Reafon the byas turns to good from ill,
And Nero reigns a Titus, if he will.
The fiery foul abhor'd in Catiline,
In Decius charms, in Curtius is divine:
The fame ambition can destroy or fave,

And makes a patriot as it makes a knave.

IV. This light and darkness in our chaos join'd, What shall divide? The God within the mind. Extremes in Nature equal ends produce,

In Man they join to fome mysterious use;
Tho' each by turns the other's bound invade,

As, in fome well-wrought picture, light and shade,
And oft so mix, the diff'rence is too nice
Where ends the Virtue, or begins the Vice.
Fools! who from hence into the notion fall,
That Vice or Virtue there is none at all.
If white and black blend, foften, and unite
A thousand ways, is there no black or white?
Ask your own heart, and nothing is fo plain;
'Tis to mistake them, cofts the time and pain.
V. Vice is a monfter of fo frightful mien,
As, to be hated, needs but to be feen;
Yet feen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

205

210

215

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.
No creature owns it in the first degree,

225

But thinks his neighbour farther gone than he;
Ev'n those who dwell benath its very zone,
Or never feel the rage, or never own;
What happier natures shrink at with affright,
The hard inhabitant contends is right.

230

Virtuous and vicious ev'ry Man must be, Few in th' extreme, but all in the degree; The rogue and fool by fits is fair and wife; And ev'n the best, by fits, what they defpife. 'Tis but by parts we follow good or ill;

For, Vice or Virtue, Self directs it ftill;

Each individual feeks a fev'ral goal;

235

VI. But HEAV'N's great view is One, and that the Whole.

That counter-works each folly and caprice;

That disappoints th' effect of ev'ry vice;

That, happy frailties to all ranks apply'd;

Shame to the virgin, to the matron pride,
Fear to the statesman, rashness to the chief,
To kings prefumption, and to crowds belief:
That, Virtue's ends from vanity can raise,
Which feeks no int'reft, no reward but praise;
And build on wants, and on defects of mind,
The joy, the peace, the glory of Mankind.

Heav'n forming each on other to depend,

A mafter, or a fervant, or a friend,

240

245

250

Bids each on other for affiftance call,

'Till one Man's weakness grows the ftrength of all. Wants, frailties, paffions, closer still ally

The common int'reft, or endear the tie.

To these we owe true friendship, love fincere,

255

Each home-felt joy that life inherits here;
Yet from the fame we learn, in its decline,
Those joys, thofe loves, thofe int'refts to refign;
Taught half by Reason, half by mere decay,
To welcome death, and calmly pass away.

Whate'er the Paffion, knowledge, fame, or pelf,
Not one will change his neighbour with himself,
The learn'd is happy nature to explore,

The fool is happy that he knows no more;

260

The rich is happy in the plenty giv'n,

The poor contents him with the care of Heav'n.
See the blind beggar dance, the cripple fing,
The fot a hero, lunatic a king;

The ftarving chemist in his golden views
Supremely bleft, the poet in his Mufe.

See fome ftrange comfort ev'ry state attend,
And pride bestow'd on all, a common friend:
See fome fit paffion ev'ry age fupply,
Hope travels thro', nor quits us when we die.
Behold the child, by nature's kindly law,
Pleas'd with a rattle, tickled with a ftraw:
Some livelier play-thing gives his youth delight,
A little louder, but as empty quite:
Scarfs, garters, gold, amuse his riper stage,
And beads and pray'r-books are the toys of age:
Pleas'd with this bauble ftill, as that before;
Till tir'd he sleeps, and Life's poor play is o'er.
Mean-while Opinion gilds with varying rays
Those painted clouds that beautify our days;
Each want of happiness by Hope fupply'd,
And each vacuity of sense by Pride:
Thefe build as faft as knowledge can deftroy;
In folly's cup ftill laughs the bubble, joy;
One profpect loft, another ftill we gain;
And not a vanity is giv'n in vain;

265

270

275

280

285

290

Ev'n mean Self-love becomes, by force divine,

The fcale to measure others wants by thine.

See! and confefs, one comfort ftill muft rife;

'Tis this, Tho' Man's a fool, yet GOD IS WISE.

ARGUMENT

OF

EPISTLE

III.

Of the Nature and State of Man with respect to Society.

I. THE whole Universe one fyftem of Society, ver. 7. &c. Nothing made wholly for itself, nor yet wholly for another, ver. 27. The happiness of Animals mutual, ver. 49.

II. Reason or Instinct operate alfoto Society, in all animals, ver. 109.

III. How far Society carried by Instinct, ver. 115. How much farther by Reason, ver. 128.

IV. Of that which is called the State of Nature, ver. 144. Reafon inftructed by Inftinct in the Invention of Arts, ver. 166. And in the Forms of Society, ver. 176.

V. Origin of Political Societies, ver. 196. Origin of Monarchy, ver. 207. Patriarchal government,

ver. 212.

VI. Origin of true Religion and Government, from the fame principle, of Love, ver. 231. &c. Origin of fuperftition and Tyranny, from the fame principle, of Fear, ver. 237. &c. The Influence of Self-love operating to the Social and public Good, ver. 266. Reftoration of true Religion and Government on their first principle, ver. 285. Mixt Government, ver. 288. Various Forms of each, and the true end of all, ver. 300. &c.

*

EPISTLE III.

HERE then we reft:

Acts to one end, but acts by various laws.,
In all the madness of fuperfluous health,

The trim of pride, the impudence of wealth,
Let this great truth be prefent night and day;
But most be present, if we preach or pray.

Look round our World; behold the chain of Love
Combining all below and all above.

See plaftic Nature working to this end,

The fingle atoms each to other tend,

Attract, attracted to, the next in place

Form'd and impell'd its neighbour to embrace.
See Matter next, with various life endu'd,

10

Prefs to one centre ftill, the gen'ral Good,
See dying vegetables life fuftain,

See life diffolving vegetate again :

All forms that perish other forms fupply,

(By turns we catch the vital breath, and die)

29

Like bubbles on the fea of Matter born,
They rife, they break, and to that fea return.
Nothing is foreign; Parts relate to whole;
One all-extending, all-preferving foul
Connects each being, greatest with the leaft;
Made Beaft in aid of Man, and Man of Bealt;
All ferv'd, all ferving: nothing ftands alone;
The chain holds on, and where it ends, unknown.

25