The World's Greatest Books [Volumes 1-15, 17-20]

Whether with reason or with instinct blest, Know, all enjoy that power which suits them best; To bliss alike by that direction tend, And find the means proportioned to their end. Say, where full instinct is th' unerring guide, What pope or council can they need beside?

God, in the nature of each being, founds Its proper bliss, and sets its proper bounds: But as he framed a whole, the whole to bless, On mutual wants built mutual happiness. Each loves itself, but not itself alone, Each sex desires alike, till two are one. Nor ends the pleasure with the fierce embrace; ioo

They love themselves, a third time, in their race. Reflection, reason, still the ties improve, At once extend the interest and the love.

See man from Nature rising slow to Art! To copy instinct then was reason's part: Thus then to man the voice of Nature spake: " Go, from the creatures thy instructions take: The arts of building from the bee receive; Learn of the mole to plough, the worm to weave; Learn of the little nautilus to sail, Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale. Here, too, all forms of social union find, And hence let reason, late, instruct mankind: Here subterranean works and cities see; There towns aerial on the waving tree. Learn each small people's genius, policies, The ants' republic, and the realm of bees; How those in common all their wealth bestow, And anarchy without confusion know; And these for ever, though a monarch reign, Their separate cells and properties maintain."

Great Nature spoke; observant man obeyed; Cities were built, societies were made: Here rose one little state, another near Grew by like means, and joined through love or fear. Thus states were formed; the name of king unknown, Till common interest placed the sway in one.

So drives self-love through just and through unjust, To one man's power, ambition, lucre, lust: The same self-love, in all, becomes the cause Of what restrains him, government and laws. How shall he keep, what, sleeping or awake, A weaker may surprise, a stronger take ? His safety must his liberty restrain: All join to guard what each desires to gain. Forced into virtue thus by self-defence, Ev'n kings learned justice and benevolence:

IOI

Self-love forsook the path it first pursued, And found the private in the public good.

'Tvvas then the studious head or generous mind, Follower of God, or friend of human kind, Poet or patriot, rose but to restore The faith and moral Nature gave before; Re-lumed her ancient light, not kindled new; If not God's image, yet his shadow drew: Taught power's due use to people and to kings, Taught nor to slack, nor strain its tender strings, The less, or greater, set so justly true, That touching one must strike the other too; Till jarring interests of themselves create Th' according music of a well-mixed state.

For forms of government let fools contest; Whate'er is best administered is best: For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight; His can't be wrong whose life is in the right. All must be false that thwart this one great end; And all of God, that bless mankind, or mend.

Epistle IV

Of the Nature and State of Man with Respect to Happiness

O happiness! our being's end and aim!

Good, pleasure, ease, content! whate'er thy name:

That something still which prompts th' eternal sigh,

For which we bear to live, or dare to die,

Which still so near us, yet beyond us lies,

O'erlooked, seen double, by the fool and wise:

Plant of celestial seed! if dropped below,

Say, in what mortal soil thou deign'st to grow?

Ask of the learn'd the way? The learn'd are blind: This bids to serve and that to shun mankind; 102

Some place the bliss in action, some in ease, Those call it pleasure, and contentment these: Some, sunk to beasts, find pleasure end in pain; Some, swelled to gods, confess ev'n virtue vain; Or, indolent, to each extreme they fall, To trust in everything, or doubt of all.

Order is Heaven's first law; and, this confest, Some are, and must be, greater than the rest, More rich, more wise; but who infers from hence That such are happier, shocks all common sense.

Oh blind to truth, and God's whole scheme below, Who fancy bliss to vice, to virtue woe! Who sees and follows that great scheme the best, Best knows the blessing, and will most be blest. But fools, the good alone, unhappy call, For ills or accidents that chance to all.

Shall burning y£tna, if a sage requires, Forget to thunder, and recall her fires ? On air or sea new motions be imprest, O blameless Bethel! to relieve thy breast? When the loose mountain trembles from on high, Shall gravitation cease, if you go by? Or some old temple, nodding to its fall, For Chartres' head reserve the hanging wall?

" But sometimes virtue starves, while vice is fed.' What then ? Is the reward of virtue bread ? That vice may merit, 'tis the price of toil; The knave deserves it when he tills the soil; The knave deserves it when he tempts the main, Where folly fights for kings, or dives for gain. The good man may be weak, be indolent; Nor is his claim to plenty, but content.