30 Then drop into thyself, and be a fool! Superior beings, when of late they saw Could he, whose rules the rapid comet bind, Or learning's luxury, or idleness; Or tricks to show the stretch of human brain, Mere curious pleasure, or ingenious pain; Expunge the whole, or lop th' excrescent parts Of all our vices have created arts: 50 Then see how little the remaining sum, Which serv'd the past, and must the times to come! 5. Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul; Reason's comparing balance rules the whole. 60 Man, but for that, no action could attend, Fix'd like a plant on his peculiar spot, Or, meteor-like, flame lawless through the void, 65 70 Thicker than arguments, temptations throng; 75 At best more watchful this, but that more strong. The action of the stronger to suspend, Reason still use, to reason still attend: Attention, habit and experience gains, Each strengthens reason, and self-love restrains. 80 Let subtle school-men teach these friends to fight, More studious to divide than to unite; And grace and virtue, sense and reason split, With all the rash dexterity of wit. 85 Wits, just like fools, at war about a name, This taste the honey, and not wound the flow'r : 90 Pleasure, or wrong or rightly understood, Our greatest evil or our greatest good. III. Modes of self-love the passions we may call; 95 Exalt their kind, and take some virtue's name. 100 Their virtue fix'd; 'tis fixed as in a frost; Contracted all, retiring to the breast; The rising tempest puts in act the soul, 105 Parts it may ravage, but preserves the whole. Reason the card, but passion is the gale; Nor God alone in the still calm we find, 110 He mounts the storm, and walks upon the wind. These mix'd with art, and to due bounds confin'd, 115 Pleasures are ever in our hands or eyes, And when in act they cease, in prospect rise: The whole employ of body and of mind. All spread their charms, but charm not all alike; 130 135 Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength; So, cast and mingled with his very frame, The mind's disease its ruling passion came: Each vital humour which should feed the whole, Soon flows to this in body and in soul. 140 Whatever warms the heart, or fills the head, As the mind opens, and its functions spread, Imagination plies her dang'rous art, And pours it all upon the peccant part. Nature its mother, habit is its nurse; 145 Wit, spirit, faculties, but make it worse; Reason itself but gives it edge and pow'r; As heav'n's blest beam turns vinegar more sour. We, wretched subjects, though to lawful sway, In this weak queen, some fav'rite still obey. 150 A sharp accuser, but a helpless friend! Proud of an easy conquest all along, She but removes weak passions for the strong. 155 The doctor fancies he has driv'n them out. 160 "Tis her's to rectify, not overthrow, And treat this passion more as friend than foe: A mightier pow'r the strong direction sends, 165 And sev'ral men impels to sev'ral ends. The monk's humility, the hero's pride, Th' eternal art, educing good from ill, 170 175 Grafts on this passion our best principle: 180 And in one int'rest body acts with mind. As fruits ungrateful to the planter's care, On savage stocks inserted, learn to bear; The surest virtues thus from passions shoot, Wild nature's vigour working at the root. |