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:
First strip off all her equipage of Pride;

COMMENTARY.

40

Deduct

VER. 43. Trace Science then, &c.] The conclufion, therefore, from the whole is (from ver. 42 to 53.), that as, on the one hand, we should perfift in the ftudy of Nature; fo, on the other, in order to arrive at Science, we fhould proceed in the fimplicity of truth; and then the produce, though small, will yet be real. WARBURTON.

NOTES.

VER. 37. Who Saw its fires here rife, &c.] Sir Ifaac Newton, in calculating the velocity of a Comet's motion, and the course it describes, when it becomes vifible in its descent to, and ascent from, the Sun, conjectured, with the highest appearance of truth, that Comets revolve perpetually round the Sun, in ellipfes vaftly eccentrical, and very nearly approaching to parabolas. In which he was greatly confirmed, in obferving between two Comets a coincidence in their perihelions, and a perfect agreement in their velocities. WARBURTON.

VER. 44. First trip off] The abuses of learning are enumerated with brevity and elegance in these few lines. It was a favourite fubject with our author; and it is faid he intended to have written four epiftles on it, wherein he would have treated of the extent and limits of human reafon; of arts and sciences useful and attainable; of the different capacities of different men; of the knowledge of the world; and of wit. Such cenfures, even of the most unimportant parts of literature, fhould not, however, be carried too far; and a fenfible writer obferves, that there is not indeed any part of knowledge which can be called entirely useless. "The

45

Deduct what is but Vanity, or Drefs,

Or Learning's Luxury, or Idleness;

Or tricks to fhew the stretch of human brain,
Mere curious pleasure, or ingenious-pain;
Expunge the whole, or lop th' excrefcent parts

Of all our Vices have created Arts;

Then fee how little the remaining fum,

50

Which ferv'd the past, and must the times to come! II. Two

NOTES.

moft abflracted parts of mathematics, and the knowledge of mythological hiftory, or ancient allegories, have their own pleasures, not inferior to the more gay entertainments of painting, mufic, or architecture; and it is for the advantage of mankind that fome are found who have a tafte for thefe ftudies. The only fault lies in letting any of those inferior taftes engross the whole man to the exclufion of the nobler pursuits of virtue and humanity *.” We may here apply an elegant obfervation of Tully, who says, in his Brutus, 66 Credo, fed Athenienfium quoque plus interfuit firma tecta in domiciliis habere, quam Minervæ fignum ex ebore pulcherrimum: tamen ego me Phidiam effe mallem quam vel optimum fabrum lignarium; quare non quantum quifque profit, fed quanti quifque fit, ponderandum eft: præfertim cum pauci pingere egregiè poffint aut fingere, operarii autem aut bajuli deeffe non poffint." WARTON.

VER. 47. Or tricks to fhew the firetch of human brain,] Such as the mathematical demon@rations concerning the Small quantity of matter; the endless divifibility of it, &c. WARBURTON.

VER. 48. Mere curious pleasure, or ingenious pain;] i. e. when Admiration has fet the mind on the rack.

WARBURTON.

VER. 49. Expunge the whole, or lop th' excrefcent parts

Of all our Vices have created Arts ;]

i. e. Those parts of natural Philofophy, Logic, Rhetoric, Foetry, &c. which adminifter to luxury, deceit, ambition, effeminacy, WARBURTON.

&c.

Hutchefon's Nature and Conduct of the Paffions, p. 179.

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
And to their proper operation ftill,
Ascribe all Good; to their improper, Ill.

all:

Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul; Reason's comparing balance rules the whole.

55

60

COMMENTARY.

Man,

VER. 53. Two Principles, &c.] The Poet having fhewn the difficulty which attends the ftudy of Man, proceeds to remove it, by laying before us the elements or true principles of this science, in an account of the Origin, Ufe, and End of the PASSIONS; which, in my opinion, contains the trueft, cleareft, fhortest, and confequently the best fyftem of Ethics that is any where to be met with. He begins (from ver. 52 to 59.) with pointing out the two grand Principles in human nature, SELF-LOVE and REASON. Describes their general nature: The first fets Man upon acting, the other regulates his action. However, these principles are natural, not moral; and therefore, in themselves, neither good nor evil, but fo only as they are directed. This obfervation is made with great judgment, in oppofition to the defperate folly of those Fanatics, who, as the Afcetic, vainly pretend to eradicate Selflove; or, as the Myftic, are more successful in ftifling Reason; and both, on the abfurd fancy of their being moral, not natural, principles. WARBURTON.

VER. 59. Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the foul;] The Poet proceeds (from ver. 58 to 67.), more minutely to mark out the diftinct offices of these two Principles, which offices he had before affigned only in general; and here he fhews their neceffity; for without Self-love, as the fpring, Man would be unactive; and, without Reafon as the balance, active to no purpose,

NOTES.

VER. 59. as the foul;] acts, for actuates.

WARBURTON,

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 fpot,
To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot;
Or, meteor-like, flame lawless through the void,
Destroying others, by himself destroy'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 advise.
Self-love still stronger, as its objects nigh;
Reason's at distance, and in prospect lie:
That fees immediate good by present sense;
Reason, the future and the confequence.

COMMENTARY,

65

70

Thicker

VER. 67. Mof frength the moving principle requires :] Having thus explained the ends and offices of each Principle, he goes on (from ver. 66 to 79.) to speak of their qualities; and fhews how they are fitted to discharge those functions, and answer their respective intentions. The bufinefs of Self-love being to excite to action, it is quick and impetuous; and moving inftinctively, has, like attraction, its force prodigiously increased as the object approaches, and proportionably leffened as it recedes. On the contrary, Reason, like the Author of attraction, is always calm and fedate, and equally preferves itself, whether the object be near or far off. Hence the moving principle is made more strong, though the restraining be more quick-fighted. The confequence he draws from this is, that if we would not be carried away to our deftruction, we must always keep Reafon upon guard.

NOTES.

WARBURTON,

VER. 74. Reason, the future, &c.] From Bacon: "The Affections carry ever an appetite to good, as Reafon doth. The difference is, that the Affection beholdeth merely the prefent, Reafon beholdeth the future and fum of time."

Thicker than arguments, temptations throng,

At best more watchful this, but that more strong.
The action of the stronger to fufpend

Reason still use, to Reason still attend.

Attention, habit and experience gains;

Each strengthens Reason, and Self-love restrains.
Let fubtle schoolmen teach these friends to fight,
More ftudious to divide than to unite;

COMMENTARY.

75

80

And

VER. 79. Attention, &c.] But it would be objected, that, if this account be true, human life would be most miferable; and, even in the wifeft, a perpetual conflict between Reason and the Faffions. To this, therefore, the Poet replies (from ver. 78 to 81.), first, that Providence has fo graciously contrived, that even in the voluntary exercise of Reason, as in the mechanic motion of a limb, Habit makes what was at first done with pain, easy and natural. And fecondly, that the experience gained by the long exercise of Reason, goes a great way towards eluding the force of Self-love. Now the attending to Reason, as here recommended, will gain us this habit and experience. Hence it appears, that our station, in which Reafon is to be kept conftantly upon guard, is not fo uneafy a one as may be at first imagined. WARBURTON.

VER. 81. Let fubtle fchoolmen, &c.] From this description of Self-love and Reason, it follows, as the Poet observes (from ver. 80 to 93.), that both confpire to one end, namely, human happiness, though they be not equally expert in the choice of the means; the difference being this, that the first hastily feizes every thing which hath the appearance of good; the other weighs and examines whether it be indeed what it appears.

This fhews, as he next observes, the folly of the schoolmen, who confider them as two oppofite principles, the one good and the other evil. The obfervation is seasonable and judicious; for this dangerous fchool-opinion gives great fupport to the Maniehean or Zoroastrian error, the confutation of which was one of the Author's chief ends in writing. For if there be two principles in Man, a good and evil, it is natural to think him the joint pro