Who first taught souls enslav'd, and realms un

done,

Th' enormous faith of many made for one;

That proud exception to all nature's laws,

T' invert the world and counter-work its cause? Force first made conquest, and that conquest, law:

Till superstition taught the tyrant awe,

Then shar'd the tyranny, then lent it aid,

247

And gods of conquerors, slaves of subjects made: She midst the lightning's blaze, and thunder's sound,

When rock'd the mountains, and when groan'd the ground,

255

She taught the weak to bend, the proud to pray
To power unseen, and mightier far than they :
She, from the rending earth, and bursting skies,
Saw gods descend, and fiends infernal rise:
Here fix'd the dreadful, there the blest abodes;
Fear made her devils, and weak hope her gods;
Gods partial, changeful, passionate, unjust,
Whose attributes were rage, revenge, or lust;
Such as the souls of cowards might conceive,
And, form'd like tyrants, tyrants would believe.
Zeal, then, not charity, became the guide;
And hell was built on spite, and heaven on pride.

261

359. Such gods as—As is a rel. pro. when it follows the indefinite pro. such, agreeing with its antecedent; or, when its ant. has an adj. qualified by the ad. so agreeing with it

Then sacred seem'd th' ethereal vault no more; Altars grew marble then, and reek'd with gore: Then first the Flamen tasted living food; 265 Next his grim idol, smear'd with human blood; With heaven's own thunders shook the world below,

And play'd the god an engine on his foe.

So drives self-love, through just, and through

unjust,

To one man's power, ambition, lucre, lust:
The same self-love, in all, becomes the cause
Of what restrains him, government and laws.
For, what one likes, if others like as well,
What serves one will, when many wills rebel?
How shall he keep, what, sleeping or awake,
A weaker may surprise, a stronger take?
His safety must his liberty restrain:

All join to guard what each desires to gain.
Forc'd into virtue thus, by self-defence,
Ev'n kings learn'd justice and benevolence:
Self-love forsook the path it first pursued,
And found the private in the public good.

270

276

281

264-268. Altars grew marble, i. e. became the scenes of cruelty-Marble may be considered as an adj. agreeing with altars. Next he smeared his grim idol, &c. And played the God, i. e. made the popular idea that he could wield, or stay the judgments of God, an engine against his foe. Engine is in app. with God.

272. Government and laws, connected, are in apposi tion with the antecedent part of what.

'Twas then the studious head or generous

mind,

Follower of God, or friend of human-kind,
Poet or patriot, rose but to restore

285

The faith and moral, nature gave before;
Resum'd her ancient light, not kindled new ;
If not God's image, yet his shadow drew:
Taught power's due use to people and to kings,
Taught not to slack, nor strain its tender strings,
The less, or greater, set so justly true,

291

That touching one must strike the other too;
Till jarring interests of themselves create
Th' according music of a well-mix'd state.
Such is the world's great harmony, that springs
From order, union, full consent of things:
Where small and great, where weak and mighty
made

To serve, not suffer, strengthen, not invade;
More powerful each as needful to the rest,
And, in proportion as it blesses, blest:
Draw to one point, and to one centre bring
Beast, man, or angel, servant, lord, or king.
For forms of government let fools contest ;

300

285-291. Rose, resumed, drew, taught, and set are all connected, having the same nom. continued, viz. head, &c. 292. Touching one is an imperfect phrase, or part of a sentence, and is the subject of the verb must strike. 297-301. (Being) made to serve, &c. Each (being made) more powerful, and (each being) blest, &c. Were small and great, &c. Draw, &c.

Whate'er is best administer'd is best:
For modes of faith, let graceless zealots fight;
His can't be wrong whose life is in the right;
In faith and hope the world will disagree,

But all mankind's concern is charity:

307

All must be false that thwarts this one great end;
And all of God, that bless mankind, or mend.
Man, like the generous vine, supported lives;
The strength he gains is from th' embrace he
gives.

On their own axis as the planets run,

Yet make at once their circle round the sun;
So two consistent motions act the soul;

And one regards itself, and one the whole.

315

Thus God and nature link'd the general frame,

And bade self-love and social be the same.

306. His mode of faith can't be wrong, &c. 309-310. All modes of faith must be false, &c. And all modes must be of God, &c.

EPISTLE IV.

O HAPPINESS! our being's end and aim!
Good, pleasure, ease, content! whate'er thy name
That something still which prompts th' eternal

sigh,

For which we bear to live, or dare to die,
Which still so near us, yet beyond us lies,
O'erlook'd, seen double, by the fool and wise:
Plant of celestial seed! if dropp'd below,
Say, in what mortal soil thou deign'st to grow ?
Fair opening to some court's propitious shrine,
Or deep with diamonds in the flaming mine?
Twin'd with the wreaths Parnassian laurels yield,
Or reap'd in iron harvests of the field?

5

10

Where grows where grows it not? If vain our toil,

We ought to blame the culture, not the soil :
Fix'd to no spot is happiness sincere,

15

EPISTLE IV.

1-2. End and aim connected, good, &c., are in app. with happiness. Whatever-see note to line 26, Epistle II. 6. O'erlooked is a per. part. agreeing with happiness. O'erlooked by those who are simple enough to seek it in any thing but virtue; seen double by those who admit any thing else to have a share in procuring it.

9. Growest the opening fair, &c.—or growest those in the fair opening.