Together let us beat this ample field, Essay on Man. Epistle i. Line 9. Eye Nature's walks, shoot folly as it flies, Line 13. Say first, of God above or man below, What can we reason but from what we know? Heaven from all creatures hides the book of Fate, Pleased to the last, he crops the flowery food, Line 17. Line 60. Line 77.. And licks the hand just raised to shed his blood. Line 83. Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, A hero perish or a sparrow fall, Atoms or systems into ruin hurl'd, And Man now a bubble burst, and now a world. Hope springs eternal in the human breast: But thinks, admitted to that equal sky, ; Line 87. Line 95. Epistle i. Line 99. In pride, in reasoning pride, our error lies; 1 See Milton, page 242. Line 111. 2 Thus we never live, but we hope to live; and always disposing our selves to be happy. - PASCAL: Thoughts, chap. v. 2. Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes: Aspiring to be angels, men rebel. Essay on Man. Epistle i. Line 123 Seas roll to waft me, suns to light me rise; Line 139. For this plain reason, man is not a fly. Line 193. Die of a rose in aromatic pain. Line 200. The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! Feels at each thread, and lives along the line.' Line 217. Remembrance and reflection how allied! What thin partitions sense from thought divide !3 Line 225 All are but parts of one stupendous whole, As full, as perfect, in vile man that mourns All nature is but art, unknown to thee; All partial evil, universal good; And spite of pride, in erring reason's spite, Line 267 Line 271. Line 277. Line 289 1 All the parts of the universe I have an interest in the earth serves me to walk upon; the sun to light me; the stars have their influence upon ine.- MONTAIGNE: Apology for Raimond Sebond. 2 See Sir John Davies, page 176. 8 See Dryden, page 267. 4 There is no great and no small. - EMERSON: Epigraph to History 5 See Dryden, page 276. Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; Essay on Man. Epistle ii. Line 1. Chaos of thought and passion, all confused; Line 13. Line 63. Line 101. Line 107. Their virtue fix'd: 't is fix'd as in a frost; Extremes in nature equal ends produce; In man they join to some mysterious use. Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen; 8 Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace. 1 La vray Line 131. Line 135. Line 205. Line 217. science et le vray étude de l'homme c'est l'homme (The true science and the true study of man is man). — CHARRON: De la Sagesse, lib. i. chap. 1. Trees and fields tell me nothing: men are my teachers. - PLATO: Phædrus. 2 What a chimera, then, is man! what a novelty, what a monster, what a chaos, what a subject of contradiction, what a prodigy! A judge of all things, feeble worm of the earth, depositary of the truth, cloaca of uncer tainty and error, the glory and the shame of the universe. Thoughts, chap. x. 3 See Dryden, page 269. PASCAL: Ask where's the North? At York 't is on the Tweed; In Scotland at the Orcades; and there, At Greenland, Zembla, or the Lord knows where. Essay on Man. Epistle ii. Line 222. Line 231. Virtuous and vicious every man must be, Line 274 Epistle iii. Line 45 Learn of the little nautilus to sail, The enormous faith of many made for one. For forms of government let fools contest; For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight; Line 242. Line 303. O happiness! our being's end and aim! 1 Why may not a goose say thus? . . . there is nothing that yon heav enly roof looks upon so favourably as me; I am the darling of Nature. Is it not man that keeps and serves me? - MONTAIGNE: Apology for Raimond Lebond. 2 See Cowley, page 260. Order is Heaven's first law. Essay on Man. Epistle iv. Line 49. Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, Lie in three words, health, peace, and competence. The soul's calm sunshine and the heartfelt joy. Line 79. Line 168. Honour and shame from no condition rise; Line 193. Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow; Line 203 What can ennoble sots or slaves or cowards? Line 215. A wit's a feather, and a chief a rod; An honest man's the noblest work of God.1 Plays round the head, but comes not to the heart. If 8 parts allure thee, think how Bacon shin'd, The wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind! Or ravish'd with the whistling of a name,2 See Cromwell, damn'd to everlasting fame!' Know then this truth (enough for man to know), "Virtue alone is happiness below." 1 See Fletcher, page 183. See Cowley, page 262. May see thee now, though late, redeem thy name, Line 247. Line 254. Line 261. Line 281. - Line 309 SAVAGE: Character of Foster |