Each individual feeks a fev'ral goal; But HEAV'N's great view is One, and that the Whole. That counter-works each folly and caprice; 240 That disappoints th' effect of ev'ry vice; Heav'n forming each on other to depend, COMMENTARY. 245 250 VER. 239. That counterworks each folly and caprice;] The mention of this principle, that Self directs Vice and Virtue, and its confequence, which is, that Each individual feeks a fev'ral goal, leads the author to obferve That HEAV'N's great View is One, and that the Whole. And this brings him naturally round again to his main subject, namely, God's producing good aut of ill, which he profecutes from 238 to 249. VER. 249. Heav'n forming each on other to depend,] I. Hitherto the Poet hath been employed in difcourfing of the use of the Paffions, with regard to Society at large; and in freeing his Bids each on other for affiftance call, "Till one Man's weakness grows the strength of all. Wants, frailties, paffions, closer still ally The common int'reft, or endear the tie. To these we owe true friendship, love fincere, 255 269 Whate'er the Paffion, knowledge, fame, or pelf, Not one will change his neighbour with himself. COMMENTARY. doctrine from objections: This is the first general division of the subject of this epistle. II. He comes to fhew (from 248 to 261) the use of these Paffions, with regard to the more confined circle of our Friends, Relations, and Acquaintance; and this is the second general divifion. VER. 261. Whate'er the Paffion, &c.] III. The poet having thus fhewn the use of the Paffions in Society, and in Domestic NOTES. VER. 253. Wants, frailties, paffions, clafer ftill ally The common int'reft, &c.] As thefe lines have been misunderstood, I fhall give the reader their plain and obvious meaning. To thefe frailties (fays he) we owe all the endearments of private life; yet, when we come to that age, which generally difpofes Men to think more feriously of the true value of things, and confequently of their provifion for a future ftate, the confideration, that the grounds of those joys, loves, and friendfhips, are wants, frailties, and paffions, proves the best expedient to wean The learn'd is happy nature to explore, The fool is happy that he knows no more ; 265 The poor contents him with the care of Heav'n. See the blind beggar dance, the cripple fing, The starving chemist in his golden views Supremely bleft, the poet in his Muse. COMMENTARY. 270 life; he comes, in the laft place (from 260 to the end) to fhew their use to the Individual, even in their illufions; the imaginary happiness they prefent, helping to make the real miseries of life lefs infupportable: And this is his third general division: Opinion gilds with varying rays Thofe painted clouds that beautify our days, &c, And not a vanity is giv'n in vain. Which must needs vaftly raise our idea of God's goodness, who hath not only provided more than a counter balance of real happiness to human miseries, but hath even, in his infinite compasfion, bestowed on those, who were fo foolish as not to have made this provision, an imaginary happiness; that they may not be quite over-borne with the load of human miferies. This is the poet's great and noble thought; as ftrong and folid as it is new NOTES. us from the world; a difengagement fo friendly to that provifion we are now making for another. The obfervation is new, and would in any place be extremely beautiful, but has here an infinite grace and propriety, as it fo well confirms, by an inftance of great moment, the general thefis, That God makes Ill, at every step, productive of Good. VER. 270.-the poet in his Mufe.] The author having said, that no one would change his profeffion or views for those of another, intended to carry his obfervation ftill further, and See fome strange comfort ev'ry ftate attend, Hope travels thro', nor quits us when we die. Scarfs, garters, gold, amuse his riper ftage, And beads and pray'r-books are the toys of age: COMMENTARY. and ingenious; which teaches, That thefe illufions are the follies of Men, which they willfully fall into, and through their own fault; thereby depriving themselves of much happiness, and exposing themselves to equal mifery: But that still God (according to his univerfal way of working) graciously turns thefe follies fo far to the advantage of his miferable creatures, as to be the present folace and fupport of their diftreffes : -Tho' Man's a fool, yet God is wife. NOTES. fhew that Men were unwilling to exchange their own acquirements even for those of the fame kind, confeffedly larger, and infinitely more eminent, in another. To this end he wrote, What partly pleases, totally will fhock: I queftion much, if Toland would be Locke. but wanting another proper inftance of this truth when he publifhed his laft Edition of the Effay, he reserved the lines above for fome following one. VER. 280. And beads and pray'r-books are the toys of age:] A Satire on what is called in Popery the Opus operatum. As this is a description of the circle of human life returning into itself by a fecond child-hood, the poet has with great elegance concluded his defcription with the fame image with which he fet out. Pleas'd with this bauble ftill, as that before; 281 These build as fast as knowledge can destroy; 290 Ev'n mean Self-love becomes, by force divine, NOTES. VER. 286. And each vacuity of fenfe by Pride:] An eminent Cafuift, Father Francis Garaffe, in his Somme Theologique, has drawn a very charitable conclufion from this principle. "Se"lon la Juftice (fays this equitable Divine) tout travail hon nête doit être recompenfé de loüange ou de fatisfaction. "Quand les bons efprits font un ouvrage excellent, ils font justement recompenfez par les fuffrages du Public. Quand "un pauvre efprit travaille beaucoup, pour fair un mauvais "ouvrage, il n'eft pas jufte ni raifonable, qu'il attende des "loüanges publiques; car elles ne lui font pas duës. Mais "afin que fes travaux ne demeurent pas fans recompenfe, Dieu "lui donne une fatisfaction perfonelle, que perfonne ne lui "peut envier fans une injuftice plus que barbare; tout ainfi * que Dieu, qui eft jufte, donne de la fatisfaction aux Grenoü❝illes de leur chant. Autrement la blâme public, joint à leur ❝ mécontentement, feroit fuffifant pour les réduire au defespoir.” |