1

But that muft fail, which now fo much o'er rules,
And fenfe no longer will fubmit to Fools.

EPICK POETRY.

Y fleps at laft we labour up

Barnalius hill, on whofe bright airy top

The EPICK POETS fo divinely show,
And with juft pride behold the rest below.
Heroic Poems have a juit pretence

To be the utmoft ftretch of humane fenfe
A work of fuch inestimable worth,

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275

280

There are but two the World has yet brought forth,
HOMER and VIRGIL! with what facred aw
Do thofe meer founds the worlds attention draw!
Juft as a changeling feems below the rest
Of Men, or rather is a two legg'd beaft,
So thefe gigantic Souls, amaz'd, we find
As much above the reft of human kind!
Nature's whole ftrength united, endless Fame,
And univerfal fhouts attend their name.

Read Homer once, and you can read no more, 285
For all Books elfe appear fo mean fo poor,
Verse will feem profe; but ftill perfift to read,

And Homer will be all the Books you need,

Had Boffu never writ, the world had ftill,

Like Indians, view'd this wond'rous piece of skill;

As fomething of Divine the work admir'd,

291

Not hop'd to be inftructed but infpir'd:

And

A late celebrated French Author, who in his excellent Treatife

en Epick Poetry, drew all his Examples from HOMER.

295

300

But he, difclofing facred Myfteries,
Has fhewn where all the mighty Magick lies,
Defcrib'd the feeds, and in what order fown,
That have to fuch a vast proportion grown.
Sure from fome Angel he this fecret knew,
Who thro' this Labyrinth has lent the clue.
But what, alas! avails it poor Mankind,
To fee this promis'd Land, yet ftay behind?
The way is fhewn, but who has ftrength to go?
Who can all Sciences profoundly know?
Whofe Fancy flies beyond weak Reafon's fight,
And yet has Judgment to direct it right?
Whofe juft difcernement, Virgil-like, is fuch, 305
Never to fay too little, or too much?
Let fuch a Man begin without delay;
But he must do beyond what I can fay;
Muft above Taffo's lofty flights prevail,
Succeed where Spenfer, & even Milton fail.

316

ODE

OD E

on BRUTU S.

IS faid, that Favourite, Mankind,

Was made the Lord of all below; But yet the (4) doubtful are (6) concern'd to find;

'Tis

(a) The doubtful. In which number are comprehended all the Sceptics of both forts. viz. they who without much confideration are apt to flight the holy Bible, and all religion depending on it because they have neither the patience, nor the parts, to examine any thing throughly; and others more modeft, who would on feveral accounts accept those doctrines which are taught us, if their judgment informed by a well-meaning and induftrious inquiry (which is all that God has given us for our guide) did not perceive, in fome of them at least, a manifeft abfurdity; apprehending alfo a kind of impiety in believing things inconfiftent, not only with common fenfe, but with that reverend notion we ought to have of the Deity. They conceive it to be one of thofe abfurdities, that a poor animal call'd a Man, fhould be invefted by God with a right of defpotick dominion over all the rest of the Creation, when all the while we are but too plainly fenfible of being unable to comprehend rightly the minuteft part of it. Should we not (fay they) undervalue and laugh at one of our felves, for giving a large patrimony to a booby fon, without inftructing or breeding him up to underftand or enjoy it? But when no other anfwer is to be well made, the reply to all is, that, as odd as this apears, yet God has done it, and therefore we ought to believe it well done, and highly prudent; which most certainly is a true confequence, if the premiffes were right; but that will bé examined impartially in the following Notes.

(b) Concern'd.] A word of a double fignification, both of

'Tis (c) only one Man tells another fo. And for this great Dominion here, Which over other Beafts we claim,

5

Rea

being interested in a bufinefs, and of being troubled at any ill fuccefs of it. The word in this place implies both; first, because the doubtful are a part of Mankind who claim this dominion, and fo are reasonably inquifitive about it; and fecondly', because they have occafion to be troubled upon finding their title to it fo very weak, after fo much wealth and blood spent in the controverfy 'Tis well too, if we are not one day call'd to account, and made to pay dear cofts for fo contentious a quarrel.

(c) Only one man.] Here now comes properly the examination of what groudids they go on, who pretend that God has done us this great honour, and that therefore we ought to believe it well and wifely done, whatever incongruities may apear in it; which is a confequence that must certainly be agreed to, if the first part can be as well made out: but alas Tay our Sceptics) when we come to that, inftead of a proof, there is nothing produced but one poor text in Genefis whether written by Mofes or fome other man (for that is now difputed among Divines themselves) is of no importance, fince a man ftill, one of our own imperfect, unknowing kind; and, if he is to be credited on his fingle word against all our fenfe and reafon in a thing alfo that feems to derogate fo much from the infinite wisdom of divine Providence, fure there is need firft of proving him infallible; whereas all the proof of that is only derived by tradition from other men ftill, who therefore cannot certify for one another. 'Tis faid alfo by thefe Sceptics, that 'tis worth our obferving, how the Author of this text of man's dominion over all other creatures has written another very extraordinary one, viz. that God walked in the garden of Eden in the cool of the evening; which, if excus'd on the account of being only a figurative expreffion, yet much invalidates a narration of fuch a vast importance, that Tropes and figures feem a little improper in it. Divines are unwilling to fave its credit by the difficulty of our understanding the Hebrew tongue (tho' no ill excufe, fince it is allowed to be fometimes unintelligible) for fear of their adverfaries making the fame objection to other texts as extraordinary, and perhaps to all the old teftament. Upon the whole matter, and to end fo tedious a Note, 'tis probable the wife author of Genefis, for reasons that might be

givén,

(d) Reason, our beft credential does appear; By which indeed we domineer;

But how abfurdly, we may fee with fhame.

Reason, that folemn trifle! light as air!
Driven up & down by cenfure, (e) or applaufe:
By partial love, away 'tis blown;
Or the leaft prejudice can weigh it down;

F

Thus

given, and many more which we now cannot guefs at, had found it fit and neceffary to infufe this opinion of man's fuperiority into the Jews. And who knows but it was as needful to encourage them against the beafts of a wilderness in which they wander'd fo long, as against the Kings of Canaan; whom Mofes, like a wife leader, affured them before hand, the Lord would deliver into their hands.

(d) Reafon.] Left their aforefaid argument in defence of this opinion may not apear convincing, Divines have added that of Reafon, and fet it up to be not only an inftance, but an evidence of our title over all things; as being a particular talent and bleffing bestowed on mankind alone. But the Sceptics evade this again; firit, by denying that 'tis a talent peculiar to man, fince other animals appear manifeftly endued with it, at least to fome degree; and, if that degree be found inferior, yet the difference feems as great fometimes between one man and another, and (perhaps they may fay merrily) even between themselves and their adverfaries: fecondly, they find this Reafon to be fuch a narrow, misleading, uncertain faculty, that in their opinion 'tis much unworthy of being the great credential from the most high God for domineering over all our fellow creatures, who indeed feem neither to owe us, nor pay us obedience. And if the boldest maintainer of this opinion would be perfuaded to take a walk into a wilderness of wild beafts, fhewing his credential among them; 'tis probable they would all pay as great a submission to it, as fuch a rational action deferv'd.

(e) Cenfure, or applause.] Either of thefe, if any thing ge-, neral, is enough to carry away the opinion of most people, who judge more by the ear, than the eye; of which there are ridiculous inftances enough. I have feen a man who was popular, not only excufed but applauded, on account of the very fame action for which another lay justly under a publick odium.