EPISTLE II.

I. Know then thyself, presume not God to scan! The proper study of mankind is man.

Placed on this isthmus of a middle state,

A being darkly wise, and rudely great :
With too much knowledge for the skeptic's 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,
Born but to die, and reasoning 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;
Created half to rise, and half to fall:
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;

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EPISTLE II.

L. 1. Know thyself, was the favorite maxim of the ancients. It is here, perhaps, more confined in its meaning. Know thy weakness, presume not God to scan: for "who by searching can find out God?"

5. The sceptic is one who professes to doubt all things. 6. The stoic pretends that our happiness should not in the least be affected by our outward circumstances.

10. Man is the only terrestrial being capable of reasonng, or of deducing remoter truths from those which are known and admitted; yet, by assuming false premises, or by improperly linking his ideas, he too frequently stumbles apon false conclusions But, i. e. only to err.

Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurl'd;
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!

Go, wondrous creature! mount where science guides,

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 the empyreal sphere,
To the first good, first perfect, and first fair;
Or tread the mazy round his followers 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-
Then drop into thyself, and be a fool!

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30

Superior beings, when of late they saw A mortal man unfold all nature's law, Admired such wisdom in an earthly shape, And show'd a Newton as we show an ape. Could he, whose rules the rapid comet bind, 35

21. Instruct the planets as to the orbs in which they should run; or to point out to the planets the orbs in which they should run.

26. Call quitting sense, imitating God. These are substantive phrases, the latter in apposition with the former. 27-28. The poet here alludes to the practices of the eastern priests, viz.: turning round in giddy circles, tha with their heads they may imitate the course of the sun

34. And showed a Newton, &c. i. e. with the same admiration of his superiority over his kind, in imitating them, which we feel, on seeing a brute animal capable of showing, by his actions, so striking a resemblance to the human species.

35-38. Could he (Newton,) after all his mighty dis

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
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;
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
Of all our vices have created arts;

Then see how little the remaining sum,

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Which serv'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 :

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coveries, describe or fix one movement of his own mind? Could he explain his own beginning, or his end?

50. Of all, which our vices have created or formed into

arts.

52. Which served the past, and must serve the times which are to come.

55. Nor do we call this (reason) a good principle; nor that (self-love) a bad principle.

56. Each works its end, which is, &c.; or the sub. phrase, to move or govern all, may be in apposition with end.

And to their proper operation still

Ascribe all good; to their improper, ill.
Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul;
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:
Or, meteor-like, flame lawless through 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,

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

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66

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79

58. To their improper operation ascribe all ill. 62. Were active-an elegant poetical usage for would be active.

67-69. It should be kept in mind that in all the fol lowing part of this work, the poet treats of self-love as the moving, and reason as the comparing principle.

72. Reason's objects are at a distance.

74. Reason sees the future, &c.

79. Attention gains habit and experience

Each strengthens reason, and self-love restrains.

Let subtle school-men 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.

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,
Pain their aversion, pleasure their desire;
But greedy that, its object would devour,
This taste the honey, and not wound the flower:
Pleasure, or wrong or rightly understood,

Our greatest evil, or our greatest good.

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III. Modes of self-love the passions we may call; 'Tis real good, or seeming, moves them all : But since not every good we can divide, And reason bids us for our own provide ; Passions, though selfish, if their means be fair, List under reason, and deserve her care; Those, that imparted, court a nobler aim, Exalt their kind, and take some virtue's name. In lazy apathy let stoics boast

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81. Those skilled in the Divinity of the schools, or dealers in speculative Divinity.

83. Let them point out nice distinctions between grace and virtue, &c.

98. We call the passions modes of self-love.

Those in the

99. Those that are imparted, court a nobler aim; or those, that being imparted, court, &c. exalt. nom. to exalt that in the nom. to court.

101-6. Let stoics boast their virtue to be fixed; or, that