And hence one MASTER PASSION in the breast, Like Aaron's ferpent, fwallows up the rest.

As Man, perhaps, the moment of his breath, Receives the lurking principle of death; The young disease, that must subdue at length, 135 Grows with his growth, and ftrengthens with his ftrength:

So, caft and mingled with his very frame,

140

The Mind's disease, its RULING PASSION Came;
Each vital humour which fhould feed the whole,
Soon flows to this, in body and in foul:
Whatever warms the heart, or fills the head,
As the mind opens, and its functions spread,
Imagination plies her dang'rous art,
And pours it all upon the peccant part.

COMMENTARY.

derfully fublime, as fufpends, for a while, the ruling passion, in every Reader, and engroffes his whole Admiration.

This naturally leads the poet to lament the weakness and infufficiency of human Reafon (from 148 to 161) and the purpose he had in fo doing, was plainly to intimate the neceffity of a more perfect difpenfation to Mankind.

NOTES.

ta. Plin. 1. vii. N. H. This Antipater was in the times of Craffus, and is celebrated for the quickness of his parts by

VER. 133. As Man perhaps &c] Antipater Sidonius Poëta omnibus annis uno die natali tantum corripiebatur febre, et eo confumptus eft fatis longa fenec-Cicero.

Nature its mother, Habit is its nurse;

145

150

Wit, Spirit, Faculties, but make it worse;
Reason itself but gives it edge and pow'r;
As Heav'n's bleft beam turns vinegar more fowr;
We, wretched fubjects tho' to lawful sway,
In this weak queen, fome fav'rite still obey:
Ah! if she lend not arms, as well as rules,
What can fhe more than tell us we are fools?
Teach us to mourn our Nature, not to mend,
A fharp accufer, but a helpless friend !
Or from a judge turn pleader, to persuade
The choice we make, or justify it made;

NOTES.

VER. 147. Reafon itself, &c.] The poet, in fome other of his epiftles, gives examples of the doctrine and precepts

155

here delivered. Thus, in that
of the ufe of Riches, he has
illustrated this truth in the cha-
racter of Cotta:

Old Cotta fham'd his fortune and his birth,
Yet was not Cotta void of wit or worth.
What tho' (the ufe of barb'rous fpits forgot)
His kitchen vy'd in coolness with his grot?
If Cotta liv'd on pulfe, it was no more
Than bramins, faints, and fages did before.

Ver. 149. We, wretched fub- | finds a remedy in Natural Rejects &c.] St. Paul himself did ligion. Far from it. He here not chufe to employ other ar- leaves reafon unrelieved. What guments, when difpofed to give is this then, but an intimation us the highest idea of the ufe- that we ought to feek for a fulness of Chriftianity (Rom. cure in that religion, which vii.) But, it may be, the poet only dares profess to give it?

Proud of an easy conqueft all along,

She but removes weak paffions for the ftrong:
So, when small humours gather to a gout,

The doctor fancies he has driv'n them out. 160
Yes, Nature's road muft ever be prefer'd;
Reason is here no guide, but still a guard :
'Tis hers to rectify, not overthrow,

And treat this paffion more as friend than foe :
A mightier Pow'r the strong direction sends, 165
And fev'ral Men impels to fev'ral ends:

COMMENTARY.

VER. 161. Yes, Nature's road &c.] Now as it appears, from the account here given of the ruling Paffion and its cause which results from the structure of the organs, that it is the road of Nature, the poet fhews (from 160 to 167) that this road is to be followed. So that the office of Reason is not to direct us what Paffion to exercise, but to affift us in RECTIFYING, and keeping within due bounds, that which Nature hath so strongly impreffed; because

A mightier Pow'r the ftrong direction fends,
And fevral Men impels to fev'ral ends.

Like varying winds, by other paffions toft,

This drives them conftant to a certain coaft.
Let pow'r or knowledge, gold or glory, please,
Or (oft more strong than all) the love of ease;
Thro' life 'tis follow'd, ev'n at life's expence; 171
The merchant's toil, the fage's indolence,
The monk's humility, the hero's pride,

All, all alike, find Reason on their fide.

COMMENTARY.

VER. 167. Like warying winds, &c.] The poet having proved that the ruling paffion (fince Nature hath given it us) is not to be overthrown, but rectified, the next inquiry will be of what ufe the ruling Paffion is; for an use it must have, if reason be to treat it thus mildly. This ufe he fhews us (from † 166 to 197) is twofold, Natural and Moral.

1. Its Natural ufe is to conduct Men fteddily to one certain end; who would otherwise be eternally fluctuating between the equal violence of various and difcordant paffions, driving them up and down at random; and, by that means, to enable them to promote the good of Society, by making each a contributor to the common stock:

Let pow'r or knowledge, gold or glory, please, &c.

2. Its Moral ufe is to ingraft our ruling Virtue upon it; and by that means to enable us to promote our own good, by turn

NOTES.

the poet meant, and what every unprejudiced man could not but fee he must needs mean, by

RECTIFYING THE MASTER

PASSION, though he had not confined us to this fenfe, in the reafon he gives of his precept, in these words:

A mightier Pow'r the ftrong direction fends,
And fev'ral Men impels to fev'ral ends.

For what ends are they which God impels to, but the ends of
Virtue ?

Th' Eternal Art educing good from ill, Grafts on this Paffion our beft principle: 'Tis thus the Mercury of Man is fix'd,

Strong grows the Virtue with his nature mix'd; The drofs cements what else were too refin'd, And in one intereft body acts with mind.

As fruits, ungrateful to the planter's care, On favage ftocks inferted, learn to bear; The fureft Virtues thus from Paffions fhoot, Wild Nature's vigor working at the root. What of wit and honesty appear

crops

From spleen, from obstinacy, hate, or fear ! zeal and fortitude fupply;

See

anger,

Ev'n av'rice, prudence; floth, philofophy;
Luft, thro' fome certain ftrainers well refin'd,
Is gentle love, and charms all womankind;
Envy, to which th'ignoble mind's a flave,
Is emulation in the learn'd or brave;

COMMENTARY.

180

185

190

ing the exorbitancy of the ruling passion into its neighbouring Virtue :

See anger, zeal and fortitude fupply; &c.

The wisdom of the divine Artist is, as the poet finely obferves, very illuftrious in this contrivance; for the mind and body having now one common intereft, the efforts of Virtue will have their force infinitely augmented:

'Tis thus the Mercury, &c.