I. EPISTLE II. "K NOW then thyself, presume not God to fcan, The proper ftudy of Mankind is Man. VER. 2. Ed. ift. VARIATION 3. The only science of Mankind is Man. COMMENTARY, VER. 2. The proper fudy, &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 fubject 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 excefs, 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 NOTES. VER. 3. Plac'd on this ifthmus, &c.] As the Poet hath given us this defcription of man for the very contrary purpofe to what Sceptics are wont to employ fuch kind of paintings, namely, not to deter men from the fearch, but to excite them to the discovery of truth; he hath, with great judgment, reprefented Men as doubting and wavering between the right and wrong object; from which state there are great hopes he With too much knowledge for the Sceptic fide, 5 With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride, COMMENTARY. fend us to the knowlege of our own Nature: You must mock us when you talk of this as a ftudy; 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 God, is, that we fhould turn outfelves to the ftudy of the frame of NATURE. Thus, I say, would they be apt to object; for, of all Men, those who call themfelves Freethinkers are moft given up to Pride; efpecially that kind of pride, which confifts in a boafted knowledge of their own nature, the effects of which are fo well exposed in the first Epiftle. The Poet, therefore, to convince them that this fudy is lefs eafy than they imagine, replies (from Ver. 2 to 19) to the first part of the objection, by defcribing the NOTES. may be relieved by a careful and circumfpect use of Reafon. On the contrary, had he fuppofed Man fo blind as to be bufied in chafing, or doubtful in his choice, between two objects equally wrong, the cafe had appeared defperate, and all study of Man had been effectually difcouraged. But M. Du Ref nel, not feeing the reafon 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 proofs. The Poet fays, "Man hangs 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 Froft, "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 naissant au travail condamné ? "Aux douceurs, du répos feroit-il destiné? He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest; COMMENTARY. dark and feeble state of the human Understanding, with regard to the knowledge of ourselves. And further to strengthen this argument, he fhews, in anfwer to the fecond part of the objection (from Ver. 18 to 31.) that the highest advances in natural knowledge may be easily acquired, and yet we, NOTES. and these are both wrong, for Man is neither condemned to flavish Toil and Labour, nor yet indulged in the Luxury of Repofe. The Poet says, "In doubt to deem himself a God or beast." i. e. He doubts, as appears from the very next line, whether his foul be mortal or immortal; one of which is the truth, namely, its immortality, as the Poet himself teaches, when he fpeaks of the omniprefence of God: "Breathes in our Soul, informs our mortal part.” EP. i. V. 275. The Tranflator, as we fay, unconfcious of the Poet's pur pofe, rambles as before, "Tantôt de fon efprit admirant l'excellence, Here his head, turned to a fceptical view, was running on the. different extravagances of Plato in his Theology, and of Des Cartes in his Philofophy. Sometimes, fays he, Man believes himself a real God; and fometimes again, a mere machine: things quite out of the Poet's thought in this place. Again, the Poet, in a beautiful allufion to Scripture fentiments, breaks out into this just and moral reflection on Man's condition here, "Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err." VOL. III. In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer ; Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err; COMMENTARY. all the while, continue very ignorant of ourselves. For that neither the cleareft fcience, which refults from the Newtonian philofophy, nor the moft fublime, which is taught by the Platonic, will at all affift us in this felf-study; nay, what is more, that Religion itself, when grown fanatical and enthu NOTES. The Tranflator turns this fine and fober thought into the moft outrageous Scepticifm; "Ce n'est que pour mourir, qu'il est né, qu'il respire, "Et toute ja raifon n'eft prejque qu'un delire." and fo 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 do enjoy fome fmall portion of life; fo, though we reafon to err, yet we comprehend fome few truths. This is the weak state of Reafon, in which Error mixes itfelf with all its true conclufions concerning Man's Nature. Yet, VER. 11. Alike in ignorance, &c.] i. e. The proper sphere of his Reafon is fo narrow, and the exercise of it fo nice, that the too immoderate ufe of it is attended with the fame ignorance that proceeds from the not ufing it at all. though in both thefe cafes, he is abused by himself, he has it ftill in his own power to difabufe himself, in making his Paffions fubfervient to the means, and regulating his Reason by the end of life. VER. 12. Whether he thinks too little, or too much :] This is fo true, that ignorance arifes as well from pufhing our Chaos of Thought and Paffion, all confus'd; Created half to rife, and half to fall; Great Lord of all things, yet a prey to all; Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurl❜d: 15 The glory, jeft, and riddle of the world! VARIATIONS. After Ver. 18. in the MS. For more perfection than this ftate can bear COMMENTARY. fiaftic, will be equally useless: 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. enquiries too far, as from not carrying them far enough, that we may obferve, when Speculations, even in Science, are carried beyond a certain point; that point, where ufe is reafonably supposed to end, and mere curiofity to begin; they conclude in the moft extravagant and fenfelefs inferences; fuch as the unreality of matter; the reality of space; the fervility of the Will, &c. The reafon of this fudden fall out of full light into utter darkness, feems not to refult from the natural condition of things, but to be the arbitrary decree of infinite wisdom and goodness, which imposed a barrier to the extravagancies of its giddy lawless créature, always inclined to purfue truths of lefs importance too far, to the neglect of those more neceffary for his improvement in his ftation here. VER. 17. Sole judge of Truth, in endless Error hurl'd:] Some have imagined that the Author, by, in endless error |
