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to look upon Man with fo much Contempt, he bears him down with Queftions. After having led him thro' the Immenfities of Space and innumerable Worlds that fill the Extent of the U. niverse, after having imitated a Flight of Homer, and fpoken of the great Chain,

which draws all to agree,

And drawn fupports

Verse 33.

he does not give him Time to recover Breath, but afks him, with an infulting Air,

Prefumptuous Man! the Reafon would'st thou find
Why form'd so weak, fo little, and fo blind;
First, if thou canft, the harder Reason guess,
Why form'd no weaker, blinder, and no less?
Afk of thy Mother Earth, why Oaks were made
Taller or stronger than the Weeds they shade?
Or afk of yonder argent Fields above,
Why Jove's Satellites are less than Jove?

Verse 35, .

IT

Ir is an eafy Matter to perplex a Man after having ftupified him with so many and fuch great Objects, which he has been forced to run through in fo rapid a Manner; and I am perfuaded, that the major Part of Mr Pope's Readers. will find themselves reduced to Silence, and will think that Way the most eligible. However, (a) we have no need to enquire of the azure Plains in order to be inform'd by them how it

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comes

(a) See the fubfequent Verses.

Refpecting Man whatever wrong we call,
May, must be right, as relative to All.

In human Works, though labour'd on with Pain,
A thousand Movements Scarce one Purpose gain;
In God's, one fingle can its End produce,
Yet ferves to fecand too fome other Use.
So Man, who here feems principal alone,
Perhaps acts fecond to fome Sphere unknown,
Touches fome Wheel, or verges to fome Goal;
'Tis but a Part we fee, and not a Whole.

Ep. I. ver. 51, &c.

comes to pass that the Satellites of Jupiter are less than the great Planet to whose Uses they are affign'd; it was not neceffary for him to have them larger, and the Bignefs of our Moon is fufficient for us, Oaks are much larger than the Shrubs that grow at their Feet, and their Fruits are of a different Ufe from that of thofe Shrubs. Animals ftand in Need of this Abundance, and the Timber of Oak is of great Service to us in our Edifices and Ships. Mr Pope (I repeat it) has not undertook to give us a compleat Syftem of human Nature. His Intention was not to extricate us from our Ignorance, but to mortify our Pride. And left we should be mistaken here, and bound his Ideas of Man too much, he infinuates from the Beginning, that Man comprehends much more than he defigns to mention. v. 6, 7.

A mighty Maze, but not without a Plan;
A Wild where Weeds and Flowers promiscuous shoot.

HE hints by this at the Contradictions which are found to be included in Man. Several Authors have difcourfed very wife

ly

ly and judiciously upon our Excellencies and Defects, and 'tis inconteftable, that we are obliged by our Duty to the Neceffity of studying ourselves either in one or other of these Lights.

A MAN who can be fatisfied to be ignorant of the Value of those Talents which God has given him, does not elevate his Mind in Thanksgiving, but paffes his Life in a voluntary and criminal Ingratitude. On the other hand, a Man who does not make a proper Animadverfion upon his Weakness, may easily prefume too much on his Strength, and not be circumfpect enough in his Study of himself and other Objects. But Mr Pope has not entered into an Engagement of exhaufting his Subject. He was not obliged to it, he confin'd himfelf to a Poem in which he unfolds only Part of Man.

WHEN a young Tree leans on one Side, and by that means forms a difagreeable Figure, we are not content to fet it upright, but bend it rather ought on the opposite Side.

more than it

gar, but a juft Comparison.

This is a vul

Mr Pope,

that

that he may the more effectually compafs his End, does not fcruple to make ufe of exaggerated Expreffions. 35, &c.

------- The Reason wouldst thou find,

Verfe

Why form'd fo weak, fo little, and fo blind?

WE are very far from being nothing. but Weakness; for, with regard to the Body, Man has invented Machines, by the Means of which he can lift and tranfport Burdens too heavy for the ftrongest Animal; and as to the Mind, to what a Length have Difcoveries already been carried, and how large a Way is opened for thofe who are willing to use their Endeavours to ex-tend them farther!

THE Terms, little and great, are relative Terms; this is fo true, that we are at the fame time both very great and very little Nor is this peculiar to us; there are no Objects but what are at the fame Time infinitely great and infinitely little. As to that Blindnefs which Mr Pope imputes to us, the Expreffion is ftrong, but metaphorical. We are not

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