Reflection, Reafson, still the ties improve, Still as one brood, and as another rofe, The fe natural love maintain'd, habitual thofe : 135 140 145 IV. Nor think, in NATURE'S STATE they blindly trod; The State of Nature was the reign of God: Self-love and Social at her birth began, Union the bond of all things, and of Man. 150 Pride then was not; nor Arts, that Pride to aid; Man walk'd with beaft, joint tenant of the shade; No murder cloath'd him, and no murder fed. In the fame temple, the refounding wood, 155 All vocal beings hymn'd their equal God: The fhrine with gore unstain'd, with gold undress'd, 160 Who, Who, foe to Nature, hears the general groan, 165 170 And every death its own avenger breeds; The Fury-paffions from that blood began, And turn'd on Man, a fiercer savage, Man. See him from Nature rifing flow to Art! To copy instinct then was reason's part; Thus then to Man the voice of Nature spake— "Go, from the Creatures thy inftructions take : "Learn from the birds what food the thickets yield; "Learn from the beafts the phyfic of the field; Thy arts of building from the bee receive; "Learn of the mole to plow, the worm to weave; "Learn of the little Nautilus to fail, Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale. "Here too all forms of focial union find, 175 "And hence let Reason, late, inftru&t Mankind: 180 "Here fubterranean works and cities fee; "There towns aërial on the waving tree. 185 190 "And "And right, too rigid, harden into wrong; "And for those Arts mere Inftinct could afford, Here rofe one little state; another near 195 200 Grew by like means, and join'd, through love or fear. What War could ravish, Commerce could bestow; 205 Thus VARIATIONS. Ver. 197. in the first Editions, Who for thofe Arts they learn'd of brutes before, Ver. 201. Here rofe one little state, &c.] In the MS. thus, The neighbours leagu'd to guard their common spot; Tigers with Tigers, that remov'd are friends. Thus States were form'd; the name of King unknown, Till common interest plac'd the fway in one. 210 229 VI. Till then, by Nature crown'd, each Patriarch fate, King, priest, and parent, of his growing state: On him, their second Providence, they hung, Their law his eye, their oracle his tongue. He from the wondering furrow call'd the food, Taught to command the fire, control the flood, Draw forth the monsters of th' abyfs profound, Or fetch th' aërial eagle to the ground. Till drooping, fickening, dying, they began Whom they rever'd as God to mourn as Man: Then, looking up from fire to fire, explor'd One great First Father, and that first ador'd. Or plain tradition that this All begun, 225 Convey'd unbroken faith from fire to fon The worker from the work distinct was known, And fimple Reason never fought but one : 230 235 No ill could fear in God; and understood A fovereign being, but a fovereign good, True True faith, true policy, united ran, That was but love of God, and this of Man. 240 Who first taught fouls enflav'd, and realms un done. Th' enormous faith of many made for one; That proud exception to all Nature's laws, T' invert the world, and counter-work its Caufe? Then fhar'd the Tyranny, then lent it aid, And Gods of Conquerors, Slaves of Subjects made : She taught the weak to bend, the proud to pray, 250 255 260 265 |