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Bids each on other for affiftance call,

Till one Man's weakness grows the ftrength of all.
Wants, frailties, paffions, clofer still ally

The common intereft, or endear the tie.

To these we owe truc friendship, love fincere,
Each home-felt joy that life inherits here;
Yet from the fame we learn, in its decline,
Those joys, thofe loves, those interests, to refign;
Taught half by reason, half by mere decay,
To welcome death, and calmly pass away.

Whate'er the paffion, knowledge, fame, or pelf,
Not one will change his neighbour with himself.
The learn'd is happy nature to explore,

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260

The fool is happy that he knows no more;

The rich is happy in the plenty given,

265

The poor contents him with the care of Heaven.

See the blind beggar dance, the cripple fing,
The fot a hero, lunatic a king;

The ftarving chemist in his golden views
Supremely bleft, the poet in his Mufe.

270

See fome strange comfort every state attend,

And pride bestow'd on all, a common friend:
See fome fit paffion every age fupply;

Hope travels through, nor quits us when we die.
Behold the child, by nature's kindly law,

275

Pleas'd with a rattle, tickled with a straw:

Some livelier play-thing gives his youth delight,

A little louder, but as empty quite :

Scarfs, garters, gold, amuse his riper stage,

And beads and prayer-books are the toys of age: 280

Pleas'd

Pleas'd with this bauble ftill, as that before;
Till tir'd he fleeps, and Life's poor play is o'er.
Meanwhile Opinion gilds with varying rays
Thofe painted clouds that beautify our days;
Each want of happiness by Hope fupply'd,
And each vacuity of fenfe by Pride :

Thefe build as faft as knowledge can destroy;
In folly's cup ftill laughs the bubble, joy;
One profpect loft, another ftill we gain;
And not a vanity is giv'n in vain;

Ev'n mean Self-love becomes, by force divine,
The scale to measure others wants by thine.
See! and confefs, one comfort still must rise;

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'Tis this, Though Man's a fool, yet GOD IS WISE.

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ARGUMENT OF

EPISTLE

III.

Of the Nature and State of Man with respect

to Society.

I. THE whole Universe one fyftem of Society, ver. 7, &c. Nothing made wholly for itself, nor yet wholly for another, ver. 27. The happiness of Animals mutual, ver. 49. II. Reafon or Inftinct operate alike to the good of each Individual, ver. 79. Reafon or Inftinct operate alfo to Society in all animals, ver. 109, III. How far Society carried by Inftinct, ver. 115. How much farther by Reafon, ver. 128. IV. Of that which is called the State of Nature, ver. 144. Reafon inftructed by Inftinct in the Invention of Arts, ver. 166. and in the Forms of Society, ver. 176. V. Origin of Political Societies, ver. 196. Origin of Monarchy, ver. 207. Patriarchal Government, ver. 212. VI. Origin of true Religion and Government, from the fame principle, of Love, ver. 231, &c. Origin of Superftition and Tyranny, from the fame principle, of Fear, ver. 237, &c. The Influence of Self-love operating to the focial and public Good, ver. 266. Reftoration of true Religion and Government on their first principle, ver. 285. Mixed Government, ver. 288. Various Forms of each, and the true end of all, ver. 300, &c.

EPISTLE

EPISTLE III.

H

ERE then we reft; "the Universal Caufe

"Acts to one end, but acts by various laws." In all the madnefs of fuperfluous health,

The train of pride, the impudence of wealth,

Let this great truth be prefent night and day;
But most be present, if we preach or pray.

Look round our World; behold the chain of Love Combining all below, and all above.

See plaftic Nature working to this end,
The fingle atoms each to other tend,
Attract, attracted to, the next in place

Form'd and impell'd its neighbour to embrace.
See matter next, with various life endued,

5

10

Prefs to one centre ftill, the General Good.
See dying vegetables life sustain,

15

See life diffolving vegetate again:

All forms that perifh other forms fupply,
(By turns we catch the vital breath, and die)
Like bubbles on the fea of Matter borne,
They rife, they break, and to that fea return.
Nothing is foreign; Parts relate to whole;
One all-extending, all-preferving Soul
Connects each being, greatest with the leaft;
Made Beaft in aid of Man, and Man of Beaft;

20

VARIATION.

Ver. 1. In feveral Edit. in 4to.

Learn, Dulnefs, learn! "The Univerfal Caufe, &c.

E 4

All

All ferv'd, all ferving: nothing ftands alone;
The chain holds on, and where it ends, unknown.
Has God, thou fool! work'd folely for thy good,
Thy joy, thy paftime, thy attire, thy food!
Who for thy table feeds the wanton fawn,

For him as kindly fpread the flowery lawn:
Is it for thee the lark afcends and fings?
Joy tunes his voice, joy elevates his wings.
Is it for thee the linnet pours his throat?
Loves of his own and raptures fwell the note.
The bounding fteed you pompously bestride,
Shares with his lord the pleasure and the pride.
Is thine alone the feed that ftrews the plain?
The birds of heaven fhall vindicate their grain.
Thine the full harveft of the golden year?
Part pays, and juftly, the deferving steer:
The hog, that ploughs not, nor obeys thy call,
Lives on the labours of this lord of all.

25

30

35

40

Know, Nature's children all divide her care;
The fur that warms a monarch, warm'd a bear.
While Man exclaims, "See all things for my ufe!" 45
"See man for mine!" replies a pamper'd goofe:

And just as short of reafon He must fall,
Who thinks all made for one, not one for all.

VARIATION.

After ver. 46, in the former Editions,

What care to tend, to lodge, to cram, to treat him!
All this he knew; but not that 'twas to eat him.
As far as Goofe could judge, he reafon'd right;
But as to Man, miftook the matter quite.

Grant

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