other, and the poem is of confiderable length, the mind will require fome recreation and refreshment by the way; which is to be procured by feasonable moral reflections, pertinent remarks, familiar fimiles and defcriptions naturally introduced, by allufions to ancient hiftories or fables, and by fhort and pleasant digreffions and excurfions into more noble fubjects, fo aptly brought in that they may feem to have a remote relation, and be of a piece with the poem. By thus varying the form of inftruction the poet gives life to his precepts, and awakens and fecures our attention, without permitting us to fee by what means we are thus captivated and his art is the more to be admired, because it is fo concealed as to escape the reader's ob. fervation. The style too muft maintain a dignity fuitable to the fubject, and every part be drawn in fuch lively colours that the things defcribed may feem as if prefented to the reader's view. But all this will appear more evident from example; and tho' entire poems of this kind are not within the com. pass of our defign, we fhall endeavour to felect fuch paffages as will be fufficient to illuftrate the rules we have here laid down. We have already obferved, that according to the ufual divifions there are four kinds of didactic poems, viz. those that refpect our moral duties; our philofophical fpeculations; our bufinefs and pleafures; or that give precepts for poetry and criticism. On the firft fubject, indeed, we have scarce any thing that deferves the name of poetry, except Mr. Pope's Elay on Man, and his Ethic Epifiles; from these therefore we shall extract some paffages to fhew the method he has taken to render these dry fubjects entertaining. The first treats of the nature and state of man with refpect to the univerfe; confiders him in the abftra&t, and obferves, that we can judge only with regard to our own fyftem, fince we are ignorant of the relations of other systems and things; that man is not to be deem'd imperfect; but a being perfectly fuited to his place and rank in the creation, agreeable to the general order of things, and conformable to ends and relations to him unknown; that it is partly upon his ignorance of future events, and partly upon the hope of a future ftate, that all his happiness in the present depends. Which laft is thus beautifully expreffed. Heav'n from all creatures hides the book of fate, The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to day, Atoms or fyftems into ruin hurl'd, And now a bubble burst, and now a world. Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions foar; Lo! the poor Indian, whofe untutor❜d mind He afks no angel's wing, no feraph's fire; He then proceeds to prove that the pride of aiming at more knowledge, and pretending to more perfection, is the cause of man's error and mifery; and fhews the impiety of his prefuming to judge of the fitnefs or unfitness, perfection or imperfection, juftice or injuftice, of the difpenfations of the Almighty. He reprefents the abfurdity of man's conceiting himself the final cause of the creation, or expecting that perfection in the moral world, which is not in the natural. He fhews the unreasonableness of his complaints against Providence, while on the one hand he craves the perfections of angels, and on the other the bodily qualifications of brutes; tho' to poffefs any of the fenfitive faculties in a higher degree, would render him miserable; as he has thus proved. The blifs of man (could pride that bleffing find) No pow'rs of body or of foul to fhare, If nature thunder'd in his op'ning ears, He obferves that throughout the whole vifible world, an univerfal order and gradation in the fenfual and mental faculties may be feen, which caufes a fubordination of creature to creature, and of all creatures to man. He then treats of the gradations of sense, instinct, thought, reflection, and reason; and obferves that reafon alone countervails all the other faculties. He enquires how far this order and fubordination of living creatures may extend, above and below us; were any part of which broken, not that part only, but the whole connected creation must be destroy'd ; and thus beautifully reprefents the extravagance, madnefs, and pride, of man's defiring to be other than what he is. What if the foot, ordain'd the duft to tread, All are but parts of one ftupendous whole, Lives thro' all life, and bloffoms in the trees, extends thro' all extent, And this firft epiftle he concludes by fhewing that absolute fubmiffion is due to Providence, both as to our present and future ftate. Ceafe then, nor order imperfection name: All Chance, Direction, which thou canst not fee; All partial Evil, univerfal Good:: And, fpite of Pride, in erring Reason's spite, In his fecond epittle he treats of the nature and ftate of man with respect to himself as an individual; and tells us that the bufinefs of man is not to pry into God, but to ftudy himself. He fpeaks of his middle nature, his powers, frailties, and the limits of his capacities; obferves that the two principles by which he is govern'd, are self-love and reafon, which are both neceffary, but that felf-love is the ftrongeft, and the reason why it is so he has given us in the following lines. Two principles in human nature reign; Self love, to urge, and Reason to restrain: Nor this a good, nor that a bad we call, Each works its end, to move or govern all : And to their proper operation ftill, Afcribe all Good; to their Improper, ill. Self-love, the fpring of motion, acts the foul; Moft ftrength the moving principle requires; Form'd but to check, delib'rate, and advise. Reason still use, to reason still attend: |