Of hearing, from the life that fills the flood,

215 To that which warbles through the vernal wood ? The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine ? Feels at each thread, and lives along the line : In the nice bee, what sense fo fubtly true From pois'nous herbs extracts the healing dew: 220 How Instinct varies in the grov'ling swine, Compar'd, half-reas'ning elephant, with thine ! "Twixt that, and Reason, wliat a nice barrier : For ever fep'rate, yet for ever near ! Remembrance and Reflection how ally'd ; 225 What thin partitions Sense from thought divide ? And Middle natures, how they long to join, Yet never pass th' insuperable line ! Without this just gradation, could they be Subjected, these to those, or all to thee?

230 The pow'rs of all subdu'd by thee alone, Is not thy Reason all these pow'rs in one ?

VIII. See, thro’ this air, this ocean, and this carth, All matter quick, and buriting into birth. Above, how high, progressive life may go! 235 Around, how wide ! how deep extend below!

hunting their prey in the Deserts of Africa is this: At their first going out in the night-time they set up a loud roar, and then listen to the noise made by the beasts in their light, pursuing them by the ear, and not by the nostril. It is probable the story of the jackal's hunting for the lion, was occafioned by observation of this defect of scent in that terrible animal.

Vaft chain of being! which from God began,
Natures æthereal, human, angel, man,
Beast, bird, fish, insect, what no eye can see,
No glass can reach ; from Infinite to thee, 24
From thee to Nothing. - On superior pow'rs
Were we to press, inferior might on ours :
Or in the full creation leave a void,
Where, one step broken, the great scale's destroy'd :
From Nature's chain whatever link

you
strike,

245 Tenth, or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike.

And, if each fyftem in gradation roll
Alike esential to th' amazing Whole,
The least confusion but in one, not all
That fyftem only, but the Whole must fall.

250
Let Earth unbalanc'd from her orbit fly,
Planets and Suns run lawless thro' the sky;
Let ruling Angels from their spheres be hurld,
Being on Being wreck'd, and world on world ;

VER. 253. Let ruling Angels, etc.] The poet, throughout this poem, with great art uses an advantage, which his employing a Platonic principle for the foundation of his Effay had afforded him; and that is the expressing himself (as here) in Platonic notions ; which, luckily for his purpose, are highiy poetical, at the same time that they add a grace to the uniformity of his reasoning.

VARIATIONS.

VER. 238. Ed. ist.

Ethereal essence, spirit, substance, man.

Heav'n's whole foundations to their centre nod, 255
And Nature trembles to the throne of God.
All this dread Order break for whom? for thee?
Vile worm! oh Madness! Pride! Impiety!

IX. What if the foot, ordain'd the duft to tread, Or hand, to toil, aspir’d to be the head ?

260
What if the head, the eye, or ear repin'd
To serve mere engines to the ruling Mind?
Just as absurd for any part to claim
To be another, in this gen'ral frame:
Just as absurd, to mourn the tasks or pains 265
The great directing Mind of all ordains.

All are but parts of one stupendous whole,
Whose body Nature is, and God the soul;
That, chang'd thro' all, and yet in all the same ;
Great in the earth, as in th’æthereal frame;

270
Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees,
Lives thro' all life, extends thro' all extent,
Spreads undivided, operates unfpent ;
Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part, 275
As full, as perfect, in a hair as heart;
As full, as perfect, in vile Man that mourns,
As the rapt Seraph that adores and burns :

Ver. 265. Just as absurd, etc.] See the prosecution and application of this in Ep. iv.

Ver. 266. The great dire&ting mind, etc.) “ Veneramur autem et colimus ob dominium. Deus enim fine dominio, providentia, et caufis finalibus, nihil aliud eft quam FATUM et NATURA.” Newtoni Princip. Scbol. gener. fub finem.

To him no high, no low, no great, no small;
He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all. 280

X. Ceafe then, nor ORDER Imperfection name : Our

proper bliss depends on what we blame. Know thy own point: This kind, this due degree Of blindness, weaknefs, Heav'n bestows on thee. Submit. - In this, or any other sphere,

285 Secure to be as bleft as thou canst bear : Safe in the hand of one disposing Pow'r, Or in the natal, or the mortal hour. All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee; All Chance, Direction, which thou cank not fee; All Discord, Harmony not understood;

291 All partial Evil, universal Good. And, spite of Pride, in erring Reason's fpite, One truth is clear, WHATEVER IS, is RIGHT.

VARIATIONS.

After ver. 28%, in the MS.

Reason, to think of God, when the pretends,
Begins a Censor, an Adorer ends,

ARGUMENT OF

E P I S T L E II.

Of the Nature and State of Man with respect to

Himself, as an Individual.

I. THE business of Man not to pry into God, but to study

himself. His Middle Nature : bis Powers and Frail. tįes, ver. I to 19. The Limits of his Capacity, ver.

II. The two Principles of Man, Self-love and Reason, both necessary, ver. 53, etc. Self-love the stronger, and why, ver. 67, etc. Their end the fame, ver. 81, etc. III. The Passions, and their ufe, ver. 93 to 130. The Predominant Paffion, and its force, ver. 132 to 160. Its Neceflity, in diretting Men to different purposes, ver. 165, etc. Its providential Use, in fixing our Principle, and ofcere taining our Virtue, ver. 177. IV. Virtue and Vice joined in our mixed Nature; the limits near, get ike things separate and evident : What is the Office of Reason, ver. 202 to 216. V. Horw vious Vice in itself, and how we deceive ourselves into it, ver. 217. VI. That, however, the Ends of Provider.ce and general Good are answered in our Pafions and !mperfections, ver. 238, etc. Har ujifully itele are distributed to all Orders of Men, ver. 241. How useful they are to Society, ver. 251. And to the Individuals, ver. 263. In every itate, and every age of life, ver. 273, etc.