But of this frame, the bearings and the ties, 30 II. Presumptuous man? the reason wouldst thou find, Why form'd so weak, so little, and so blind? First, if thou canst, the harder reason guess, Why form'd no weaker, blinder, and no less? Ask of thy mother earth, why oaks are made 36 Taller or stronger than the weeds they shade? 40 Why Jove's satellites are less than Jove? Of systems possible, if 'tis confest, That wisdom infinite must form the best, 45 Then, in the scale of reas'ning life, 'tis plain, 50 Respecting man, whatever wrong we call, May, must be right, as relative to all. In human works, though labor'd on with pain, A thousand movements scarce one purpose gain; In God's one single can its end produce; 55 Yet serves to second too some other use. So man, who here seems principal alone, When the proud steed shall know why man restrains Is now a victim, and now Egypt's god: 60 Then shall man's pride and dullness comprehend 65 Why doing, suffering, check'd, impell'd: and why? Then say not man's imperfect, heav'n in fault; Say rather, man's as perfect as he ought; 70 If to be perfect in a certain sphere, What matter soon or late, or here or there : 75 As who began a thousand years ago. III. Heav'n from all creatures hides the book of fate, All but the page prescrib'd their present state; From brutes what men, from men what spirits know, Or who could suffer being here below? 80 The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day, Oh blindness to the future! kindly giv❜n, That each may fill the circle mark'd by heav'n; Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, A hero perish, or a sparrow fall, Atoms or systems into ruin hurl'd, And now a bubble burst, and now a world. 8.5 90 Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar; Lo, the poor Inclian! whose untutor❜d mind, 100 His soul proud science never taught to stray Yet simple nature to his hope has giv❜n, Behind the cloud-topt hill, an humbler heav'n : 105 Some happier island in the watʼry waste, Where slaves once more their native land behold, No fiends torment, no christians thirst for gold. 110 He asks no angel's wing, no seraph's fire; IV. Go, wiser thou! and in thy scale of sense, Weigh thy opinion against providence ; Call imperfection what thou fancy'st such, Say, here he gives too little, there too much : 115 120 In pride, in reas❜ning pride, our error lies; All quit their sphere, and rush into the skies. Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes : 125 Men would be angels, angels would be Gods. Aspiring to be Gods, if angels fell, Aspiring to be angels, men rebel: And who but wishes to invert the laws Of ORDER, Sins against th' Eternal Cause. 130 135 V. Ask for what end the heav'nly bodies shine, Earth for whose use ? Pride answers, ""Tis for mine: "For me kind nature wakes her genial pow'r, "Suckles each herb, and spreads out every flow'r; "Annual for me, the grape, the rose renew "The juice nectarious, and the balmy dew: "For me, the mine a thousand treasures brings: "For me, health gushes from a thousand springs; "Seas roll to waft me, suns to light me rise: "My footstool earth, my canopy the skies." 140 But errs not nature from this gracious end, From burning suns when livid deaths descend, When earthquakes swallow, or when tempests sweep Towns to one grave, whole nations to the deep? "No ('tis reply'd) the first Almighty Cause 145 Acts not by partial, but by genʼral laws : Th' exceptions few; some change since all began; Then nature deviates-and can man do less? As man forever temp'rate, calm, and wise If plagues or earthquakes break not heav'n's design, Who knows but he, whose hand the light'ning forms, Or turns young Ammon loose to scourge mankind? Why charge we heav'n in those, in these acquit? Better for us, perhaps, it might appear, 150 154 159, 165 170 |