Remember, Man, "the Univerfal Caufe 35 But fome way leans and hearkens to the kind: 40 ORDER is Heav'n's firft law; and this confeft, Some are, and muft be, greater than the reft, 50 COMMENTARY. VER. 35. Remember, Man, &c.] Having expofed the two falfe fpecies of Happiness, the Philofophical and Popular, and denounced the true, in order to establish the last, he a confutation of the two former. goes on to I. He first (from 34 to 49) confutes the Philofophical, which, as we faid, makes Happiness a particular, not a general good: And this two ways; 1. From his grand principle, that God acts by general laws; the confequence of which is, that Happiness, which fupports the well being of every fyftem, must needs be univerfal, and not partial, as the Philofophers conceived. 2. From fact, that Man inftinctively concurs with this defignation of Providence, to make Happiness univerfal, by his having no delight in any thing uncommunicated or uncommunicable. More rich, more wife; but who infers from hence That such are happier, fhocks all common sense. Heav'n to Mankind impartial we confess, If all are equal in their Happiness: VARIATION S. After VER. 52. in the MS. Say not, "Heav'n's here profufe, there poorly faves, "And for one Monarch makes a thousand slaves." You'll find, when Caufes and their Ends are known, 'Twas for the thoufand Heav'n has made that one. COMMENTARY. VER. 49. Order is Heav'n's first law;] II. In the fecond place (from 48 to 67) he confutes the popular error concerning Happiness, namely, that it confifts in Externals: Which he does, firft, by inquiring into the reafons of the present providential difpofition of external goods: A topic of confutation chofen with the greateft accuracy and penetration: For, if it appears they were distributed in the manner we fee them, for reafons different from the Happiness of Individuals, it is abfurd to think that they should make part of that Happiness. He fhews therefore, that difparity of external poffeffions among Men was for the fake of Society: 1. To promote the Harmony and Happiness of a system; because the want of external goods in fome, and the abundance in others, increase general Harmony in the obliger and obliged. Yet here (fays he) mark the impartial wifdom of Heaven; this very Inequality of Externals, by contributing to general Harmony and Order, produceth an Equality of Happiness amongst Individuals. NOTES. VER. 49. Order is Heav'n's first law;] i. e. The firft law made by God relates to Order; which is a beautiful allusion to the Scripture hiftory of the Creation, when God first appeafed the diforders of Chaos, and feparated the light from the darknefs. K 4 But mutual wants this Happinefs increase; 55 All Nature's diff'rence keeps all Nature's peace. In who obtain defence, or who defend, In him who is, or him who finds a friend: 60 VARIATIONS. After VER, 66. in the MS. 'Tis peace of mind alone is at a flay: But Virtue's, in the inftant, a reward; In hardest trials operates the beft, And more is relifh'd as the more diftreft, COMMENTARY, 65 2. To prevent perpetual difcord amongft men equal in power, which an equal diftribution of external goods would neceffarily occafion, From hence he concludes, that, as external goods. were not given for the reward of Virtue, but for many different purpofes, God could not, if he intended Happiness for all, place it in the Enjoyment of Externals. VER. 67. Fortune her gifts may variously difpofe,] His fecond But Heav'n's just balance equal will appear, While those are plac'd in Hope, and these in Fear: Oh fons of earth! attempt ye ftill to rise, By mountains pil'd on mountains, to the skies? Heav'n still with laughter the vain toil surveys, 75 And buries madmen in the heaps they raise. Know, all the good that individuals find, Or God and Nature meant to mere Mankind, COMMENTARY. argument (from 66 to 73) against the popular error of Happiness being placed in Externals, is, that the Poffeffion of them is infeparably attended with Fear; the want of them with Hope; which directly croffing all their pretenfions to making happy, evidently fhews that God had placed Happiness elfewhere. And hence, in concluding this argument, he takes occafion (from 72 to 77) to upbraid the defperate folly and impiety of those, who, in fpite of God and Nature, will yet attempt to place Happiness in Externals: Oh fons of earth! attempt ye ftill to rife, By mountains pil'd on mountains, to the skies? VER. 77. Know, all the good &c.] The Poet having thus confuted the two errors concerning Happiness, Phil Jophical and Popular; and proved that true Happiness was neither folitary and partial, nor yet placed in externals; goes on (from y 76 to 83) to fhew in what it doth confiit. He had before said in general, and repeated it, that Happiness lay in common to the whole fpecies. He now brings us better acquainted with it, in a more explicite account of its nature; and tells us, it is all contained in Health, Peace, and Competence; but that these are 81 Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of Sense, COMMENTARY. to be gain'd only by VIRTUE, namely, by Temperance, Innocence, and Industry. VER. 83. The rood or bad, &c.] But hitherto the poet hath only confidered Health and Peace: But Health confifts with Temperance alone; And Peace, oh Virtue! Peace is all thy own. One head yet remained to be spoken to, namely, Competence. In the purfuit of Health and Peace there is no danger of running into excess; but the cafe is different with regard to Competence: here Wealth and Affluence would be too apt to be miftaken for it, in Mens paffionate pursuit after external goods. To obviate this mistake therefore, the poet fhews (from 82 to 93) that, as exorbitant wealth adds nothing to the Happiness arifing from a Competence; fo, as it is generally ill-gotten, it is NOTES. VER. 79. Reafon's whole pleafure, &c.] This is a beautiful periphrafis for Happiness; for all we feel of good is by fenfation and reflection. VER. 82. And Peace, &c.] Confcious Innocence (fays the poet) is the only fource of internal Peace; and known Innocence, of external; therefore, Peace is the fole iffue of Virtue; or, in his own emphatic words, Peace is all thy own; a conclufive obfervation in his argument, which stands thus: Is Happiness rightly placed in Externals? No; for it confifts in Health, Peace, and Competence. Health and Competence are the product of Temperance, and Peace of perfect Inno 'cence. |