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That mine to fpeak, and theirs was to obey;

For I in knowledge more than power did sway;
And the astonish'd world in me beheld

685

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 equal'd, none fhall ever rife
Excelling thee. -

690

Parent of wicked, bane of honeft deeds,
Pernicious Flattery! 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 choak the hopes and harveft of the year.
And now the whole perplex'd ignoble crowd,
Mute to my queftions, in my praises loud,
Echced the word: whence things arofe, or how
They thus exift, the apteft nothing know:
What yet is not, but is ordain'd to be,

695

700

All veil of doubt apart, the dulleft fee!

My prophets and my fophifts finifh'd here
The civil efforts of the verbal war:
Not fo my rabbins and logicians yield;
Retiring ftill the combat, from the field
Of open arms unwilling they depart,
And sculk behind the fubterfuge of art.
To speak one thing, mix'd dialects they join ;
Divide the fimple, and the plain define;

705

710

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 reason charg❜d.

Soon their crude notions with each other fought-
The adverse fect deny'd what this had taught;
And he at length the ampleft triumph gain'd,
Who contradicted what the last maintain'd.

O wretched impotence of human mind!
We erring ftill excuse for error find;
And darkling grope, not knowing we are blind.
Vain man! fince first thy blufhing fire essay'd
His folly with connected leaves to fhade;
How does the crime of thy refembling race
With like attempt that priftine error trace!
Too plain thy nakedness of foul efpy'd,
Why doft thou ftrive the conscious shame to hide
By masks of eloquence and veils of pride?

With outward fmiles their flattery 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 search still tir'd, my labour ftill renew'd,
At length I ignorance and knowledge view'd,
Impartial; both in equal balance laid;

715

720

725

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730

73$

Light flew the knowing fcale; the doubtful heavy weigh'd.

Forc'd by reflective reason, I confess,

That human science is uncertain guess.

740 Alas!

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 shall tell me, what is fpace or time?

In vain we lift up our prefumptuous eyes

To what our Maker to their ken denies :
The fearcher follows faft; the object fafter flies.
The little which imperfectly we find,
Seduces only the bewilder'd mind
To fruitlefs fearch of fomething yet behind.
Various difcuffions tear our heated brain;
Opinions often turn; ftill doubts remain ;
And who indulges thought, increases pain.
How narrow limits were to wisdom given !

745

750

}

Earth fhe furveys; the thence would measure Heaven:
Through mists obfcure now wings her tedious way;
Now wanders dazzled with too bright a day;

And from the fummit of a pathless coast
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 pursuit,
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,

Which flaming fwords and angry cherubs guard?

760

765

TEXTS CHIEFLY ALLUDED TO IN BOOK II.

"I faid in my own heart, Go to now, I will prove thee "with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure." Eccl. ii. 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 kind 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 fun." Ver. 11. "I gat me men-fingers and womenn-fingers, and the de"lights of the fons of men, as musical instruments,

" and that of all forts." Ver. 8.

"I fought in mine heart to give myself unto wine (yet "acquainting mine heart with wisdom) and to lay "hold on folly, till I might fee what was that good

for the fons of men, which they should do under "Heaven, all the days of their life.” Ver. 3. "Then I faid in my heart, As it happeneth unto the "fool, fo it happeneth even unto me; and why was "I then more wife? Then I said in my heart, that "this alfo is vanity." Ver. 15.

"Therefore I hated life, because the work that is wrought

"under the fun is grievous unto me." Ch. ii. ver. 27. "Dead flies cause the ointment to fend forth a stinking "favour: fo doth the little folly him that is in repu"tation for wifdom and honour." Chap. x. ver. 1. "The memory of the just is blessed, but the memory of "the wicked fhall rot." Proverbs, ch. x. ver. 7.

PLEASURE:

THE SECOND BOOK.

THE ARGUMENT.

Solomon, again feeking happiness, enquires if wealth and greatnefs can produce it: begins with the magnificence of gardens and buildings, the luxury of mufick and feafting; and proceeds to the hopes and defires of Love. In two episodes are fhewn the follies and troubles of that paffion. Solomon, ftill difappointed, falls under the temptations of Libertinifin and Idolatry; recovers his thought; reasons aright; and concludes, that, as to the purfuit of pleasure and fenfual delight, All is Vanity and Vexation of Spirit.

RY then, O man, the moments to deceive,

TR

That from the womb attend thee to the grave:
For weary'd nature find some apter scheme :
Health be thy hope; and Pleafure be thy theme.
From the perplexing and unequal ways,

Where ftudy brings thee; from the endless maze,
Which doubt perfuades to run; forewarn'd, recede
To the gay field and flowery path, that lead

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