C

And Wit was his vain frivolous Pretence,
Of pleafing others at his own Expence. 332.107
For Wits are treated just like common Whores,
First they're enjoy'd, and then kick'd out of Doors
Women and Men of Wit are dang'rous Tools,
And ever fatal to admiring Fools.

.

Thofe Creatures are the wifeft who attain
By fureft Means the Ends at which they aim:
If therefore Fowler finds and kills his Hare,
Better than Meers fupplies Committee-Chair.
Tho' one's a Statefman, t' other but a Hound,
Fowler in Juftice will be wifer found,

Birds feed on Birds, Beafts on each other prey,
But favage Man alone does Man betray!
Prefs'd by Neceffity, they kill for Food;
Man undoes Man to do himself no Good.
With Teeth and Claws by Nature arm'd, they hunt
Nature's Allowance to fupply their Want:

But Man with Smiles, Embraces, Friendships, Praife,
Inhumanly his Fellow's Life betrays:
With voluntary Pains works his Diftrefs,
Not through Neceflity, but Wantonnefs.
For Hunger, or for Love, they fight and tear,
While wretched Man is still in Arms for Fear;
For Fear he arms, and is of Arms afraid;
By Fear to Fear fucceffively betray'd:

1

Bafe Fear, the Source whence his beft Paffion came,
His boafted Honcur, and his dear-bought Fame :
The Good he acts, the Ill he does endure,
'Tis all for Fear, to make himself fecure;
Meerly for Safety after Fame we thirft,,
For all Mer would be Cowards if they durft.
And Honefty's against all common Seafe;
Men must be Knaves; 'tis in their own Defence:
Mankind's difhoneft; if you think it fair
Among known Cheats to play, upon the Square,
You'll be undone,

Nor

Nor can weak Truth your Reputation fave,
The Knaves will all agree to call you Knave;
Long fhall he live, infulted o'er, opprefs'd,
Who dares be lefs a Villain than the reft.

MANKIND.

Mankind who to and fro one Moment run, Are but as Atoms dancing in the Sun.

MAN's Formation.

'Tis certain then, this Image does remain
For nine Months fpace deep rooted in the Brain :'
And this alone does frequently controul
The beauteous Labour of the forming Soul.
True Nature, ent'ring on her just Defign
To build an human Frame; a Work divine;
After long Study does at laft begin

To weave the Bowels of the Mafs within.:
And then to knit the various Limbs proceeds,
And with first Blood the recent Veffels feeds:
Her next peculiar Care is to fupply

With Flesh the well-joyn'd Arm and finewy Thigh:
Last with th' extended Skin's becoming Grace,
She fpreads the Forehead, and adorns the Face.

They fay, at first to living Things the Earth At her Formation gave fpontaneous Birth. When youthful Heat was thro' the Glebe diffus'd, Mankind as well as Infects the produc'd; That genial Wombs, by Parent-Chance were form'd, Adapted to the Soil; which after warm'd And cherish'd by the Sun's enliv'ning Beam, With human Off-fprings did in Embryo team. Thefe, nourish'd there a while, imprifon'd lay," Then broke their yielding Bands, and fore'd their Way, The Field a Crop of reas ning Creatures crown'd, And crying Infants grovell'd on the Groundi

A milky Store was by the Mother Earth
Pour'd from her Bofom, to fuftain the Birth.

In Strength and Bulk increas'd, the Earth-born Race
Could move, and walk, and ready change their Place:
O'er ev'ry Hill, and verdant Pasture ftray,
Skip o'er the Lawns, and by the Rivers play :
Could eat the tender Plant, and by degrees
Brouze on the Shrubs, and crop the budding Trees ;
The fragrant Fruit from bending Branches fake,
And with the crystal Stream their Thirft at Pleasure

(flake.
Time was when we were fow'd, and just began
From fome few fruitful Drops, the Promise of a Man :
Then Nature's Hand (fermented as it was)
Moulded to Shape the foft coagulated Mafs;
And when the little Man was fully form'd,
The breathless Embrio with a Spirit warm'd :
But when the Mother's Throws begin to come,
The Creature pent within the narrow Room,
Breaks his blind Prifon, pufhing to repair
His stifled Breath, and draw the living Air;
Caft on the Margin of the World he lies
A helpless Babe, but by Inftinet he tries :
He next effays to walk, but downward prefs'd,-
On four Feet imitates his Brother-Beaft:
By flow Degrees he gathers from the Ground
His Legs, and to the rolling-Chair is bound.
Then walks alone; a Horfeman now become,
He rides a Stick, and travels round the Room.
In time he vaults among his youthful Peers,
Strong-bon'd,and ftrung with Nerves,in Pride of Years.
He runs with Mettle his firft merry Stage,
Maintains the next, abated of his Rage,

But manages his Strength, and fpares his Age:
Heavy the third, and ftiff, he finks apace,

}

And, tho' 'tis down-hill all, but creeps along the Race. Now faplefs on the Verge of Death he stands, Contemplating his former Feet and Hands;

And

And, Milo-like, his flacken'd Sinews fees,

And wither'd Arms, once fit to cope with Hercules,
Unable now to fhake, much lefs to tear the Trees.
Thus ev'n our Bodies daily Change receive,
Some Part of what was theirs before, they leave:
Nor are to Day what Yesterday they were;
Nor the whole Same Tomorrow will appear.Dryd.Ovid.
So Man, at first a Drop, dilates with Heat;
Then form'd, the little Heart begins to beat;
Secret he feeds, unknowing in the Cell;

At length, for Hatching ripe, he breaks the Shell,
And struggles into Breath, and cries for Aid,
Then helpless in his Mother's Lap is laid:
He creeps, he walks, and iffuing into Man,
Grudges their Life, from whence his own began:
Retchlefs of Laws, affects to rule alone,
Anxious to reign, and reftlefs on the Throne.
Firft vegetive, then feels, and reasons last,
Rich of three Souls, and lives all three to wafte.
Some thus, but thoufands more in Flow'r of Age,
For few arrive to run the latter Stage. Dryd.Pal. & Asc.

MA N's Rife.

Prometheus, fo fome elder Poets fay,

Temper'd and form'd a Paste of purer Clay,
To which, well mingled with the River's Stream,
His artful Hand gave human Shape and Frame :
Then, with warm Life his Figures to inspire,
The bold Projector stole Cœleftial Fire.

While others tell us how the human Krood
Ow'd their Production to the fruitful Wood.
How from the Laurel and the Ash they sprung,
And Infants on the Oak, like Acorns hung:
The crude Conceptions preft the bending Trees,
'Till cherish'd with the Sun-beams by degrees,
Ripe Children dropp'd on all the Soil around,
Peopled the Woods, and over-fpread the Ground.

Great

Great Jupiter, fo fome were pleas'd to fing,
Of fabled Gods the Father and the King,
To moving Prayer of Bacus did grant,
And into Men and Women turn'd the Ant.^

Some tell, Deucalion and his Pyrrha threw Obdurate Stones, which o'er his Shoulders flew, Then shifting Shape, receiv'd a vital Flame, And Men and Women, wond'rous Change! became And thus the hard and ftubborn Race of Man, From animated Rock and Flint began.

t

Nature in vain conceals her precious Ore,
Men rifle all, and fearch the hidden Store ;
They ev'ry Right, and ev'ry Pow'r invade;
The paffive Elements, by Duty fway'd,
Now dread the awful Tyrant whom they made.

To the Nuptial Bower
I led her blufhing like the Morn'; all Heav'n
And happy Conftellations on that Hour,
Shed their felecteft Influence: the Earth
Gave Sign of Gratulation; and each Hill?
Joyous the Birds fresh Gales and gentle Airs ~
Whisper'd it to the Woods; and from their Wings
Flung Rofe, fung Odours from the spicy Shrub
Difporting till the am'rous Bird of Night
Sung Spoufal, and bid hafte the Evening-Star-
On his Hill top to light the bridal Lamp.

}

Milt.

Hail wedded Love! Myfterious Law! true-Source Of human Off-fpring! fole Propriety

In Paradife, of all Things common elfe!
By thee adult rous Luft was drivʼn from Man N
Among the beaftial Herds to range; by thee'
Founded in Reafon, loyal, juft, and pure,'
Relations dear, and all the Charities,

of