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THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
G IFT OFFREDERIC THOMAS BLANCHARD
E S S AY S
Several SUBJECTS .
Sir RI CHARfi BL A CKMO RE ,REA/1.9 ;
and Fellow of the College of Phyficians
in London .
I . 0 N D 0 N
Printed for E . C U R L I. a t thé D ia l and B ible,and j. P E MB E R T O N at the B ack and Sun,both a
fiinfl S t . Dun/Ian
’
s Church in Fleet
fireet. DCC.XVI
T H E
PR EF A C E
N 125t is am iqfii ufiivfeWriting, either— i n Pi
'
q feor
;Verfe
, d ifiiryguifh’
dfrbm compleat;
'
.T reatifesafi cI
’
v
'
q luminousWorks,
. hy its {h orterEx
‘
i'eht and lefs accurg te .Method.
It Men.
to ~ d'
efire the.
Agguifition . o f Knowledge by the
QJ expeditious'Ways, and
Perfons have; be en 12)P a‘
tieg t ‘q f popr andApplication,
a s to he del i d with fi roI‘iXQComa
pofitions, in wh ich , the ma in Dee
A 2 figrl
I V The P R E FM: E .
“
fign of the Author
pended, thed ious to many,it will never be But the
D ifrel ilh of futh dilfufive Pieces in
thefe T imes is more un ivei‘fa l, and
carry’
d fo far, that great Books are
look’
d on as opprefliv e, and by their
Bulk , concluded to be dull and Ipiritlefs ; wh ile thofe in which the
principa l End, as well as the Send
ments of the Author, are contrafiedi nto a nar1ower Compafs, if wel l
writ, meet with general Approba
tion . And if 1t happens that a large
Volume 15 wel l tete1v d in the preo
fent Age, it mull be adorn’
d with
Variety of Matter,as wel l as pure
D ietion,and wrought up to a great
Degi ee of Perfeé’tion, otherwife the
Reader i s difcouragd, and throws it
by as too pai nfulo
a Task to be imdei taken .
Wa n e
that Connex ion , Dependence, and
the'
lfi’arts 1'
n a
perfc'
EtUE 2of Sc ience,that it is
contemplate the whole.
f in a flatne i and impers 'fefii vfi
lew,
ftwhen the Members of itare fever
? and as
in din all - l) i lcourles, l f the
of’
011e iEr0po lition to another,‘
andt
‘
eftcoherh it T ra in of Conclu lions
atefinot‘ difcern
’
d by theMind, theremult'sfol low ia great Confulion and
Obfcurity of l deas and at belt thofeMen
,for want of fil l and compré
he‘
nfive Q onceptio ns o f Things, willon ly
‘
penceive Tome foa‘
tter’
d Branches
of Tmth,‘
‘
and form ‘ but a dim anddefefiive=8l<etcl1 of any Art or B y
8 151 Q ‘u1n rj
'
1 3 barbarous Iiadida §Whohad never Teen a
' Pa lace or asShi‘
p‘
,
V iew themTeparate and disjointedby ,
T‘
be'
P R E F A C E . Va
and obi'
erve the Pi l lars, Doors, Corhilhes, and Turrets of one, and the
Brow,Stern
,Ribs
, andMafis of theother
,he would be able to form but
a very lame and dark Idea of either
of thole Inventions. In l ike man ,
ner thofe, who
or
Stience, difpers’
d in fbort
Difcourfes,
’
and do not
difcern their relation to each other,
and how dapted, a nd
by thei r the del ighto
ful a regular Scheme,can an entire Body of
Truth , but mufiv iew it as deform d
and difinmiber d ; while their Ideas,which mufi be always indifiiné
’t and
gnant, wi ll l ie 1n the Brain
and thrown together with»
Order and Coherence. But fiiice
Tal’te of the T imes is fo n ice
del icate,and their Temper lblongAppl ication,
Pthofe
A 4 who
1
The P R 11; axe-
E .
of l ongand elaborate Volumes; andtho they do not exhibit1
,Truth in
fuch aclear and Scheme, nor
fet it in {6 full a as
in a large and 1
they are, however, very beneficial ,and promote the. Interefis of L iteo
rature and Vertue. And fince, as I
have faid, molt Men take greater
del ight in this manner of Writingthan in prol ix and Produé
’
tions, whofe eno putsthem in a Fright, to gratify the
genera l Tafie, as wel l as to avoid al lAffeétation of the Air of the Schools,and Ofientation of
Gentl emen haveto write . in a more and ele‘
gant, tho a lefs infirué’
tive
lafiick manner.
,
T n E molt celebrated
,
thors of Effays are, the
X11
M '
E N by Writing in th is clofe
and (hort way ,Ipreve
nt their
ted ious to the d"
r, who.
take Breath,
Iand to be re
entRefisbei i
thorl“
Rules of Schoo
are a t l iberty to W1rte in
l ife a nd'
ornament '
a l‘Stile
a re able to infule into a con
Work more L ite and En
nae hymi l’t,’
a rezil for-
an1
all eé‘
ted
.
b Extent,‘
as welland
3
jui l lybereckon’
d'
among
iti i The P R E F AC E .
verfal Approbation w hile others
cenfure them not fo much for intro :
ducingDivine Subjeé’ts, but for treat;
ing them in tooTechn ical a way, thatis, by coming too , near the Ma
proper to the Gown,a nd the Air of
the Pulpit. To the firfi I make this
That the Books which gave
ng too high
in genera l ,and too dl rong a Ta l l e of Chrifiian
Sentiments, were the Epick Poems
which I‘
have given to the Publick.
BUT if Gentlemen would refleetand enter into the Nature of an E
pick Poem,foon be con
vinc’
d that and Div ine Sub
jeéts are .e lfentia l and necelTary to
fubl ime Species of Poetry , which
invented and confiituted
Pra ife and Honour of the Gods and
God-l ike Men,“ to celebrate the ad.
mirable
T513 3. P'
fis iF‘té G
'
Ei’ 51W
.
mind in,theWorld 1; and
‘b aflpa
o .
r
°
o fR ea lbn , a Chrifiian; oet is’
d to obferve . then fame Rule.
Burl {hal l difmifs thi s Subjeé’th ere,
and not anticipate the Pofitions Ihave advanc
’
d in the fol lowing ES SAYon E P I C K PO E T RY.
I A M confcious that three forts
of Perfons have been difpleas’
d with
myWritings upon the Account be~
fore-mention’
dftfihe lmpious in Prin
‘
the Unbeliever, "who renounces the
Chrifiian Infiitution and the L i,
profefies his Bel ief ofthat reveal
’
d Rel igion , but . r efufes
A s to the lid}, 4t to me an un
0 table Paradox why an Atheif’t,
to .
_
whom Ja ll Rel igions ; are, -}al ike,
fhouldmot be aswel l entertain’
d withthe Beauties of a f oem contriv
’
d ac
cording .
Xv i The P R E F A CE :
cording to the Chrifiian,as of cine
“
that is written upon the Plan of the”
Heathen Theolog y . But
who difclaims the Bel ief
Revelation , while he afferts the Ex i»
fience of a Deity, has, I aCRnOW a
ledge, Reafon’
to diflike and decrythe Poems that are form
’
d upon the
Scheme of the Chrifiian l n ltitUtion
for that being in h is Judgment an‘
imagi nary and gro'
undlefs Syfiem,he
looks upon himfelf obl ig’
d
it with his utmolt Efforts this,
perhaps, is the true
many Gentlemen cannot b ear,
the
Introdué’tion of Chrifiian Machines
in to Hero ick Works,nor the Mix
ture of that Rel igion in any 0
ther Species of Poetry ; but infif’t
with great Vehemence, that let Poetsbe ever fo m
‘
uch Chrifiia'
ns i n"
their
Opin ion and Praétice, t
howey’
er to be Pagans in
tings ; and n ot to take their = ~lMa1
chines,
The P R E F A C E . xvu
chines, or borrow their Ornaments
from that Theology which they be;
l ieve to be true, but from thatwhich
they are fure is fa lfe becaufe in that,fay they , aPoetmay th ine, but mult
be very heavy in the other. Ad,
mirable Reafon ing who can refill:
the Force of fuch a clear and convin
cing way of arguing?
A s to the third fort, it is at firfl:View furpriz ing that any Man, whoowns the T ruth of the Chril
’tian In»
fiitution , fhould difrel ifh anymance on this Account, that it is defign
’
d to promote theHonour of that
Rel igion which he himfelf profeffes ;but if we fearch the Matter deeper,the reafon of this will appear veryev ident many, who acknowledge
the Divine Authority of Revelati
on,have no Tahe of the Vertues
by it, but l ive in open De
and Contradiction to itsLaws,a that
XVm Tba P R
that is, they bel ieve like Chrifiiansbut aét l ik e Athei lts, they cannot
therefore read a Writing with fatis
faétion , which caufes in theirMi ndsuneafyReflefiions ,and upbra ids them
»
the great d ilfimil itude and. d if
formity between their Profeflion and
Aétions 5 upon this account
they deride theWorks of Gentlemen
which recommend Piety and Vertue,asCant andH, pocrify, and give themthe Name of reaching, wh ich in their
Opin ion 15 an ignomin ious Term,
and very unbecoming the Charaéterof a Chriltian Gentleman
5
BUT I have another Reply to
the above-mention’
dObjettion, namely , that I look upon it . as an Ex»
pence iof T ime , for which I flieuldnot . be able to account, if the Pro
pagation of jult Notions of Reli
gion , and a Con formity of Man
(nets t o .fuch Notions, were not the
The P R E F A c‘
E . xix
principal End that engag’
d me inWriting ; were I ever fo capable of
the Prov ince, I ihould net e lteemit a valuable Confiderat
'
ion for myLabour, only to enterta in the Fan ,
c ies of Men with W it, and make
them laugh with facetious Con
wits. -To communicate to the Mindsof oth ers noble and elevated Ideas,m iufpire them with pious Ardor
‘
and Divine Pallions, and puih themon to a v igorous Refolution of en»
gaging and perfevwing in a Series of
vertuous Actions, becoming theDigs
n ity of their Nature and the Pres
eepts of their Rel igion , is a pra ifef
WOI’
tl l y Prov ince ; for this is to be
a about the molt excel'
lent
the Atta inment of the
Ends,
f
and I would
mule tamer in th is Senfe to be the
mithor of Good, tho but to ten
ons, than by the happie li {tra ins
d Witmd themoi} pleafantHumoura d tO
xx The P R E F A C E.
to divert and recreate ten Thou;‘
fand not withfianding I were fure‘
to‘
makemanyEnemies by the firfi,and
by the la lt to gain un iverfal Apf
plaufe. It was for th is reafon I
began to write, and fha ll be‘
wel l
pleas’
d to die with my Pen in myHand, afferting the Honour of the
Divine Being and the Interefi of
Mank ind, wh ich I know I am do
ing while I v indicate the Gaufe of
Rel igion and Vertue. I have been
impell’
d by a difinterefied and un'
deiign ing Principle to engage on
the Side I have taken,
and if I
had entert ain’
d any indireét'
and
mean Views, I fhould have chofen
other ways to accompl ith my End,than by Writing on fuch Subjectsand in fuch a manner
, that I was
well a fiur’
d would draw upon me
the Refen tments of great Numbersof no incon liderable Figure. Thefe
Gentlemen fhould, however, be in
duc’
d
xxii The P R E F A C Enow,
will in a {hort'
T irne be of the
fame I (ha l l fiill employwhat I have, and forwhich I am accomptable, in purib itof the fame
‘
Ends to which I have
al l along‘
direé‘ted my Aim 5 and if
for adhering Predfaft to the Div ine
Gaufe of Rel igion I am v il ify’
d byGentlemen of impious or unchri
ftian Maxims,I am fo hard and im
pen ite nt that l {hal l {ti ll endeavourto be vi ler, being ambitious to me .
rit their D ifpleafure to a greater
Degree, and recommend my felf
yet more to their Contempt.
T n E more I advance in Years,and the nearer the
‘ Future State i s
”
prefente View,the more I
am plea
I have written on D ivine and .Moe
ta l S‘
ubjeé’ts ; and Whatever A
iation of Reproach . Men of
fanny Humour th ink fit to gi ve
The P R E F A C‘
E . xxiii .
to this Difpofition of Mind, theyCannot enjoy
‘ fo great Satisfafiio ni f] deriding it, as the Poiieflion of
it gives to'
me f Tho I defpair of
angingthe Judgments of the def
termi n’
é and inflexible Leaders of
Impiety, yet l am not withoutof being ufeful to younger
who are on ly wavering and unfet«
fled in their Opin ions, or in wholeMinds loofe and unchriftian Princia
ples are not deeply rooted,
T H I S was a1wa s look’d
'
uponas a good rmtur’d ation,well dife
Rel igion and recepti
ve of
vertuous'
Imprefiions ; and tho one
cannot without"
Afton ilhment fee
d ie wonderful Progrefs that Profanenets and Immorai ity have made ao
mong us, yet I flatter my felf thatit is but an
‘
acute and‘
temporaryDifiemper, being fo much again f
’t the
i
mtivé"
Con fi itution of the People,a 4 that
xxiv The P R E E l ite 13 :
that I hope is {till firong enough to
throw off by degrees this ma l ige
nant Ferment, which if it be un'
able to do, the Event muli be de
plorable. We cannot but be fenfio
ble how much we owe our prefent
Sufferings and Calamities to the
plreva iling Power of Irrel igion and
ice, that hav e i n fo terrible a de
gree over- fpread a Kingdom once
le nown’
d for Piety and lober L ife ;and if I am not mif’taken
, fli ouldimpious Max ims and their germ;
ine Fruit, di lTolute Manners, whichHeaven avert, be carry
’
d yet to a
greater Height, and {pread their
unrefirain’
d Influence to a greater
extent, the Confequence, to our fad
Experience, will prove defirué’tive.
But I {hall not enlarge on thisHead,intending to publ iih a Difcourfe,in which I iha l l trace the Origin of
Atheifm, and deduce the Succefiion
of its Afiertors and Patrons throughevery
Tbe P R E F A C E . xxv
every Age to thefe T imes . I lhal l
make it appear, that has a
direct tendency to fub Foun o
dations of a l l human Societies, and
the falfe Reafoning'
of ,Mr.
who maintains the contraryOpin ion .
B E 3 1 D E 5 , let Gentlemen of Ir.
rel igious Principles refleé’t on the
freedom which they themfelves ufe :a Right to deride and
igion ? fo have I to de»
fend its Honour : Are they at l iber
ty to ~
profel ite Chriltians to Pagao
n ifin ? fo am I to convertP agans to
Chrifiian ity : In maintain ing and
fpreading their Opin ions have theyno unwarrantable Ends in View, no
Van ity, no irregular Pafli ons, no vo
luptuous Appetites to gratifyP I
am compell’
d to boa i’t, no more haveI . Seeing then they believe theyare priv ileg
’
d to expofe Rel igion
and
xxvi Tbe P R E F AC E .
and Vertue a their
ante, and
pf"the that,
pretend,‘
is the at whichaim;
‘
wh’
yjfhould I offend by'
a erto
mg iel igious Max ims and the .
V ine Authority of the Chrifi ian‘
In ~
fl itution, theo
eflablifh’
d Worlh i of
the Country where I l ive,w ich
I“
look upon as fo3conducive to the
Publ ick"
Good, that without theirthe
‘
flrongei’t Pillars of
Civ il Commun ities“mutt be de’
IE.
it be fa id that there is a vene
jrabl e”
Order of Men appropriated tothis facred .Office, of infirué
’ting the
Notions'
of Rel igion,themto yield Obe»
dience to l'
and Chrifiian Oh
l igations and that‘
th'
erefore It is
owin
xxvi ii The P R E F AcE .
Order . have in a l l T imes believ’
d,
’
thatwithout any facrilegious Viola ti
on of their . holy Function,
might a l ienate a great part of
Lives from the Serv ice o f theChurch,to which they a re rconfecrated, whi le
they attended on . . fecular Affa irs :
Many have held great Offices o f
been Publ ick
Min ifiers in eign Countries, and
fevera l have for many Years inther Employments difcontinu
’
d the .
Duties‘
of their - facred Ca l ling, and
have. n everthelefs preferv’
d, at leafi
in their ; own Opin ion , their indel i«
ble Character ; and not a few of the
Reverend Clergy give their Neigh
bours Adv ice in Cafes of Phyfick
and Law,as wel l as in thofe of Con'
fcience. Now if the Guides of the
Church condefcend to take fuch Careof ourWel fare in fecular Concerns,why may not his
Turn, and
XXX The P R E F A C E;
Lay 'Profeffors o f it, in the Primi ative T imes
,as well a s Multitudes
in the,
Modern,have
,with great
Approbation and Applaufe, vind io
ca ted the T ruth of their Rel igion,and promoted the Interefis o fV er
tue by the ir ,va luable Labours.
Howma ny, befides the Clergy, have
given to the Publ ick Expofitrons on
the Sacred Vo lumes,
a s well as
Mora l and D ivine Contemplations
,wh ich a re receiv
’
d with great
Efieem ; nor d id I ever hear, that
a ny Gentleman has been condemn’
d
for Writing on fuch Subjects, howma ny (0 ever have been cen fur
’
d
for not Writing wel l .
A s to th e fecondObjeétion mention
’
d at the beginning of th isUiilcourfe
,That when i introduce Di
v ine Subjeéts, l am too Techn ica l,an d do not obferve the fa lhionableSti le of a Gentleman
,but ap droach
tOO
The P R E E a c'
E,‘
Xxxi
too near to the man nerof the Gown 5l mufiown, tha t if fome o f my fo r
»
mer Writings have been obnox ious
to this Cenfure, l ha ve reafon to
apprehend tha t many Place s in the
fo l lowing E s s a y s wi ll l ie moreexpo s
’
d to that critica l Obferva
tion,
a nd therefore I [ha ll here
make the fame Apology for the
one and the o ther It wi l l appear
to the jud icious Reader,that I
have not imitated the Method,
us’
d the Phrafes appropriated to the
rfe s of the Reve rend Clergyand the Eloquence of the Pulpit,but have vary
’
d the one,and fre
quently caft the other into d iffe
ren t Forms of D iétion but i f theObjefiors mean
,that 1 am too
warm and appear too much in
earnefi,that l '
afieé’t the Lan
guage o f the Heart , and do
no t firive to pleafe the imaginao
tion with del ica teTouches,- fprite
ful
Xxxn Tbe P R‘
E E lton .
ful Turns of Expreflion, and new
Speculations wh ich“
on ly hover in
the Bra in,without li nk ing deep
enough to difiurb the Reader with
uneafy Refieétions, ex cite Div ine
Pafl iOns,and produce generous Re
folutious to engage in the Praé’tice
of Vertue if,I fay, the Objeétors
mean that this is the way of Wri
ting becoming a Gentleman , I freelyacknowledge that I do not a im a t
that Honour ; I am not ambiti
ous of the Character of a Po l ite
but a ufeful Writer ; wh ich I ima ‘
ginex l cannot be
,if under the
Confinements‘
beforeomention’
d .
I H A V E heard a Clergy—man
cenfur’
d for fay ing, that he look’
d
upon it a s a v ery unciv il T h ingfor a D iv ine in the Pulpit to (care
the Audience by mention ing Dam»
ation,He ll
,and other fuch Terms
iii Horror. T his fine Oratormufffurely
The P R E F A"
c E‘
: xxxi’
i i
fa tely think that the rude and boi
{terous way of Preaching, in whichtheWords and Phrafes of the Sacred
Writings are employ’
d,ought to be
left off by pol ite and well-manner
’
d
Chrif’tians 5 and that notwithfiand
ing the Apof’tles, who were rough
and unrefin’
d,and had l ittle Tafi e
of Elegance, good Breeding, and
ingen ious Converfation, might be
a l low’
d fuch harlh and frightful Ex :
preflions, yet they would not be
come a modern civil iz’
d Pulpit. Ne
verthelefs one would think,that
lince thefe Men acknowledge that
the Primitive Planters of Chri ltia
n ity were direé’ted by an infal l ible
Spirit, they lhould not be miltaken
in the Nature‘
of Evangel ica l Elo
quence, and the right Art of Per»
fwafion, and therefore that it would
b e“
a pardonable Condefcention in'fi.1Ch ~ an accompl ifh
’
d Preacher if hefamought fit to
'
fol low the , Examples
b of
itxxrv The P. R EMF
-
A i l Ri‘
o f Men under the Guidance of Dir
v ine In lprratron .
MA N K I N D by their rinbredPropenfions , firengthen
’
d and im
prov’
d by a Series of ev i l Actions,are fo fi rongly prepoffefs
’
d in favour
o f forbidden Enjoyments‘,and ? ii)
much prejudic’
d againft the difagreev
able Praétice of Vertue, while the
E xercife of their Rea fon ise d or corrupted, that the and
gentle Perfuafions and wel lf bred Ad ;
d refs of a meer elegant Writer will
m ake no more Impreflion on their
Minds, ; than the Defcent of a’
Eeao
ther Upon. the Ground, or a
Breez e upon a Rock . If a
has a mind to combat fProfanenefs
and lmmoral ity ,’
Enemies not"
to be vanquilh’
d, h e mutt be:
nifh’
d . with Arms that wil l out ;, as
3well,- '
as gl itter ; and he
I bexP a a F A CE m e
provided onl y with bright but edge»
I T 13 certa in ,that t e:
’
do eu
gage in a Worthy and generous De»
fign, who endeavour to reclaim Per~"
fa ns of diibrderly and profligate Be,
‘havaour, and to make Vite appear
f t) dangerous and deteltable that it
may’
be abhor’
dy and Vertue fo ate
minhle,traél ive
to the Prattice of it : But the n thisis a Province attended with fomanyand ; great Difficulties, that fettingafide the indi lpen lable Obl igationsof Reafon and Chriftiatl Charity , it
would not be fo difcreet and pru»
dent, as it is Hero ick and Honour»
able to attempt it, while the
preaches , to the Underfiandings
edt againl’t 1 ion ,
'
that“ for the
Jamil: 1pm: t heyn re inaccefil bleb 2
xxxv i ii : Tba P R ;E :F ‘
A 61EC
degree firebable, 1 that 11fuch .
1Men'
l
1bould owe; a new m oral ?
Refurreétion to Di on rel i
giants Subjeé’ts , which, 3 tho 1 ; correct
and in a i cold die ;
dafiifik and-
a irinpalfionava manner,T
and . thete le fiti n ever (bake: fthe . fa l ie
Offender 5 n ever awaken h im with“
eé’ti off h is ? Danger, nor
'
1m; ,
up . to : a~ Refolution of}
parting with his forbidden Enjoyf.
ments . 1 acknowledge l ca
rmin thefe Dilcourfes, where-
z
Wri ters, befideé their beautié z
ornamenta l S tile” have this”
pecul iar of'
the'
Gentle?
mil l] ; that
but
EXpréfiions,’
aha
£91 alarm and di fturbnor gan: l ;d1fcern 'theirfiléfuhaefS
'
faré
The P K B E A‘
c E.
“
kxxrx '
T n E inveterate Difeafes of the.
Mind are as hard to b e r emov’
d as '
their. C ure requ1res as fharp and
pa inful Appl ications . Wi ll a .Man
in a profound Lethargy be awaken’
d
with Whifpers and foftMufick, that.
flee in a Storm, and is un
difturb’
d with Thunder ? Wi ll av iolent i Fever “yield to the Art of
the Confeétioner, after the Skill of
the Phyfician is i n Va in exhautted
Or mutt a Surgeon who isemplto
'
heal a mortifying L imb and
g Gangrene, be
h is cutting l nfiru’
ments andbe permita
ed on ly to footh the Suffering Part
with fcentedWaters and pleafant Ba ll
fams l? l s that an immwthe Con ;
vert of a igenteel Satire or a n elegantHfi
‘angue, y vbo is deaf and inexor
b 4
x1‘
Tbe F R E E
-
KEEN ”
able to the Tears and Entreaties of
his Relations, and ‘
perfeveres in his
expenfive Vices till he has fmi l’n’
d
the Ruin of his difconfolate Family?
Is it credible, t hat a dilTolute’
Youth
that has given the Rems to'
h is inor
dimate Appetites, and plung’
d him»
felf in forbidden Pleafures,’
thould be
recla im’
d by .
_
the Power of a pol ite
offencelefs . Performance,who is not
prevail’
d upon by the t errible Con»
fequences of h is crimina l
mentS P ' Can the Stings of
and the Reproaches of a Man of
\Vit, pierce deeper into h is Heart,
than thofe: of Remorfe and confci
ous Refleél ion,
“
and the painful Senfe
o f wa iting Difeafes, the fad Fruitsof his v icious Courfes
To conclude vthis rHead . I am
and Moral Subjeét'
s'
,i a them be.the
Produétions of.‘
ev er
fi e P R E FKE‘
E.
’
‘
xl i
ever fo jvaluable for Purity of1Words
,
beautiful Exprefiion , accurate Stile,and worthy Sentiments
, zif the Au:
thor does not firive to penetrate the
Heart, and by the on ly preva lent
Arguments taken“
from . t he endlefs
Milery.
that attends the Praétice of
Vice in a Future L ife ; if he does
not grapple and contend with the
h im in a firongjL ight, fo as to di
{turb him in his prefumptuous
ons,Wrefi' from;him hi
and fill‘
his Mind withDiv ine Puni fhment, thofe Difcourfes,l fay , mufi: be r unavail ing, being in :
competent and unequa l to ,
their End,It is
‘
ev ident, that the ,Menaces of
Divine Difpleafure and unfpeakable
a Future State, tho they ,
prevail‘
upou tfome, yet are inefleaual
and u noperative upon the, genera ,
l ity ;of Mankind ; and therefore a ll
fl ii T he P a x i i i/IE is.otherMemmaevm ha age
-ema
b e Vera
( l
flAfib Here I th lhkut not improper al
ltake Netiee
,that finc
’
e a l l
(h ate; guard their
Stratum of Punifh :
taimto fecure‘ Sflbjefiy and
mi thele
appearé
xl iv The B R E fiA C E
N o’
rWrr n s r a n‘
o l t he uno
fuccefsfil l Efforts‘
of Perfons'
of' a ll
Denominations, the l icentious T ide of Impiety Vicem
with Reafon , d ifcourage privateions from lmaking any future At,
temp I am fo hardy as not ut
ferly’
byipurfuing that De
herefore in
upon1W I T , rev i v
’
d mytroverfy
sw1th the Stage ,the Enter
ta inments of wh ich, fas they are ifill .
mana'
g d , are prejudthe nl nterefts o
tue, as f lhav ing
i is a gainft the'
for are beepmefor the moft Part, not on l
and inofienfive, btit 1nces infl rué’tive and ufe
l i The P R a h a CE?
I }? general Difcourzfes, as I have
{hown on the Beauty and Benefits of
Vertue, and the Turpitude and Inof Vice, that on ly float
on the Sutheeof theBra in and pleafethe Imag inatim, but do not warm
the Heart and excite generous and
D ivi ne Pagffionfi, let them be writ
with ever fo maeh Elegance and
are infignifieant, as beingEQ reelaima diffolutePew
ginable fer before Men 111 the ful ;
hi ll a nd the molt pa thea
HQt deter them. from Vice) .what
not a Match for the ? ggimignal 31h »
cl inations
The I? R E uxlvni
cl ina tions of; Nature ripen’
d ) in to
Habits, and : confirm’
d by 1 longCufiom.
T H o a we l l wsrit Comedy . maynot only become an agteeable D1
verfion,
and in“
fomef meafure be;
neficia l ; by co fr'
efiting the Indecent
cies“
a nd the Fo ll ies and
_ _
of Mank ind ; yetthe Comick Poet mutt have a veryfanguixa
fe Complexion, that ca n hopewith . fuch fieebk
'
and 1}Weapon s, to
‘
trimm o ver
a nd Immoml ity . endeavo ur
to cu re . an Agerzovei
'
f l'
pread with
d egenerate andd icentious Mannersb y exprefs great
Ignora nce of Nature,and
the PoWe r o f i‘
no ed inate'
Appeti tes .
On e may a s wel l charge a Gyan t
With a Bul l - rulh,or play upon a
Conflagra tion with a Syringe, a s
a ttempt to make a wife and ver
tLIOUS
xlv iii Tbe P R E FAC E.
tuous Nation with
mour and facetious
I D O not bel ieve that the mo ltcelebrated Comedies
,how much
foever they have enterta in’
d the
Audience,have reduc
’
d any L ia
bertine,or improv
’
d any Coxcomb.
Let the famous Author of the Ta t
lags a nd Spefl ators declare his Ex o
perience, who, if Wit could have
made Men wifer,mutt certain ly
have fucceeded ; that Gentlemanfays, in one of h is Difcourfes
,I
have many Readers,but few Con
v er tr ; I bel ieve he’
might have fa id
none : For it is my Opin ion , that
a l l his li ne Ra il lery and‘
Sati re,
tho admirable in their k ind,
neo
ver recla im’
d'
one v i c ious Man,
or made - one Fool depart from h is
W P E it Fi fe o
'
E . xl ix’
A s to the E S S A Y upon FA L S EVB R T UE
‘
,when I refleét that loofe
Principles and dilTolute Manners,have fpread to Afion ilhment, their
mal ignant Contagion among the Peoaand have fo far prevail
’
d,that
a great d the effentia'
l Difii s
mil itude of and bad Attions
i s effac’
d in theMinds of Men, and
Vertue and Vice begin to look kind
and friendly upon one another, as if
they had cOmpromis’
d their old Di
fputes, and had brought theirtroverfy to an amicable Conclufion
while the reputed Atheifi and the
Chri ltian,the L ibertine and the fo x
ber Man,the diffolflteWoman and
One of unblemilh’
d {h al l
carefs each other,together, mutual ly receive
‘Vifits with al l the Marks of Re»
fpeft and F riendfhip, and. Comma »
nicate with one another in themo ltc facred
fac1ed and awful Myfieries of our
Rel igion wh ile I contemplated, I
fay , th is amazing con
cluded that Vice and tyhad loft their intrin lick Deformity,and wipd o lT their moral Turpi»
tude 111 thePeople, :and cannot but
think , thgit. ‘
it is a commendable Undertaking to attempt the Correfition of a Mifiake of fuch Confe
quence .
ME N of irrel igious Principles andlooie Behav iour, have fometimesto ld their Acquaintance in Converyfat ioh, that they could not bel ieve
they were fincere m1d2°
in goodEarfn elt
, when .
_profefs"d their. Be,
l ief or,
the {l iar}. Iq ltitution ,’ andh ave exprefs
’
d their Reaibn s in thismanner ; Were it our“, fiedfafi. Opi
The Part }; F A c E . H
endlefi Pai n,and Mifery conta in
’
d
inmhe Chrifiian Syfiem,Were efla»
hl ilh’
d by the -Authority of Div ine
Revelatitm,
‘
we Would feed on Bread
and Water, defpife Wea lth and"
Power, and renounce the mo lt
tempting Enjoy’
men ts that gratifyr Sent
'
es,rather than indulge our
{elves in the P raétice of the mo lt
pleafant Sins : And it is fo a gree:
able to the ' Inltiné’cs of Nature and
the Difitates of‘
Reafon, rather to
forbear i a itranfient Satisfaction,than
to“
,expofe
- one’
s fel f to Div ineWrath i 5mad Everlafiing SutIeringsthat
”
we‘
c’a
‘
nnot imagine how it is
po ll ible that you fhould rea l ly afilent to
,
the 'Truth of Chri ll ian ity ,and yet l ive a L ife fo repugnantto your Creed . This is indeed a
fiu art a nd cutting Expoftulationa nd but t wo T hing s can be a l ledg
’
d~ in An lfwer to i t ; one is this
, That‘many
'
fincerely a lTent, tho in a low
l ii The P R E F A C E .
and unpreva il ing'
T ruth of the Chri Infiituti on ;but their Bel ief is fo much born
down and overf
power’
d by the
mina l Propen lions of corrupt Na ,
ture and ev i l acquir’
d Habits, that
their Aétions bear no Conformityto the Rules of the Rel igion which
they profefs . Another is, thatmanyhave fuch crude and erroneous No
tions of the Nature of Chriltian
V irtues and their oppofite Vices,
that tho they real ly aét i n con
tradiétion to their Rel igion , yetthey are not confcious of that In ,
confil’tency , and do not know that
they are‘
Chrifiians only in Name,and not in Real ity 5 and therefore
to conv ince them of the
of their Sen timents on a
this Importance, I have
in this E S S A Y, to fet the Matter
in a true L ight ; where ] have de»
mon ll rated, that the Elience of MOo
ral
l iv The P R E 19111?t
Man, by any other gMotives u
'
arrd
Arguments than what are,
drawn
from a Future State'
of‘
Felicity or
Mifery . It is true, .th-at . f0111e Per,
fon s are recla im’
d fromhvicious and
defiruftive Praé’tices, by the Confin
deration of the Inconven iences and
ev il Confequences that . attend themin refpeé
’r of themfelves and their
Famil ies 5 and many more do the
fame from a Change of T afie that
h appens in the different Periods ofL ite, our Rel ilh o f Satisfaction and
Pleafure being various in Youth,Manhood, and o ld Age but if their
better Courfe of L ife and Sobrietyof Manners do not fpri
that Div ine Principle and Regular
End above defcrib’
d,they cannot
be denominated Good Men . Theirdegenerate Nature continues the
fame, and tho the Objeél istheir ev il Inclinations are
“
unal
and their Aél ions, tho for theMatstfi
’
f
The P'
R 'E { A th is: I lv
tér (ff them,they make a much
Appearance, are no more inreal ity vertuous than thofe before .
For th is Reafon I have,in the
E S S A Y upon the Immo R T A L rT Y
o f the S o 11 L , endeavoUr’
d'
to ev ince
the Certa inty of a Future State of
endlels Happinefs or Sulferings, as
being fully a lTur’
d that no Motives
of lefsWeight will prevail withMento correét an irregular L ife : And I
hope I have eltabl ilh’
d this Article
by fuch hall and clear Evidence,that
it Will be acknowledg’
d ; by everywho
''
wi l l
exerc‘
ife his Reafon upon this
matter, in which his Intereft is fo
I N theDr S S E R T'
A T I O N on the
L AW S‘of NA T U R E , I have drawn
the Difcourfe into as‘
clofe l a room as
fo copious a Theme wi ll admit, if the
Perfpicuity of the Stile,the natura l
c 4 Depcn'
lv i The P R E P AGE.
Dependance and Connexion of the
Conclufions, and the conv incing Forceof the Ev idence are preferv
’
d and
for that Reafon I have forborn to
cite Opinions of celebratedWriters upon that
larly Suarez , Gratin/s, and
who tho an Ant many ad‘
mir’d, is to me ifagreeable
and un infirué‘
t ive, becaufe of h is
Obfcurity and the Confufion of his
Ideas . Should I have enter’
d‘
into
a Di lpute with thefe great Writers,and at to lay ,
open their
Defeé‘
ts, confute their erroneous‘
I’olitions, I lhould not only haveinterrupted the Thread of my Difecourfe, and difappointed my De
fign of exhibiting in one View,to
the Reader, an entire Scheme of myOpin ions, but I mutt l ikewifehaveextended it to a greater Length than
I thought proper for an E 5 S A Y.
The PR E F A e E . lv i i
AN D for the fame Reafon in theDifcourfe upon theO R 1 G 1 N of C
V I L PO W E R , I have not men ‘
tion’
d the Notions of many LearnedAuthors, which are contrary to mine,that I might not embroil my felfin Controverfy, . and grow uneafy tothe Reader by numerous Citations.
O N T S .
E s s A Y or; the Nature and Confii
{titution of E 1) I C K - P O B T R Y
The Preface .
Of Probabil ity .
- n~ — Of the Marvellous.- Of the Fable.
— Of the Allegory .
-Of the Unity .
-Of the Epifodes.— 0f Integrity.
— Of the Duration .
the Machines.
w— s-w of the D ignity of the
6 3
7sanonNarr
- Of the Mora l .the Charaé
’cérs.
A Comparifott~
hettvem Epick
T ragedy .
fi fififififififififififififififififi
S E C - T‘
I O N. II.
of the Sublime Stile.
— Of the Sublirn ity‘
tof Thoughts.- Of the Choice ,
of .Words.
0] the Ranging of the Words.
Of the Verfifi‘
cation .
- Oj Cool twd Sedate Figures.Of Ampl ifications, D efcriptions,mS imi litudes .
- 0f P athetic]: Figures.An Appendix.
k‘N E S S A Y
,upon the Immortar
l ity-
of . the .S O UrL .
a ny — The Immorta l ity of the
WeMeml Argumen ts .
Ohjefit'
om agaie¢ the ‘ SWd’J Imm ~
s f;
Nlb l‘
al'
Obl igations? »fie/fee? to”r .
The Co N T B N T s.
0] Relative D uties from one Sahjet’
Z
g
e eeeee ee e ee e eeeeee
AN E S S A Y ttpott the O R I G I N
of C I V I L P O W E R .
Mora l Obligations on Civ i l Powers.Of Obedience doe
B R R A T MAGE vu . of the Preface, L ine 1 .
. for Corn ijhee,read C or n ice-t . -
p. xx i i : 1. 2 3 ; h a v e oat Humour .
£35 . o f the EfIZzy s , fo r To]? read eafl . p. rs .
v a r i e s r . Va r i a r . p . 3 0? 1. for who r . a nd . p .
71 . 1. 18. fo r the i r own Rel ig i on 1 . hi : own . p . 74 . 1.
1 8. inficad of, a : if, r . a : i t w ou ld be if. p . 110 .
fo r a : r . a n d . p . fo r a ha/e 1 . amufie. p . 1 3 0 .
1. fo r i n tend i ng r . i n tend ed . p . 1 3 3 . 1. 2 . for been1 . he . p . 1 5 1 . l . leay e our p . 1 57. 1. 14 . fora ny n ew N a ti on : 1 . a ny Noti on s . , p . 174 . 1. 4 . leave our
i n before whi ch . p e 1‘
7z . l . 8. after the S ort ed W'
r i ti ng r ,add ; ci ted
'h'
efor e . p. 19 1 . for or r . p .
for Founda t i on 1 . F ound a t i on t . 2 5 . for Con
v erj’
b ti on r . Con/Em o ti on . p . 3 3 1 . 1. 1 6 . after the P hi
Iofopher [a i d wel l , add , a : i t men t i on’
d i n a n other Ej by .p . 3 3 4 . 1. 19 . after D i v i ne Goodn efr r . a n d Wifd om. p .
3 6 6 . 1. 14 . for ev i l Thi ng s 1 . ev i l of Thi ng s . p . 409 .
1. 2 1 . after Gui l t r . a nd whi ch proceedr .
‘
T H E
R E A CFTE R the Ruin of the Gre
cian and Romander who]? Protee‘l ion
and at length hettnte un iv erfitllj neg leél ed, I t
continu’d in this State during the unrefined
Ages , in which the Col leges of Europe wereentirely tahen up in jl udying Arifiotle
’s dry
P hi lofophy, and the un inflruél t'
v e Specul ation s
of the dot/e School -men t i l l in the Reign
P ope Leo the Tenth, 4 generous P atron
L etters and Ingenuity , it hegnn to rev iv e a
get ground. Ahout this Tun e, among other
Greek Authors, the Spr ings whence the R0mans and the I ta lians, thei r Sucre/fort, deriv ’d
thei r Learn ing, Arifiotle’s Book of Poetry
puhl tfh’d h] V i&orius at Florence, fl ir’d
B 2 up
N P R E F A C EupMen of Genius and
for their own
s of t
that related
Art , ofCafielvetro, and -Paul Beni. Nor could this
curious and ingui/itifi/e Spir i t he confin
’d to
I ta l y, i t Lbon pgfs’d the Alps, and entring
F iancef excited the Nud e/55of P oetical I”
cl inations and Capaci ty , t o a ntitate their inge
n ious Neighhours ; and thefe, to their Honour,
carrj’d on the Critica
Poetry to a greater Hei ht,
f ather: Rapin and 801u
has excel l’d a l l the Maflert , who had wri t on
that Suhjeéil hefore hint .
IT mu]? he achnowledg’d,that ti l l ahout
fort] Tea rs ago, Great Brita in was harren ofCri tica l L ea rn ing, tho
’
ferti le i n excellent
W’riters ; and in particular, had [0 l ittleTafle
Poetry , and were jounacqua inted wi thi a l P roperties and pecul iar Beauties ofParadife LOli', an adtn irahle Work
of that kind, puhlz'
jh’d by Mr . Mi lton
,the
g reat Ornament of hi s Age and Country, l a]man] Tears unfltohen of , and en tirely difre
‘g arded, ti l l ar1 length i t happen’d,that fame
P erfons of greater Delicac] and Studgmettt
found
l
v i P R E F A C E .
clear,tho not a difufiv c L ight ; md l ately
a judicious Crit ich, in hi ston, has defin v
’d wel l of
5] hi s curious and rationa l Ohfizrv ation s, whi chat once hav e adv anc
’d theKnowledge 4 Hes
roick Poetry, and given an ex cel lent
of the free Ex erc-ife of Renfan i n Critictfin .
S I N C E that,
a v ery l audahle Tran/la»t ion of fome Books of the I l iad, wi th a P roneife of the refl ,
and an accurate Edition ofS penfer
’s Works hav e heen puhlifh
'
d,wi th
Cri tical Remarks prefix’d h] the ingenious
B T this i t appears, that thi s great and
elev ated manner of Writingand tha t a t prefimt the Epick
[hiottu Our P oet s apply to thi
a P rinciple of Emulation ; and whoev erwed toMankind, and defires theHonour of hi sCountry , wi l l encoura
'
e their L ahours,and
giv e to each his jufl are of Applaufe. N or
wi l l the Contefis among P oets them/Elv es ahouthav e any i l l W5}
,if the P atron -s
of Poli te L earning impartia l ly div ide their
Fa v ours among them,according to thei r De
gree of Mri t . Thi s Rate of Al on a re of a
and Caprice, and as
L ow 5
E S S AU P O N
[CK P OE TRY.
FT B R Ari/iotle’s Schoo l, in
the eldefiT imes of Chrif’tia
n ity , had preva ll’d over P late,
and the Co l leges of L earn inghad univerfa l ly fubmitted to
their new Ma l’ter, foon was his Authority(0 wel l el’cabl ilh’d
, that for many Centuries his Doé
’trincs became unconrefled, and
were rece iv’
d as firfi Principles, that neededno Proof or Demonfl'
ration . D uringmanyfucceeding Ages, the Learn ing of Europe
cod ified in the Knowledge of this Phi lofoPher
’
s Opinions ; and thole on l y wereapplaud,
I Q An E S S A Y upon
blind Obedience, were efieem’d the on lyv a luable ProduCtions of Philofophy . At
length arofe fome famousWorthies, who,a n imated by a generous Impul l
’
e to d eli ver Europe from the bafefi Servi tude,that of the Underfianding, attack
’d Ariji o
t le and h is Adherents with great V igour,declar
’d aga in l
’c
,a ll arb itrary Impofitions
on the Mind, and a ll erted the Liberty ofR eflcfiion , and a Power of examini Ev i
dence,and judging for themfclves ; hefe
excellent Perlons , who deferv’d fo wel l of
Mank ind, by v indicating the ofHumane Na ture, and fianding up i ts
R ights and Prerogat ives, againfithe Ufutpation of a particular Seer,impartia l Sea rch d ifcover’dpatetick Syfiem had nothing in it for i ts
fupport, but preca rious and unev idem: Pain.ciples, expos
’
d its Weakneh ,and (non brough t the reatefi Authority,that was e ver efiabl i
’
d in the Selim,
into general floatempt,
E P I C K P O E T R Y . a t
B u a“when chefe extraordinaryMen, by
encouraging the free Exerc ifc of Reafon,had infus
’d an aEtiv e Ferment into the
Mind s of an ignorant and fle thful Generation, by the fl
irtation of wh ich they
were exc ited to o t row OH" the Yoke of
Ariflotle in Matters of Philolbphy, it iswonderful that the E ll 'eft was nor moreextenfive. They had as grmt Rea fon to
have proceeded to the Examination of his
g ates in the Art o f Poetry , and to have
made Enquiry, if tho le were fett led on
bet ter Foundat ions . But I know nor how
i t came to pafs, his Notions and Precepts
in th is Art ha ve {ti l l rema in ’d unquefiion’d
and untry’
d . The modern C ri ticks, nontem ing di e EXamples of tin Phi lofophers,havefill]pmm ded in the old beaten Trad e,o f believing and admiring whatever Ari
j iotl e adva nces o n the Suhyeé’ts, where the
Mules a re concern’
d . T hey we a l l umtheir Tubmilfive Pred eccfl
'
ors, mere Expoheom, fearoe W iring Rafi himfelf, oftheWritings of am greatMan
,and ha ve
made no Improvements, nor afi’
erted the
L iberty of Poetry, a s the o ther freer Spit its have vindicated that of Phi lofoph y .
i t’
s clear thatM oth form’d al l h is Axi
oms Dofirines in Poetry, from theems ofHoosier and a ha Greek, Vi nnie-i
ns15
aa
a An E S S A Y upon
a nd, without a lfigning any Reafon of hisPofitions, re lies for the T ruth of themi
- ou
h is own , or the Authority of thofe’
Au
thors. But it is nor the Authority Of the
greatell Mail ers, but fol id and conv incingE v idence, tha tmull engage our Bel ief, andmake us fubfc
’
ribe to any Maxims in anyArt or Science whatfoever.
I L O OK upon‘
Artfiotle as a great Genius,and a Perfon of more than common Erud itidn ‘
; but w i l l no more fubmit to hima s a Law-
giver of the Poets, than of the
Philofophers . I fhal l a lways pay‘
Rel'
pefl
a nd D eference to his Judgment a nd Opin ions, tho nor acquiefce in them a s in fa l
l ible and deci l ive D ecrees . And ifMen ,
froma generous Principle ofLiberty,wouldrenounce the unjuft, tho prevail ing PowerofAuthority, and cla im their natura l R ighto f entring into the Reafon of T hings, and
judging for themfelves, it is high ly pro ,
bable’
that the Art of Poetry might becarry
’
d on to greater Degrees of Perfeé’tion
,
and be improv’d, as Philofophy has been .
W H E N thus unfetter’d and difingag
’d
from a fla v ifh Dependance upon celebra tedW riters, Men would foon difregard the
crude and unreafonable Aliertions, fre
quently laid down by injudicious Commentators
14. 4 1537: E S S A Y upon
tinue undifputed to this ’Uay -
g for this isFril l to ptefs us
‘on ly with the Authority
of Arijfad e and; h is Commentators. If hi s
R ules‘
and‘
Precepts of Poetry t to be
fo h ighly rega rded , it mufi be pe n th is
Account, T hat .fironger“
-Reafons can be
produc’
d in. D_efence of t hefe, than of h is
Sy l’tem i
of Na tura l ScienCe : But how can
th is we take,
his W ritings
the Art of -
p
Poetry upon C ontent, and do
not by ‘
an impartia l' Examination m‘
ake 'irc lear, that the E v idence of Reafon 'is on.
their Sidep wh ich was wan ting to (hpporth is Phi lofOphy ? And th is, as far as I know
),
has not been attempted.
I WOULD not be fo u'
nderfl ood, as if Icondemn’
d in genera l Ari/i ot le’s Rules of
Poetry ," and swas a bout to fet up another
Syfiem of Opin ions and P recepts in their
room ; my Purpofe is, to give them a fair
Hearing, and if upon an impartia l T rya lthey appear to be built upon good Foundations, to Confirm the Authority of the
G reek Critick by the Force of Reafon .
B ut,on the Other hand, I (ha ll free ly rejeél:
any Maxims,‘
whether h is, or thofe of
h is Commentators, wh ich . cannot be (up
ported by any Arguments of Weight and
So l id ity and I fil ed] ufe the fame L ibertyin adding any new Opinions on this Sub
itia ,
E ‘
e t’
e RAP o E T
i
n . Y . i s11 improvefroma
“
fu
that
to
recei ve"th
’
em!without E xaminationg forin every I nfiance
“
jufi '
and
bei ieve‘
ther are in‘ ‘
many,’
yetObl igation to fubmit to
them,ti l l they are demonfirated to be fo
by the‘
Evidence of Reafon . I mufi however acknowl edge, that I have (0D eferenue and Efieem for theof Ariflotk , and the Examplesand Virgi l, that I {h a ll tmt ‘
fgive'
them up,but where it is very clear, b
tha_
t they cannotbe de fended . Some Perlbns
,whether out
of a peculiarCuriofiry of Tafie, or6Affefia étron tif Learning, have
'
a l l modern‘
l Produ
but what has an ant ueT a l’re and a n A ir
of Greed . T heft:Won d prefer a ruinous
part Of an anc ient tho meanto the molt beautiful andmagilace
,if newly built. They look
the F ragments of an old Anthotj as anii imable T reafure,
‘
while they a l low no;
th ing tolerable that is l ate ly written, nu
lefs’
It bears a Conformity to the P lans offormer Ages.
OTHERS
An E s s A'
Y nap e ?
i ti T
W f ? ion the contrary, have cona
ceiv’
dtfuch a D ifguflrto the ancient Fathers
of Learning, tha t ; they pay '
no z refpec'
t tothe Primitive Ages of , Arts ga
'
nd’
tScience
a t leafi,they prefera ll modern Produt‘i ions
in their fevera l Kinds, to_the moth valua
ble Works of rem0te W riters: gt al l 'en
deay our to sitter a middle Courfe betweenthefe Exrreams.
I SHALL,
not enter into a D ifquifition ofAri ot/e
’s Rules in genera l , but con ten t my
fel with a D ifcufiion of thofe that relate
to Epick Poetry ; and, according to theOpin ions w hich at prefent preva il among theAriflotelz
‘
an Criticks, lay down the D efi-i
n ition : of a P oem ; of that Species- T o
promote the free Ex’
ercife of the‘ Under«
fiand ing on the Subjects of Poetry, I {ha l lexamine - the fevera l Parts of
“
an EpickW riting, and, letting afide Authorit y, wi l lendeavour to {hew how
,
far the Rules inFa lh ion are .
,upheld ; by R eafon ,” and in
w hat they appear by the fame L ight to bedefeétive
,and then frame a D efin itionmore
agreeable to Rea fon . 1 According to the
prefent Rules, an Epich Poem is a fe ign’
d,
probable, wonderful and a llegorica l Story,of a great Atch ievement perform
’d byfome i llufirious Perfon, extended by
.
v a
nous
En ro n P o fiz '
r n if . i yrious Incidents or Epifodes, and rela ted in
the fubl ime Sti le, to'
afford De“
Infirufiion s
T o‘
con'
vey re‘
at Ideas and worthyConcept ions to t e Underfianding, to ex:
cite Rel igious andMora l Pafiions, and elevate the Mind above low and vulgarOpi‘
n ion s, is a very reafonable Undertak ingand thereforeth is Species of Poetry, whichhas thefe Ends in v iew, is a laudable andnoble Art ; for what can be more defireable, than to cultivate the Minds of Men,a ndmake themwifer and better, by cor
reel ing their fa lfe Maxims, free ing themfromground lefsPrepollelfions,and infpiringthem with generous Infiinfis and exa ltedSentiments ? Therefore th is kind of Poeatry, which of al l ,
ot hers conduces molt toth is end,mull be look
’d on as high ly valua
ble ; Andas upon this account it is molt“when: in
“its Own N ature, ,
being ems
ploy’
d upon the fubl imef’t and molt im
portant Subjects ; fo by the almofi un iver=
fa l and unanimous Sufl‘
rages of the ingenious and polite Part ofMank ind, it ‘
has
in a ll Ages been efieem’d the molt d iffia
cult, as wel l as themo l’t excel lent P roduétié0
2of the Mind : Of which more hares
3 en
"
fl it E S S A Y upon
T an s Spermo f Poetry"
is fiil’d ihme
times Epic/z , and fometimes Heroirk ; thefirfl Appel lation is deriv ’
d from the Gree/e
Tem '
s , wh ich is (0 far appropr iated toPoetry , that it is l fcarce ever, or v fe lt
dam"
us’d by the Writers ofm e ; rthe
Trmh of wh ich A llertion I rely on ( the
Authority of Hea r] Step/felts , Whofefummare Sk i l l in
.
that Language is uni vero
Ti l?! ledg
’d by the LearnedWorld,an its firfi and molt commont ion i s
’
a WtwL Befides this, it is
way of Eminency to
Poem; fo H arare Q YS, at”,at
uage of
that Poetry was (0 rich, fplendid , and Tublith e, that no other ought ro be ca l l’d Diotzbfl, or a Scheme of W ords . T he (econd
Appel lation, Hefoz'
ok,arifeth from the He
roes, whofe i l lufirious Aeria l s‘
a re relatedin thefe Poems : And therefore Bojfu does ,in my inion, unjufily reieé
’t th is d ifi in
gui ihinig pithet as improper ; beCaufe, ashe believes , it t ook its R ife from that
Species of Verfe ca li ’d Heroick , - tha t is em
ploy’d in th is Poetry , But were h is Opi
nion true, a s the contrary i s ev ident , norWitbfiand
'
mg th is and h is o ther Ob ieé’tion ,
that Heroes are the Subjects of more k indsof Poetry befides th is ; yet Cull om, ly
h
t
i
l
Ch
Ct 68
E p tt fi‘ l’ o fir ft tfl 19f’
ettles W tion of Words,and g ives
Purit and Propriety, has fo farohm among earned Men in a l l Ages,ate 1 {he l l not fctuplc fromthatAuthoritto fife
,
theWords Heroick and Epick indi4»
firm ly in this Difcourfe i
I T is fiil’d; as I have faid, anHero icii
Poem, became the principa l Afl ion relatedin it is the great Atchievement of fomeflirtatious Leader. T he the firfi Norionof ‘Hero ick Vertue had its Rife from
‘
anyeminent Benefafl ors, who had deferv’
dWel l of their Coun try and of Mank ind
»
by l ay ing the Foundations of C ities an
Empires, and by inventing ufeful Arts ;teeh as planting the V ine, (owing Corn,t ot ing Difmfes, and freeing their Countrfrom Plagues and wild Bea ii s for whichthey were confecrated after their B eccaie
,
and worih ip’
d as De lh i-Gods or He roes :
yet at length it became appropriated to
thofe, who with great Va lour and Con‘dnéi: had attack
’d or defended a City , ordefeated an Emmy in the Field ;
T H E genera l Idea of Heroick Poetry ,is that of Imita tion . To imitate, is to exe
refs a Refemblance of any Obieét, eithery Afl ion or Imaginat ion the lai’t ofwh ichtaken in a larger Sca fe, may be fubd iv ided
C 2 intg
An E s s a y upon .
into Imitation by the Power of Imaginat ion, where the Ideas of the Mind rbeara Simi l itude to Objea g , that
,
or have - exified ; and . that, . where the
Ideas of the ~NIind fli ew aConfogmity or
Agreement tb'
fei
gn
’
dObjea s, which how,ever are founde in Probabi l ity
,and are
capable of rea l Exifience." I n the flat
Sch ie, that is by AEtion , we a re (aid to
imitate when we form our Gefiures, Ha
b its, and Schemes of L ife, by fome Patternor, Exemplar, that we fet before us . T hus
one is (aid to imitate another in his manner of Wa lking, D ancingh o
r Singing ; andone Orator, Arc itefl , or Pa inter;one Genera l or Statefman imitates another,on whole Mode l he endeavours to fafhionh imfelf. t
-Tiie fecond way of imitating, isby Imagination ; which is norh ing elfebut a Power or Faculty of framing Ima
ges, whence it plain ly derives its Name ;and th is is of two forts.
A s to.
the firfi, where the Conceptionsof the
'
Mind have a Likenefs to the realObjeéi s which it conceives
,it
'
arifes fromthe native
'
Power of the Underfl anding to
create Ideas that reprefent any extern a lObjeEt, and
'
to draw,for its own Contem
plation , Infirufi ion and D elight, an end!ei
'
s variety of fuch intellectual 1d t ier
Pi tires,
Min E S S A Y upon
pa rates and abfirafl s the Sitti ilitude fromthe Objefit, and transfers it to
‘
the Cane
v as or the Marble : and the grea te r the
L ikenefs and Conformity isbetween them,
themore exquifite and perfefi i s theWork.
B Y thi s i t appears Wherein theOperations by wh ich the Underfiand ing ma.tates, are di i
’tinguifh
’d from Symbols, Hie
roglyphicks , pariona l T ypes, and fign i
fican t Ceremon ies, which do nor: exprefs
any W hy M u.
i t"
s? DT
b lance, but onR
admoniih and put us in
mind ofmetlZing tha wM om and
common Confentgthey {h ad ant, and are
us’d to fign ify.
T n 1 s is the genera l Idmd Imi tation,the Species of it are various . as d iverfif
‘ ’
d
rittick Properties. he
Poet imitates Na9. Scheme of Wo
Pa in ter by L ines a
imitate b Terms and Sentences boneded by ette ; Writers in Proie, whichequa l ly a im at a Confom ity and
blance between the Idmw ftheMina
the Obieé’rs reprefented, a yof Words not meahi t’fd and l imited by
dariss Epick Poetry is tepaia ted ftomtheother?
E 9 pic K P o'
is T R Y .
Other Species of that Art, which a ll agree isini ti ftion ofNature,wi l l afterwards appear.
11 is fa id in'
the Definition, that an
Epick Poem is , a Narratioh of a feign’
d
S tory, an d the Reafon is, that it may bed ifiingu H ifiory, which is a rec ita l of a Series of true Actions ; and the
thechief Event in an Epick Poemmay bereal , arid fo the Poem
‘
wi l l be founded ina T ruth, yet the Plan, the Incidents, theD igreflions, and in fhort, the Means bywhich that Event is brought
’
about, are in.
v ented by the Author and if any of theIncidents are tme
‘
and unfe igii’d
, . yct theyare not introdnc
’d as fuch i irto the'
Poem ;h t they are ‘
not rocited a sMatters of Fafl ’
,
on l y -
as they are probab le, of whichmorei n the
‘
next'
Article. I f therefore thePerformance is
‘
ZnOt cafi into aFahle dev is’
dfiom
‘
W h iCh artful Contrioriginallyderii'es hisName,
i twould by nomeans be an EpichWriginIf L z’w
'
ormag nifiesWere turu’d into Vér
me
by the weft excel lent Pen, let thc Nam.
bets be ever to mufica l, and theD ifijgnever fo
‘
fmendid ‘
and admirable, they wonldnomore becomePoems , than a'
News -Paperwould ibe d ign ify
’
d w ith th at‘
T itle, tho te;i a {h e mofi correct and beantifu}
A
2 4 p Arg E s s a y ugl ier
_A
'
W E L L imagin’
d Romance, or fuch aW riting as the Adventures of Telemachm
,
tho in Profe,‘
approaches nearemo the N a
ture of an Heroick Poem, than a true H i
fiory would do, tho exprefs’
d in all the
Charms of '
Poetry, that the grea tefi‘
Ge
nius could give it.
O N E infeparable Q ua l ity of Epich Poe;try, is Probabil ity . I t has been a lreadyI hewn, that the genera l Idea of th is k ind
ofW riting, Wh ich is common to it with
al l the other Sorts, is Imitation, as its (pe
cifick Nature is confiituted and difiine
guifh’
d by the Properties enumerated in
the D efin ition : But in the firl’t unrefira in
’d
Senfe, as it is on ly . a Reprefentation of
N ature, it is evident, that . 9 0thing UH?
l ikely {hould enter into it ; for whateveris un likel y is unnatural, ,
- and for that Real
fon improbable. We look on every thingincred ible, r which we - judge imPOHi ble bImpofiible Th ings, as implyin contradiéi o
xy'
T erms, are never the E s of
ture ; Things improbable may fometimeshappen by an unufual Concurrence of
Caufes,‘
bur fince they happen rarely, andwhen the
ydo
,they break the common
0 T hings and the Chain of ori
Events, they are reckqn’d mon
firous
Em I C K' P O E T
’
n Y , astota l; I t is
'
not thereforefor the Poet to introduce an In
becaufe it is pofiible, and perhapshas .
fometimes a&nall y come to‘
pafs ; fori t may {till appear incredible to the great,e ll Part, who never faw fuch a furpriz ingFafi,
‘
and are uncapable of difcern ing thePofiibil ity of it. T he W riter
'
therefore
fhon ld a& l ike prudent T ravellers, whoforbear in Converfation, to relate fomeMatters of Fa&,
which , tho they k nowthem to be true
, yet by their furpriz ingNovelty, and fome extraordinary Circumrfiances that attend them, they forefee wi llbe look
’
d on by'
a vul at Audience as im
practicable, and there ore not to be ere-g
d ited. Nothing therefore lhould be an
integral Part of an Epick Poem, but what
is eafy, natura l, and probable ; wh ich willbe a lways (0, if noth ing is admitted thatdoes nor frequently fa ll under Obfervation,and is the common Refult of Phyfical andMora l Caufes .
A s the Narrat ion ought to he probable, (0 it ought to be on ly probable, a nd
ually true ; for fince Poetry,‘
as in
many ether refpe'
tts, (0 in this refemblesthe Art of Painting, that it a lways l’trivesto exprefs fume Objeft, it is very ev ident,that
”
the Imitation mull be form’d by a,
dev1s’
d
3 6 An E S S A -Y uf cm
dev is’d Probabi l ity ofifAfl ions and Circuni :
fiancee,‘
a nd net a trelation of real Events ;for 'btherwifm it .Would not be an, imitation zof'Nature, but;Nature it felf. Poe
fltry
wbeingo’
a Pifl ure ofifeign’d or real Oh
jefl s,1 Probabi lity, as before afferted, is
no be’
preferv’d ; and a s it
noth ing inconfif’tent, mon
firous,or
,
umtaaura l, {0 it {hould re late nothi as rea l ; for that would be a T rac i?gre on ft ofiaer - Extream,
and ut .
terly deltro‘
y a e e llent ial Idea of a Poem.
I admit, that a true Faé’t or Event mayenter into the Work, but then it mufi nor
be int rodUc’d as it is true, but on ly/ as it
i s l ikel y , and bears a Refemblauce to
T ruth. H ifio receives and recites'
IThingsthey ave a . face of ImprobablEpick Poetry re jects h oming faife,i t, ha s a . probable A amoe
mul l {h ine in t generalContrivanoe, S merry, and
Connexion , in the Incidents, épiD igrefli ons, and in a l l the integra l and«m enta l Parts of the S trutture ; and
t his the'
Tmth appears (If what
we a l lereed , That a t rue H ifiory,the Advantages xhat the
Art of Poetiy c
'
an g ive,‘
wiéll nor becomea Poem for that Wm
E p 1 c x : P o x T
'
R Y . 3 7thei
‘
nféves,‘ which is inconfil’tent With the
NW at foch iiWriting.
8 o 0 N after the Refiauration of PoliteL iterature in Eampc, the Men bf e levatedand refin
’d Parts unhappi ly contraa ed a
faltfe 'Talie, and grewe very where fond ofextravagant Romantick Fables, the Origi,nal of whichmay be thus accounted for,
T H E E
gyptim are genera l l y a llow’d -to
havefirficu tivated and adorn’
d the UnderaRand-mg with Science and l ibera l Arts and
advances inmale “
fon'
i e A es
before ppears by the Crather given to that famous Law-giver inSacred Hifiory, that he was l earned in allthe Learning of the Egyptians : Hither as
to the Source of Knowledge, for the Imt of their Minds, Men Of great
Gwins referred from foreign Comtries,particularly Hem , Py tbagaru , and Plato ;as rds the neighbouringNations,forthe fame purpofe, frequentedGreece. Thefemes envelop
’
d their Kn owledge of Phi lafoph in Apologues, Hieroglyphicks, and
fiym ica l Charfi ers ; as they difguis’d
their Sent iments of TM logy inAl legories'
a ndmyfiica l Fabm. All Nations, tha t hadany
’
I‘
afleofLearning, either from imitationfo
a ll An E S S A Y uFmof t he Egyptian : or their
'
own na tiVe Tm;
pulfe, which is more probable, affected -to
convey their Inflrufiions by AZoigmatical D ifcourfes and Al lufion s,
‘
Th is th ongInc lination in Men to eXprefs their Semi ,ments and . communicate their Knowled e
by Apologues and P iétions, appear’d in tfieeldefi
'
D ays - of Letters, and fpread it felfthrough a l l the People of the E aji em .W.orld.
N ot only the E pl iam,bur the Arabiam
,
and Permm, propagated theirOpin ions and I nfiructions in myfierious inv ented Fables . At length . the dev is
’
d
N arrations on the Adventures 0 Lovers ;which being agreeable to the molt prev ail ing Pa lfion of the Heart, were receiv’
d
w ith P leafure and much applauded . The
Mi le/ides , part o f the Ion i an . Colony tranfplanted f rom Greece to Afia Minor, a
‘
foft
and efieminate People, diffolv ’d in Luxury
and funk in the D regs of V ice, were the
firfi that invented, or . at lea l’t greatl y improv.
’
d and encourag’d this k ind
“
of Com
pofitions , from themcal l’d Mi lefian Fables ;
which, as they fprung from the
Manners of‘
that degenera te People , (0 btheir immodefi and obfceneMixtures witwh ich they abounded , they increas’d and
heightenfd that genera l D epravity, from
whence they t ook their .R ife.
came the Model on which the n ilmerousAuthors of Romances ih following T imesform’d 'lthemfel ves, as the Poets imitatedtha t of Homer.
T H 1 5 Contag ion great lypreva il’d , a ndeminentMen for W it and L earn ing becamefond of being Authors of foch amorousWriz
tings, which Inc lination the more ufeful Imo
provemen ts and fe veret Stud ies of Ph iband Pol iteL iterature in Greece and Romed nor CXtiDgUifli u Perfons of a warm
Imag ination and poetica l Gen ius, apply’d
themfelves with as much Z ea l and D i ligence to the compil ing of theic pleafingRomances, as the Philofophers did to the
‘
Advancement of Natura l and Mora l Sci-zence ; and as much outriva l
’d them in
the Number of their Admirers, as the Pro-f
duétions of W it on amorous Subjects are
receiv’
d w ith more rel ifh by the reate lf
part o f Mankin d,than the d ry an d iffi
cult Specula tion s of the Schoo ls of the
A T‘ length , after the Irruptions of the
“
Got/9: and Vafldalr had broke the Power
of the Roman Empire, who carry’d their
Arms and their Ignorance over the pol iterand more en l igh ten
’d Parts of Europe ; the
Learn ing of Greece and‘
Rame, that fl
ai
l;ri
I‘
intirely efi’
a'
cjd by the
Barbarity of the’Northern
As foon as Know'ledge be:gan through th is tota l Ecl ipfe,and before Letters, under the D i
'
reéi ion
and Encouragemen t of eminen t Patrons,rofe to
,
a grea ter height, it made‘it
'
s firfl:
publ ick E into Europe by gainerousSongs and Fables , l ike thofeOf theMic/fan :and thefe were cultivated and advanced
much fooner than P h ilofophy,"
Mathematicks, and C lafli ck Learn ing. They beganin P ro’oeme about the fixrh Century , if theArabia”Moors did not bring theminto Spain ,fromwhence thefe Natives of P rov ence, asfome imaO‘ine
,deriv
’d them; Th is way of
Wri ting hav ing taken the firfiPoflbflion ofthe World after the Reflauration of ex il
’d
Learn ing, Europe every where was fil i’
d
with theic Romantick Stories . T heW itsofM e Ages Were feiz
’
d with an i rregular Poet ick f hren z y , a nd hav ing Decencyrand Probab i lity ‘
in Contempt, fill’d the
World with endlefs Abfurdities ; their fertiie Imaginations perpetua l ly brought forthfome new d eform’
d and fright ful Produci ione. Phantafiick G ian ts and imaginaryHeroes, who made no difficulty of working a thoufand Mirac les, dai ly tili u’
d fromthe Prefs. I n ibort, a ll Earope on a fuddenfaw
'
it felf Chang’d into Fairy -Land
,te
plen iih’
d
3 2 An E s s A 1? upon?
plenilh’
d with Monl’ters nnd Necromarifi
cers, Cafiles,Pa laces,and del icibus Gardens;and many other incredible f feé’ts ofMa.gick Powers Befides this, one every where’
in et with extravagan t Kn ights firolingafter Adventures
,and unguarded Ladies
rambling a fter theirLovers . And henceit came to cp afs, that the modern W riterscf Epich Poetry , who . Were tra in
’
d upfrom their
,
Youth in '
eXtravagant Roman -4
ces and improbable and monfirousNarra
tions, which were the Subjefl s of al l Conv erfation, and the mof’t fa lh ionable and
applauded way of W riting, lay under an‘
inv incible Temptation to accommodatethemfelves to theReli lh of the T imes
,by
mingling in their Epick Cdmpofitions fo
great an Al lay Of Kn ight-Errantry and extravagant Adventures, W hi le thisofWriting was in fafhion, the Imaginan ftins of the modern Poets,who were the beliqual ify
’
d to attempt the fublime Manner,
imbib’d a firong T inéi ure of the 'RQmantick Contagion , which corrupted their
T a li e, and occa l ion’d their negleE
’t of Pro
hab ility . T he Age was fo fa r gone in th is
D elufion , that the bef’tWriters could nor
free their Minds from the prepolieli i onwhich they lay under. Hence it came to
,
pafs, that there is fo great a Mixture ofKnight-Errantry, Sorcery, and incred ibl eAtchievee
34 Afl E S S A Y’
upon
the Soul and emPafiions fuitable
This therefore is a need!fary Property, b y which the Poet is uat
lify’d to . gain his princ ipal Ends, Whit: is
an ardent Pleafure and Infirufl ion ; eartha pecul iar and info tablel imits the gene ra l attire
makes the Epich d ilier fromto which however it is more nearlym to any other Species.
A u . Things excite Admiration that
either: tranfcend the Sphere of? fin ite aa rv ity, or that break the ufha l Series of Na
tura l Caufes and Events . T he tirfi‘fir e,
which proceed fromA lmighty Power, arefii l
’dMi racles : I flml lr no t here by a firifit
D ifquifition , enter into the Nature and
M aroonof a Miracle, wh ich fome lookupon as , an . immed iate E ifeft of
‘
un ii
mired.Might, and others as an Act ionwh ich the Spect ators be lieve the 84.1eBein to be ehe Au thor of, wh ile they; are
una b e to accotmt for any Natura l auQfromw hence it {hould arife. It is enough ,tha t in th is P lace, I give th is Idea 'offl i
'
t;T hat it is a prefumpti ve, immediat e Operation .of D iv ine Powe r. T he Other fart
o i , E lfeé’ts tha t move Admiration , do not
furmount the L imits of created Afarivi
W,
E 13 3 t: K P o fir m. g;(econd
‘
then they interrupt theordiof Thingé, and deviate fro
’
r‘
tflh
’d Cuflomorh imofNatule.
S O ME of thefe Iar . Produél ionsl, and firike the
Imagination w and Terror,and Others are whichare often pleafi ErrorsOtherThings
"
itation by theirand extraordinary Perfectionand confummateB c
'
aut ci tra;
ry Strength and Agility of Ody,“
as”
well as the finl flfd Pieces and IrNentionéof the than excellent MailersBui lding, and P lite L iterature,they l utpafs the "0e ordinaryfinances and thofe of otherArtifis, fil l theMind with agreeable Ama
’
z e‘
ment. Other
Ohj'
efi s, tho n0t irregular, nor'
more 66refs perfeét than the ordinary iv
‘
i‘
dualsof their Species, are marvel lous, bééa
'
uféthey feldmn come to parse We View a
‘
Planetion of
"Mind, wh ile the fight of a;
r’
aifes our Admira tion‘
; net by itsmore excellent tuminary, bot byfr
,
uent Appearance. OurWonder
Wi e mov d by common Obieéi s repr'
e
fe‘
nted in uncommon Circumflanées ; as
D 2 for
for I nfiance, theSun when ecl ips’d, For-s
reigners in a firange Habi t, the Shell sP i lhes found on the T ops ofMountains ,and T rees and Nutlh els difcover
’d 1n the
Bowels of the Earth.
I T is in the Novelty (if thel’e Appearanecs, that the e lfentia l I dea pf Marvel
xlous dees Any th ing 15 therefore .
admirable, becaufe it is furpriz ing, - and
therefore iurpriz ing becaufe extraordinaryand unexpeEied . Al l unufual Occurrences,efpecially theExturfions and T ranfgrefiipns(Sf Nature in her Operations, move theImagination with great Force, agitate theSpirits, and taife in the Soul {h ong
'
Ethoflt iOps , wh ich bydegrees dimin 1ll1 after longAcqua intance arid
,
ity Wearo ff our Abhorience es us
‘
tofrightful Objea s, fo 1t
of con i’tan t Enjoymen
'
ts degreescreates Sat1ety Exquifite del icious Garden s
, magnificent ings, and
rav ifli ing Profpea s, Pofie ili on ,do n0t cxci .Wonder
wh ich it produces a1e unac
cul’rom’d to th Novelty; as before a ll ,
ferred, 1s ihé Pa1ent of Adni nratién ; and1t is for this reafon , that; the Sentimen tsin Epich Poetiy, which byé their Beauty,Strength and D ign ity, are rais
’d above
the
38 fin E S S A Y uponwant Unity or Integrity Would the Agionbe of littleMoment, the Che ers
gmean Rank and Condition, t Exp;fion low and poor, the, Stile ba e Wtfl l ck or fwoln into the faife So e ;fhould the incidentsbe triv ia l, theThou tsweak and vul ar, theTurns in theA ion
Obvious and amil iar ; or lhould the Metchines be omitted Or il l chofen, or unfea(enab le, the Performance would be co
g,
tempt ible, and more apt to move Langter than Admiration : And if it be defefiive in any of thefe Q ualities, ‘
the Beau
ty and D igni ty of the Poemwi l l in proportion be d imin ifli
’d, and become unca
pable of railingWonderand Delight.
T oe a s r o a a the Q riticks in a pecal iar mann require in the Poet, that umdertakes is difficul t Prov ince , an eleva,
1nventive and enterpriz ingnborn Fire,
and ag l tates the Soul with greatmence, heightens and inflamcs the
(and kind les a fl ea t approaches
of ia lff’
i t
E p l c x’
P o E T‘
n r . 39
T H O this inbred Endowment i s abl'eél and in the f ull plaée, necell
'
ary tothe t, a coo l and fevere Judgmentmuffhowever hold the Reins, and prefide ovei
‘
this warm and hardy Imagination , to geiideitsMotions, and prevent its Errors , whichotherwife would be numerous and unavoidble ; and fince this happy Temperamentis feldom found, where two contrary E le.
mea ts, Fire and Ph legm, of which eachis demanded in a hi h Degree , are recon
cil’d, and lo blen ed and United, as to
confiitute e GeniLts capable of this fub~
l ime Species of Poetry, it is no w onder
tha t few Pat ient have attempted it, andthat fewer have fuoceeded in theirUnder-1mking.
T 11 a Genius’s fit for Epich Poetry
are
confiituted and div ided into various orts,as poetick Energy and Imagination, or
Jodgment and a true Tall e of
and Beam are predom'
From the fit i’t Mixtu’re comes forth 2: Ho
w ,by the feoond is a produc
’d a Virgi l ;
and if thefe Endowments fhould happen toually mix
’d and bal lanc
’
d in the oriCon ii itution of any great Poet, 3
Species would be form’d . HM
and Virgi l are two different Genius’s of
D 4 Nature’s
are A n, E 8 Si n apart
a.
Nature’
s own mak ing, abfiraé’ting from
the'
Improvements a xed Advantages that
arife from L earn ing, from; Obfervation of
the Works 5 of a
greater Comprehenfion of the
in an Epich Poem,and an accurate
l edge of the Rules of W riting . If iHow x,
after. he had fin iih’
d h is I l iad, could haveacquir
’d the Eruditio
’
n a nd Sk il l of Virg il ,h is Gen ius would have been Fril l the 'fame;tho more refin
’d,better govern’
d, and
more adorn’d by adventitious Embeli ifhs
ments ; as an exquifite Beauty is the fame,when a t one time {he appears in a wildand carelefs D reis
,and a t another is fet
off with the greatefi Art and the richefl:
Ornaments . Vzrg i l and Homer a re not therefore two dili erent Gen ius’
s, becaufe the
L atin Author has more L earn ing, and is a
greaterMafier of the Rules of Poetry , thati s, is a better Critick than the Greriw ;
’but their difiinEi: Characters arife from thed ifferen t Combination of . the unacquir
’
d
Qua l ities and. Powers of the Mind, whilein one poetica l Heat and I nfpira tion, andi n the Other
, Judgment and D ifcretionevidently prevai l .
4s~
"
An E s s a r'
upmmodern Epick Writers
,and there is one
I nfiance off this fort in“the fixrh Book of
King Arthur. In the firfi Senfe an Herov
ick Poemcannot be too Allegorica l, thatis , - too Figurative in , thofe Parts, whichacquire
,or at leai’t wi ll endure to be ra is’
dfrom a flat and low
’
Manner by the Orna- tmen ts of furpriz ing Metaphors, beautifulS imil itucies , and jui
’t A llulions. But in
the fecond Senior the modern Epich Poets,efpecial l y Arioflv have ran toofa r into Al legory . t of a l legori
ca l Imaging refembles the emblemaD raughts of great Pa in ters, where Vera
tues are reprefented as Goddelies, andV ices as Furies ; and where L iberty, Peace,P lenty
,Pleafure, and v arious Q ua lities of
the Mind are exhibited in Humane Forms,with pecul iar Properties and Marks of
D ifiinétion.‘
An elc ant- I nflance of this
k ind of ~Writing is t e Reprefentation ofSin and D eath in the appearance of two
odious and terrible Monflers, .by our celebrared Mi lton in his P aradife Lojl ; ofI imagine, he took theH int from
afi'
efl the
liven and be.
yet a third for
E 9 1 G K 13 0 13 ? a 43is however v ery; agreeab le in
and render them morewhen the chiefAflor
’
s,
y the principal tfiero, aremade theOf fome OHM il luflrious Fe rions,
whofefiél ions and Manners are (badew’
d
forth by the%ual ities of thofe that 38: in
the Poem ; an m th is Cafe the artful difguife {hould be drawn fo thin, that; the
real Charafiersmthe V iew and Intentionof the Poet may appear underneath, andbe feen with eafe through the traufparefl tVeil , as in the firfl (On: of Allegory,whichconfifis la a Train 0fMfitaalhors, the Searsis foreign and different fromthe direét andufualMeaning of the Words }; (0 in this,the Feriens really intended are di fierentfrom the Perfons of the Poem, wholeAfiions andManners are there exhibited
T H U t the Row ” B
Tra mHOW, w as, in the famous Poem
“its by Which he 15 faid tohave pa idgreateft Comp!plernent that.
was
evermade to any Prince : And i t is not
improbable, that Homer, in his Il iad, deo.
ga’
d to honour fame, great Perfons then
flout ilhing 1n Gram», W et the al legorical
Char era OfAgm flofl , AM 131mddéa efl the OHM principal Afibt s ia
Poem,
hy ? the d il’ta’
nce o f T imeWecannot l trace
‘
I the "‘
All u’
fion for'
it is‘
notl ikely that Vi rg i l, {Who’
is‘
fot
mi‘
tator have
have writ in this Waygf if Home“
direfledg
fhim by ha
I N’
f thisjCafe - the Feetfitoulll t ake care,that the
a nd great Exploits-“oi
“
h is principa l 3 Heioflaould be to del ineated,r that in the Serieso i theAfiions andManners
,and the Allu
fions’
and Incidents2o ilthe Poemy the in
tendedi great Man fhould be plain ly pointed oat; " T hush i e typica l H ero is intro
duc’d i t
‘
once to concea l and difc '
over therea l'one, ‘
who is l ightly d ifguis’d, that hemay b e {hown to greater
5Ad tfantage.
T o bear downright upon a n excel lent‘
Per
fon with Applaufe, is bold and il l-mann er
’
d;l and
'
for that Reafon d ifagreeable'
;and{hock ing tO
'
EMen Of T a ll e and Judgmen t .T he
‘
Epick Poet therefore'
exh ibits the Per;
fon whofe Pra ifes‘
he'
defigns to celebrateunder another i
’
llufirio'
us Charaé’mr; thatby
‘tliis means he may break the V iolence,and ! correé’t the ~Rudenefs of bage- fac
’
d
Commehdation3 ~ and that the Panegy'
rick
thus'
qualify’d ~may (him through the
’
a l le
gorica l C10udwith milder and more agree,able Luftre. IN
116f iAn
'
tE s s A t apm1
l b wel l accommoda
pofitio'
n
'
and Habitsof thaare very
“
fewP articulars
and the
font
.
T here are ho
Haz a rds and martialnor the famous Sea-Pi ht at Aflium, wh ich
6 s ofAd tor/fat, andPage tod ' dff
'
the‘
m owEmpire,motahte
‘
aect important;thingt
‘
rtioré pet tt oi“
have been introduce ha te .
mightM ammoth WM?‘
afitf aeeefitatee ifi thénavig a ted as
”
Well forother HeroL a s tofeen r to be
aga in in h alf , anda?! Harper
ofho were e
and thofe too
Grooms,their Vifiorlous
'
Enemies . T h is
T he
Vi rgil was Coma np' lati
whomhe he was
nt on the Grecian’
s
carefu l to follow him tn every Part of hisM 1
, that he forget kis ewa Hem.
in the Defin ition of‘
arithat it {houid be the Nari.
ion, and Dept h ?
be fetch , that $1the Reidents and ‘mferi or Hm may evidentiy conduce to the compelling of themain Even t. From the Order and Coni
nexion of the Parts coni'
pi in
ces to prmrote the chief D gn, arii’
es theUn ity of the Aa ion, on wh ich dependsthe Un ity of the Poem : For if
‘
any Part is
co ordinate and a ct M erviemto the prin a
lc1pa
48 u/fla E s s a y LuPofl j
cipal Aimi pfl the Poet,Action ;is broken, and .
longer one Piece, “but
d ill iné’t «Poems tar-Fragmen tsthere are found unconneéi ed
.
dent Aé’rions . T he two la l’t
I l i ad are t herefore fuperfluous and om of
the Poem; becaufe the Celebration of the
Funerals of Patroolm and Hqfior,wh ich
are there recited, came after thema in D esfign
‘
was a ttain’d,and the principal Aa ion
yvas ended.
S the rincipal‘
Afl'ion ought to be
one, {8it ought to be”
important ;the Reafon i s; that it may '
egtcite Admira;tion , which -is ell entia l , as before has beenl hown
,to this Species of - Poetry .
,n thisProperty it is l ikewifc ,d iflinguiflg’d fromComedy , where the Charaél ers are
iinfea
rior and the .A& ion of litt le.
Confequence.
Bojfa requires no more to render the A i l ion . importan t, than that , it
u
fhould be the
Afiion of an i l lufirious Perion , to ‘
wh ich
I cannot agree ; becaufe great Men mayfometimes
,for — their Recreati on and D i
verfion, or worle Purpofes, be taken ; upin .mean and triv ia l Matters . '
,I f the Em-
g
P‘f'mr Commodm lh ould be introduc’d
ing
59 fin E S S A Y upon
,
tent, and rely’
d upon a con tinu’d
and uninterrupted Sngcefli oa of Authorit ydown
~
fromAri/1011185 D ays to the prefen
‘
t
A e, without examining tthe Matter, or
9 eting any Reafon to fuppont their Doc
grins . S etting then a lide the Veneration
of g reat Names a nd the Authority otf . . tlte
Sphgols, I appea l to the T ribuna l anddecifive Decrees of Reafon . I have i n
the“(Mk above-mention’d demen l’trated,
that the principal End and al l the offer)
t ia l Properties of an Epick Writing maybe attain
’
d,tho the chief Perfon lhould be
an emi nent Sufie
rer, and no B attle ihouldbe fought through al l the Poem. As much
Divine l ol l ruéi ion r elating zto Proviidenoe,to the Encouragemen ts and R ewa rds of
Vertue, and the terrible Confequences of
Irrel ig ion and Vice as great and i llul’trious
Examples of Piety , Eortitude, and HeroickF irmnefs of Mind ; a s noble a nd .ufeful
ora ls, and as fuh lime Sentiments, a l l
fit to infpire the Reader, with excel lentNotions, to excite the molt generous Paf
(ions, and to produce the molt v et tuous
Refolutions, may, be, found in fuch a Poem,a s wiell
'
as in that which is full of A& ionTand martia l Atchievements . A nd where
this principa l End of an Epich Poem may ,
hea rta in’
d, \and the Charaél erifiick anch
elfential D iderence, wi th a ll the concomitant
5 xtaman? i lfipa
i
table Properties of it mbe foufid, as they
“may be, whereay
a re'
fdrm’d, nor.
any Armies enganot
' be'
denominatedam
,
’
not able to
P lan 1,
take Homer’
s
be form’
é . Befides, let
excel lent T raAnci ent s, as weli esMQHero or Heroine of the
I F this arguing be allow’d, then the
Criticks w ill ha ve no occafion to exercife
their Saga c ity, in finding out the Hero ofMi lton ’
s Poem ; for then it wil l be ev ia
dent, that it mutt ha ve been Adam h ima
felf; Nothing could have tempted learned Men to have fearch
’d after any e ther
Hero,but the Prepofiefi
'
ori under whiéh
they lay , that the chief Perlon of theiPoem ought a lways to be aé ive
,and in
the end prol’
perousz But by What has beena l ledg
‘d I imagine, that Prejad ice may beremov’d ; and under th is V iew that celeo
brared Poem wi l l appear more regular and( perfeft than it has h itherto been
'
a l low‘d
E a to
5 2-An
‘E S S A Y upon
to be. Another Reafon why they a renot wi l l ing to a l low Adm to be theHero
of the Poem is th is, T hat they believe theIdea of
’
a Hero impl ies i llufirinns Vertueas wel l as
t
mil itarcyFortitude ; bun - th is
Error is occa l ion’ by confounding the
Notions of a,Mora l and a Poetica l Hero ;
the (int is a lways a Perfon of regul arand
v ertuousManners, but the Othermay be a‘
flagitious , unjufi, and cruel Man ; nothingbein requir
’d in this Cha raa er, bUt that
he ould,
be pertinen t and necellary in
the F able that is, that he lhould emiuently ferve to bring about the principa lEnd, whence fome ufeful and infirufiive
Mora l {ha l l arife : Butmore of this after
wards:
Of the E P I S O D E S.
IT is demanded in an Epick Poem, thatthe Recita l of the A€tion [hould be ex
tended by Epifodes . An Epifode at firftwas nothing but an Action interpos
’d to di
v erfify [
the P leafure of the Audience,and
relieve the Satiety of the T ra edy, whichthen entirel y confified in Mu ick and anEpi fode had its Name from being (omethmg fuperadded to it. At
‘
the beginn ingon ly
.
one,afterwards more
'
fnch Actions,
: bearmg relation however to the Tragedy,were
54; . A ¢ E s s a r uponi
s
the i’ l n li ances o f th isNaturemight beout of the Poen
'
i s of that admi ra bletb r, wh ich , notwithfiand ing the An thorityof his E xample, t ann er be initify
‘d fo r
it is ev ident, that hav ing no Un ion orCorre fpondence with the Other
any-Influent e on the chief
make (0 many ChafmsPoem, and therefore ma ll be impert inent.Nor can this Pra fl ice be vi nd icated, by a i
-i
ledging , that th is loofemanner of Wri t ingi s agreeable to the Cull omand Tafie, not
on ly of the Elfin »World, but of the molteminent Poets o f Greece, efpecial ly PMwhq nor fol iciteus about Tranfitions and ,
Connexion s, frequentl y Hart from the ir;ma i n -Defign
‘
, an d wathbuc any warn ing .
or : rat ion, abr l Rhe a fOO
(1;
e&ed Mat
t
‘
s;ytifimtir
’
d
re
fit?
long . . int lepend ent-
,D igreflion, they ;lbmetimes return to their Subject, and .
fome ’
times en tire l y forg et it . And in t his ;are imi ta ted by Ho me in h is Oder,
M i d i-cm anoth
pertinent, nor of
the theft:
bl a
l
meah'
le in the rear Lyriclguwhere theSti e is more . innate;
“
a nd v ic e
,If the Beauty aad .m a gof a
Poetica l Frame, m oadéngr a die when
;U? C
Effir c it P 6 a rm .
"
5 5of the Criticli
'
s ari l'e’ fromUn ion; and jufi Length ofI {ha ll always believe that
meet and“Deformi ty Wi l l natural ly rez
fult fromD iforde’
r,
‘
l ncoherencc, and In»
equa lity : Nor can fdgive into the contrary
Opinion, th’o ptefs’ by the Ekaih ple of
the grea tefi W riters,whi le , the Difl ates
of Reafon‘
cendernn their Practice;
I f an y Epifode'
s exceed a due‘
Proper-4
tion,Or if they are extende
'
d too far, or
are too fhort, the the Un it;7 of the A'
é’ti
on‘ is preferv
’d'
, yet the symetry of the:
W ork is blemififi’d‘
accord ing to the De;
gree of fnch Excefs orDefeét in the lengthof the Parts . And‘ here I {hal l take"
nos ;
rice, that the Epi fode which tak es u the
{econ d and third Book of Prince A fimr,
have necell'
a ry {better it is to carryon the main Action , fivells to
"
a'difpro
portionate Siz e, and is therefore obnoxi
ous to‘~0enfi1re. This I Wel l k newwhen
EWrit that Poem, bur becaufe’
the $116}eat ftiCh D ign it
'
y , Ufefulnefs, aO
nd‘
Ini i
ant e, F deliberately fufi'
er’d
‘that D el
feel? to conti nhé , Fer the fake offid
’
ea nmge‘
to t heW'
orlt.
$i Griticke a l low Vzrgi l to annihilate?T ithe”, andifinlt above z oo Years upon
’
h i‘
s'
E 4 Reader
5 6. An E s s
'
A r uyon
Reader, that E ma: and D ida rnay becomeContemporaries, and that the Poet by th ismeansm iO ht have a Foundation for the
Epifode or the fecond Book , w h ich how
ever does not add any Beauty, as b e
fore fug efied, un lel’
s Ingratitude zanduthe
wan t 0 Ga l lantry in M u te a Q ueen ,to whom in his D i lirel
'
s he had been loh igh ly obl ig’
d, and h is charging upon Heav en his
'
faulty Behav iour, can adorn a
Poem And if this Maxim be el’rahl i lh’d,
tha t an Author with a D e l ign to introduce
a grea ter Beauty, may be al low’d to com
mit fome inferior Error, then much moremay a Poet be jultify
’d,who
, for the fake
of a confiderable mora l Good, tranfgre lfesa Rule of lefs Importance, which hewouldOtherwife have oblerv
’d ; fince that Bene
fit w i l l better bea t him out in do ing lo,than the mere Entertainment and D iver
l ion of h is Reader.
B E 5 1 D E S th is fort of Epifodes, wh ich,taken a s united i ntegra l Parts, confl iture:
the whole Ma tter of the Fable, there a re‘
Other Parts ca l l’
d by the fame Name,which for d ili infiion fake I w il l fiile D igrel libns. Thel
'
e do not'
necell a ri ly andimmediately grow
'
from the ma in'
Aé’tion ,but . refult from fome Incident, by whichit is un ited to the Body of the Fable.
T hele
- A¢t E s sa” upon
Tm. ream eFehe Pena is can treeas Wehf by
’
Epifedéet that contaihs, Conferences; Songs and Sheeehes
’
,
drofawhieh areentirely aéifWe, efpe .
if - they are put i nto' theMouth'e of
the Attersw ) Some, farm ersof Judgment ,
have imagin’d, that the Poem fiends Rafiwlh
'
le‘
any if ehe PerFens are edg’
a
g’d in
fpeaking, and m hr Aa ion or the arra
m of low h afym 'butvwhen th
for).metres hea rd teem?fiedeé’
tione.We he has a mtre acheeong atWe he
com ma,
by any entit le herthe Aéfie
’
n . or interrupting its?
marry have eenfur’d'
it
his ) Suhéefi , whi l‘e theyafiW fié -W ef Ham ire
er Preprfmyw Narrat ime that areare fer-eeriimee deee
lother‘
afl ifle weéifi yet irrEW
'
Peetry, wh imwaffl e Mare thaw
I ragaey, they awe net may in themfelees fM h tfial “(If Cfitefmifl ifig ,‘ Bl“fi a t. temv
permi t reduce th eEw tiens or the‘Minfdgf
water w ith} he an eieleat z ed ? ufiepe
portable, if the V eil oh the Aé ien»
l hould be coufiant, and nor interruptedthrmg h aPoem of fuch extent. 0
E n c x- P o e
'
r mr. 5 9
Of I N T E G RI T Y ;1
S -
‘
the thief-M ien of the Poem-
oughtto he me a ed t no more, fo that one
A&icmought to be finilh’d and compleat,
in wlulch the Integrity of it does oonfifl :a Pa inter delinea te the Figure of
aMan,either without a Head or w ithout
Feet, the flame mufi be imperfef’t and
deform’d ; in like manner, {hould an EpickPoet £0 contrive h is F able, that any inte i
gra l , Parts of the A&ion fhould he wan t;i the Pk ce would be lame ma d e-ifiit a t
,And this Error is cbnfpieuous he
the Plan of the Il i ad, where, if according"
to the Judgment of Hom e, theMa w“
is theAél ion, that Afi ion is not perfefi andentiref bm ufe it neither begins with thatfamoueSiege which commenc’d man YearsMa th ew does
'
i t end with ir, z mac itm fiee
’d a Year aftet zthe Death of ~ I fié¥or,
and the Conelufion’
of the Poem.
'
If it .
be {aid that the AEtion began With thec a of
‘
Atbiges, wh ich Homer
in his Propefition that introddoes the Fable,there would be W e
one for the Lofs of his
oceafienld his the Armyand ; h eather quite d ilhoé’t, which hrol
'
e v
upon
60“
An E S s A i t upon
upon the D ea th of P atn a/m, and broughtback the Here to thciField, that hemight
revenge the Fa l l of h is Friend upon the
Ti ajam : ,W he'
nce fays the Critick,
’
itwil lev ident ly fol low,
t hat . the AEtion’
or Sub
jeét of t he Poemwi l l'
be double ; whiehi iea t leafi as great a Defeé
’t, as the waht of.
I ntegrity
T is s re uir’d i n’
th é Defihmoa i an
Epicld oer'
n,
‘
th fi fihe’
feign’d Story
fhould h e a recited in Verfe ; the reafon is,‘
tha t it may be fpecifica l ly'
flimited and d ivetfify
3d from W ritings in Proie, wh ich is
”
Orat io Sala ta ; that is, 3 Speech orsD ifl ion free l and i unboundéd by Metre.
. I.
do
nor. affirm.
'
that"
Rh ime is necefl‘
aty ; thoin the’modern Languages,l which cannot
imitate'the Numbers of - the Greektjan d
L atin Poemis, it is axBeautyEhte
'
rta inment, and w hen . i t - r
confirain’d , tand manag
’
d w i th Sk il l, ‘has ‘
a good y EfFeEi . LI t is‘
true ; as before émention
’
d; that a dev is’d S tofy related in P rdfe,
‘
is'
impb'
rtant ahd n itsUni ty) is teferv
’
d, where the ‘ Chaméters ,
a re z i l lu l’trious , t he . Sentirh'
ents v great‘ hnd
noble,z'and D ifi ion figurativék fiylend id and fpiritful, comes near to tlite
‘
Natnre
fo
69 An E s s A’
t'
uf on1
of an Architefi,who ma y a&
mity to’
the Rules of h is Art,whether he
g ives more or lefs,“
larger‘
or‘
narrOwer
R ooms to h is Bui ld ing , fo he ma inta inthat R egularity and Symetry of
'
o the Parts ,which the Perfiefl ion oi '
the who le t e
H E N C E ‘
it is that the Du n of the
Afiion i n the Il i ad, the and the
M ix, is v ery different ;the T im ,
which the Bufinefs of the Poem{h a l l take up, being of arbitrary Mmination ; in fixing, however, of which
the Poet is oblig’
d to have regard to the
Nature of the Attion , and the Beauty and
Order of the Strufiure
T H E W riter is at liberty to begin hisPoem ~ with the firfi Part of the Aéhion,and to continue the Relation by a mgularSucceffion of Incidents, til l the W ork is
finiih’d, which Method is obl
’
erv’d in the
I l iad ; or elfe at the Beginn ing of the Poemhe may enter upon any fubfequent Part in
Order of T ime, and referve the hrfiPart
of the Afiion to be introduc’d by way of
R ecita l,which is praé
’tis
’
d by Vzrgi l in h isM i ; Both thefe ways are warrantable,fin ce no D iE’ta te of Reafon in this Cafe,reitrains the free Choice of the Poet. I t
is
E p i c k-P O E T R Y 76 ;
is evident that th is H ifioriml'
Relation ,
which is made b
yfome proper
’Aéi or, i s
as'
mtich an Epi ode or iintegrafil P art of
the P eem as the reii , which united, con
fiitute the Matter eHentia l to t he Af rica ;fince ~without i t theWork w il l b e smaim’dand d efeéi ive.
- But the Narration of E
vents that fhall happen in Times to come,afier th e Epick Aa ion is ended, wh ich is
made by «way of Ptedié‘cion
,as
that o f Ambifee to M as, that continues
the Story down to the Reign ofAugafim,
cannot be eiieem’d an Inc ident or in tegral
Part of the Afiion, but is to be reckoh’d
a D igrefli on fpringing from an Inciden t or
Epiiode, by the Means of wh ich i t is
ua ited to the Poem,and the Refion is
ev ident ; for if the Prophecy were te
mov’
d, there wouid be indeed a great
M ury loft, but no Epilbde or m reria lPa rt would be mifii ng by its Abfence, butthe
.
Poem would continue unma im’
d andenti re.
Of the MA C H I N E S .
AS to theMachines, that is, the Celefi ia l and Inferna l Powers introduc’
d
by the Poet, tho they muli noc be look’d
on as necelfary and ell en tia l ,'
y.et whenthey are interel
’ted in the Action, they
raife
64 . An E S S‘
A Y uPOJZ
ra i l'e the D ign ity of the Poem, and makethe Narration more il lul’rrious and impor.tant whence theymul’t be efleem’
d high l yexpedient and ufeful . Th is Praél ice is
warranted and encourag’d by the -eldefi
Example of fublime Poetry , which -waslong before the Age of Homer
,I mean,
the Book of 706 compos’d under the Gui
dance of D iv ine I nfpirat ion in which theSupremeBeing and the chiefApofiateAnge la re engag
’d as Parties concern
’d ; whence
i t appears very probable, that the Ufe ofMachines in Heroick and T ragick Poemstook its rife.
I T is by fome objeéi ed, that the introducing of D ivine and Angeliek Beings toafli l
‘
t the Hero of the Poem, and fight a
ga in li his Competitor, muli h igh ly detraE’c from the Glory of his AEhons
,and
d imin ilh the Opinion of his B ravery and
Conduct ; for, fay they , W hat Honourcan jufily redound to the Warrior
,who
has conquer’d h is Enemy nor (0 much
by h is own Arms, as by the Power of
mighty inv i l ible Beings, who a ided and
proteéi ed h is Perfon ,and difpirited and
aHrighted h is R iva l ? I f Mmerfva fupports Advi l/er aga in l
’c Hec
'
for, an
ter engages on the fide of Alma:
Ta ma r, can it be any D i lhonour to the
Van
6 6 Ala E s s a ? uponi ndependent on the Crea tor in an y one
na tura l Opera tion , l et it be the {l ightel’t
fenfitive Perception ,‘ iIhe rfii
'fiZ Formation bfa T houghth o r the lea fi lmpulfe ; or Vo lit ion of the W il l, tha t Crea ture would beindependen t in a ll his Afi ions , there be ingnoth ing more retinir
’d for the I ndepen
dency of al l, than of any one Opera tion ,a nd tha n k would follow,
tha t rth iS sBe ingwould be endow
’
d with D iv ine P erfefiti a
o ns , and b ecy me a Deity. Be lides the
Phyi ica l Nece li i ty of the Concurrence fi fthe Supream Be ing to ehable h is Crea
tures to a&, a l l Men, who have a jul
’c
Idea of h im, wi il a l low, that he 'doesméi ma l ly inter-c it himfel f in t he Government ofHumane A ffa irs
,and by ‘
h is Prov idence
d ifpofes T hings in fuch a manchofe Even ts, wh ich he defign s,tain ly come to pa fs ; tha t he brings aboutthe R ik and Fa l l of Empires , promotesor difappoints the Schemes of Statefmen,and as Lord of Armies , befiows V i&ory onw hich Leader he plea fes ; that he
'
infpiresthe Heart of his favonr
’d Genera lWith
Courage and W ifdom, Jh ields h is i-Hearb inthe Day of Ba ttle, an imates h is 1Tmops,a nd d ifhearten s . and confounds themy . Nor is the Hero
’s Va leurmr iPru
d ence the leis h is own , b ecanfe f infipi'
rid
an d g iven by Hea ven s nor is his Hznnnr
inn -v
E ln i c x P o a r a r . heaimin ifiiid b yéfthe Int
'
é ven tion ofd ifpos
’
d C1rcnmli ances ‘m1 our Facul ties and Powers a re
a nd withol it J co'
n ii ra int, exertedour Qperat ions ; an d the C oncijr
thence of D i v ine Aid 8063‘
nm fufpend ,much lefs odeli roy , the Liberty and Self
d etermin ing Power of the W il l , a nd therefore how much foever we a re a il i i
’
gediby the Suprea
-mBeing, a s an un iverfa l
£ aufe,
our AEi ion s are as much o ur
own , as it is pofii ble tha t a C reature’s
dhould be.
TH E iPoets therefore out of Reverenceto the De ities
,whom t hey inppos’
d to bezinteroii ed in the Admin ifiration of Hu
mane AHa irs, efpec ia l ly of thofe that are
a t tended w ith memorable and importantaEvents
,by introduc ing their Machines in
a l l grea t ahci ions, defign’d,a s I imagme,
ho more than to g i ve an a l legorica l R e~
prefen tat ion of - that fupreamProv idence,which guides and d irefis the Un iverfé
,
and particularly interpofes m the Concernsof Mank ind , and by th is means they fuppos
’
d th ey fhould make a greater Imprefathan on the Minds of Men
,and propa
gate more efl’
eéi ua l ly the pious Notiono fGod s Government of the World J n a
~Mora lS enfe and perhaps they might l1keF 2 wife
68 An E S S A Y uponw ife have fome re ard to him as a Phy li
cal un iverfalflCau e.
5 A S U P E R I O R Critiok of our own Nat
tion has afli rm’
d, that to be thus afiified
by the Gods is in ‘
far from debating ; thatit very much heightens the Charaé‘ter Ofthe Hero, fince it is in it felf and in the
Opinion of the People, a ‘
greater Honour
to be a Fa vourite of Heaven,than to
perform the ‘
greatel’t Af
’tions w ithout
D iv ine Aid ; . ir being jufily look’d on
as the flrongefi Proof of any Man’s un
common Merit,that he is belov
’
d and
fupported by the Gods , to whom an i l l
Man can never be clear or acceptable.
T his A ll ertion has, a t tirfi fight , a goodappearance, but in my Opin ion , i f examin
’d, it wi l l be found more ingen ious
than folid. I n the firfi place it is not
in Faét true, that the principa l Hero of
the Poem,how great and fuccefsful lo
ever he is,and how much foever encon
lrag’d and aided by the Gods , is, orought
to‘
be a good or vertuous Perfon . An
i l l IMan may be a very good poetica lHero
, and th is is the Cafe of the I l iad.
Achi l les is out drawn as a Charafl er of a
pious and prudent W arrior, but is a lwaysfurious, cruel, and inexorable, a nd fomet imes unjuli and impious : N or is he fa
vouf d
70"
An E S S A Y'
upm/r .
fal 1 Gaufes, which concur and’
co—op'
erate?
with the Hero, tha t: is , if their Ad idas }
a re d i li ind'
t and feparate teemme Hero’
s}i f in Perfon they fight agai trfi
‘
,
menacing P refence terrify the
in the Cafe of Tama r,D i i me te
70pm? bofl lt : I t is c lear, that this Aa iunis no more the Hero’
s than if a third Mamhad thruf’t a Firebrand in the L ati zm’
sFace, to facilitate the Trojan’
s V iE’tory . Let
the Hero then be ever fo much a Favous
rite of Heaven , and ever fo i l lufirious
for"
h is Vertue a nd re l igious Q ua l ities, ifi t be fuppos
’
d tha t the Gods do aé’tual lyengage in Combat w ith his Riva l
,and
perfona l ly help to fubdue h im, the Hero
can
'by no means derive any Honour from“
this C oa ePr Bur if it be a l low’d that
the Poet,by interefiing Celef’tia l Powers
in the Aa ien intends no more, than in ana l legorica l Manner, to inculcate on the
Minds of the People'
a jul’t Notion of D iv
;
v ine Prov idence,and the Necefii ty that
we l ie under to implore h is Favour, and
rely on h is Alhfiance in a l l important Un ;derta kings : I f it be l ikewife acknow-
z
ledg’d tha t the Affili ance
,wh ich he g ives
the Hero, is by in fpiri ng h is Mind withintrepid Refolurion, a nd an imating him to
put forth h is utmo li Strength, as We ll by(1d of Circumfianees fo'
as to inti
midate
E'
n l t lt P O E T RY . 71.
Enemy , or to occafion bis’
Con
D ifirafiion ; this Concurrence
detrafi from the Glory of the
or, but augmen t it ; for this doesnor make. h is Actions to be Iefs h is own ,fince the A id he receives fromHeaven is byCo operation , and by enabl ing h im to ex
ert his Faculties a nd Powers to the higbel’r
ree of wh ich he is capable, bur notfarther : And if this Explanation be a l
low’d, the D ifiicultv a ri l ing from the a
bove-mention’d Objeétion to Machines in
Epich Poetry, is remov’
d .
T 11 15 famous Raphael in his on l y Heroick Piece
,I mean
, the Ba ttle fought byCon/l amina and Max emzfur for the Roman
Empire, delineates three a rm’d Angelsfly ing over the Head of the 6rd Leader ;by wh ich he reprefents the wa tchful Careof Heaven , in protecting the Perfons anda ll i f’ting the T roops of favourite
~
Leaders ;but he judicioufly chufes not to minglethem in the Army, or to exhibit them
5 hting aga infiMax emius or h is
So ldiers ; r had that been done,the Ho
nour of theV ictory could nut juli l y havebeen afcrib
’
d to his R iva l . I f thereforeHomer and Virgi l by engaging the D eitiesin theAction, meant any th ing more thana figurative Reprefentation of D ivine Pro
F 4 v idence,
72 An E s s A Y uponv idente, that concerns it fel f intimatel y inHumane Affa irs, inmy Opin ion R eafon
w il l not bea t themout ; bUt that Ii rangeMixrure of Gods li ghting w ithMen muli
be nor on l y harlh and uncouth, but un na ttura l and abfurd.
T H E a E a re two forts of Men amongus, thofe who d isbe l ieve inv ifible Beingsof a fuperior Order to that of Men , and
many Chriflians of the contrary Opin ion ,w ho notwithfi anding the are pleas
’d w ith
the‘ Mach ines introdué’ by Pagan W riv
ters into their Poems, and think they impart Ornament, Strength a nd D ign ity to
theWork,are n0t fa tisfy
’d that a Chrie
th an Poet f hould engage Celefi ia l or I n
fernal Powers , agreeable to the Scheme oftheir own Rel igion , either in Epick or
a ny Other grea t Poems T hey had rather
a l l T h ings fhould be reprefented as mamag
’
d and over- ro l’d by Pagan D eities ;a nd therefore the Poets of th is Principledo normake ufe of Chriftian Machines in
their W ritings, tho in a Country wherethat Religion is profefs’d and eli abl ifh
’
d,but employ the Idols of the ancient Hea
thens in a ll theirWorks, norwithfiandingthe Practice is fo incongruous and abfurd .
T he Reafon I fuppofe, why the firfi fort,I
‘
mean our irrel igious Scepticks, afih
iu
t 15
742 An E S S A Y apart
B UT the Reafon why many Chrifiimoppofe the Ufe of Mach ines 3 reeable '
to
their own Re l igion , is of a diherent N a
T hele Gentlemen are of B oi lem’s
judgment , tha t the Greatnefs andMa jeflyof the Chrifi'ian
‘
Rel igion would be de
bas’d,by euga
'
ng in Epich Poems ln
perior, in v ifible eings, accord ing to tha t
Syfl em; and“Sir PVI/i i zzm Temple is o f the
fame Opin ion .
‘
BUt let it be
of the Country where the Poet l ives, and
every Work of th is k ind is a S itemthe Rel igion, and a fort of Con c ihonthe Publ ick Fa ith there e l’tabl i lh
’d ; and
"
therefore it is as grea t an Abfurdity for an'
EpichW riter to employ any Other Schemeof R
upon the Plan of Mabomer, or in
i
Confor
m‘
ity to the D oa rines of the Gen ti les; Be
fides this Objection , that the ChrifiianRel igion does not furn ilh foch properMa
teria ls for Heroick Poetry as the PaganT heology, w i l l fa l l to the Ground, if it beconfider
’d
‘
, that the Supream
firll Apo ll ate Angel have?introduc
’
d in '
the Book 0
bafing the D ignity of R that Mi lto ha s
,with Succefs, employ
’d in the
Action
E P'
I C K’P Q E T R -Y . 75
Afiion o? h is Poem Machines fu itable to
the Chrill’tia n Scheme , and that the l ike is
done in Prince Arthur, and other_
Poemsthat fo l low
’d it, w ithout l ink ing the Sub;
l imity or d imifn i lh ing the Ma iel l y of that
D ivine Infiitut ion .
Of the D I G N I T Y of t/beNarration .
I N,an Epich Poem a l= l Things fliould be
great, ferion s, and e levated, w ithout
a ny Al lay of pueri le and l ight Ideas . T he
Grav ity and D ign ity of the fub lime fiti le
w i l l n0t~ endure facetious Exprefli on, muchlefs fuclr Stra ins as have anAi r of Ra i l lery
Burlefque. None of thefe low and
ludicrousMixmres, which are inconfifien tW i th the Height and Importance of an
Epick Afl ion, is any where found in Vir
g i l’
s { E mir lo careful was that judiciousAuthor not to debafe the Greatnefs, cor
rupt the Purity, or ful ly the Lufire of theHeroick Stile, by interfpcrfing gay Co nceptions and Sports of Fancy, wh ich can
on ly be agreeable to a fa lfe T a ll e,that
cannot judge of the true Sublime. And
when Hume? enterta ins h is Reader wi th
the Pleafantry and Laughter of the Gods,cafion
’d by the awkwa rd Behav iour of
the l imping Deity that fill ’d out the Nefl ar
at theirFea ll s, and With themerry Pranksfo
76 An E S S A Y upon
of Mars and Venus en tangled in his artfulN et
,he offends aga infi Propriety ofMan
ners,by reprefenting Cele l
’tia l Beings en
gag’
d in mean and trifling Pa ll imes, nubecoming their D iv ine Charaél er. Andas by introducing into Heaven Farce and
B uffoonry, an improper Place for fuchD iverfion , he has broken in upon the Con ,
g tuity and Decency wh ich fhould be a lw ays preferv’
d in the Characters, fo he
tran fgre lfes the Rule, that bani lhes in ge
n eral from Heroick ,Works, a ll comickManners, w itty Conceits and R idicule ;the reafon of wh ich Rule is founded on
the Nature of Epick Poetry , whofe Property it is to celebrate the Ac'l ions of the
Supream Being, Angels, a nd i l luflrious
Men, and therefore is too fo lemn and no
ble to bear the l ittle Plays of Imagination.
Of tbe MO R A L .
AN Epick Poem mull be in l'trua ive
,
and it is requir’d that it fhould be
agreeable on ly that it may themore effeél na l ly leave vertuous . Impre ll ions on the
Mind ; which .ufeful end is common to
this , with the Other Species of Poetry . I t
i s not fufficien t that fome few mora l Sentences a re here and there interfpers
’
d, but
a D ivine Spirit lhould reign through the
whole
78"
2492 E S S A Y qhither imEpich .or. in T ragick Poems i : Adfrom Pulpit D ifcourfes on D ivi ne Sub:
jefil s, many ufeful I nferences may the deduc
’
d by the P reacher ; tfo in t hefe cfupe
rior gPoems ‘v arious ‘
D oetrines may fa rife,which the P oet may hi
’
mfelf mention if
he '
pleafes , or leave them to be d rawn bythe People for t heir (Improvement .
T H O the Epick Poets feldom namethe ir ‘Mora l a r the end of the Aé’tion,
‘
yet
the T ragick often do ;a nd when theymeni
tion . it, they .are {not to be cenfur’d,be
Caufe Others l ikewife may b e n am’
d, fiucemany
,and thofe v ery . d ifferent too, may
na tura l ly rfpring from the f ame amen .
Bur when the 'Writer mentions thefe ih
firufiive Sentiments at ~ the . end Of thePeemmhey tare no Parts of Lit , ;but a re outbfxthe fl él ion, a nd on ly refu lt lfrom the
,Cata fl rophe ; which is : ev ideht, rfin ce the
Afiion ds compleat w ithout it t
Ti tani a" in
'
the end .of the Adl ion t he
t hief) Perfon rlhould sbe lfuccefsful, h as beenthe g enera l .Opin ion ef the Poets andmereCrit icks ; which Rule they have l a iddownand fpropagated wichonin the C aIe , being led in toand Odyjfes of Homer; and
mega} mtwhieh the Eventk
79
o f ‘
the"a nd ‘Coma
ha vemade to n aked Authority,they ha ve ad tvanc
’d
‘Max ims out
a ce to gre at Names, w ithout anyd ifcrrlhon . of the Subjefit, or cut t ing -upon
Enquiry into t he Foundat ion that fup
ports their Affertion ; . I {ha l l therefore te
ieE’t this Ru le, wh ich is unwarran tabl y
impos’
d upon E pick W t iters , and ma in
tai n the con trary Opin ion , . as more agree
able to Rea fon .
T H E R E isin fo Necei li ty tha t -
the‘
Hero
l hould . fin ilh the Afl ion 'w ith -V i&ory and
Ren own,if iwe refleét
,f tha t the end of
the Epick Poet .may s be requal l y . a tta in’
d,
tho the ifl y ent ffhould bewmfortunate ; va
rious a nd importan t In fiMtioa s -wi l l a rife‘
a s we ll from a ca lamitous a rs e ha ppy I I;Inc , an d avhich v
pet haps twi l l 'have a bet
ter Effefi a n d leave a more= l afiing Im
prefiion on th e‘Mind . If Men would not
W itty / but would contemplatev i his State of
Pcobatidn -and tha t o f Immorta lity and
judicial’
Retrihut ion to come, a s ode D um ien u nbroken b y
‘
Dea th, which does
nee defiroy and exringuilhr our
-L ife, but
d iy erfify and daangei ts-Cireumll ances -z - In
th is
80 An E s s A ZY upon
this V iew the‘
Mind of the Reader woh ldbecome eafy , tho he find s a t la ll a wickedPrince or -W arrior triumph
‘
over dif’trefs’d
V ertue. or - a Perfon endow’d with He
roick Q ua lities left in the greate ll IMifeary ; for he wi ll pleafe h imfelf with 'theProfpea: of their future Sta te of L ife, when
R ewards and Pun ifhments {h a l l be impartia l ly difiributed, when Perfons ofMe
rit and Piety fba l l be ever happy , and
the I rrel igious and Immora l be confign’d
to endlefs Sufferings .
B E S I D E S,an unhappy I ffue of the
Afiion‘
is no lefs an imitation of Nature,which is ellen tial ly requir
’d in this Species
'
of Poetry, as'
wel l a s in T ragedy and
Comedy, than a profperous Cata l’trophe
W e lamen t every Da y the c a lamitousF a te of excel lent Princes and i l lufirious
W orth ies,whi le cruel T yrants and impi
ous Genera ls appear like Favourites '
ofH eaven
,blelt w ith Succefs in a l l t heir
Undertak ings. T his, by the Permifl ion ofD iv ine Prov idence, is molt ufua l ly obferv
’
din the common Courfe of Humane Affairs ; and therefore the Reprefentation
made by the Poet , of unprofperous E ventsthat happen to the Hero
,is the nearefl
imitation of Nature,as being that which
molt common ly comes to pafs. I f it be
objeél ed,
A11 E § Si A Y 11170915 .
(5 11111111 Hermes itha t -
ente ii in to13913 1011, theymughtmebe difiinguilh
itf
by, thei r varifimxfihflraasezswi thfirW ag es
Tfirhulent, (whet-flf di li
’
eoentz. Inel inationst
an atheinChmfiersi ate‘i
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ti1
B Y what has been laid itwill be ev ident, tha t the D ifference between an EpickPoem and a
zT ragedy 15 mt fo great, but
that they may be mutual ly converted one
into another. Should the Epick Poet te
trench h is Invocation , Propofition , and IntroduE
’tion
,{hould he (peak nothing him
felf, but eXprefs every Th in by the
Mouths of theA&ors {houldfiecoma
h l S Epifodes and reduce their Number,omit h is D igrefiions, cut o li
‘
the length .
of his Speeches and Simi les, andmake h isIncidents more v ehement and pafii onate,hewould change his Poem to aTragedy.
On the con tra i y , {hould the Action of the
kill be exhibited by Narration , where thePhet fometiines {peaks himfe lf ; {hould theE
'
pifodes be multiply d and exi ended, and
the whole Afiion g1ow more ca lm and
moderate, i t would plain ly become an Epick
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ag itate the
while Heels Poetry is mere
~
ca m
Eifif ‘
c i tf P e ‘
E T R Y :483
etc the Reader isandp ie
titteance, be ing ufiiaily‘
ii n ifli’d in two or
D ays, bt yet a Iho‘
rtei' T ime. An
Peem contai ns as wel l plenty ofEters
,wh ich enliven and enrich the
Work,as great vari ety of Sub ject Mat
ter in its in tegra l Parts , and frequentTragedy ismore ciofe an con
cife, being {tra iten’d and confin
’d in a nar10wer commie of T ime.
T H a s }: two Species of PoetryW a l ly aiio
'
w’d to furpai'
s al l 0 thtin te is fome Centroveriyis ‘Fuperiot a nd to be mofiel
’aeemi
d ; An
fiotle gives‘
the firfi Rank toT r edy , bitby the unanim Suffrages of ucceedihCrit icks
, an Epich Poem is themo l’t no 3
and e xce l leni Produci ion of HumaneUndetfi‘
and ing ; and it is remarkable, thatCriticita deferred their Ma li er i ri 1111s
“
G 4 Point,
1 8that the
etier
‘
they‘
might be, to 1 r its Co
0 Ra
'
a Critick of, {i t’
llfan Epick .
“
Poem, i s
”
the 111011a d
'
bet’
fefiW orkof the Mind,ahd
‘
a i’
figns‘
this Reafon of his Adertion,Tliat
‘
it conta ins in it {elf the Perfea iohsof
‘
a l l other k inds of Poetry . . TD l i rengthen
and fupport h is _
'
Afiertioii , he cites manyof the: moli eminentMafiers of
"
Criticifm.
H A v 1N G thusexamin’d theNature and
Coqfiitution ofjan'
Epick Poem,and lh own
in‘
v‘
vhat Infian’
ces my Not ions agree wi th,or d iffer from the receiv
’
d Opi nionsof the
Ar iflqtel ian.Critig
lts , I am now obl ig’d by
Promife to ivemy own D efin ition of fuchaWork;w ich I look upon asmore. iul
‘
l and
reafonah‘
le’
than_tha t la id the be
ginn ing of th is Difcour ck P oem
r a prob/16k , mhrziel loi u, and
1m impartmt ga terpr ia e, or great
[w e z/la/z’
riaw P er/an, rea red i n
fi/Hz'
me [Jeln t arid Inflmc
’
fion .
“l aw: 5 Defini
i
i flair: E s s a ? tapers
W at, is N"
i n the‘
elflefiAges of theWorldof Means t o corn
ar once. and
Q
i d l ing Preferret of
'
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I'
tadi
tion,the Art of
”
Printing being yet una
k nown,they fon nd out various w ays of
committing their T houghts to Wr itin
A t firft they inferib’d them in B ricks and
S tones, and afterwards in Tables overfpreadw ith W ax, ufing a piece of I ron ca l l
’d a
S ti le,which is a GreekTermmade Eng/417.
This fmal l Infirumen t was pointed at one
end, a nd flat at the Other. T hey em
ploy’d the pointed End to raife Up the
W ax and form the Letters, and with fire
at
Y . 9 ;
hip W EWW } and {mouthingraccoadiag m that rat Hom e
,
W Si ti lqm«wr ite! th em”: g mi egm l eg ifia t
Q”! {W e year h e
», 40d afi -tb’maimed
By w e the Tm Stiie ew e figmtive ly to exprefs JtheWag owChamfie r elfW riting in gen
era l, and was d iv ided i nto
geveeel {gets wok h am1& va rious
Medes h f Dfim , >ia t eeurfe s on var
rious Subje&e. z It Wes ldtewife us’
d to
lign‘
ify theMam hf Eweetfiom
go i hi§ or that Amher , $0 We fa
erMe’
s Seile. ho Ch em, 17h h isfamous G imme, deformee a wondm‘fe i Vag
rier; of Edoqnedm in the B ow ers, whofe
di grew; Stile he del ineetm-with admirfl e
Dilbméfige, The Word is new l ik wife[item izeTedmical in me
Mefich e arl Pa in ting by whichthe Af tiil s ew e the difiem Manner
of writing Mufick,or drawmg PiEtures,
to t ‘a" Mafim
S r i me
9 ; Afi fi i E s‘
is A~ Y upon
S T r L E‘then
,in
“
géhera l , ,is the Chara»
fiee or Fhfhie n'
of W titing .
'
T his to the
Method and Symetry of the Compo l i tionadds Compl ex ion, V iiraoity and
'
Di
eeora;
t ion , and en l ivens the D ifcourfe, whichbefore was an imperfefl D raught, with
fin i lh ing S trdlges'
a nd beautiful Co louring .
Here the W riter exerts h is Skil l,be ll ows
a l l the Charms and AGraces that his Art
afi’
ords , and adjufis every thing to the ur
mofi'
Advan tag'
e that he may ra ife the
Admiration‘
d ‘
the Reader.
A s‘
the'
Choiceof5Words
,which , in theOpin ion of eminent
‘
Cfiit icks; is the prin
c ipal Part of E loquence, belongs to the
Sti le ; f fo does the ra nging of them . in'
. a
beautiful and harmonious Order, as we l las a l l the (elegant a nd mov ing Turns b fE xprefii on,
‘ wh ith hdorn their proper P la
ces and give L ife and Luflre to theWho le.
H ither a lfo is refer’d the Art of touch ingthe Sohl ; and agita ting t he Pafii ons bybo ld and warm Images, I nterrogations,Apofirophes,
‘
Profopopeia’s, Expo ltulati
ons, and Other pathetick Forms of D ittion .
V A R P O U S . are the Species of Stile,the Smooth or Rough , the Na tura l or Affeétedfl he Flowing or - Stiff, the C lear or
Ob leute,
bases the: zEetfée asidiaad thewanhrof ‘
feni c
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Thoughts to a juli: Sublimity for Mast iff?
of fuch D ignity and Excellence as thole
whimhe is W rens above; itti s neée(fsryf he metals? fix; hisMinei 111511111that
arise
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mi mlgaerl iheugmsg1 vation
E P1 126 K APFCZ mi n i m fieeh i isi lnerh ll a
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ftrhéng’im
an hwmw thintgfl a ieruhgfland the e ore he adv ifes
Men . manottriflm1mthei
Beet . wthis heawills be enabled im‘i i ifea
te the Heights of Hewett; ato eafii himself de emzwi th a
Ab doifim hu1ant
'
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qfe ini isv yiet :much!6 ? am.Epickr PUCIr
'
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reatfandffihi flnious Ifi
tmWh ite; enitmmfdiham
96 E 3 1sA Y iuponthe Adqt ihifiration 10f " H11mane A ffairs ;by wh ich zmeans heu w ill coliefi
'
rich .Materia ls,r and per el m
li lh h isWor and
'A N D ; PoWer of forming great a ndeXtraordmary Conceptions, and laying upHoards o f l i vely and wonderful - Idea s, °is
fo necefl'
aryc to infpire’
the N arration with
L ife‘
and . Ardor‘
, that: it is impelli ble byany Meansato fup
yly its Abfencef W here
this is .wanting , a i a rtificia l Decora tion isid le and rid iculous ;e ¢bu1; th is a lone givesfuch . for
’
ce a nd w ithout the
Additions ofArt, it wi ll attra& our Eli eemand wife ourAdmira tion . This is remark -s
able . n0t4only in Poetica l .Eloquence, but ;
in that of the Pulpit,“
Where fome Preach » :
ers, tho not curious in the choicezof their
W ords, _ nor
'
correB: and mulical 'imtheirD ifl ion, byzthe Sublimity of theirT hough tsand D iv ine
'
EXprefii on,-
,accompany
’d with
an awful, Grav ity,
l afxbecoming i‘
eal, a nd
the lesions , z
'
Ari i' o f One; in fucceed
far better. than many who a re more po l iteand regular -
fini
theirgfitile.’ I t is jthe
jel’ty, S tre ngth, and Niizacity
‘
of'
i rhe Ima ,
ges, : the .Solidi ty and I oftine fs of ; the Sentiments, s hat chiefiy ip
'
epetrate xand melt:the Audience ;
'
and the v arious Precepts-
ofRhetorick,
’
have no
Force,
1116 1 110s?
firmp'
h hie : comi c;
ruels for that wouldSubl ime another way .
J WS I N C E a phl iteand fihi lh’d Stiledc
to lothtmm
E ls i e ir P 6 é f a r . 99lhfi
hé‘
ci‘
oin e the Foundatioali ERfiIuence z
“ Thehe may Write
111 the“111
Which he lives .
‘
Age
W ars»niade‘m"
ing, have ra is’d to a greater Height of
Purity than that of pa il Ages Abundanceol i
’
011mm and Phra l'
es a r
hamlh d,notonly from the id s a nd I’ul
Si
v ei'fit‘ion l ike'
wife ; and
eirA di
would want, anwith us.
‘
And
why
100 An E s s a y uponwhy lbould any be fond of anwhen t e
_
far grea ter Part are got into
another B‘
refs,and efpecially when the
Change is lo much more decent and conv enient ? It is a fordid D ifpofi
‘
tion of
Mind, that makes any Men p refer theirrull ick and ofl
'
enfive Sti le, before wholepure and beautiful Forms of Speech whichour Tongue abounds w ith ; .
wherc none
have rea l‘en to complain of fcarcity of
Words, again ll which there lies no Obiecr '
tion, to expre l'
s their firongell Sentimentsto the greatell Advantage. Should wel ay by
- a ll bal'e and unbecoming Phra l'
es ,
and ca ll ofitheRull and‘
D rol’
s of Antiquity , we fhould fiill have enough . left, noton l y to
'
put our Thoughts 1nto a bareH abit, but to ferve a lfo for Pompl
and Or
h ameur.
A N 13 as ir'
ought . to,be fthe Poet
’s Care,
that in . the Choice of Words he » a lwaysexamines thei r Purity and Propriety , ifo inthe next
, place, he ought to have g reat'
regard to'
th"
eir clearn efs and aptitudeg torepreferit . A11, .T erms are,
b y :
{l in
be
et
iind conv antage
no n. y en E s s a y argon5:
does 413 {oar 8105; i n everf erlod.‘
Aadefd
cent a nd mafoul ine ‘
Stil e fabhors the
of fuohand fimfe
fro
fcat, is fo ar mom being fimug smd ma ~
t ha t i t becomes feeble and f in idi a
T am next -C are of the Epiok Poet isto tuners of t he Stile, by
“Manny of, h is W ords,onM t!be no more than
wil l {term to convey h is ’
f houghts ; nor»
more th an a re equal and c ommenfurane: to
the Senfe, and adapted to the Capac itiesof the Reader. And if this Rule wereobferv
’dl. many Wa iters would be ob lizg
’
d
w cut of? g reat W t‘
of t
tcg ethermelefs and impen in ent . Some ofa poor and ma llow {h idetfimndinmut to l
'
memdundancy of thei r Smtenueswho indeed th ink y e ll , finwant of Skidi
,
do Ofién (omemlmge theirW’ol'kS wi th
unneceflfary. Diwa l i , tha tfthey. iofemie liof the Beauty and Streng th nit? their P et
'
s.
infig‘
Epithets, t he iwh eélmfl
, and the . Senfe i is m
4 014. An E s s a y upon"
~
Others richer and w ider for Pomp and‘
Strength
to them ; 0.wr be Excefs of
s, as
-a fober Stile wi ll not endure.
A s for firange and uncommon Words,arc .
fuch as convey our Thoughts
Metaphor, but nor without SurjNovelty ; and thefe are either
ancient, but not obfolete, or foreign, which
are borrow’d from Other Languages, or
compounded. fl rzfiot/e a llows the ufe of
thefe to,
Poets, and fays of the firI’c, That
they render the Sentencesi
more majeii ickand venerable ; and the red, as unufua l andfurpriz ing, ra ife our Admiration , and giveus Pleafure in the hearing : Yet be en.
joins the temperate ufe of them,and
tel ls us, that it requires a great dea l ofCondufl to obferve the Decotum,
it be
ing very eafy to abafe the Liberty of em
gleying firange and uncommon Words ;utthe forbids the ufe of themto the Ora,
tor fays he, on ly proper, familiar,metaphorica l, in exclufion of ancitfual Terms, are profitable and be,
routing in Prore.
foreignthat ,
fince
1136 4 7147? E s s a y apart
Q f’
tbe R a n c i fi s af tbsWords.
H EN th e Poet h as chofeh themoflproper ,
”
and 5fign iftcantWord s,ng p f them i n the ju
‘
fielt Or;der
,and t
"form ing of the i’e riods
,Mles may be ufefnl . Since i n
turning a il
fi
eauti fu’
l Senten
pe, there l
is
g;"d a is ‘Pmporaion o ht ,g
rist i s o bfig‘
fl to pbfewe fig; 0
criey between ence‘five u ngrh a id h e .
viry wh ich he wil l d b , i f h is team eh
tirel y and c lear ly em fs h is Mind; andM r filmmay he C0 t W i c t
firfiReading .
N o T Hm e is more a n and arma fi to the Rwder, th an protrafl ed and
indfl inft Sentences , by which hi s Ar
uninter'rtrpred Stile of the Ancients asmod:
T he pompous Afiat ick mummy
-where theP eriod was never complea t, ti l l the Senfewas ended, wh ich therefore took i i zp an .
,
immoderate Compa fs, mufi be very d ifficult to be apprehended . Few are able
to
E r too at} F in s T R Y . ab s
;unwelldy S en-s
and Judgment ‘of the
wi th their Empire t o the rea tefi Height ,th eDel ibacy andSeverity
‘ the A C‘Weuid
net bear'
this M inus and d i we Stile,tho perhaps the Men th at «endeavonr
’
d to
retrenmres Emberante ,efpeciaii mem
,
me im the ofim Extrema,
«a Fauh veryto Reh xmers . B ur th o t heW ri »
ters in m e w e . more ca refel to avo idthis Error in the Aggy/2m Age yet Hom e
fit h is { yrtclrs p f the fubfime K ind , veryoften 1)y f his
‘
Senfe fiat a great.
am ber ~ fi L ines, dh'
gM’rs and perpl exes
emReader ; his Band s in the a pportionof h is Sentences i n hi s Odes -is the morefirpeiaing, becanfe i n h is e th er Poems heis fi) d ormi fe a nd r ib frugal of Exprefiion;that he M emes u by t he contra ry
To M ime the Sentences
flimfld“
be‘
R: c ~ c a nd lb d im iflM ‘
Paras, th at the w e may a t Mh
fion mtheMind .
O N the other hand,the ? erimds M-the
e nght not no be the fltert, for t henfire fifle wifl be fi clofe and the Streamofme Narra t ion wil l ‘
fiow wi
th { rich pmcipitation,
108 “fin E S S A Y upon
c ipitation, that the Readers wi l l not havetime to catch-f the .Senfe ; ~ the wil l be a lways embarafs’d and trouble to find out
the Poet’s mean ing ; and the quick and
hafiy pafl i ng from one Sentence to ano
ther wi ll (0 difl rafl: them, that they wi llnot
'
be able to keep Company with the
Author. Before one Period has fin i lh’
dits Impref fion on theirT houghts , another
coming (uddenl on , effaces the imperfeé’t
Strokes of the lyormer, which mufi needs
‘
dil’turb and difappoint the Reader.
N E X T to the due Proportion of the
Periods, Caremull be taken that theWords
be fo un ited a s to render them: clear and
perfpicuous ; and to th is two Things are
requir’
d, that the Connexion of the Termsbe eafy and natural, and that the Period
confifis of d ifiint‘l Members . As to the
firfi, an Eng/4b W riter is unpardonable,i f the Order of his Words is not plainand obv ious, for which perhaps no L an
guage in the World affords fuch great Ad.
v antages ; no Other admits and preferves
that regular Succefii on of the Words as
our own . I n the Greek, Latin , Ital ian ,Ga ma”
,and Span ifb Tongues, efpecial l .
in the two firfi, the unnatura l T ranfpofizt ion of the T erms extreamly obfcures the
Sentiments of the Writer 5 their Periods
are
FameT rain‘
and :Mmhod inf "
whim
do. it, fif they? afl ‘
efi not
s-Wherr we fiornzr our Periods, no
W ords th
n one linger or are: heft bow
hi adtto trouli le add in tes rupn the Current
q the Diffeoudii , t haniwhieh; meltin gcontribute more, to:w ith a Stile eafiy maW lhgibiei t i l l J
‘
i . t
WU
;Wm.h 512 ? hasMa”M oo this
regards
wt
immae Peri o u
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rnament ismi ll e t Am
and Cm exion Of the Wo rdsiaé a l wane-fie Succeffioe, a meficah Cmdeuce, and a noble T rain of} thg
'BerMs ;the Sen tences fhould be ful l, but eafy and
eracelyzextfeifl ed, fiat gm d rawn
dm?wifwrg a i w keep-thet fieademeor l‘
mgin Eufpeace wh ich gem kby
'
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they mceed the km 'of fix ’mees .
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fame! Emmi -”ere £0 Ideteeh
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and ~make'
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A Y upon
on one anoth’
er, and not always to con'lpleat‘the Sentence at the End of the -Jeeondt"
.Monotony and Un iformmity in fin i lh ing the Senfe, and giving a
Refi at the End of every Coupler, whichis tedious and ungrateful to the Reader,the Poet fhould often run the Second Line
into the Third, and afté r the manner. of‘
the L atinas, a nd Mi l ton , make the S top in
the Beginn ing orMidd le of it th is wi ll vat z
ry the Sound that before returned to Sa
tiety , re lieve the Ea r, and -
give D ignityand Strength to theNarration.
W H E N the,Words are thus rang
’d in ;
a free and natura l Order, and the'
Period ;
makes a l l its Paufes and Advances with duelcifure, and each Point fuccee
'
ds in its pro
per ,T ime and Place, it , wi l l- appear. bea
‘
utiw
ful, and be full y -
comprehended ;5Whereas ,
without t his Oeconomy in condufting the;
Sentence, there wi l l be fuch a Tumult and ?Gonfufion , fuch a mix’
d and d iforderlyzCroud of Words crofli ng and prcfii ng up
‘
on one,another, that the Sti le mul’tn eeds :
be ' dark and , deform’d . As the jufl sProfl
portion of. the Periods hinders the Stream;of ; the Narration from overflowing, J O»
this’
orderly ranging of theWords and div idingd the Sentence into diflinéi: Parts,:faves ~ it from being troubled and 1inter
rupted .
1 14 An E s s A Y upon
on ly too far ex tended , but by rcafon of
many, ha rd Tran fpo l i tions, and the irregu
lar rahging of,h is W ords , his Sen le is often
fo involv’d and c louded , that it is d ifii
cult . . to difcover his mean ing.
S O M E Poets, out of Negl igence or
Afl'
eé’tation,have fuel] a har lh and per
plex’d Sti le ; where the Words (0 croud
and jufl le each other, and the Phrafes
have fuch a fl aring Look and awkwa rd
Pace ; where the L inks of the D ifcourfea re (0 broken , the
‘
Periods being w ith
out d ifiiné‘tion of Parts or natura l Order,here cramp
’
d with Parenthefes, and there
d isjointed and gaping for wan t of COn
nexion , that the W ork inflead of a beaut iful Structure becomes a rude heap of
Words . And th is was often the Cafe of
our Eng l zfly Poets, before Wa ller a ttemptedto cul tivate and refine our D ifl ion , and
led orhers, by h is Example, to aim at Ele
gance and Politencfs .
AN D as thefe Men are .ju{l ly cen l’
ur’d
for too greatNegleét of their EXpre lhon , fo
a re others \for the ir too great Concern and
L abour about it . As a Man ma y a s wel lbe too huicai as too fordid in h is D refs ,
a Poet may e tfily. exceed the Bounds of
Moderation and D ecency, and bell ow tolomuc 1
E P I C K’
P o'
E T nY . 1 1 5'
Pa ins in turn ing the.
the Stile, and beautiPhrafes. T rue E loquence is
uch fo l ic itous about its Ornaments as its S trength , and tho it lovesD ecency it defpifes the Luxury of a wantonSti le .
L ONG INUS obferves of Demo/Manet, thathe us
’d to embarrafs and trouble his . S ti le
ou purpofe , that the People might believethe Agitation and D iforder of his Mindwas the Gaufe of this I rregularity ; fince’
t is nor l ike ly a Man mov’d with v io lent
Pa l lions, ihould be to okagant and cor.
reel: in h is D i&ion , a s a ca lm and fedate
W riter.
B ra s 1 D a s the too firié’t Obferva tion ofRules about the r Choice of Wo rds and
fo rming of Periods, w il l fetter and rell ra irtthe Inven tion of the “h irer ; he w il l compo le in fuch Fear, and h is Imaginationw ill be fo curb
’d and check
’
d in i ts Ar
tempts, that he w i ll n0t be able ‘
to forman y great and furpriz ing Ideas ; whichB EEF} judicious Men ob lerve in the D ill
courfes and W rit ings of thofe,who a re
excefii vely curious about their Stile. I
confefs , 1 am very much pleas’d w ith ele
gant Phrafe and line Exprefii on ; but then
I 2 I
1 16 An E S S A Y rayonI would have i n ti l im’
s Advice obferv’
d,That th is ih in ing and beautiful D ifiionbe employ
’
d to reprefen t Thoughts that
a re much, greater and more fubl ime . I f
the Sentiments a re generous and majefiick,i t is but fit they flaouid appear in a richer
and more fplend id D reis ; but when theya re mean and common , their Habit fhouldbe fo too. An intempera te and too anxi
ous Care about the Ornamen ts is a s un
grateful, and a s much to be cenfur’d as
our Negl igence . Ndrio n eg l zgmti s m bat,an [bl/icita da fit pejor .
S o M E Poets,mifguided by a wrong No
tion of Pol itenefs, cut and prune their D ic
t ion in clofe,a smakes it dry and barren ,
a nd dwel l (0 long on correcting and fin i lh
ing, that they emacia te and {l arve the
S t i le, which by this means wants the Spir it, Strength , and florid Al
'
peé’t of a maf
cul ine P roduE’tion . Whi le they a im at a
c lean and elegant manner of W riting , bytoo fcrupulous exac
’tnefs, they enervate the
E xpre lfion (0 much , that it w i ll never
rife to the true Sublime ; that is, wi ll nov er become rich
, magn ificent and admirable . I t may plcafe, but will never a
fiouilh . I t may be without Faults; butthen it wi l l have few B eauties ; a nd i f
theze be nothing to be cenfur’d,there wi ll
be
1 18 An E S S A Y upon.
‘
Perfons are I l lul‘trious and the Ac’tion 0?
g rea t Importance,Magn ificenee and Splen~
dor are a‘
lWay s requir’d and indeed Prm
fol iou is here (came 9 Fault, or if it be, itis however more pa rdonab le than a n ig
4
gardly‘
Oeconomy ; and for th is Reafon
H omer may in fome r’
neafure be defendedaga infi the Cenfure of tho le
,who except
again l’t h is St i le a s R edundant.
B Y a too e laborate and correct S tilethe Author wi l l d ifcover h is Affeéta tion ,and become obnox ious ‘
to P l ifl y’s Cenfure,
Such an Orator has no Error but this, Thathe has none. It is the V ertue of a goodSpeaker and W riter fometimes to commita Fault
,and by a fiudy
’d Carelefnefs to
leave fome B lem‘
ilhes,to avoid the V ice of
too great Politenefs , that expofes the Artby mak ing it too v ifible . A ll theMa il ers
of E loquence agree, tha t it is the greatel’t
R e ularity‘
fometimes to tranfgrefs the
Rule, ”
for wh ich ReafOn we fee fo ma nyrough and a brupt P lac es, and to ma ny D iforders in Number, Metro and syntax ihterfpers
’
d' in the Orations and Poems of 'the
Greek: and L ari a t, yet with fo much Beau
ty«a nd Art
,
‘
that they pleafe as much (w ith
the irNeg l igence aswith the ir Labour, andfrom their 'Faults POfiCl‘ity has Earned to
make F iguresfiBE S I D E S,
E p l c‘
it P O E TR Y .
B B S 1 D E S,it is doubtful whe ther Epick
Poetry demands that exaét and pol i lh’
d
D iE’tion , wh ich the moft careful W riters
“
contend for there is fometimes a Rough
nefs in the true S ubl ime, l ike tha t in the
Surface of fame fiately Buildings, whichmakes i t appear, if not more Beautiful
;
yet more Majei’tick . T he Epick Sti le re
quires fomething above E legance and Neat
nefs,for the greatei
’t Part it ibould
'
be e
leva ted a nd marvel lous, wh ich itmay be,nmwithfianding fome Negleéts and Inaccurac ies that the Writer is not fol icitous
to avo id and therefore I am apt to think,that the was indultrioufly tran fmitted to Pofierity without that fini ib ing,which themodern Criticks demand . I t i s
ev ident, that the Author was ab le to havegiven a s much Correé‘tnefs to his EpickPoem
,as he had done to h is Georg i akr, and
he wanted not T ime for it, ha v ing semploy
’d many Years to bring it to Perfection : And therefore that he left it as it is,feems to proceed from D e l ibera tion and
Choice. But there is yet a ftronger Ar
gumen t to fupport my fuggei’tion. Sup
ofe tha t Vzrgz‘l, out of Neg l igen ce, or
te rmwant of Leifure or Indnt’try, left h is
Poem unfin iih’d ; et let it be confider
’d,
that after his D eath the Emperor fubmitI 4 ted
1 2 0 An E S S A Y uponted it to the Correétion of two great Cri
t icks, Tucca and Varim,the laft of whom
was Vi rg i l’s in timate Friend, and , as Ho
race a lfures us,an excellent Epick Poet
a nd therefore there is no doubt but thefePerfons were wel l qua l ify’
d to execute the
Commif fi on they had receiv’
d, tha t theywere capable Judges of an Heroick Work,a nd could foon d ifcern the Beauties and
E rrors of it : And as the were able to
find out the E rrors , fo i they had anyregard to the T ruli repos
’d in them,and
their D uty to theit'l’rince ; if they had
any Concern for the Honour of theirCoun
try, or the Reputation and Fame of a
deceas’
d Fr iend,they mufi l ikewife have
been wi ll ing to correet them ; but fince
they have left fevera l Imperfections without Amendment and unexpung
’
d, it is ev i,dent that thefe C riticks
'
d id not cen fure
them as Faults, or a t leafi look
’d on them
a s fuch,as would nor blemi lh the Beauty
ordebafe the D ign ity of an Epich Poem.
Of Cool and Sea/ate P I G U R E s .
F T ER elevated T houghts a nd wel lchofen T erms, the next Thing con
fiderable in the Epich Stile is the Ufe of
Figures, or fuch Forms of EXprefli on as
ra i fe the D ifcourfe above that of commonConver
‘ f Z ia E S S A Y up s»;
the Notion ‘
of T hings, andflinity and Ac reemen t among
the mods oppofrtc an d di agree ing Objéfis .
Therefore to form a Metaplror; as‘Ar ifia.
tie obferv es , is requ ir’
d great Afiiv‘
ffiytand
Sagacity ofMind , fince it muft run th rotégh
fuch variety of S ubief’ts,and fo many if
fet cht Reipefts and Confidera tions under
wh ich they fa ll , to find out the Simil itudeo f two Not ion s
,from the Un ion of wh ich
theMetaphor refults. So that while otherF igures cioath a nd ad orn our T hou ht
With W ords , this en li vens and embeliifhesthe Words by our T houghts , w hence it
becomes the mo lt a greeable o f a l l F igures.Others may wife the Na rration from a flat
and low Ma nn er, but this gives it a ll that
i t has o f fur pri z in a nd extraord ina ry .
T he Strangenefs a Ingenuit y of repre
fen ritrg one Objeft by an0t li er , firikes the
Reader w ith ag reeable Admirat ion . We
are gra tify’d ao fee an unexpected Idea
prefented re cur Underitand in fl,and won.
Get a t the beaut iful C ontentiion of No
fim s fo fepara te armrename before ; andWhat ever i s ma rvelious is d el igh tfui tbo ;a s we always fed a Pleafure a t the fightof Fore igners and their Garment s , To the
Mind ‘
rego ices to fee-
ah Object out of its
Ordm’a r
'
B refs,‘
and appearing by the”
he lpof a emphor in thefl abit of a Stranger :
At
E P I O K'
P O E T R Y . 1 2 3At the fight of fuch unufua l and wond er
ful images , we a re a s much pleas’d as
with the fudden changing of Scenes, or"
with the curious and extraordinaryW orks
of A rt or Nature, which we never faw
before,
I f the Acquifition of Knowledge withotlt Pains and Trouble is ag reeable to us
,
th is Figure has the Advanta e of al l o~
thers , fmce it leads the Min with great
(wiftnefs fro mone Object to another, a nd
in one W ord reprefen ts more T h ings :
And as th is is del igh tful to the Reader, fo
it is exceed ing ufeful to the Poet, who bythis means W i l l have grea t Plenty o f Ideasin h is Imagination, and be a lwa ys fupply
’d with apt and liv ely Exprefii on ,
wh ich the Poverty of his L anguage and
the Scarcity of Words could ne ver have
funn iih’d ;
“
for whene ver a proper T ermis wanting, which happens very often
in the moft cepious Tongue, a Metapho
rica l one is a lways at hand to make goodthat defeft.
N E I T H a r. do thefe F igures afford Ne
ceffaries o n ly , they i ikewife en rich a nd
beaut ify the D ittion , being difpers’
d likeIn many Stars or fpa rk lhi g jeweis th roughthe t . Compohtion . Ari/ta le makes
a ll
1 2 4. An E S S A Y uyma l l that is extraordinary and admirable toconfil’t in thefe foreign Images, than whichnoth ing can more heighten and i l lufira tethe Sen timen ts, or give more Force andD igni ty to the Stile.
‘
T hus as the ufe ofGarments
,which is Cirero
’
s Remark , wasa t firfi inrroduc
’
d by N eceih ty, but did foon
a fter ferve for Pomp and Magn ificence ;fo tran ll ated and metaphorica l W ords,which the Steril ity of their nat ive Tongueand the want of proper T erms obl ig
’
d
Men a t,firft to ufe, - were quick ly em
ploy’d as Ornamen ts to give Splendor and
Majefty .
N O R is it lefs certa in , that many D ifcourfes would not on ly lofe the ir Beauty
,
but their Force and Spirit too,if theme
taphorica l Words lhould be chang’
d : fo r
the Proper are unable to convey the
T houghts of the Poet with fuch Advan
tage ; and this happens chiefly where l ntel lec’tua l Notions are reprefented by o
thers deriv’d from the Sen fes. T he Soul ,
wh ile immers’d in F lefh ; is obl ig’d to act
in a great meafure dependent on the Bo i
dy ; and hav ing been long accuftom’
d to
receive her Ideas from the Obieéi s that
pafs through the Senfes, {he con traf’ts a
great Propenfion to conceive every T hing
1 2 6 An E s s a r uym
bur not put to any T rouble to find out .
the Simi l itude, which g ives Being to the
Metaphor ; and therefore i t mud be foreprefented , that the Underfland ing maya t the firPt V iew perceiv e the Agreemen t .
N or muff the Ana logy be founded on toon ice and fine Confiderations, nor exprefs
’d
in T erms to which a competent Readeris nOt accufiom
’d ; for either of thefe wi l l
darken the Metaphor, as that w il l deformthe D ifi ion , the Beauty of which muchconfi i’ts in its being c lear, and eafy to beunderflood.
A ME T A P H O R mui’r a lfo be exaftlyproportion
’d,Otherw ife it w ill be ungra te
ful or ridiculous . I do not mean , that
there ihould be no D iflimil itude or D e
formity between the Objefi s , for v eryl ive ly Figures of this fort a re found in
T h ings v ery Oppoflte ; but that there fhouldbe a JuPt Refemblance or Conformity between thofe two Notions or Refpeéts , that
a re abfitafted from the refi , and un ited
in the Mind of the Poet, when he formsa metaphorica l Idea . T herefore he that
has the moft active Imagination , and that
can w ith a quick and fearching V iew pafs
through Mult itudes of Objefts, examinetheir Na ture
,and penetra te their fe vera l
Q ua l ities, tha t can read i ly d ifcern their A
gree
E 9 ISO K
'P O E Tm .
greement and D ifferences, feparare the L ike
fidmi he Un l ike, a nd ioin thq fe togetherthat exactly refemble one another, w il l bethe moft able to fo rm thefe in it and wel lproportion
’d Figures , wh ich the Matters
of poetica l E loquence fo much admire.
A N O T H E R thing demanded is, that
the Metaphor be eafy and natura l, whichi t wi ll be , i f in the T ranflation of the
W ord from its proper Place to that where
it ferves as a Figure, it may feem to comewil lingly and not by con fi ra in t ; Other
w ife i t wi l l appear fl udy’
d and a ffeéi ed,a nd in li ead of pleafing, W l ll greatly offend
the intel l igen t Reader. ‘
BUt if the twoformerRules are obferv
’
d,this Error w il l
be avoided ; for Metaphors are then forc’
da nd unn atura l , when they are either fetch ’
dfrom Objefts too remote and uncommon ,or if fromOthers more famil iar and known ,yet the Notions a re not wel l proportion’
d
and adapted one to another. I f the Me
taphorica l Image be too l ittle or too ibort,the Réprefenta tion wil l be lame a nd im
perfetfa if it be too na rrow and ftra it, itw i l l pinchl and fi t un ea fy. on the Objef
’r to
which it is apply’d,and if it be nor fuf
ficiently refin’
d and feparated fromNotions
un like a nd difag ie e ing, it W i l l become irregular and deform’
d .
1 2 8 A iz E s s a y upon
I T iS ‘
requir’d, that a Metaphor fhould
not be bafe ~
or ford id the W riter muf’enor reprefent oneObieé
’t by another
, whofeImage w il l be juttly fh ock ing to fohet
and modef’t Reader5 ° For tho the Simil itude, which is the Foundation of theMe
taphor, may be clear and perfect betweenthe two Notions, which he compares ,a nd tho that Refemblance on l y is expref
’t,
y et fi nce theWord, which he ul'
es, con
v eys an a ffociate Idea,which IS i ndecent
and offenfive, a t the reading of it the
n oxious as wel l a s the innocent Mean ingis awaken
’d in theMind , wh ich can fcarce
l y conceive the one without the Other.
T he Grav ity and D ign ity of the fubl imeCharaéter w i l l obl ige the Epick Poet to
forbear fuch Metaphors, which by their
Courfnefs wi l l be misbecoming h is importan t Subieft, and by their Sord idnefs wi l ld ifguft the Reader. I f Words of a d oubleSign ification , of wh ich one is impure,are infily cenfur
’d in Low, Ly rick , and
Comick Poetry, then it mult be a l low’
d
to be infufferable in Heroick Wo rks , where
a l l T h ings fh ould be Chafte, Grave, and(3 reat.
I N the next place, the Metaphor inEpich Compofitiog
s {hould nor be gay and
(00
1 30 An E S S A ZY’
uffimafferts the me , b ut thisaffirms 0 are a like
,a nd
£04 Metaphors,as laid be- fone, ;when Wel l }Chofen , give
the Narration ;
, they make it
urn it al l to A llegory .
Th be the E ven t, if the yAt e as intemperate i n t heir Number
,as
their Length : F ureS'
of E loquence are
ch iefly chofen to D ela'
eé’t of pro
are ta ugh t for
and to give a R (h i to the Nat a.na tion
,they mn ‘
flz nut be (0 many as willmake
'
It lufeious
A N O T H E R Rule i s, that. the .Metaphor
be nor too bold and lofty ; for the Effe£t
of th is will be ’a flatulent and bloated St ile.
Such hardy and fwel li ng Figures tit aboutthe Obitéi wh ich they are intending ito
exPrelfs , l ike loofe and wide Ganments
on a lMan that wa lks againPt the W ii t is -m0re defirable to { ink lrand . . creepthan t o be a lways 1: aimidfi the
C louds . I t
then i n the
of Metaphin rthls
wi ll by no, means become;
the
E fr t c k P O E TZR Y . i § i
Grav i and E leva tion of the Epick Di
T H E R'
DireE’tion to be obferv
’
d
theMetaphors, how acute foever
they a re, be not chofen and'
introduc’d
purely for their own fakes. As it is im
pertinent to firain the Fancy upon everyOccafion for fome ingenious and pol ite Pigure, to gratify the voluptuous T afle of
the Reader, To nothing more plain l y‘
d ifcovers the Vanity a nd Oll entation of theP oet, than w hen
’he ,exerts h is Gen ius and
fliews the Riches of his Fancy, where there‘
is .not the lca il Occa l ion for it. ‘
I'
a l low,
that an Epich Poet may, and ought tome Art in adorn ing h is Sti le ; but ‘
if the
native Luflre and D ignity of - h iS f Senti£
ments does not break through a nd ecl ipfethe Splendor of the outward Ornamen ts,the Narration w i l l be flat and d ifagreeable.
The Beauty of a godd’
P oem refemblesthat of a hea lthful Man
,wh ich fprings
from W ith in,and arifes from the Abun
dance and V ivacity of h is Spirits, fromhisv ita l Hea t and the regular Modem 0
i
B lood. A So ld ier may po l i lh h is filmst il l they fh ine and gl itter, and by tha tmaydaz le and terrify h is Enemy ; but it is theirEdge and Strength tha t he wi l l confide in ,and not their Brightnefs .
K 2 T HO SE
1 3 2. An E S S A Y upon
w
T H O S E “
Poets who are greatly comcern
’d to raile and adorn their Narration,
fhould remember ( item’s Remark
,That as
i t fa l ls out a lmoi’r in a l l Things, (0 it doesin Poetica l, as well as Oratorica l Works,T hat thofe very Th ings that are moll ufeful and profitable, have a lways moll D ign ity and Gracefulnefs. In the g lorious Fab rick of the W orld
, if we contemplate theregular and ha rmon ious Order of the PartsOne would think the Author defign
’d
on ly to ra lfe our delightful Admirat iOn ;if their Nece ll i ty and Ufefulnefs, that herefpeél ed on ly our Profit and Advantage.
In the StruEl ure of Man, al l the Parts areform
’d with fo much W ifdom,
are lo ex
afily proportion’d and dependant on each
other in fuch admirab le Order, where nothing is either defet’tive or. fuperfluous,and nothing to be a lter
’d, either for its P i
gure , Place, orConnexion , but to the greate l’t
,D ifadvan tage, that a l l T h ings appear
lhap’
d and un ited intirely for Beauty and
Majell y, and yet noth ing feems contriv’d
but for Ufe and Convenience. When inth is manner good S enfe is let off with the
genuine Beauties of Poetry,the Compo
fure wi l l be bOth admirable and ufeful, andyet fo eafy and natura l
,that norwithf
’tand
i ng there is in it the gijeatell Art imaginable,
1 3 + Art- E S S A Y upon
and ~ proper, and ever l o wel l adjui’téd,
yet it W i l l be an Argument of the Po
et’s Poverty, as wel l as an Offence to the
R eader,if
'
hef i s a lways feel ) in the fameHabit.
H A V I N G d ifeours’d at
'
large of Meta
phots, which are the principa l Figures ofthe Cool and
‘
Seda te Kind, I {ha l l pafaby the others of that fort; wh ich a re not
confi‘
deia b’
le enough to befingly d ifcufs’d ;
Of AMaL I F I C AT IO N s , » De sc a i i »
T IO N S , and SIMI L IT UD E S .
N P U F I CA-T I 0 N is nothing elfe but1 fuch a ja il D ifful ion of
‘
the Seul e, a s
is proper to at ta in the Poet’s
‘
End, which
is to ra ife A‘
dmira tion and Joy ; and therefore the Stile would be fo far enlarg
’d,as
a jull = Impreffion on“
the Reader’s Mind '
makes i t n ecelfa ry . In pla in T ra n li tions'a nd »H ill orica l Recita ls, the D il l ion is ‘
to
he kept in more moderate Bounds ; for in'
fuch Infianees a few. proper, well - chofen ,and well -plac’
d Words w i l l fuficient ly figthe W riter’s Mihd, where
'
a natural
W affl esF e E T’cY . 1 3 3
e Other tide, the Poetmufithe Senfe be n0t lo much
‘
d iluted and difpers’d a s to weaken its Spirit,and hinder its E lli—28 . Words a re but theV ehicles of the Thoughts, and thereforemull be in ’
fuch a'
meafure as the Ideas canwel l an ima te ; not lo numerous as to en
feeble them fo -far’
,that they wi ll not be
able to move’
the‘cReader. As a clofe and
conc ife‘
Stile,
imprifons the,
Sentiments intoo H'ra it E lmira : fo th is contrary Errorfiretches themout into fu
'
ch a th in Expanfion, that they
'
hover in the‘
Air without“
Force and'
Weight.’
T H A T the Senfe may not be too poorand weak by fpreading out the Thoughtstoo much
,the Poet lhould take care to
draw Matter from the various C ircumfl ances
‘
of the Subject fufficient to fupporthis St ile, and feéure it fromlangui lh ing.
Some Perfons have an extraordinary Felic ity in this way , L ang ima obferves it inCi cero, and we
‘
may take nOtice of“
thefanfe in
“many others, as well Poets as Ora ?
tors,‘
who, t ho they give themfelves litberry, and take up a great Compafs withtheir di
’
flhfive’
D itl ion, et l’
ti l l they findtheir" D ifcourfe in
Vigour, wh ich they take from a l l
K 4 Things ,
1 3 6 An E s s a gg uyofl iTh ings that nearly a
bout theiri Subject, a lways d if
fcover'
{omethi'ng at their P un
,
pofe, and fit to furn them with nobleIdeas.
AMO N G.al l the Ornaments of a l ab.
l ime Sti le, there are none tha t give itmowBeauty and Spirit than . wel l-drawnges and jul
’t D efcriptions, which are (0
many lively and clear D elineations of an
Object intel leél ual . or fen l ible. This Fa
culty o f forming Poetica l Images, feemsto excite an Appreli enfion of a di ll ant
T hing, by giv ing a Reprefentation of it
to the Ear, as Pa inting does to the Eye ;but the former
‘
has this great Advantage,that it does nor on ly exprefs the outward
Lineamen ts and Complex ion , but a lfo theinterna l Principles of
’
. L ife and Morion,nOt on l y of Corporea l Beings, but l ikewife
'
of the Soul and Immateria l Natures.
When the -Mind of the Poet has,by v i
goton s and intenfe Contemplation ma l’ter’dthe Objeé
’t, and form’
d a true and brightIdea , it {l amps the Imprell i on on -
proper
andwel l-rang’dWords in lofirong amanner,
that the abfen tObjeft feems in fome fort prefent to the admiring Reader : And a s th is
d ifcovers theR egularit and V ivacity of thePoet
’s Sentiments, and
,
the Extenfior
fiand
orce
i 3 23 a t E'
s sAfir fufo'
n
mag nificent Feali si
,
‘R irk i s,Emba lh es, T ri
Bmp‘
hs'
,{and‘
vartous'
other great' e l deas
, add
Si) t 1'
and new the Poem.
u‘f e a
'
A’ S‘1M1 L 1 T u me is an I l lulttation o fa nObje&, by comparing it with anOtltetin ionic Q ua l ities and Refpefis in wh ichthey agree { and th is ' is a reat Embell ifhment of
'
the Writing,~ w en the Refe
’
mLb lance between thofe ‘
tvyo Objects is exptefs
’d
'
: ful ly, c learly; 3 5nd Wi th Strengt hand Spirit ; but if thefiomparifon is lameand‘ im’
erfeét, or- if it
“runs off into C ir
cuml’tances remote and foreign to thatQ ual ity or Relation in Wh ich the Simil itude isfounded, it w il l
' lofe'
its Effect,“and nor:
i l lul’tra te,but rather r ob l
'
cure the‘
Poet’s
Sen timents . And this is ev idently 3 Faultin Homer
,who amplifies and (Welis his Si;
mi l itudes -by the R ec ita l of Circuml’tances a ltogether impertinent to h is Bul inefs ;and even
'
W here - ~ there is fome Refemblance
,
"
it is often to d im a nd defeé’tive,tha t it is -
not ohvious "and eafily d ifcern’
d ;wh ich made a great W it in
’ the la l’t Age
fay , T ha t he never met w ith any Thingsfo un l ike, as Homer
’s S imi /ies . j If the S i ;
mi l ies a re'
extended to a great
they ‘
grow ,tedious to a judicious
and if'
they! are '
very fre
guent they
the Action too much : I they are hate and
courfe,
E p t'
c'
Kf ~ For; T R Y . 13 9mufi be '
al d
k Stile.: T here is'no
tie the Length of’
a Comparifon , it mufi bedetermin’d by the .
Nature o f the T hing;I f it does not ful l y an d c learl y eXprefs theR efemblance between the Objeétsfl
com
par’dg it is too lh ort i if it does more, it
i s weak and redundant. I t is therefore
rid iculous to affirm,that becaufe Virg i l
and W e hav e never exceeded fuch a
nunftber of L ines in their Simil itudes,this
Proportion muf’t be a Rule t o a ll other
Poets, as if Examples and nor the RealmofT hings e our Cho ice. Somet imes the be difpa tch
’d i n a
L ine or two , fometimes it Wi l l'
demand a;
greater number ;mol’t common ly four orfix,fometimm eigh t or ten L ines, a nd formtimes yetmore wi l l not be redundant. T hePh ase hia s fome times crouded one S imil itud e upon another to il lul
’trate
'
the fameT hing, and Virgil has follow
f
d his Exam
ple yet if one Simi le be flrong an d ful l ycaprefii ve , a fecond, and ‘ much more a
th ird, . is, in my Opin ion , (operfluous ando il en live. S imilitudes
,l ike Other Figures,being the Ornamen ts and Jewels of the
D iétion l hould therefore be (paring ; theGarn itttre and T rimming lhou ld be enoughto set ofi
’and adorn
, noc for profnfe as to
cover
140 An E S S A Y . uponcover and h ide the
“ Garment ; and thefeComparifons Ihould be molt .
the Subject is ‘
dry and. un iform
,as in
Sieges and Battles, where the fameMatter.
often return ing, would otherwifegrowBatand tedious to the Reader.
OfWbement and Tethetz’
ck Ftc i mn s .
C O M E now to t he vehement Figuresof Speech, wh ich regard the Pafli ons
,.
and which no Poet wil l manage with Succcfs
,without his own innate Fire ; I mean,
that warm and afiive'
T emper which we‘
mention’
d before, as'
requir’d on Nature
’s
Pa rt ; give him the clearelt Head and the
moPr fertile Imagination, without this Poetica l Fervency he wi ll never be able to
do any thing wonderful . I t is true, th is
generous Impul fe or Ardor of Spiri t, if
eft at l iberty and unguided, is l iable to
many Mifcarriages and d ifhonourable E rrors
,and therefore I {ha ll lay down the
Rules which concern its due Conduct,a fter I have fpoken of the Ufefulnefs and
Necefii ty of the Pathetick Figures to the
Sublime Stile.
A MA S T E R L Y : Way of touching the
Pafiions l S a lways demanded in the upper
Species of Poetry, and tho it“
is chiefly tequir
’d
141 sw imE s i sia muffin
by the Afii l’rance aor Learn ing a nd Ufe,come. mzfo
'
meMa turityi i n the Lafi andof
'
theifwd‘
ay s he,'
th'
ene has been a lwaysa g rees Number fB ot .for ~Ora tors that can
command the" Audiehce, gand transform
pearance‘
Eth'
ey pleafe, the fe ha ve
very rf ew. L et'
t he "0 ra tor, fays he,
fiudy . howe ol ’torm
'
and impe l theMindsof the Aud ience ; this is h is P rov inee,this is 'his L abour; lW IfihOUt wh ich a l l
Things w i l l be naked, je june, feeble ,and ungra teful ; as if the
"
Spirit and Soulof E loquence eonfified
s
in’ mana ing the
reflection s“ A rzji atle, z
who l ay s the great aefi Steel s upon t he
-
zProofs and Arguments,yet as n ot a
‘l ittie on the“
pafii’
onate
Forms of Exprefiion , and fays, ThatMe nof
’
a warm Complexion a re of a l l others
the -molt fuccefsful in the Art of E loquence:And t herefore he . teaches Ora tors . to ex
prefsmhemfelves in . a p etherick manner ;whidhwhey awnld o,
*fa‘ys :he
, _if in t reat}
iflg i of an .OH’
ence Lor'
I njury reeei vfd, the
D ifcou’
rfe feems’
to come zfrom a Man i nAnger ; or if they mention any th ing im
piflus ii er h afe,a ny fce
’
m t o I peak of it
with i n dignation and A via tion ; anch or:
the icontrary ," -whil lt th ey “ h ear of a ny
great and il auda ble Afi ion , they ‘exp'
refs an
emmordinany Joy a nd‘
Sa tisfafl ion ; andfi
E P I C K LP O FZ'
T’
R Y . 14;if the Subiefi r is fad iand worthy ofpafiom
‘the
- D ifcourfe be feriousr
a nd aci
com’
paoy’d with a lbecoming Sorrow. Thus
l ikewife {peak ing of thefChoice of 'Wo
'
rds,he
'
fays, that greater (L ibertyv is permi tted
to the Orator, .when"
he has, . ia so it~ were,tran fported
'
t he H ea rers four of t hemfelves,whether by Pra ifes or Invec’tives, by hisAnger or
‘by his Joy , o rtheMotion o f anydrhen vehemertt Pafl ion .
l '
r'
i is for t his =Reafon dmt fthe'
g reatTeachers o f .E loquenceh ave .left 'formany
'theiNature refthe Bafli onthods = to e xcite t hemt 'For this {End 1417
'
s
fl ot le has given a ave eeXafi'
Defcription ofthem,
3 3 )wel l o f thofe z t hat tpredominatein the d ifferent Ages o f
'
L ife, as in thediflerent zR anks and ECond it ion o f; Men ;that t he Orator being acquainted w ith thepart icu lar: Tempers a nd
'
D ifpolit ions of‘
h is
Audience, and the true’
Wa ys of {peak ingto the Heart,
’ h e 'may manage a nd g overnthem with ea fe, and lead them w hereeverz he pl ea fes . And what Breafiw i ll beable t o hold out aga inPr
'
a Speaker that iswel l appriz’
d o f a ll'
its weak and indefenfible P laces, w ho ris net on l y able to pot?
fe is jh irnfelf of a ll theLrPaflages, but knowshow nto form and k eep . an Inte lligence
with
144 E s s a r upmz .
w ithin,and to a ttack it with his utmofiForce in the v ery Seafon Lwhen ’
tis pte
par’d . to . furrender ? wi ll
make h imfel f .Mafier of any Spirit, that
can aIIault itwithfuch Advan tages, tha t can
command the Paflions, thofe Storms ‘and
W inds of .the Soul , and they obey h im.
L o rre mu s tel ls n s, at the latter End ofh is T reatife, which eis come to the Hands
of Pofierity , that he defign’
d to write a
T ract a part about thef‘ Pal/iom. And"
Ci
m o, where above-cited, jdeclares his Opié
n ion,
-
.T hat it is impofli ble to be an Orator
with out the Knowledge of their'
Nature,
and the Art of mov ing them. And as’
this
i s their genera l Doa rine, (0 we find the ir
Praa ice was conform’d to i t. Cicero ad~
mireS ‘
D emoflbemr for this, That he never
{fiche a Sentence but in a warm and pa
etick way Such was theV iolence of hisF igures, fuch theMajefiy ofh is Thou hts ,fuch the Force of h is pafli onate Comp exio
on, tha t a Manmight as well Kw againfi
F la lhes of L ightn ing , or, fiem a rapid
T orrent, as hold out aga infi h is Perfua
fion. And Cicero, who was cal l’
d the L it
t in Demofllaems, was l ike himin '
nothingmore than . h is artful manner of addref
l ing himfe lf to the Afferftions , W ith whatVehemence of. Spirii,
With what Energy;~o
146 An E s amt .awn .
Naturef or - the Aft of . -8peakifigz
ohfetve, fays
acute,
with the -
O grea tefi Vat iety of Oratton,hm w ith no r
‘
fatimy hf our Ears Whohear h im} ?
T H U S ; lB theMen
,that Oratof
ing , who acqua i nting .with the
Avenues’
Of'
the Mind , and‘
knows how;by the force ofhis Sentiments, the Vio lent,warm
,andafl ive Forms of h is Expreflion;
to l ie and ptefs like a firongW indh pmtt he Audience,
'
t ill he drives them th is or;
that Way, as he leans upenvthem.
W'HAT thefeMafiets (peak of patheticki
Figures iu‘
Rhetorick , may , wi th -parit y .
of Reafon, be apply
’
d to al l the fuperic'
mKinds of Poetry, whexe Proofs , and clofe
Argument are not (0 much requit’
d, as in“
Ora torica l Performances, Perfuafiize Ad s
df efs, Skil l and Capacity to work up the
Pafii ons, and touch a l l the Springs and '
Movements of the Soul, are to n ecelfaryt,o Tra
‘
gick and Epick Poets, that it is n0t
poflible
E h r e K‘
zP O E T R-
y . r4J7‘
fucceed without them;
One] of thefe ’
\Uritérs'
Compaffion , and the.
and D el i ht, w ithout
the Art of changi ng the 3 0111 y thele va rious Emot ions ? T he In l’ta nces of th is k inda re end lefs, which might be produc
’d out
o f the‘Con ferences, Speeches, and Con tefis
of the Il i ad and the fEa ez’
d,of which that
of Did o to fl aws is one of the molt admirable fo r its paffionate E loquence : Butno WOrkS whatfoever a ll ord more Examé
ples o f pathet ick Expreflion s than the Sa-i
‘
cred W ritings. I s it poll i ble to ufe moremo v ing L anguage, a nd mo re piercing Fifgum th an tho fe wh ich every Where theys tu n d w ith i n the Poet ica l and Propheé ‘
tick f arts ? How majc ltick and terribleare t he Threats
, and how earne l’t the Ex
hmmtions of the P rophets How (harpand {Emnetratihg the ir Reproofs
? How a -i
waken ing the ir Mmoh itions ? How pail
fionate t heir Expofiu lations? How few
Sentences are there in the Pfdmr, t hat a renot mit in to fo rm of thel e lively Forms ?N or id the New Tefiament a re they lefis
fit . P a id , the great Apoll le of
t ies, employs ev ei'y where th is v es
D iftion ; he in treats, b'
efeeches,terrhfies , reproves , exhorts , and eXpoflulates mid i fuch v ariety ot
'
violen t pathe;t
An E s s'
ixY uymtick Figures,
'
tha’
t the Kin
by“fuch a
fi
Mauagemen t,a nd take the Auditors
‘
by Force. I t’
is ob
fervable too ,that we find the Forms of
P rayer addrefs’
d to God by- devout Men
recorded in the Scriptures, ful l of' thefefigurative Expreffions, as if they were defign
’
d to perfuade the Almighty, by , mos
vmg fome Pafli o'
n to change h is Purpofe
wh ich manner of Invoca tion ev ident l y .
(Je ws, tha t th is is themolt e li cétua l way to
preva i l withMen,which
”
w e chufe to in-5
cline the W i l l of God.
B ECAUSE I look on the vehement Formsof Speech ih
'
the fubl ime Parts of the Str ip ,
ture, for their Grea tnefs, Majefiy, and
Force in mov ing the Soul , a s fuperior to
any in the Pagan Poets, I Wi l l felea fromthem fome Examples. W hat more -T en-l
derand Compafli ona te than this OEphra
im, whet [be/l I ‘
do on to thee O l frael , ity/Mr
[bal l I do un to thee for y our Goodnefi i s a :
i t.
M0f fl ifig Cl oud, {not 4 5, the earl) Dem i t
page: a rm] . Hon"fibafl I g iv e thee 113 ,
'
E
p t a im,bow fha/I I del iv er thee; I frael ?
How [ba ll I melee thee as .Admah ? Hair
[bal l I fer th e a : Z eboim'
?. .Mj Heart i s
tamed within me,my Repa i ring
-3 are kind/ed¢
together .0 Ifi‘
ael,t/J oag bajf defirOJ ed fly
filj , [wt in me i ; thy belp AJ‘
I l i v e,fl i t:t e
1 59“
fin E S S A Y eufion’i
I N S T AN C E S' of R which’ is
a more v ehemen t Re wha t
has been’
fa id, to mako a
(ion of it oh the Mindsare (ri ch a s thefe ; Wha t thin
to Wzth efs for thee ? ”7ha t thmg [ha l l I l ikento thee
,0 D aughter of Jerufa lem ? What
[ha l l I egua l to thee to comfort thee, OVirg inD aughter of Z ion ? - PVoe
,Woe to the [773
hahitah ts of the Earth, by reafon of theVoicesof the threeHogel s that a re yet tofound— W/oe
wh o you Scribes and Pharifees , Hypocr ites ,
for ye flout- theKingdom of Hea v en
, fil — e
I’Voe unto you Scribes“
and Pha rifees, l fipo:t rites , for ye dev our W
'
idozvs Houfiés ,'
3(C.-a
l/Voe un to you Scribes amt Pha ri fees, Hypo;cri tes , 8m.
As to Forms of Admiration ,what can be‘
greater than that Epiphonema of Sr, P aul ,0 the Depths of the R iches hoth of the Wifdom ari d [Ch ow/edge of God, how unfearehahleare hi s fuel meri ts , ah d hi s Ways pa/i finditgout l —
gAn that, 0 Death, where i s thj Sting,OGra f
t/ewhere i s thy Vig or]
F O R M -
s ot“
Exclamation are‘
fuch as
Truth. And
y
o‘
E T ii Y . 1 5 1
tar ;’
f)‘
Altqr, thus [h i ih the Lord,839
T H E R E 1s noth ing more common than
In terrogations in Scripture, wh ich fomeMafie
‘
rs of E loquence ca l l the V igorousand D iv ine Forms of Speak ing. A ll the
infpir’
d Writings, that are not Hifl orical
or Genea logica l , fo abound with them,
that Wemeet with them i n every Chapter,and a imoli 1n every V erfe . T hat of S t.
P aul , wherein he Q uel’tions and Anfwers
h imfelf, is a way eXtreamly apt to touchthe Readers ; Are they Hebrews ? [0 am I .
Are the} Miiti/l ers of Chrtfl ? I jfeak a s a
Fool, I ammore.
T H A T Profopopeia of 3 th concern ingW ifdom, i s very noble ; The Depth fifth,i t is h ot in me. Deflruiiiorz and Death [it] ,
T H A T Apol’trophe of Ifiaiah i s verymo.
v ing° Mar
,0 Heav ehs, atid
'
ar OE arth
,‘ foi
' I a?
in‘
1nan1mate
14 74
1 1?a s A ir -teamEarth, hrea lcforth irtto urg in g yeMorth ta iqs,0 Fori efl
'
,
~
ari d lee/err ree t zeretti ; forf theL ord ha t/t
'
retieemed jacob , a zzal g lorified himte a l l fél fi ln
9
T H E Forms'
of Exhhriation aie fomagyand (0 well ' k nown, that I need non; $5down any
'
Egtample.
T H o s 15, of Command .arevery mayv ing ;Tuoh is th , Si , ~
,Tel l .me to
J e that tie/ire to he 85 C.
fi nd
the fame Figure o~
the
l ites, 15 very grea t
you thi s D aj whom A ,
whom your F athers j i r'o ta’
,ere or: the
other fide of the Flood, or
'
the Gods of th
Amorites, it: who/e L am; ye, dwellfor weigh t!177} Piou/i
’
,logewi ll ft’t 'y t theLords
T H E Poet lhould feel thofeEmhtionsof the 80151, wh ich he would ra ifc in q
and ammated with his owq ‘
Pa lljon , theyw i ll ea l i ly tran sful
'
e thei ’
farzge L ife an
nergy into th of the Reader,is a lfo a lwa
ys as the Poet is ;
therefore t e: rFir'
e
' '
be
k ind led iter, toconvey ‘
h is lmphl le anti Sen F0
19, the.
Minds of others.
i 5 21, f l it E S S A Y upon"
mo lt common l y they ,want Judgment ,
to
conduéi them. I'
conclude therefore Withwha t Q umti i i ys
'
on th is Subjeéi ,“which
Con firms“Lthe A llettion of Arifibtle, men;
t ion’d before let thofe things move our
felves wh ich we del iré flaould move 0.
thers,and let Us be a i’l
'
eéi ed our (elves, befifore we attempt to a lfeE’t them : By thismeans the Poet will acco‘
mplilh h is D efign ,and not on ly tranfmit h is W ords to the
Ears, but h ls Soul into the Brea l’rs of his
Readers.
T o thetrue Subl ime in one Extream, isoppos
’d the
“
(wel ling a nd fuli ian St ile iwhere weak and trifling Thoughts are fer
off with a ll the Ornament that foundingW ords and pompous Periods can
whi le the {l ender Seule is‘
eli ac’
d with toomuch Colouring and Decoration . As this
often happens on the Thea ter, when
T ragick Poet , that wants JudgmentStrength of Imagination , would fupply the‘
D efect of cat and elevated Ideas,turgid and wind iE’tion
,and attempts to
terrify the«f
‘l‘d leme by the mere PQWer'
of raging ords , or melt them1nto Coin
paflion’ with render and gent le
to in the other Upper kmds ofBMW is fr uent ly '
committed byof a lowmn barren Geniusy who
E P I c ad - P o E T
‘
R Y . 1 5 5bet and Rifle their jejune and vulgar Sentiments by improper and redundant Expreffion ,
~ for wh ich more Authors than Sw i zz ;are jufily cenfur
’d . T ho the Words flaouldbe well chofen, and ranged with thegreate ll Exafinefs ; tho the f igures {hould bejol t - a nd fplend id, and no ' extern a l Gra
ces fl100ld be omitted, th is w i l l n0t pafsfor fubl ime E loquence, i f good Sca le and
loftyConceptions arewanting,wh ich {houldtion .
T H A T ' which is oppos’d to the true
Sublime in the o ther EXtream is the flat
St i le ; where the Thoughts are low and
puerile,’
the D iction familiar, courfe , and{emetimes defect ive in the Art‘
of,vulgar
Rhetorick , where the Phrafes are bafe andrufiick
,and the
.
Metaphors dark, poor, orfulfome, and the who le D ifcourfe
‘
is a fad
variety of T hings il l conceiv’
d, il l exprefs’d,
and hudd led together without Order andContrivaacc a
AP P E AL;
_
1r5 6 { GM-E s s'
A, Y apart
i f p-
‘
fiP'
E N D I X .
ANY‘
Years a o, ‘i n the Preface to
j the Pa ra hra e on j ob, I declar’
daga in lt the deci 1ve Power of Authority ,and refus
’
d Submiifion tQ'
the Examples ofancient W ri ters, un lefs they were fupport
l
by R eafon ; and fiuce it i s eviden t, that
amon theModems we have no Originals ,theirPoets ,b!eing
'
a l l Ini itators , who form’
d
themfelves on the Greek and Large Models,
I exprefs’
d my W’
ifhes'that fome grea t:Gen ius, qua l ify/3d for fuch “an Undertak ing;
would breakt he Ice, a lfert the L iberty ofPoetry , and Pgriking ofi
'
fi'om a fervile Imiration of the eldei’t P lans,
'
would attemptan Epick Poem,
in fomemeafure, of a dif
ferent Cafi, but agreeable however to the
Nature and Con ltitution of that Speciesof Poetry ; fuch as might hear a Confor
mity to the T afie of theaprefent T imes,and to the Cultoms,
~Manners, and efiab l if h
’d Rel igion of thefAuthor’s Country .
I was nor without Hopes that form Per
15 8
ci fe of 'Reafon , in examin ing theW ri ters
bf the mofiefi‘
abl ifla’
d‘
Credit. I ucknow-fl
l edg e i t is a Satisfactio n, as it confirms mein the Bel ief ofm y hav ing pafs’d t right
Judgment; _to fee two Perfons of; h a
pol ite ,T afl e, bof fo
‘
much Penetration land
good Saufe, fa ll in withmy Opin ion , a ndwarmly r engage in the fame D e l ign , of
vind icat ing the R ights ofHumaneNature,of Men a t L iberty ,
'
a'
nd
refioring to them the free D ie of their Unaderl l and ings . Their Adverfaries exc la imaga infl ; them,
as prefumptuous and spragmatica l Innova tors
, Men that froma proud
and petulant T emper hav’
e rev iv’
d the
Schifm of P erm it ; whofe Arrogance, faythey, was fufli ciently ‘
wh i le h isNotions were abundan tl y confuted by theable Pen of D ejprea zzx . T he Other fide, it i
their Defence, d ifown a ll Partia lity to theModems, and d ifref (it to the An cien ts ;they dec lare, they v e no Other In ten ‘
t ion, but to Tech and difcover the Truth
by an impartia l Inquiry in to the celebratedPoem ofHomer
,and aceufe the Critick s that
{l and by. h im,
a s Perfons blinded with
P rejudice and guilty of fuperll itious Ado
ra tio n‘
of h is W ritings, a rifing from the’
Applaufes they have receivfd from ii) in
lea rned Men in
they, was born down l ay- the (uperti or
'
Strength
E P i C K I P Q E T R Y . 1 59his
'
R iva l ; andwas go
'
o'
d, he
in ifcarry’
d by an i ll Managemen t ; tha t hewas
,
unequa l . to the . Undert aking , and byfev era l Errors and Mifiakes, g ave an occas
l ion of Tr iumph to his Adverfary . B ut
theta;fa y they , t ho this Gent leman fo r
want of fufiic ient Sk il l and Conflufi ,fa il
’d
in his si
Atlrempt, a t which no Ma n [houldbe a li d, here it was the fir ll of theKind ”l et this does not ba r the R ight of
any Men to refume the Corrtro vcrl y , who
hope they can'
carry it on w ith a greaterPtofpefl of Succefs. rit iea l War
is broke out in Frame,and theMu les are
engag'
d in C iv il' Con ten tions, wh ile one
Fatima fie lior pul l ing down the Authorityof and the Other ll i ’en
'
uoullyfl og
pol'
m, and ma inta ins the C redit of thatPoet. Inmy Opin ion , the D ifputa nts o n
i . fide a re,
i n the right, and
have d iv ided t between them;the pm
‘
haps the Aggrellors ha ve the greatell .Sha re ; . wh ile the Poets that
’
deprec ix
are and decry Homer’s Poem,
{l and up rotPri
’
vi lege of Mank ind,and the Reafon-i
ablenefs bf examin ing the Ev idence broughtin favour of any Opin ion before they cut
brace it w h i le t hey afi rm,t hat Example
and . Amhority are no r Reafon and De
men ti a—
a tion, and tha t every Man
P
has a
ower
160 An E s s A Y amijPower” of, del iberating "
and ~w6 ighingr the
A'
rgu'
ments produc’
d on each Me of the
Q uefiion , ingfor h imf: lf ; . lafily ,
‘
impartia l Criticks mt ings of the gr
’
eateli
a nd wherethey bel ievewith efiiden t . Reafon, todemn
’
their Praéi ice‘
, -thus far‘ their . 0pi
n ion w i l l bear the For it iéeert'
ain;that no Mah
’
s Underii an d ing was ever de
fign’d a s a S tandard 'Tor ami ne
,any more
than mine w as in tended as one for h is .
N O'
Example is to be . follow’
d, but Las i t
i s jul’t and reafonable ;
~
and how flaa l l .
appear’
fo,if we have no L iberty tozexa ~
mine it ? Un iverfa l ity and Antiquity are:to be look
’
d On with Refpe& . and Reve
rence ; bur fince they have been Often rpro
dudd to fu’
pport manifefie rrors in Philo
fophy as wel l as i ii -R el igion, arid h a‘
ve
thereforebeen often rejeé‘ted, Why
‘
ihould r
they be regarded as infa l l ible in Poetry ?I { ha l l therefore readi l y a l low,
that th‘
ejModems have an undoubted R ight i to‘
judge of the oWo'
rks of the Anefints; and
to appea l from Homer afid'
:Ariflot le .themfelves, to t he D ecifion e f Reafon . But
then it muf’t be a ll’
ow’d,that grea t
'Care‘
and Ca‘
urion fhould , be.
us'
d that our, D e~
terminations be ia ft and fol id,~ when we
deviate
16 2 AW E S S A Y upon
I nvef’tives, ; and t he unnecefla ry Efi
'
ufion
ofm ore Lcrirical ay be pree
would propofe each Partyby their P reju make fome
Co s , aud relinqui lh fume Pretenfionsthat now
, they infill upon with too tgreat
I t , is not to be doubted zbfitthere are ;gre_at, if n0t equa l P re judices onboth {ides a Perlon has fpentmanyYears in tfiudy ing the learned , L anguages,anda cqua
’
hi ting h imfelf wi th th e - ancrent
Writers, it wi l l b e very difli cult for him to
partwith the Snperiority which he thinkshe has
'
acqujrftl-j n refpeé
’t of. others, who
are comparati v ely "
unvers’
d in'
z thol'
e Stu
apt toglook with Godat
‘
cannOt '
ptetend to (0
have l itt le“ to trul’t to
udgmentd and a good:centroverted r Po int ,
will , he fibehapt'
tof fay f t o the naked i Deci
litm how much T ime have l{pent in vain faiHQ W many Volumes have 1turrf d w ar, and howmany Common Plasces
'
f i l l’
d to no,What wi ll be4
come of a l l my Reading? W ha t w il l a l l
my C ita tion s and Authorities a va il,i f
youngpetelantWritet‘
S flW lthlout Gmhandbe a l low
fd to'
di lpute t he
receiv’
d pMaxin i s o f Poetry, fupported ; bythegenei
'
ahSufh'
ages'
of; the learned Whi ldfiC
I t
E i r e ri fP e E T‘
R Y , i égI Thy, reai l
’
onable to (up me, tha tfons wi l l eafily recede rom their
Advantage of Erud ition, tho it
t ha t of a GrammarianCommentator , to degrade themfel ves,
and leve l their,
Chara&er w ith that
Men of mereGen ius a nd an a rguing-Head.
W hence it comes'
to pa ls, that,thefe Pet:
fons (thci'
of a‘
l l Learn ing that of the Commentator and Ant iquary, which is the (oleEH’efl of Labour a nd Memory, is the lowefi) are the molt remarkable for a fafiidio
d appear a lways ready .to
take'
th and d iEtate to Mankind.compo le thefe intefi ine Feuds and
prepa re T erms of Accommodation, it isnecefi
'
ary that thel e Pcrfons‘
fhould {hewa
more"
candid andr
'
dil interel’t'ed Spirit, and
at'
it a lt be wi l lin '
to.
ack‘
nowledge everyth ing that is plain y them.
NO R is it‘ l 'reafonable to fuppol
‘
e, thaton -the Other hand the Champions of theMotlerns
'
are a lways.
freed fromPrepoll'
efffion i
'
tbat they3
are not prejud ic’d i n the
Favou’r of Age, of their own
try , arid’
the ir a Performances :May they nor envy the fuperior Fameand
.
Reputation of the ancien t W rite rs
e l’tablilh’d by
'
the c oncurrent Applaufe oflearned Men through lo many Ages , an
bd
M 2 e
164 An E s s mr upon"
be very wel l pleas’d to pul l down a mi tyPower, wh ich has fpread. fo far, and aft
cd (0 long, that p pon the Ruins of it theymay ere an Empire of t heirown
? Some,
perhaps, ma be wil l ing to fi nk‘
the E
fieemof theedeftAuthors, that they them
felves may nor feemto want any Excel
l ence in not underfianding the learned Languages , or to mortify fome fupercil iousCommentators, whofe whole Stock ofMerit confif
’ts in expounding thofe,
Authors,and dif lay ing their fuperficia l Beauties .W hen
‘
uch Reafons as thefe have preva il’
d
w ith Men of W it and Letters, to efpoul'
e
the Interefi’
sflof the Moderns aga in l
’r the
Ancients, their Engagement to a Party,and their Z ea l for the Honour of carry ingthe Caufe and triumphin
petitors, w ill‘
fti ll‘
incr’
eage their . Prejudice,lay
‘
a B iafs‘
on’
t heir Underfianding, and
prevent an impartia l judgment : We ftc
quently fee the greatelt Stick lers - for a free
Exercifi: of Reafon , and [t he mofi .
_
v ehe~
men t Exclaimers againfi the arbitrary POW.
er of Authority, as much,
enflav’d to their
Prejudice againit the Ancients as t he o:
alter Party is to
'
theirs-
againfl the M0 9erns.
l
I P jt o ‘
P'
O s E'
therefore, that the Lea-a.
ders of the‘
M’
oderns {hould exami nedancfi
weiglt
1 566 An E S S A Y uponMerit in
‘
impartial Scariest and do Jufiice ,
to one w ithom de fraud ether. If
they d ifcernsFlaws '
and
let them take norice of
if in the lafi they obfel et them nor be bl ind to their
and Defetts; Let Candor and Judgmentreign through ,
al l their Obfervations on
either tide, that the Reader may nor be
tempted to ful’
peét the Ef
iuity and S iflCC- g
rity of the Crit ick, whi eh e fees himtranfported
'
to indecen t Excefies by an‘ inv
temperate Zeal in a Party . Gaufe.
A s to the Conceflions to be granted byeach Party . I n the firl’t place, I lhouldt
judge it reafonablc , that the Champions'
ofHarmer fhould no longer continue in the ir
I n trenchments of Authority -
a nd Antiquity , defend themfelves by Prefcription ,
‘
and
d raw about them Legions of Authors ,of
their ownO pinion for the ir Security ; but)that they lhou ld agree to quit their Faithm il es and come forth into the open Fie ld ;there let them oppofe Reafion to Reafon ,lA rgument toArgument , and let the t hong
-n
ef’c and clearelt Evidence preva il .’
For i t
is . no D emonfirat ion tha t their Judgmen ti s Right, becaufe a Multi tude of Othershave the fame Sentiments. Arzfian
’e’s No- z
tions in Ph ilofophy were, for many Ages .
3 8
P o E r n st . 16 -
i'
’d by thelearned VVe d
try, and e ll eém’d as the
g
the mofi profound judgmen tcles of Reafon ; yet, after he had
reign’d in the Schoo ls many Centuries
w ith uncontelted Authority, upon Examination be 'was difcover’d to have no jufiC laim to this great D ign ity ; he was foundout to be an Ufurper, {i rip
’
d of h is T i
tles “
and Rega l ia and nor on ly degraded,but treated with the greatefi Con tempt.Un lefs the Admirers of Homer wil l a llertand prove their Infa l libil ity , why ma theynOt be deceiv
’d as well as the D ili iplesa nd Adorers of Ari/fad e ? And if fo , wha tArgument can be brought why they {houldn0t fubmit their Poet to an impartia l T ria l ?I t is in va in to urge the Suffrages of An tiquiry , aga infl c lear and
‘
folid Argumen t.In this Cafe Citations are ne ither pertinen tnor ufeful
,for the Authors of former Ages
are difqua lif’d from giv ing their Votes in
a Ma tter 0 this Nature ; no length ofT ime , no not three Thoul
’
and Years, is a
fufiic ient Prefcription to bar the C la im of
Reafon, which has an undoubted Prerogat iv e to feiz e upon its R ights, when , andwherever they are difcover’d .
I T is very pla in, tha t the Admirers ofHomer fil ould give him up in fome Ihfian
4 ces,
168 f in E s s a rg
upm
ces, in whichfit is too difficult to fupport,
h im ; and (ince it’
p i uf’t b
'
e acknowled’d
that no Produf’t i’
on fl of‘Humane Un er.
{l anding‘ is
'faultlefs, ahd - that the Intel f
leél ua ls of Mankind aref'
nOt more perfeé’tthan their Mora ls, it is no d iflionour to
any Author, that he is not intirely,
freefrom ImperfeOcion and therefore one has
reafon to fufpeé’
t the Sincerity of any Crit ick orCommentator, that {ha ll obl’tinatelydefend every thing in a prol ix Author,and nor a l low
,through t he whole, the
l ea l l: Error or B lemi lh , efpecial ly when in
i nch a Defence he is obl iged to make endleis Apologies, and many t imes (uch a s
a re forc’d and unobvious, and rather inge
n ions and fubti le, than natura l and fol id ;and th is is often the Cafe W ith the Advo
cates of the I l iad.
T H E Y fhould,in my Opinion , yield to
their Competitors, tha t there are con lider
able Flaw s and D efects in'
the Contrivance
of the Fable , in the Propofition, the Sub
jeE’t, the Connexion ahd Dependance
'
of
the Epifodes, wh ich have been deteé’tedby Rapin , and by two later French W ri
ters ; the la lt of whom has examin’d the
P lan,as w el l a s a l l the Q ua l ities of that
Poem,w ith more Penetration , Exaé
’tnefs,
and juit Obfe i vation, t han a ll that have
W l'
l t
170 mi n E S S A Y -
upon1
ing and " It is true, theSentiments j n the Poetica l and Pmphetick
'
Parts of th’
e'
B ible are as grea t and eleva ted,and the
,
‘Figures as bold, ex
prefl ive a s can be foundbrated Works of the Anc
'
Accuracy ,C0rre8 n’
efs and P
the RuleS 'of Poetry and E
mand in'
a i i ii ifh’d Piece, a
neglefil ed in die Stile o f the Sacredtures
,fo
'
vvere they never defign’d
aModel of indefefixVe‘Writing . T ho
abound with noble arid fubl ime Ideas, yet ’
they were propos’d to the World ‘
as a
R ule of Fa ith and Manners , and nor of
e legant and pol ite D ifl ion . W hen themodern All ronomers affirm
,tha t the ,
Earth
moves and the Sun (l ands ll il l, fhould theybe admOn i lh’
d tha t this is to afli'ont the
AnthOrity‘
of the'
B ible,where it is faid,
that the- Sun,
runs h is Race l ike a Giant,
and that it was fiop’d in 4 i ts Courfe to fa
vour the Ifi't r/ites , wh ile'
*
they flaughter’
dthe ir }Enemm
'
s ? For ma ny things are ex
prefs’d there, as accommodated to the ge
n era l Conceptions of the‘
People ; the Scriptures being defign’
d by the D iv ine Infpirertb in fi i‘uét Men in Rel ig ion , not in Poetryand Philofophy . It
,
is therefore an Ind ign ity
‘
tp' “
the Sacred Vol umes , to produce
their Authority in Jufiification of anné3 .S
E p r c x P O E T R Y . 171
fefl s in'Writing Objefi’ted to the
“
Ancients jfor this is to mifappl y the D iv ine Revela tion , by interel’ting it in the littl e D i l2putes of W its and Criticks, in which itwas never intended to decide.
I T i s likewife very reafonable, that theIdol i z ers of Homer fhould make a farther
fiep towards an Accommodation , by ac
knowledging Deformity and Inequa l ity inthe Manners of his Heroes ; who often intheir Act ions , Speeches , and Pafiimi s, fayand do . many things contrary or improperto their refpeE
’tive Charac’ters, of which
their Adverfaries produce many evident
Infiances.
I r they l ikewife coodefcend to fl op theMouths of the Heroes Horles, and not a llow to R ivers the Priv i lege of mak ingSpeeches in an Epick Poem,
which is d i
Pnnguiih’d from Other Fables by its firiét
obfervance of Probabi lity, it may nor belook
’
d on as an unrea fonable compliance :For tho Vi r i l has made the Horfes of P 41.14: to ihed ge Tears a t h is Funera l, theLatin Poet
’s Authority wi ll no more bear
down Reafon, than miner’s can do ; and
tho Vi rg i l , wh ile he follow’d the Gree/c
Ma iler, correctedmany of his D efeé’ts, y ethere it is plain, that to imitate hisMod
h
el~ C
172 An E s’
s'
A Y upon .
hemifreprefénted Na ture,and tran fgrefs
’d
the Bounds of V e'
rifimil itude ; and it is inVa in to p roduce the * Error of one great
Poet,'
rt0 jufiify the fame in another.» The
C afe is quite d ifi’
erent, w hen by . eloquentFigures a Poet or Ora tor a ttributes Speechto An imals'or infenfible Creaturesfii For InFrance} that
Tin = the facred Writings , Hear,
O E arl /7, for I
hav e 770d and brought up Cbi ldren , and
tiny ha v e rebel/ed Again/t me And that of‘
one of. the Perfons in the Book of 3106
, en
quiring after '
the P lace where W ifdommakes her Abode : The Earth and the Sea
jay, [be i : rip: here ; Death and the Grav e[a] ,8m. For the Reader immedia tely appre
hending the Figura tive manner of Speaking, is in no danger of being deceiv’
d ;but in the Other Cafe, the e te An ima l isengag
’
d as an Afitor, and nor brought inby a Figurative EXpreflion . Hawer, . bythis Management, inverts the Order, andconfounds the Subordination of Beings . Byendowing with Humane Speech and Pa il
hons, B eaf’rs and inan imate Crea tures, and
introducing them as Parties aé’ting in the
Poem, he railes them to the D ignity of
the Humane S pecies a s -by giv ing to h is
Gods the Infirmities and Indecenc ies be
longing to Humane Nature, he degradesand l inks t hem from their high St
'
ation
h
ro
t at
174 3 1" An E 8 S A Y upon
mo ltexdellen'
t Kind o f Poetry, as l far asappears by any uModels now extant ; and
that fif J it rbe not“. abfo lurraly perfeét;
neverthelefs ta wbnderful th ing,"Ethat
'
the
firft Attempt of (0 d ifli cult’
a namrwfhouldfdcceed. ;fii wel l, and come to near to - a
finilh’d Piece. Befides,
-
sa candid Judge wi l la ttribute the Fa i l ings in lo long a 'w‘
ork,
firuck out and labour’d in the Poet’
s Ima
gination without t he help of a Model, tothe Infirmity of. Huma ne Nature, whichis never,
capable of a faultlefs Produfiion .
N o n w il l they, I' imagine, deny. that
thefl z'
adfiaews a of
noble f -and admirable l deas , a ferti le and
exhaufi lefs I nven tion; . an d. grea t V ivacityand Splendor of Exprefli on : That z
'
theyobferve a r copious Variety of Charafiers
wel l difi inguilh’
d ,whilelhiswarrio rs, tho
a l l Valiant, : are judicioufly d iverfify’d by
mingling »their Courage with v arious Q ua ,
l ities of -another Kindy wh ich is t he heft
dcmonfira tion of a rich Gen ius .
L E T,
it , be granted , that the Il iad hasmany Defects, and if they pleafe , .that itis far from being a fin ifh
’
d Work ; yet it
is‘
lo -tha t'
none of the 'Modern sdarefiietxupa ny of their
'
Performances in
petit ion T he Erwch‘
.
-'multno:
E a r c K f P o a T v R Y . 175mrg oduoe t he
their Tdflb'and Ari a/10, as R iva ls to th is
Pos t, norwith ll anding his B lemilhes and
D efefis : And if Virgi l himfel f'
be com
par’d xw ith h im
,l ines it mul l be acknow
ledg’d that th is grea tP oet is noran
'
origina l
Contriver, and no more tha n ian exaft
Imitator, I had a lmolt laid a
'
T ranfla tor
of H omer, the firli Rank of Honour mufi:
be due to the Greek Poet. -I r is true; tha tVir i! has avoided fome of
"the '
. Errors
whtéh he obferv’
d in Homer’sMode l ; but
that he has reta in’d Others , and commit;
ted many of his .own, and a greate r n umber
, perhaps , than his Admire rs imag ine,w il l
,I believe
,appear, fl iould an y
'
Man
with the fame Penetra tion and r'Severityexamin e that Poem,
wi th which two newFrench Authors have fea rch
’
d and lifted theI l iad
, to difcover its Faults.
J U S T I C E l ikewife d emah ds tha t the
Patrons of the Modems fhoul d concede totheirCompet itors, tha t the princ i l ‘
Afl ors
in aa ick Poem may be un'
and
pious, v io len t and rfid ious Ferh us ; andtheretbre -Hum is y no mean s to bedemn ’d for in troducing Warriors: of {uch(g ia lities and Manners . The Idea of a
moral and poetica l Hero are very d ifferent ;the firfi mull a lways be reprefented as a
Perfon
R76 x z fln E s s A Y upon .
P erfon of eminent Vertues and‘
fuperior
Merit,: but the h it may 7often be as muchenormous V ices ; for
an Hero ick‘
Work being a dev is’d Action
or Fable, irrel igious and W icked Perfons
may be-
engag’d in it
,as oft as they in
fluence the principa l D efign , and are . ne’
cefl'
ary . to bring about the Mora l,which
refults ,from: the whole. I t is true,when
the Charafiers are fettled, the Poet muf’tobferve f Uniformity " arid Congruity and
whenever thofe Perfons are in troduc’d in
the Poem, he is oblig’d to make themaft
and fpeak in conformity to the Idea under
which he reprefented them at firll ; andtherefore they muft every where appearl ike . themfelves ; for whenever there happens, through Negl igence or Defetl of
Judgmen t, a D ifagreement or Con trarietyin their Expreffions orManners to the Brit
eflabl ifh’d Charaf’rcr, the Conduét of the
W riter'
wi ll be jufily condemn’
d : And in
th is Cafe theC enfurerso fHomer have fomet imes too reat Reafon to compla in . -But as
to the Objefition . above mention ’d, i t arifes
froma fa lfeNOtion of a Poet’
sHero ;'
the ge~
nera l it of Perfons think , that the Concep:
t ion 0 - a . Hero denotes, befides the Idea ofCourage, fome eXtraord inar Vertues ; and’
tis hard to free theMind rom this . Com
pl ication when thatTerm is’
oifer’
d to i t ;and
178 [he‘
E s s a r
'
upontheReputation of Homer and demol ilh theI l i! -
'Mfom they have contriv’
d a wifer
Scheme .
As to the firfl of thefe in ioh§ -’
Ag
greffors, he has laid down foc a loofe a nd
crude Definition of an Epick
i t wi ll take in the whole S tory of any H e
ro’s L ife ; nor does he fee,
‘
fo‘
he fays, whya B ill ory of futh a long T ra in of Even ts,lhould not be comprehended in the elfen
t ia l Idea of fuch a Work .
\I ‘ I MA G I N E that th is eminent Poet,having a mind to complement the
‘ late‘K ing of Fran ce, by writing the great Ar
ch ievements of h is Reign, and drawing the
Charaa er of an excel len t Prince at a fuliler Length than what has been yet ar
tempted, as he h imfe lf fngge l l s in his D ifrcourfe upon Homer , was w ill ing that fucha tH ifiory in Verfe fhould be ca l led an
E pick Poem ; and therefore firetches the
D efin ition of it fo w ide, that it might in ~
clude an H ili orica l R ecita l of the L ife - of
a ny I lluflrious Perfon . B ut when he iba l l
confider w ith grea ter Attention, the Con
fl itution and E ll entia l Propert ies of an
Epich W riting, and refleE’t that it is but
one ~Fable, I bel ieve he wil l, without d ifficulty, a l low,
‘
that the Un ity of the Poemdepends
E p‘
t‘
c K P o 5 1“a r
t179
the Unify s f, the Afi’ri'
on ;
that a Poemthat recites a
of independen t Events, i s nots hut. in the fai
’
ne Senfe that 21Heap of Grain is one Heap; or a Cree—d
ofPeople is one C iewd 3 And therh is yetreatér reafon to bel ieve, that he v
wilfi
l quithas as a defenCelefs P lace when he
.
9 6}
ferves, that the jud icious Author that hashoce embark’
d i n the fame Gaufe, has de~
e la r’d againlt that Part of h is D efin itiOn .
Y a‘r that very Author, who has ata
.tac lc’
d Humer with greater ‘
V iolence, hasgiven to théWorld as faulty a Definit ioh
o f this k ind of Poetry '
; bur, as I fuppofe,upon a d ifierent V iew. T he Poets of the
French N a tion , tho ingen ious and pol iteWriters , riot hav ing yet attempted an E
pick Work with Succefs,this
'
Gentlem'
an,
that the Nation‘ may not wan t a n Hero ick
Poem,
refo lv’
d to fet up bne written in
Profe,and to ma ke Q uantity and Metre
u nneceffary in the Sen tences of furh a Na‘
r
ra tion , by which the Ideas of Omtlo Solutean d Metrim are confounded.
A s the firll feems‘
to have accommodated h is Defin ition , fo a s to take in a
H ili ory in Verle, for the Reafon, perhaps ,above-men tion’
d fo on the contrary, theN 2 Other
180 An E s s a y upon
other has given futh a drefs’
d and fore’d
D efin ition , that,
a Fable in Profemay c la imthe T itle of lan Epick Poem ; nor do the
Precepts of Poetry , la id down by Ari/l ode,bear a greater Conformity to the Exampleof Homer
,than the Rules of Poetry which
thefe Criticks advance, are accommodatedto the two fevera l D efigns, which I ima
gine, they had in v iew.
T H E Adventures of Telemechm is the
Writing which th is Critick a ffirms is amore perfeE
’t Epick Poem, than thofe of
Homer, or any Other wh ich he ever read .
I a llow that Book is the Produé’tion of a
great Gen ius, that it contains many ex:
traordinary Beauties, and an excel lentMo
ra l ; b ut it can by no means cla im the
Appel lation of an HeroickWork . A verygreat, i f not the greatel
’t part of i t, tho
the D ié’tion is pure and elegant, is however ent irely Profa ick, and nor e levatedabove the familiar D idaE’t ick Stile ; andtherefore does nor rife to the true Subl imerequir
’d in an Epick W riting : And tho
fome Parts conta in a great dea l of Poeticka nd fplendid Exprell ion , yet the Sen ten
ces not being mea fur’d nor l imited byQ uan tity and Metre, it is nomore a Poemthan a Novel or Romance are fuch
,in
whiqh theUnity of the Aftion is tolerably
18 3 An E s s A Y uponcu lons ; nor would it have b een lefs incongruous,
"had Home} wheh he'
fpeaks inh is own Perfon, a lways fpolge “
a s a j'ew
,an
Egyptian , Ol’ Cha ldean , and nor: 58 a Pagan
Greek . Let it» then be cOnfider’d,that this
celebrated Author ev iden tl y dell roys theCongruity of Manners
,while ? he never
:
fpeaks in his own Perfon as a modernChrifiian , but as an ancien t H eathen : He
employs a l l their paultry Mach ines, enga
ges yupiter, Venus;‘
and Cupid h imfelf inthe Action , a nd in the
'
Character of ‘Men ,
tor,h is Conduft feems as much abfurd ‘
and incon liltent w ith the Properties of aD iv ine Nature, as that
,
of Homer in the
Management‘
of his con temptible Deities .
Certa in ly that Author fho’
uld not be imi“
ra ted, who has introduc’
d Celefiial Bein s
in to h is Aa ion in fuch a way, as woh dtempt one to bel ieve, that he was impiousin Principle, and that to avoid ~ the igummin ious Charaéter of an Atheifi , and thePunifhment of the Magifi rate, as fome of
!
the Philofophers have done, afferted iné
deed the ‘Exifience of the Gods but defcrib
’d them in fuch manner, andengag
’
dthem in {uch unworthy and foft immora lAftions , that they might appear - ridicp lous,and Rel igion be expos
’
d to Contempt .
E p t C K P O ETR Y . Mfg:
H A D Homer or Virg i l employ’d in their
Poems Deities nOt receiv’d and
‘
acknowe'
ledg’d in Greece and Rome, and fuoh as were 2
look’d on as imaginary Beings 'that had no :
rea l Exill ence, itmul’t have been condem’
n’d .
1
a s an unpardonable Error ; yet this is "
the Cafe of Telemac/mr. T he great Arch,
h i lltop of Cambmy does nor appear in that4
W rit ing a better D iv ine than the Pagan
Poet ; and t ho the Mora l conta in’
d in it is
fine,and very ufefu l, is that fufficien twith .
»
out the Concurrence of Other elfentia l PrO
petties to confl itute an Epich Poem?
A T R A G I C K Poet, tho a Chrifiian,may write a Poem where the AE
’tOrs a re1
a l l Pagans with great Propriety, and with-f
out offering V io lence to his - own Chara?
fter ; becaufe the Aa ors in T ragedy- a re
i ntroduc’d fpeak ing and doing a l l Th ings
themfelves,wh ile the Poet is intirelymen ;
and unafl ive : But in Epick Poems‘
ghe'
Author has a great Part, and fpeaks Often?
himfe lf ; and therefore, as I‘
h'
ave fa ir]; he}ought every where to ma intain a h is proper
”
Manners, and is Obl ig’d by
f ther
‘
Rule tl ia'
ta
en ioins fueh Un iformity, a lwa s to
a Chrifl ianp a smuch as his A ors,
a re Pagans, are boundr to afi'
a ad -fpeafuck - Idolaters .
1 84."An E S S A Y argon
T O fct this Matter yet in a clearerL ight . I f this -W riting is an Heroick Poem,
the Author, no doubt, might ha ve invoak’
d ,as is ufua l, the Affi li ance Of fome D eity .
Now I ask, what D iv in ity could he have
addrefs’
d h imfel f to ? Not to the Chri-z
l i ian,for that would hav e been inconfi fl ent
w ith h is Pagan Plan : And on the Other
hand , {hould he have ca l l’
d on any Ido lor Abominat ion of the Heathens , how
{ hocking muf’t fuch a Prayer have been from
theMouth of a Chriltian Prelate ? W hencei t is ev iden t, that no Invocat ion could havebeen made b the Author. And tho it
fli ould be fa i that the Invoca tion is not
neceffary to an Epich Poem, yet none w il laffirm that it is impract icable, which plainly it is in the Profe Poem,
Of which we
are d ifc0urfxng.
’
H E N C E it appears that’tis impofl
'
ihle
for a Chriftian Poet to write upon the
Syfiem of the Pagan T heology, w ithoutcommiting the molt Offen l i ve Abfurdities.
Should I undertake a fuller and more firiEt
Inquiry into the , Defects Of that W riting,I mean , as it is produc
’d for an Epich Poem,
i t would {well ' this D ifcourfe t o a greater
E xten t than is proper in this place ; and
were it as perfect a Performance Of thatKindas
S S A
U P O N
190 fire E s s A Y
and facetious Q ual ification of
that diverts the . .Heamrs and isproper to produce Mirth and . Alacrityhas, in al l Ages, by the greatefi Part of
Mankind, been admir’d and applauded .
NO Productions of Human Underfianding a re receiv
’
d with {uch a genera l Pleafure and ApprObat n , as thofe that aboundwith W it and Humour, on which the
People fet a greater V a lue, than ou'
theand moft infirué’tive D ifcoa rfes .
Hence a pleafant Man is a lways carefs’
d
above a wife one, and R idicule and Satyr,
that entertain the [a n hers, often a t fo
l id Reafon and ufeful c ience oa t O Q ountenance. T he wantOri T emper Of theN a
tion has been gratify’d fo long w ith the
h igh Seafon ings of W it and Ra i l lery inW ritin and Con verfation , that now a l
mofl a Thin s tha t are not accommodated to their el ifh by a firong InfufionOf thofe Ingredients, are reic&ed as the
heavy and tnfi id Performances o f Men
of a pla in Un erfianding and meet Ma
fiers of Senfe.
S I N C E the Power of_W ia is - fo prevolent, and has Obta in’d fue h Efieem and
Popularity , tha t a Man endow’d with
this agreeable Q uaaity , is by many lOOk’
d
on as a Heaven ly Being, if compar'
d w ith
Others,
”M"W I T . I 9 1
Others , who'
ha ve ~
n0thing p
but Learn in
and a clear arguing Head ; i t wi l l bewortthe wh ile to (catch into its Nature, ande xamine its Ufefulnefs, and take n V iew
Of thofe fa ta l Effeé’ts wh ich i t produces,when
’
it happens to be mifapply’d.
T n O perhaps theT a lent wh ich we cal lW it, l ike tha tof Humour, is as clearly underfiood by its l imple Term, as by
‘
the
mof’t labour’d D efcription ; an Argumen tor which is this , That many ingen iousP erfons, by their unfuccefsful Elfays tO‘
CX
pla in it, have rather Obfcur’
d than i l lufira
ted i‘
ts Idea ;“I will notwithfianding ad
venture to,give th e D efin ition Of it , which
tho it may fa l l {hort Of Perfection , yet f limag ine, wi l l come nearer to it, than an
tha t has yet appear’d . HG: i s a Q za l
'
cation of the Mind, f loat ra ifes and en l i v en :
cold S entimen t: and pla in P ropofit iom,5]
g iv ing them an elegan t and freepri z iwg Tam.
I T is ev ident,that W it cannot elTen~
~
tial ly comfil’t in the Juftnefs and Proprietyof the Thoughts, that is, the ConformityOf our Conceptions to theObjeé
’ts we con
-
c eive ; for th is is the Defin ition Of T ruth,w hen taken in a
'.Phyfica l Senfe ; nor in
‘
Jthe Purity of Words and Exprefli on , forthis may be eminent in the
te
An E“
s'
s A if
ick Stile ,and in the correft
'W riters ofH ifiory and Philofophy : ButW it is thatawhich imparts Spirit to our Conceptionsand D iéi ion , by giv ing them a l ivelya nd novel , and therefore an agreeableForm : And' thus its Na ture is
t
l imited anddiverl i fy
’
d from a l l Other intel leétua l Eudowments . W it therefore is the Aecom
pl ilhment of a warm,fprightly, and for
t ile Imagination , enrich’d with grea t V ariety of proper Ideas ; which act i ve Principle is however under the D irefl ion Ofa regular Judgment, that takes care of theChoice Of jult and fuitable Materia ls, prefcribes to the l ighter Faculties the due
Bounds Of their Sport and Activ ity , andafli l’rs and guides them
,while they im
print on the Concept ions of theMind the irpecul iar (
and del ightful Figures . T he Ad .
d ition Of W it to proper Subjeé’ts, is l ike
the artful Improvement of the Cook, whoby h is exquifite Sauce gives to a pla inD ilh , a pleafant and unufua l Rel ifh . AIVIan Of this CharaE
’ter works on fimple
P ropofi tions a rich Embroidery Of Flowers and Figures, and imitates theArtif’r, who finds and in lays his prepa i ’
d
S teel w ith Dev ices of Gold and S i lver.B ut Wi t is nor on ly the Improvement ofa
, plain Piece by intel lea uaa amel ing ;befides this
,it an imates a’
nd warms a coldSen ti
L94 An E s s a r
by . obferv ing the S imi l itude and D ifagreewment of their fevera l Q ual it ies , ti ngle outa nd abl’traé
’t , and then fuit and unite thofe
Ideas, which wi l l bef’t i ferve its purpofe.
Hence beautiful Al lufions, furpriz ing Me
taphors and admirable Sentiments a re a l
ways ready ar hand And whi le the Fancyis ful l Of Images col leéted from innumerable Objeé’ts and their differen t Q ua l ities ,R elations and Habitudes , it can at plea?fure drefs a common Notion in a li range,but becoming Garb by wh ich, as beforeObferv
’d,the fame Thought w i l l appear
a,
new One, to the great Del ighti and W on
der of the Heater. W hat we ba l l Gen iusrefults from th is particular happy Complexion in the firlt Formation of the Per
fon that en joys . it, and is Nature’s Gift,
but diverfify’d by various fpecifick Chara
&ers and L imita tions, as its aéi ive Fire is
bl ended and a llay’
d by d ifferent Propor o
t ions Of Ph legm, or reduc’
d and regulatedby the Con trafi Of oppofite Ferments.T herefore as there happens in the Com
pol i tion Of a facetious Gen ius a greater orlofs, tho {til l an inferior,
degree Of Judgment and Prudence, and d ifferent K inds OfIn li iné’ts a nd ~ Pa lfiOns, One Man of W itwil l be vary
’d and d ittipgui lh
’
d fromw e
ther.« That D i ll inéi ion that feems com
men to Perfon’sfi of th is D enomination , is
an
upon W I T . 195an taéeriqr Degree Of W ifdom and Di fcre¢
t ion ; and the thefe two Q ua l it ies, W it
and D ifcretion, a re a lmofl: incapable Of a
friend ly Agreement, and w i l l nor,bur
w ith grea t Di fficulty, he work’d together
and incorpora ted in’
the Con lh'
tution Ofa ny. Indiv idua l yet th is Obferva tionis me
fo con fpicuous in any , as in thofe, whofe
n at ive Complexion comes the nearell to a
Subverl ion and Abfence Of Mind, tho it
fhould never degenera te into tha t d iltem
per’
d E levation Of the Spirits : Nothing ismore common, than to fee Perfon s of this
Clafs a lways Think R ight, and a lways At‘lW rong ; admirable for the richnefs , del icacy, and brightnefs of their Imaginations,and at the fame T ime to be pity
’
d for
theirwant Of Prudence and common Senfeabound ing with excel lent Maxims and
infi ruél ive Sent iments, which however a renor Of the lea l
’t Ufe to themfelves in the
Conduct of their L ives . And hence it is
certa in , that tho the Gentlemen of a plea:fan t a nd watty T urn Of Mind Otten makethe indultrious Merchan t, a nd gra t e Per
fons Of a ll Profefiions, the Subjects Of theirRa il lery, and expofe them as ttupid C rea
tures, not fupportable in good Company ;
yet thefe in their,T urn believe they ha ve
a s grea t a right, as indeed they‘ha ve, to
reproach the Others for wan t at I iidul’try ,2 good
196 An E S S A Ygood S en fe, and regular O'
economy, muchmore va luable T a len ts than thofe, wh ich
any mere \V it can boa l’t of and therefore
w ife Paren ts, who from a tender C oncern
for the Honour and Happinefs of their
Ch ildren , earne li ly del i re they may exce lin in tel lectua l E ndowments , lhould, infiead of refi n
’d Pa rts and a Gen ius turn’
d
for pleafant Con verfation , w i ll] them a
fo l id Underfianding and a Facul ty of clofea nd c lear Reafon ing, thefe Q ua lifica tionsbeing Lke ly to ma ke them goodMen,
and
the o ther onl y good Compan ion s.
A N D th is leads to another Obfervati
on,namely , T hat Perfons of fa‘
cetious T a
l ents and agreeable Humour, in whofe
T emperamen t, judgmen t, and D ifcretion,a s before Obferv
’
d , a re ufua l ly found in a
difproportionate.Mea fure, aremore incl in’
dthan Others to Lev ity a nd d ilfo lute Man
ners : .T he fame i’
w iftnefs Of ‘T hought,a nd fprightl inefs Of . Imagina tion , tha t qual ifies
_
. t l1em‘
for ingen ious Con verfa t iSports of Fancy a nd Comick W ri t ing, do
l ikewife '
give t hem an exqui lite T a lte of'
fenfna l . I’ lea li 1res, -and expofe them to the
preva i l ing P ower of T empting, tho for
b idden En joymen ts . T he'
Pafli ons'
a trd
Appetites'
0f. i t hefe Men,( from the fame
Spring rout whence they derive thei r exl
traordi
198 2471 E s s A Y
t hat ‘h is i rregular L ife is'
inconfi‘
fien t“
w ith
and Happinefs i’
n'
a Fittht e State“
remove thetrohb leio'meMifgivings of h is
Miitd {from the Appre henfions of Gui lt
dteref'
and r'
id himfelf of the FearS '
of S tillfet ing
‘hereafter, he a t l ength d ifc laimst'
li'
e Bel ief of a'
SupreamBeing and a FUw
titre‘
Exiil ence, a nd w ith much ado brings"
over h is Judgment to the fide of h is Pa l”
‘iions : T h is ingen ious L ibertine, hav ing tool i ttle firen
‘
gt'
h of Reafon to fu’
bdue h is
Appetites, and too much W it to think,t hat i i"
'
th'
at be not done,he ‘fhal l ei
'
capeat la l
’t Divine Pun ilhmen t , abo l ifhes h is
“C reed for Ith e‘
0\uiet of h isMind '
and te
nounc‘
es’h is God to preferve h is V ices.
T HEE
lObjefii s about wh ich W it is ex
ercis’d, Rare
‘tlte ‘common and le’
i‘
s import ant AE’tions of
‘
L ife . I t'
is"
the P rov ince of
t’
e'
to make Laws aga init11mmora l itie
‘
s,
to deterMen
Trom fgrefii ons ; b ut they takem
‘
o n otice (Sf- l ower ?Errors , ei the r fbecaufe
th ey “
h ave fndt fuch nox ious i nfluence on
the State,
‘br lbecaufe i t as
Fore lee a nd e numerate the'
C la (Tesfia'
rid prev ent theirthen ‘tlie -Legifla tor 0 5 G e
nius ‘begins
,a nd prelides
'
over th e flowa nd
Won‘W 1 T . 1 99
ry Affa irs and Manners of Life.
its Power and Juri l‘
d iétion over
Id of inferior Faults a nd ri
ol lies, over the D if’triEts of In
d ifcretion, Indecency, and Impertinence,and is V i l i tor of the Regions void of DH
;
c ipl ine, Pol itenefs, and C iv il ity .
W I T is employ’d in its own Prov ince,
when the Pollefior of it exercifes his Cc
n ius on the ordinary Cufioms and Man
n et s of L ife, either in Converfati on, or
Comick W riting . .Ir has therefore no
place in the W orks where fevere Knowedge and Judgment a re chiefly exercis
’d
thofe fuperior P roductions of the Underfianding mutt be eXprefs
’
d in a clear andfirongmanner, w ithout interven ing Stra insof W it or facetious Fancies, wh ich, weret hey admitted, would appear incongruousand impertinen t, and dimini lh t hc Merit
‘
oi the Writing. HenceW it has no p lace‘ in Hifiory ,Ph i lology , Phi lofOphy, mi n the
greater L y rick or E pick‘
Poems ; the twol a lt of which conta in ing either .the Pra ifesof Deities or D emi-Gods, or treating of
lofty and i l luli rious Subjects ; fuch as the
Foundation , R ife, and Revela tion ofKingdoms
,. Comm0tions of S tate, B attles, T ri
‘
umphs, folema Embafli es, and various 0
’
the’
important Actions of Princes and HeO toes
,
2 00 An E s s a y
toes, a re exa l ted above the Sphere of W ita nd Humour. T he Strength a nd D ign it
of the fubl ime Stile is debas’d and aduil
rerated by the foreign and improper Mixturé of l ight Sent imen ts, a itd pretty Fartc ies. T he le Sa l lies and Sportsof the Imagination , w i l l no more advance the Bof fuch fuperior Produfiions than th
d ition of gl ittering T in fel and glafs Beadsw i l l improve the Imperia l Purple, or adornthe C i owns of gr aat Mona1chs . And
th°
ercf01e we fee, W 1t what iud1C1ous Care
Vi rg i l has a vo ided this Error ; how c leara re his celebratedWritings fi om the lea lt
fp1ink l ing of W it and pleafant Conceits,wh ich cortupt the Puri ty , debafe theMa
jel’ty , and ful ly the Luli i e of the g1eater
Spec ies Oi Poetry And a s the Grav itya nd Cha li ncfs of the fubl ime Stile, 1n the
“forks la ll mention’
d,w il l not endure the
gay Ornamen ts o i Fancy ; fo does that
l ight D re l'
s more misbecome the pious andw ife D ifcourfes
,tha t come either from
the P ulpit or the Prefs .-W it is (0 far
from being a Grace or Impi ovemen t of
D iv ine E loquence, that on the con tra ry ,fit v
defiroy s its D ign ity, breaks its Force,and renders it bafe and puc1i le.
T H r End and Ufefulne1118
115 Q ua l ification, i s to
fin E S S A Y
A N oJrH E tt part of the Prov ince in
wh ich W it is p ro‘
pferly e xercis’
d, . a re ihfirings, intended
'
to pleafe and
improve th e People ; and th is is in ore va ~
rious a nd eXtenfive than,
Comic lt'
P oetry ,thoof a thé
'
fame‘
Kind gi or it takes in nor
onl y thefSu’
bjeRs o f Prudence a nd D e
cency , regularBeha v iour and vertuous Acti‘
ons,bur l ik ew
'
ilfe the jul’tnefs
'
o i HumanS ent iments ani l Opinion s in Poin ts of Cont i'tiverfy ; of the Jail , i t
"
he D ialo ue of'
Dr E acl zhrd .again‘
iat Mr. Hobée; i s a gamons
E xample,‘
vv
'
here,‘
by'
g reat Strength . andS o
’
l ic‘
l igy io'
f R ea fon, mixt w ith agreeableW itfiand Ra il lery, he en terta ins and in
.forms'
the Reader, and at once expo‘
fes
and,confutes
‘
the,conceited Phi lo fopher.
”
An Infianc'
e of t he firf’t is, the celebratedH i
‘
fibry of‘
Don l w’
x ate,compili
'
d by the
Span ifb W itMiélme/ -a‘
Book
To wel l imagin’a, and‘
writWith fo much
Spirit a ndi
ti ne fRa il lerv,that it Eil efiua l ly
procur’d th e End of the admi rable Au
i
th Or for b y turn ing intoMirth i and R if
‘
d ic‘ule - the reign ing LFol ly of Romantiékand
'
freeing theMidds of them that fa ih ionabl e D elufion,h efForce of as firong
'
an Eh'
chant
i le'
ii t‘
oy’d a s great a Monfier as
was"
ever pretended‘
to be vanqui llf d1t 1e1r
Won W I T . no ;their 'ima
’ ’
na Heroes . And 'm mere“84
0c mora l Subjects high,
been
compos’
d w ith much -Wit and V ivacity inour own and foreign Countries , to expoi
'
e
V ice and Fol ly , an d promore D ecency andSobriety of Manners.
_
But the Produéfions of th is Nature, wh ich h ave of late ap
pear’d in t h is Nat ion
,whether we regard
the jail a nd generous Sentiments, the fert ile Invention , theVariety of Subjefii s, theTitrpriz ing Turns of W it and facetious
Imaginat ion , the g enteel Satire, thePurityand Propriety of theW ords, and the Beauty and D ign ity of the D iétion, have furpafs
’d al l t he Produétion s of th is k ind ,
tha t have‘been
Ippbl i lli
’
d in any‘Age or
Country . The e'
ader no d oubt is before- ha nd With me
,and
“conclude s, that I
mean the Tfit!” and Spefl ator,
‘Which forthe grea tefi Pa rt , h ave a l l the P erfectionof Writing, and a ll ‘
the Advantages ofW it '
a'
nd Humour, that are requir’d to en .
terrain and i n li rué’t the People : An d itmufi ch iefly be owing to the great De
prav ity of Manners in thefe loofe and de
generate T imes, tha t inch worthy Performanees have produc
’d no better Efie&s.
h e ir th is excel lent and amiable Q ual ification of th e Mind i s too apt to beabus’d and perverted to i l l purpofhs.
fi
I n
C
-
lea
2 04. An E S S A Yflead of being ingag’
d on the S ide of Ver
tue, and us?d to promote tuft Notions and
Regularity of L ife, it is frequen tl y emp loy
’d to expofe the mod Sacred T h ings,to turn Grav ity and referv
’d Behav iour in
to R idicule, to keep in Countenance V ice
a nd I rrel igion, and with a petulant and
unrefira in’d L iberty, to deride the Prin
ciples and PraEtices of the w ifel’t and be lt
of Men. T he Converfation of ingen ious
L ibertines genera l ly turn s upon Revea l’d
R el igion and the venerable T eachers of
i t ; or on'
thofe of the La ity, who icemmoft fiucere in the Belief of Chrifiian ity ,a nd exprefs the greatelt Con formity in
their Afiions to the Precepts of it. N o
th ing gives fo high a Seafon ing to the ir
R a il lery , and more improves the T a l leof tl1eir . ]ePcs, than fome fharp and poin t
ed I ngredients, that wound Rel igion and
the P rofeffors of it ; whereof fome are
made the Enterta inment of the Compan yby thefe facetious Scoffers, and expos
’d a s
Perfons fetter’
d w ith Prepolfefli ons, a nd
biafs’
d by Notions of Vertue, deriv’d from
Educa tion and the early Infiru& ions of
canting Pa ren ts . Others are reprefented
a s
~
indebted for their P iety to the Preva
leney of the Spleen , and a n immodera’
te
mixwre of Melancholy in their Complexihn
, wh ich, fay they, give to the Mind a
fuper
2 0 6 An E S S A Y
conv inc’d
,that whi le they are e ag
’a
a a infl Rel igion they hurt themfdives pand that Wi t and Humour thus mifapply
’d,w i l l prove but a wretched Com
penfation for their wan t of Vertue.
I N this Place I crave leave to tran fcribefome Pa ll ages relating to this Subicéi , fromtheW ritings of a good Judge of W it, anda s great a Ma i’ter of it as perhaps an
Nation ever bred ,I mean Archbilh opT1!
laffan ; I know nor how it comes to pa is,[a] : be, that fome Men ha ve the For
verence If Men d id truly confultthe Interei
’r,either of their Safety or Re
putation , they would never exercife
their W it in fuch dangerous Matters .
W it is a v ery commendable Q ua l ity ,but then a w ife Man { hould have the
keeping of it. I t is a [harp Weapon,as apt forMifch ief a s for good Purpofes
,if it be not wel l manag’
d : The
proper ufe of it is to feafon.Converfa
t ion , to reprefent what is P ra ife-worthy
to the greate li Advan tage, and to expo fe
the V ices and Fol l iesofMen,
‘
futh things
as are in themfelves truly ridiculousy . El l i
fi
fl
fi
fl
fi
fi
fifi
fifi
flfl
(C
Won“W 1 T .
"
207‘
B’
oat’
if i t be’
apply’d to theAbufe of the
gravefl and mol’t ferious Matters, it
then lofes its Commendation . If anyMan thinks he abounds in this Q ualjay ,and hath W it no fpare, there i s. feope
enough for it within the Bounds of Rel igion and Decency ; and when it traufgreifeth thefe , it degenerates into Infolence and Impiety And afterwards : A(harp W it may find fomething in the
w ifeii Man, whereby to CXpOfe h im. to
the Contempt of in judicious People. The
gravel’t Book that ever was written ,
may be made ridiculous, by apply ingthe Say ings,
of it to a foolifh purpofe,for a Jefi may be obtruded upon anything ; and therefore noMan ought to
have the lefs Reuerence for the Prin
c iples of Rel igion , or for the Ho ly Sc riptures, becaufe id le and profaneW its canbreak Je l’i s upon them. Nothing ,
is. foeafy , a s to take particular Phrafes and .
Exprefii ons out of the belt Book in theWorld, and to abufe them, by forcingan odd and rid iculous Sen fe upon them.
And in another place , hav ing men tion’d
the mo l’t proper Objef’ts of W it, he thusexprefl
'
es h imfel f,
“This I fay on
purpofe to recommend to Men a noblerExercife for thei r W its , and if it be
pofii ble, to put them out of Conceit
with
9 0 8 AW E S S A Y
w ith that fcofii ng Humour, which is foea fy and fo i l l-na tur
’
d, and is not onl y
a n E nemy - to Rel i io’
h,
’ but to everyth ing elfe tha t is w i e and worthy ; andI am very much mifia ken, if theas wel l as the Church, the Civ i l Gov ernment as wel l as Rel igion, do nor
in a'
fhort fpace find the intolerable Inconven ience of this Humour.
”
ON
T H o the Perfonsj addié’ted to this im
pious Fol l y, expofe the - facred My l’teries
of Chrifiian ity , and make i ts Votaries
the common T opick of their Ra illery,
i t cannot thence be concluded, that theyare certa in that thofe whom they thus deride
,as wh imfica l, finpid, and deluded '
Men,have nor the leafl Reafonflto fUp
port their Rel igious Principles and Pract ice ; for if they were fure of th is, theywould treat fuch unhappy Perfons asMen
‘
rob’
d of their Senfes , with T endernefs and
Compafii on ; for none w il l a l low fuch d iPtemper
’
d Minds to be proper Subjetfi s ofR idicule a nd D eri lion : B ut thofe .
who
a ttentivel y obferve the Manner and Air ofthefe jell ing L ibertines,when they laugha t Vertue, wi ll fee pla in ly their licentiousMirth fprings fromOther Principles ; eitherfrom th is, T hat the Example of many Perfons
,who in earn efi embrace and profefs
t the
An E S S A Ytue in Others
,they firive to
‘
fully or effect:it, and by turning it into Ridicule, make
rather the D it flOUY and D efor
mity, than ‘ the Beauty and ‘Perfeé’tion of
the Mind : And if they canl
difgrace Rel igion and fubvert a l l mora l D ifiinétion ,Men xwil l be va lo’
d only for their intelleél ua l Endowments, and then they imagine they have ga in’
d their Point, fince
the Superiorit of W it, a s they fuppofc,is on their Si e . T hefe leem to me the
genuine and natura l Caufes, why Men of
great Parts and extraordinary W it, but 0loofe Principles and immora l L ives, whoabove a ll Others a ll eét Popularity and gz ipafterApplaufe, take (0much Pleafure, without the leafi regard to Modefiy and D e
cency, in . a Chrifiian Country to mockR eligion and jerk with fpiteful Satire‘Menof Vertue and inoffenfive Behav iour.
W I T is l ikewife mifapply’
d, when ex
ercis’d to ridicule any unavoidable D efects
and D eformities o f Body or Mind ; forfince nothing is a mora l B lemi lh , but a s
i t is the Efiefl of our”
own Choice, no
thing can be d ifgraceful but»what is vo
l unta ry, and brought free l y upon our
fe lves ; and fince nothing is the proper
ObjeE’t of Ra i l lery and R id icule, but what
is fhameful,’
it mull be a V iolence to Reafon
upon”
W I T . 5 1 t
to reproach and exf
thin that'
was nor in
And t ereforetomake”
contempt ible, and'
the ]e'
li of theCompany, by de riding him for h ismifhap
'
en
Body, il l figur’
d Face, flammering Speech;orlow Degree of
»Underfiand ing, is a greatAbul’e of ingenious Faculties.
N o r. is it a lef‘s criminal Ufe of this
Ta lent,°
when it is exercis'
d in lafc iv io'
us
and obfcene D ifcourfes .
‘
T he Venom“
is
not let’s , but more infectious a nd del’truétai ve, when convey
’d by artful Infin '
uatioiiand a delicate Turn of W it ; when
‘
ima
.
pure Sen timents are exprefs’
d by Men'
of
a heavy and grofs Imagination , in dire&and openT erms , the Company are put outof Countenance, and naufeate the Coarfenefs of the Converfation but a Man ofW it gi lds the Poifon , dreffes his wantoqThoughts in a beautiful H abit, and byflanting and lide Approaches , pOffell es theImagination of the Hearers
,before h is
D efign is wel l difcover’d by wh ich means
he more effectua l ly ga ins Admifiion totheMind
,and fills the Fancy with im
'
modei’t'
Ideas.
N o T H m o can be moreor difagreeable to Perfons of Vertue and
P 2 Sobr iety
; 1 2 An E S S A YSobriety of
‘
Manners, thani
wanton and oh:
fcene Exprefiions ; o n , which Subjeél theexcellen t Archbiflrop,
'Ti/lotfon has the fo l
low in Paragraph :‘fi
,Nothing that tref
pa es upon the Model’ty'
of the Company , and . the D ecency of
‘
Con verfation ,can become the Mouth of a wife and
vertuous Perfon . T his k ind of Con
verfation would fa in pafs for \V it amongfome fort of Perfons, to whom it is ao
ceptable ; burwhatever fa vours of Rudev
nefs and Immodell y, and I ll -Manners,is
very far fromdeferv ing thatName ; andthey that are fober and vertuous cannot
enterta in any D ifcourfe of th is k ind,with Approbation and Acceptance. A
well bred Perfon w i l l never offend inth is way . And therefore it ca nnot but
be efleem’d a s an Affront to modelt
Company, a nd a rude prefuming upontheir Approba tion , impudentl y taking itfor grant ed, that a ll othei s are as lewdand di lfolute as themfelves.
fi00
a (N
Ga
RA
5 a
ME N of f i ner Spirits do l ikewife abufetheir Parts, as we ll as mifapply theirT ime,when to ga in Applaufe and increafe their
Popularity , they run,w ithout D i li infiion ,
in to Company, and by too great Condefcention and fa lfe Human ity, ming le in inferior and . unworthy ,
Afifernbl ies ; wheredelight
An E S S A Y
I T”
i s pityfithat a Man of ‘fine Spirit
ti le; £15 we ll magin at ion.
" fiiduld‘
rthink h imfelf engag’d in
hen he‘is only em
Affa irs that concern
H is Poft‘
is of the fame Kidd ,
a nd he: the next in Order above “that of
Players on Infi ruments, admirable Voi ces,excel lent Afiors on the tage, and famousF aucet s ;
"
whofe Prov ince is only ta nd recreate ; an d is therefore far belowtheirs , who are either bulied
'
in govern
ing the State, defending their"
Country,impa ir ing theMinds, or relieving
‘
the Bo‘
d ies of otherMen .
H E N C E ‘
the Labours '
of the meanelt‘
Perfons, t hat c0nduce‘
to the W elfare and
B enefit of'
t‘he Publ ick , are ‘
more iva luable
,
becahfe more ufeful ,than'
the Emplbymentsiof thofe, who apply therttfelves Only, orprincipa ll y, to divert and entertain the
F ancy)
; and i therefore mult be a s much
preferable ‘
to t he Occupation“
on Profellion'
of. a W it, as the Improvement ahd aHaefs ofMen - is to be regarded above
'
t ir
trh and Recreation.
T a lents of thefe ingenious'
Men'
e‘
re verymuch t o be e li eem’
d in their prOper'
place z;that is, as they unbend theMind, reliey
e
t e
m ;of Con templation and Labour,Del ight which they g ive, rets and fit them for the Re
t urns of Study and Employment : But theni t mull be granted, that, a s I have fa id,th is is the meanel
’r,as being the leafl b e
neficial P rov ince in wh ich our intelleétual
Faculties can be engag’
d ; and thereforethefe facetious Men can on ly ,
c laim the
h ighel’t Rank among thofe, who are In
ventors orMinil’ters of P leafure, and prov ide '
Amufements and Recreations for theBufy and the W ife.
'
I w 0 U L D i l luli ratewhat I have a lferted by
°
the following Refleé’tion . D omefiick Fowls, the Hen , the T urkey, a ndG oofe are preferable, as more ufeful, to the
‘
finging B ird, and the Parrdt.‘
The Ox,
‘that ploughs the Fie ld a nd brings homet he Harvel’t
,the Horfe, theMule, and even
~ the fiupid Afs,that carry.
‘
their Owners,‘
or théir Goods and Merchandiz e,are more
‘
to be regarded than the Hound, the Lap'D and various other Anima ls that feemt o ave been created on ly for our P lea‘fure and Amufement : And the
‘
Reafon of“
this is very ev iden t,Mankind may be very
happy, and States and K ingdoms may tema in in a flouri lh iug Condition, tho there
were no fuch diverting Creatures in the
P 4 W orld :
9 16 An E S S A YW orld : And from the fame Confrderarioa ,Men , tho of a lower Station , who a re
n or on ly benefic ia l , but n eceffary to the
Well -being of Human Societies, are of fargreater Importance, and therefore
ideferve
more E li eem than thofe, who on ly are
fubferv iént to our Recreation ; for the
W orld may ll ill mum,and continue in
very comfortable C ircumf’tances w ithout
one, but norwithout the other : And’tis
eafy to name'
fome learned and powerfulCommun ii ies, the Envy and T error of
their N ei hbours , v'
Vho tho they aboundin Men of
6good Senfe
'
and d il igen t Appl ication to Ba li nefs , yet hav e few W its
“
and
Jell ers among themto make themmerry. _
T H E
'
Truth of what . I have a lfertedwill farth
’
er'
appear, if we refleE’t that ge
n era ll y Men of a pla in Unde'
rli and ing iand
good St ufe, bur of great Indul’try and Ca
pacity for Bul i nefs , are in a l l Governmen tsvanc
’
d’
to Poll s of T rui’t and grea t Em
ploymepts in the State, while meer Wi tsa re regarded asMen of, the lowell 'Merit,a nd accordingly are promoted to themean;er
q
and lefs p rofitab le P l aces, being look’d
on, by reafon ,
'
ol their Inappl icatioii and
vola tile Temper, as unfit‘
for-a highfir Statl Qn ,mr
’
i:
fin E s'
s A‘
Y
Countr
the‘
exéei livi:
“
B U.
“r i he'
Thrill exten live3Abul’eof Barts
and Ingenuity, a ppears in the ldofe Prodnfiions ef
'
od r’Writers to the Stage. I t
compla int of the celebratedW it:Wiener?!déCtr fqimter, beforecited ,Comedies in
é‘
hjis T ime were nor
d menll rous in theirwife the B xemplam
Entations of‘
L ewdnefs :
ted Writer is
bur tri
em. I“
orS§ archafter
~ g, (it thatas e ver (olfer’d for the
”
D if
huthor,
’
or that the i n la
mu’
d tobe burn ts proceeds from
E ll eem and'
Love that Men
eign,’
had for
and Con cern
w i ll b e detergtgvr
iho are bef’t a c,
haraaer.
{WM W I‘
T o"12
Idiénefs and meaty ; I ‘
fay,Man ,
whofe }udgrmnt wash is admirab le “
Gifnius,had feen
and Ve rtue fo derided, rand ~Mo.
D ecency fo inTulted a nd expos
’
a, h‘
is Z eal tfor theHonouro f h is Country, and hi s L ove ofWinnk ind ,
would have a nimated h im to have ia'
ttack’
dthe
'
Comick Poets "with
“
the fame jSpirit,w ith fwhich he afl
'
aulted the p reva il ingFol lyof h is A e,“
the Romantick Atchievements of ‘Kn ig ts E rrant ; h isW it and good
would havemade thofe merry Authors as odious for poifoning
a
’
the Peoplew ith their loofe and immora l Wri tings, as
‘he made the orhers ridiculous for theirext ravagant and id le T a les.
N o - ‘dou'
bt a Comedymay be3in
‘
con
trivld, t hat i t may at once‘beeomedeligh t
ifni, and Lpromote Prudence and Sobrietyof Manners ; t hat -is, when the Charafl
'
ers
la te wel l ohofen, d, and
every where d i the various -Manners are exaEtly imi tated andcarry
’d on
'
withTwpriecy and.
‘Uniformity ;When ”theprincipal ; Aa ion contains .a
fl rué’tiveMora l, a nd an l'
i he
me and P rotportion, i rt eath
‘
orher,and have On the ma ih
Event ;
. .n z o A n E s s a y
E vent ;'When the Incidents are wel l ima ~
.g in’d,and . refult from the Manners of the
gD rarnatick Perfons, when the T urns ‘
are
J’
urpri z ing,‘ the Knot s or Obl’trua ions n a
t ura l and the‘
unravel- ing of them,
tho unforefeen, yet free and
eafy ; and when the D iétion is pure, pro
per and . elegan t, as we l l as chafle and in
ofi'
en l i ve to the modefi and vertuous Hearers. 5 0 regular
'
and . beautiful a Piece as
th is cannot - but great ly plea fe and divert,
ga s wel l as i nfirufl the Audience.‘
Nor is
i t, .I imagine,
'
from want of Knowledge;oi theRules of .W riting, nor p f fuflicientG enius; in which this Nation aborinds
,tha t
£ 0 few’
-Comedies,‘
dil’tinguifll’
d by thefe
Perfec’tions, have been prodric’
d But this
D efeft a rifes partly from th is, tha t the
Comlek Poets are-often Men of lo'
ofeMan
ners, and therefore un l ike ly Perfon s to undertake the Promotion and Encouragemen tof Vertue, Of wh ich they have no T a ll e,and to d ifcountenance Imprudence and
Immora l ity, when by doing (0, they mul’tExpofe their
“
own .Chara&er to derifion ;
rho fometime’
s it may happen , that a loofePoet as we l l a s P reacher, m erely. .fnoni his
jufi Manner .of and
'
, his'
Senfe
of. D ecency in forming D ifoourfeS f be
coming his Charaéter, »may enterta in the
Audience with laudable Performances .
at ANO
an A” E s s AY
un fuccefsful the Stage is become Impregxnable, where loofe . Poets, . fupported b yNumbers , Power, and Interef
’t, in D elia
ance of al l Rules of D ecency and Vertue,Fri l l prov idenew Sh ares and T empta tion sto feduce the People, and corrupp theirManners. Norwithltanding the ea rneli
Cries (if th is great C ity , tha t importunethefe W riters to reform
.
the Theatre,and
no longer to infect her Youth, and draw
their Inclination s from their“Profefii ons
and Employmen ts ; norwithfianding theS ighs and Tears of .many once flouri lh u
ing, but now difconfolate Famil ies, ruin’d
by thediffolute L ives of theirchief B ra nches, who left their Vertue by. ftc uen tingthe fata l Entertainmen ts of the he menotwith i
’tanding the w ife and fohet part of
the Kingdom earneflly fol l icit them to
fpare the People, to flop the fpreadingP lague and {l ay the defiro
ying Ben ,
theyperlevere w ith intrepid Re olution and ih
exorabl eCrue lty , to poifon theMinds,andruin theMora ls of theNation .
T H E great ArchbifhopTi’
l latfimhas ferour prefent T heatre in a true L ight in his
D ifcourfe upon Corrupt Comm'
z micaf ion
I {hal l on ly fpeak a few words concern
ing Plays, wh ich a s they are now or
der’d among us, a re a mighty Reproachto the Age and Nation . T o
W ’W I T . ~ a ;
o fpeak againfi them in genera l,be thought too fevere, and that
prefent Age cannot fo we l lbrook, and would nor perhaps be fo
jul’t and reafonable
'
; becaufe it'
is verypoflible they might be ft) fram’
d and go
vern’d by fuch Rules, as not on l y to be
innocently d iverting, but infiructing andufeful, to put fome V ices and Fol lies outof Countenance, which cannot perhaps
be fo decently reprov’
d,nor fo effeftu
al ly expos’
d and correéi ed any Other
way . But as the Stage now is, they are
into l lerable . and not fit to be permittedin a civ iliz
’
d,much lefs a Chrtfiian N a
tion . T hey do moft nororioufly min i{i er bOth to Infidelity and V ice. By theProfanenefs of them,
they are apt to in
fl il bad P rinciples into the Minds ofMen
,and to leifen that awe and reve
fence which a l l Men ought to have forGod and Religion : and by the ir Lewdnefs they teach V ice, and are apt to infe& the Minds of Men, and d ifpofe
A N 13 therefore I do not fee how anyPerfons
dpretend ing to Sobriety and V er
tue, an efpecia lly to thepure and holyReligion of our Ble lfed Saviour
,~ can
,~
with
An E s s -
A Y.
w ithout g n Contra:
diction to be prefema t fuch lewdlafs frequen t them,
as too
yet'
would take it very i l lOf the :Commun ion of Chri
theywould mol’t certa in ly have been inthe hrl’t and purel
’t Ages of Chri ll ia
n ity
fl.
fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
.‘
AN D not onl y wife and fohetMen ha ve
declar’d their dctefiation of the Immota ~
l ity of the Stage, but eminen t Poets themfelves,
'
-who ha ve written the mod ape
plauded Comedies, have own’d,that the
T hea tre {l ands in great need of Refl ra intsand Regulation , and wi lh
’d that
,
P layswere compil
’
d in fuch an inolfen l i ve Man ;
ner, that nOt on ly d ifcreet and vertuous
Perfons of the La ity, but a B iihop h imfelf, without being lhock
’
d, might be prefent wh ile they were acted. Mr. Dry .
den has, up and down in his PrefatoryD ifcourfes and Ded ications, freely acknow-s
ledg’
d the Loofenefs of our D ramatick Enterta inments, wh ich fometimes he charges
upon the Countenance given to it by thed tlfo lute Court of K ing Charla the Second,and fometimes upon the v itiated T a ll e of
the People. I n h is D edication of. gamma
made Eng/471, to the late famous Earl of'
Dorfet,
2 2 8 An E s s a r
1
13 13 ii‘ thbMen who love theirCoun try,born down with aTorrent of profaneL ibertines,Perfons without Tafie and D ifiiné
‘t ion
O‘
fVertue an.
dV ice,have a lmoi’t defpair
’d of
feeing the Comick Poets ‘
reform’d,and the
eitorbitant l i berties of the Stage refi ra in’d
with in theL imits Oftnodefi Language anddecent Behav iour ; yet now their Hopes
riav ive, and they promife ‘
to themfelves a
{ridden and effectua l Reformation Of thefe
hb'
ufes, fincep
the Governmen t ha s plac’d
{O'w
'
orth'y a Perfon at the Head
,
of: theActors, and given him ample Authorit ytorectify their Errors What a happy 3Revolution , what a regular and c lean Stagemay juil ly be now expecl ed ? How free
from a l l ford id and impureMixtures , howinhocent, a s we l l as diverting , wi ll ourComedies appear, when they ha ve been
“and tefin
’
d by fuch a n accomireEtor of -
the D ramatick P oets ?Ode that has a
'
true.
and del icate T a ll e, '
andwho is fen l ibl e of the Indecencies a ndh urtftilN ture o f our Plays ; who has enga g’
d
h is celebrated a Pen,in defiance of fneering
W its and '
powerful L ibertines, on the Side
of Yertue, and has propag ated ;the BfieemBf
'
Mora ls , Human ity , «Decorum an’
d So
briery of Manners ; who with great Spi
ri t, Gen ius, and Courage, to his lafiingHonour,
wpm W I T . 2 2 9Honour, has publ ick l y expO
‘
s’
d the Abfurand Foll ies
,tha t Rain a nd
Theatre ; in ,which Cenfureh is own Performances :
One who has exprefsid a warm Zea l on
th is SubjeEt, and declar’
d his generous Inten tion , if it were in h is Power , to cleanferbefe pol luted Places , and nor to fuffer a
C omedy to be prefented but what had pa il-Ia fevere Examination , and where al l th ingswh ich migh t fhock a modefl Ear, Or belook
’d on as repugnan t to good Manners,
might“
be expung’d .
B UT if thefe fa irExpectations lh ould be
bladed in ‘
the B lOom,and norwith li and
ing t he v igorous E fforts which wi l l bemade by th is Reformer, Immora lity {ha l lma inta in its ground and keep Po lfefii on ofthe Thea tre, fome Other Ekped ients maybe jfuggelied to procure a Regulation . I t
mighh,‘
perhaps be de li rable, that a fewPerfons
‘
éof Importance, Men of Learn ing,Gra vity , and good T a li e, mi h t be com
nl ifliorfd by Authority , a s . a §Iheck uponthe to cenfure and fupprefs a nyDramatick lEntertainments that {h a l l Offendagainfl: >Rel igion,
180briety . ofMa nners,or
the - Publick Peace ; a nd a l l Perfons fhould
to fen d themf uch loofees Lwhich they —hear fromthe
Q 3 Stage,
An E s s a y
l
B uT thoMen who love theirCountry,born down with aTorrent ofprofaneL ibertines,Perfon s without T afie and D ill inél ionoi
fVertue andV ice,have a lmof’t defpairld of
feeing the Comick Poets reform’d,and the
exorbitant Liberties of the Stage refl rain’d
with in theL imits oftnodefl L anguage anddecent Behav iour ; yet now their Hopesr’
evi ve, and they promife to themfelves a
{ridden and eifeé’tua l Reformation of thefe
Abufes, fince the Governmen t has plac’
d
{0 Perfon a t ther
Head offtheActors, a nd given him ample Authori tyto réé
’rify their Errors What a happy ste
volution, what a regular and clean Stagemay jull ly be now expeél ed ? How
’
free
from all ford id and impureMixtures , hpgw
inhocen t, a s we l l as wi l l ourComedies appear, when ha ve beencorrefied
‘
an‘
d tefin’
d by a n accompli lh fd D ireEtor of the D ramatick P oets ?One that has a
'
true and del icate Tafie, ‘
andwho is fen l ibl e
.
of the Indecencies a ndh un w
Nature o f .
Our Plays ; who has engagklh is cel ebra ted Pen , in defiance of fneeringW its and '
powerful L ibertines, on the Side
of Yertue, and has propagated,the Efieembf
'
Mora ls , Human ity , «Decorum and So
briery of Manners ; who with great Spiri t, Gen ius, and Courage, to his lafiing
Honour,
a go An E s s a x
S tage, or'
re
'
ad in the punted Plays”f
‘
N Ot
W i l l i t be lefs eXped ient; that they fhouldbe
'
infl rufited to : perufe the Plays a lreadypubli lh
’d;
zand wh ich fl fa i e now publ ick ly
aE’téd ,'
1
and to expunge a l l Offenfive'
and cri
mina l Mixtures, ‘
that hereafter they Emaybecome .a c lean and innocent
'
D ive rfion .
B efides, th is'End would the ‘more effectu
a l ly be accompli lh’
d,if the rW riters of
Comedy, Farce, and Interludes; were rew arded -
and fupported by Means independent Ou the Afl ors : For while the Poets,who write for a Maintenance, are i
pa-id by
the T heatre, they w il l be under a great
T emptation to'
write as defir’d and d i
recl cd by the Actors, wh ich was the Com?
pla int of Cert/ an tes above cited, concern,ing the Comick Poets of Spa in ; Tha
we {may fafely conclude, -
are a t
rel l ra infd by fuch rigo rous Preceptsoftue,but thar they w i l l a lways be
'
inclin’
ld ‘
tg
prefen t thofe Performances which will hefifil l the Houfe and promore their Interefi
t
;a nd therefore they w i l l rca’
tl i ly h u‘
mourthe v itiated Tafle of the A ud ience; bya il ing the
‘
mofl « immora l Plays;, gv hilethey find their account in doing fo znAn
’
dthat which Confirms th is Obfervation is,that they never, as far as I have heard, repjea ed a ny Comedy merel y for its Loofeénets, tho} bel ieve theyhave refus’d‘ma
tnyO?
Won W; T . 2 3 4
enterta in ing Q ua lity .
mick W riters prov ided
me Other w a y , theydel iver
’
d from the Neceti i ty of
with the ir Actors, by writ ing. as they ‘
lh a l l bel'
peak , or a t
Lea l’t approve, as the mof
’t l ikely to invite
a profitable Audience
I T would prove'
an efi’
eé’tual Remedy
for this Ev il, if the L adies wou ld difcoun
tenance thefe loofe Comed ies, by expre l }fing their diflike, and reful ing to
ube pre»
{ent when they are afied : And th is no
doubt they would do, {
were they in form’d,
that the,
Comed ies which they encourage
by their Appearance a t the T heatre, a re
ful l of wanton Sentiments , obfcene A l lufiog s
, and immode lt Ideas , conta in’d in
.Expreflions of a double Mean ing : for itcannot be imagmfi they would bea r withUnconcernednefs, much lefs with P leafure ,D ifcour l
’
es in Publ ick , wh ich they detel’tas unfufferable in priva te Converfation ,if they h
knew them to be unchafi. And
fli ould the Ladies a lfert the ir ~Eflzeem ofV ertue, and declare open ly on the S ide
.ofModeli y , the mod a ttraéi ive Beaut ‘
ofthe fa ir ‘ Sex
Las
i
certa woul d o,
they underflood thofe amiable Q ualitieghav‘
e been eXpos’dand affrontQ 4 Cd
9 3 ?“
Gomiek Poet‘
s ;th is - to
‘
th e Rack,9 1 v " p o M
and a t one B this,~
pern ieio
Praé’tice ; for after wa r
_Wriit‘
é’
r
would t‘
ranfgre l‘
s thé ’Rul
a nd Purity of Exprethat by h is immodelt ‘MiXture
'
s he'
fright the Ladies fromthe -Houfe ? 3 l
I T would be anoi hcrgeli eé’r'
ua l Mehusto redrefs the Grievanc
‘
e'of the Stage, i f
the Clergy could be‘
pFe'
yail’
d’
upon"m
condemnzfrom the Pulpit and the Pfefs,
as well as in their Conyerl'
ation, un
jul’tifiable Entertainments of
‘
th e T heatre
would th‘
ey'
infii’t upOn it, aha
-Mega it"
as
a n eceffary Duty of the"
People toja‘
v'oid
thefe Occa'
l ions,and
{
at 16511'
Abp8arances of E vi l ;
(
would thé’
yg
’
lh’
ew them,
th freeluent i u
fi
nwi
arrantable
Ii i» they wation
, and i n
t heir, crimi na l Exam
before them thethe: n ice and
,
"
dub iouscence
,and
'
ady'
enturiiigét ent of Vertue and thethere would be great ‘
this fiton’
g”
Tide‘
of I
i sb
ut),mor
"
thel igatio
'
n,'
w i’
cliv
our
$34 A” .E S S A‘
Y
foever'
Patrons of Power, D ignity, andI n tereli
‘
i t is lh elter’
d and ifupported, that;as -
,
I have fuggeli ed, it is net eafy toine
‘whence their‘Len ity a nd {Fender
n efs forf the Theatre '
can p roceed . But if
the true fiRieafon of
‘
ir, whatever, it‘
is,
and wh ich is fo hard‘
to be accounted for,were- i remov’
d,and our D iv ines would .in
terefi themfe'
l ves with Zeal in the Gaufe
of V ertue,in refpeé
’t to our
'
D ramatickEnterta iéinentso as
'
they efpoufe and“
dc -1
fend ’t
'it -'in fa l l “Other,
T
l nf’tances; I -cannot
be l ieve l that '
the Stage, without .
'
a Regug
lation, would . be able to Hand, whenbat?
ter’
d'
with V igor from the Pulpit. The;Peets and P layers Would foon’
find t hem{E lves obl ig
’d to re l’rr'
a in ; their l icentiousf
Condué‘t, refoim the Theatre, and pre
fem: to the Town , if n0t infirufi ivq ; at
l ea li inofienfive and un lhock ing i D iverfizo ns. An d it is very defirable, t that thisE xpedient were fet on foot, that . the Hoenour of the Engl s Theatre may be re?
t riev’d ‘
;r th at
'
whi le we jufily boa l’t ofour Priority in Wit fand Humb ug to i our
N eighbours , we may not be 'oblig’d
,to
acknow ledge the great In‘
feriority of ; our
Comed ies,in refp
'
ea: of Cleannefs and moi a l f fBeauty g
'
that n0t be t e
p'
roach’d} that while we profefs a Re
form’
d and pure Religion, we encouragea n
E
W W I T . 2 3 5an immodefi and unreform’
d Theatre, and
that‘
w‘
e‘
are very defeE’tive in the P racgtiCe of Vertue and Regularity of Man
ners, wh ile thefe“
Abominations are in
dulg’d
, and thefe unha llow’d Groves and
H igh Places of Immora l ity are frequentedw irhourD ifiurbance.
S S A
F A L S E V E R TU'
E.
H E Propenfions inherent inthe Faculties,and interwov enwith the Confiith tion of de
prav’d Man , carry the W i ll
with fo firong a B iais to
fenfua l P leafure, that the greateli Pa rt of
theW orld have a lways difrelifh’d thofe re
l igious‘
D iéi ates of Reafon , Wh ich la idthem h nder Obl igations
'
to,refi ra in their
in ordinate Appetites 5 bht a t the fame t ime
bel iev ing the Exifience"
of a'
Deity, gthc
Moderator and Judge of the World; atwhofe
a4o An E s s A it upon
whofe Tribuna l they look’
d on Mad as
an accountable and finding in
themfelves that t of GuiltWas unavo idable wall as terrible Apprehenfions of D iv ine Difiiieafurc,they thought it necefl
'
ary , for remov ingthe D ifquiet of their Minds , to atone the
fupream Being, and procure h is Favour ;and therefore in li ituted foch Forms of
R el’
zg ion andModes of Adoration , a
iudg’d moi} effeéi uali or this purpofe
not being will ing to a mdergo t heand difficult T ask of fubduing their irre
gular Pafli ons, and ,de_nying their Senfes,
they defign’
d {uch Schemes of Rel igion , asmight, in their Opin ion , at once . ac
ceptablegtq aven, “togtheitj crimina l Inc linations . In order to this, infiead of Purity of Mind and the P raéi ice
ternal Wora
of va rious
only,thei
Afl l E S S A Y - uyon
efiTerms, that'
the Sou l and Spirit of R él igiOn confided in the s pious Inclinations oftheir Minds , and the 'Innoeence and I nte
grity of theirMa nners, and .
nowin exter
na l Splendor, nor any corporea l Aufierities ; yet how foon d id the S implicityeadfpiritual Na ture of his I nf’titution degenetare into outward Ceremony ”
and a'
mechan ica l Devotion of the Body A l l Mank ind exprefs an equa l deadnefs a nd indiipofition to the extirpa tion of v icious Pro
penfions, and the fiucere Practice of»v ertue, from wha tever Scéi of Religion theytake their Denomination . ~ And tho the
Chrifi ian Infiitution,by a il
'
ording clearerL ight and greater Encouragements and
A lhfiance to Obed ience than the Pagans
ever enjoy’d, is far more preva lent to con
uer that Re lu&ance an‘
d Averfion that is
iiound in the Minds of Men to true P iety ;.yet it muli be confefs
’d,that the far great
ef’t part of Chrifiians have, in commonw ith the Hea then W orld, a li rong Inelin ation to compremi l
'
e the Matter w ith
H eaven ; a nd i nfiead of interna l Purityand a regular L ife, to put o li
~
the Deityw ith fuperli itious R ites, magn ifi cent D e
cotations, and bodi ly Worlh ip,"whi le they
Lflatter themfel ves that he wi l l reli fa tif
fy’
d w ith th is fplend id D evotion,tho he
exprelly declares the contrary.
FA L S E V E RT UE . 2 4;
l a the mean time, a number of morejud icious Perfons not being able to recon
conci le the Precepts of Chri li ianity to a
meerCeremonia lRel igion, abfi
’
raéi ing fromintrinfick P iety and t e mora l Goodnefs oftheir Aéi ions, to eafe their Remorfe and
unquiet Refleéi ions, and fecure their future
Happinefs, fet up . fpurious and falfe Vet
rues in the place of the genuine and l in -r
eere ; wh ile Others yet more in l ighten’
d
bid higher for the Favour of Heaven, byembracing and cultivating fome rea l Vertues ; wh ich ,
however,being in a weaker
degree, and over-ba lanc’d by fironger ev il
Inclinations in their Hearts, and Immoral it in their L ives, are infufiicient to deno
mmate them goodMen , and to give thema Title to future Fel icity .
A s to the firfi of thefe , to conv ince
them of their Error in this importantCafe
,and fubvert their ill -grounded and
prefumptuous Opinion of their being Men
o f Vertue, the fo llowing Obfervation mayhave fomeWeight and Influence.
T H E necedary intrinfick Principlewhichcon li itutes a mora l AEtion , is an End decfign
’d ; and that which confines its’
gener’a l
Nature, and d iflinguilhes a good Amen,
R 2 from
An E s s a y-
upon ,
from an ev i l one is a righ t End , whichéxcites theW i ll to chufe '
i t, a nd to wh ichit i s d irected r in the In tention of the Au
gent.- I r is
‘
n'
ot pofiibl e that l the Anthor
and Lord‘
of Nature lhOuld ha ve any Other
D efign in creating an‘intell igent Being,
and endowing h im'
with Faculties to know,
obey , arid ado re his Maker, than to max
n ifefi his oWn PerfeEtions in the Happi
ne ls of limb a Creature His own Ho
n'
o‘
ur in producing a B eing"
of in high a
Rank,by which he eXprefs
’d his POWer
and W ifdom,as wel l as h is De l ight
'
in
mun icating his immen feGoodnefs,mul’t
be firfi in tendedb y h im.r'
. And Un le lsMen
may be al low’d to endeavour to difappoint
the fupream Caufe, . and op'
pofe the D e
fign of the ir ~
coming into Being , then the
End which the Creator propos’
d to h im-f
felf in creating, ought l iltewife to be the
End wh ich h is Creature lhbul d chufe and
3 13 3 1 13 5 5 , he ev ident ly declares '
the
End for . which (uch a'
Being is defign’d
byf‘
the Faculties,Which he imparted
h im in h is Formation . W hence i t plain lyWi l l appear, that it is theDuty ofMan
.
to
at]: according to the Capacities, Powers;and Endowmen ts of his Na ture, andthrough al l h is Schemes of L ife, to aimat
the
2 465 [In E S 3 A ir
‘
uym
fa irs, and his great Indufiry and Z ea l forthe common Good terminate in private
A ims : I f h is V igilance and Labour to
pul l down Men in Power, ffprings froman ambitious V iew to ra ife ‘ h imfelf in a
new Scheme of Admin il’tration, to fome
great Place of Profit or Honour, let hime ever (0 much va lu’d and applauded bythe Female, as one tha t has deferv
’d wel l
of his Country , yet h is Aé’rions tak ingtheir Rife from the irregular MOtiv c of
Self- Interef’r,he has no manner of C laim
to the Charaé‘rer of a vertuousMan .
I r a Perfon of PoWer andWea lth, whodefigns the Improvement of Mens intell eé‘tua l Facul ties
,by advancing Arts and
Sciences, and embellifhing‘
the L anguage
of his Coun try, fhould encourage Phi lolo
phy and pol ite L iterature, fhould carefs
the Authors of d iltinguilh’d Merit, and
reward their L abours with Gifts and Preferment, fach a Patron of Learn ing d ifeov ers eminent Marks of a great and generous Mind . But if th is Refpeét pa idto Men of Len ers proceeds from a Pro
fpeEt and Expectation, that Perfons of Erud it ion fhould every where mention h isName with Honour
,a nd that a l l the fine
Pens of the Age lhould celebrate his Pra ifes,and propagate the Rfieem of their bou
f
n-
lUU
Fu s e V E R T UE . 2 47tiful Ma rnas z ‘
i'
i f'
h is aini'
i'
ie to engrofs
the Dedicatihris - ‘of the prinhi al W riters,
and have the SarisfaEtion 'of oorhing his
Van ity and ’SelfUAdmiratiori ,'
by feeing hisextraordinary Q ua li ties fet in'a firong L ightby an artful Flatterer ; th is is ffo far frombeing a fingular Vertue, that
’tis a great
B lemifh and D ili emper ofMind forwhat
is this bUt for a'Man to make himfe lf the
'
Idol of h is own Bfleem and'
Adoration,
and to engagemercenary Authors to brinin Votaries, that -mult burn their Iucen e
at an Altar, which infa tiable Thirfi of
Praife has fet up.
“
"
I T fi s the fame Cafe,"
fhould any Manin h is Converfation and B ehaviour, ex
ptefs a l l the Marks'
of Gentlenefs, good
Nature,~ and Benevolence -to h is Friendsand A cqua intarce ; lh ould he addrefs him
felf' to'
every Man in the molt courteous
and obl iging manner, and nor on l y (peakhandfome ly of them in theirAbfence,excufeand COVer their Defects
,do juf
’tice to their
Meri t,
“
and promote their Reputation , butl ikewife flaould be ready , w ith a l ibera lHand, to af fil’t them in their Wants, and
by rail ing them'to P laces of P rofit, to
make them eafy in their Fortunes ; in ibort,lhould he take a ll Occafions t0
'do good
Offices to al l Men :‘
,If fuch a polite andR 4 accom-z
An E S S A Y upon
accomplilh d Perfon , by ; his amiable figfl
preflions Human ity and,£ ne Nature;
principa l ly a ims at sApplaufe rte;
grat ify h is g wu Van ity t fig Seiv dmiravt 1 :on I f he fays k ind -Th ings to I
e thers,that th6y in their T urn may {peak pwell
every Man,
1: his C haracter and his GX’Cfi‘f éfl fi
i ities , 1t'1g certa in ;gthat while his'I la-r
ion in a li ghis fplend idT ra in of Afiin ;ous efly (that a plent iful Ha rvefi of
P ra ife n ular ity ‘may, come theme toh im c fine Gen tleman ean never bea Man of V ertue, being in ov ’
d by fuchan i rre
gularPr1nc1ple ,0 110, the he {herald
w ith t e utmofl Modefiy; and outward'
i igns of Dm gafiion decline th e dimom1ums of h1s ,Adm1rers, whi lfia t the famenineties thinksJ 1that by (9 doing h e {ha l lac e yet g reaterHonour, and make him;fel smote eonfiderable in the Opinion
'
of
the World, by adding the Ch aracter of
Modeii y {to the refi of 1h1s eminentEn ,
dowments ; for th is is Fri ll b y mom b e
ti le, but more effeéi ua l W ays,to aaccom
pl i lh his main D e l ign : And therefore Wh i lehe fets h imfelf up in theDei ty , adores his own .
offers Pra ife and Admirat ion rte h :mid i;he i s a defic im
’
d Being in the mofi chaf ining
a go”
~An E S S A Y upon
hberal and‘
generous‘Perfon a ims chiefly at
Popularity ift har‘ i s 1the charming Ideathat fOOths h is Imagination, un locks h is
Coffers, and difii pates his Treafure r ; if bythe Profulion of his Wea lth, b
'
e’labours toga in the
'
Hearts of the People to‘
ea'
i‘ryonh is own private Interel
’t,
‘
and l ike j a l iu:(Le/in ,
‘lavifhes out his whole Fortune,tha t by this means he may engage a faf
ficien t number ofCreatures and'
Adherents
to ta ife him to D ign ity and D omin ion ;i t wi ll pla in ly appear, that th is Perfon is
on ly l ibera l -
and generous to h imfelf, and
that by all h is good Offices a ri d endlefsExpence,
‘ he is purchafing Efieem‘
and
Power,and by h is Mun ificence a nd Boun
ty, defigns no more than to bribe thePeople, to gratify his Ambition .
S H 6 U L D a Genera l 'be '
eminent in a ll
military Q ua l ities, v igi lant, wife,‘ and 3 &i ve in difappointing the Projeéts of an
Enemy,
and in taking all Advan tages
to furpriz e and defea t h im ; who he - is
perfeéi ly capable of governing a War,
a nd forming Schemes of Aa ion with
the greatelt Judgment, is cool and fe
date in Counci l, and as warm and brave
in Battle ; tho he th inks jufily, w determines with D el iberation, and executes
h is Defigns with the utmofi Celeritsl
f
1t 0
F A L S E ‘V E R T iJ E . 2 5 1tho by repeated V ifiories and a lOng Se
r ies of great and fuccefsful Campaigns, _ he
fhould reduce the Power of afpiring-Mo
n archs, and by procuring Safety to h is
Country, and Peace and Liberty to his
injur’d Neighbours, he lhould acquire im
morta l Honour to himfelf : if this applauded Hero lhould, in his memora ble rUndertakings, be chiefly mov’
d and an imated bya paflionate D efire of enjoy ing the Shouts
and Acclamations of the People, and theTriumph of a publ ick Entry : Or fuppofe'thiscelebra ted W arrior fhould .be -excited bya P rinciple of Avarice, to engage in Euterpriz es ful l of D ifficulty and D angerfhould he difcharge the Duties of hi
S ta tion and T rui’t with admirableduct, and perform ever fo great Wonders
,
chiefly with a ProfpeE’t of heaping up
R iches, and procuring an immenfe For.tune to his Fami ly : or if to gratify hisPride and afpiring Amb ition , he has ch ieflyat Heart the Acquil i tion of Power and D omin ion , by which he may be enabled to
revenge himfelf upon his Enemies,dif
poffefs his R iva ls, and advance h is Crea.
tures to Pol’ts of P rofit and Honour, it isev ident, that this Perfon
’
s great Aétionsa rifing from an irregular Spring, and direfied by perfona l V iews, can by no meansbe accounted moral l y Good : They plain ly
pro
2 5 2 fi n E s si t r z rnlvan
proceed'fizor
’
n a fa l feP Fortitude,
nor has
theA p thor zany genuine Nertue but Mi
'
N«omwtrfrrasr ammm a'a C ounfe llor nat
Law . Iflpon ld i fbe’ev;er fo rmuch appflauded
s a nd indefa tigabl era nd n eflzeetrr
’
d fier h is Pa obity{Performance of " h is Duty i n
the Bufinefs‘
nof h is Profefii on, by iwhichM umbfiual it iesM becomes very
"
ufiefu li lriSDCpunt
’
ry ; y et i f‘
thé Spring of ib is
i n‘
dt’
rfifiyf ie a h ir
'
nmodera tedove itrfi zMon y ;i f h is iSoul moves and gmy itates ctoJRi iChes ,
as fit w ere b y a ttrax-
tu lal l a'
nd an irrefilhibleil ngfiinc
‘fiz,rwbidmexems area Wi thout wa it
ing for dhe tfipprobat ion tof zR ea fon, fwhile
Acquifitions ti tan a bate rb is ‘
Defire,: b ut
his Lufisof‘
: Riiclrés rfl ifllll rages and c ontinues
to $11a m ith i unexti tiguifh’
d uterine F ury :
i f‘ lhe fix i ll ibora l, ungenerous, a nd aioudad ;if the touchi o f hi s Purfe goes immedia télzy m h is ft, and n otwithzfiand ingh is igrea t zw
tea l th ,
‘
he fenfibly'feels his paras
ing with a'
Shill ing ; i f ahe tfight of~
a iD in i~
ner a t'h is Table
,amore easpenfive than on
d inary, tputs lh imzinto a cold S wea t,a nd
the N ew s . of a t rivia l iLofs d raws ‘
T ears
from ih is . :Eyes ; th is Perfon has impt sthe
leaf’tT itle
‘
to the Appel lation ofa goodMan,
w hole Aims thbs terminate ain zhis worldl yi nterefi. L E T
9 54 An . E S S A’ Y upon
leave behind him a plentiful Fortune : Ifth is
,I . fay , be fup
'
pos’d,the D oé’tor’
s ape
plauded Vertue is nothing elfe but ford idSelf- Interelt and od ious Avarice, ooncea l’dunder the fa ir Appearance and hypocriti.
ca l D ifguife of thofe bright Q ua l ities thatcon fpire in his Character. A good Phy l ieian he may be, but it is impofiible forh im to be a good Man , wh i le the Intention of a right End, which is abfolutelyn ecelfary to give that Appellation , is pla in l ywanting.
N o R is the Cafe different with one of
the facred Profefiion ; for lhould a D iv ine
d ifcover the Marks of - the highefi Z ea limaginable to infirufl: and reform the
W orld, to ’
fill the Minds of the Peoplew ith great and jult Ideas of Re l igious andCelell ia l Objeéi s, and wife and worthySentiments, and ra ife in their B reafis de
vont and enerous Pa ll ions, as wel l as v igorous Re o lutions to correct their E rrors
{hould‘
he exhaul l his Strength, fometimesby excelli v e Read ing, and fometimes byin tenfe Contemplation , in compofing ex»
cel lent D ifcourfes for the Prefs and the
P ulpit ; fhould he employ the Vehemenceof St . P aul to conv ince and terrify, and
the Benevolence and Bowels of St. j ob»,to entreat and perfuade a fiupin and de
generate
FAL SE VfiR f UEa 2 5 ;generate People to take Care of their In
terefl in the future World, by reformingtheii
‘
criminal Life in this : I f a l l theHours
that can be fpar’d from h is Study , his
Pulpit and Domel’rick Affa irs are employ’
d
in going about doing Good, in exhortingh is People to Acts of Vertue and D evo
t ion,
- in reconciling the D ifferences of h is
Neighbours, v ifiting the Sick , and fol l ic iting the R ich to relieve the Poor ; ti l l byhis wa tchful Care and unwearied Labours
,
he has e-xhauli ed h is Strength and emac iated h is Body, a nd feems a venerableSpefiacle of Mortification and Sanfi ity :I f, I fay, the ma in De lign of this Reverend Perfon is to acquire Pra ife and Popularity , and the principa l Impulfe that movesh im is a defire to be admir
’d and applaud
ed as'
a Man of refin’d Parts and firong
‘
Reafon , of charming E loquence and con
fummare Erudition Or fuppofe, that in the
Courfe of h is L ife his principa l End is to
ga in Preferment, and to rife by D egreesto the highefiOrder of the Church that
he may acquire great Revenues to gra tifyh is Avaric e, and D ign ity , and Power tofoorh h is Ambition
,it will follow that h is
brightefiA& ions are no more than artful‘
Impoltures, and have noth ing in them butcounterfeit Vertue and perfonated Piety .
9 5 6 Ate -E s sla r nylon
SH o n L B a Magifirate ufe thetgreatefi
Indufiry; and exert al l h i s Autho ri ty to
propagate Rel igion and fohetMan rs , and
fupptefs the preva il in Power Q iji mrnora l ity i and to th is en fli ould
,with im
partia l Iull ice, pun ilh the Guil ty ; and to
encourage Obed ience and Regularity of
L ife, .
, ibew to good Men repeated Marks
of his Charity, Refpeét, and Favour. Be
i ides,’
fhould he write Books on the Side‘
of V ertue , expofe V ice and Folly by the
me lt po inted and elegant Satire, and in
the me lt pathetick and polite Stile, urgethe People ,
to reform the ir loofe,
Behav iour. Or.
fhould he,d ifperfe among his
Neighbours, a t h is own Expence, the emcel lent W ritings of other Men adapted tothe fame laudable Purpofe ; tha t is
, therecla iming the V icious, and confirming theGood in the W ays of Vertue. If tflain ing Aéi ions flow from an impure Fourt-f
ta in ;' if this fingular
’
Z ea l and Concernabout mend ing the World, is to atone,
for
fome'
feoret Guilt ;'
or if the Perfon fo ems
ploy’d intends to procure the Charaéi er
of a rel igious and fohet Man , that und er
that D ifguife he may carry on fome fecretI nterel
’r, ; and principa l ly a ims at Profit or
Applah fe, h is beautifu l Deeds are no morethan empty C louds and gaudy Phantomes,
that
2 58 win 45 s s A ’Y upon‘
a mine and preva lent; it di fpbfes the iM’
indto an equa l .Obfervance lof al l renta l Ob lig arions ; and .when it
“
is ‘btioperative and
ineffectua l r
in‘
any one l l nflance, that is,
when it leaves any one v ic ions Habi t un
fubdu’d, all the orber l fine Q ual ities mult
be pronouncfd fpurious V ertues ; for did
they fpring from a right Caufe, and werethe y guided by a jull Intention , the famePrinciple and End‘ would direéi and influence a ll t he rel’t of - thei r Afiions, and
make their L itres regular ando f a piece." I r this were adverted to,
“ Men wouldnot; be (0 abfirrd and nn reafonable as to
a ttempt a i compremifing'
ef’
th e D ifference
between ncfl
onfiltent'
Ideas-t by '
mingl ingdifl
'
olute ’ Manners and fl agrant V ices,‘
in
the C haraét‘
er of a good-Man ; and then
,
ifiiMentwi ll adhere to their'
crimina l Cour
y‘
tn aiy-at
'
leafl be‘
fet right in‘
a
ofefth is Importa nii
‘
e,
’
and not be
abus’d b y unme rited
w ith -T it les iof i Men-
oi
n0thin
d rance‘
t
ment in Science,'
thconfus
’d App hcation
‘
ofi
verts2
the ,
of Religionpe l lation of. aq rfqn
to thofe,who
,haVei t. Tho ir is and;infi n ite Numbers of loofein the W orld, yet i t i s
,as,errara
v ery few,if any, of th ii va q B ody
acknowledge they,arfe fo, and take'
to t
fel'
ves the D'
enomi'natioti
' i
ihi
éywhi
'ch mul’t nee
'
ds arife frohtghi;
have enterta in’
db ”
V ertue
r'
if‘
F l’
at
to
nae-
ek Ve‘
rrnejjzrfigl Im‘
in fa tiab le;Avarice and any t o h is my, F ranc;
ma'
ni ty,’
onour'
ahdlfnj Hiegi bjr.
s Z ea l f r Igeji'
ion}if one that is plung
’d in the D regs
'
o V ice
may defe'
rve the Name of a good Man ,
a nd the L ibertine may expect in a FutureSta te the Rewa rd of a Sa in t ; if thefe
Id eas,I fay , are nor granted to be de
firua ive of one a nother, then L ight a nd
D arknefs are become Friends,the gro lfe li
r S 2 Abfura
9 60 An,
E s 3 M t. uyon‘
Abfurdities‘
wmbe;made,prehenfion , tior ouldonger
‘
be‘
loOk’d On as
“
“
T i tu s { hay}: given ,
many' I nfiances of
firch Q ua lities as have the exterior Rpfece findi
‘
fplehd id Appearance of V et-gtue
,; but.
ndtibeing an imated by a rightlwhich are the L ife
a t; informing Spirit of'
_mora l Goodnefs
,
a re
i '
only beautiful I l lul ions and emptyShadows, no more genuine Vertu
'
e, than fi
afpainted T ree is a rea l Vegetab le, or Man . . Ir is true, that
in feveral’
of thefe Examples, the irreguih r but hidden
“
Spring , of Mens Aa ions‘
nOt being"
,
d ifcernable‘
to‘
Others, in the'
Judgment of Charity they on ht to beefieem
’d vertuous Perfons ; but e that Obi
ferves the in‘
m'
pft Ree’
cfl'
es of the Heart,
and infpefts‘
the‘
B iafs and fecret Morions
of the Soul,‘
cannot b e impos’
d On, but
wi l l pafs '
a f'
contrary Sentence, and con;
demn thei Infin’
cerity‘
Of‘
thefe pretendedVertues.
2 6 2 An E S S A Y I QFWZ
too long for this place , that feems verypertinen t to my Subject.
~ t
C
c
c’
J
t
q
C
i
c
fl
o
5
3l
‘ F a' MiE, which is tlte Opin ion the
“f orld eXprelfes of a ny Man’
s exce l lentEndowments, is the ,
Idol ; to w hichzfihnel‘r Spiri ts have, in a l l Ages, b
the ir Incengfe y and the.
more gbherpasand ; e leyaved
'
any Gen ius IS, the more venb emen t is his T hirl’r, and themore eagerare h is
,Purfuits a fter th is a lluring ‘
Oh
let/
Pt , W ha tever Power is invork’d, lthi s
is the that infpires h
the Poe t,l l ocks his - Imagination
-w ith,
beautif,
ul
i deas , a nd k indles in his Breali the D iv ine Rapture. This glorious Priz e at
once daz z les a nd an ima tes the Warrior ;’
tis the Applaufe, the T riumph, the Plea.
fure of‘
beiggfieafen’
d with Acclama tio n s
,and d ifl ingui lh
’d
‘
f‘
and poin ted at by .
the People, that makes him fo pa tien t;
,of Toi l , and pulhes him amid l} a thouw
fand Dangers . As the powerful In li inci’rsof Renown excite an amb itiousMonarch
,
,to repeat h is Conque ll s and en large h i sra ife up Heroes to fop
p‘
ofe his ,Arms and check h is Encroach
J i b”? from the fame Spring and
Fyinciple o fl Aé’rion, .Na tions are fomes ,
t imes fometimes deliver’d
T u r‘
a
g
a
n
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
n
fi
fl
fl
fi
fl
fi
fi
fi
fl
fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
FAT S E”
V E R'
T trE .
52 62
T H I S warms the Patriot with Zea l,and makes him think he is on ly fervingh is Country, whi le he is pleafing himfelf with Purfuits of P0 ularity. T his
m oths the Tongue of the Senator, andmakes it flow with E loquence ; and itwere to be wi lh
’d that none of the V 6 !
nerable Men, who d ifpence from the
Pulpit D iv ine In l’truf’tion ,had their L ips
touch’d by a Coal from this foreign A l
tar. Man i s natura lly a proud An ima l,and is fond of noth ing more than the
B reath of Fame to food : hi s Van ity , andflatter his Self-Admirat ion.
’
T H O mof’t of the celebrated Authorsamong the Ancien ts wrote by the Im
pul fe of Va in-Glory
,and Pra ife was the
chief R eward they panted after ; yet
none fo frank ly own this Fa lfion to be
the Principle that infpir’d them
,as Ho
m e and Cicero. W ha t Exultation andRapture does the former exprefs upon
the Profpeét of imaginary Immorta lityHow has Ta l ly blemi lh
’
d h is Charafterand obfcur
’d h is excellent Q ua lities by
Self-Admiration,‘
and an Open acknow
ledgment, that he look’d on . Pra ife and
Honour as the ch ief Reward'
of Vertue
and of I llufirious Actions ? I blulh for
S 4 th is
3 64 An E S S A Y upon
this greatMan , as oft as I read the infl
R
h
Ms
“
fi
's
temperate Expreffions of h is Thirft of
Glory , wh ich (0 frequently di lhonour hisadmirable ,
Writings .
T’
t s fur
rpriz ing and pain ful to think ,
tha t a Per on of his extraordinary Faéulties , Learning, and W it, fhould be foextravagantly tran fported with this Pai
fion . When he fpoke his Inveftive a
gainfiAnthony, whowould have thoughthe was on ly flattering himfelf, and pronouncing a Panegyriek upon h is own
Eloquence and Zea l for his Country ?T hat when he defended Rofciw,
he took
upon h im a T hea trica l Perfon , as muchas h is C l ient had ever done, and on lyafted the Friend in great Perfeétion ; andthat when he accus
’d Cata l ina
, he onl yapplauded the v igilant Conful, magnify
’d the Pa triot, and enterta in’d the Se
nate w ith h is own Pra ife ? And yet’tis
ev ident, that li mb was his infatiable Defire Of Applaufe , that whether he a li um
’
d
the Cha raé‘
ter of a Patriot, or an Orator,whether he arh ign
’
d the Criminal , or
v indicated the Innocent, he had a lwaysthe fame th ing in v iew, and intended"
chiefly, - by v arious Means, to procure
Glory to himfelf.
fi
a
a
u
h
h
a
h
h
fi
ha
fi
h
tg
a
“
66 Ani
fE'
s’
sr‘
A -Y"
upon
ch ievements of Heroes and Patriots
Thefe flatter themfeljves, tha t afterD eaththey -
xihal l fl ive by the B reath'
of Fame,fand be carry
’d up and doWn the'
World
l ike the a iry Phan toms and Apparitionsof Epiou ms . I t i s true, in this they confcfs the Belief of a Future
-State ; for itcannot be imag in
’
d Why they (h'
Ould det
fire to be ‘ fpoken'
o i’with Honour
,after
'
their D eceafe, if : they dia t believethey lhoul 'd exi ll
'
and en joy the“
Enco
miums b'
ell ow’
d by Pofierity on'
their
Names ; y et th is W i ll h ot deferve the
A ppe lla tion of V ertue z For if the fine
W riter of brave Wa rrior terminate ‘a l l
their V iews upon'
themfeIVes'
; if the Au
thor on ly’
contemplates the bright E ,
manations of h is Mind' as reflected hnd
coming back'
to himfélf in Glory and
Pra ife, and‘
the Sol dier takes the’
Field
and performsW onders, chiefly forL au.
rels and Admirat ion , tho this approachesthe neare lif to true Meri t of any th ingthat is ibort of ~ ir, yet their - Actions
fpringing ‘
from a wrong P rinc iple, and
being drreé’ted to . an unwarrantable End,
a re but fplendid I llufions and' Faults
,
- d ifguis’
d under the beautiful Appearanceof Vertue}
fi
fi
fi
h
fi
fi
fl
a
h
a
a
“q
“
a
o
fi
n
fl
a
n
n
F‘A L S E zV. E R T
'
UE . 2 67
“I T is the incOmmun icable Prerogative of the fupreamBe ing, to feareh thefecret Thoughts and difcern the Bent andIncl ina tion of the .Mind , and therefore
no Man by immedia te Infpeétion in to
the R eceffes of the Soul , can charge upon another the Guilt of aél ing upon the
P rinc iple of Va in'Glory ; bur there is
one diflingui lhing Mark that d ifcovers
this irregular Spring to one’
s felf, andto others, a nd tha t is, if the Hero or
Pa trior, the Ph ilofopher or Poet, who
pretend to the‘
good of their C ity , theirCoun try, and of Mankind, i hould, inother a Contempt ofMora l Obl igations, and become Praétifersof V ice and Patrons of Impiety ; ’
tisimpoffible fuch Men { hould be govern
’d
by a genuine Principle of Vertue, wh ichnever fa ils to produce an equa l and un iform Series of good and generousActions.
T H P S E ReHeEtions canno t but e le.
v ate . our Conceptions , and engage the
Mind in the Con templation of the ad
mirable Condufl of Prov idence, wh ich
makes u fe of culpable Pa lhon s and ir
regular.Prin ciples, fubfiituted _
by Memin the place of fincereMerit
, .to bring a
bout Hotels of the greatelt Importance ,
at and
2 68 An E S S A Y t arponand Benefi t to Mank ind . I f no great ori l luftrie us A& ions, i n -wh ich the common ‘Goo
‘
d and the Happinefs of Societies a r
’
e concern’d,were to be ’
perform’d
by any but d ifin terefl ed Men,who a&
from a Motive o f rea l V ertue ; howoften would States and Kingdoms be ihvolv
’d in Confufion and Ruin , while noW arriors would be found to defend
,
nor Statefmen to, d ireét and rule them.
But when Principles of Vertue are wan ting, a s apparently they are in the Mafs
of Mankind; t he D el i re of Popularityand
'
P a l fe' Glory, by the w ife Admini
firation of the Moderator of the World,
in a great Meafure fuppl ics their Ahfence.
”«
fi
a
a
h
e
n
a
q
a
n
a
a
a
a
a
a
A clofeii Enquiry into the fl zflinc
’
fim ofT R U E and F A L S E VE R T UE .
T is very defi rable tha t Men fhould beful ly inform’d in a Cafe of fuch Con
fequence a s this ; for whi le the greateft
pare of the People think they a re a lreadyMen of V ertue ,
it is no wonder they bel ieve they need no Reformation . But were
this Con fufion and Obfeurity of their Ideasremov
’
d, and the D ifl iné‘tion of .
‘
a Goodand Bad
,Man fet in a c lear Light before
them,
a7‘
o An ‘E s § A Yi nfon
bad Ath ens appes ti in>their L
Man “no
'
twi th fland inl
h is
believes h imfe lf a n of
oaufe he“iis jufi,
fober, and regula rjin the
Government of hisPaflions a ndAppetites :Anothe r“ is as wel l fatisfy’
d w ith h isGood-b
nefs, who, .
tho he is looie in his Beha v idur,
'
intemperate , and profane, yet he is,l ibera l , generous, a Man olJ Honour, anda gre
’
atiLover of
‘
hi sCountry ;
t S IN '
C E, evetv an byfih is
“
native Coma
by “
Chtfom or‘
-I h t'
e re lt, is more
powerfu ll { way’d by tome-V icious Habits
and I nc l' ation s,'than 1by othe rs, and‘
;is
thereforelrlefs’
able to t ena T emptations ,thar
'
. add ters.. themfelves to tho fe11a
filmmth'
ofe V ice tof‘Wh'
ieh
he :is timb fliris pro'
ne’
hbyi lNa ttire
I ntempétahoe o rLOthera forbidden
to di fco'
veu his mo ra lsto fet his L iberality,
‘
Patience,“
i‘
a nd‘
Other-J l
ga inf’r"? h is;
tha t bwh ite3
FAL SE YV E nfiUE . oy t
thepretiominaney of good Hadenominated a good Man ; norverons Perfon we igh h isHumil i
Veracity , and Sobriety ofuManners a
nl’r h is’
Avarice, and then decide the
eftion 1n h is own Pa yout, and pronouncennocent becaui e he has many emit
nen t Vertues and'
but One V ice ; h ot t hePerfon often overcome byTemptations toexcefs in W ine,orother unlawful Pleafute s ,mull compare the D egree of his T emperance and Chafi ityWith thofeof the con.
trary V ices, and i f he has reafon to’
infEt
from h is frequent crimina l Compl iathat h is V i£ rouS Propenfions are the firoh —g:
ed,and what therefore he
nounc’d an impure 0rfintem
this Man 13 from that l ingle preva lent Haabit to be judg
’
d a fiagi t ious and wicked
Perfon,notwithfi andi ng h is
tences to Vertues of autoare a li demonfira ted to 7bo fa lie and conni
terfeit by t he predomina nt Punter of anyone V ice , as fa id before ; fO
'
if a Man bya d iligent and fi rié’e Examinationi fhoukidifcos'er th at hi s L ove ofMohy
ti s to 111md inate - and infatiab lefl that he mutt needsmerit the Appell atioh of Avaricious , Wha tever other Ih in ing Q uali ties he tnayj poll efs,they are no better than fplend id'V ices, andfrom the fuperiority of h is covetous Hab it
he
972 An E s s A Y : upon'
hemuf’t be pronoune’
d, what certa in ly be is,an il lMan : and this Rule is inv iolably truein .a l l orher Jnfianees of the .
like Na ture.W hen aMan enters upon an Examinat ion ofh is Integrity he Ihould know,
that if the Su
periority of h is Vertue is but in a
weak Degree ; if he often breaksR efolutions, compl ies }with T emptat ions,and relapfes into Guilt, hewi ll n0t be able todetermine h is Cond it ion , or conclude on
which Side the Ba l lance defcends ; and
nmwirhfianding his Goodnefs {hould beredominant, yet while .
it,is unev iden t to
him that it is fo, he, wi l l reap no Satifi
faction fromh isReflections on it, butmuf’t
he often obnoxious t0 '
. frightful Apprehen
l ion'
s, gand live in a doubtful, uncomfort
able State .
I T ,will be pofli ble o n ly to thofemoreexcel lentMinds, that in an eminea ea
fure have learn’d to conquer a l l evi l
,
Pro
penfions, govern their Pa ll i ons, and fub‘
due their - inordinate Appetites, that'
per
fevere,with Conflancy in
’
an un interrupted
Practice,of V ertue and .Devotion, to t e
v iew their L ives w ith Pleafure and Satif
faction , and; to ,difcern the Superiority p f
their Vertue, and, in that their,T itle to
future Happinefs .
3 1473 i E s s A Y.
’
uponby the
‘
Chri li ian I nfiitution to denominatea Man Upright a nd Righteous, and
'
to
qua l ify h imfor the D iv ine Fa vour and Acceptance ; and th is is
‘
frequen tly ca ll’d 'I n
tegrity and S incerity of Hear t, rwh ich 0»
v et -
powers the Oppol i tion ofevery V ice ,tho it never r intitely fubdués it.
~ l t 59is
therefore certa in ,that when a Man would
k now h imfelf, he mull not' bel ieve that
he is a good Man , merely becaufe he isconfcious to himfelf that he is fincere and
in good earned in his Refolurions and
many vertuous Aa ions for tho thofe Re
folutions and Att ions are rea l, yet if they
a re oppos’d and overcome by contra ry I n
c linations, wh ich have a greater I nterefi
in h is Heart and Power in his L ife, theya re but fa lfe V ertues, nor hav ing a tta in
’d
that Superiority of Degree that con li itutesthe Being of Vertue in a Chri li ian Senfe.
Hence when many goodMen quefiion their
S incerity, and a re afra id they a re Hypocrites , they mean they are in doubt, w hether they ha ve a tta in
’
d a preva il ing Hab itof Piety , for a l l Degrees under that theyefl eem l n li
‘
ncerity and Hypocrify ; becaufe
they are nor fufficient to denomina te a goodMan
,.or giv e a T it le to F uture Happinefs
tho in the mean t ime they are fatisfy ’d they
haVe fome in ferior D egrees of Vertue,which they know a re fmcere, that is, real
],
t o
FAL S E V E R T UE’
. 275tho fruitlefs and ineffectua l to the Purpofcsbefore-ment ion ’
d .
I T is cufl omary for Men , when theyf ak of Others , to exprefs themfelves in
‘
t is manner ; Such a Perfon is a flrange
Mixture, a Man of Pleafure,'
and tbbmuch addicted to W ine and good Compazny ; but he has abundance of excel len tQ ua l ities to o ver- bal lance h is Faults, and I
cannot but look upon h im as
'
a very goodMan . But this is a de ll ruftive
’
Delul ion ,and the Error wi ll be food deteéi ed, if wereflefl ,
that the Superiority of V ertue andV ice, that confi itures the Good Or Bad
Man,does not a rife
,from the Inequa l ity
in Number of the ir Good or Evi l Q ua lities
,for then there would be no Scarcity
of good Men in the World . I t has beendemon l’trated above , that one preva il ingand predominant ev i l Hab it is fufficient‘
to denominat‘
e an i l lMan , tho we fhouldfuppofe him to be in a ll o ther refpeéts Juliand I nnocent; When we would thereforeenter upon an impartia l and fevere T ria lof our felves, that we may determine towh ich Clafs of Men we belong, the Ca lculation by which we are to be guided
mull nor be between our good and bad
Habits and A& ions of a differen t K ind ;nor mull: the Sca les be caft Wthegreater
T 23 N um
a76 An E S S A Y uponNumber of either fort, for then perhapsa common L ia r, a Swea ter, a D runkard
,
or Betray er of h is Coun try, might cla im
the Appel lation of a Man of Probity ; butthe D ecifion mull a rife from aComparifonof a Man
’
s fi rongelt v ic ious Habits , and
the contrary vertuous Inclina tions, as before has been obferv ’d .
l a Perfons would converfe w ith themfelves, and obferve with Attention theMo
tions of their Hearts, and the Enterta in
ments of their Imaginations, the reate l
’t
Part might foon di cover wha t it omuchconcerns them to know, whether they aregood or bad Men . I t it c lear, that ac
cording to the natura lMethod of the Soul’sexerting her . Powers, that Object which iswe ll y a lu
’d,and therefore has the grea te l
’t
Interefi in the Mind, mull excite the
firongefl D eli res and engage the mo lt ardent Love whence it w il l necelfari ly follow, that the Object tha t a ttraa s the Soulw ith a fuperior Force,mull begin and guideher Morions to ga in the Poffell i on of it
What we ch iefly e li eem for its Goodnefs,
we ch iefly defire to en joy,and wha t we
chiefly del i re to en joy , from an in v inc ibleImpul fe we endeavour to a tta in
,by a ll the
probable Mean s in our Power ; and du
r ing th is Attempt to acquire the princ ipa lIdol
a7'
8‘
An E S S A Y ‘
upm
fire , but thofe that a re reprefen ted hy theUnderfiand ing under . an amiable Idea , itis Very ev iden t, tha t a s what wemake ourfirfi and princ ipa l Cho ice mul’t be fo te
prefented in the in tel lca ua l Faculties, to
a ttraft our W i l ls and command our Afr
friction a t the firll , fo, to preferve and to
perpetuate its Superiority in our Bfieemand Love, that amiable Idea mufi '
con
fiantly ab ide in our Minds ; a nd l ince in
th is Cafe, there mufi concur v arious Affil i
ons of the Soul, wh ich mull confider, ba llance, compare, determine, and a t lafic ltufe the properefi Means for the Atta in
men t of. it, it is very plain , that the Ima g
gina tion and Faculty of Thinking mull ofN ecefl i ty be more employ
’
d about this
Objeé’t, tha n upon any Others of inferior
Confideration
T H rs bein premis’d,whoever would
d ifcover whet er V ertue or V ice has the
chief Poffe ll i on of h is Soul, and to wha t
Enjoymen ts,whether Crimina l or Inno
cent, the Bent and tl rongeft P ropen l ions ofh is Heart carry h im,
he w ill be able to
decide the D oubt,by obferv ing wha t
T hings principa l ly engage h is Thoughtsand dwe ll in h is Imag ina tion, and what
Ideas meet w ith the bell Reception and
adord moli D el ight, rema in longed there,a nd
FAi s iz VE RZT Q E . 2 79"
can,it be fuppos
’d
ldom’
th ink of Scenes
fure and forbiddden Enjoymen ts ;th at an
~
ambitious , a iid afplt‘in
'
g Perfon wi l ld ifmifs the T hou hts
'
of Power and Great"
nefs, or the Avaricious fil l theirMinds withal l other Images, excepting thofe ofWea lthand
'
great Polfefii ons? No more is i t pof
fible for a Man of Vertue , who chufes as
h is‘
principa l End the Fruition of the D i
v ine Being, in a State of perfef’t Purity
and immorta l B l ifs , to d ivert h is Imagination from dwel l ing upon that inefl
’able
Felicity,and the vertuous Means of pro
curing the Polfefl i on of it. I t is incon
fili ent with Reafon and the Nature and
Order of the S oul’
s Opera tions, that he
fhould a im a t,'
and purfue the En ioymcn tof h is Creator in Heaven as his greatef
’t
Happinefs, whi le at the fame time neitherGod nor Heaven are in
‘
a ll h is T houghts,or at the lea li are feldom and coldly con
fider’
d . The hab itua l Difpofition and B i
a fs of the W i l l, - l ike a native '
In li inét, car
ries a good'
Man to Celefiia l Obieé’ts, and
engages him in the Contemplation o f h is
future PerfeE‘tion and Fel icity . I f h zs
T houghts are left to themfelves by a p t
taneous Princ iple, they move to Hea ven
and adhere to fuperior Objects ; and if h isMind is in a State of Comprefli on , and
T 4 engag’
d
2 80 An E S S A -Y . uj on
engag’d by Force
jin the low Affa irs of this
L ife; w'heg
‘
jthjat, iV iolen
vce
'
is ,remov ’
d,it
recov ers b‘
y‘
y
tt‘
s"
owri jri‘
war’
d Spring its D i
v ine T emper, ;ar'td'
rifcs with ; D el ight tothe th ingS Ab
‘
o‘
ve -Nei ther the‘
Ambitious,norCovetous
'
, ForMen of voluptpo li tion , ufe
’
any, Arguments and
( ms,to preyfail
‘
upon‘
themfelvthel
amiablefifafu’
ie of Power, R iches, ahdPle
'
afure, to;en terta in th’
efeObjeci s in th eirMinds, or tbjdeliberate “
on the Means of
a cquiring the E n joymen t of them. In the
famemanner, when Piety has the greateliPower
'
and In tereft in theW i ll,it w ill as
certa inl y engage theMind in the Contemi,
platib‘
n of D iv ine Things, and in coul’tantAE’ts b f
‘
P iety and D evotion : where aMan
’s T reafure
'
is, there wi ll h is Heart be
a lfo ; a nd if’ it be '
Above, thither wil l h isI ncl inations , h is D el i res and Thoughtslow it. He wi ll dwel l ‘
w ith P leafure, l ikea Merchant in a foreign Rea lm, on the
T houghts of his native Country, antici
pate the Raptures of happyMinds, and bythe Fore- tafi es of h is eXpeEi ed Felicity,fwceten and augmen t his prefent En joyments, as wel l a s folace and mitigate his
prefent Sufl erings ,
fin E‘
s S — A Y upon
has made the Mind of Man capable ofbeing influenc’
d byMenaces and Promifes,fo to procure Submiflion to h is Laws he
enforces them’
with“
the Sanctions of the
h ighefi Rewards and the greatel’t Suffer
ings . In the fame manner t hat ’ Paren ts
tu e their Children, Ma il ers their Servants,and PrinCes their Subjects, does God govern
'
the intell igent World‘
. W hat more
dreadful Punifhments ca n be threaten’d to
deter Men‘
from D ifobed ience, than thofe
denounc’d in the Sacred
'Writings . B] the
Terrors‘
of the Lord,
'
fays the great Apo
fi le, we e'
rfzw le Me” :[
But certa inly thofe
terrible brears had been ufelefs,were theynot defign
’d to act on . human Fears ; and
therefore that Obedience muli be approv ’
d
in'
Heaven, that fprings ”
at firli from this
Source.
I ACKNOW I,E DG E it is a more fubl ime
and refi n’d P ri nciple of Piety , by which
a Creature endow'
d with Reafon loves,a dmires, a
'
nd'
adores ' the Supream'
B eingfor h is elfen
'
tia l Gdodiiefs,“
and‘
a bfolute“
Fer
feél ions,‘
fan'
d that thofe are mov’d
‘
by; a
more generous a nd excellent Spring, . who
embrace Vertue from its own attractive
B eauty ‘
and intrinfick Excel lence,without anEye to otherMorives; ur this pure and
exalted Piety is perhaps ttatn’
d in
FA L S E xV-
E R T UE . 983.
a Future S tate of Happinefs, where perfeflL ove ca ll s out Fear : For tho fome ele
v atedMinds may make near approaches toit in th is L ife, yet I cannot think tha t thelea re entirely excited by the native Charmsof Vertue, and aEi without any Impul feofHopes and Fears, and regard to Rewardand Pun ilhment. However, themo l
’t emi
nent V ertue of the belt of Men'
in th isS tate of Morta l ity , is on ly ra is
’
d to a l n
perior Degree, and d iffers not in Kind fromthat of Others
,who are chiefly govern
’
dby the in li iné’rs of Fear a nd Hope. Men
at firl’r engage in the Praé
‘tice
'
of Vertue,
to avoid the terrible C onfequences of a
bad L ife, and th is is a jult a nd laudablePrinciple ; tho after long Praftice and con
tinu’d D i l igen ce, they acquire confirm’
dHabits of Goodnefs, tali e the Sweetnefs
and Plea fure of Vertue, and begin to loveit for its own mora l Beauty and agreeable Na ture ; and then they act muchmore from regard to the fupream Beingand a fil ia l Obedience to his Authority
,
than from Fea r of Pun i lhment. In thismore v igorous and adult State of Goodnefs, when ev i l I nclinations, tho nor ex
tirpa ted, yet are fo far fubdu’
d, that theynow ca n make but a feeble Oppo l i tion ,the Praetic
'
e of Vertue becomes habitua l,eafy , and natura l, and is carry
’
d on to
greater
9 84. . Art E S S'A Y af fair :
fo much from a
Pi'
inciple . of iFea r,‘
as from i ts conformityand luitable Nature to the regula r and wel l .difpos
’d Faculties of a good Mind .
'
AL L PrOpen l ions and"
Habits c f i the
fame D egree, tho of a con tra ry Na ture,c
‘
arry‘
the soul with e ua l Force to their
proper Objeé’ts ; and t erefore
,as L iber
t ines want no Arguments to perfuade themto gratify their ,v icious Inc l inations withfenfua l Enjoyments , fo neither would the
Vertuous, if . their Hab its were equa l , re
quire a‘
ny, Motives or vehement I ntreatiesto do good Actions, and engage them in
W orks of Piety and D evotion . I t wouldbe idle'and impertinent to ufe Reafons to
preva i l with hungry and th irli y Perfons,to accept of Food and refre lh ing L iquors,with a weary L abourer t o en joy R epofe,or a fetter
’d Prifoner to receive L iberty .
I n the fame manner were vertuous D ifpo
l i tions thorough l y confirm’d and predo
minant in a . h igh D egree, their Operati
ons would be fpontaneous and eafy, and
the I n l’tinE’ts of the Mind would exert
themfelves in good Actions, without anyother Motive than the Pleafure a nd Sarif
faéi ion of doing wel l,wi th the fame R eadi
nefs and Force as the ev i l Propen lions of
Others incl ine them to forbidden Objeéi s
s86 An E S S A Y-
‘
upon
Good, as it d id before to Ev il : Nor wouldI be fo underlioodgwas if I d id not lookon the Ve rtue of thole to be l i ncere
,who
ufe fuch Ali i fi ance and ~ frequen tly confider
the terrible Confequences of Guilt . to de-s
ter them from it ; but ~ this is wha t I af
fert, tha t the h ighel’t and li rongell Habits
Piety do not demand thele Motives
a nd Helps , tho the lowel’t do . T hofe of
the molt inferior C la fs of good-Men
,a&
pa rtly from a regard to the Authority of
the Supream Being, and a Love -to mora lGoodnefs, and partl y fl out Fear of D iv ineD ifpleafure and threa ten
’d
but the la li Motive is the li rongeli and
molt preva lent in theirMinds ; but as theycon tinue in the Practice of Vertue
,and ac
quire more powerful Hab its by degrees,they aft more from their Love to Vertue
and the P leafure of Obedience, than fromthe Other Principle ; and when their goodHabits are more predominan t, and theyarrive a t the higheli S ta te of Perfeéi ion are
ta inable here, they a re fiil l mov ’
d in a far
lefs meafure by terrible Apprehenfions of
Suli er/
ing for D ifobedience. In l liort , to
determine their Sta te whether they a re
good or bad Perfons, Men lh ould nor be
fo fo licitous whether they are obed ient to
the D iv ine Laws , chiefly from a Principleof Fear, or chiefly from their. Love of
V ertue
FA L S E V E R T U FZ .
ri g;Vertue ;
‘
but‘
the important Q ueflion wi ll
3 do,upon an impartia l Examin a
t ion , in the genera l Courfe of their L ives
preva il , in every InPtance , over the ir Opo
po l i te V ices ; for if they do, it ismofi cer
ta in that their Vertue, tho it is mm of themolt eminent degree, yet i t is fincere inits Kind, and wil l abide the Tell .
T o fum up the lafi Article ; deprav’d
Man is a furpriz ingMixrure of incon l ifientI ngredien ts and contrary Principles ofOpesration , endow
’d with Angel iek in tel leé’tua lFaculties,but debas’d anctd ifirafi ed by v ici
ous I nc l ina tions and irregular Appet ites,which,duringhisdegenera te State,exercife a
predominantPowerover hisMind ,ma in ta inwith cafe theirUfurpation, and in a preva
lent Degree govern his Heart and Aé’rions .
T he D iél ates of h is na tura l L ight are toofain t and d im,
and the Authority and Efaforts of Reafon too feeble to make anyconfiderable Oppofition . It is true, at Sea
fons the Underfianding exerts it fe lf,and
protefis aga infl: his unwarran table and cri a
mina l Behav iour, whi le the Judge Within,provok
’d by Gui lt, fl ings the Offender
w ith T error and Remorfe ; yet thefeStruggles are ineffectua l , Reafon is over
bo rn, Confcience (tilled, and the Tenor of
the
9 88 An E S S A Y upon
the Man’s L ife is vicious and immora l.
And tho fomeMen in this State of D epra
v iry may , in the Management of world l yAffairs, be jufily applauded for theirW i l ldom
,V igilance , and Sagacity ; yet in re.
fpeft of Vertue and V ice and the Con le
quences of each, it is pla in the Exercife
of their Reafon is fufpended, and they mayproperl y be ca l l ’d mora l Lunaticks .
I r in fach unhappy Circumfiances rous’
d
and awaken’
d by fome lha rp Atfl ifiion,
dreadful Apprehenfion s of D eath and Fu
ture Punilhment, or conv incing D ifcourfes
a nd importunatePerfuafions a Man beginsto reflect, and upon ferious del iberation , effefl ual ly and in good carnell refo lves to
reform his Life to efcape the frightful Confequences of Guilt ; fince a vertuous Frameand D ifpol i tion of Mind, l ike Other Ha
b its, is acquir’
d,a t lea li improv ’
d and con
firm’d by great D il igence and repeated
P ractice, his firlt E ntrance upon a new
Courfe mull be a ttended with Labour,T rouble, and Self-Den ia l . And now Fears ,Apprehenfion of D iv ine D ifpleafure and
q re Sufferings , a re necefiary Motivesto a id a nd fupport h is unfettled Vertue,and break the Power of ev i l Propenfions ;but a fterward, the D ifficulties, by degrees,aba te, and a regularL i fe becomes lefs pa i
f
n
l8
2 90
that Fear rel ies ou'
a natura l Lové'Ofour felves; and is complicated w ith ganeceffary D efire . of : outa own Preferva
And therefore‘
tRel igion~ ufua l ly
makes its firfl Entrance into us 'by thi s
Pa llion : Hence, p erhaps it is, that Solomon more than once ca l ls, the Fear '
of
the Lord the Beginn ing of W ifdom.
”n .
1 94 An E S S A Y upon tbfz
State of Exiflence here 15 lo uncerta in, andfl ies away with fuch Rapid ity, tha t the
prefent Satisfaé‘rio ns and D e lights, which
they mull leav e fo foon , and for ever,
fhould n0t fa ll under greater and moreuniverfa l Contempt.
T H E longeli L ife is a fugitive and mconfiderable D urat ion but if We abll iaé’tfrom it thole Parts , in whi 1 we have buta naked, or iindel ightful,
"o miferable Be
ing, and therefore not ;tub valu d upon
fuch a Calculation , Zhofvli eat mull the
D ifcompt be?) If we do not reckon the
L ife of Man to begin till he 15 i n Po lleflion of h imfelf, and can eitercife the Faculties and Ppwer contia
mull nor on lyfit off
anf gfiChildhood from it,
wh ich for the greatelt part is
Leav ings of L ife, deca
Lees ?
the
the
seal‘
aril iug froma thoufand variousGaulés,by the numerous Gaps and Breaks wh ich
they
IMMO IiT AL I'
T Y ofthe S q U L . 2 95'
the educe its Dura tion to ;
v Add to thefe Reltsand l n terrupt ions, the necelfar
'
y Returns of
S leep, vvh ich fufpends the Exercife . of our
intel lectual anat fenfitive Faculties ; and it“
will appear, that al l together'
they defraud
us of two Th irdsfof our T ime : If thefe
A ll owances are.made, ‘
and the Accompt isjolli ly Ra ted, wha t a mean
'
Bal lap ce w il lrema in, as the C laim of L ife, if taken in
the View before defcrib’
d ?
S o fhort is the Exten t p ur prefent'
‘
Exifience,if confider’d in an ab
'
fo lute Senfe ;but how momentary wi l l it feem whencompar
’
d wi th Ages that never end ? Whatis this Span of L ife, whenwe reflefl uponinterminable D ura tion 7’ W ha t is T imebut a little Ri l l ,‘ orDrop, compar
’d with
the boundlefs Oceanof Etern ity ?
A s th is Terrel’tria l Globe 15, reduc’d to
a defiicable Spor, when .we con template
the immen fe Body of the Sun and as the
Sun it feif looies hisMagn itude, and is no
more than ~
a g lowino A tom,when we
confide'
r the amaz ing“ircumference of the
Un iverfe ; fo the who le Syf’tem of theUn iverfe is con tracted to the minutefi Siz e,if (er in competition with the Gulphs ofSpace that l ie beyond it, and the un l imited
U 4, Heights
2 96 An E S 5 a "; upon the
H eights and Depths,Lengths and BreadthsI n likemannerconti
bun
fa'
r’
d with l ntmo'
rt
t i) an unextended .W hatbut the T abant caf e Mould of Clay , en a
dow’d indeed with Angeliek Facul ties, _but
a perilh ing W ight and an InfeCt in D ura
t ion ? W hat is this intel l'
eat Creature,who thus diffol ves l ike the.
orn ing C loud,and as the E ven ing Dew van ifhes awa yAnd W hat is L ife, but a tender Flower“
that unfolds its Beauty and di es in its Bloom;
an empty’
Va our of the Air, that as foon
as kind led, g ances by our Sight , and em
pires in a f‘udden
‘
Fla fh ? So {hurt is the
Continuance of Man i th is morta l Sta te,i f comparedwith ertdl sw al low
I '
r mull therefore be a Matter of thehi ghefiImportance tomake Enquiry , wil e-
1
ther by Death the, Life ofMan is tota l lyeatinguifh,
’d,3and the Bod complicated
w ith the common Mafs of tter, never
again to be co l leéi ed and reun i ted ; or whe
ther it wil l be con tinu’
d in d ifferen t Cir:
cumfiance'
s, and another Mode of Exili
ence ; and tho the Frame of the Body beand its Parts difiipated and blend
with
5598'
1 2472 tbe’
f’i "
natura l‘I aWS s
,
which I'
thereFore I'
rewarded or
Obfervance or ContemptPrecepts
'
arid iRules of‘
L ife ; and
rible ‘ Wil l be flaould I be'
condemn’d '
to‘
endl ings and De“
be‘ look
’d
‘
on
nd deferr’
ed ofchofe
,f or the
fake of on to endureun i
remitting
uifh of Hea rt,during
it l o
“
whole remainder of“
his L ife ?
B'
ut lio iv'
-infihirely~
grea'
tér ' an Infl a ti'
ce of
Pol ly and is it,for tliefi
fake of
the ibort- liv’
d -Enjoyments here, to d rawupon one
’s l
'
felf D iv ihé ‘D ifpleafure‘
andendlefs Miler)! hereafter?E
’i‘ 5
T in s Path;‘
then of: the Soulzs tm'
mor,tal ity
'
bei’
ng'
of fuch great‘Co
'
nfequence, it
i s‘
no
’
wonder that ~ it f ~h al
s exercis’
d (0many ‘
excel lentf ens, as-wel l in the iPagan as
“
the
Chri ll ianW orld:‘
P /a tarcb, * /1v i
céfin e; and ‘N emeflurgé tb celebrated Autho rson t h is Su
'
bjeé’t t and (ince ‘
the Evangelica lRevela tion h as brought L ife -
and Immorta l ity '
to L ight;many have writwith greatfi rength
'
of Reafon on this Article,
or our
Belief, but '
nOne With fol much Force and
Perfpi
af ilas S o UL , 2 99a s me late Writers ofl our
B UT fioce (0 , great and important a
D ofi rine cann0t ~ beq too much i l lul
‘
tratedand confirm’
d,efpecia l ly when we re lief}
on the prefen t preva i l ing Power of,Im
piety, which mainta ins its ground aga infi
the mofi v igorous All aul ts of .
q Reafon ,fpreads its Con tagion, and makes Profel ites in defiance of the Re ligion - a nd the
L aws of the Kingdom, .
I ha ve thought itufeful and feafonab le to publ ifhth is, E ssa y ,“
in wh ich I have endeavour’
d to add fomenew Arguments, a nd.
to give greater Forceand C learnefs to thofe tha t h a ve been a l
ready n rg’
d by Oth ers,to fupport the Be
l ief of the Soul’s Immorta l ity, by ~ cafiingthem in another Form that may .
heightenthe E v idence of the D emon l’rra t ion . The
great Spring, whence the deplorable D ecay of . P iety , and the un iverfa l Corrupt ion of Manners that threaten this Na tion
w ith Ruin,are deriv
’
d, is the d isbel ief ofa Future State of L ife, or a Fluetuation of
Mind about its certa in ty, or an indolentI na ttendance to it. Nor can the Vertue of
this Nation,which mutt be a l low’
d to our
grea t . D i lhonour, as wel l as D anger, to
he in a very langui lh ing Cond ition , i f notat the lul l Galp, be recover
’
d to a v igo
rous
3 00" Hi i
'
E s s AY upon
rous and h ealthful S tate; ti l l a Warmerandmore genera l Belief of a Future L ifeo f Happinel
'
s orMifery , {ha ll take Poffefli oon bf bu fMinds, 3determin e the Choice
of Our Ends, and govern theConrfe ofourActions ; for without the Motives drawnfrom the Certa inty of ‘
the Rewards”
that
a ttend ‘the " Pra&ice of Vertue, a nd “
the
Pun i lhments decreed to I rrel igion and V icein the next State of L ife, powerfully ap.
ply’d to our
“
Hopes and Fea rs , the Strengtha nd Snpport of Piety and
'Mora l GoodneEfa l l to the Ground .
T n A T th ePaflions are the B lemi lha nd'
D ifgrace of Human N a ture,the D i li é
‘
mper and D ifeafes of the Mind, and there-4
fore‘
entire ly to be fnhdu’
d and eradicated,Was the abih td and exrravagamf Opinionof the Smirk Ph ilofophers . Hence theyin fer
’
d,’
tha t Hopes and Fears were nor:on l y unn ecella ry , bot inconven ient and
hurtfu l ; and therefore fhonid not be the
Spr ings and Principles of our A&rons.
Thatwe {herald n0t be deter’n fromVice
and Immora l ity by the Apprehenfions ofconf eqne n t Shame and Pun ilhmen
’
t,
’
nor
pur ine an y’
good and generous Defign fromthe expet
‘h t ion'of a Future Reward butin fhortf that Vertue lhould *be efieem
’
d l
and embrac’d for its nativeB eauty and
i n trin
350 2
‘
An E s s A 1; upon the"
feems to heighten iis u§bel ieve, that thofe who thus a here to it;aé’t fromi more g
’
ene'
r’
onsend fi i ime Princ ip
’
le’
, than they who court her undermet -icenary v iews
- and are mbre in love iwitliher Fortune than hér Beauty ;
B UT i f this be examin’d it w i l l foon
appear, that by thus refin ing and e ita’
lfingthe Notion of V ertue, they havedefiroy ’
d
i ts Force, arid difmifs’d i ts Fo lloWers : Fortho it is true, that fettihg afide the Cbn fiJ
deration,
“
that Vertue anil Religion expofe‘
Men to the Lofs of L ibhi ty, Bfiates, and
L ife it felf, during the V io lence and Perfecurion of cruel T yrants, the -D i&ates ofR eafon would determine us to the C hoice
of a lull a nd rel igious L ife yet if we te
fleet on the innate D eprav ity and corrupt
H abits inherent in theMinds of Men,by
which they a re powerful ly fway’d to graé
tify their Pafii ons and inord inate Appct ites, it mull be a llow
’
d, they wi l l nor be
a ttraE’ted by the naked Charms of V ertue,nor affrigh ted by the meer Deformity; ofV ice from their crimina l En joyments . We
fi nd,by confi ant Experience, that a l l the
A rguments drawn from the amiable N a ;
ture-
of Vertue,- and the tempora l Ad
v a ntages tha t a ri fe from the Praél ice ofit,tho back
’
d and en forc’d By the Eri
courage-s
IMMGR’
TALH ? of the SOUL .
“
gift;to ents afid certain Ex
'
pecl a tions of
e el icity hereafter, engage but few,
i f compar’d w ith the Race of
'Mankind,
heart il y to e lpoufe her Caufe ;~ how then
can we expeft {h e fhould have any Votaries
,if {he had nothing to bell ow upon
them but her felF,and what {he confers
in this Life ? Hence t he S toicks and S ad
dwees , that perfuadeMen to be v ertuous,abfltafl ing from Hopes of Reward, or
Fear of Puni lhment, lay the Ax to the
Root of Piety,
and exterminate mora lGoodnefs from the World.
I S H A L L now Attempt to give fuchProofs of the Immorta l ity of the Soul, asw il l lea ve in theMind no reafonable grounde ll doubting.
The IMMO R T A L I T Y of tbe S O U Ldamn/h ated by natural Ag umentr.
S 'at the command of the Omn iporetltCreator
,to whom toW i l l and Exe
cute is the fame,a l l the Beings tha t com
po l'
e and adorn the Frame of Nature,
l l a rted out of Nothing and fiept up iato Ex il’tence ; lo the Converfa tion , whichis a pro long
’
d Creation of thole Beings, isowing to a conll a nt Commun ication of
1 Power
upon the
Power from this exhaul’tlefs Source of
Energy andMotion .
W i l l is Cont inuance,ferv ing I nfluence, th
.would i
Streams maypendance on their Fountains, and L ight
fubfifiwithout frelh Emanations fromthe
Sun,than the molt excellent and perfect
C reatures can remain one Minute independent ou theirMaker.
A N D fince the Author is a free and
arb itrary Agent, the D uration and Futur ity of Being mull abfolutely rel y on h isP leafure ; and we are no farther capa bleof knowing whether any of his Creatures{ha l l have the Priv i lege of EverlaflingExil
’tence, than he either by the L ight of
Reafon or Revelation has fian ify’
d h isW i l l concern ing it .
T o know then if the Soul of Man{ha l l for ever exill , it is necell
’
ary to eu
quire, whethe r the D iv ine Aurhor has
made an Declaration of his W il l a lwaysto uphol its Being ; and letting a l idev ela tion , I fhal l a ttempt to (how by the
n atura l D i&a tes of Reafon,that he has
made known h is Plea fure, that HumanSouls lh al l a lwa ys con tinue.
i.
3 0 6' Ah E S S A Y
'
upon thei
a s Atomifis a lfert, can be the E lfeé’t of
the Organ from its Renitence or E laf’tickSpring, by wh ich it {trives to free it feiffrom the materia l Object that {h ikes upon
i t, is an inexpl icable Explanation of fenfit ive Perception ; for In ll ance, W hen the
Corporea l Image, fays Mr. Hobéer, enters
in to the Organ of the Eye, the nervous
F ibres implan ted there to refi ll its Progrefs,fpring back aga in l
’t it, and from that Ef
fort V i l lon refults.
N o w let any Man try if he can con
calve how,the Impul fe of one materia l
T hing, and the Refill ance and Re- aa ion
of another can produce Senfation wemull
folve this D ifficulty our felves, for the
Phi lofopher does not pretend to inform us .
But entirely to fubvert th is Hyporhel i s, itis ev ident that Perception is net perform
’d
in the Organ , but in the Head, fiuce it
often happens that Men are en tirely depriv
’d of S ight, tho the Eye has no de
fet’r, and the v i lible Image has free ad
mittance there, as oft as the Optick Nerve
is fo obl l rua ed,a s nbt to full er the Spi
rits afted upon by the Objeé’c, to prepa
ga te theirMorion, and carry the Impulfefrom the Eye to the Brain .
IMMORT AL IT Y of t/ye So UL . 3 57.
I T is yet harder to conceive, how mee'
r
Matter by its own Power, can recoi l upon ir felf
, contemplate it'
s own Nature,Rea fon and Philofophii e upon its oWn
Properties and rev iew its own Aftions
How, in Argumentation , it can a lfen t to
two Pmpo litions, between wh ich it difcernsan Agreemen t, and by quite another Motion deduce from them a Third. T hat
Matter lhould be able to begin its own
Motion, to fl op or change it to numberat Pleafure , as it mull do in Contempla i
t ion and Reafon ing, is to a fcribe Powers
to Matter,which are acknowledg
’
d ine
con l i ltent with al l the Properties obferv’d
in corporea l Beings . T he Formation of
Ideas in the B ra in by Imagination , the
ranging and D ifpofition of them by the
judgment into regular Schemes and T ra insof T hought, mult be a l low
’d the Effectof an Immateria l Principle. I f meerMat
ter could, by i ts pecul iar Figuration , Purity
,and Motion , be ra is
’d to the D ignityof a T hink ing Subfiance, fuppofe, (i nceMatter is d iv ifible
, that when it has form’d
a T hought , it lhould'
be feparated in to
Parts, the Con fequence would be, that
each Part mull reta in its Portion of the
Charaftet or Idea ; and thus you mightd ivide a Thought in to Ha lves, Q uarters,
X 2 or
3 08 Pin E S S A Y upon the
or yet minuter Portions, wh ich founds a
a l ittle odd in the Mouth of a Ph i lolo
pher w
N o n is it pofiible to account for Me
mory any more than for RefleE’tion , Cal
culation , and Reafon ing from mere Mat
ter and Morion ; a s for many Other Reafons , fo for this
,That Matter be ing in
cont inua l Flux, and therefore the L imbs ofour Bodies and the -Organs .
of our Senfes
being northe fame now a s they were fomeYears ago, the o ld Materia ls perpetual lyfleeting from the Body , and new Ones fuc
eeed ing in their Place ; the Partic les of
Matter being loll that form’d our Spirits
fev en Years ago, and were endow’
d and
fiamp’
dw ith the Charaéle rsproduc'
d at that
T ime,mull ha ve carry
’
d away thofe Im
pref fions w ith them,and the new Matter
that came in the room of the former beingn aked and uufigur
’
d w ith thofe Ideas, couldnot pofiibly preferve the Merrrory of pal
’t
T ran facl ions . If a Ship,on which are carv’d,
for Ornament,v arious F igures and Signs,
{hould {l ay out at Sea ti l l every P lank andP iece of Wood , by degrees, “
were gone,and their P laces fupply
’
d by fre lh T imber,a s it is reported of D rake
’
s Velic l, wouldthis Ship reta in thofe Images andOrnamen ts
which it cat ry’d out 7
3 10 An E 3 s a y upon the
a rapid Motion , it would furmount the
reach of Human Uiiderll and ing to imagine
how it lh ould lo far tran fcend the Sphere
of its own Afl iv ity, a s to ha ve a ny No
t ion of immateria l Subll ance ; that it
ih ould doubt of its being Corporeal , d ifpure aga in l
’t its own Nature, fufpefi its
own P roperties, and
grow ambition s of
being rang’
d among uperior Creatures,
even thofe of angehck Endowments and
immorta l Durat ion . Yet th is is the Ca fe
before , us ; if the Mind of Man is madeo f Matter, it is, I fay, unaccountablew hence it lhould be capable of formingthe Idea of an intel lectua l Spirit, and howi t came to be un iverfa l ly projudic
’d again l’t
the right Conception of its own Nature,
a nd prepoflefs’d with the contra ry erros
‘
neous Opin ion .
A N O T H E R ‘
Argument of the Soul ’sImmateria l , and therefore Immorta l N a
ture is this ; that it en joys Pleafures and
Satisfaé’tions pecul iar to the Ca acities and
T afl e of a fpiritua l , in tell igen t Be ing ; of
th is Nature is the Del ight tha t a Philofopher perceives in contemplating the bean
t iful Sy l l em of the World,in fearch ing
the h idden Springs and Caufes of T hings ,a nd t rac ing Nature th rough the Variet ies
er fecret‘
and admira ble Operations
IMMQ RTAL IT Y of the86 UL . 3 1-1
of th is fort l ikewifei
is the P leafure of a
Mathematician , taken up in the Purfuits
of Knowledge by an infin ite Series of co
herent Deduél ions and D emonfl rations.Nor is the Poet
’s D elight of a differen t
K ind,that arifes from the Operations of
a fpiritful , fertile, and w it Imagination . T hefe P leafures, that are pla in lyI ntellectua l, are (0 much fuperior to
thofe o f Senfe, that fometimes they trauf
port Men out of themfelves,and fo far
fufpend their Rel i lh and D el i re of fen l ie
t ive Enjoyments, that they forget to te
frelh themfelves with Meat, D rink , andS leep. Yet the Satisfaé
’tion and Compla
cency of a rel igious Mind, flowing fromAél s of Piety and D evotion , from the
a rdent Efforts of D iv ine Love, Grat itude,Joy , and Admiration, from the
'Conteme
piation of the infin ite PerfeEtion s of the
Supream Being, and the Foreta l’t and Pre
occupation of Future Felic ity, are yet of amore excellent and exa lted Nature : Thefea re tefin
’
d, elevated, and fpiritua l Joys, of
which the An ima l Nature is entirel y incapable. Nor are thele the D elights ofMen of an odd and wh imfica l Complexi“
ou, but of Perfons of levere Judgment,
c lear Heads, firong Reafon , and inur’d
to the clofel’t manner of arguing ; Men
unbiafs’d and difinterell ed
,and a s much
X 4 deliver’
d
3 1 2 An E s s a y,
upon the
del iver’d from a irions Turn of
Mind, melanchol y ions, and {pie
netick D reams,as Opponents a re
from. the Impre llions of Re l ig ion , and
the Prejud ices of Education B ut if
t he con trary were true, tha t the D iv ine
Pleafures that a rife’
from the Exercife of
pious Hab its were imaginary and ground s
lefs , yet ll ill the Arg umen t holds good,that they a re of a pecul xar Kind, proper
to the Soul , and d ifi incl from thofe fenfie
t ive Satisfaél ions tha t on ly affect corporea lOrgans . A Man of Reliefil ion w i ll ea l i lyacknow ledge they a re above the Sphere ofSenfe, and of fo pure celel
’tial, and fublime a
Nature,a s to be adapted on ly to fpiritua l Bea
ings . And hence it w i l l appear, that there isthe very fameReafon to conclude tha t theSoul of Man is Incorporeal, and thereforean incorruptible Subtl a nce °
as rhat'
anycreated Being IS fo, whofe immateria l andImmorta l Nature cannot be infer
’
d fromany Other Principles than thofe, which wil las Well demon ll rate the fame Properties inthe Soul of Man.
T H E Happinefs then which the Sou lenloys peculiar,
to its Facult ies , and div
Trina fromthe Pleafuresof the Body whichit i nhabi ts ,wil l facil itate toMen of Rea fon
$116 Egl lbf of itt’
»immortality, BruteCrea
tures
3 14. fin E S S A Y upon the
a t the Apprehen l ions of D iv ine D ifplea
fure,can anticipate the awful Sol emn ity of
the D ay ofAccompt, and to avoid an end
lafs miferahle Exil’tence , can del i re to go
our of Being, and wifh for Ann ihilation .
Thefe Operations are (0 far above the Capacity of the An ima l Nature, that one
would think they {hould conv ince anyMan , that the Soul is Spiritua l and Immateria l, and therefore fram’
d for endlefsD uration : For he may be as well fatisfy’
d
from what has been a l ledg’d, that the
An ima l Pa rt of Man is a s uncapable of
tha t intel lectua l Happinefs orMifery wh ichhave been defcrib’
d, as we are fure that aT ree, n0twith ll and ing its v egetable Life
,
cannot feel,fee, or hear,while we obferve
tha t it exprell'
es no fenfitive Perception s ,nor has any proper Organs for fuch Pur.
B t s rn n s,let it be confider
’d, that
Mank ind even‘
in their deprav’d State,
norw ithftand ing the Obfouri ty of their
T hou hrs and the Contufion of their Ideas,as we l as their mora l Corruption and De-s
generacy ,have un ivcrfa l ly exprefs
’
d a fi rongncl ination to believe the two great Am;
cles of Religion, T he Exill ence of a God,and the Immorta lity of the Soul . T hefe
Notions bear fach a Conformity to
I
thei
lt
nte
IMMoRTA L I T Y of the S o UL : gt ;Intellea ua l Facult ies, that as foon
’
as ever
they exercis’d their Reafon, and were left
to the Freedom of their Thoughts, theyread i ly a ll
'
ented to the T ruth of them.
The firll of thele Articles, the Exifienceof a God, is fuppo
’
s’
d to be granted inth is D ifcourfe : And as the generalfent of Mankind to the Notion of a GOd,is jull ly us
’d as an Argument of greatW eight aga inl
’t the Atheil’r ; fo the fame
univerfa l Voice of Nature is “
of no lefsV a lidity aga in& the Infidel , that dishel ieves the Immorta lity of the Soul ; forthofe Notions wh ich the who le HumanSpec ies readily a llcot to,mull be a llow’
d to
be the Declaration and Opinion of Nature ;or in pla iner words, the firongefi, c learell , and molt early D iEtate of Reafon
,
orherwife it wi ll be impoflible to account
for the genera l and ready Bel ief of fucha Na tion . I t mul’t be granted, that the
powerful D ifpol i tion and Bent of Mind ,in a ll Nations and Ages, to receive this
P repofi tion as true, T hat the S aa l 5: Immortal , W l ll make it evident, that itmullbe a natura l Idea, agreeable to the Inelination, and fuitable to the Frame and Faculties of the Mind . The common Peo
ple, condufl ed on ly by the ‘
B iafs and L ight:of Nature ,
bel iev’
d that the Soul did nor
perilh with the Body, but that a lter the
3 16 An E S S A Y upon the
D ifl'
olution of tha t T enement, it continu’d
in Being, and pafs’
d in to‘
a Sta te of Happinefs orMifery , agreeable to its Behaviour in this L ife.
T H E 1 a Deify ing ofdeceafedMen ,whohad been eminen t Benefactors to Man ,
k ind, and peopling Hea ven with Colon iesof Heroes, their Kingdom of P la to, and
the va riety of Torments fuppos’d to be inflié
’ted on the Impious and Flagitious, and
the Pleafures of their E lyfian Fields, the
Reward of the Jol’t and Innocent ; and inibort, their whole Scheme of Theology ,however furperli itious and abfurd, were
ev idently founded on this Principle of the
Soul’s Immorta l ity.
T H E greate ll part l ikewife of themolteminen t Philofophers held this Opin ion ;the Primitive Pythagoream, the
and the smear, a t lead for the mo lt part,w ere Affertors of it : and that this was
the genera l Netion of their .wifel’t Men
,
we hav e the clear T efiimony ofwho with great Care had fl udy
’
d their
Writings, and was admirably vers’d in
the Doctrines of a l l their different Sea s .T hat great Man hav ing freel y decla r’dh is Bel ief of the Soul’s Immortal ity , fay sthus ; Nor has Reafon only and Argumentmon
camps/I’d
3 18 .Ah E S S A Y upon the
gans none have more open l y, and
in figongeriTerms up and down hisW ri
acknow ledg’
d h is B el ief of this
Article, than Cicero. T hefea re h is words
(a) The Soul : of a l l Men are Immorta l,ha t
thofe of the Good and Va l iant are not on ly
Immortal,hut D iv i ne. (b) There is nothing
fahla nary , ha t what i s morta l and per ifhing ,ex cept the Soul : that the God: hav e he/i om
’d
on the Ra te of Mankind. (c) Death i s not
theDefin i éfion of our Being , and the Ex tinfii
on of a ll our Enjoymen ts, ha t afort of Tran/lation or Change of L ife.
(a ) Omn ium quidem An im i Immorta les font fed for
tium Bonorumque div in i . D e Leg .
(5 ) In fra Lun am n ih i l efi n i fi Morra le Caduccm,
prx ter Amimo s generi Hommum numcrc Deo rum D aros ;
(e) Mo rtem non in teri tum.
cfl'
e omn ia to l len tem arquc
delcntcm, fed quandam migrationem 8c Commutati oncmVim. T ttflful .
An imus fcipfum movet a tquc idcirco non eft Na tus
fed E tcrnus .
Mo rs us tcrribi l i s ell , quo rum cum Vi ta omn ia extingun tur. P a ra d .
Mo rs aut mel iorem, quam qui efi in Vi ta , aur ccrtc
n on deteriorem a l latura ell: fi atum . P r o F l a ce.
l ncorpore tnclufus ta nquam a l icn ze dom i , propria em incjus fedes cit Coe lum . I i i/ca l .S ic babero te non effe morta lem , fed Corpus hoc i D r
S am S eip.
B onorum men tes m i hi D iv inx a tque Al ternx v idenu
rut , se cx Homi num V i ta ad Dco rum Rel igxoncm Sané’ti»
mon i amquc migran t . D e L eg .
Impi i apud infero s pumas luun t. N ud e
IMMORT ALIT Y of the S o is L .
f
; r9
E u r he declares his Mind upon this
Subjeé'
t molt clearly , and in the molt no.
ble and pious Exprefii ons, in the latter endof his excel lent Book D e
‘
Senec‘l ute,where
he fays, T hat be firmly bel iev’d that the
famous Roman s, h is deceas’d Friends, were
fl il l a l ive, and that they enjoy’d a Life
which on ly deferv’d that Name. And af
terwards he a llerts,that he col leéted the
Immorta lity of the Soul from its Operations and immateria l Na ture . I perfuadem}
fays he, hute the Soul is endow’
d with
Afii fv i t] , fuch a Rememhrance of Things
pztfl, [uch a Forefight of Ev ents to come, fa
many Arts, S ciences, and Inv entions , that
a N ature,whi ch conta in s in i t filf fuch Per
fec‘tion s
,cannot heMorta l ; fince the
a lways ag itated, nor has an] heg inn ing of Moti on
,hecaufi [he mov es her [elf nor wiE
hav e any end of Motion , hecaufi[he wi ll neo n he wan ting t andfincetheNature of the Soul i s nor con ta ins
the mix ture of an] Thing i s un l ike or
i ncongruous to i ts filf, i t can never he di
v ided, and therefore can nev er perifh.
JV]; Soul exerting her felf, a lways loo/e’
d uponFuturity in this I/ i ew
,that when itfhould art
it jhould then l i v e. I amDelire, fays he to Scipio and L a l i
us,to fie your Fathers , whom I honour
’
cl and
3 2 0 An E S S A Y upon thenor do I long on ly to cone/erje
'
wi th thafawhom I knew, hut with thofi
’ l ihewi/e of mhontI hav e heard an d read
,and of whom I my
filf hav e written . And a l ittle a fter,
tranfported with the Profpeft of a happyImmorta l ity , he breaks out ‘
into this tria
umphant and Celebra ted Exclamation a— O
glorious Day , when I jh a l l he admitted into the
Counci l and Affemhly of S oul s, and he del iv er’d
from this tumultuour and pol luted PVerld, whenI [ha l l not on ly meet wi th the rent Spiritshejore-named
,ha t wi th my low
’d ato a lfo, the
hra v eji and heft of Men !‘
And a fter
If 1 err in this Bel ief of the Immortal i ty a}the Soul , I err wi ll ingly , nor [hall a ny thingwhi le I l iv e tore/l thi s ErrorW hat an exce l lent and div ine Mind hadthis noble Roman , tho a Heathen , com
par’d w ith the Profeffors of Impiety a nd
‘
the Chrifiian L ibertines of thefe degen e ~
rate T imes
T H a x e rema ins yet another Argumentto prove, that the bra vel
’t and wifel’t Men
in a l l Ages though t that the Soul remai n’
d
a live after the D iffo lution of the Body ,a nd that is, their earnelt D e li re of Glory‘
and Immorta l Fame. That the grearelt
a nd mo lt generous Spirits among the
Heathens, coveted above a ll Things.Ap~
plaufe and a great Name,is eviden t from
their
can make us'P rejént whi le
fir'v e. us a l iv e after -Death.
del ire of Praife and Admiration, and to befpoken o f with Honour in the Ages to
come,mufi fuppofe, that thofe who covet
and purfue it, mull bel ieve as I have fuggefled in another D ifcourfe, that they {ha llcontinue in Being after their Deceafe, ore l l‘e that -Pafii on is very idle and unac
countable ; . for what Satisfaétion can the
A‘
pplaufes and Panegyricks of Pofierity afford a Mm that is not in Being, andti
gerefpre entire ly uncapable of enjoy ing
t em
T n u s the be ll and w ifefl: Perfons inal l T imes and Nations, have look’d On theHuman . Soul as incorporea l, except thofeof the E icurean Schoo l, who with g reatZ eal an Labour endeavour
’d to elevate
their Nature to the Rank of intell igentEngines, and felf-mov ing Automate ; burthe Reafons they us
’d were fo frivolous
and inconclufive, and theExpl ications theyhave given , how Matter may be d if
’
dto Think
, Reafon, and acquire a.
fe f-determin ing Power and Freedom of Choice,are (0 inept and ridiculous, that to n
ame
I em
Imm u n ity of the S O UL . 3 2 3
rd confirm the Reader in
hion . Let anyMan contlittle Ph ilofophers fol ve
theOperations of i theMind upon the foot
of mereMatte? andMetion , and I affure
my feif, be will rejefi their Notion s withContempt.
I a then the Body of the common People, and the
‘
far greatefipart of t he wifefiand molt learned ‘Men in al l Ages, . have
declar’d their Bel ief of the Soul’s Immor
ta lity ; this wil l amount to the univerfa l
Approbatio'
n ofMank ind, norwithfiandingfome Indiv idua ls have exprefs’d ‘
their D iffent ; of which more in the next i i rgw
ments And this is fo agreeable to Cicero’
s
Sentiment; that notwithitauil ing' he: had
acknowledg’d That Democritus, Epicurus,
D ichw cha s, and Others afirm’d,
’
tha t theSoul was Corporea l and Mortal, yet hedeclares his Senfe thus : (i t) It .. ts my j udgment that the Soul is Immortal
,ly theConfint
T a r. no‘
lefa univerfa l Del ire of I rr
mortal ity which is found among Man
k ind,if well a ttended fhould i nduce
(bl arbi tramur con fen tu omn iumNa na
3 9 4, An E s s A r ; upon tha t, a t
us to recei‘
ve th is Article ;'
for if this De
l i re be un iverfal , it mull .be an Inf’tinfi of
Nature ; and if fo, mul’t be l implanted‘
in
the Mind, like Other inbred Propenfionsand Appetites, by the Author~ of ‘Nature,who, I im ine, no oneMi ill belie
’
ve'
miXtin the Con itution of Man any D efires
‘
,
Faculties, or A petites, for which he had
provided no uitable Obie3 s ; for this
would be to fuppofe, that either infinite
W ifdom acted w ithout an End, or that
infinite Goodnel'
s defign’d a Delufion of
which more when we come to MO a n L
A R G UME N T S . Now tha t the Delire of
Immorta l ity is as rea lly univerfal as Othernettl ral Appetites, wil l appear thus.
T H A T Impulfe or Propenl ion mufl bea l low
’d to be Natura l, Which“
is felt bya l l Nations in a ll Ages, and el
'
pecially bythole whofe Nature is molt perfeEt, andw hole Faculties are molt refin’
d and im
prov’
d , which is the Cafe before us. A llPeople, tho molt remote from each other,and mofidifi
'
erent in their Language, Cuftoms and Incl inations, agree in their Defires andExpectations of Immorml ity , andfeel fometh ing of a fecret Al lurance, thattheir L ives w i ll n0t be exringuifh
’
d bythe D ifl
'
olution of the Bod but on l ychange its State and Circum anecs. And
it
3 2 6 Ari E s s A r-
upon’
tbc '
are not natura l to the Human Species.Nor is it a D itrn
'
on ltra tion that the Shape,and
‘
Connexion of Members,which are fc
'
ommon ly obferv’d in Man ,
is‘
not the natura l Ordér’
fetlhir’d in
'
h isS trufiure, fhould it be a l led d,in form this Symetry is neglo ed
,that ”
the Firm: comes into the World rumpled a nd mifhapen , with more or fewer
L imbs than ulua l , and in its GrowthFril l keeps its mon l
’trous Figure and Defot
mity . Bel ides, it mull be cohlider’d that
thofe few Perfons, in compa rifon , who in .
{l ead of defiring, would avoid Immorta lity , are genera l ly fuch, whole ev i l Habitsa nd v icious Manners make them obnoxil
ous to the dreadful‘Apprehenfions of D i
s
v ine Pun i lhments in another L ife ; andtherefore uhey tremble at the Thoughts ofa
'Future State of Ex ili ence . I n this Ca fe
thele Men 3 61 agreeably to Rea len, whi lethey chufe rather to perilh, to be diffi
pated and mingl ed with“
common Matter,
and to go quite out of Being, than to livein Pain and end lefsMifery
'
. And when bytheir immora l Behav iour the hay e madei t necellary to their Safety, t at their Soulsfluould peri lh with their Bod ies, by degreesthey ‘ bring eir
’
flruggl ing Reafonto the fide of their Interbli , and d eny , orpretend to disbelieve the Soul ’s Immorta ~
l iry.
IMMQ RTAL ITY of tbg So’
UL . i n?l ity . And this wi l l account for a ‘
furpri
z ing Event ; that is, why among Nations,
whofe Faculties are more cultivated and
in li bren’d by the Chrifiian Religion, the
D is elief of the Soul’s Immorta lity fhouldbe more rife a nd ;
preva lent than amonancient and modern Pagans. For the enor being (0 certain of incurring, by theirev i l AEi ions, D iv ine D ifpleafure and fufferin FutureMifery, did net l ie under ofo[h ang a Temptation to reject theOpin ionof a Future State, '
as a loofe and v icious
Chri l’tian, who being in ltrufi’ted in the
Conditions of Hap inefs hereafter, is af
furld, that his difl'
o ute Life is incon l i ll entwith thofe Conditions ; and therefore ifa fter Death there is an everla l’ting State,h emufi capeét ro befor evermiferable.
AN D this Afi'
ertion is fupported by thefol lowing Obfervation. Men that have‘been bred in looi'e and ignorant Families,not being thorough l ymade acqua inted withthe Nature of Vertue, and the necelTaryTerms of Future Fel icity , feldombecomefo impious in Principle as to renounce the
Bel ief of a D eity and a Future State ; for
thefe can make their d iforderly L ife, and
the Hopes of a happy Immorta lity, a;
gree well enough together, nOt knowingthat they are really . repugnant and never
4 to
ga8- An E s s a y' upon tbe m
to be reconcil’d while thofe who havehad
the Advantages of libera l and vertuous
Educations, and - are conv inc’
d of theNe
ce ll i ty of a regula r and fohet L ife to the
atta inment of Immorta l B l ifs, and the a
v oiding of endlel'
s Sufferings ; wh ile thefe,I fay, who are endow
’d with a good Share
of rel igious Knowledge, which however
is unopera tive in their L ive s, being over
power’
d by the V iolen ce '
of ev i l Hab itsa nd v icious Inc l inations, are very fen fible,that by their irregular A ctions they become obnoxious to D iv ine D ifpleafure,whence they a re confiantly d il
’turb
’d in
their guilty Enjoyments by fecret T errorand Remorfe, it is no wonder that theyu l
'
e the molt effectua l means in theirPower,to
‘
remove the perpetua l Anguilh and Difquiet of their Minds ; and fince they labour under a mora l Im tency, and are
nor able to refira in thei r inordinate Appeti tes, what can they do
,but attempt to
e ll'
ace theNorion of a Future State of Immorta lity, that they may purfue their d iffolute Courfe of L ife without troublefomeR eflections , and keep their B real’ts frombeing a miferable Seat of War, betweentheir immoral Hab its and the D ictates ofV ertue ? This is the Rea fon, why thofe,who in their Youth have been wel l inflrué
’ted in the Principles of Rel igion, b
ant
sre
3 30
Ideas
wh ich
fuch repugnant T hings are iull lyto be out . of . - the Sphere Of Omn ipotent
ity .,Irmull then‘
be granted, thatan A lmighty
'
; Caufe has Abi lity to create
an'
immateria l and incorruptible Mind l ikeh iml
’
elf, who is an Incorporea l and Spiritua l Being, fince that Conception does notinclude contradiftory Terms. Infin itePowerand . un limited Fruitfulnefs can
,with the
fame a Seraph as a Wormnor can an incorporeal Subl’tance, yet, nu
any 'more difobey the creatingdelay;to put on Being and Prep
forth‘
into-
Exi ence,than a Peble or an
Infect} f‘
This being premis’d, it °wi ll follow, that if
‘We ha ve a'
iufi Conception ofthe D ivine Goodnefs, we may thence
~
deduce
'
the Immorta lity of the Soul ;
G o o n N E s s is a generous D ifpofitionof Mind, to d ifi
'
ufe and commun ica te itfeif to others, in proportion to theAgent
’
s
Abil ity, and the Receiver’s Capacity. ThisNorion is fo iul
’t, that tho
-
a Man lhouldpoll efs an Affluence of al l Things reh
’
ui
i
r’
d
or
IMMQ RT A’
E IT Y afxbe S d UL . 3 3 1
for theGrafificatién of his
ehts of hisMind, yet his .Fel icitywould be incompleat,
‘
were b e without
an'Abi lity of be ing ‘
Beneficia l to o thers ;no exce l lent and exa lted'Spirit canbe ea fy,the he en joys whatever
himfelf, unlefs he isvcapable offupplyi ng the
‘
W ants'
of thofe abom him ;nor wi l l he efteem: himfelf happy, whi leit is
“
out a of his Power tomake orhersffo,a n
T H I s Idea of Goodm i’tt ik
'
es us withfuch Pleafure and we
prefently afcribe it in the higheft'
Degreeto the great Creator, and adore himas theBelt . and molttherefore the Ph .Thatthofe Men were whowantedt leafi for themfel
'
ves,”
and did moltGood to Others . T he SupreamBeing then,who is endow
’d with el lpoffible Perfefi'i
on , and therefore polfelfes this Attribute ofGoodnefs in its utmolt Extent,mull haveboundlefs
'
P ropenfioh s to ;
commun icate itfei f
,a nd impart Fe licity Ito.Others. And
fince he has brought into .Exiftence Corporea l Creatures of ah '
inferior‘
Rank'
a nd ofd ifi
'
erent Degrees : of .Perfefiion, f. and hasdiffus
’
d one common Nature w
through s innhmerablI nfea s and fup
’
erior Ahimals, in a'
beauti~
3 3 2 t Aa e
‘E s smr (upon the .
ful ; Subordinatio
to .be imagin’d,
ll op‘
here, and nor moreexcel lent Beings ; wemay then fafely con-e
fince he . is able , his ‘infin ite
D el i re of commun icating h is Goodnefs ha s
afl ua l ly inclin’d h im to create Suhl
’tances
of an imma teria l Nature, and of a h igher
Order than h is v il ible Productions ; fuch
are the , various Ranks or Cla lfes of Spirits,d ignify
’
d w ith Reafon and Freedom of
Choice; .zTh is therefore amounts to a De
monfiration, that God has made Creaturesof amore excel lentNature than thofe c
’
om
pounded ofMatter and that fuch as are difiinguilh
’
d by t he Faculty of Reafon, }udgmenth and Self-determining Power, mullbe concluded to be thefe immateria l Beings, On whom the Author, who env ies
noHappinefs of h is Crea tures, has bell ow’d
fuch high Endowments .
AN D when we contemplate the infi
n iteW ifdomof thefirl’t Gaufe,the beauti
fulMethod and Order that he has obferv’d
in the z various Produfitions of his Power,it wil l appear very reafonable that he fhouldhavemade fuch a compound Being asMan ,in whom the fpiritua l and An elick Na
ture is vita l ly blended and comgin’d w iththat of a Corporea l Anima l . This
,I fay ,
i s
3 34. . Ari E s
i
s A t um the
byare partly one
partly’
the 'other, :tha t , is,x Mankind,who by their participation of borh Naetures, beautiful ly preferve the
between the Anima l and the Spiritua l Angelick World ? If then the fupreamGameis able a nd wi l ling
'
to produce an . immas
terial Mind ; and if . it becomes h is W il ldom, and is agreeable to his Providenceand the Rule and Manner of
to embody fuch a Mind in 3.
Frame, one may fafely concludeCreatureMan is fuch a ProduPt ion .
A n o T H er. Moral Argument for a
Future State, may be deduc’d from the
join t Contemplation of the D iv ine Gooduel
'
s.
T H E Author of this wide and-m nifia
cent Theater of theWorld, d id nma Necefii ty of Nature
,in roducin his
wonderful Works, otherwi e he m alway s have exerted his utmoft Energy andArt, and had given Exill ence to no Creatures but thofe of the highefi
-Perfefl ion,who approach
’
d nearelt to h is own D ivine
Nature ; but he has ibewa himfelf a fre‘
e
lan
A rit,-by creating‘
Bei'
s of
yEl l which,thofldil’ting
n
ustfll ’dD egrees of
in their Kind, and by their Conand regular Subordination _
to each
other, confpire to produce the Symetry,Beauty, and Harmony of thewhole. And
tho fometimes’
there appear Dev iations andE rrors in the Produa ion of fu
’
blunar Be
ings, which are ca'
l l’
d the Sport or P ay ofNature
'd iverted from her firfi Intention ;
yet this happens but to a few Individua ls,while the Kind is preferv’
d regular and
compleat . Now a l l th is wonderfulVerfity of Creatures arrive at a
‘
fin ifh’d
State ; Stones andMinera ls,Vegetables andAn ima ls, by degrees, grow up to the Perfefiiow of their ?Species : But - this
,
be afi rm’
d of Man , who in th is L ife ne
ver a rrives at confummate Fe l icity. Themo lt learned PhilofOpher knows nothingof theWorks of Nature, in comparifon ofwha t he is intirely ignorant . T he mo ltPious and Devout wi l l ov‘
vn they are verydefefl ive, and come
‘
vafl ly ibort'
of thatheight of Vertue, at which they a im.
All forts of Men compla in of Delufit'
mand D ifappointment ; when , by prudentSchemes and indul’trious Applica tion theyhave attain
’
d the Polfelfion of Wea lth or
Power, or Pleafure, for which they con
tended,
3 3 6 ..An E s s a y upon the
tended, they are (0 far from acquiring theRefi and Satisfaction they expected, that
they renew their Purfuits after the fameEn joyments with as great Vehenwnce as
before. P lace a Man in any Circuml’tan
ces which h imfelf fhal l defire, he wil l fiil lbe uneafy . The Indie: wi l l not fatisfythe avaricious Mifer, nor the w il d } Emire the ambitious Monarch . Va in Man
imagines, that in the tempting Object whichhe now fecks , he {ha l l find hisHappinefsbut when he po liell
'
es it, the beautifulPhantommocks his Embraces, and proves
in his Arms an empty C loud . T heWorldis a Scene of unfatisfy
’d, c omplainingMen ;
for fuch are the Faculties and Ca cities
of Human Nature, tha t no Obje 5 here
can compleatly gratify them. Hence jufilyis infer
’
d a Future Sta te of L ife, where
Man {ha ll atta in the Felicity and Aecompli lhment of his Being ; for otherwife theAuthormull be deficient in W ifdom, Be
nevolence, or Power, who has made an
intel ligent Creature, that he either is unable, or unwill in or knows not how to
carry on to Per fl ion. And he tha t bythis Argument is induc
’
d to be lieve a Future S tate, wil l foon embrace the Opinionof
‘
the Soul’s Immorta lity;
3 38 fla i l-3 8'
s ” “far tbs - lbli lh
’
d by the genera l Confent of Man
'
I T,
is,
very r c'
erta in thai "3lu_ézwd , Cicero,P lumb/z, Epgfietm
, and manyotherMora .
l‘
ifis,'
have a llerted, that many degpera te
Ma lefaé’tors, tho they efcap
’d the ogn i
z ance and Sentence ortheMagifirate, ha ve
however been arraign’
d and condemn’d at
the fecret T ribuna l of Confciencein their
Own Breads, and that Mankind,in gene:
'
ral ,l
refle&in on the irGuilt, felt inherentTerror and emorfe, and lay under tor
mearing Pangs and frightful Apprehenfiof D ivine
'
Anger and Future Surferings. They belicv’
d there was a P lace of
Pun ilhmen t, where the Gods,'
byways, did execute their W rath on impi-eous Crimina ls where Furies, W heels,V ipers, and Vultures, a fad variety of'Pa inand Vengeance,tormented the Unjult andIrrel igious ; Wh i le, on the contrary, itwas their
'
Opin ion, that, good and vertu.
ous'
Men lhould, a fter forget a l ltheir Sorr
’
ow, . ecafe for ever from} their
L abours, and be convpinefs and
Hopes a nd~
Fel icityPiety a nto unde
IMMOamanaT r fifth} SOUL . 3 9W m‘mat fim
'
the nes t L ife'
theymighta tta in the Favour of the Gods"
,the
R eward of Vertue.Since then E
l
f]
this
of thé‘
Soul’s Immorra li ty, Man
e beeh lmov‘de and guided in their“
and this'
has' been the chief F aun-i
Re ligion and V en ue in theWorld, I thus argue, That Pr inciple or.
A rticle of Ed it h-
" byw h ich God has aé’
tue
a l ly ‘
goverhld the Raee of Mankind from
the Beginn ing of fTime, cannot .be falfe :
Now it is ev ident,that God has aaua ll
and confl antly govern‘d theWorld by this
Belief and Bxpeél ation of a State nof" Tm;
morta l ity to come, and therefbre that Fain ;
eiple‘
mufi certa in ly be true r For finesMankind in a li T imes have been
’
adtedupon a nd excited
”
by A rguments and Mo
t ives d rawn froma Future State of L ife , and”
the Supream Being ha s a l l a long ruled the
Minds of Men by the Belief and Expectation of Immorta l ity ; if notWithfiandingthis there {hould be no fuch State, then
it will neceflarily follow,that God has ge
vern’d the rationa l World in a ll Ages by a
l ai i’
hood and a meet D e lul ion .
‘
And thusto mock Mank ind and aft upon
'
their
by an imag inary and feign’d State
Of L ife in another W'
orld , is inconfill entwith his perfefi Truth and inviolable Fa ithful r v ' and yet, if th is impious Ablur
Z 2 d ity
wAn E s s a r ufon j bear taid ity be not fwa l low
’
d , .a'
Futh re Statemelt.be a l low
’
d as i certa in . o w e :
I F‘ it be objeé
’redy that the SupreamBeat
i—
ng does not rule the Mind s ofsMenr by .
theNExpeé
’tations of . Rewards and Punifh~ .
ments in anorhe r , L ife, .but: o n ly permits,
Men to deceive themfelves I anfwer,P irfi,that the Perfon s who thus deceive them-e
felves, if indeed they,are deluded, have
a lways ,been the wifefi,
‘
the mod vertuous
an d excel lentMen ; for theT ruth of which
A ll ertion I appea l to the H i ll ory and Ch :fervation of a l l Ages . Now it is no t con
fifient w ith the Honour and Fa ithfulnefs
Of the D iv ine Being, .to fuli
'
er thofe W ho
mo ll refemble h is own excel lent Nature,and do him the molt eminent Service, tobe congl
’tantly mov
’d by a , D elufion , to do
thofe Afiions by which they firive to imitate, ferve, and pleafe h im.
A N D fromhencemay be form’d a firong
Argument aga infit he Sceptz'
cks, withwhom
I am engag’
d in,this . D ifputation .for to
any Man that reflefis w ith Attention .
”
itW i l l appear incredible, that if the '
Immorta l ity of the ’Soul be an ima in ary .an dfa lfe Notion, that a -God of in n ite Good;n efs andjLov
e toMankindmoulderror, byf h i sg racrous Men . Of
W ifdom,
his L ifeisended ; -While1w'é
e‘
are uhéer’h ifitatefior can‘ ifi be"judg
°d * Whether we have
ill the'
T érni‘
of our lPro
Man haspawntheCoutfeDeath mes an end to it ,
and yet‘Pémetime or ot he r h e "mull come
taper: hi s T rial , it i s eviden t, that theremifl‘
tibe Li fe after th is, inwhich
the'Moderator and
.fliudge df the “Worldwi l l lxfiindicaite the Honour and juftice ofh isWGe v'emmem,
b y an impartia l -Senteneéupon al l Men, accord ing fro then ‘
pa‘fiDe r
m anner.
I F it appears by the Reafons wh ich IUrg
’
fl fe r th e Soul‘s th at.
there fis ibup a‘bare F11
ture Exifile‘
nce ; th e
and ev ident,th at it i s the
rai l? Tof e very Man to aid} in Cenfirmit’
y;to Ibh is
'
Opinion , and To are der-mean h i-mfelfth at he may
the ihappy , and n et miferrible,in this Eternal
‘
S‘
tate t hat iis l ikel y toW e .
“
For (ince 'th'
is T ranlierft L ife in Dara tion’lis
’
law a Mbme-nt c ompar’d with ma lt E ter-é
n ity , a l l Men wh o can me lle’
ff’r, w il l‘
p romance it h ighly reatfona
’
o‘
le,
-t7bat'
fince t heD i lpropor
’tion between - lth ls fleet ing L ifeend le
‘
lis ~A'
ges i s 7fo immenfe and xuncnn d.i ceivable,
IMMORf A L tr Y'
of tb'
e
’
80 UL . 34;excess one {hould be mov
’d a nd
by t e probable P rofpea of, E,
Happincfs and Mifery , rather
than the Pleafures or Sufferings in
th is“State o f Morta l ity .
S A'
nd this i s
what is confiantly praEtis’d by wife and
confidera te Men,who in various In
fiances pa rt with fome Things of Va lue,on ly from the Hopes of reaping a fa r;greater
‘
Adva nta e; if i t be pruden t in the Affa irsof thisWor d
, thus to govern our Aerions, then we are evidentl y more obl ig
’
dto negleél : the Enjoyments of th is World,from a probable Expeél ation of un limitedFel ic ity . Now if this be a clear D iE
’tatc
of Reafion, that aMan lhould, _
in theCourfeof his L ife, .be influenc
’d by an Opin ion
oftthe Soulg’
s Immorta l ity, then he is bOlmdhy a Law
‘
of a Nature, wh ich i s nothinge lfe but the W i ll o f the Supream Be ing,reveal
’d
.
to Man by the L ight of Rea fonfor the government of his ~
Att ions, fo ta
r
egula te his L ife, as if he were we ll a li ot fd
o a Future State. Hence it wi l l clearlfo llow
,that . if . there b e but a bare Proba.
ty of“
a ghéfe to come, that the“
Authorofo ur Beings has made it our Duty to aél:iti
‘
conformity to that Opin ion . And time
by his ‘
infinite Perfeé’tions he is uncapable
of deceiving his Crea tures, and mak ing itiheir Duty ‘
to a& upon imaginary andZ 4 ground
3 44 fin E S S A Y upon the
groundlefs V iews , may not the Certaintyof the Soul’s immorta l Duration be henceinfer
’d
O B J E C T I O N S again]? tbc' S O U L
,
S
I ra -MO R TA L I T Y .
G AIN ST the Immateria l ity , and confequen tly the Immortality of the Soul
,
fome fupcrficia l Philofophers, and loofe
W its theirAdmirers, brin th is Objeél ion,T hat an incorporea l Sub ance implies a
'
Con traditcl ion ; fo Mr. Dryden fays it appears to him, in a D edication to Sir Cl mrles
And if thefe Gent lemen had vouchto have given any Proof of their,
Po
fition in a Matter of inch l Importance,‘
it
could by no means have been look’d on as
a n unbecoming Condefcen ljon . How . it
came to pa l'
s that they'
thought they fli ou ld
be'
bel iev’d upon their béi e
'
A llertion , without offering the lea li E v idence, I mull acknowledge I cannot imagine.
‘
I T is pla in, that thefe'
low Pretenders toReafon take the Idea of Subitanee andMatterfor the fame, looking on thofeWordsas Synonymous and if itwerelo, it
plain ly fol low,that an incorporea l Body
would bean incon l i ll entConception,ang‘
one
erm
were 8
I MU s T acknow ledge, that I look uponthe SOuls of brute c reatures as Immateria l ;for I candor conceive how an in terna l P rinc iple of Serili tive Perception and Loca lMotioncan be framd of Matter
, tho ever
16 fubtile arid refin’d
,andmod ify ’
d w ith themol’r artful Contrivance And I cha l lengethe molt accute PhilofOpher to afli gn anyfpecifica l Charaa er, that wi l l eIIen tia l lyd i v erfify and dif’tinguifh an An ima l from3 Watch, a Puppet, or any other curious
E ngine , if the v ita l Principle that in formsthe An ima l be not Incorporea l , for the 1mContrivance, the curious D if ofitionMinutenefs of the Parts, wi l by no
means
torev ive
and Epicums,
s an incorporea l, v italfeern rather to affect
and Imagination, than a
fPhi lofophy .
IMMORT’
AL’
r—
r? af tbs’So UL . 3 47
meme vary the Species ;‘
a Clock of the
Siz e, with wonderfu l D iveffity ofSprings andMovements, and greatof
'
l afl ingMut ions , d oes nord ifferfrom a lain one
D imenl ion,that as but one
'
fimpletion
,and that ’
of {hett Continuance;
W H E N‘
C B it wil l fol low,th at accoraf
é
ing to the elf the Am ifis,their mann er for {enl i tive
outward Ob»on fire Or ns of flte fl ody ,
‘
a nd the C dll ifion , Confli an dReaEtion o‘t'
Mat ter upon Mat ter, an Anima l i s n o;
thing e l'
t’e but “
an a dmirable Machi ne a n&a curious I nvemion, th at
"
imi tates merrythe firifntfipl e
‘olf swam inl
’Man ; but inreal ity i s naming but an e xcefi
’etrt Piece 'o
‘fMeehan ifm, that repre fents
Manner"
the Perceptions ofan d 1ndmd “
th e Imi tationis $0 perfea ,
fli at we ma y“b e -
as Fa re that
that a ny otherMen w as our‘l'
e’
lvm a re
endow’
d with tha t
theT'ruth
fl”
orhe 1 my feifdo not feel , than wh at w il l as efiea ua‘
i lythat B ruteAn ima lsm l ikew ife f en
firivem , th eOperations'
of fac’
h?mvers
348 An’
E s s a r upon the :
being as fully ev ident as p
they are in Man,
a nd often more perfect7
,
1
11T 141 0 the
'
Souls of B rute Anima ls are
a l low’d to be Incorporea l , yet they a re
plain ly of a bafe and low Natureyand
defiitute of thofe inte l leEtua l Facultiesand free Choice that lhould make them '
Subjeets , of Mora l Government, enablethem to difcetn the Obligation of Laws
and the D ifiina ion of Vertue,
and V ice,and undetfiand the Notion of being an accomptable Creature,and receiv in Rewards
a nd Puni lhments . Hence it fol ows, that
they are entirely incapable of the ,Fel icity
of a Rationa l Soul in the Fruition of the
D iv ine Being, whom _
they are unable to
contemplate, love, admire, and adore : and
from this it is evident that the Author
a nd Lord of Nature has fignify’d h is
W i ll , that he does not intend them for
perpetua l D uration , in thatSeule which wemean, when we fpeak of the Soul’s Immorta l ity, that is, its eterna l Continuancein a State of Happinefs or
‘
Mifery ; for , to
what purpofe can it be fuppos’d,that the
Souls of Brutes fhould be del’tin’
d to endlefs
D uration , if after the D iffolution of the ,
B ody they have no Faculties, Capacities, orOperations, l ike thole of the Soul of Man
,
that can give them the l ike Delight and
Felicity ? B UT
3 50 Art E s s a y apart the; t
pacities. And tho we fhould not be ableclearly toragcount for the Nature ofi-Brutc
Anima l and how - their Souls are difpos’
dof by their:Maker after -Death, yet our na
tainty in this Point wil l by no meansweaken the Force of thofe Demonfiration sthat have been produc’
d for the Immortal-tl iry of ‘
Human Souls.
I rr is farther Objefied'
againl’t the Im
morta lity of the; Soul, that it plainly rel iesin its Operations on the Temper and D iff
pofition of the Body that its Faculties areexerted with difierent Degrees of Vivacity.
and Perfeél ion in the feeble State of It»fancy , the Vigor of Yo
’
urh and the Decayso f old Age ; that they are fufpended or die
fiurb’d by S leep, a nd quite fubverted by
Lunacy or the firoke of an Apoplexy ; thatthe are enfeebled by languilh ing Sicknefs,andy interrupted by Fury 'and Other violentPaflions ; and therefore fault he allow
’
d tobe dependent on the Body which it ani~
mates . To this I anfwer, that during thev ita l Complicat ion of the. Soul and Body,the f ull ufes. the in li rumental Afii ll ance ofthe h it but this does net
‘
prove that"
thefuperior elfentia l Faculties of theMind a reincapableof ,
exercil ing their Operations ina State of Separation for thofe do nor de
pend ou Corporea l Organs, as the Principlefo
IMMORT A L IT Y of the S o U L . 3 5 1
of Senfation does what mechanica l Frameis neceil ary to Underfiand ing, Reflection ,Argumen tation , and Memory ? What fecret Wheels, what Rea- acti ve and E laflickSprings and Movements communicate to
the Soul its Self determin ing Power, or L i.berty of W i l l ? Can the organ ica l Contrivance be expla in
’
d , by wh ich a Man is
fram’
d a Mora l and Rel igious An ima l ; bywh ich he d ifcern s the Beauty of Vertue
and the Turpitude and Danger ofV ice, andby which he is mov’
d to a im a t the Fel ic ityand Perfeétion of his Nature
,in h isRefem
blance and Fruition of the Supream Being ?I t cannot be deny
’
d , bur thefe Opera tions
may be perform’
d without the Body,fince
our Conceptions of thefe does nor, l ike thatof Senfation, include the Idea of any maret ia l Organ to which they relate ; andtherefore tho the ObjeEi ion proves a v ita lUnion of the Soul and Body, it cannot bethence infer
’d,that the fuperior Faculties
of the Mind are incapable of acting in a
S tate of Separation .
S S AUP O N T H E
L W S of N A T UR E .
T would have been an ac
ceptablePerformance to theW orld, if the Gentlemenof the prefent Age, who
own a Caufelefs SupreamBe ing , but do not acknow
ledge the Authority of Revelation,and
theD iv in e Infiitution of the Chrifiian Re
l ig ion , yet a t the fame t ime complementone a nother with the 1e l
‘
pe9rful T itles o f
.Philofophers and'
Maflers of unprejudic’
d
R eafon , had publi lh’
d a Scheme of Natu
ra l Rel igi on, or a Syfiem of thofe Laws
wh ich a ll Men, who believe the liixili encefA a 2 o
3 5 6 An E S S A Y upon the
of a Deity , are b ound to obey ; and'had
{hewn whence thofe Mora l Obl igationsarife, and
‘by what Sané‘rio'
ns they are en;
forc’d ; wh ich , in the Preface
'
to Crea tion, I
have urg’d them to attempt : Had they
done th is , they wou ld noron ly have wip’d
off from their Charac’ter a l l fufpicion of
Impiety , and have demonfirated that theyd id nor, to avoid that infamous ImpUtat ion , fhcl te
'
r themfelves under the Profeffion of D c ifm ; but they would l ikewifehave aa ed
z
an honeli t part in refpefi of
thofe Perfons, whom with great Art and
I nduli ry they labour to conv ert fromChril’rian ity to Pagan ifm. FOr l i n
'
ce from oer
native D egeneracy the D ifficulty of paying Obedience to the Rules and Precepts
of the Redeemer, and not theArticles andMy li eries of Bel ief, is the mo& frequentC aufe why Men at length renounce h is
Rel igion ; thefe Apofiles of Infidel ity;that with grea t D iligence firive to replant‘
the World w ith the exploded Doé’rrinesof the Heathen, ought to acqua int ‘
theirD ifciples with the whole Scheme of theirAntichrifiian Maxims, and '
not'
prorn ifeto del iver them on ly from 'the hard andabl’rrufe Poin ts enjoin
’d to be believ
’
d,wh ile the ha rder and more di-fagreeablleVertues fiill rema in to be praé
’tis
’d, wh ich
is themol t difcouraging D ifiiculty in the
Chrifiian
3 58 Ha tfies‘
s A Y upon the
give any Definition of tho fe Vertues, butba rely name them,
was acqua in ted Wit and
that the Obfervance of them; as wel l asthe Forbearance of thecontrary V ices,werethe D iéi ates of the L ight of Reafonfiandthe Refult of theMora l Nature of T hings.
I t is in v a in therefore to reject the Chrii’tian Rel igion , in hopes of being del iver’dfrom the Rei’rra ints it lays upon zus ; for
w e {ha l l Bi ll l ie under the fame L imitations frotn ' the L aws of Na ture, whofe
Obl igationsMili fl ick infeparably’
to us,
a nd make us a ltogether as m ch i ac i
comptab le.f'And to make this ev ident, I .
have undertaken to demnn l’trate the Ob li-r’
.
garions we a re under hy thofe unwritten
L aws .
I N profecuring this Deflgn, I {ha ll firflrmake it c lea r, tha t in Fa& there are
'
.fueh‘
Mora l Obliga tions , which are te rm’d Laws
R elations between God and Man, amdea
riva their bind ing Force from D ivihe‘AaIv
tho‘
rity . In order to this, I fianh‘
lhewwhat thofe Relations are;and in what'
t heyare founded ; and
-then {h a l l demoni i ratehow the Laws of Nature orMurat D ittiesmufiunavoidably refult fromtherereiations .
B E
LAWS ai Narrow . 3 39
B is tro a s We enter upon this Province,it neeé ll ary
‘
to obl'
erve, that the Affertof Impiety are this
ion , The Latin b dtar'
é, . in an equivo
al Senfe, and mean it horh ing but the
and C’
ourfe of hingst or the Series and Connexion of Caufes and Efi
'
eélfsin the v i l ible World ; as , for in l’tance, the
‘
D lernal and Annual Revo lution of the Sun ,the C ircularMotion and
“
Various Appearances of theMoon
,the Propénfion of heavy
Bodies to defcend and of l ight ones to rife,the F lux? and Reflux of the Sc~Nature
,as indeed the are in a Phyfieal,
tho not in ' a Mora l gen ie; that is, theAuthor of al l Th ings has made .
that D if
and connexion of attive Primei
pi and pafii veNatures , that fuch a Courfeand Order of { items [hall
'
of Necefii t be
But then thefe fa lfe Phi oldand Pretenders to ReafOn declareimpious Opinion, that Man ismov
’d
ia'
the famé manner as Brutes and Inaf‘
fi
and
and in as high jvvay“
as
a tmig
rate governs h is subjea'
s,
by a lejgtéferib'd to their Ate
A a 4 ons .
3 60 .An E S S A Y upon the
ons.’T is pla in, that by the L aws of Na
ture as they ‘re ard Mank ind, theic Men
notmean t e Precepts or,Commands
of God, fignify’d and diret
‘l ed to aMora lAgent, one, capable of determin ing him{elf to Compl iance orD ifobedience, wh ichis the onl y Seule in which I take the
”
Ex;preflion.
I s I—l A L L nowundertake toevince, thatthere rea lly are Mora l Obl igations, WhIChWe termLaws of Nature.
T H A T the Power we have over our
AE’tions is bounded by natura l L imitations,
which make itour Duty to do fome T hingsand to forbear others, antecedent to the
Authority of Human Lawsg is a Truthconfirm’
d hy . the genera l Confent ofMan
Senfe of Rel igion and Ven ue and whenthey aft in conformity. to the R ules of
P iety andJ uliice, the are rewa rded withan inwa rd Pleafurean Satisfaéi ion And,on
‘
the contrary,‘when they v iolate
‘
thole
Precepts by ‘enormous T ranfgreflions , they
are Hartledi
by Reflection on,
their Guil t,a ndfil l
’
d with Remorfe and T error. And
th is’
the f agan World, who . had,nm the
Advantagew
o l'
Revelation , did r
~ a lway s ac
kfl owledge.
3l i a tzend , inthe beginning
hofIS
An E s s A Y amthe
no‘
Man cou
Nor could ami ld Wicked, as
fl
crees of Princes, the Deter
Judges, confiitute the G00
Aé’rions ; then would it be lawful to robto commitAdultery , to forge Deeds andTeli ame
'
nts, if theic ih ould be autho
riz’d and approv
’d by the Voices of the
rul ing Multitude “
But can the Powerof ignorantMen change and inVei‘t theNature of T h ings
? I f fo, they .mi ht,
by a L aw,make Good E vi l, a nd V il
Good. I f in Rome there had been no
written Law again l’c a Rape, in the
Reign of Targm’
n, Woul d not therefore
Targuin have offended aga infi the Eter-s
na l Law,when he o ii
'
er’
d Violenoe toLucreti a? There was in this “Cafe 21
D iéi ate'
of Nature, wh ich did not’
then
begin to be a Law ‘when it was firfiwri tten , but was Coa ra l with the D i
ON
0a
at
the'
L avv‘
farther, That th
gil’trate are then good, when they
'bejar a
onformity to the Law of Nature ; otherWife they are no Laws .
PLATO »
Ka
‘
ws i N A T in a B . 3 6;
P n h r o rprepares the Peo le to be good
M e, by incub ating on t
Ihemx the O h
l igations they : a re ‘
under hy '
: the L aws o f
Na ture,to y ield Obed ience
.
to the C iv i lMagiltrate. And Ci cero in imita tion of hime xprefl
'
i’es
' himfelf in this di v ine manner‘i
’
t C itiz ens be firlii perfuaded that therecc, a re -Gods, whmare : Lords and Govern
floors of a l l Thhl gs that a ll T hings are
admin ifi er’d and d irefi ed by their Wifedomand Providence that they obfervewhat every Man i s, what “
he does, and
what he enterta ins in his Breafi; withwha t Temper of Mind ; and what Desvorion he pays D ivine Worlhip ; and
“that ! they make a D ifiinéfim of the
‘P ioufs and Impious : And then fays,W how i ll] den y thefe Opin ions to be ufeful
,
when he reflefis how many T hings areconfirm’
d by a folenmOath, h owmuchrehg ious Leagues Contribute to Our Safet y and Advantage ; how
‘
tnany are te
du'
e‘
d fromWickednefs b y theBMW Pun ilhment , and how {acted theSmiety
’
of C itis s muli he, Whi le theyloék = on 'the Immorta l Gone both ae-§ udg
'
es and W itneifes of theirDeedsThis acknowledgment of a mora l D ifiinction betweenGem and Evi l, and the Fearef
'
Dfiv infe Difpleafure and Puni lhment fromenor
3 64 An E s '
s a yh
upm the
enormous Guilt, is To univerl'
a l,thatmany
a‘
fii rm D iv ine [fawfs are born W i th us,
a re written in Ci cero”
fpeal<s, . implanted inf‘
our Nature, e ff ;
T H E Legiflative Authority of Civi lMagifira tes cannot extend to the Secrets
of the Heart, which fa l l not under their
Knowledge andObl‘
ervation and therefore
they do nor pretend to prefcribe Laws to
regulate our interna l Aé’t ions. If then we "
a re under no L imitations from any D iv ine
Precepts, we have an abfo lute and nu
control’d Dominion over our T houghts
and Pa ll i on’
s,and are accomptable to no
T ribunal for any leererT ranfaé’tions oft heMind . And hence it wi l l follow,
that no
Obl iquity, no Guilt, no D i lh onour , can
attend any .Emotion s of the Heart, tho itis indeed the .Source and Sprin of all Mo
t a l ity. Exceffive Anger, Ma ice, ~Hatred,E nvy, I l l-wi ll to. our Neighbour, fecret '
joy at the Ruin of our Benefaétors,or
the Misfortunes of our Coun try , or the
D efirufiion and Cal amity of Mank ind,would be innocent and lawful Ambition ,Pride, Haugbtinefs, Se lfg admiration , Contempt and Scorn of Others, Avarice, Diffimulation , would net i deferve theB lame But was ,
any‘
Na
tion evcr'known.
fo Rapid and barba
3 65 fi el E S s A Y guf ofl f tbei
great D ivines derive from the intrinfick.Nature of"T h ings, without
‘
a ny Confi’
de:
mrion "of al fLaw that commands or pro.
h ibits them,‘ is what I am not able fto cons
neive. .Tbe D ifiiné’tion of Good and Ev ilfeems to me to refult from the D ifagree
’
~
ment or Conformity of our Afiions to the
Precepts that enjoin them. If there be ndLaw, where is D ifobedience
? If. no Rule,where is Error or D eviation ? If no L i.
rn its prefcrih’d,where is T ranfgrelfion ?
I be lieve, upon Examination , it wi l l ap
pear, that a ll the celebrated intrinfick
Good and E v i l Things which . is fa id to
be una lterable and eternal,without a ny
regard to their being commanded or fiat
bidden,mul’t be taken in a phyfica l Senfe ;
and (0 T hings a re term’
d Good or Evi l;as they a re adv antageous or , hurtful; ufeful or prejudicia l to Mankind . But this
Conven ience or Inconvenien ce, Comod ityor D ifcomodity of Th ings, is nor their
Mora l ReEtitude or Obliquity, wh ich ofNece lfity includes the Na tion of a Lawobferv
’d or tranfgrefs
’d.
T H U 3 hav ing {hown that there are
D iv ine unwritten Laws, to which a l lMen
ought to y ield Obedience, I {ha l l now demonfirate the ir Authority and obligatoryForce,and fhow in particule at they
r
are.
H a
L aws’
bfiNAT UR'
E . F3 67
nee - of a God and the?Adf his Prov idence, I have a l
ready a lTerted and prov’
d in anotherWri
t ing, which l ikewife .has been done bymany excellent Philo fophers and . D ivines.
I {hal l therefore take this Propo fition , An
by ev inc’d . and granted ; which {ha ll
new be'
an Principle whence I under
take to deduce ?my fo llowing Conclufi
ons . ~
W u o a v e a.ac itnow led es the Being
of th is In ent and Sol -exii’rent Gaufe
Q i eafily d ifcern the various
een GM and Man,which
M necefliazry and immediate from th isPrinciple .
I t . the Origin af Human Na ture is ~ deriv’d ftum
‘
God as the firfi Efi cient, it fol »
lows that Man is r elated to h im as hisCrea ture, and he. to Man aS
'
h is Creator.
And fince h is a plain . Contrad ifii inrg thatthere may be a {el f- infl ow in depen
dme Creature ; fir-
then it mufihe granted, Mt the Supream Being has -made a
3 68 An E s s a ? upon the;
that is, another God, the Confequen‘
ce’
wil l be, that aMan who has a precariousand fupp
’
orted Exii’te
’
nce is related to h isMaker, as the centinu
’
d Caufe of h is Be.
ing, and his Confervatori'
T he Ideas of
Creator and Preferver, of necefii tyelude thofe of goodW i l l and Benefitenc
‘
e :
Whence the Inference wi l l be c lear, thatMan is related to his D ivine Author, from"
whomhe has receiv d al l the En joymentsand Perfeéi ions of h is Being, and to whomhe owes their Continuance, as h is chief
B enefaéi or. I t wi l l a lfo . be an unden iableD eduE’tion fromwhat has been laid down,that God is related toMan as his fo le Proprietor ; no Maxim being more ea l i ly and
more univerfal ly a l low’d than this
,That
what any one has entirely made is entirel yh is own , and no R ight in anyW orkman{h ip can pofiibly be fo ful l and exrenfive
’
as that of a Creator.
A N D whoever reflef’ts on the Natureof Man, as endow
'
d with Reafon, and a.
Faculty to wi l l and chufe,whereby he
becomes a Mora l Agent, wi l l pronounceh imcapable of being govern’d by Laws ;and if he contemplates the =Attrt tes ofthe D ivine Being, h is Almighty Power,Omnifcience, Goodnefs, and Omniprefence,wi l l, witkow hefitation, conclude, tb
s;G
Creature,to W
acc'
ordi
or”
T ran g
TH E RE have been . many Warm,but
unnecell'
ary utes ;tnanag’d by l earned
Men, about T it le. of God to h is Go
v ernment o ank ind but laying afide
T erms of Art, and avoid ing Othentati
on of Learning and a, ,di£puting Temper ;
wha'
th as . been‘
(aid, I imagine, .the
D iv ine T itle, or the Foundat ion of God’s
R ight to rule.
b
yh is
W orld, wil l cafiy and c learly appear. H is
Re lation to ‘Mank ind as un iverfa l King ,that is
,h is Sovera i nty or SupreamPower
refults from his a fo lute Propriety in h isCrea ture. Man is his own , becaufe hemade h im ; and fince he is made a ove
able B eing , h isMaker, as his abfo are nu
l imited Lord and Owner, mul’r have the
fole R ight or Authority to govern him.
So that th is Point,that ha s made fo grea
3 (Hr, and exercis’d (0 many Pens,does
nor icem fo abfirufe and difficult. I thinkit is very pla in , that the
'
D iv ine Right oSupream Government is founded in , and
refults
refults fromGod’s plenary Propriety, in a
Creature apt and qual ify’
d
and; Obedience ; and this G overnment he
has ever exercis’d ,
and continues to do fo ,
bymak ing and decla ring L aws to regulatethe Actions of Men .
Of the L A W S NA TDR E , 190
S INC E it is c lear, that God is the Governor of Me n,
’tis as clear h e mutt
govern him by L aws, that‘
is, by Rulesthat fettle his D uty . Let "us thereforeennuire what zthefe LaWs are
,and how
made -know toMank ind .
i n h a ler to this‘
i t i tnuft he confidedd,that a Law'
ih’
genera l is nbthi ng e l fe,
butthe W i ll of the Legillator declar’d to h is
Subject, as the Rule of h is Act ions. T his
is a ful l Defin ition, and tho éthe‘Sahé’tions
of Rewards and'afiun ilhments are n fu’ally
a nne ir’d, whichlb y aéi ing
‘bn bur
’Hopes
and ’ Fears’
e’nforce the Obfer
’
vance of the‘
L aw-giver'
s Command, yet is it no efferv
sia l art of the L aw ; f or the W il l andP lea re of the Sovereign Ruler,whenmadeknown
,con li itutes u the D uty of the Sub
iei t, and b inds h m ro
b
obey.
B 2
372.Hn
'
E s’ SAY upon the
T H E Threats'
and P romifes fuperaddéd :
are on ly I ncitements to the Subjeé’t to pay
that Obedience, which before by v irtue
of theL awgiver’s Authority hewas obl ig
’
d
to do.
C O U L D it be fuppos’d that G od had
made no Laws forMan d ifcern ble by theL ight of Nature, that is , deducible by Reafon abfirafl ing fromRevelation ;Man be ingin tirely free fromRefira ints would have anunl imited Power over h is Aé’rions, and therecould be no fuch thing as Religion in theW orld noObl igat ion on Princes to prOteE’t,or on Subjeéts to obey : No iD uty fromParents to Ch ildren , or from Children to Pa .
rents : No Friend lh ip, no Juli ice, no Fa ithfulnel
'
s ; in Ibort, noMora l D ifiinéi ion of
Good and Evi l . Man would be unableto S in , and utterl y uncapable of Guilt, orof recommending himfelf to the Favour orGood W i ll of h is Maker by Obedience ;a nd there are the Max ims which irrel i
gious Philofophers would ‘
fa in efiabl iih .
But it wi l l appear, that God has not in
th is cafe left h imfelf withoutW itnefs, nor
Mankind without proper Means to d ifeo
ver the D iv ine W ill concern ing their Duty .
A confcious tho imperfef’c L ight fiil l te
mains in degenerate Nature,by whichMen
374 1472 E S S A Y 149mthe
{i tation of Mora l Duties to the Revelation in the feered W ritings.
I C O ME nowto defin e a Lawtof Na
ture, wh ich is the W i l l of God figqify’
d
as the
and Aa ions . T he Matter of this Law is '
fomerh ing enjoyn’
d or forbidden . I ts
n eriea l D ifference, as the Schools eXprefs
then—
pelves. is the Legi ll a tive Authorityof the fupream B e ing, who has the R ightof a Governor to our Obedience. The
D iv ine Pleafure mul’t be figniiy’
d or dec lar
’d before it becomes a Law ; for noMan
is obljg’
d to perform any thing impo li ible,which he would he, were he bound byP recepts which he had no means to know.
T he fpecifica l D ili inazion oi? it coufifis inthe promu lgation or d ife of the D i
v ine W ill . by the Facult Reafon, bywhich it is d ifiinguilh
’d h is pol i ti ve
Precepts , which are made known by fw
pernatural Revela tion . I (hal l now un o
derta ke to lhow,by wha t Steps and c lear
Inferences human Reafon may trace ands
d ifcern . theOrigin of our D uty prefcri‘b’dan d d ié’rared by Na ture as refpefiing God,
. .Maa himfelf, and h is Neighbour,
“
L‘i i w s hf N ati v e s . 375
as - an intel ligent Being, has -
the
percci the T ruth of a firfi,
to c a lculate, corn
ipare, and by inferring one Propo l i tion fromanother, to form a coherentT ra in of Con
c lul ions.‘
By virtue of this Facu lty he cancontempla te God, a s a caufelefs, indepen
p
den tMind, and therefore Al l - fufficient in‘
b imfe lf ; and as the Author'
of a l l Beingsin
'
the‘
Un iverfe, wh ich he created -
our of
N othing : And then by FerCe‘
Of this
S elf-ev identMaxim,that nothing can
'
give‘
to another, what- it has not in it felf r to
give, he mutt eafily infer, that a ll the
Gmdnefs, Energy, L ife, and I nte ll igence,communicated to his Creatures, mufi be
found in an eminent way co llected in thisUncreated, Self- exifient Mind, who mul’ttherefore be polfef
’t of a l l poll ible Perfecti'
ou. It is ,
therefore the DuryofMan to form jufiand right
Conceptions of his Author,a nd entertain the mod honourable and e
ievatEd ea of the D iv ine Being, that itvia poilible for h is Faculties by their ut
mofi Efforts to Conceive. He ought to
contemph te, admire, and adore the inef
fable D ign ity and Exce l lence of h is Na .
ture : To bow down his Soul in the pro
foundeit Submiflion, arc
h
the Thoughts of
B 4
F i r]? Law ofN a ture .
376"An E 5 5 A Y upon the
h is Greatnefs and UnapproachableMajefly .
To ce lebrate h is Pra ifes ,'
and magnify h isunl imited and independen t Power, W ifdom and Goodnefs ; in Converfa tion withOthers to (peak of h im and h is gloriousAttributes
‘
with the h igheft E fi eem, and
molt rel igious Venera tion T o propagate
and fupport the Belief of his Exiftence,a nd his infinite Perfefi ions { To conf ine and
d ifcountenance the petulant and prophane
D eriders of Rel igion , and expofe the un
ers to Reafon and Philofophy. It is ev i
dent tha t th is i s theW ill of God, thatwe{hould think of him as he is, and not te
a fa lfe Idea . T h is thenr
is'
thc h rli Lawof Nature difcover
’
d by the L ight ofReafon .
T H U S much is due to God confider’
din an abfolute Senfe : But if we contemrplate h im under the feveral Relations hebears to Man
,we {ha l l fee with Ad i ra
tion the Streams of Mora l D uties refai tmg, as natura l Emanations, from thofe
Founta ins, and propaga ting their Branchesin d i f’nnEt Order and beautiful Variety .
a N aMan reflects,that he has re
cei v d h i s Eigiflence from the Deity,and
a l l
i
378 Hit E - s'
s-
A it 14s the
but in
and Serv ice ”
of his
A N
'
D
'
when a Man confiders that Godi s l ikewife '
the Creator of all Other Ray
and Irranimate Natures ,and that'he : upholds their Beings by h isconfi ant Aid and Concurrence, as the un ijverl
'
aI Caufe, he W il l'
wixth cafe d ifcern ,that by ’
his Titles of C reation and Corg‘
fervation , he has the abi'
olute and plenaryR ight of
'
a Pin rietor in a ll OtherT hings,as wel l as in t n hini felf. T hat
"
he is
the Supream and fo le Lord of the Univ erfe
'
without L imitation or C ircurh fcript ion , and that a l l his Creatures areWho l lyh is own . What we mean by fay ing '
anyThing is one
’s own
,is perhaps better una
derfiood by that fimple T erm,as it hap
pens in many other Infiances , than bythe molt labour’d Defin ition : A
'
Power
to rule and difpofe of a th in a t one’s
Pleafure and D ifcretion, is impfiy ’d eden»
t ia l ly in the Notion of Propriety, or te
fults immed iately fromits Nature.
A N 1) therefore tho the inherent Goods
nefs of the D ivme Nature incl ines h i ’
m a l
ways to do good to Men, and not to trea t
them
Law's 0f‘
rNA T UR F-‘
o 379them hardly, or make
he lhouldabfoiuiely and without
,
Rs
OW“; ih Jufilycomplain Ofany Wren This
,
I fay , had been their d not theirMak er accepted to be the ir Governor,and thereby declar’
d he,would rule them
by Laws as Rationa l Creatures ; . by whichhe has {igni Pleafure, that he wi l ln0t ufe and of Men as he is their
un limited Lord and Proprietor, but wi lldea l with them as aMagifirate and Judge,and reward and puni lh them according to
their Submiflion or D ifobed ience to hisPrecepts .
F R O M th is Rela tion of God as uni
verfa l Proprietor of the World,the fol
lowing Duties ev idently arife ; That we
fhould acknowledge h is Sovera ign and uh
rel’train’d Domin ion ,
as he is the Owner
of a l l T hings. That we {hould acquiefceand remain fa tisfy
’d, however it pleafes
h im to make the Repartition of States and
Kingdoms, to canton the World amonh is C reatures, and confer Domin ion , Pofefiions, and Honour on whom
,and in
what meafure he th inks fit. We lhould
nor be uned y, or look with an env ious
Eye on others, who are Wea lthy, Greard,
an
3 80 An E S S A Y upon-the
and Profperous, the we fee no D i ll iné‘cion
of Parts; Vertue, or‘Merit, that fhould
entit le them to l uch? Advantages, or ever
made,
ir -
probablethey fhould be (0 happyand fuccéi
'
sful : We lh’
ould fit down con
tented with the D ifiributionmade byv ine Prov idence, when we confider that
our Maker gives nothing but what is en
t irely"h is Own ; and that therefore we te
ceive no In jury fromhis Conduct. He has
Authority to a l lor to every Indiv idua lwhat Portion of the good Th ings of thisL ife he pleafes, and to continue them as
long in their PolTefii on a s he th inks con
v en ient ;-
and therefore we fhould a c t byFraud or V iolence invade the Fences of
another’s R ight.
T H O the Property of Men in refpeEt
of God is delegated and precarious, yet inrel
'
peE’r of Men it is prOteEted and guardedby the Law of Nature againfi the En
croachments of Force and Deceit. T his
Property is origina l ly founded in the D i
fl inc’tion'
or Indiv idua l ity of Perfons ; forevery Particular hav ing a R ight to h is ownL ife, and it being the W i l l of God that
he lhould mainta in and preferve his L ife,he has a jufl C la im to (0 much as is ne
cellary to a ttain this end . And this ge;
nera l Right is fometimes determined by ‘
feiz ing
382 . An gE s s A”
? afar: tbe‘
Enjoyments ofL ife ; ‘
that h es our Ca lamities, rel ieves ‘
preven ts our
Pears, fupports our - Hopes , and
or mitigates our‘
Pa in and T rouble ; the
Inference w il l be unavoidable, that we
IhOUld efl eem and love him as ohr Fa
ther, ourPa tron , our Proteél or, and grea t.
Cfl: Benefafl or : Tha t we lhould admire »
and praife h im for .b is Goodnefs,h is gra
cions,
D ifpol i tion and Benevo lence,and
make a l l poflible Returns that become a
grateful -Mind to one that has done Us fci
much Good ; to whom we are indebtedfor whateverwe olfefs, and on whomWedepend for a ll hings tha t we hope to
en joy . T hat we fhould thankfully “
ac-s
knowledge him a s the Author of our floua,rifhing and profperous Condition , a nd ofa l l the Succelfes and happy Events thathave a ttended our InduPtry and Endea .
y ours,and fhould employ our Power and
P len ty, and In terell among Men , for the
Honour and Serv ice of our‘
great Benefacl or. That we ihould rely “
on his gracions Nature and readinefs to do us good,even under the feverefl D ifpenfations ofhis Prov idence ; invoke him in Danger,t rui’t
'
h im in D ill refs, and in the midfl ofT rouble and Ca lamity ca ll upon him theBurden of our Sorrow ; and by the un
fhaken
L a ws-
af? NA T iJ RE . ggg.
flraken B e lief of h is Compaéffion and Good:net
'
s, and tha t he is ab le and wi l ling to
as from our Experience-of . his merciful
Nature and pa terna l Pity, we ihouldmakehim our Refugeand the Foundation of our}
Hope.
T H e Author d Nature has imnds fo great a d ifpofit ion
ful, and the Judgment and D eterminat iomof Rmfon are (0 full and poli tive about it,that noth ing which we a re Obl ig
’d to per
form appears fo c lea r, eafy and reafonable aD uty . Hence a l l Mank ind in a ll Ages
have condemn'
d and detefied I n ratitude ,as the mod unnatural
, motif
ecoming,and odious Crime
H a N’
c e forne lmVe made it a Q ueli iori ,whether a Man '
does nOt l ie under aMoral Obl iga tion to
'
efieem, love, and pra ife
a Benefactor, without refpeé’t to a ny Law
or Precept concern ing it ; and if it. were
pofiible for me to conce ive how there canbe any Duty which does nor refult from
Q ue na tie , non Comi ta tem non berrignita tcm, n on
gra tum a n imum, Benefici ique memorem n on d i l i gi t2
Q ua: fupetbo s , quz ma lefioo s quart c rudc les , qua: i ngra tosn on afperna tur, non od i t ? C ir . i t Leg .
1.
3 84 An E S 3 A Y,
upon the
fome Command of a sGovernor who en‘
joins it, or tha t any Guiltman be contraéted a
w ithout D ifobedience to {ome Rule prefcrib
’d,
.I think Gratitude would appear a
V ertue, and Unthankfulnefs a Crime in a
confpicuous manner. But fiuce it is fojolt, fo natura l, and fo laudable a thing to
be thankful for good Cflices done, and Fa
vours receiv’
d ; upon this account we ma
jufily affert, that it is o ne of the c leared;and mofi early D ifiates ofRea i
'
on whence
it appears to be a pla in Declaration of theMind andW i l l ofGod ; and therefore Grat itude is a mod evident Law of Nature.
Of MOR A L O B L I G A T I O N s re
C o ma now to the Duties which te
fpefl: our felves , and (ba l l eflablilh'
them on their natura l Foundations. TheIdea of Creator unavoidably implies the
N otion of Goodnefs and Benevolence to
h is Creatures ; and therefore when we
confider him. as fuch, that is , as one that
wi lh es wel l to Ma nk ind,intends good
to t hem, and de li res their Happinefs, wemay infer w ith the clearefl Ev idence, tha t
i t ishis W i l l that Man Ought to do goodto h iml
'
elf, and to ufe a l l Means in h is
Power
7386? gut
/
13mEe ls Awmpm five
11take
it‘
as a l loWid 'f tha t,Man : is er a‘Morafl
Obl igation'
to purfue i t;Tr
- l m i
4 ha s highefii Interefiga'
nd firfi DUty of
Man, "
that'
t'
refpea s . .h im , is . to difcem
and make c hoice of 7the true final Objeé’t
bf hiS LHappinefi, whioh l'can fbe no other
than the Supreafii Be ing w ho, to fpeak inml the:Manner ofl i uman Coh
and i ntended h imfelf a sofMar; ea ad
’
aoooéd iligl’
yMind . with !d acities a to
ove, and ienioy a h is Maker,whence h is perféfl
'Fél ioity uw'
ohlda lly f‘refulti l I t : is aOplhinfihah iFefiatiOEflthe'W il]of: the C reatoigfl iihati
‘hi s Creatu’
re
{hmild aél: : ih ; Q oh forin ity ah‘
dmgreernentto. the Principlestimplarltewin
‘
2his C Q flfilfimulch, and pfirfhe they urpofes i o
’
rawhk he h im
'
ifuitable Powersm'
nd ? D i cy
T hat zMam fhould l behave‘ fh imlbecomes? a r-efaforlable Being,
l'ft31at
he 'fhould . texerc ife ‘h ils iFaetflties fonJ thei rmeal excellen t and;
l‘
pnoper Objects,”
e, admire; lovel and a dore theEfficie nt an ktii if
-Z‘na lf
-(Zau
L A W S éfi‘NAT UR -
E . g87That a l l h is De li res , Aims and
fs lho'
uld in a due'
Subordina o
ireE’ted to h is Honour and Ser‘
v ice ; and tha t the Cha in and Connexi on
of inferior and {Uperior Ends fhould be
k ept unbroken , and never terminate till
they reach the highefi, tha t is, the bleflC reator. T hat he fhould nOt debafe the
D ign ity of h is Nature,and pro l i itute his
elevated C apacity , by forming anys mean
D efigns and Schemes of L ife unbecoming and unworthy of a Be ing endow’
d w ith
T hought, Reafon and a Self-de termin ingPrinciple, created and q ua l ify
’d’
mmakeh is Div ine Author
’
h is ch ief. Felic ity ; forthat would be to
‘
rob God of his Honour,by’
reparating his Creature fromJtha t
'
de
pendance and fubferv iency'
tO'
h imfe lf; i nwh ich he has plac
’d h im,
‘
and as muchas in Man l ies to difappoint h im of his
-Defignd in Crea t ion .
A N D it is farther e v ident, that Man
flaonild own a nd ch ufe the Author of hisBe ing
‘
a s his chief and ultima te End fromth is Confide ration
,T hat the Fel ic ity and
“
utmofi Perfection of hi s Nature confill s inth is C hoice . Th e hi pream Being on ly hasGood nefs fuitabie and adequate
:
to the‘
Fattuh ies of an i nte l ligen t Nature commenfura te to h is wideft Ca pacities and
C c 2 mol’t
3 88 An E S S A Y 24pm the
molt extenfiveDefires,a lways prefent and athand, and lah ing and durable as his Be
“
In ibort, fince the D iv ine Being On lyand wi l ling to fuccour and fupport h im, to
prevent h is D angers, rel ieve him in, Di
firefs, fupply his Wants, and ra ife h is Na
ture to a State of Perfefiion , - he on ly,
Can
be the fina l Objefi and the fupreamGood,the Poffefiion of which mul’t be his Happinefs.
A N D we are in polTe ll i on of this fu
pream Good when our F aculties bear a
perfefl-C onformity'
to h is W i ll , and we
a ttain the highefi S imilitude to the D iv ine
Nature that our own can bear ; which,tho unattainable here, is the reafonable anddelighful Expeétation of good Men in a.
Future State of L ife for when we have a l lthe Knowledge of the C reator which our
Underl’tandings are capable of receiv ing,we en joy the Beatifick V ifion ; and whenwe love h im with a l l the Powers of theSoul
,we are in Heav en , or a State .
of PerfeE’tion . From the Operations of our. Fa
culties about their fupream Good , refultstha t firong , ferenc, and pure Pleafure, thatineffable Complacency and Ful lnefs of Joy,wh ich produce confummate B l ifs : and thisiswhat we mean by the Poffeflion or Fruition of the SupreamBeing.
3 90 An E S S A Y upon the
T H E R E was‘ a fl ra nge v ariety of Opi
n ions in the ancien t Schools of the Greek
Philofophers abour the s amm 801mm,
or fupream Gond . Some contended withV ehemence , tha t nothing could be efleem’
d
Good but what wa s vertuous ; . and Others
Warml dil‘
p'
uted for the Goodnefs of o
therT ings, as Hea l th, Honour, and Pollfadi ons . Ciéero
'
,asModerator, endea vours
to accommodate the Ma tter, and recon
c ile the Pa rties, by fi atin theCon troverl'
yin th is manner : Tho e
, [a]; be, who
maintain nothing is Good but Vertue, takeGoodnefs
,in a Mora l Senfe, and (0 their
Notion is ri ht ; and thofe who contend
fer the GOO nefs of Other Things a re to
be underflood in a Phy l ica l Senfe, as meanin
g,that fuch Th ings are conven ient, ufe
fu or advantageous to Mank ind ; and
thus, fins be, thei r Con trOVerfies a re moreaboutWords than Things . Another Seera lferted
,that Pleafure wa s the ch ief Good,
which they plac’d in the I ndolence of the
Body, and Tranquil ity of theMind . Buc
i t is terra in tha t human Fel icit cannot
con l i lt in InaEi ion, orhérwife en i n a
Swoon,a deep S leep, or a fenfelefs Lo
thargy , would be extreani ly happy . But
had their Affert ion been , that PleafureWas the fupreamGood, and had they ma
de
t at
L a we of N A TEUR E . 3 9 ;
that Fleefilre arife o r refult tfromconfnmo
matey Pri‘ety and - Vertuefi and the highefgW i t
H a v i n’
G thus c learly Ihevvn , tha t
God‘
is the chie£ _Good andfl dtimate End
ofMan ; it dm as clearly fol low,that
Man a fhould f acknowl edge and chufe h imas fuch. T hat we , lhould prefer him in
our Bfieem and Delire above , a l l otherT hin
gs
~ T hat we‘lhould make him the
Obie of o ur molt ardent , finceref andexa lted L ov
‘
e ; Think on him with that
De light. and Comp lacency with which
Men con templ ate the Things in which
they place theirHappinefs ;maintain a . fa
and Correfpondence withh im; and; by imitating h is Perfections,firive to refemb le h im ; that from a Simil itada of Natures he may appear moll;amiable to us, and we agreeable and pleafmg to him .
W H E N ihe Underfianding direéi s a ndapprovewand the W i l l is .hn
’d and de
fw'min’
d in the Choice o f the D i v ine Being, as the [W W Beam . and the .
fina lObiet
‘t of~
om'Happinefs ; when al l t he ia
action PoWers of ; the Soul,“
the Baffions,C c 4 Appc
3 92 o
'
An E 3 3 a t ripen the“
Appetites, and‘
the Senfes,* a
‘
re mov’d
fupen oi‘
chmmandingity to tt gD iv ine P re
f
cepts d iPcated by right vRea lbh : W henth is end , I fay ,
‘
~
’
is iprincipal ly and preva
lently in tended in a l l our D efigns, Aimsa nd Endeavours,
‘
and'
conli antlyand - regu
larly purfu’
d fthrough thewhoe Series oftour Aftions,
‘ in a l l the S tages and S chemesof L ife, there arifes in the Mind fuch
‘
ih
exprefhble Satisfafl ion and D iv ine Plea :fure, as are far better fe lt by the Poflcfi
'
or;than exprefs
’
d by the mofi l ively - Repre
fentation ofWords. The uT ranquility and
D elight that flow from the Harmony and
mora l Rea itude of the Faculties, and piousEmotions of the Mind, are l ike the Plea
-fure’
and Alacrity which a re felt from a
Seule of L ife, Hea lth, Strength and V i.gor, refulting from the Abundance and V i-
vacity-
of the Spirits in‘
a\
happy Confiitution of Body . W hen a ‘Ma n is confcious
t hat he
fplea lies the Author of his Being, he
cannot a il of being pleas’d with h imfelfwhen he is fure that he efl eems, deli resand feeks the Polle llion of h im as the fina lomen of his Fel icity , ~ that he does in a
preva lent'
degree d irect his Actions to thisEnd, and has therefore a reafonable Ex
pectation of ac a iring : et lafii the en joy
ment of hisWi es ; when , I“
fay,~
a Man
18
3 94 fie E s s a v upon the
ann ihilates the ufefulnefs of h is Being ; a ndbecoming -a n impertine'
nt and i licant
Crea ture, he i s
Sen fe look’d on a s deceas’d
,
among the Dead . And is it mm more“
defirable to - l ie mould
’
ring and corrupt ingf in
the Grave, than to carry about a pu‘
tred
Mind inter’d/
in a l iv ing Body ?
N o n do Men by w t chuling the Sn
pream Being for their fina l Good ,'
-makethemfelves on ly ufelefs Parts, exorbitantand l ifelefs Excrefcences of the World
,but
they l ikewife become hurtful and pern i
cions ; if they are nor for God they are
aga in f’t him,
if they are not h is Friendsthey are h is Enemies ; and if they dopromote the End a nd Purpofe of their Exifience, . of necefli ty they mull thwart andoppofe i t. And what a Figure mufi 3.
Be ing make in the C reation , that declaresh imlelf '
an Enemy to h is Maker, refi ll s
and traverfes h is D efigns, and as much as
in h im l ies di l’turbs the Peace and fubvertsthe Foundations of the D iv ine Governmen t ? And is it nor eafy to fee tha t fuchE normities a re forbidden by the D ifiatesa nd Laws of right Reafon ; and
tthat to
avoid ; themw e are oblig’
d to eiteem‘
,love,
and feek the En joymen t of f our Maker as
our . fina l Fel icity .
ME N
LSAW S { NA T UR E 3 9;
re therefore obl ig’d tb direEt a ll
and Endeavours to this Mark ,noScheme ofLife that does
not ma intai n a due Connexion of each ihferior with the‘ fupreatn End.
H a that flops ibort i n his Bfieem and
Love, defiroys his fubordination and de
pendance on h is Author, as h is,
fovera ignGood and Happinefs depofe'
s,
hi s Lord and
BenefaE’ror, and, advances fome created
Thing, which hei '
values more, and lovesbetter, to h is Throne and D ign ity ; beeither idol iz es his own (h i al ifica tions, ordeifies his Gold , or pays d iv ine Adorationto the P leafures of Senfe,
A s God is the firfl efficient Caufe fromwhence proceed a l l the Powers and ope
rative .P rinciples, wh ich are pro ated
through the long Series of fecond an fub
altern Caufes ; fo l ikewife he is of need“
firy the fina l Objeél , to which,after a ll
their ion C irculation and V ariety of Mo
tion and aration , they mufl return And
as in a Phyfical manner all the Beings o f thean imate and inan imate World
,a l l Energy
and aa ive Springs con fpire to promote th i s
purpofe fo the noble Principle of Though t,the Power of Perception and Self-deter
mina
3 96‘
An‘
E s s a‘
Y upon the
mination in .Man, fhould be fubfervientand
'
direéi ed to the fame End . If our
Aé‘
rions therefore do nor flow from a ious
Principle ofObedience to the D iv ineLaws,and are not a lfo a im’
d and direfied to h ima s our chief Good and ultimate
,
End, let
theMatter of thembe ever (0 fpecious and
i llui’trious, the cannot pretend to anyMora l Goodne s, as wanting their relationto the chief End; which is the v ital andafl
'
entia l Principle that quickens and informsthem,
and whence they are confi rmedMO!ral and Religious.
AN D fuppofing the regular Cha in andbeautiful Connexion of fina l Caufes is interrupted, before it reaches our D iv ine
A‘
uthor as the ultimate End, am on ly no
P iety, Vertue ‘
or Goodnefs wil l be foundin thofe Actions, bl l t on the con trary, theywi l l be mora l ly Ev il , being irregul ar andrepugnant to the Rules and D ifiates ofright Reafon . If my Neighbour careliesme with great Expreffions of Kindnefs,does me good Offices, and confl antly heapsn ew Favours upon me, but in the meantime has on ly h is own Interef’t in V iew,
and'
intends no good to me, but in
"
the
end to make me ufeful to h imfelf, can he
be accounted my Friend or efi eemkl myBenefactor ? In l ikemanner if a Man by
h i s
298 2474!’
E S 8 A Y upon the
Appearances, and with unwearied A‘
ppii.“
ca t ion has fearch’d
'
and la id open a ll : theSprings ofMorion, and form
’
d lu
a n
able Syflem of Natura l Science; we applaud the Poet, who enterta ins and
'
in .
firué’ts the .World with good Senfe
'
and
beautiful Exprefiion, recreates the Readerw ith an Effufion of W it
‘
and Humour,and fhews the
'
greatefi regard to D ecencyand Vertue, arrfing fromh is true T afie
and right Judgmen t of Men and Things :(N or do . we lefs commen d the Mora l ifi
,
~W ho teaches the People the unwritten Prec epts of Re ligion and the Obliga tion . of
m tural Duties , with c lear '
perfuafive E
c hiefly aim the«R eputa tion of aMan
~
of great Genius, te
f i n’d P arts, and uncommon Erudit ion; he
‘
on ly makes h is court to h imfe lf and coments hisown Perfeé’rions ; and the the
Actions be ever fo(a nd , amiable, yet per-th
'
eir r ight End, an
cw fOOth‘
Z'
hiSs'
OW fl
ev i l and irrelig ious .
» t_
h is Subjeétjn the E s S'Ai lY. upon F A t s E
V E R T U E,to which I refer the R eader,
and fhould nor repea t any rhino here, did
not the Ground-Wonk and a ll the Strength- that fup
'
ports our Ram and Happinefsrely
L aws"
of N A T UR E . 399rel y on
“the r ight Choice of our ultimateEnd . This is the fi rf’t true and neceffaryStep
. in pur way to B lefiednefs ; and if th isis nor taken right;
1- al l our’
Motions, De
figns, and Schemes of L ife wi ll not on lybe an impertinent Train . of E rrors ; but
nor bav in our ch ief End in view,What.
ever w'
c o in the who le Courfe of our
Afiions, we {ha ll go backward and oh
a we: and oppofe our Duty and Interef’tf
B e s‘
rofi 5, if We afpire after the'
great
efi Accompl ifhhrent of our Being,whichis but another Expreflion for our
‘
eonfumr
mate Felicity, we {hal l‘
fee'
our'
{el ves oh~
l ig’d '
ro contemplate‘
the D iv ine ~Nature,and
”
to'
imitate h is PErfefi‘ion'
S . For fincc
the Notion'
of a God"
impl i65"
a "PotfeEmoft all
'
pofiible .
Pe'
rféfi ion , th'
efihbare'
r weapproach to him, and the greater our Refemblance of him
'
is, themore exa l ted rhufl:
be our Minds ; and when our Conformityto ohis Nature is '
as‘ ful l and rear "as our
Faeulties are ca ble'
of receiv ing,have then atta in d their greatefi Per
one aHehce‘
the imitation of the J’
D i v ine
Puriey,‘
Iufiice, Mercy , Compafiion, Forgivenefs, P atience; and Beneficence , whichtend
‘to f orm in us
=a God - l ike Temper of
Mind,
- Condeces'
d irec’tly to'
our’
cdmplea tHappinefs ; and hence the Moral 'Obl iga
t fl S
400 An E s S A Y upon the
t fl S to perform thofe Duties is very masn ifefi'
w
AN D as our Sidiil itude,
to the St} reamB eing l
rn the EXercife of Vertue, ta'
es and
ennobles our Nature, fo it is a neceifaryMeans
e
to qua lify usg
fo'
r the Fruition pfh im, that is, of becoming Happy ; forLove being the Faculty by which we en
joy any Object, if our Natures are wickedand fiagitious, they are oppol i te and un l iketo that of the, Deity And fince the effen
tia l Idea of Felicity confifls in the D el ightand Comlacency that reful ts from the
mash an {i ron ef’rOperations of Love toour Maker, an the reciproca l Senfe ofh is Benevolence to us, noMan without a
L ikenefs and Conformity to the D iv ine Bei ng can p oflibly be happy ; and thus toothe Obligation of the Mora l D uties above-smention’
d is very ev ident.
T H 1 s Pofi tion beino fullydemonfirated,That
_the Fruition of
7
God by,the moft
perfect Operations of theMind, the clearef’tKnowledge, the h ighefiAdmiration , andmoft intenfe Love, whence
‘
Extafies o f
Joy and D iv ine Pleafure wi l l con l’rantlyflow
,is t he chief.End of Man ; it fol lows
w ith the plainel’r E v idence
, that iMan
fhould del ight himfelf in ther
“
40 2 An E s S A‘
Y upon; the
A s“
the cha fing our zMaker for our chief
Good, direE’tl y '
and ,immed ia tely regards
our Perfection and Happinefs,‘
fo'
the -infe'
.
riorDuties which refrteét our felvesfp la inly’
promote the fame‘
End, as they , . p'
r0cure
the Hea lth,of our B
’
od ies , as they ; ha ve ran
apparen t tendenc y to make us eafy . in our
Fortunes, and a re conducive to the Con tent
and Satisfaé’tio
’
n of theMind
u T E MRE R A N C E and Sobriety in the
Ufe of the Elea fures of Senfe,’
grea tlycontribute to the Hea lth and Indolenee of
the Body, and to keep it in an afi iVe ahd
vigorous by preventingmany dangerous and fatal D iftempers, theyprolong L ife, as they make it eafy . W hil ethe contrary V ices, R ior, Luxury , 5andimmoderate Gra tificazt ions of v o luptuousD efi res
,,- d ifiipa te
'
and exhaufi the Spirits,en feeb le the Body , a nd fhorten the D aysof the incon lidera te L ibert ine ; who net
on ly brings upon hi‘mfelf man y wafil ng
D ifiempers and Dea th it felf, but prOpa
ga tes and con veys h is D i feafes to his Ch i ldren
,and fettles a fad Ihheritance of'Pa in
a nd Sorrow on his miferable Po lterit'
y .
P rOm a righ t Judgment, that the V ertues
a bove- h amd grea tl y conduce t o ourHe a lthand Eafe, Epjmms
, who;plac’ct al l Happi a
nefs
Ell-AW qfiN Aa
'
IéiJ Ri
E . 40 3.
brieferib’
cl a
n’
d‘
v p fe; of them,as :
the? attainmentv‘of that =Endt
Sobriety and? Temperance?
promOte our Happinefs, by kee’
pin'
g‘
the:
Spirits l ively , the B ra in clear,
‘
the Imagi-s
by whi ch
means the -Mixfttl3 -‘has always apt . Infims .
ments for w‘
hileating, drinliin
'
g,‘
-"and
'
other Del ights of)
fi nfc,weahen, «offprefs,
'
and"
dull'
the r Spi
rits,and’ fb“c los?ud
‘t ll e Pfiad i With J Fumesg‘
or’ fiil
'
it withf v Pain'
l,th an the -Efietci l
'
ei ofour intel lea ua l -Eaeulties i s ahM
'
fufpen da
ed by. wh ich means we areFen degradéd ahd
’funk to the lbw Rfank‘
Of
meet - animals, and lofe the ‘ D ignityfi,
‘
byrating the ufefialnefs of intel ligent Beings fAnd
'
if all thole Breaks and 1Ch‘
afms ofL iferwhicl
'i ih - th is Senfe ate oecafion’d by
the‘
Moml'Errors of M‘
en‘
, were fum’
d
l ib; by ; jutt‘
Ca lculation it‘i would appearthat'theinW
’éés have robb’dJ them of!more
Hern ia rhamt now imag ine;
M’ci af fiio v efi,"
their exhefli vé Purfuits4t
s,‘J
.
ansaa gr‘
a a t ath let T ime; whit h mightlgfiée beet»happitwmployfd inl
'
tliein urerng
és i; or= iflfmi meMee
'
of- L eis
An E S 3 A ir,upon the
fure and '
plentiful Fortunes” ,in improv in
and adorn ing their Underl’tanding wiv a riety of Knowl edge,Efiares, or ferv ing their Coun t
fbort, in doing‘
much good to
and others .
T H E S E Vertues, togethenWith Frugal ity and Indufiry, greatly , contribute to
the Eafe and W ell - bein of Men, in pro
curing or preferving t eir Pofl'
efli ons byrefiraining their A ppetites, and bound ingtheir Pleafures ; whil l
’t b a prudent Ma
nagement they ,fave, an by good Oeco
nomy augment their Subfiance, on whichtheir own Comfort and the Profperity of
their Famil ies .fo much depend. But on
the other hand, .how does Luxur and a
v icious Conrfe of L ife promore t e con
trary Ends? How foon does it ruin a
fma l l Efi a te, and what Havock does it
make in the mo ll plentiful . And by th isW afie
.and D ifl ipa tion of their T rea fure,
how uneafy does it make them in theirFortune ? How often are they pinch ’
d a ndfireighten
’d in their Circumll ances, and
gorn pcl l’
d to defcend to mean and fordid,a nd
,
fometimes ev il Practices, to fupporttheir ‘Expcnce, and fupply the Demandso f their tyrann ica l Appetites ? Hence their.gl ifcon folate Families are imiaoverilh
’d,
their
LAn E a s A y . uj pnf tslie
ma l icious revengefulan aanmco ufiGooto
‘
1to be(3
unjuPtitiou.
-Man -
,can
'
l ieve thefe‘
i te Palfions are n
pa inful a nd uneafybe oneWho never fel t their
“
la‘
wlefs Power,W hoeve r -h as a
‘
experienc’
d their Domi n ionwi l l read il y compla in , that
‘
he“
has c it:
trea'
mly full erid, a nd been very i l l us’d hy
i b'
ele‘
unreafonable and . cruel Mafiers.Whenc
'
e
'
yit
‘ appears, that in order to Hap?»
w’
e iare under no lefsObligations
than to t efiram”
our petites.
B a s r
'
n‘r. s, l icentio,us
‘
and'
ung'
ov($10,a are
'
wé the
{ mugs Q GNA'
I‘UKE . 749 7
rand Upt oa tafiafiault with V io lence the T ribuna l
ments and Determinations made in coo lB lood, and pronounce new Decrees 1p fa
vour of the contra ry Side. D uring thist13 t and Infurrefiion of the Pa fli ons ,rmMind holds unfiead ily the Reins ot
W emmem,ti l l at h it her Authority 15
infulted and fufpended ; and 111 th is I nter
regnum,for fo th is In terva l of Confu l i
on may be R1I d, the D iEtates and Ope
rations of the fuper ior Faculties beingei ther fipprefs d or
“ dil'
regarded, the Mand ifhonours and y i l ifies the D ign ity of h is
Nature, and like the Beafis of the
F ieldafrw r an unreafonable Principle, and13 brutal
Inflinéh d if the V iolence of
at fo grea t a Degree,“quite to {ubvert the Exercife of Reafon
,
yet in whatever Meéfil re it gains upon
es, it wi ll in proportion difab le t he Underfiandi ng, and mifguide the Judgment ,
.whence our Afi ions wi l l become mega
l zar finger, Refentment, and Love rats 11to a cefs, by being an over Hu tch for the
Prudeace and Difcretion even of wifeMen,
often make them at} below the Superiorifry and Grav ity of theirCharaéi emnd bringthemdown to the ordinary Rank and LevelofMankind. D d 4 T HAT
408 f An -E s s a y upon‘
tlic
T n li t - exorbitant and un ruly Emotions oftheMind pervert the Judgment , and caufc
er‘
and Confulion l n the Operationsof the upper Faculties, is plain fromhence ,
T hat when the T ide fub l ides and the
Storm is blown over, our Minds in th is
ca lm and c ate Seafon condemn and te
feind the D ecifions, wh ich , during the
R ebel lion of the turbulent Pa llions, theyw ere mov’
d by Violence and Conflra int tomake.
Of MO R A L O B L I G A T I O N S in
S to the Duties incumbent on Man inh is Relative Capacities, their Mora l
Obligation comes now to be demonfirated .
We cannot contemplate the Author of ourB eing, bUt we mull conceive him fullof Good -W i l l
,and defirous of theWelfare
of Mank ind ; and he that makes th is Reflefiion w ill unavoidably difcern, that it istheW i l l of hisMaker that he lhould contribute to the Good of others, and promoretheir J Happinefs. And w il l further feeh imfelf obl ig
’
d to this, if he confiders‘
,that
becaufe God w illres‘
wel l to Men , andheaps B lefii ngs and Favours upon them, he
ni p AmEsse x s ome thé
S l i s ani l - { tfl ed : f r Bfi'
ZUC
m T u nsfl rdei' dfi thimD iziioeurfe"
rei
res,
thait l l lhparlzb newentemapdh‘the Ora l
tha tMen aremnder; cam‘ider’d
«smegma; p f a C iviifiociety,‘ a ndlmake{Hafiz Dutie
’
s'
iappear iwhioh'
Soveraigns .owe
t ofiubiefispfiub’
icfi s to SW Eraign s, ,0r.
fidbjeaz rto andrher i; hast i l h h ibe refervfidtwo dirli 'ifiorx
'
a’
difiin& o rD ifle rta tion , z.
ifll al l onl y iin f ithis piece imfififl n fthe lafi.
THE R E are many D uties from one
a . : s rMemherofa SnowymanOther,wh ich~dd lhoti tiefii itvfi
'
timHa rriett! h ams, but .fio’
w
immed iately fromthe Fomm in of Mmil iity , the L ight cdf Reafon
'0 F f thefieul memion‘d l fevemi in the the,igrnningxifixhisD ifconrfie, where l afiereed,twat def a
’
flowhere were D ivine l a ws anf'
tecedent‘
to.
aifl z flnuman au thority, a ndtrknow
'
ledgfd as!fud l hy a al l c fiat iommfi
World ; and from di citm mmm erc
Law'
s” many Q ua lit i’
mtheir'Morai .Goodnet's;e nmity; LCando r', Benevolenw,
° i Imegriry ,“
a nd Faithfuiriefs, of which e
‘
t he ‘Civii Ma
gifirate
O N E; Nei bound by thciDi
‘
Ei ates ofR e to p ity th e Sufierings ofnumber and .to mitigate his S orrow, to
‘
betouéh
’
d by h is LMis‘
fortunes,a nd rejoice A t
h is ? rol eri his'
D Utyta iup y
’
h i s N eighbours”
Wants . nd ;N e
cefli t ies, to a cqua i nt himwith'
h is ang er,and give him Afii
'
fi ance to prevent i‘
infirué’t h im, if Ignoran t, of
’
whatzfrelatesto his Happinefs, d i
‘
fl'
uade b imf'
froma vicions, idle, or .pern icious Cour
’
fe b f L ife,and excite him with conv inciq
‘
g ea lousand ‘important Perfuafions to em
gbr
'
a'
c'
e theWays
'
df Relig ion and _Vertue.
"
I t‘
is‘
his
E at to do .h im goodAli
'
e ion,‘
Beneficenceto fog ive
‘
Un‘
kindneTs; fiAe on'
ts,
‘
.Lahd l nmries, -u ou
'
the Stfbmi on and .Entreaty ofthe Qéedder ; to avoi Envy,
"Ma lice,andto love his“
.
Neigh bour as’
h im‘
.
far as to endea
pro
mo thefe"
Precepts
are eafori,‘
and theyare everyi
Man'
buglht to do to another, as he wouldb
‘
c
are‘
i
An Ess a y upon tbe
be d
not
mities of another,oi Tendernefs and
ther in want and nakeexpect,
‘
that if by the-V iciffitude of Ho'
rnan Affa irs he h imfelf lhould he broughtto the like Extremities, that his Neighbours lh ould eXprefs their Commiferationof his calamity, be troubled for h is Miffortunes, and admin if’terComfort and Supp l ies to his N ecefii ties ? Can any Man
reduc’d to
'
a low Condition , with reafon ,complain of W rong and V iolence, whow hen
‘
in Power and Plenty,opprefs
’d
h is Inferiors, trampled on their R ights,w refie
'
d from them their Goods, and witha n i ron avaricious H and griped the W idow and the Fatherlefs ? Can he expectto be
n for'
given, who is himfelf deaf andinexorable, and wi ll never pardon ? Canwho
'
del ights in Cenforioufnefs and Dejufiice hope that his Honour
“
and'
g'
ood Name {bould be guarded by 0
thers ? This Axiom,that ever Man fhould
another as he would e‘
us’d h im
felf, is‘
a l low’d by , genera l Confént to,
bea Rule
'
of Afl ion that a l l Men‘
ought toobferve.
. And its Reafonablenefs or moral Obl igation is clearly deduc’
d from its
u ltimate End, the'
Honour of
Being; auth the Fel icity . an d .
Human Na ture .
8m e: a by the natural Ditfia tes of'
Right
Reafon it is ev idenn uhat'
the Supream:Being is
-ehe Gofi
ofl Mankind; and }
rules the iWorld by ded ar’
d . Laws ; and:
l ime Judgment is aineceli
‘
ary' Branch of.
Government, it follows w ith the c learel’tE v idence,, that God; by zbeing the Ge nera
nor 08Man, , becomes h is fovera ignand there fore'wi ii
Creature whom: ii
and' wi l l acquit , or condensi ng) pun ilhn orreward him in proportion to his (Obadiaence
,or D eviation from the Rule of his
. t am
N ow'
rt 18 v ery pla in , than i in i this
L ife God: ereé’ts moi -Tr ibunai for
'the iris
partia l zDifiribution o£ . lReward’
s and ‘P’
W
n i lhments r he, byt no folemn o Sentence
c lears the l imocent, on c on demns . the
Crimi nalr n or con fignd thenr to alm of
Happi nefs'
or.Mietyn faccord ing
f. to their
D emeanori; w hich I »have when : notice bfin
'
anotim slfi ffay.
4,
M of man “file and good‘Men
, be
fides fob.
andt i d, that the impiousCon temners of 'Religion , and Men of an
immora l and difl'olure Life, nor onl y gounpunifh
’d in their impudent and enor
mous V ices, but'
thrive and profper in
an eminent degree ; and after a long L ifein Hea lth , P lenty, and Plea fure
, go down
to the Grave in Peace : W hi le, on the o
ther hand, thole who have ertprefs’d the
finterelt Zea l for R e ligion, and deferv'
d
wel l of their Country by their excel lentExamples and oon l’tant Courfe '
of vertu
ous and great Aa ions'
, have been defam’
d,
Opprefs’d, and expos
’
d to a l l the Suffer
ings and Ca lamities that the W it of theirEnemies
'
could invent, and their Crueltymare Now to v indicate the jufiice ofGod, the Honour of h is Gov ernment, hisLove to Vertue, and the Purity of his Na
ture ; what can be a l ledg’
d but th is, That
he has referv’d for another .W orld the
great Day of Accompt, when a l l Men
{ha l l appear before'
h is Judgment-Sea t,there to be confign
’
d by an impartia l Sentence, to a S tate of Mifery or Happinefs,
‘
according to their pafi Demeanorl
41d An E S S A? upon flie
AN D indeed the Remorl'
e and Troublethat wicked Aé
’
tions leave in the Mind .
of theCriminal, as wel l as the Chearfnltnefs and inward Pleafure that fol low the
Practice ofVertue, very much facil itate our. ,
Belief of a Future D ay of Accompt. Menwho di lhonour and v i lify their excel lent,Nature, by overturn ing the Government ;and defpifing the D iv ine Authority of
R ight Reafon, and fuller themfel ves to beled away and rul
’
d b their an ima l -1mfiinE’ts and v icious Pa 1005 , nor on ly re
fleét on their Guilt and Pollution w ithShame and D iffatisfafl ion ; butmore, theya re often affrighted with the Apprehen
fion of D iv ine D ifplea l'
ure, fill’d with fe.
cret Fears and terribleEXpeéi ations of Euture Puni lhment. And tho perhaps fomefew hard and del
'
perate L ibertines, by frequent Ali
'
ronts and Inful ts offer’
d to thei r
Reafon, repeated V iolations of the Lawsof Nature and a long Co‘
urfe of Vice,have, perhaps, fatally fucceeded in their
Attempts, and in a great meafure fi ifledtheir inward L ight, and fufpended theAd
mon itions of their Reafon, yet the geneta l ity of Mankind, upon their CommifiionOf great and enormous Crimes , are haunted .
w ith an inward Remorfe, and a dreadfulProl
'
peé’r of Future Vengeance.
T H I S
An E s’
s a r npon the
w ith the Opinion of the Favour of the
Gods ; and that they would, in the end,a ll ert the Juii ice of theirGovernment, byappoin ting a different I lfue to a vertuous
and wicked L ife.
I r the univerfa l and righteous Gover.nor of the World mul’t convene a l l the
Nations of his Subjeé’ts before h im as their
fupream Judge, to reward the d i ligentobfervers of h is Laws, and punilh thofe
who l iv’d in Guilt and D ifobedience ; then
i t plain l y fol lows, that there muii be a
State of L ife after thi s, in which al l De
grees and Ranks ofMen mul l be broughtupon their Tria l.
A N 13 if there be a Future State of L ife
and a Day of Accompt, it wi l l be a clea rD ifi ate of Natura l L ight, thatMensMindsfhould bemore taken up with the T houghtsof this great D ay , a nd the Conf uch ees
of it,than w ith a l l the Affairs an Con;
cerns of th is World. T hat Men woulde ither find out fome way to ann ihi la tetheir Be ings , or concea l their Crimes, Ore lude the iuii and irreverfible Sentence ofthe Supream Judge ; or if that cannot bedone, to en ter upon fuch a v ertuous Conrfeof L ife
x
as wi l l a lone a va i l them in fuchan Hour
,and is a lone able to {come them
from
L AW S of N A T UR E . 419D ifpleafure. I f thofe, who
dulge themfelves in fenfualthe Purfuits of Wea lth and
Power, and never reflect on a Future State,would deliberate and caftT hings together,would lay in one Sca le of Reafon their
prefent uncerta in and tranfien t En joymen ts,and in the Other
,the immorta l Sta te of
Pa in and Mifery, which wi l l be the cer
the
cymufi be infin itely li upid, and their
Ju gwents muff be biafs’
d and oven»
power’d to Amaz ement by the v io lence
of their Pa llions,or difabled and bl inded
by their v icious Habits, if they cannot i n
fuch a Cafe (to where their Safety and
Interef’t
UP O N T H E'
0 R I G I
O F
I V I L“
ER E Mank ind difengag’d
fromthe Obl igations and
Refiraints of Po l itical Governmen t , the World
would become a deplor
able Sea t of Uproar andConful ion ; Crue lty and
zlmufiice, Avarice and Ambition fe‘
t at L i
berty , would make the K ingdoms of the
E e 4 Earth
434
the bi
H
was
a teh‘
of'
Me uld
be precarious and,
a lways l ie Open to I n
fults and Rapine front a more powerfulAggreffor, fo their Minds would con tinue
barbarous and uncultivated, ‘
without'
the
Improvemen ts of Science, and the Orna
men ts of Pol ite Arts . which are h igh lybeneficia l to Mank ind . T o prevent thefe
E v ils and advance the Fel icity of Man,
the P leafure of the Supream Be ing, owho
W i lh es thei Happinefs and profperous State
o f his Creatures, is apparent that Men
{hould form Societies“
and infl itute CivilGovernment .
Being has ma'
de Man
k ind fociable, and fit for Gov ernment, Tothe Indiv idua ls depend fo far upon one
another for mUtua l A lfili an '
ce, and'
th e
‘
Ddultitudes of Particula rs
l Happinefs Jot“
, the W holewi le Creator: ;in tended
‘
t he Prefetvationn
end‘Gond s ot- .Men,
.he :mufb l l ikewife t inf
tend
42 §‘
JAnnE s s A "
Y upon- flou r .
Engineers lh oul d fharply'
contend for anyone Plan orModel of Fortifica tion , asnecefl
'
ary ormofi’ conven ient for every Townor P lace of D efence, let theD ifpofi
‘
tion or
Nature of: the Ground be everTo Un like.Tha t Formof Governmen t wh ich may bemon ufeful, and therefore mol
’t eligible to
fome Nations, may -hé very improper andinconvenient for Others, who, in refpeé
’t
of their S ituation ; their ineighbouting Potentates;
~ i .the T emper o f the People, theE xtent of theirTerritoi ies, and theirT raftick - and Commerce, are in very d ifferentCircumli ances . For this Reafon all Speciesof Government are lawful ; and it is the
Duty of .Men, if at l iberty , to chufe that
w h ich is molt exped ient, if they haveT ime to deliberate ; and to do what theya re able; if . they are u fOrc
’
d, as it often
happen s, to hudd le up a Confiitution in
ha l’te for the ir immed iate Security .‘vV H E N any Species of Government is
chofen a nd‘
confented to, the D iv ine.un
written Cominand, tha t made it theD uWof Men -to enter into Societies, .wil l 'o bl igethem to pay
‘
Obedience . to it. 1
T H E D ivine Being:as the Supream
Governor of Manktn fi nd of a ll Civi l‘
Societiesf xgiv’m to thofe Communitb s,
that
Origins
gof g t v l
l L . PO W E R . 427Authoritywhich are
in refpeéi of the K ing of
ofe of
élor
fporatig
l s and Com.
'
es are in t efpe o the vetai Ma
?tfin
rate of any
~
Nation . T he ComfiiflionorCharter of the Moderator of theWorldto human Legillators, by which they areempower
’d to makeOrders and Rules forthe Peeple, ,
is demonfi rated from his Precept, reveal
’
d b the L ight of Reafon ,that Men lhoul form Societies : which
cannOthe done, unlefs fome or one govern ,and the refi: are oblig
'
d to obey ; and if
there mull be Governors, they muf’t becndow’
d with Authority to make Laws ;for mull be al low’
d a fufli cient Power
to pe orn i their Duty, orherwife theywould he oblig
’d to do fomething impoffiblel Power they cannot have but
h om the uncontefied Fountain of a l l Le
figative Authority , that is, the fupream
narcl'
r'
of theWorld ; for he being the{bia nn iverfah and abfolute Lord and Ru
1‘
Of: A ! It is as IDIPOHIDIC to have
govern ing Power any otha ' waythan fi'om his Charter and Commifl ion ,as it is for a Conti able, a Jul
’tice of Peace,
or Corporation of Men, to poffefs anyCieil Authority but wh at is communicated$042l from the fupream Magifirate
1it C
the Country; ‘
Let
D iv ine Be ing a s a GPeople of t he Earth a s h is
great‘
C ity of the World,hder particular” K ingdoms ~
and Soveraign
States, as‘
Parts and Members,
of his uni‘
l imited : Empire, and‘
we {h a l l prefentlyfee that a l l thefe Poten
'
ta tes are but h is
inferior Officers; D elega tes, or V ice- toys,and therefore can have no Power but whatthey derive from their fupreamLord and
Magili rate . Under thi s V iew a l l Princes
and L egiflative Powers in'
this un iverfal
Monarchy of the World,are fuch in fe
rior and fuba ltern.
Officers as their own
fubordina te'
Min iii ers of State,General s
,
and Lords Deputies are in frefpeé’c of them.
W hence‘
the D emonfiration is clear,that
earth ly Sovera igns being no more thanSubjefis in th is D ivine Confi itution
, can
have'
n0' l
'
ega l Authority but what theyderive fromthe fupream independent Lawgiver.
‘
T his Po li tion t at appearsffo veryev ident; Wi l l ' ferve to
'demon li ra'
te_
“
maimportant
" Conclulions, and“
therefore'
I
havedi l’
ciifs’
d it themoreit w il l be al low’
d, t
thori
riv’
d .the'
D iv i
of CommunicationPower to earth lyMis lharply difputed .
43 9‘
An E S S A Y W tha n
he has no legal Authority : 06'
he coul d make good h is mOr
igin of ~Dormnaon
"
he
Ev i ence have a right to
1d, as our
firfiPa rent had , and a l l Other Rulers would
be dive l’ted of the ir Power, and be ob»
l ig’d to furrender the ir Monarchies to the
H eir of Adam ; Tho i t i s true, Princes
may be at cafe in the Poffefi'
ron of the ir
T hrones -if they a re not interrupted t il lth is He ir zbe prodoc
’d. But notwinhe
fiandi ng the fe and a long T ra in of fa lfe
Conclufioos wi l l fol low from t his Prin
c iple, wh ich may be feen in one o f oar
Celebra ted W rite rs, who hm -fulhy'
eni
pos’
d this D octrin e ; yet it was once
much in Fa lhion , that Pawiarch and Mo.
n arch were fynon ymous A latiom,and
thofe who beli ev’
d o therwi e, wete loo lt’
d
on as d ifaffec’ted Subjects,and no Ortho
dox C hrifi ians.
T n a unwary Perfons, who with greatv ehemence propagated th is
‘ No tion oi tamOrigin of Dominron , fieena
’
d will ing to entend 'the Power of the P rince to an abfo
lute an d de fporick Degree, fa r m / rmlhould a lways be abl e moni le ath theMa
g ifi rat e’
s Sword , a nd. wieh that k een Av
rd
gumenz effefiual ly con fuae a ll - their Aa
verfaries,
Origin of e rm PO W E R . 2 3 1
verfar ie'
s,
’
while they were fa re to ha ve
th e"Executioner on their fide. Many “
of
thefe exprefs great Reverence to K ings, ’
not as K ings, bur as the Heads of their
Party, that are ready not on ly to fecure
the ir R ights, but to augmen t their Power.
And that th is is the Spring whence their
Zea l in ma intain ing thefe Principles proecads, is v ery pla in ; for when a Prince
fills theT hrone that touches their Interei’ts,that is, refufes to be the V ice-
gerent of a
Fafiion, and wi l l not employ hi s An thority as they dire&,
their celebrated Pafii veObedience becomes aa'
ive Refifiance,and
Prayers and T ears are turn’d into Preparati
ons ofWa r and open Rebel lion ; and whenever their Party - Interefis a re in D anger,we may a lways eXpeél : from them the
fame unea l inefs and oppofition ; for to dothem juitice, I ‘
cannot bel iev e they adv ance the Doctrines that favour Dep tick
and Arbitrary Power, w ith any Defign of
enflaving themfelves ; but they do it forthe Reafons above fuggefied, that is, thatthey may {hare w ith
‘
the Prince h is un
refi-
ra in’d Authority , and oppre l
'
s thofewhom they cfieem their Enemies . Theywould be conten ted that their Monarchlhould be as un l imited as the Emperor of
the Ta rks , or the great Mogul , providedthey are his Ba lhaws and Mandarines
,to
3“rul
43 2 An E S S A Y upon therule the Prov inces, and execute his exor
bitant Power ; and without this L imita tion I bel ieve they are ready to enter
their P roteflation-aga infi abfolute Governmen t.
O T H E R S make the People the Origin
of C iv i l Authority, and affirm, that each
Indiv idua l, by giv ing up into the Hands
of one or more Perfons, the Powerwh ichthey have over their own A8 ions , and
that of Self-Defence againfi an A lla ilant
or Invader,confiitutes the Power of the
Magil’rrate and their Opin ion is, thatGod
conveys to Princes and Potentates their
L egifla tive Capacity by th is concurrence
and un ion of a l l private perfona l R ights ;wh ich Co l leEtion , fay they , produces the
Publ ick R ight of Govern ing . Among theA flerrors of th is Opin ion we find the fa
mous Mr. Hooker, in h is Ecclefiafl itd Pol ity.
But neither do.thele rightly account for
the R ife b f Civ i l Authority ; fiuce Perfona l and Magifiratica l are d ifiim
‘i Powers,and the People by this Schememull be foppos
’d to convey to the Magifirare a Power
o f govern ing, wh ich, in my Opin ion , theyn ever had to give, particularl y that . of
putting a Sublet} to D ea th . On the cont ra ry , upon Examina tion , it wil l appearthat God conveys to the Magil
’trate
lal
ll“ is
4 34 An E S S A Y agen t/96,9
and publ ilh’
d by with
the fame Force an if it
had been ,convey
’
d L etus fuppofe, for fa
‘
r'
t that;the Moderator of the by a
w ritten pofitive/
Ordinance in a fupernatu
ra l way , revea l’d h is W i ll that a l l Men
lhould combine for their common Safetyin publ ick Commun ities ; that the Magi
firates {hould be empower’d by fuch a
meafure of his Roya l Authority, as wi l lrender them capable of d ifcharging their
T rufl , and ruling their Subjeél s for their
Good ; That . he left them at liberty to
chufc what' Form
.
or Species of Government they thought belt ; and that theymight tefira in by Fundamenta l Laws andanteceden t Covenants, the Power of tlmMonarch if they con l
'
t n ted to that Formof Governmen t, and the Monarch con
fen ted to fuch L imita tions ; and that whenthey had cho l‘en theirMagil
’rrate or Magi
fira tes, he did, a s fupream Ruler, dec larethey lhould be commifli on
’
d by h im as his
Roya l Deputies and V ice- toys , whom he,their Sovera ign, in ve li ed w ith fuch a de
gree of Authority as lhould enable themto procure the Ends of the ir Governmen t :would it n ot then appear very pla in wh ichw ay the publick Magifira te came by hisC ivi l Power ? And fince I have demon
flra ted
Origin of C I e" PO W E R . 4 3 5
fi rated a ll» this to be the W i l l of God declar
’d by the Law of Nature and the Ex
ercife'
of Reafon , is net th is as'
V a l id and
C anon ica l as if it were Written and fign ify
’d by Revelatio n ? W hen '
the Freemen of the City of L ondon have
,by their
Sufl'
rages , chofen their Mayor and A ldermen , who, tho fubord inate to their 5 0
vera ign, a re the fupream IVIag ifira tes in
tha t Corpora tion , do not tholeMag ifi ra tes
deriv e their govern ing Power from their
Prince’
s Charter,or the who le Legi lla tive
Power,if the ir Charter has rece iv
’
d that
Confirma tion, and not from the col leé’ted
perfdna l Power that each Inhab itan t ca ll supon them ? Suppofe a K ing of Grea t
Br i t a in lhould,by a Roya l Grant, authOa
t ime the People of each Coun ty to eleét
their Lord - L ieutenant, or Sherill , and de
c lare wha t meafure of POWer they fhouldha ve when they we re chofen ; wil l thePeople’
s E leEl ion amoun t to any th ingmore. than a determin ing of form B ranch
of the Rega l Authority to fuch particularPerfons ? And when they are eleél ed,wo uld nor the Power they fhould c la imand exercife in each County , flow fromthe P rince’
s Grant, and nor the People’s
Nominat ion ? In l ike manner, if.
thePeople of any Country have a R ight to
elefi'
their lupream Magi ll rates, whether
F f 2 Princes
4 3 6 An E S S A Y upon tbé‘
Princes or States , thanCounrry being but .a Pa rt and B ranch of God’
s univerfalMon
h areby, when they have nominated and s
chofen their Magifirates, whether- Mofl
narchs or Sovera ign States, they being nomore than inferior a nd fubordinate Ofi -s
cers in refpeE’t o f the D ivine Being, tho
fupream in refpeé‘r of their own People, or .
any Other earth ly Potentate, they mo lt
receive a ll their C iv i l Authority from the
ch iefMagiii rate , who is God himfelf and
the way by wh ich he con veys it, is h isGrant or Commifl i on eXprefs
'
d and [ign i
fy’d by the L ight of Na ture, and difeo
v er’
d by the Exercife of R ight Reafon in
the manner before expla in’
d .
W H E N Men have form’d C iv i l Socie
ties,‘
wh ich , as has been faid, are (0 manyCompanies and corpora te Bodies in the
K ingdom or City of the W orld, whereof
God is the un l imited Governor, the Meat
fure and Extent of Power w ith which the
Rulers of tho fe Societies are invefi ed, is
prefcrib’
d and afcerta in’
d by the Commifl i on granted them by their Sovera ign,wh ich is theirWa rrant to govern , and the
Rule of their Sub iea s Obedience. As the
L ord L ieutenan t of a Prov ince, or theGe
nera l of an Army can lawfully exercife nomore Power than they
‘ are warranted and
autho
438 An B e a A y ,up ” the
Subiect is obl ig’id t o ‘demean himfelf in foch
Cafes {hal l bg afte rwards explain’d .
BrienT to new
S the chief Min iflers of Kings and Po;\ten tares , their Judges and Other fubor
dinareMag i-(trams, a re bound to promote
th e Honour. of ttheir Princes -to ma inta in
the PeoplesHfleemof their Perfons and Z ea lfor their
” Gov ernmen t to . difcountenance
a nd puni lh ,the T urbulen t a nd S ed it ious,
andkprOtefi the Loyalgand ,
well - difpos’d
fo it'
i s the ~Duty oFPorenta tes,who areMinii’re ‘
rs, Judges, . and D elegateso f
’
Stare in thq iv inefMonarchy , to rakecare tof theirMafie t
'
fs Honour uto managewi th Indufiry; and Fidel ity J
-his Interefis ;to -promote a nd p refei
'
ve f inq theMiaads "
of
and t he highefi Venerationand xthe greatet
’t Ei
’teem and
h is, Government ; to. di fl
'
courage j andgeterprofane and
,flagitious Porfons ;
ptefs and exrermina te theAtheifiphemer, the impious ,
Scofl ermad petulantD erider of Rel igion , as the rdec lar
’
dfi Enetmics of , Heaven
,and e ont umaciou
‘
s Oppofers of D ivine Authority . ) On the other
hand,
Originofififiv a L PowE R . 43 9band
,
‘
it is their"
D uty to defend and re ~
wa rd the Good and Vertuous,Who reve
renee arid honour their fupream Lord, are
prefs a- fincere
'
fand warm Z ea l for hisServrce
'
.
A N D th is is no more than they themfelves
'
eXpeEt from thofe of their Subjefis,
on whom they confer Pofls '
bf Power and
D ign ity , and whom they intruf’t '
with the
Admin iitrat ion of Publick Afiairs . And
when P rinces af t in this manner, andthereby promo te the Felicity and Good ofthe ir Subjects , a s wel l as their own , theyact in Con formity to the D ié’tates of Reafon , or the L aw of Nature.
B'
U'
r‘more particularl y - it wi l l hence
appear, that Princes a nd Poten ta tes are oh
l ig’
d to take care that'
their~ Subjects (houl dadore and worfh i
pthe D iv ine Sovera ign
in publick Aifemb ies ; that they {hould te
(tra in and pun ifh thofe that profane h is
Name : by impious Swearing and detei’ta
Zble'Execrations ; that expoi'
e facred T hingsand
’
Perfons by ra illery and rid icule, andby theit ’vicious and profligate Manners
difhononr God, and teach Others to do theJaiama .
5W hat would earth ly Poten tates thinko f their immediate Min itters and O fficers
F f 4 of
440 An E s 3 a nt.
apart the?
of State, if they certa inly k now that thefe
Men d id conflantly hear their Royal Perfons revi l
’d, their Ac
’tions expos
’d,their
T itle to their Crowns quefiion’d,and their
Government a ffi°
onted,i .W hile they patient]yconn iv
’d at fuch enormous Offences ? And is
it nor as unnatura l and misbecoming theimmediate Servants and V icegerents of
the fupreamBeing, to fuffer thofe Perfonsto efcape with Impun ity, who by their diffolute an
'
d Hagitious L ives, offend a a init
h is L aws with Contumacy and Infoifence,
defy h is Jufiice, and by propagating impious Opin ions and loofe Manners, dec lare
themfelves T raytors to Heaven and Hatersof the D ivine Government,
I T is further ev ident that Princes are
obl ig’d to t eflra in and punifh fuch l icon
t ious Crimina ls, becaufe noth ing more adv ances the common Good , and promotesthe End of curring into Societies ; for a s
Impiety and Profanenefs deformtheMind ,efface the Similitude of the D iv ine Na
ture, and (0 deflroy the Perfeftion of ourFaculties ; fo V ice and Luxur not on l ybring D ifeafes onMens Bodies, but impoverifh and ruin their Fami lies : And befidestheir preva i ling Power to bring downJudgments upon a People, they have a
natura li Tendency to defiroy the
‘
firmefiCon
W hole, mini l ik ewife’
lay the Subjeé’ts un;
der a Mora l Obl iga tion to obferve the
L aws of thein M rates, whether the
C iv i l P ower'
be the Hands ofo ne or-mor‘
ePerfo fince their mu’
l
tual Safety‘
ahd ‘Happinefs‘
a re promoted byii "Government, f i t
‘
is for that Re‘
afOn
an"ev ident Law'ufi Nature,that as Sub
jeéts they fhhuld pay Obedience to it, (
with
bUt wh ich - no Community can be fuppdr‘é
zeez
‘
T hey -jamm in g fo r their'
own
pfa kes,‘
and for th e genera l Good , obl ig’
d
to revériencei and honour the fupreani'Ma
Preem and Cre
yie ld a'
eltear
ful - Submifhon ‘
to the Laws; and . prefventta nd (upp
'
refs’
afl l publ ick D ifturba
'
nce‘and
‘
tfeditious Attempts .
I T is t rue indeed, if the Orders and In
junctionsof-Go'd’
s Vice are
to the'
L zRv s ;of”Worl d,
“It i s
'
pla iri
B eing W 0 i s the ch ief ‘Magifirateman
be obey’d , and not h is under Officers ; for
‘
it c an nOt be imag in ld ithat l ie’has 511t
any of his Delega tes w ith a Commiffion‘t0 " a& -
’an'
d obl ige hisSubjeél s
"
i to threaik h is~
f
el l ahl ifii’
d Ordi
nances; any mote thah‘
it lzah be‘
fuppos’d
t hat the Civ il Megill trate hes f ltvart antedany
Origin af C I V I L Po w ts n .
in the Sta te to {comto tran fgrefs - the decla r
’d
Country :_ And therefore
he P rince en join any T hing con~
trary to the D iv ine Precepts, heman ifefilyexceeds the Bounds of h is deputed Power,and ufurps an Authority to which he has
nu the l oa i’r c la im “
and for this R eafonit i s a n evident Diél a te of natura l Light,that the SubjeE
’t has an undoubted R ight
to exercife a'
Judgmen t o f private D iferet ion : When he re ceives the Commandsof theMagifi rate, it i s h is Duty ito confi
der,whether they con tradi€t any prev i
ous Command of the fupream ,
Ruler,be
caufe he is as_much .obl ig
’
d nor to y ieldObedienm to Commands wh ich are con
trary to tlrofe of the D i v ine Being, a s he
is“
to fubmit to them, if the Matter of
them is not forbidden / by H im'
: And l ince
d ie Subjefi is nOt bound to obey withoutR efere e, but on the contrary, mull .ia
form Cafes refufe Obedience ; bow is it
M ble that th is can be done if he is nota llow
’
d fro refleét, examine , and judgewhether t he I n junctions of the _Magifl rateare repugnant or agreea ble to Div ineLaws ? I f an inferior Offi cer in a ny hu
man Government , flTeuld “Tumour-Orders
to thofe -
under his Jurifdifiion, that con
,hffidla the fkfiOWfl t38§ dtwm ‘
9f the L and
“,mu
444. An E S S A Y upon the“
mufi net the Subjeét reful‘
e Obedience ?I f (0, he mufi be al low
’d a Judgment of
D ifcretion to weigh, compare, and rdeter.
mine whether they are oppofi tel or fuit
able to the efiabl ifh’
d Laws of the ChiefMagifirate.
I N l ike manner if a Potentate, who isa dependent and fubordinate Officer in the
Monarchy of the World,in which the
D iv ine Being is fupream,{hould en ioyn
any Thing forbidden , or forbid any Thingenjoyn
’d by the Sovera ign of Mank ind,
are not the Subjeéts obl ig’d to difobey ?
And if they a re, mufi they not exercife
their priva te Reafon in the Cafe, and con
hderw hether the Commands of Poten tatesOppofe any D iv ine antecedent Precept I t
is therefore a natura l D ié’tate of Reafon ,or a Mora l Law, that SubjeE
’ts
‘
fhould del iberate and judge whether the Commandsof their Rulers are conformable “
to the
D iv ine Ordinances , that is , whether the
Magii’trate exercifes his Legiflative
‘
Power
about fuch Aa ions a s are nor a lready fett led and determin
’
d ‘ by D ivine Precepts orProhibitions.
I s the Q uefiion {hould be ash’
d, whe
ther in thofe Things where we‘
are left a t
L iberty by the fupreamGovernor, that is,where
A54 E S S A Y upon tbe'
manded. But if fromE rror of Judgment,Negl igence, or an i l l Principle, they iiinoforth f uch Commands a s are ufele fs or
prejud icial , and much more if defi rufi iveof the Ends of Civ i l Society , it is impoffible that thefe Commands, which CX- r
ceed the Bounds of their Commill ion,fhould Operate by any b ind ing Virtue.
They are indeed the Commands of a pub .
l ick Magifirare, bur one aé’t ing w ithout
W arrant and beyond his delegated Power ;and fo not being en l iven
’
d and irn'orm
’
d
by lega l Authority , they have no moreforce of themfelves than the
,Precepts of
private Perfons And were there no Other
L aw of Nature fuperven ing to determinethe Subject to fubmit , he is, as to the il
lega l Orders of the Ma
giflrate
,at his L i
berty to obey or refu e Obed ience ; forwhere there is no Authority to command ,
Magifirare {ha l l en io in T hings on ly impertincn t or hurtful, but not in a degree tha tthreatens Ruin to the Conf’titution , then
the Law of Rea fon that d irefii s us to pre .
ferve Peace and Un ion in Civ il Societies,and to bear a lcfs So ldering for the preventing of a grea ter, a nd always to dec linethat which w il l bring more Ev il than
Good,will obl ige us to Submifl ion .
Origin t tV I L POWE R . 2 47
‘T H E SubjeEi therefore for'
the publ ickGood and T ranquil ity mufi bearHardfh ipswi th Pat ience , a nd acquiefce in Ma le-Ad
min if’ttation , un lefs the Confl itution of the .
Commun ity, and the un iverfa l Welfare ofthe People a re eXpos
’d to apparen t D anger. .
B ur in Cafe the Civ i lMagif’trate (ha l l , ia '
a notorious degree, v iola te h is folemn CompaEt, by wh ich he con fented
,
to be t e
fira in’d a nd l imited in the Execution of
his Power ; if he break s in upon the R i hrsand L ibert ies of the People by v ioientEncroachments , and fhakes the effential
Foundationsy
of the Sta te, the Subjeé’t then
is no longer oblig’
d to fubmit,becaufe now
his Pa tience and Compl iance wi ll be morehurtful than beneficia l, and wi ll ev iden tly.
contribute to the D efirué‘t io'
n of the Commun ity , wh ich he is bound to preferve andnor betray . And even in Abfolute a nd
D efporick Monarchies, tho the Sovera ign
is not reflra in’
d or t heck’d by a ny Con
traét or
‘
Stipulation with the People, yetis he UMer the L imitations prefcribkl bythe Law of a re a ltogethera s obl igatory, not to exercife his Authority for the De trimen t and Ruin; but forthe Good and Benefit of the , Society . Andwhere h is Commands apparen tly contra
diél: the Ends of Goverhment, and fo a re
i trepug
An ES SAY upon e l wen)
repugnant to the D iéta tes pf Reafon an‘
d‘
the natura l L aw of. God, - they are onl yCommands, that
/is
'
tll ey hav e bn ly the
Matter, but wanting Authority , they havfinot the effentia l Form that . confiitutes
'
a :
L aw. And therefore the mo i’t z ea lous andableft D efenders of Monarchica l Government (Grotiw ,
Barcl ay , 81C.) readi ly con
cede thus much, That it is lawful to difobey P '
rinces, wh en they rage againfitheir
Subjefi s and defiroy them with V io lencea nd barbarous Cruelty ; and if in fuchCa fes Potentatesmeet w ith Refiflance fromtheir Subjeets, thofe ' Subjefts are juftify
’
d
to make fuch Oppofi tion by their R ight ofSelf-D efence and mutua l Preferva tion,
'
efla
bl ilh ’d and fupported by the Law of Na
ture .
F I N I S .
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