But just disease to luxury succeeds, And every death its own avenger breeds; 165 And turn'd on man a fiercer savage, man. See him from nature rising slow to art! 170 "Learn from the birds what food the thickets yield; 175 "Learn of the mole to plough, the worm to weave: "Learn of the little nautilus to sail, "Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale. "Here too all forms of social union find, 180 "And hence let reason, late, instruct mankind: "The ant's republic, and the realm of bees; "How those in common all their wealth bestow, "And anarchy without confusion know; 185 "And these for ever, though a monarch reign, "Their sep'rate cells and properties maintain. "Mark what unyary'd laws preserves each state, "Laws wise as nature, and as fix'd as fate. 190 Entangle justice in her net of law, "In vain thy reason finer webs shall draw, "And right, too rigid, harden into wrong; Still for the strong too weak, the weak too strong. "Yet go! and thus o'er all the creatures sway, 195 "Thus let the wiser make the rest obey : V. Great Nature spoke; observant man obey'd; Here rose one little state; another near Grew by like means, and join'd through love or fear, 200 205 And he return'd a friend, who came a foe. Converse and love, mankind might strongly draw, When love was liberty, and nature law. Thus states were form'd; the name of king unknown, Till common int'rest plac'd the sway in one. 210 'Twas virtue only (or in arts or arms, Diffusing blessings, or averting harms,) The same which in a sire the sons obey'd, A prince the father of a people made. 214 VI. Till then, by nature crown'd, each patriarch sate King, priest, and parent, of his growing state: 220 225 Or plain tradition, that this All begun, The worker from the work distinct was known, 230 235 That was but love of God, and this of man. 240 Who first taught souls enslav'd, and realms undone, Th' enormous faith of many made for one; That proud exception to all nature's laws, T' invert the world, and counter-work its cause? Force first made conquest, and that conquest, law; 245 Then shar'd the tyranny, then lent it aid, And gods of conqu❜rors, slaves of subjects made: She, 'midst the lightning's blaze, and thunder's sound, When rock'd the mountains, and when groan'd the ground, 251 She taught the weak to bend, the proud to pray, 255 Whose attributes were rage, revenge, or lust; 260 265 With heav'n's own thunder shook the world below, So drives self-love, through just, and through unjust, 270 To one man's power, ambition, lucre, lust : What serves one will, when many wills rebel, 275 280 Self-love forsook the path it first pursu❜d, And found the private in the public good. 'Twas then the studions head, or gen'rous mind, Follower of God, or friend of human kind, Poet or patriot, rose but to restore 285 The faith and moral nature gave before; Taught power's due use to people and to kings, 290 That touching one must strike the other too; Th' according music of a well mix'd state. Such is the world's great harmony, that springs 295 From order, union, full consent of things: Where small and great, where weak and mighty, made To serve, not suffer, strengthen, not invade; More powerful each as needful to the rest, And, in proportion as it blesses, blest; 300 Draw to one point, and to one centre bring For forms of government let fools contest; 305 In faith and hope the world will disagree, But all mankind's concern is charity: All must be false that thwarts this one great end, And all of God, that bless mankind, or mend. 310 Man, like the gen'rous vine, supported lives; The strength he gains is from th' embrace he gives. Yet make at once their circle round the sun; So two consistent motions acts the soul; 315 Thus God and nature link'd the general frame, And bade self-love and social be the same. |