With too much knowledge for the Sceptic fide,
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;
In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer;
Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err;
Alike in ignorance, his reafon fuch,
Whether he thinks too little, or too much :

COMMENTARY.

in the first Epiftle. The Poet, therefore, to convince them that this study is less cafy than they imagine, replies (from ver. 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 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, all the while, continue very ignorant of ourselves. For that neither the cleareft fcience, which results from the Newtonian philosophy, nor the most fublime, which is taught by the Platonic, will at all affift us in this felfftudy; nay, what is more, that Religion itself, when grown fanatical and enthufiaftic, will be equally ufelefs: though pure and fober Religion will beft inftruct us in Man's Nature; that knowledge being neceffary to Religion; whofe fubject is Man confidered in all his relations, and, confequently, whofe object is God. WARBURTON.

NOTES.

VER. 11. Alike in ignorance, &c.] i. e. The proper sphere of his Reason is fo narrow, and the exercise of it so nice, that the too immoderate ufe of it is attended with the fame ignorance that proceeds from the not ufing it at all. Yet, though in both these cafes he is abused by himself, he has it ftill in his own power to difabuse himself, in making his Paffions fubfervient to the means, regulating his Reafon by the end of life.

and

WARBURTON.

VER. 12. Whether he thinks too little,] It was obferved by Bayle, above an hundred years ago, "that philofophy might be com

pared

Chaos of Thought and Paffion, all confus'd;
Still by himself abus'd, or difabus'd;

Created half to rife, and half to fall;

15

Great Lord of all things, yet a prey to all;

Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurl'd :
The glory, jeft, and riddle of the world!

Go,

VARIATIONS.

After ver. 18. in the MS.

For more perfection than this state can bear
In vain we figh, Heav'n made us as we are.
As wifely fure a modest Ape might aim
To be like Man, whose faculties and frame
He fees, he feels, as you or I to be
An Angel thing we neither know nor fee.
Obferve how near he edges on our race;
What human tricks! how rifible of face!
It must be fo-why elfe have I the fenfe
Of more than monkey charms and excellence?
Why elfe to walk on two so oft essay'd?
And why this ardent longing for a Maid?
So Pug might plead, and call his Gods unkind,
Till fet on end, and married to his mind.

Go, reas'ning thing! affume the Doctor's chair,
As Plato deep, as Seneca severe :

Fix moral fitness, and to God give rule,

Then drop into thyself, &c.

NOTES.

pared to certain powders, fo very corrofive, that, having confumed the proud and spongy flesh of a wound, they would corrode even the quick and found flesh, rot the bones, and penetrate to the very marrow. Philofophy is proper at first to confute errors, but if she be not stopped there, fhe attacks truth itself; and, when she has her full scope, fhe generally goes fo far that the lofes her felf, and knows not where to ftop." What would Bayle have faid if he had feen the uses to which Philofophy has been applied in the present times? WARTON.

Go, wond'rous creature! mount where Science

guides,

Go, measure earth, weigh air, and state the tides;
Instruct the planets in what orbs to run,
Correct old Time, and regulate the Sun;
Go, foar with Plato, to th' empyreal sphere,
To the firft good, firft perfect, and first fair;
Or tread the mazy round his follow'rs trod,
And quitting fenfe call imitating God;

VARIATIONS.

VER. 21. Ed. 4th and 5th.

Show by what rules the wand'ring planets stray,
Correct old Time, and teach the Sun his way.

NOTES.

20

25

As

VER. 20. Go, measure earth, &c.] Alluding to the noble and ufeful labours of the modern Mathematicians, in measuring a degree at the equator and the polar circle, in order to determine the true figure of the earth; of great importance to astronomy and navigation; and which proved of equal honour to the wonderful fagacity of Newton. WARBURTON.

VER. 22. Correct old Time, c.] This alludes to Newton's Grecian Chronology, which he reformed on those two fublime conceptions, the difference between the reigns of kings, and the generations of men; and the pofition of the colures of the equinoxes and folftices at the time of the Argonautic expedition.

WARBURTON.

VER. 26. And quitting fenfe, &c.] This alludes to that philofophical fyftem, founded on the doctrines of Plato, which Ammonius Saccas taught, towards the conclufion of the fecond century, who laid the foundation of the fect which was diftinguished by the name of the New Platonics. His object was to unite Platonism with Chriftianity. He taught his followers to abftract themselves from all worldly feelings, and, by a continual contemplation of the Divine Nature, to work themselves up to an imitation of the Supreme Being, to mortify the body, and to enjoy in fpirit an holy and fublime communion with Heaven. See Mofheim, vol. i. p. 85. Maclaine's Tranf.-Brucker's Hiftoria Philo. vol, ii, iii.

As Eastern priests in giddy circles run,
And turn their heads to imitate the Sun.
Go, teach Eternal Wisdom how to rule-
Then drop into thyfelf, and be a fool!
Superior Beings, when of late they faw
A mortal Man unfold all Nature's law,

COMMENTARY.

30

Admir'd

VER. 31. Superior Beings, &c.] To give this fecond argument its full force, he illustrates it (from ver. 30 to 43.) by the noblest example that ever was in science, the incomparable NEWTON; who, although he penetrated so far beyond others into the works of GOD, yet could go no farther in the knowledge of his own nature than the generality of his fellows. Of which the Poet affigns this very juft and adequate reafon : In all other fciences the Understanding is unchecked and uncontrouled by any oppofite principle; but in the science of Man, the Paffions overturn, as faft as Reafon can build up. WARBURTON.

NOTES.

VER. 29, 30. Go, teach Eternal Wifdom, &c.] Thefe two lines are a conclufion from all that had been faid from ver. 18, to this effect: Go now, vain Man, elated with thy acquirements in real science, and imaginary intimacy with God; go, and run into all the extravagancies I have exploded in the first epistle, where thou pretendedit to teach Providence how to govern; then drep into the obfcurities of thy own nature, and thereby manifeft thy ignorance and folly. WARBURTON.

VER. 31. Superior Beings, &c.] In these lines the Poet speaks to this effect: "But to make you fully fenfible of the difficulty of this study, I fhall instance in the great Newton himself; whom, when fuperior beings, not long fince, saw capable of unfolding the whole law of Nature, they were in doubt whether the owner of such prodigious fagacity should not be reckoned of their order: just as men, when they see the surprising marks of Reafon in an Ape, are almoft tempted to rank him with their own kind." And yet this wondrous man could go no further in the knowledge of himfelf than the generality of his fpecies. M. Du Refnel, who under.

Admir'd fuch wisdom in an earthly shape,

And fhew'd a NEWTON as we fhew an Ape.

Could he, whofe rules the rapid Comet bind, 35 Describe or fix one movement of his Mind?

VER. 35. Ed. 1ft.

VARIATIONS.

Who

Could he, who taught each Planet where to roll,
Defcribe or fix one movement of the Soul?
Who mark'd their points to rife, or to defcend,
Explain his own beginning, or his end?

NOTES.

flood nothing of all this, translates these four celebrated lines thus:

"Des celeftes Efprits la vive intelligence

Regarde avec pitie notre foible Science ;

Newton, le grand Newton, que nos admirons tous

Eft peut-être pour eux, ce qu'un Singe eft pour nous.” But it is not the pity, but the admiration of those celestial Spirits which is here spoken of. And it was for no flight cause they admired; it was, to see a mortal man unfold the whole law of Nature. By which we fee it was not Mr. Pope's intention to bring any of the Ape's qualities, but its fagacity, into the comparison.

WARBURTON.

VER. 34. as we fhew an Ape.] Evidently borrowed from the following paffage in the Zodiac of Palingenius, and not, as hath been fuggefted by Dr. Hurd, from Plato. Pope was a reader and publisher of the modern Poets of Italy who wrote in Latin. The words are,

"Simia Calicolum rifufq; jocufq; Deorum eft

WARTON.

Tunc Homo, cum temerè ingenio confidit, et audet Abdita Naturæ fcrutari, arcanaq; Divum.” VER. 34. And shew'd a NEWTON, &c.] This image gives an air of burlesque to the paffage, notwithstanding all that can be faid. It is degrading to the fubject, to the idea of the "Superior Beings," and to the character on whom it is meant as a panegyric.