תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

Began: That human learning's furthest reach
Was but to note the doctrines I could teach;
That mine to speak, and theirs was to obey,
For I in knowledge more than pow'r did fway,
And the aftonifh'd world in me beheld
Mofes eclips'd, and Jeffe's fon excell'd.
Humble a fecond bow'd, and took the word,
Forefaw my name by future age ador'd;
O live, faid he, thou wifeft of the wife;
As none has equall'd, none shall ever rise
Excelling thee-

Parent of wicked, bane of honeft deeds,
Pernicious Flatt'ry! thy malignant feeds
In an ill hour, and by a fatal hand,
Sadly diffus'd o'er Virtue's gleby land,
With rifing pride amidst the corn appear,
And choke the hopes and harvest of the year.
And now the whole perplex'd ignoble crowd,
Mute to my queftions, in my praises loud,
Echo'd the word: whence things arofe, or how
They thus exift, the apteft nothing know:
What yet is not, but is ordain'd to be,
All veil of doubt apart, the dullest see.

685

690

695

700

705

710

My Prophets and my Sophifts finish'd here Their civil efforts of the verbal war : Not fo my Rabbins and Logicians yield; Retiring, ftill they combat: from the field Of open arms unwilling they depart, And foulk behind the fubterfuge of art. To fpeak one thing mix'd dialects they join, Divide the fimple, and the plain define; Fix fancy'd laws, and form imagin'd rules, Terms of their art, and jargon of their schools, Ill-grounded maxims, by falfe glofs enlarg'd, And captious fcience against reafon charg'd. Soon their crude notions with each other fought; The adverfe fect deny'd what this had taught; And he at length the ampleft triumph gain'd Who contradicted what the laft maintain'd.

715

720

O wretched impotence of human mind!
We, erring, till excufe for error find,
And darkling grope, not knowing we are blind.
Vain man! fince first the blufhing fire effay'd
His folly with connected leaves to shade,
How does the crime of thy resembling race,
With like attempt, that priftine error trace?
Too plain thy nakedness of foul efpy'd,

725

Why doft thou ftrive the conscious fhame to hide,

By masks of eloquence and veils of pride?

730

With outward fmiles their flatt'ry I receiv'd,

Own'd my fick mind by their discourse reliev'd;
But bent, and inward to myself, again
Perplex'd, thefe matters I revolv'd in vain.
My fearch ftill tir'd, my labour still renew'd,
At length I Ignorance and Knowledge view'd
Impartial; both in equal balance laid,

735

[weigh'd.

Light flew the knowing fcale, the doubtful heavy Forc'd by reflective reafon, I confefs

That human fcience is uncertain guefs.

740

Alas! we grafp at clouds, and beat the air,

Vexing that spirit we intend to clear.

Can thought beyond the bounds of matter climb ?

Or who fhall tell me what is space or time?

In vain we lift up our prefumptuous eyes

745

To what our Maker to their ken denies :

The fearcher follows faft, the object faster flies.
The little which imperfectly we find

Seduces only the bewilder'd mind

To fruitless fearch of fomething yet behind.
Various difcuffions tear our heated brain :
Opinions often turn; ftill doubts remain ;
And who indulges thought increases pain.

750

How narrow limits were to Wisdom giv’n ?

Earth fhe furveys; fhe thence would measure heav'n: Thro' mifts obfcure now wings her tedious way, 756

Now wanders, dazzled with too bright a day,

And from the fummit of a pathlefs coaft

Sees infinite, and in that fight is loft.

Remember that the curs'd defire to know,
Offspring of Adam, was thy fource of woe;
Why wilt thou then renew the vain purfuit,
And rafhly catch at the forbidden fruit?
With empty labour and eluded ftrife
Seeking by knowledge to attain to life,
For ever from that fatal tree debarr'd,

760

765

Which flaming fwords and angry cherubs guard. 767

[graphic]

BOOK II.

Texts chiefly alluded to in this Book.

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure, Eccles. chap. ii. ver. 1.

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards, ver. 4.

I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits, ver. 5.

I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees, ver. 6.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and

on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun, ver. 11.

Igat me men-singers, and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts, ver. 8.

I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine (yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom) and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life, ver. 3. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me: and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity, Eccles, chap. ii. ver. 15.

Therefore I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me, chap. ii. ver. 17.

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour, so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour, chap. x. ver. 1.

The

memory of the just is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot, Prou. chap. x. ver.".

PLEASURE.

BOOK II.

The Argument.

solomon, again feeking happinefs, inquires if wealth and greatnefs can preduce it: begins with the magnificence of gardens and buildings; the luxury of mufic and feasting and proceeds to the hopes and defires of love. In two epifodes are fhewn the follies and troubles of that paffion. Solomon, fill difar pointed, falls under the temptations of libertinifm and idolatry recovers his thought; reafons aright; and concludes that, as to the purfuit of pleafure and fenfual delight, ALL IS VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT,

RY then, O Man, the moments to deceive

That from the womb attend thee to the graves

For weary'd Nature find fome apter scheme;
Health be thy hope, and pleasure be thy theme:
From the perplexing and unequal ways
Where Study brings thee; from the endless maze
Which Doubt perfuades to run, forewarn'd, recede
To the gay field, and flow'ry path, that lead
To jocund mirth, foft joy, and careless ease:
Forfake what may inftruct for what may please:
Effay amufing art and proud expence,
And make thy reafon fubject to thy fenfe.

I commun'd thus: the pow'r of wealth I try'd,
And all the various luxe of coftly pride;
Artifts and plans reliev'd my folemn hours:
I founded palaces and planted bow'rs,
Birds, fishes, beafts, of each exotic kind
I to the limits of my court confin'd,
To trees transferr'd I gave a fecond birth,
And bid a foreign fhade grace Judah's earth.
Fish-ponds were made where former forefts grew,
And hills were levell'd to extend the view.
Rivers, diverted from their native courfe,
And bound with chains of artificial force,
From large cafcades in pleafing tumult roll'd,
Or role thro' figur'd ftone or breathing gold.

[ocr errors]

10

15

20

25

« הקודםהמשך »