O! would the Sons of Men once think their Eyes And Reason giv'n them but to ftudy Flies! See Nature in fome partial narrow shape, And let the Author of the Whole escape: Be that my task (replies a gloomy Clerk, 455 460 REMARK'S. VER. 453. O! would the fons of men, &c.] This is the third fpeech of the Goddefs to her Supplicants, and completes the whole of what she had to give in inftruction on this important occafion, concerning Learning, Civil Society, and Religion. In the first speech ver. 119. to her Editors and conceited Critics, The directs how to deprave Wit and difcredit fine Writers. In her fecond, ver. 175, to the Educators of Youth, fhe fhews them how all Civil Duties may be extinguished in that one doctrine of divine Hereditary Right. And in this third, the charges the Investigators of Nature to amuse themselves in Trifles, and reft in fecond causes, with a total disregard of the first. This being all that Dulness can wish, is all the needs to fay; and we may apply to her (as the Poet hath managed it) what hath been faid of true Wit, that She neither fays too little, nor too much. VER. 459. a gloomy Clerk,] The Epithet gloomy in this line may feem the fame with that of dark in the next. But gloomy relates to the uncomfortable and difaftrous condition of an irreligious Sceptic, whereas dark alludes only to his puzzled and embroiled Syftems. VER. 462. When Moral Evidence fhall quite decay,] Alluding to a ridiculous and abfurd way of some Mathematicians, in calculating the gradual decay of Moral Evidence by mathematical And damns implicit faith, and holy lies, And reafon downward, till we doubt of God: 465 470 REMARK S. proportions: according to which calculation, in about fifty years it will be no longer probable that Julius Cæfar was in Gaul, or died in the Senate House. See Craig's Theologiæ Chriftiana Principia Mathematica. But as it feems evident, that facts of a thousand years old, for instance, are now as probable as they were five hundred years ago; it is plain that if in fifty more they quite disappear, it must be owing, not to their Arguments, but to the extraordinary Power of our Goddess; for whose help therefore they have reafon to pray. VER. 465-468. Let others creep-thro' Nature led] In thefe lines are described the Difpofition of the rational Inquirer; and the means and end of Knowledge. With Regard to his difpofition, the contemplation of the works of God with human faculties, muft needs make a modeft and fenfible man timorous and fearful; and that will naturally direct him to the right means of acquiring the little knowledge his faculties are capable of, namely plain and fure experience; which tho' fupporting only an humble foundation, and permitting only a very flow progrefs, yet leads, furely, to the end, the difcovery of the God of na ture. VER. 471. the high Priori Road,] Thofe who, from the ef fects in this Vifible world, deduce the Eternal Power and God Make Nature ftill incroach upon his plan; And fhove him off as far as e'er we can: REMARKS. 475 head of the First Caufe, tho' they cannot attain to an adequate idea of the Deity, yet discover so much of him, as enables them to fee the End of their Creation, and the Means of their Hap. piness: whereas they who take this high Priori Road (fuch as Hobbs, Spinoza, Des Cartes, and fome better Reasoners) for one that goes right, ten lofe themselves in Mifts, or ramble after Visions, which deprive them of all fight of their End, and mislead them in the choice of wrong means. VER. 472. And reafon downward, till we doubt of God:] This was in fact the cafe of those who, instead of reasoning from a visible World to an invifible God, took the other road; and from an invisible God (to whom they had given attributes agreeable to certain metaphysical principles formed out of their own imaginations) reafoned downwards, to a visible world in theory, of Man's Creation; which not agreeing, as might be expected, to that of God's, they began, from their inability to account for evil which they faw in his world, to doubt of that God, whose Being they had admitted, and whofe attributes they had deduced a priori, on weak and mistaken principles. VER. 473. Make Nature ftill] This relates to fuch as, being afhamed to affert a mere Mechanic Cause, and yet unwilling to forfake it intirely, have had recourse to a certain Plaftic Nature, Elaftic Fluid, Subtile Matter, &c. VER. 475. Thruft fome Mechanic Cause into bis place, Or bind in Matter, or diffuse in Space.] The first of thefe Follies is that of Des Cartes; the fecond of Hobbs; the third of fome fucceeding Philofophers. Find Virtue local, all Relation scorn, Of nought fo doubtful as of Soul and Will. REMARK S. 480 VER. 477. Or, at one bound, &c.] Thefe words are very fignificant: In their Phyfical and Methaphysical reasonings it was a Chain of pretended Demonftrations that drew them into all thefe abfurd conclufions. But their errors in Morals reft only on bold and impudent Affertions, without the least shadow of proof, in which they over-leap all the laws of Argument as well as Truth. VER. 478, &c. Make God Man's Image, Man the final Cause, Find Virtue local, all Relation scorn, See all in Self-] Here the Poet from the errors relating to a Deity in Natural Philofophy, defcends to those in Moral. Man was made according to God's Image; this falfe Theology, measuring his Attributes by ours, makes God after Man's Image. This proceeds from the imperfection of his Reafon. The next, of imagining himfelf the final Caufe, is the effect of his Pride: as the making Virtue and Vice arbitrary, and Morality the impofition of the Magiftrate, is of the Corruption of his heart. Hence he centers every thing in bimself. The Progress of Dulness herein differing from that of Madness; one ends in feeing all in God, the other in Seeing all in Self. VER. 481. Of nought so certain as our Reason fill.] Of which we have moft caufe to be diffident. Of nought fo doubtful as of Soul and Will: two things the moft felf-evident, the Existence of our Soul, and the Freedom of our Will. VER. 484. Such as Lucretius drew,] Lib. i. ver. 57. Immortali ævo fumma cum pace fruatur, Wrapt up in Self, a God without a Thought, 485 Or that bright Image to our fancy draw, REMARK S. Semota ab noftris rebus, fummotaque longe- From whence the two verfes following are translated, and wonderfully agree with the character of our Goddess. SCRIBL. VER. 487. Or that bright Image] Bright Image was the Title given by the later Platonifts to that Vision of Nature, which they had formed out of their own fancy, fo bright, that they called it Auronlov "Alana, or the Self-feen Image, i. e. seen by its own light. This Ignis fatuus has in these our times appeared again in the North; and the writings of Geddes, and other followers of Hutchefon, are full of its wonders. For in this lux borealis, this Self-feen Image, these second-fighted philofophers fee every thing SCRIBL. elfe. VER. 487. Or that bright Image] i. e. Let it be either the Chance God of Epicurus, or the FATE, of this Goddess. VER. 488. Which Theocles in raptur'd Vision faw,] Thus this Philofopher calls upon his Friend, to partake with him in these Visions: "To-morrow, when the Eaftern Sun "With his firft beams adorns the front Of yonder Hill, if you're content "To wander with me in the Woods you fee, "By favour of the Sylvan Nymphs: and invoking firft the Genius of the Place, we'll try to obtain "at least fome faint and diftant view of the Sovereign Genius "and firft Beauty." Charact. Vol. ii. pag. 245. This Genius is thus apoftrophized (pag. 345.) by the fame Philofopher. |