Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

N.Blakey inv& delin 1748.

Ravenet Sculp

Self Love still stronger, as it's Objects nigh, Reason's at distance, and in prospect liel :That sees immediate Good, by present Sense, Reason the future, and the Consequence .__ Essay on Man, Ep. II.

I.

EPIST LE II.

"K

Now then thyself, prefume not to God
to scan,

The proper ftudy of Mankind is Man,
Plac'd on this ifthmus of a middle ftate,
A Being darkly wife, and rudely great :

VER. 2. Ed. Ift.

VARIATIONS.

The only science of Mankind is Man.

COMMENTARY.

VER. 2. The proper study, &c.] The poet having fhewn, in the first epiftle, that the ways of God are too high for our comprehenfion, rightly draws this conclufion: and methodically makes it the subject of his Introduction to the fecond, which treats of the Nature of Man.

But here presently the accufers of Providence would be apt to object, and fay, Admit that we had run into an excess, while we pretended to cenfure or penetrate the defigns of Providence, a matter indeed too high for us; yet have not you gone as far into the oppofite extreme, while you only fend us to the

NOTES.

VER, 3. Plac'd on this Ifthmus, &c.] As the poet hath given us this description of man for the very contrary purpose to which Sceptics are wont to employ fuch kind of paintings, namely, not to deter men from the fearch, but to excite them to the difcovery of truth; he hath, with great judgement, reprefented Man as doubting and wavering between the right and wrong object; from which ftate there are great hopes he may lieved by a careful and circumfpect ufe of Reason. On the contrary, had he supposed Man fo blind as to be busied inchufing,

be re

With too much knowledge for the Sceptic fide, 5
With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,
He hangs between; in doubt to act, or reft;
In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beast;

COMMENTARY.

knowledge of our own Nature: You must mock us when you talk of this as a study; for who can doubt but we are intimately acquainted with OURSELVES? The proper conclufion therefore from your proof of our inability to comprehend the ways of Gol, is, that we should turn ourselves to the study of the frame of NATURE. Thus, I fay, would they be apt to object; for, of all Men, thofe who call themselves Freethinkers are most given up to Pride; especially that kind of it, which confifts in a boasted knowledge of their own nature, the effects of which are so well

NOTES.

or doubtful in his choice, between two objects equally wrong the cafe had appeared defperate, and all ftudy of Man had been effectually difcouraged. But his Tranflator, M. De Refnel, not feeing the reason and beauty of this conduct, hath run into the very abfurdity which, I have here fhewn, Mr. Pope fo artfully avoided. Of which, the learned Reader may take the following examples. The Poet says,

Man acts between; in doubt to act, or reft.

Now he tells us 'tis Man's duty to act, not reft, as the Stoics thought; and, to this their principle the latter word alludes, whofe Virtue, as he fays afterwards, is

Fix'd as in a Frost,

Contracted all, retiring to the breast:

But ftrength of mind is EXERCISE not REST.
Now hear the Tranflator, who is not for mincing matters,
Seroit-il en naiffant au travail condamné ?

Aux douceurs du répos feroit-il deftiné?

and these are both wrong, for Man is neither condemned to favish Toil and Labour, nor yet indulged in the Luxury of rofe. Again, the Poet, in a beautiful allufion to Scripture

In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer;
Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err;

COMMENTARY.

[ocr errors]

exposed in the first Epiftle. The poet, therefore, to convince them that this study is lefs eafy than they imagine, replies (from 2 to 19) to the first part of the objection, by defcribing the dark and feeble ftate of the human Understanding, with regard to the knowledge of ourselves. And further, to strengthen this argument, he fhews, in answer to the fecond part of the objec tion (from 18 to 31) that the highest advances in natural knowledge may be easily acquired, and yet we, all the while, continue very ignorant of our felves. For that neither the cleareft fcience, which refults from the Newtonian philosophy, nor the most fublime, which is taught by the Platonic, will at all affift us in this self-study; nay, what is more, that Religion itfelf, when grown fanatical and enthufiaftic, will be equally ufelefs: Though pure and fober Religion will best instruct us in Man's Nature, that knowledge being effential to Religion, whofe fubject is Man confidered in all his relations; and, confequently, whofe object is God,

NOTES.

fentiments, breaks out into this just and moral reflection on man's condition here,

Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err.

The Translator turns this fine and fober thought into the most outrageous Scepticism;

Ce n'eft que pour mourir, qu'il eft né, qu'il refpire,
Et toute fa raifon n'est presque qu'un delire.

and so makes his Author directly contradict himself, where he fays of Man, that he hath

too much knowledge for the Sceptic fide.

VER. 10. Born but to die, &c.] The author's meaning is, that, as we are born to die, and yet enjoy some small portion of life; fo, though we reafon to err, yet we comprehend fome few truths. This is the weak ftate of Reafon, in which Error mixes itself with all its true conclufions concerning Man's Nature.

« VorigeDoorgaan »