Sce Mystery to Mathematics fly! In vain! they gaze, turn giddy, rave, and die. REMARK S. in a certain fubtile matter or elaftic fluid, which pervaded all body. By this means, inftead of really advancing in natural enquiries, we were brought back again, by this ingenious expedient, to an unfatisfactory fecond caufe: "Philofophy, that lean'd on Heav'n before, "Shrinks to her second cause, and is no more. For it might still, by the fame kind of objection, be asked, what was the cause of that elafticity? See this folly cenfured, v. 475. and confuted in the following words of an excellent Philofopher, who having demonftrated the abfolute impoffibility of any fubtile matter or elaftic fluid's being able to perform the office here affigned to it, as it muft impell every particle of matter an infinite number of different ways at once, and inceffantly; goes on thus "When it is faid that the higher we rife in the SCALE OF "NATURE towards the fupreme caufe, the views we have "from Philofophy appear more beautiful and extenfive; we "may obferve that the fcale of material caufes in philofo. phy is not like the rifing scale of Beings in the creation : "tho' the fuppofed fcale here, feems to have been taken "from that. In the Scale of BEINGS, the beginning is "low'; and every species rifes in perfection as we afcend: "There is an amazing variety, from dead matter, to liv ing fpirit: nor does the gradation end there. This is full "of inftruction and delight: we see our felves in the mid"dle of the scale, and are certain of rifing higher, as ra"tional beings were not made for utter extinction. But it "is not fo in a fcale of material CAUSES. There are no degrees of perfection in matter. All matter is equally an unactive fubftance, that refifts a change of its ftate. "The higher we had afcended in fuch a fcale, we should "have met with the more obfcurity. We fee it is fo in "reality to those who pretend to mount this way. The "firft fort of matter might perhaps have been seen eafily; "the fecond, but darkly; and the third, not at all. This Religion blufhing veils her facred fires, REMARK S. 650 "had been the way for the Deity to conceal himself: "And this is the view which this philofophy endeavours to give us. It is equivocal language to fpeak of rifing "towards the fupreme caufe through a fcale of material "caufes. No Philofophy ever yet difcovered the fecond "step of the Seale. I fee a stone fall. I am certain there "is but one step here. A fluid that impreffed a crushing "force on a small piece of matter, would have as much "overcome my strength to wade thro' it, as if I had en"deavoured to walk in the bottom of an ocean of Mercury, or fomething more denfe. Thus we see their se"cond step is a fiction, to divert the attention, and fet us a gazing at fomething that cannot be feen. The views "that we have from this Philofophy are indeed very dark "and myfterious. Philofophers fpeak of not excluding the "Deity out of nature, as of a favour: But they endeavour "to exclude him from every thing we can point out, to "difcover him. They endeavour to make us easy, by "telling us, he is every where active, and every where pre"Sent: But at the fame time they try to reftrain his acti"vity, to quadrate with their hypothefis; and make him. "prefent, only that SUBTILE MATTER may exercise his "power and knowledge. Nothing can derogate more " from the Government and Influences of the Deity."BAXTER. Appendix to` his Inquiry into the nature of the human foul, p. 194. W. VER. 645, 646. Phyfic of Metaphyfic, &c.-And Metaphyfic calls, &c.] Certain writers, as Malbranche, Norris, and others, have thought it of importance, in order to fecure the existence of the foul, to bring in question the reality of body; which they have attempted to do by a very refined metaphyfical reafoning: While others of the fame party, in order to perfuade us of the neceffity of a Revelation which promises immortality, have been as anxious to prove that thofe qualities which are commonly fuppofed to belong only to an immaterial Being are but Nor public Flame, nor private, dares to fhine; REMARK 8. the refult from certain difpofitions of the particles of matter, and confequently that the foul is naturally mortal. Thus, between these different reasonings, they have left us neither Soul nor Body; nor, the Sciences of Phyfics and Metaphyfics the leaft fupport, by making them depend upon, and go a begging to, one another. W. VER. 647. See Mystery to Mathematics fly!] A fort of men, who make human reason the adequate measure of all Truth, having pretended that whatfoever is not fully comprehended by it, is contrary to it; certain defenders of Religion, who would not be outdone in a paradox, have gone as far in the oppofite folly, and attempted to fhew that the Myfteries of Religion may be mathematically demonftrated; as the authors of Philofophic, or Aftronomic Principles of Religion, natural and revealed; who have much prided themselves on reflecting a fantastic light upon religion from the frigid fubtilty of fchool moonfhine. W. VER. 649. Religion blufhing veils her facred fires,] Blushing as well at the memory of the past overflow of dulness, when the barbarous learning of fo many ages was wholly employed in corrupting the fimplicity, and defiling the purity of Religion, as at the view of these her falfe fupports in the prefent; of which it would be endless to recount the particulars. However amidst the extinction of all other lights, fhe is faid only to withdraw hers; as hers alone in its own nature is unextinguishable and eternal. W. appears VER. 650. And unawares Morality expires.] It from hence that our Poet was of very different sentiments from the Author of the Characteristics, who has written. a formal treatise on Virtue, to prove it not only real but Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall; REMARKS. 656 durable, without the fupport of Religion. The word unawares alludes to the confidence of thofe men, who fuppofed that Morality would flourish beft without it; and confequently to the furprize fuch would be in (if any fuch there are) who indeed love Virtue, and yet do all they can to root out the Religion of their Country. W. FINIS. By the AUTHOR A DECLARATION. WHEREAS certain Haberdashers of Points and Particles, being inftigated by the spirit of Pride, and affuming to themselves the name of Critics and Reftorers, have taken upon them to adulterate the common and current sense of our Glorious Ancestors, Poets of this Realm, by clipping, coining, defacing the images, miring their own base allay, or otherwife fallifying the same; which they publish, utter, and vend as genuine: The faid Haberdashers having no right thereto, as neither heirs, erecutors, adminiftrators, affigns, or in any fort related to fuch Poets, to all or any of them: Now We, having carefully revised this our Dunciad, a beginning with the words a Read thus confidently, instead of " beginning with the word “Books, and ending with the word flies," as formerly it ftood; Read alfo,"containing the entire fum of one thousand, Seven hundred, and 66 fifty-fix verfes,' instead of "one thousand and twelve lines;" fuch being the initial and final words, and fuch the true and entire contents of this poem. Thou art to know, reader! that the first Edition thereof, like that of Milton, was never feen by the Author (though living and not |