricks! how rifible of face!
It must be fo-why elfe have I the fenfe
Of more than monkey charms and excellence?
Why elfe to walk on two fo oft effay'd?
And why this ardent longing for a maid?
So Pug might plead, and call his Gods unkind
"Till fet on end, and married to his mind.
Go, reafoning Thing! affume the Doctor's chair,
As Plato deep, as Seneca fevere :
Fix moral fitnefs, and to God give rule,
Then drop into thyself, &c.
Ver. 21. Edit. 4th and 5th.
Shew by what rules the wandering planets ftray,
Correct old Time, and teach the Sun his Way.
Could he, whofe rules the rapid Comet bind,
Defcribe or fix one movement of his Mind?
Who faw its fires here rife, and there defcend,
Explain his own beginning, or his end;
Alas, what wonder! Man's fuperior part
Uncheck'd may rife, and climb from art to art;
But when his own great work is but begun,
What Reason weaves, by Paffion is undone.
Trace Science then, with Modefty thy guide;
Firft ftrip off all her equipage of Pride;
Deduct what is but Vanity or Drefs,
Or Learning's Luxury, or Idleness;
Or tricks to fhew the ftretch of human brain,
Mere curious pleafure, or ingenious pain;
Expunge the whole, or lop th' excrefcent parts
Of all our Vices have created Arts;
Then fee how little the remaining fum,
Which ferv'd the past, and must the times to come!
II. Two Principles in human nature reign;
Self-love, to urge, and Reason, to restrain;
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,
Afcribe all Good, to their improper Ill.
Self-love, the fpring of motion, acts the foul; Reafon's comparing balance rules the whole.
Could he, who taught each Planet where to roll,
Defcribe or fix one movement of the Soul?
Who mark'd their points to rife or to defcend,
Explain his own beginning, or his end ?
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 fpot,
To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot:
Or, meteor-like, flame lawless through the void,
Destroying others, by himself destroy'd.
Moft ftrength the moving principle requires;
Active its talk, it prompts, impels, infpires.
Sedate and quiet the comparing lies,
Form'd but to check, deliberate, and advise.
Self-love, ftill ftronger, as its objects nigh;
Reafon 's at distance, and in profpect lie:
That fees immediate good by prefent fenfe
Reason, the future and the confequence.
Thicker than arguments, temptations throng,
At beft more watchful this, but that more ftrong.
The Action of the stronger to fufpend
Reafon still use, to Reason still attend.
Attention, habit, and experience gains;
Each strengthens Reafon, and Self-love restrains.
Let fubtle schoolmen teach these friends to fight,
More ftudious to divide than to unite;
And Grace and Virtue, Senfe and Reafon fplit,
With all the rash dexterity of wit.
Wits, juft like Fools, at war about a name,
Have full as oft no meaning, or the fame.
After ver. 86. in the MS.
Of good and evil Gods what frighted Fools,
Of good and evil Reafon puzzled Schools,
Deceiv'd, deceiving, taught
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