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Some funk to Beafts, find pleasure end in pain; Some fwell'd to Gods, confefs ev'n Virtue vain ; Or indolent, to each extreme they fall,

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To trust in ev'ry thing, or doubt of all.
Who thus define it, fay they more or less
Than this, that Happiness is Happiness ?

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Take Nature's path, and mad Opinion's leave; All states can reach it, and all heads conceive; Obvious her goods, in no extreme they dwell; There needs but thinking right, and meaning well; And mourn our various portions as we please, Equal is Common Senfe, and Common Ease.

NOTES.

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that Man was πάλων χρημάτων | it to be always at hand, Mergov, the measure of all makes the former conclude things; for that all things it is never to be found. which appear to him are, The only difference is, that and those things which the laziness of the one is pear not to any Man are defponding, and the laziness not; fo that every imagina- of the other fanguine; yet gination or opinion of every both can give it a good man was true. 6. The name, and call it HapSceptic Whofe abfolute pinefs. Doubt is with great judgment faid to be the effect of Indolence, as well as the abfolute Truft of the Protagorean: For the fame dread of labour attending the fearch of truth, which makes this latter presume

VER. 23. Some funk to Beafs, &c.] These four lines added in the last Edition, as neceffary to complete the fummary of the falfe pursuits after happiness amongst the Greek philofophers.

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Remember, Man, "the Universal Cause "Acts not by partial, but by gen'ral laws;" And makes what Happiness we justly call Subfift not in the good of one, but all.

There's not a bleffing Individuals find,

But fome way leans and hearkens to the kind :

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No Bandit fierce, no Tyrant mad with pride,
No cavern'd Hermit, refts self-satisfy'd :
Who moft to fhun or hate Mankind pretend,
Seek an admirer, or would fix a friend:
Abstract what others feel, what others think,
All pleasures ficken, and all glories fink:
Each has his fhare; and who would more obtain,
Shall find, the pleasure pays not half the pain.

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ORDER is Heav'n's firft law; and this confeft, Some are, and muft be, greater than the reft, 50 More rich, more wife; but who infers from hence That fuch are happier, fhocks all common sense. VARIATIONS. After VER. 52. in the MS.

Say.not, "Heav'n's here profufe, there poorly faves, "And for one Monarch makes a thousand flaves." You'll find, when Caufes and their Ends are known, 'Twas for the thousand Heav'n has made that one, NOTES.

VER. 49.

Order is

Heav'n's firft law; ] i. e.

The first law made by God relates to Order; which is

Heav'n to Mankind impartial we confefs,
If all are equal in their Happiness :

But mutual wants this Happiness increase ;
All Nature's diff'rence keeps all Nature's peace.
Condition, circumftance is not the thing;

Bliss is the fame in subject or in king,
In who obtain defence, or who defend,

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In him who is, or him who finds a friend:

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Heav'n breathes thro' ev'ry member of the whole
One common bleffing, as one common foul.
But Fortune's gifts if each alike poffeft,

And each were equal, must not all contest?
If then to all Men Happiness was meant,
God in Externals could not place Content.
Fortune her gifts may variously dispose,
And these be happy call'd, unhappy those;
VARIATIONS.

After VER. 66. in the MS.

'Tis peace of mind alone is at a stay;
The reft mad Fortune gives or takes away.
All other blifs by accident's debar'd;
But Virtue's, in the inftant, a reward;
In hardest trials operates the best,

And more is relifh'd as the more diftreft.

NOTES.

a beautiful allufion to the Scripture history of the Creation, when God first ap

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peafed the diforders of Chaos, and feparated the light from the darkness.

But Heav'n's juft balance equal will appear,

While those are plac'd in Hope, and these in Fear: Not prefent good or ill, the joy or curse,

But future views of better, or of worse.

Oh fons of earth! attempt ye ftill to rife,

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By mountains pil'd on mountains, to the skies? Heav'n still with laughter the vain toil furveys, 75 And buries madmen in the heaps they raise.

Know, all the good that individuals find, Or God and Nature meant to mere Mankind, Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of Senfe, Lie in three words, Health, Peace, and Competence. But Health confifts with Temperance alone; And Peace, oh Virtue! Peace is all thy own. The good or bad the gifts of Fortune gain; But these less taste them, as they worse obtain.

NOTES.

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VER. 79. Reafon's whole | iffue of Virtue; or, in his pleafure, &c.] This is a own emphatic words, Peace beautiful paraphrafis for is all thy own; a conclufive Happiness; for all we feel obfervation in his argument, of good is by fenfation and which ftands thus: Is Hapreflection. piness rightly placed in ExVER.82.And Peace, &c.]ternals? No; for it confifts Confcious Innocence (fays the in Health, Peace, and Compoet) is the only fource of petence. Health and Cominternal Peace; and known petence are the product of Innocence, of external; Temperance, and Peace of therefore, Peace is the fole perfect Innocence.

Say, in purfuit of profit or delight,

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Who risk the most, that take wrong means, or right?
Of Vice or Virtue, whether bleft or curft,
Which meets contempt, or which compaffion firft?
Count all th'advantage profp'rous Vice attains,
'Tis but what Virtue flies from and difdains :
And grant the bad what happiness they wou'd,
One they muft want, which is, to pass for good.
Oh blind to truth, and God's whole scheme below,
Who fancy Blifs to Vice, to Virtue Woe!
Who fees and follows that great scheme the best, 95
Best knows the bleffing, and will most be bleft.
But fools, the Good alone, unhappy call,

For ills or accidents that chance to all.

See FALKLAND dies, the virtuous and the juft!
See god-like TURENNE proftrate on the duft! 100
VARIATIONS.

After VER. 92. in the MS.

Let fober Moralifts correct their speech,
No bad man's happy: he is great or rich.

NOTES.

VER. 100. See god-like | for any of his fuperior quaTurenne] This epithet has a peculiar juftnefs; the great man to whom it is applied not being diftinguished, from other generals,

lities fo much as for his providential care of those whom he led to war; which was fo extraordinary, that his chief purpofe in taking on him

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