30 What vary'd Being peoples every star, May tell why Heaven has made us as we are. Look'd through? or can a part contain the whole ? 30 II. Presumptuous Man! the reafon wouldft thou find, Why form'd no weaker, blinder, and no lefs? Of Syftems poffible, if 'tis confeft, That Wisdom infinite must form the beft, And all that rifes, rife in due degree; Then, in the scale of reasoning life, 'tis plain, May, must be right, as relative to all. In human works, though labour'd on with pain, 40 45 50 55 So So Man, who here seems principal alone, 60 When the proud steed shall know why man restrains His fiery courfe, or drives him o'er the plains; When the dull Ox, why now he breaks the clod, Is now a victim, and now Ægypt's God: Then shall Man's pride and dulness comprehend His actions, paffions', being's, use and end; Why doing, fuffering, check'd, impell'd; and why This hour a flave, the next a deity. Then say not Man's imperfect, Heaven in fault; His knowledge measur'd to his state and place; 65 70 What matter, foon or late, or here, or there? The bleft to-day is as completely fo, 75 As who began a thousand years ago. III. Heaven from all creatures hides the book of Fate, All but the page prefcrib'd, their present state : VARIATIONS. From In the former Editions, ver. 64. Now wears a garland an Ægyptian God. After ver. 68. the following lines in the firft Edition. If to be perfect in a certain fphere, What matter, foon or late, or here, or there? The bleft to-day is as completely so, As who began ten thousand years ago. 80 From brutes what men, from men what spirits know: Or who could fuffer Being here below; The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day, That each may fill the circle mark'd by Heaven : A hero perish, or a fparrow fall, Atoms or fyftems into ruin hurl'd, 85 And now a bubble burft, and now a world. ༡༠ Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions foar; Wait the great teacher Death; and God adore. Lo, the poor Indian! whose untutor’d mind 95 100 His VARIATIONS. After ver. 88. in the MS. No great, no little; 'tis as much decreed What blifs above he gives not thee to know, His foul proud Science never taught to stray Yet fimple Nature to his hope has given, Where flaves once more their native land behold, He afks no Angel's wing, no Seraph's fire; IV. Go, wifer thou! and in thy fcale of fenfe, VARIATIONS. After ver. 108. in the first Edition; But does he fay the Maker is not good, 105 110 115 120 Pride Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes, Men would be Angels, Angels would be Gods. Of Order, fins against th' Eternal Cause. 125 130 V. Ask for what end the heavenly bodies shine, Earth for whofe ufe? Pride anfwers, " "Tis for mine: "For me kind Nature wakes her genial power; "Suckles each herb, and spreads out every flower; "Annual for me, the grape, the rose, renew "The juice nectareous, and the balmy dew; "For me, the mine a thousand treasures brings; "For me, health gushes from a thousand springs; "Seas roll to waft me, funs to light me rife; 66 My foot-ftool earth, my canopy the skies." But errs not Nature from this gracious end, From burning funs when livid deaths defcend, When earthquakes fwallow, or when tempefts sweep Towns to one grave, whole nations to the deep? "No ('tis reply'd) the first Almighty Cause "Acts not by partial, but by general laws; 135 140 145 "Th' exceptions few; fome change fince all began: "And what created perfect?"-Why then Man? If the great end be human Happiness, Then Nature deviates; and can Man do less? 150 Of fhowers and fun-fhine, as of Man's defires; As much eternal springs and cloudless skies, As men for ever temperate, calm, and wife. |