Of hearing, from the life that fills the flood, To that which warbles through the vernal wood! Remembrance and Reflection how allied; What thin partitions Senfe from Thought divide! Yet never país th' infuperable line! 215 220 225 230 VIII. See, through this air, this ocean, and this earth, All matter quick, and bursting into birth. Above, how high, progreffive life may go! VARIATION. Ver. 238, Ed. 1. Ethereal effence, fpirit, fubftance, man. 235 240 From thee to Nothing.-On fuperior powers Or in the full Creation leave a void, Where, one step broken, the great scale 's destroy'd: From Nature's chain whatever link you ftrike, 245 And, if each fyftem in gradation roll Alike effential to th' amazing Whole, The leaft confufion but in one, not all That fyftem only, but the Whole must fall. 250 255 All this dread Order break-for whom? for thee? IX. What if the foot, ordain'd the duft to tread, Or hand, to toil, afpir'd to be the head? All are but parts of one ftupendous whole, 260 265 270 Warms Warms in the fun, refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars, and bloffoms in the trees; As full, as perfect, in vile Man that mourns, X. Ceafe then, nor Order Imperfection name: All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee; 275 280 285 All Chance, Direction, which thou canst not fee; 290 All Difcord, Harmony not understood; All partial Evil, universal Good. And, fpite of Pride, in erring Reason's spite, One truth is clear, WHATEVER IS, IS RIGHT. VARIATION. After ver. 282, in the MS. Reafon, to think of God, when the pretends, Begins a Cenfor, an Adorer ends. ARGUMENT OF EPISTLE Of the Nature and State of Man with refpect to ufe, ver. 93 to 130. I. THE business of Man not to pry into God, but to ftudy himfelf. His Middle Nature: his Powers and Frailties, ver. 1 to 19. The Limits of his Capacity, ver. 19, &c. II. The two Principles of Man, Self-love and Reason, both neceffary, ver. 53, &c. Self-love the ftronger, and why, ver. 67, &c. Their end the fame, ver. 81, &c. III. The Paffions, and their The Predominant Paffion, and its force, ver. 132 to 160. Its Neceffity, in directing Men to different purposes, ver. 165, &c. Its providential Ufe, in fixing our Principle, and afcertaining our Virtue, ver. 177. IV. Virtue and Vice joined in our mixed Nature; the limits near, yet the things feparate and evident: What is the Office of Reafon, ver. 202 to 216. V. How odious Vice in itself, and how we deceive ourselves into it, ver. 217. VI. That, however, the Ends of Providence and general Good are answered in our Paffions and Imperfections, ver. 238, &c. How usefully these are diftributed to all Orders of Men, ver. 241. How ufeful they are to Society, ver. 251. And to Individuals, ver. 263. In every state, and every age of life, ver. 273, &c. EPISTLE K EPISTLE II. NOW then thyself, prefume not God to scan, Plac'd on this ifthmus of a middle state, Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all; 5 10 15 Go, wondrous creature! mount where Science guides, Go, measure earth, weigh air, and state the tides; 20 Inftruct VARIATIONS. Ver. 2. Ed. ft. The only fcience of Mankind is Man. After ver. 18, in the MS. For more perfection than this ftate can bear He |