Origin of true Religion and Government, from the

fame Principle of Love,

Origin of Superftition and Tyranny,

Principle of Fear,

ver. 235, &c.
from the fame

ver. 237, &c.

The influence of Self-love operating to the focial and

ver. 303, &c.

Various forms of each, and the true end of all,

FALSE Notions of Happiness, Philosophical and

Popular, anfwered,

ver. 19 to 26.

It is the end of all Men, and attainable by all, ver. 29.

God intends Happiness to be equal; and to be so, it

must be focial, fince all particular Happiness de-

pends on general, and fince he governs by general,

not particular Laws,

ver. 35

As it is neceffary for Order, and the peace and well-
fare of Society, that external goods should be
unequal, Happiness is not made to confift in these,
ver. 49.

But notwithstanding that inequality, the balance of
Happiness among Mankind is kept even by Provi-
dence, by the two Paffions of Hope and Fear, ver. 67.
What the Happiness of Individuals is, as far as is
confiftent with the conftitution of this world; and
that the good man has here the Advantage, ver. 77.
The error of imputing to Virtue what are only the

calamities of Nature, or of Fortune, ver. 93.
The folly of expecting that God should alter his gene-
ral Laws in favour of particulars,
That we are not judges who are good; but that, who-

ver. 121.

ever they are, they must be happiest, ver. 133, &c.
That external goods are not the proper rewards,

but often inconfiftent with or deftructive of Virtue,

ver. 169.

That even thefe can make no Man happy without
Virtue:

With pictures of human Infelicity in Men poffeft of

them all, ver. 277, &c. That Virtue only constitutes a Happiness, whose object is univerfal, and whose prospect eternal,

ver. 329, &c. That the perfection of Virtue and Happiness confifts in a conformity to the ORDER of PROVIDENCE here, and a Refignation to it here and hereafter, ver. 327, &c.

[1]

AN

ESSAY on MAN:

A

EPISTLE I.

WAKE, MY ST. JOHN! leave all meaner things
To low ambition, and the pride of Kings-

Let us (fince Life can little more fupply
Than just to look about us and to die)
Expatiate free o'er all this scene of Man

;

A mighty maze! but not without a plan;

NOTES

VER. 1. Awake, my ST. JOHN !] The opening of this poem, in fifteen lines, is taken up in giving an account of the Subject; which, agreeable to the title, is an ESSAY On MAN, or a Philofophical Enquiry into his Nature and End, his Paffions and Pursuits.

The Exordium relates to the whole work, of which the Efay on Man was only the first book. The 6th, 7th, and 8th lines allude to the fubject of this Essay, viz. the general Order and Defign of Providence; the Conftitution of the human Mind; the origin, use, and end of the

A Wild, where weeds and flow'rs promifcuous fhoot; Or Garden, tempting with forbidden Fruit.

NOTES.

Paffions and Affection, both selfish and focial; and the wrong purfuits of Power, Pleafure, and Hapinefs. The 10th, 11th, 12th, &c. have relation to the subjects of the books intended to follow, viz. the Characters and Capacities of Men, and the Limits of Science, which once tranfgreffed, ignorance begins, and error follows. The 13th and 2 th, to the Knowledge of Mankind, and the various Manners of the age. Next, in line 16, he tells us with what defign he wrote, viz.

To vindicate the ways of God to Man.

The Men he writes againft, he frequently informs us, are fuch as weigh their opinion against Providence (ver. 114.) fuch as cry, if man's unhappy, God's unjuft (ver. 118.) or fuch as fall into the notion, that Vice and Virtue there is none at all, (Ep. ii. ver. 212.) This occafions the poet to divide his vindication of the ways of God into two parts. In the first of which he gives direct answers to thofe objections which libertine Men, on a view of the diforders arifing from the perverfity of the human will, have intended against Providence. And in the fecond, he obviates all those objections, by a true delineation of human Nature; or a general, but exact, map of Man. The firft epiftle is employed in the management of the first part of this difpute; and the three following in the difcuffion of the second. So that this whole book constitutes a complete Essay on Man, written for the best purpose, to vindicate the ways of God.

VER. 7, 8. A Wild,-or Garden,] The Wild relates to the human paffions, productive (as he explains in the fecond epiftle) both of good and evil. The Garden, to human reafon, fo often tempting us to tranfgrefs the bounds God has fet to it, and wander in fruitless enquiries.