Creation A Philosophical Poem. Demonstrating the Existence and Providence of a God. In Seven Books. By Sir Richard Blackmore. The Second Edition |
 |
|
| I. |
| II. |
| III. | BOOK III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
 | Creation |  |
105
BOOK III.
The ARGUMENT.
The Introduction. Useful Knowledge first pursu'd
by Man. Agriculture. Architecture. Sculpture.
Painting. Musick. The Grecian Philosophers
first engaged in Useless Speculations. The
Absurdity of asserting the Self-existent, Independent
and Eternal Being of Atomes according
to the Scheme of Epicurus. Answer to the Objections
of Atheists to the Scheme of Creation
asserted in the two former Books. The Objections
brought by Lucretius against Creation from the
necessity of Pre-existent Matter for the Formation
of all Kinds of Beings; from the pretended
unartful Contrivance of the World; from Thorns,
Briers and noxious Weeds; from Savage
Beasts, Storms, Thunder, Diseases; from the
painful Birth and the short Life of Man; from the
Inequality of Heat and Cold in different Climates,
answer'd. The Objections of the Pyrrhonians
or Scepticks answer'd. A Reply to those who
assert all Things owe their Being and their Motions
to Nature. Their different and senseless
account of that Word. More apparent and eminent
Skill and Wisdom express'd in the Works
of Nature than in those of human Art. The
Unreasonableness of denying Skill and Design in
the Author of those Works. Vaninus, Hobbs
and Spinosa consider'd.
106
107
E'er vain Philosophy had reer'd her School,
Whose Chiefs imagin'd Realms of Science rule,
With idle Toil form visionary Schemes,
And wage eternal War for rival Dreams:
Studious of Good, Man disregarded Fame,
And Useful Knowledge was his eldest Aim:
Thro' Metaphysic Wilds he never flew,
Nor the dark Haunts of School Chimæras knew,
But had alone his Happiness in View.
Whose Chiefs imagin'd Realms of Science rule,
With idle Toil form visionary Schemes,
And wage eternal War for rival Dreams:
Studious of Good, Man disregarded Fame,
And Useful Knowledge was his eldest Aim:
Thro' Metaphysic Wilds he never flew,
Nor the dark Haunts of School Chimæras knew,
But had alone his Happiness in View.
He milk'd the lowing Herd, he press'd the Cheese,
Folded the Flock, and spun the woolly Fleece.
In Urns the Bees delicious Dews he lay'd,
Whose kindling Wax invented Day display'd;
Wrested their Iron Entrails from the Hills,
Then with the Spoils his glowing Forges fills;
And shap'd with vig'rous Strokes the ruddy Bar
To Rural Arms, unconscious yet of War.
He made the Ploughshare in the Furrow shine,
And learn'd to sow his Bread, and plant his Wine.
Now verdant Food adorn'd the Garden Beds,
And fruitful Trees shot up their branching Heads;
Rich Balm from Groves, and Herbs from grassy Plains
His Feaver sooth'd, or heal'd his wounded Veins.
Folded the Flock, and spun the woolly Fleece.
108
Whose kindling Wax invented Day display'd;
Wrested their Iron Entrails from the Hills,
Then with the Spoils his glowing Forges fills;
And shap'd with vig'rous Strokes the ruddy Bar
To Rural Arms, unconscious yet of War.
He made the Ploughshare in the Furrow shine,
And learn'd to sow his Bread, and plant his Wine.
Now verdant Food adorn'd the Garden Beds,
And fruitful Trees shot up their branching Heads;
Rich Balm from Groves, and Herbs from grassy Plains
His Feaver sooth'd, or heal'd his wounded Veins.
Our Fathers next, in Architecture skill'd,
Cities for Use, and Forts for Safety build:
Then Palaces and lofty Domes arose,
These for Devotion, and for Pleasure Those.
Their Thoughts were next to artful Sculpture turn'd,
Which now the Palace, now the Dome adorn'd.
The Pencil then did growing Fame acquire,
Then was the Trumpet heard, and tuneful Lyre,
One did the Triumph sing, and one the War inspire.
Cities for Use, and Forts for Safety build:
Then Palaces and lofty Domes arose,
These for Devotion, and for Pleasure Those.
109
Which now the Palace, now the Dome adorn'd.
The Pencil then did growing Fame acquire,
Then was the Trumpet heard, and tuneful Lyre,
One did the Triumph sing, and one the War inspire.
Greece did at length a learned Race produce,
Who needful Science mock'd, and Arts of Use,
Consum'd their fruitless Hours in eager Chace
Of airy Notions, thro' the boundless Space
Of Speculation, and the darksome Void,
Where wrangling Wits, in endless Strife employ'd,
Mankind with idle Subtilties embroil,
And fashion Systems with Romantick Toil;
These with the Pride of dogmatizing Schools
Impos'd on Nature arbitrary Rules;
Forc'd her their vain Inventions to obey,
And move as Learned Frenzy trac'd the Way.
Above the Clouds while they presum'd to soar,
Her trackless Heights ambitious to explore,
And heaps of undigested Volumes writ,
Illusive Notions of Phantastic Wit,
So long they Nature search'd and mark'd her Laws,
They lost the Knowledge of th' Almighty Cause.
Who needful Science mock'd, and Arts of Use,
Consum'd their fruitless Hours in eager Chace
Of airy Notions, thro' the boundless Space
Of Speculation, and the darksome Void,
Where wrangling Wits, in endless Strife employ'd,
Mankind with idle Subtilties embroil,
And fashion Systems with Romantick Toil;
110
Impos'd on Nature arbitrary Rules;
Forc'd her their vain Inventions to obey,
And move as Learned Frenzy trac'd the Way.
Above the Clouds while they presum'd to soar,
Her trackless Heights ambitious to explore,
And heaps of undigested Volumes writ,
Illusive Notions of Phantastic Wit,
So long they Nature search'd and mark'd her Laws,
They lost the Knowledge of th' Almighty Cause.
Th' erroneous Dictates of each Grecian Sage
Renounc'd the Doctrines of the eldest Age:
Yet These their matchless Science did proclaim,
Usurp Distinction, and appropriate Fame.
Renounc'd the Doctrines of the eldest Age:
Yet These their matchless Science did proclaim,
Usurp Distinction, and appropriate Fame.
But tho' their Schools produc'd no nobler Fruit
Than empty Schemes, and Triumphs of Dispute:
The Notions which arise from Nature's Light
As well adorn the Mind, as guide her right,
Enlarge her Compass, and improve her Sight.
These ne'er the Breast with vain Ambition fire,
But banish Pride, and modest Thoughts inspire.
By her inform'd we blest Religion learn,
Its glorious Object by her Aid discern.
The rolling Worlds around us we survey,
Th' alternate Sov'reigns of the Night and Day:
View the wide Earth adorn'd with Hills and Woods,
Rich in her Herds, and fertile by her Floods:
Walk thro' the deep Apartments of the Main,
Ascend the Air to visit Clouds and Rain:
And while we ravish'd gaze on Nature's Face,
Remark her Order, and her Motions trace,
The long coherent Chain of Things we find
Leads to a Cause Supream, a wise Creating Mind.
Than empty Schemes, and Triumphs of Dispute:
111
As well adorn the Mind, as guide her right,
Enlarge her Compass, and improve her Sight.
These ne'er the Breast with vain Ambition fire,
But banish Pride, and modest Thoughts inspire.
By her inform'd we blest Religion learn,
Its glorious Object by her Aid discern.
The rolling Worlds around us we survey,
Th' alternate Sov'reigns of the Night and Day:
View the wide Earth adorn'd with Hills and Woods,
Rich in her Herds, and fertile by her Floods:
Walk thro' the deep Apartments of the Main,
Ascend the Air to visit Clouds and Rain:
And while we ravish'd gaze on Nature's Face,
Remark her Order, and her Motions trace,
The long coherent Chain of Things we find
Leads to a Cause Supream, a wise Creating Mind.
112
You, who the Being of a God disclaim,
And think meer Chance produc'd this wond'rous Frame,
Say, did you e'er reflect, Lucretian Tribe,
To Matter what Perfections you ascribe?
Can you to Dust such Veneration show,
An Atome with such Privilege endow,
That from its Nature's pure Necessity
It should Exist, and no Corruption see?
And think meer Chance produc'd this wond'rous Frame,
Say, did you e'er reflect, Lucretian Tribe,
To Matter what Perfections you ascribe?
Can you to Dust such Veneration show,
An Atome with such Privilege endow,
That from its Nature's pure Necessity
It should Exist, and no Corruption see?
Since your first Atomes Independent are,
And not each other's Being prop and bear,
And since to This it is Fortuitous
That others should Existence have, suppose
You in your Mind one Atome should remove
From all the Troops, that in the Vacant strove,
Cannot our Thought conceive one Atome less?
If so, you Grecian Sages must confess
That Matter, which you Independent name,
Cannot a Being Necessary claim:
For what has Being from Necessity,
It is Impossible it should not Be.
And not each other's Being prop and bear,
And since to This it is Fortuitous
That others should Existence have, suppose
You in your Mind one Atome should remove
From all the Troops, that in the Vacant strove,
Cannot our Thought conceive one Atome less?
If so, you Grecian Sages must confess
113
Cannot a Being Necessary claim:
For what has Being from Necessity,
It is Impossible it should not Be.
Why has an Atome this one Place possest
Of all the empty Void, and not the rest?
If by its Nature's Force 'tis present here,
By the same Force it must be ev'ry where;
Can Beings be confin'd, which Necessary are?
If a first Body may to any Place
Be not determin'd, in the boundless Space,
'Tis plain, it then may absent be from all;
Who then will this a Self-existence call?
As Time does vast Eternity regard,
So Place is with Infinitude compar'd:
A Being then, which never did commence,
Must, as Eternal, likewise be Immense.
What Cause within, or what without is found,
That can a Being Uncreated bound?
None that's Internal, for it has no Cause;
Nor can it be controul'd by Foreign Laws,
For then it clearly would dependent be
On Force superior, which will ne'er agree
With Self-existence, and Necessity.
Absurdly then to Atomes you assign
Such Pow'rs, and such Prerogatives Divine:
Thus while the Notion of a God you slight,
Your selves (who vainly think you reason right)
Make vile Material Gods, in number infinite.
Of all the empty Void, and not the rest?
If by its Nature's Force 'tis present here,
By the same Force it must be ev'ry where;
Can Beings be confin'd, which Necessary are?
If a first Body may to any Place
Be not determin'd, in the boundless Space,
'Tis plain, it then may absent be from all;
Who then will this a Self-existence call?
As Time does vast Eternity regard,
So Place is with Infinitude compar'd:
A Being then, which never did commence,
Must, as Eternal, likewise be Immense.
114
That can a Being Uncreated bound?
None that's Internal, for it has no Cause;
Nor can it be controul'd by Foreign Laws,
For then it clearly would dependent be
On Force superior, which will ne'er agree
With Self-existence, and Necessity.
Absurdly then to Atomes you assign
Such Pow'rs, and such Prerogatives Divine:
Thus while the Notion of a God you slight,
Your selves (who vainly think you reason right)
Make vile Material Gods, in number infinite.
Now let us, as 'tis just, in turn prepare
To stand the Foe, and wage defensive War.
Lucretius first, a mighty Hero, springs
Into the Field, and his own Triumph sings.
He brings, to make us from our Ground retire,
The Reas'ners Weapons, and the Poet's Fire.
The tuneful Sophist thus his Battel forms,
Our Bullwarks thus in polish'd Armor storms.
To stand the Foe, and wage defensive War.
Lucretius first, a mighty Hero, springs
Into the Field, and his own Triumph sings.
115
The Reas'ners Weapons, and the Poet's Fire.
The tuneful Sophist thus his Battel forms,
Our Bullwarks thus in polish'd Armor storms.
To Parent Matter Things their Being owe,
Because from Nothing no Productions flow.
And if we grant no Pre-existent Seed,
Things Diff'rent Things, from what they do, might breed,
And any Thing from any Thing proceed.
The spicy Groves might Scythia's Hills adorn,
The Thistle might the Amaranth have born,
The Vine the Lemon, and the Grape the Thorn.
Herds from the Hills, Men from the Seas might Rise,
From Woods the Whales, and Lyons from the Skies.
Because from Nothing no Productions flow.
And if we grant no Pre-existent Seed,
Things Diff'rent Things, from what they do, might breed,
And any Thing from any Thing proceed.
The spicy Groves might Scythia's Hills adorn,
The Thistle might the Amaranth have born,
The Vine the Lemon, and the Grape the Thorn.
Herds from the Hills, Men from the Seas might Rise,
From Woods the Whales, and Lyons from the Skies.
116
Th' elated Bard here with a Conqu'ror's Air
Disdainful smiles, and bids his Foes despair.
But, Carus, here you use Poetic Charms,
And not assail us with the Reas'ner's Arms.
Where all is clear you fancy'd Doubts remove,
And what, we grant with Ease, with Labour prove.
What you should prove, but cannot, you decline,
But chuse a Thing you can, and there you shine.
Disdainful smiles, and bids his Foes despair.
But, Carus, here you use Poetic Charms,
And not assail us with the Reas'ner's Arms.
Where all is clear you fancy'd Doubts remove,
And what, we grant with Ease, with Labour prove.
What you should prove, but cannot, you decline,
But chuse a Thing you can, and there you shine.
Tell us, fam'd Roman, was it e'er deny'd,
That Seeds for such Productions are supply'd?
That Nature always must Materials find
For Beasts and Trees, to propagate their Kind?
All Generation the rude Peasant knows
A pre-existent Matter must suppose.
But what to Nature first her Being gave?
Tell whence your Atomes their Existence have?
We ask you whence the Seeds Constituent spring
Of ev'ry Plant, and ev'ry Living Thing,
Whence ev'ry Creature should produce its Kind,
And to its proper Species be confin'd?
To answer this, Lucretius, will require
More than sweet Numbers and Poetic Fire.
That Seeds for such Productions are supply'd?
That Nature always must Materials find
For Beasts and Trees, to propagate their Kind?
All Generation the rude Peasant knows
A pre-existent Matter must suppose.
117
Tell whence your Atomes their Existence have?
We ask you whence the Seeds Constituent spring
Of ev'ry Plant, and ev'ry Living Thing,
Whence ev'ry Creature should produce its Kind,
And to its proper Species be confin'd?
To answer this, Lucretius, will require
More than sweet Numbers and Poetic Fire.
But see, how well the Poet will support
His Cause, if we the Argument retort.
If Chance alone could manage, sort, divide,
And, Beings to produce, your Atomes guide;
If casual Concourse did the World compose,
And Things from Hits Fortuitous arose,
Then any Thing might come from any Thing,
For how from Chance can constant Order spring?
The Forest Oak might bear the blushing Rose,
And fragrant Mirtles thrive in Russian Snows.
The fair Pomgranate might adorn the Pine,
The Grape the Bramble, and the Sloe the Vine.
Fish from the Plains, Birds from the Floods might Rise,
And lowing Herds break from the Starry Skies.
His Cause, if we the Argument retort.
If Chance alone could manage, sort, divide,
And, Beings to produce, your Atomes guide;
If casual Concourse did the World compose,
And Things from Hits Fortuitous arose,
Then any Thing might come from any Thing,
For how from Chance can constant Order spring?
118
And fragrant Mirtles thrive in Russian Snows.
The fair Pomgranate might adorn the Pine,
The Grape the Bramble, and the Sloe the Vine.
Fish from the Plains, Birds from the Floods might Rise,
And lowing Herds break from the Starry Skies.
But, see, the Chief does keener Weapons chuse,
Advances bold, and thus the Fight renews.
Advances bold, and thus the Fight renews.
“If I were doubtful of the Source and Spring
“Whence Things arise, I from the Skies could bring,
“And ev'ry Part of Nature, Proofs to show
“The World to Gods cannot its Being owe,
“So full of Faults is all th' unartful Frame:
“First we the Air's unpeopled Desart blame.
“Brute Beasts possess the Hill, and shady Wood,
“Much do the Lakes but more the Ocean's Flood
“(Which severs Realms, and Shores divided laves,)
“Take from the Land by Interposing Waves.
“One third by freezing Cold and burning Heat
“Lyes a deform'd, inhospitable Seat:
“The rest, unlabour'd, would by Nature breed
“Wild Brambles only, and the noxious Weed:
“Did not Industrious Man, with endless Toil,
“Extort his Food from the reluctant Soil,
“Did not the Farmer's Steel the Furrow wound,
“And Harrows tear the Harvest from the Ground,
“The Earth would no spontaneous Fruits afford
“To Man, her vain imaginary Lord.
“Oft when the labouring Hind has plough'd the Field,
“And forc'd the Glebe unwillingly to yield,
“When Green and Flowry Nature crowns his Hope
“With the gay Promise of a plenteous Crop,
“The Fruits (sad Ruin!) perish on the Ground,
“Burnt by the Sun, or by the Deluge drown'd;
“Or soon decay by Snows immod'rate chill'd,
“By Winds are blasted, or by Lightning kill'd.
“Nature besides, the Savage Beast sustains,
“Breeds in the Hills the Terror of the Plains,
“To Man a fatal Race, could this be so
“Did gracious Gods dispose of Things below?
“Whence Things arise, I from the Skies could bring,
“And ev'ry Part of Nature, Proofs to show
“The World to Gods cannot its Being owe,
“So full of Faults is all th' unartful Frame:
“First we the Air's unpeopled Desart blame.
119
“Much do the Lakes but more the Ocean's Flood
“(Which severs Realms, and Shores divided laves,)
“Take from the Land by Interposing Waves.
“One third by freezing Cold and burning Heat
“Lyes a deform'd, inhospitable Seat:
“The rest, unlabour'd, would by Nature breed
“Wild Brambles only, and the noxious Weed:
“Did not Industrious Man, with endless Toil,
“Extort his Food from the reluctant Soil,
“Did not the Farmer's Steel the Furrow wound,
“And Harrows tear the Harvest from the Ground,
“The Earth would no spontaneous Fruits afford
“To Man, her vain imaginary Lord.
“Oft when the labouring Hind has plough'd the Field,
“And forc'd the Glebe unwillingly to yield,
120
“With the gay Promise of a plenteous Crop,
“The Fruits (sad Ruin!) perish on the Ground,
“Burnt by the Sun, or by the Deluge drown'd;
“Or soon decay by Snows immod'rate chill'd,
“By Winds are blasted, or by Lightning kill'd.
“Nature besides, the Savage Beast sustains,
“Breeds in the Hills the Terror of the Plains,
“To Man a fatal Race, could this be so
“Did gracious Gods dispose of Things below?
“Their proper Plagues with annual Seasons come,
“And Deaths untimely blast us in the Bloom.
“Man at his Birth, unhappy Son of Grief!
“Is helpless cast on the wild Coasts of Life,
“In want of all Things, whence our Comforts flow,
“A sad and moving Spectacle of Woe.
“Infants in ill-presaging Cries complain,
“As conscious of a coming Life of Pain.
“All Things mean time to Beasts kind Nature grants,
“Prevents their Suff'rings, and supplies their Wants.
“Brought forth with Ease, they grow, and skip, and feed,
“No dandling Nurse, or jingling Gugaw need;
“In Caves they lurk, or o'er the Mountains range,
“Nor ever thro' the Year their Garment change.
“Unverst in Arms and ignorant of War,
“They need no Forts, and no Invasion fear.
“Whate'er they want, from Nature's hand they gain,
“The Life she gave she watches to maintain.
“And Deaths untimely blast us in the Bloom.
“Man at his Birth, unhappy Son of Grief!
“Is helpless cast on the wild Coasts of Life,
121
“A sad and moving Spectacle of Woe.
“Infants in ill-presaging Cries complain,
“As conscious of a coming Life of Pain.
“All Things mean time to Beasts kind Nature grants,
“Prevents their Suff'rings, and supplies their Wants.
“Brought forth with Ease, they grow, and skip, and feed,
“No dandling Nurse, or jingling Gugaw need;
“In Caves they lurk, or o'er the Mountains range,
“Nor ever thro' the Year their Garment change.
“Unverst in Arms and ignorant of War,
“They need no Forts, and no Invasion fear.
“Whate'er they want, from Nature's hand they gain,
“The Life she gave she watches to maintain.
122
Thus impotent in Sense, tho' strong in Rage,
The daring Roman does the Gods engage.
But undismay'd we face th' Intrepid Foe,
Sustain his Onset, and thus ward the Blow.
The daring Roman does the Gods engage.
But undismay'd we face th' Intrepid Foe,
Sustain his Onset, and thus ward the Blow.
Suppose Defects in this Terrestrial Seat,
That Nature is not, as you urge, Compleat:
That a Divine and Wise Artificer
Might greater Wonders of his Art confer;
And might with Ease on Man, and Man's Abode,
More Bounty, more Perfection have bestow'd.
If in this lower World he has not shown
His utmost Skill, say, has he therefore none?
We in Productions Arbitrary see
Marks of Perfection different in degree.
Tho' Masters now more Skill, now less impart,
Yet are not all their Works, the Works of Art?
Do Poets still sublimer Subjects sing,
Still stretch to Heav'n a bold aspiring Wing,
Nor e'er descend to Flocks, and lab'ring Swains,
Frequent the Floods, or range the humble Plains?
Did, Græcian Phidias, all thy Pieces shine
With equal Beauty? or, Apelles, thine?
Or Raphael's Pencil never chuse to fall?
Say, are his Works Transfigurations all?
Did Buonorota never build, O Rome,
A meaner Structure, than thy wondrous Dome?
Tho' in their Works applauded as their best,
Greater Design and Genius are exprest,
Yet is there none acknowledg'd in the rest?
That Nature is not, as you urge, Compleat:
That a Divine and Wise Artificer
Might greater Wonders of his Art confer;
And might with Ease on Man, and Man's Abode,
More Bounty, more Perfection have bestow'd.
If in this lower World he has not shown
His utmost Skill, say, has he therefore none?
We in Productions Arbitrary see
Marks of Perfection different in degree.
Tho' Masters now more Skill, now less impart,
Yet are not all their Works, the Works of Art?
123
Still stretch to Heav'n a bold aspiring Wing,
Nor e'er descend to Flocks, and lab'ring Swains,
Frequent the Floods, or range the humble Plains?
Did, Græcian Phidias, all thy Pieces shine
With equal Beauty? or, Apelles, thine?
Or Raphael's Pencil never chuse to fall?
Say, are his Works Transfigurations all?
Did Buonorota never build, O Rome,
A meaner Structure, than thy wondrous Dome?
Tho' in their Works applauded as their best,
Greater Design and Genius are exprest,
Yet is there none acknowledg'd in the rest?
In all the Parts of Nature's spacious Sphere
Of Art ten thousand Miracles appear:
And will you not the Author's Skill adore,
Because you think he might discover more?
You own a Watch th' Invention of the Mind,
Tho' for a single Motion 'tis design'd,
As well as that, which is with greater Thought,
With various Springs, for various Motions wrought.
Of Art ten thousand Miracles appear:
And will you not the Author's Skill adore,
Because you think he might discover more?
124
Tho' for a single Motion 'tis design'd,
As well as that, which is with greater Thought,
With various Springs, for various Motions wrought.
An Independent, Wise and Conscious Cause,
Who freely acts by Arbitrary Laws,
Who at Connexion, and at Order aims,
Creatures distinguish'd in Perfection frames.
Unconscious Causes only still impart
Their utmost Skill, their utmost Pow'r exert.
Those, which can freely chuse, discern, and know,
In acting can degrees of Vigour show,
And more or less of Art or Care bestow.
If all Perfection were in all Things shown,
All Beauty, all Variety were gone.
Who freely acts by Arbitrary Laws,
Who at Connexion, and at Order aims,
Creatures distinguish'd in Perfection frames.
Unconscious Causes only still impart
Their utmost Skill, their utmost Pow'r exert.
Those, which can freely chuse, discern, and know,
In acting can degrees of Vigour show,
And more or less of Art or Care bestow.
If all Perfection were in all Things shown,
All Beauty, all Variety were gone.
125
As this inferior Habitable Seat
By different Parts is made one Whole Compleat,
So our low World is only one of those,
Which the Capacious Universe compose.
Now to the Universal Whole advert;
The Earth regard, as of that Whole a Part,
In which wide Frame more noble Worlds abound;
Witness, ye glorious Orbs, which hang around,
Ye shining Planets that in Ether stray,
And thou bright Lord and Ruler of the Day!
Witness, ye Stars, which beautifie the Skies,
How much do your vast Globes in Height and Size,
In Beauty and Magnificence, outgo
Our Ball of Earth, that hangs in Clouds below!
Between your selves too is Distinction found,
Of diff'rent Bulk with diff'rent Glory crown'd.
The People, which in your bright Regions dwell,
Must this low World's Inhabitants excell.
And since to various Planets they agree,
They from each other must distinguish'd be,
And own Perfections diff'rent in Degree.
By different Parts is made one Whole Compleat,
So our low World is only one of those,
Which the Capacious Universe compose.
Now to the Universal Whole advert;
The Earth regard, as of that Whole a Part,
In which wide Frame more noble Worlds abound;
Witness, ye glorious Orbs, which hang around,
Ye shining Planets that in Ether stray,
And thou bright Lord and Ruler of the Day!
Witness, ye Stars, which beautifie the Skies,
How much do your vast Globes in Height and Size,
In Beauty and Magnificence, outgo
Our Ball of Earth, that hangs in Clouds below!
Between your selves too is Distinction found,
Of diff'rent Bulk with diff'rent Glory crown'd.
The People, which in your bright Regions dwell,
Must this low World's Inhabitants excell.
126
They from each other must distinguish'd be,
And own Perfections diff'rent in Degree.
When we on fruitful Nature's Care reflect,
And her Exhaustless Energy respect,
That stocks this Globe, which you Lucretians call
The World's course Dreggs, which to the Bottom fall,
With num'rous Kinds of Life, and bounteous fills
With breathing Guests the Vallies, Floods and Hills:
We may pronounce each Orb sustains a Race
Of Living Things adapted to the Place.
Were the refulgent Parts and most refin'd
Only to serve the dark and base design'd?
Were all the Stars, those beauteous Realms of Light,
At distance only hung to shine by Night,
And with their twinkling Beams to please our Sight?
How many roll in Ether, which the Eye
Could ne'er, 'till aided by the Glass, descry,
And which no Commerce with the Earth maintain?
Are all those Glorious Empires made in vain?
And her Exhaustless Energy respect,
That stocks this Globe, which you Lucretians call
The World's course Dreggs, which to the Bottom fall,
With num'rous Kinds of Life, and bounteous fills
With breathing Guests the Vallies, Floods and Hills:
We may pronounce each Orb sustains a Race
Of Living Things adapted to the Place.
Were the refulgent Parts and most refin'd
Only to serve the dark and base design'd?
127
At distance only hung to shine by Night,
And with their twinkling Beams to please our Sight?
How many roll in Ether, which the Eye
Could ne'er, 'till aided by the Glass, descry,
And which no Commerce with the Earth maintain?
Are all those Glorious Empires made in vain?
Now, as I said, the Globe Terrestrial view,
As of the Whole a Part, a mean one too.
Tho' 'tis not like th' Etherial Worlds refin'd,
Yet is it just, and finish'd in its Kind:
Has all Perfection, which the Place demands,
Where in Coherence with the rest it stands.
Were to your View the Universe display'd,
And all the Scenes of Nature open laid,
Could you their Place, Proportion, Harmony,
Their Beauty, Order and Dependence see,
You'd grant our Globe had all the Marks of Art,
All the Perfection due to such a Part,
Tho' not with Lustre, or with Magnitude,
Like the bright Stars, or brighter Sun, endu'd.
As of the Whole a Part, a mean one too.
Tho' 'tis not like th' Etherial Worlds refin'd,
Yet is it just, and finish'd in its Kind:
Has all Perfection, which the Place demands,
Where in Coherence with the rest it stands.
Were to your View the Universe display'd,
And all the Scenes of Nature open laid,
128
Their Beauty, Order and Dependence see,
You'd grant our Globe had all the Marks of Art,
All the Perfection due to such a Part,
Tho' not with Lustre, or with Magnitude,
Like the bright Stars, or brighter Sun, endu'd.
You oft declaim on Man's unhappy Fate,
Insulting oft demand in this Debate,
If the kind Gods could such a Wretch create.
Insulting oft demand in this Debate,
If the kind Gods could such a Wretch create.
But whence can this Unhappiness arise?
You say, as soon as Born, he helpless lies,
And mourns his Woes in Ill-presaging Cries.
But does not Nature for the Child prepare
The Parent's Love, the Nurse's tender Care,
Who of their own forgetful seek his Good,
Enfold his Limbs in Bands, and fill his Veins with Food?
You say, as soon as Born, he helpless lies,
And mourns his Woes in Ill-presaging Cries.
But does not Nature for the Child prepare
The Parent's Love, the Nurse's tender Care,
Who of their own forgetful seek his Good,
Enfold his Limbs in Bands, and fill his Veins with Food?
129
That Man is Frail and Mortal, is confest;
Convulsions rack his Nerves, and Cares his Breast.
His flying Life is chas'd by rav'ning Pains
Thro' all its Doubles in the winding Veins.
Within himself he sure Destruction breeds,
And secret Torment in his Bowels feeds.
By cruel Tyrants, by the Savage Beast,
Or his own fiercer Passions he's opprest:
Now breaths Malignant Air, now Poison drinks;
By gradual Death, or by untimely, sinks.
Convulsions rack his Nerves, and Cares his Breast.
His flying Life is chas'd by rav'ning Pains
Thro' all its Doubles in the winding Veins.
Within himself he sure Destruction breeds,
And secret Torment in his Bowels feeds.
By cruel Tyrants, by the Savage Beast,
Or his own fiercer Passions he's opprest:
Now breaths Malignant Air, now Poison drinks;
By gradual Death, or by untimely, sinks.
But these Objectors must the Cause upbraid,
That has not Mortal Man Immortal made.
For if he once must feel the fatal Blow,
Is it of great Importance When, or How?
Should the Lucretian ling'ring Life maintain
Thro' num'rous Ages, ignorant of Pain,
Still might the discontented Murm'rer cry,
Ah hapless Fate of Man! ah Wretch doom'd once to Die!
That has not Mortal Man Immortal made.
For if he once must feel the fatal Blow,
Is it of great Importance When, or How?
Should the Lucretian ling'ring Life maintain
Thro' num'rous Ages, ignorant of Pain,
130
Ah hapless Fate of Man! ah Wretch doom'd once to Die!
But oh! how soon would you, who thus complain,
And Nature's Cause of Cruelty arraign,
By Reason's Standard this Mistake correct,
And cease to murmur, did you once reflect,
That Death removes us only from our Seat,
Does not extinguish Life, but change its State.
Then are display'd, oh ravishing Surprize!
Fair Scenes of Bliss, and Triumphs in the Skies;
To which admitted, each superior Mind,
By Virtue's vital Energy refin'd,
Shines forth with more than solar Glory bright
And cloath'd with Robes of Beatific Light,
His Hours in Heav'nly Transports shall employ,
Young with Immortal Bloom from living Streams of Joy.
And Nature's Cause of Cruelty arraign,
By Reason's Standard this Mistake correct,
And cease to murmur, did you once reflect,
That Death removes us only from our Seat,
Does not extinguish Life, but change its State.
Then are display'd, oh ravishing Surprize!
Fair Scenes of Bliss, and Triumphs in the Skies;
To which admitted, each superior Mind,
By Virtue's vital Energy refin'd,
Shines forth with more than solar Glory bright
And cloath'd with Robes of Beatific Light,
131
Young with Immortal Bloom from living Streams of Joy.
You ask us, why the Soil the Thistle breeds,
Why its spontaneous Births are Thorns and Weeds,
Why for the Harvest it the Harrow needs?
Why its spontaneous Births are Thorns and Weeds,
Why for the Harvest it the Harrow needs?
The Author might a nobler World have made,
In brighter Dress the Hills and Vales array'd,
And all its Face in flowry Scenes display'd:
The Glebe untill'd might plenteous Crops have born,
And brought forth spicy Groves instead of Thorn:
Rich Fruit and Flowers without the Gard'ner's Pains
Might ev'ry Hill have crown'd, have honour'd all the Plains:
This Nature might have boasted, had the Mind
Who form'd the spacious Universe, design'd
That Man from Labour free, as well as Grief,
Should pass in lazy Luxury his Life.
But he his Creature gave a fertile Soil,
Fertile, but not without the Owner's Toil;
That some Reward his Industry should crown,
And that his Food in part might be his own.
In brighter Dress the Hills and Vales array'd,
And all its Face in flowry Scenes display'd:
The Glebe untill'd might plenteous Crops have born,
And brought forth spicy Groves instead of Thorn:
Rich Fruit and Flowers without the Gard'ner's Pains
Might ev'ry Hill have crown'd, have honour'd all the Plains:
132
Who form'd the spacious Universe, design'd
That Man from Labour free, as well as Grief,
Should pass in lazy Luxury his Life.
But he his Creature gave a fertile Soil,
Fertile, but not without the Owner's Toil;
That some Reward his Industry should crown,
And that his Food in part might be his own.
But while insulting you arraign the Land,
Ask, why it wants the Plough, or Lab'rer's Hand;
Kind to the Marble Rocks, you ne'er complain
That they without the Sculptor's Skill and Pain
No perfect Statue yield, no Basse Relieve,
Or finish'd Column for the Palace give.
Yet if from Hills unlabour'd Figures came,
Man might have Ease enjoy'd, tho' never Fame.
Ask, why it wants the Plough, or Lab'rer's Hand;
Kind to the Marble Rocks, you ne'er complain
That they without the Sculptor's Skill and Pain
No perfect Statue yield, no Basse Relieve,
Or finish'd Column for the Palace give.
Yet if from Hills unlabour'd Figures came,
Man might have Ease enjoy'd, tho' never Fame.
133
You may the World of more Defects upbraid,
That other Works by Nature are unmade.
That she did never at her own Expence
A Palace reer, and in Magnificence
Out-rival Art, to grace the stately Rooms;
That she no Castle builds, no lofty Domes.
Had Nature's Hand these various Works prepar'd,
What thoughtful Care, what Labour had been spar'd?
But then no Realm would one great Master show,
No Phidias Greece, and Rome no Angelo.
With equal Reason too you might demand,
Why Boats and Ships require the Artist's Hand;
Why gen'rous Nature did not these provide
To pass the standing Lake, or flowing Tide.
That other Works by Nature are unmade.
That she did never at her own Expence
A Palace reer, and in Magnificence
Out-rival Art, to grace the stately Rooms;
That she no Castle builds, no lofty Domes.
Had Nature's Hand these various Works prepar'd,
What thoughtful Care, what Labour had been spar'd?
But then no Realm would one great Master show,
No Phidias Greece, and Rome no Angelo.
With equal Reason too you might demand,
Why Boats and Ships require the Artist's Hand;
Why gen'rous Nature did not these provide
To pass the standing Lake, or flowing Tide.
You say the Hills, which high in Air arise,
Harbour in Clouds, and mingle with the Skies,
The Earth's Dishonour and encumbring Load,
Of many spacious Regions Man defraud,
For Beasts and Birds of Prey a desolate Abode.
But can th' Objector no Convenience find
In Mountains, Hills and Rocks, which gird and bind
The mighty Frame, that else would be disjoyn'd?
Do not those Heaps the raging Tide restrain,
And for the Dome afford the Marble Vein?
Does not the River from the Mountain flow,
And bring down Riches to the Vale below?
See, how the Torrent rolls the Golden Sand
From the high Ridges to the flatter Land.
The lofty Lines abound with endless Store
Of Min'ral Treasure, and Metallic Oar;
With precious Veins of Silver, Copper, Tin,
Without how barren, yet how rich within?
They bear the Pine, the Oak and Cedar yield
To form the Palace, and the Navy build.
Harbour in Clouds, and mingle with the Skies,
134
Of many spacious Regions Man defraud,
For Beasts and Birds of Prey a desolate Abode.
But can th' Objector no Convenience find
In Mountains, Hills and Rocks, which gird and bind
The mighty Frame, that else would be disjoyn'd?
Do not those Heaps the raging Tide restrain,
And for the Dome afford the Marble Vein?
Does not the River from the Mountain flow,
And bring down Riches to the Vale below?
See, how the Torrent rolls the Golden Sand
From the high Ridges to the flatter Land.
The lofty Lines abound with endless Store
Of Min'ral Treasure, and Metallic Oar;
With precious Veins of Silver, Copper, Tin,
Without how barren, yet how rich within?
135
To form the Palace, and the Navy build.
When the Inclement Meteors you accuse,
And ask if gracious Gods would Storms produce:
You ne'er reflect, that by the driving Wind
The Air from noxious Vapours is refin'd;
Freed from the putrid Seeds of Pain and Death,
That living Creatures might not by their Breath,
Thro' their warm Veins, instead of Vital Food,
Disperse Contagion, and corrupt their Blood.
Without the Wind the Ship were made in vain,
Advent'rous Merchants could not cross the Main,
Nor sever'd Realms their gainful Trade maintain.
And ask if gracious Gods would Storms produce:
You ne'er reflect, that by the driving Wind
The Air from noxious Vapours is refin'd;
Freed from the putrid Seeds of Pain and Death,
That living Creatures might not by their Breath,
Thro' their warm Veins, instead of Vital Food,
Disperse Contagion, and corrupt their Blood.
Without the Wind the Ship were made in vain,
Advent'rous Merchants could not cross the Main,
Nor sever'd Realms their gainful Trade maintain.
Then with this wise Reflection you disturb
Your anxious Thought, that our Terrestrial Orb
In many Parts is not by Man possest,
With too much Heat, or too much Cold, opprest,
But in Mistake you this Objection found:
Unnumber'd Isles and spacious Tracts of Ground,
Which feel the Scorching Sun's directer Beam,
And did to you Inhospitable seem,
With Tawny Nations, or with Black abound,
With noble Rivers lav'd, with Plenty crown'd.
And Regions too from the bright Orb remote
Are Peopled, which you unfrequented thought.
Your anxious Thought, that our Terrestrial Orb
136
With too much Heat, or too much Cold, opprest,
But in Mistake you this Objection found:
Unnumber'd Isles and spacious Tracts of Ground,
Which feel the Scorching Sun's directer Beam,
And did to you Inhospitable seem,
With Tawny Nations, or with Black abound,
With noble Rivers lav'd, with Plenty crown'd.
And Regions too from the bright Orb remote
Are Peopled, which you unfrequented thought.
But could Lucretius on the Sun reflect,
His proper Distance from the Earth respect,
Observe his constant Road, his equal Pace,
His Round Diurnal, and his Annual Race;
Could he regard the Nature of the Light,
Its beauteous Lustre, and its rapid Flight,
And its relation to the Sense of Sight;
Could he to all these Miracles advert,
And not in all perceive one Stroke of Art?
Grant, that the Motions of the Sun are such,
That some have Light too little, some too much,
Grant, that in diff'rent Tracks he might have roll'd,
And giv'n each Clime more equal Heat and Cold.
Yet view the Revolutions, as they are,
Does there no Wisdom, no Design appear?
Cou'd any but a Knowing, Prudent Cause,
Begin such Motions, and assign such Laws?
If the Great Mind had form'd a diff'rent Frame,
Might not your wanton Wit the System blame?
Tho' here you all Perfection should not find,
Yet is it all th' Eternal Will design'd,
It is a finish'd World, and perfect in its Kind.
Not that its Regions ev'ry Charm include,
With which Celestial Empires are endu'd:
Nor is Consummate Goodness here conferr'd,
If we Perfection absolute regard;
But what's before asserted, we repeat,
Of the vast Whole it is a Part compleat.
His proper Distance from the Earth respect,
Observe his constant Road, his equal Pace,
His Round Diurnal, and his Annual Race;
Could he regard the Nature of the Light,
Its beauteous Lustre, and its rapid Flight,
And its relation to the Sense of Sight;
137
And not in all perceive one Stroke of Art?
Grant, that the Motions of the Sun are such,
That some have Light too little, some too much,
Grant, that in diff'rent Tracks he might have roll'd,
And giv'n each Clime more equal Heat and Cold.
Yet view the Revolutions, as they are,
Does there no Wisdom, no Design appear?
Cou'd any but a Knowing, Prudent Cause,
Begin such Motions, and assign such Laws?
If the Great Mind had form'd a diff'rent Frame,
Might not your wanton Wit the System blame?
Tho' here you all Perfection should not find,
Yet is it all th' Eternal Will design'd,
It is a finish'd World, and perfect in its Kind.
Not that its Regions ev'ry Charm include,
With which Celestial Empires are endu'd:
138
If we Perfection absolute regard;
But what's before asserted, we repeat,
Of the vast Whole it is a Part compleat.
But since you are displeas'd the Partial Sun
Is not Indulgent to the Frigid Zone;
Suppose more Suns in proper Orbits roll'd,
Dissolv'd the Snows, and chac'd the Polar Cold;
Or grant that This revolv'd in such a way,
As equal Heat to all he might convey,
And give the distant Poles their share of Day.
Observe how prudent Nature's Icy Hoard,
With all her Nitrous Stores, would be devour'd
Then would unbalanc'd Heat licentious reign,
Crack the dry Hill, and chap the Russet Plain.
Her Moisture all exhal'd, the cleaving Earth
Would yield no Fruit, and bear no Verdant Birth
Is not Indulgent to the Frigid Zone;
Suppose more Suns in proper Orbits roll'd,
Dissolv'd the Snows, and chac'd the Polar Cold;
Or grant that This revolv'd in such a way,
As equal Heat to all he might convey,
And give the distant Poles their share of Day.
Observe how prudent Nature's Icy Hoard,
With all her Nitrous Stores, would be devour'd
Then would unbalanc'd Heat licentious reign,
Crack the dry Hill, and chap the Russet Plain.
Her Moisture all exhal'd, the cleaving Earth
Would yield no Fruit, and bear no Verdant Birth
139
You of the Pools and spacious Lakes complain,
And of the liquid Desarts of the Main,
As hurtful these, or useless, you arraign.
And of the liquid Desarts of the Main,
As hurtful these, or useless, you arraign.
Besides the Pleasure, which the Lakes afford,
Are not their Waves with Fish delicious stor'd?
Does not the wide capacious Deep, the Sky
With Dewy Clouds, the Earth with Rain supply?
Do not the Rivers, which the Vally lave,
Creep thro' the secret Subterranean Cave,
And to the Hills convey the Refluent Wave.
You then must own the Earth the Ocean needs,
Which thus the Lake recruits, the Fountain feeds.
Are not their Waves with Fish delicious stor'd?
Does not the wide capacious Deep, the Sky
With Dewy Clouds, the Earth with Rain supply?
Do not the Rivers, which the Vally lave,
Creep thro' the secret Subterranean Cave,
And to the Hills convey the Refluent Wave.
You then must own the Earth the Ocean needs,
Which thus the Lake recruits, the Fountain feeds.
The noxious Plant and savage Animal,
Which you the Earth's reproach and blemish call,
Are useful various ways, if not for Food,
For Manufactures or for Med'cine good.
Thus we repel with Reason, not evade
The bold Objections by Lucretius made.
Which you the Earth's reproach and blemish call,
Are useful various ways, if not for Food,
For Manufactures or for Med'cine good.
140
The bold Objections by Lucretius made.
Pyrrhonians next of like ambitious Aim,
Wanton of Wit, and panting after Fame,
Who strove to sink the Sects of chief Renown,
And on their ruin'd Schools to raise their own,
Boldly presum'd, with Rhetorician Pride,
To hold of any Question either side.
They thought in ev'ry Subject of Debate,
In either Scale the proof of equal Weight.
Wanton of Wit, and panting after Fame,
Who strove to sink the Sects of chief Renown,
And on their ruin'd Schools to raise their own,
Boldly presum'd, with Rhetorician Pride,
To hold of any Question either side.
They thought in ev'ry Subject of Debate,
In either Scale the proof of equal Weight.
Ask, if a God Existent they allow,
The vain Declaimers will attempt to show,
That whether you renounce him, or assert,
There's no superior Proof on either part.
Suppose a God, we must, say they, conclude
He lives, if so, he is with Sense endu'd;
And if with Sense endu'd may Pain perceive,
And what can suffer Pain may cease to live.
The vain Declaimers will attempt to show,
That whether you renounce him, or assert,
There's no superior Proof on either part.
Suppose a God, we must, say they, conclude
He lives, if so, he is with Sense endu'd;
141
And what can suffer Pain may cease to live.
Pyrrhonians, we a Living God adore,
An unexhausted Spring of Vital Pow'r;
But his Immortal, Uncreated Life
No Torment feels, and no destructive Grief.
Does he by diff'rent Organs taste or hear?
Or by an Eye do Things to him appear?
Has he a Muscle or extended Nerve,
Which to impart or Pain or Pleasure serve?
Of all Perfection possible possest,
He finds no Want, nor is with Woe opprest.
Tho' we can ne'er explore the Life Divine,
And sound the blest Abyss by Reason's Line,
Yet 'tis not, Mortal Man, a Transient Life, like thine.
An unexhausted Spring of Vital Pow'r;
But his Immortal, Uncreated Life
No Torment feels, and no destructive Grief.
Does he by diff'rent Organs taste or hear?
Or by an Eye do Things to him appear?
Has he a Muscle or extended Nerve,
Which to impart or Pain or Pleasure serve?
Of all Perfection possible possest,
He finds no Want, nor is with Woe opprest.
Tho' we can ne'er explore the Life Divine,
And sound the blest Abyss by Reason's Line,
Yet 'tis not, Mortal Man, a Transient Life, like thine.
142
Others, to whom the whole Mechanic Tribe
With an Harmonious Sympathy subscribe,
Nature with Empire Universal crown,
And this high Queen the World's Creator own
If you, what Builder reer'd the World, demand,
They say 'twas done by Nature's pow'rful Hand
If whence its Order and its Beauty rose,
Nature, they say, did so the Frame dispose.
If what its steady Motions does maintain,
And holds of Causes and Effects the Chain;
O'er all her Works this Sov'reign Cause presides
Upholds the Orbs, and all their Motions guides
Since to her Bounty we such Blessings owe,
Our Gen'rous Benefactor let us know.
When the Word Nature you express, declare
Form'd in your Minds what Image does appear
Can you that Term of doubtful Sound explain,
Show it no Idle Off-spring of the Brain?
With an Harmonious Sympathy subscribe,
Nature with Empire Universal crown,
And this high Queen the World's Creator own
If you, what Builder reer'd the World, demand,
They say 'twas done by Nature's pow'rful Hand
If whence its Order and its Beauty rose,
Nature, they say, did so the Frame dispose.
If what its steady Motions does maintain,
And holds of Causes and Effects the Chain;
O'er all her Works this Sov'reign Cause presides
Upholds the Orbs, and all their Motions guides
Since to her Bounty we such Blessings owe,
Our Gen'rous Benefactor let us know.
When the Word Nature you express, declare
Form'd in your Minds what Image does appear
Can you that Term of doubtful Sound explain,
Show it no Idle Off-spring of the Brain?
143
Sometimes by Nature your inlight'ned School
Intends of things the Universal Whole.
Sometimes it is the Order, that connects,
And holds the Chain of Causes and Effects.
Sometimes it is the Manner, and the Way,
In which those Causes do their Force convey,
And in Effects their Energy display.
That she's the Work it self you oft assert,
As oft th' Artificer, as oft the Art.
That is, that we may Nature clearly trace,
And by your Marks distinctly know her Face,
She's now the Building, now the Architect,
And now the Rule which does his Hand direct.
Intends of things the Universal Whole.
Sometimes it is the Order, that connects,
And holds the Chain of Causes and Effects.
Sometimes it is the Manner, and the Way,
In which those Causes do their Force convey,
And in Effects their Energy display.
That she's the Work it self you oft assert,
As oft th' Artificer, as oft the Art.
That is, that we may Nature clearly trace,
And by your Marks distinctly know her Face,
She's now the Building, now the Architect,
And now the Rule which does his Hand direct.
But let this Empress be whate'er you please;
Let her be all, or any one of These;
She is with Reason, or she's not, endu'd;
If you the first affirm, we thence conclude
A God, whose Being you oppose, you grant:
But if this mighty Queen does Reason want,
How could this noble Fabrick be design'd,
And fashion'd by a Maker Brute and Blind?
Could it of Art such Miracles invent?
And raise a beauteous World of such Extent?
Still at the Helm does this dark Pilot stand,
And with a steady, never-erring Hand,
Steer all the floating Worlds, and their set Course command?
Let her be all, or any one of These;
She is with Reason, or she's not, endu'd;
If you the first affirm, we thence conclude
144
But if this mighty Queen does Reason want,
How could this noble Fabrick be design'd,
And fashion'd by a Maker Brute and Blind?
Could it of Art such Miracles invent?
And raise a beauteous World of such Extent?
Still at the Helm does this dark Pilot stand,
And with a steady, never-erring Hand,
Steer all the floating Worlds, and their set Course command?
That clearer Strokes of Masterly Design,
Of Wise Contrivance, and of Judgment shine
In all the Parts of Nature, we assert,
Than in the brightest Works of Human Art:
And shall not Those be judg'd th' effect of Thought
As well as These with Skill inferior wrought?
Let such a Sphere to India be convey'd,
As Archimede or modern Hugens made;
Will not the Indian, tho' untaught and rude,
This Work th' Effect of wise Design conclude?
Is there such Skill in Imitation shown,
And in the Things, we Imitate, is none?
Are not our Arts by artful Nature taught,
With Pain and careful Observation sought?
Of Wise Contrivance, and of Judgment shine
In all the Parts of Nature, we assert,
Than in the brightest Works of Human Art:
And shall not Those be judg'd th' effect of Thought
As well as These with Skill inferior wrought?
145
As Archimede or modern Hugens made;
Will not the Indian, tho' untaught and rude,
This Work th' Effect of wise Design conclude?
Is there such Skill in Imitation shown,
And in the Things, we Imitate, is none?
Are not our Arts by artful Nature taught,
With Pain and careful Observation sought?
Behold the Painter, who with Nature vies,
See his whole Soul exerted in his Eyes!
He views her various Scenes, intent to trace
The Master Lines, that form her finish'd Face:
Are Thought and Conduct in the Copy clear,
While none in all th' Original appear?
See his whole Soul exerted in his Eyes!
He views her various Scenes, intent to trace
The Master Lines, that form her finish'd Face:
Are Thought and Conduct in the Copy clear,
While none in all th' Original appear?
Tell us what Master, for Mechanicks fam'd,
Has one Machine so admirably fram'd,
Where you will Art in such Perfection grant,
As in a living Creature, or a Plant?
Declare what curious Workmanship can vie
Or with a Hand or Foot, an Ear or Eye?
That can for Skill as much Applause deserve,
As the fine Texture of the Fibrous Nerve,
Or the stupendous System, which contains
Th' Arterial Channels, or the winding Veins?
What Artificial Frame, what Instrument
Did one Superior Genius yet invent,
Which to the Bones or Muscles is prefer'd,
If you their Order, Form, or Use regard?
Why then to Works of Nature is assign'd
An Author Unintelligent and Blind,
When ours proceed from Choice and conscious Mind?
Has one Machine so admirably fram'd,
146
As in a living Creature, or a Plant?
Declare what curious Workmanship can vie
Or with a Hand or Foot, an Ear or Eye?
That can for Skill as much Applause deserve,
As the fine Texture of the Fibrous Nerve,
Or the stupendous System, which contains
Th' Arterial Channels, or the winding Veins?
What Artificial Frame, what Instrument
Did one Superior Genius yet invent,
Which to the Bones or Muscles is prefer'd,
If you their Order, Form, or Use regard?
Why then to Works of Nature is assign'd
An Author Unintelligent and Blind,
When ours proceed from Choice and conscious Mind?
To this you say, that Nature's are indeed
Most artful Works, but then they ne'er proceed
From Nature acting with Design and Art,
Who void of Choice her Vigour does exert;
And by unguided Motion Things produce,
Regardless of their Order, End or Use.
By Tully's Mouth thus Cotta does dispute:
But thus, with Ease the Roman we confute.
Most artful Works, but then they ne'er proceed
147
Who void of Choice her Vigour does exert;
And by unguided Motion Things produce,
Regardless of their Order, End or Use.
By Tully's Mouth thus Cotta does dispute:
But thus, with Ease the Roman we confute.
Say, if in artful Things no Art is shown,
What are the certain Marks, that make it known?
How will you artful from unartful bound,
And not th' Idæas in our Mind confound?
Than this no Truth displays before our Sight
A brighter Beam, or more convincing Light,
That skilful Works suppose a skilful Cause,
Which acts by Choice, and moves by prudent Laws.
Where you, unless you are, as Matter, blind,
Conduct and beauteous Disposition find,
Conspiring Order, Fitness, Harmony,
Use and Convenience, will you not agree
That such Effects could not be undesign'd,
Nor could proceed, but from a Knowing Mind?
What are the certain Marks, that make it known?
How will you artful from unartful bound,
And not th' Idæas in our Mind confound?
Than this no Truth displays before our Sight
A brighter Beam, or more convincing Light,
That skilful Works suppose a skilful Cause,
Which acts by Choice, and moves by prudent Laws.
Where you, unless you are, as Matter, blind,
Conduct and beauteous Disposition find,
148
Use and Convenience, will you not agree
That such Effects could not be undesign'd,
Nor could proceed, but from a Knowing Mind?
Old Systems you may try, or new ones raise,
May shift and wind and plot a thousand Ways;
May various Words, and Forms of Diction use,
And with a diff'rent Cant th' unjudging Ear amuse;
You may affirm, that Chance did Things create,
Or let it Nature be, or be it Fate;
Body alone, inert and brute, you'll find,
The Cause of all Things is by you assign'd.
And after all your fruitless Toil, if you
A Cause distinct from Matter will allow,
It must be Conscious, not like Matter Blind,
And shew you grant a God, by granting Mind.
May shift and wind and plot a thousand Ways;
May various Words, and Forms of Diction use,
And with a diff'rent Cant th' unjudging Ear amuse;
You may affirm, that Chance did Things create,
Or let it Nature be, or be it Fate;
Body alone, inert and brute, you'll find,
The Cause of all Things is by you assign'd.
And after all your fruitless Toil, if you
A Cause distinct from Matter will allow,
It must be Conscious, not like Matter Blind,
And shew you grant a God, by granting Mind.
149
Vaninus next, a hardy, modern Chief,
A bold Opposer of Divine Belief,
Attempts Religion's Fences to subvert,
Strong in his Rage, but destitute of Art.
In Impious Maxims fixt he Heav'n defy'd,
An unbelieving Anti-Martyr dy'd.
Strange, that an Atheist Pleasure should refuse,
Relinquish Life, and Death in Torment chuse!
Of Science what a despicable share
Vaninus own'd, his publish'd Dreams declare.
Let impious Wits applaud a Godless Mind,
As blest with piercing Sight, and Sense refin'd,
Contriv'd and wrought by Nature's careful Hand
All the proud Schools of Learning to Command;
Let them pronounce each Patron of their Cause,
Claims by distinguish'd Merit just Applause;
Yet I this Writer's want of Sense arraign,
Treat all his empty Pages with Disdain,
And think a grave Reply mispent and vain:
To borrow Light his Error to amend,
I would the Atheist to Vaninus send.
A bold Opposer of Divine Belief,
Attempts Religion's Fences to subvert,
Strong in his Rage, but destitute of Art.
In Impious Maxims fixt he Heav'n defy'd,
An unbelieving Anti-Martyr dy'd.
Strange, that an Atheist Pleasure should refuse,
Relinquish Life, and Death in Torment chuse!
Of Science what a despicable share
Vaninus own'd, his publish'd Dreams declare.
Let impious Wits applaud a Godless Mind,
As blest with piercing Sight, and Sense refin'd,
Contriv'd and wrought by Nature's careful Hand
All the proud Schools of Learning to Command;
Let them pronounce each Patron of their Cause,
Claims by distinguish'd Merit just Applause;
Yet I this Writer's want of Sense arraign,
Treat all his empty Pages with Disdain,
And think a grave Reply mispent and vain:
150
I would the Atheist to Vaninus send.
At length Britannia's Soil, Immortal Shame!
Brought forth a Sage of Celebrated Name,
Who with Contempt on blest Religion trod,
Mock'd all her Precepts, and renounc'd his God,
As awful Shades and Horrors of the Night
Disturb the Mother, and the Child affright,
Who see dire Spectres thro' the gloomy Air
In threat'ning Forms advance, and shuddring heart
The Groans of Wandring Ghosts, and Yellings of Despair:
From the same Spring, he says, Devotion flows
Conscience of Guilt from dread of Vengeance rose:
Religion is the Creature of the Spleen,
And troubled Fancy forms the World unseen:
That tim'rous Minds with self-tormenting Care
Create those awful Phantoms, which they fear.
Brought forth a Sage of Celebrated Name,
Who with Contempt on blest Religion trod,
Mock'd all her Precepts, and renounc'd his God,
As awful Shades and Horrors of the Night
Disturb the Mother, and the Child affright,
Who see dire Spectres thro' the gloomy Air
In threat'ning Forms advance, and shuddring heart
The Groans of Wandring Ghosts, and Yellings of Despair:
From the same Spring, he says, Devotion flows
Conscience of Guilt from dread of Vengeance rose:
Religion is the Creature of the Spleen,
And troubled Fancy forms the World unseen:
151
Create those awful Phantoms, which they fear.
Such Arms were us'd by impious Chiefs of old,
Vain as this Modern Hero, and as bold.
Who wou'd not this Philosopher adore,
For finding Worlds discover'd long before?
Can he one Flower in all his Garden show,
Which in his Grecian Master's did not grow?
And yet imperious with a Teacher's Air,
Boastful he claims a Right to Wisdom's Chair.
Gasping with ardent Thirst of false Renown,
With Grecian Wreaths he does his Temples crown,
Triumphs with borrow'd Spoils, and Trophies not his own.
The World, he grants, with Clouds was overspread,
Truth ne'er erected yet her starry Head,
'Till he bright Genius rose to chase the Night,
And thro' all Nature shone with new-sprung Light.
Vain as this Modern Hero, and as bold.
Who wou'd not this Philosopher adore,
For finding Worlds discover'd long before?
Can he one Flower in all his Garden show,
Which in his Grecian Master's did not grow?
And yet imperious with a Teacher's Air,
Boastful he claims a Right to Wisdom's Chair.
Gasping with ardent Thirst of false Renown,
With Grecian Wreaths he does his Temples crown,
Triumphs with borrow'd Spoils, and Trophies not his own.
152
Truth ne'er erected yet her starry Head,
'Till he bright Genius rose to chase the Night,
And thro' all Nature shone with new-sprung Light.
But let th' Enquirer know, proud Briton, why
Hope should not Gods, as well as Fears supply?
Does not th' Idæa of a God include
The Notion of Beneficent and Good,
Of one to Mercy, not Revenge, inclin'd,
Able and willing to relieve Mankind?
And does not this Idæa more appear
The Object of our Hope, than of our Fear?
Then tell us why this Passion, more than that,
Should build their Altars, and the Gods create?
Hope should not Gods, as well as Fears supply?
Does not th' Idæa of a God include
The Notion of Beneficent and Good,
Of one to Mercy, not Revenge, inclin'd,
Able and willing to relieve Mankind?
And does not this Idæa more appear
The Object of our Hope, than of our Fear?
Then tell us why this Passion, more than that,
Should build their Altars, and the Gods create?
But let us grant the weak and tim'rous Mind
To Superstitious Terrors is inclin'd:
That horrid Scenes, and Monsters form'd in Air,
By Night the Children and the Mother scare:
That Apparitions by a Fever bred,
Or by the Spleen's black Vapours fill the Head;
Does that affect the Sage of Sense refin'd,
Whose Body's healthful, and Serene his Mind?
To Superstitious Terrors is inclin'd:
153
By Night the Children and the Mother scare:
That Apparitions by a Fever bred,
Or by the Spleen's black Vapours fill the Head;
Does that affect the Sage of Sense refin'd,
Whose Body's healthful, and Serene his Mind?
Yet more, insulting Briton, let us try
Your Reason's force, your Arguments apply.
You say, since Spectres from the Fancy flow,
To tim'rous Fancy Gods their Being owe:
Since Phantoms to the Weak seem real Things,
Religion from Mistake and Weakness springs.
Your Reason's force, your Arguments apply.
You say, since Spectres from the Fancy flow,
To tim'rous Fancy Gods their Being owe:
Since Phantoms to the Weak seem real Things,
Religion from Mistake and Weakness springs.
But tho' the Vulgar have Illusions seen,
Thought Objects were without, that were within,
Yet we from hence absurdly should conclude,
All Objects of the Mind, the Mind delude:
That our Idæas idle are, that none
Were ever real, and that Nothing's known.
Thought Objects were without, that were within,
Yet we from hence absurdly should conclude,
All Objects of the Mind, the Mind delude:
154
Were ever real, and that Nothing's known.
But leaving Phantoms, and illusive Fear,
Let us at Reason's Judgment Seat appear.
There let the Question be severely try'd,
By an impartial Sentence we abide:
Th' Eternal Mind's Existence we sustain
By Proofs so full, by Evidence so plain,
That none of all the Sciences have shown,
Such Demonstration of the Truths they own.
Let us at Reason's Judgment Seat appear.
There let the Question be severely try'd,
By an impartial Sentence we abide:
Th' Eternal Mind's Existence we sustain
By Proofs so full, by Evidence so plain,
That none of all the Sciences have shown,
Such Demonstration of the Truths they own.
Spinosa next, to hide his black Design,
And to his Side th' unwary to incline,
For Heav'n his Ensigns treacherous displays,
Declares for God, while he that God betrays:
For whom he's pleas'd such Evidence to bring,
As saves the Name, while it subverts the Thing.
And to his Side th' unwary to incline,
For Heav'n his Ensigns treacherous displays,
Declares for God, while he that God betrays:
For whom he's pleas'd such Evidence to bring,
As saves the Name, while it subverts the Thing.
155
Now hear his labour'd Scheme of impious Use
No Substance can another e'er produce.
Substance no Limit, no Confinement knows,
And its Existence from its Nature flows.
The Substance of the Universe is one,
Which is the Self-existent God alone.
No Substance can another e'er produce.
Substance no Limit, no Confinement knows,
And its Existence from its Nature flows.
The Substance of the Universe is one,
Which is the Self-existent God alone.
The Spheres of Ether, which the World enclose,
And all th' Apartments, which the Whole compose;
The lucid Orbs, the Earth, the Air, the Main,
With every diff'rent Being they contain,
Are one prodigious Aggregated God,
Of whom each Sand is part, each Stone and Clod!
Supream Perfections in each Insect shine,
Each Shrub is Sacred, and each Weed Divine.
And all th' Apartments, which the Whole compose;
The lucid Orbs, the Earth, the Air, the Main,
With every diff'rent Being they contain,
Are one prodigious Aggregated God,
Of whom each Sand is part, each Stone and Clod!
Supream Perfections in each Insect shine,
Each Shrub is Sacred, and each Weed Divine.
Sages, no longer Egypt's Sons despise,
For their cheap Gods, and Savoury Deities!
No more their course Divinities revile!
To Leeks, to Onions, to the Crocodile,
You might your humble Adorations pay,
Were you not Gods your selves, as well as they.
For their cheap Gods, and Savoury Deities!
156
To Leeks, to Onions, to the Crocodile,
You might your humble Adorations pay,
Were you not Gods your selves, as well as they.
As much you pull Religion's Altars down,
By owning all Things God, as owning none.
For should all Beings be alike Divine,
Of Worship if an Object you assign,
God to himself must Veneration shew,
Must be the Idol and the Vot'ry too.
And their Assertions are alike absurd,
Who own no God, or none to be ador'd.
By owning all Things God, as owning none.
For should all Beings be alike Divine,
Of Worship if an Object you assign,
God to himself must Veneration shew,
Must be the Idol and the Vot'ry too.
And their Assertions are alike absurd,
Who own no God, or none to be ador'd.
| Creation | |