As caftern priests in giddy circles run,
And turn their heads to imitate the Sun.
• Go, teach Eternal Wifdom how to rule.
Then drop into thyfelf, and be a fool!

Superior beings, when of late they saw
A mortal Man unfold all Nature's law,
Admir'd fuch wisdom in an earthly shape,
And shew'd a NEWTON as we shew an Ape.
Could he, whofe rules the rapid Comet bind,
Defcribe or fix one movement of his Mind?
Who faw its fires here rife, and there defcend,
Explain his own beginning: or his end?
Alas what wonder! Man's fuperior part
Uncheck'd may rife, and climb from art to art;
But when his own great work is but begun,
What Reason weaves, by Paffion is undone.

Trace Science then, with Modesty thy guide;
Firft ftrip off all her equipage of Pride;
Deduct what is but Vanity, or Dress,
Or Learning's Luxury, or Idleness;

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Or tricks to shew the ftretch of human brain;
Mere curious pleasure, or ingenious pain;

Expunge the whole, or lop th'excrefcent parts
Of all our Vices have created Arts;

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Then fee how little the remaining fum,

Which ferv'd the past, and muft the times to come!
II. Two Principles in human nature reign;
Self-love, to urge, and Reason, to restrain;
Nor this a good, nor that a bad we call,
Each works its end, to move or govern all:
And to their proper operation ftill,

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Afcribe all Good, to their improper, Ill.

Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the foul;

Reafon's comparing balance rules the whole.

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Man, but for that, no action could attend,
And, but for this, were active to no end:
Fix'd like a plant on his peculiar spot,
To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot;
Or, meteor-like, flame lawless thro' the void,
Deftroying others, by himself deftroy'd.

Moft ftrength the moving principle requires;
Active its task, it prompts, impels, infpires.
Sedate and quiet, the comparing lies,
Form'd but to check, delib'rate, and advife.
Self-love ftill stronger, as its objects nigh;
Reafon's at distance, and in prospect lie:
That fees immediate good by prefent sense;
Reafon, the future and the consequence.

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Thicker than arguments, temptations throng,

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At best more watchful this, but that more ftrong.
The Action of the stronger to fufpend

Each strengthens Reafon, and Self-love reftrains.

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Let fubtle fchoolmen teach these friends to fight, More ftudious to divide than to unite;

And Grace and Virtue, Senfe and Reason split,

With all the rash dexterity of wit.

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Wits, juft like Fools, at war about a name,
Have full as oft no meaning, or the fame.
Self-love and Reason to one end aspire,
Pain their averfion, Pleasure their defire;
But greedy That, its object would devour,
This tafte the honey, and not wound the flow'r:
Pleasure, or wrong or rightly understood,

Our greatest evil, or our greatest good.

III. Modes of felf-love the Paffions we may call: 'Tis real good, or seeming, moves them all:

But fince not ev'ry good we can divide,
And reafon bids us for our own provide;
Paffions, tho' felfish, if their means be fair,
Lift under Reason, and deferve her care;
Thofe, that imparted, court a nobler aim,
Exalt their kind, and take some Virtue's name.

In lazy Apathy let Stoics boaft

Their Virtue fix'd; 'tis fix'd as in a froft;

Contracted all, retiring to the breast;

But ftrength of mind is Exercise, not Reft:

The rifing tempeft puts in act the foul,

Parts it may ravage, but preferves the whole.
On life's vaft ocean diverfely we fail,

Reafon the card, but paffion is the gale;
Nor God alone in the ftill calm we find,

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He mounts the ftorm, and walks upon the wind.
Paffions, like clements, tho' born to fight,
Yet, mix'd and foften'd, in his work unite:
Thefe 'tis enough to temper and employ;
But what compofes Man, can Man destroy?
Suffice that Reafon keep to Nature's road,
Subject, compound them, follow her and God.

Love, Hope, and Joy, fair pleasure's smiling train,
Hate, Fear, and Grief, the family of pain,
Thefe mix'd with art, and to due bounds confin'd,
Make and maintain the balance of the mind:
The lights and shades, whofe well accorded ftrife
Gives all the ftrength and colour of our life.

Pleafures are ever in our hands or eyes;
And when, in act, they ceafe, in profpect, rife;
Prefent to grafp, and future ftill to find,
The whole employ of body and of mind..
All spread their charms, but charm not all alike;
On diff'rent fenfes diff'rent objects ftrike;

Hence diff'rent Paffions more or less inflame,
As ftrong or weak, the organs of the frame;
And hence one MASTER PASSION in the breast,
Like Aaron's ferpent, fwallows up the rest.

As Man, perhaps, the moment of his breath,

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Receives the lurking principle of death;

The young disease, that muft fubdue at length,

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Grows with his growth, and ftrengthens with his strength: So, caft and mingled with his very frame,

The Mind's disease, its RULING PASSION came:

Each vital humour which should feed the whole,

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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.

Nature its mother, Habit is its nurse;
Wit, Spirit, Faculties, but make it worfe;
Reason itself but gives it edge and pow'r;
As Heav'n's bleft beam turns vinegar more fow'r.
We, wretched fubjects tho' to lawful fway,

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In this weak queen, fome fav'rite still obey:
Ah! if she lend not arms, as well as rules,
What can she more than tell us we are fools?
Teach us to mourn our Nature, not to mend,
A sharp accufer, but a helpless friend!
Or from a judge turn pleader, to perfuade
The choice we make, or justify it made;
Proud of an easy conqueft all along,

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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.
Yes, Nature's road muft ever be prefer'd;
Reason is here no guide, but ftill a guard;

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'Tis hers to rectify, not overthrow,

And treat this paffion more as friend than foe:
A mightier Pow'r the ftrong direction fends,
And fev'ral 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;
The merchant's toil, the fage's indolence,
The monk's humility, the hero's pride,

All, all alike, find Reafon on their fide.
Th' Eternal Art educing good from ill,
Grafts on this Paffion our best 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 shoot,
Wild Nature's vigor working at the root.
What crops of wit and honefty appear
From fpleen, from obftinacy, hate, or fear!
See anger, zeal and fortitude supply;
Ev'n av'rice, prudence; sloth, philofophy;
Luft, thro' fome certain ftrainers well refin'd,
Is gentle love, and charms all womankind;
Envy, to which th' ignoble mind's a slave,
Is emulation in the learn'd or brave;

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Nor Virtue, male or female, can we name,
But what will grow on Pride, or grow on Shame.
Thus Nature gives us (let it check our pride)

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The virtue nearest to our vice ally'd: