In man they join to some mysterious use; 210 If white and black blend, soften, and unite 220 But where th' extreme of vice, was ne'er agreed: Ask where's the North? at York 'tis on the Tweed; In Scotland, at the Orcades; and there, At Greenland, Zembla, or the Lord knows where; But thinks his neighbor further gone than he : 225 230 VI. Virtuous and vicious every man must be; Few in th' extreme, but all in the degree; 208. As light and shade invade each other's bounds. 218. To be hated is in the inf. mood absolute The rogue and fool by fits is fair and wise, And ev'n the best, by fits, what they despise. 'Tis but by parts we follow good or ill, For, vice or virtue, self directs it still; 235 240 Each individual seeks a several goal; [the whole. Heaven forming each on other to depend, A master, or a servant, or a friend, 245 250 Till one man's weakness grows the strength of all. Wants, frailties, passions, closer still ally 256 The common interest, or endear the tie. 241. That applied happy faculties, &c. 260 Whate'er the passion, knowledge, fame, or pelf, Not one will change his neighbor with himself. The learn'd is happy nature to explore, The fool is happy that he knows no more; The poor contents him with the care of Heav'n. The starving chymist in his golden views 265 270 See some strange comfort every state attend, Behold the child, by nature's kindly law, 275 261. Let the passion be that, which it may be; or what ever may be considered as an indef. pro. in which sense it is often used. 267. It is a striking truth, that those people, whom we might suppose the most miserable, are apparently the most happy, and that, too, under mistaken views of their own character: which is in itself sufficient evidence that all ideas of happiness are illusory, unless founded on a rational reference to the concerns of another world. 269. The starving chymist-reference is here made to the alchymists who, for a long time, were employed in vain search after the philosopher's stone, which they fondly hoped would turn every thing it touched into gold. See the poet in his muse supremely best. 275-282. Man is here traced through his progress, from childhood to old age, together with the varied objects of his pleasure. Beads and prayer books-this is spoken in Scarfs, garters, gold, amuse his riper stage, Ev'n mean self-love becomes, by force divine, 285 290 reference to the usage of the Papal religion, which includes a service called a rosary and crown. This consists in repeating, a certain number of times, the Lord's prayer, and the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, "that she would bear a son," &c., and that they may know when it is accomplished, they have the proper number of beads upon a string, and as often as they repeat it through, slip a bead to the other end of the string, till all have changed ends, when it is done. 291-292. Even mean self-love becomes the scate This, perhaps, the poet would consider as the sanction of our Saviour's golden rule. Our self-love leads us to desire good treatment from others, and may therefore influence us to practise the same unto them. By thine-thine is a pro. supplving the place of an obj. and pro., viz. thy wants EPISTLE III. HERE then we rest; "The universal cause 5 I. Look round our world; behold the chain of love Combining all below and all above. See plastic nature working to this end, All forms that perish, other forms supply, 10 EPISTLE III. 5. Let this great truth, &c. What is this great truth? The sentence marked with a quotation, answers. 10. See the single atoms, each tend toward the other. Each, or every one, is a distributive expression for a number taken singly, and in opposition with atoms. 11. See them attract-attracted to is a part. from the complex verb to aucract to. 14. Good, in the end of the line, is in app. with centre, |