She, from the rending earth and bursting skies,

Saw gods descend, and fiends infernal rise:

Here fix'd the dreadful, there the blest abodes;
Fear made her devils, and weak hope her gods;
Gods partial, changeful, passionate, unjust,
Whose attributes were rage, revenge, or lust;
Such as the souls of cowards might conceive,
And, form'd like tyrants, tyrants would believe.
Zeal then, not charity, became the guide;
And hell was built on spite, and heav'n on pride.
Then sacred seem'd th' etherial vault no more;
Altars grew marble then, and reek'd with gore:
Then first the flamen tasted living food;
Next his grim idol smear'd with human blood;

With heav'n's own thunders shook the world

below,

And play'd the god an engine on his foe.

So drives self-love, thro' just, and thro' unjust,

To one man's pow'r, ambition, lucre, lust:
The same self-love, in all, becomes the cause
Of what restrains him---government and laws.
For what one likes, if others like as well,
What serves one will, when many wills rebel;
How shall he keep, what, sleeping or awake,
A weaker may surprize, a stronger take?
His safety must his liberty restrain:

All join to guard what each desires to gain.
Forc'd into virtue thus by self-defence,

Ev'n kings learnt justice and benevolence:

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Self-love forsook the path it first pursu'd,

And found the private in the public good.

'Twas then, the studious head or gen'rous mind,

Follow'r of God or friend of human-kind,

Poet or patriot, rose but to restore

The faith and moral nature gave before;

Relum'd her ancient light, not kindled new;

If not God's image, yet his shadow drew:

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Taught power's due use to people and to kings; Taught nor to slack, nor strain its tender strings,

The less, or greater, set so justly true,

That touching one must strike the other too;
Till jarring int'rests of themselves create
Th' according music of a well-mix'd state.
Such is the world's great harmony, that springs
From order, union, full consent of things:

Where small and great, where weak and mighty

made

To serve, not suffer, strengthen, not invade;

More pow'rful each as needful to the rest,
And, in proportion as it blesses, blest;
Draw to one point, and to one center bring
Beast, man, or angel, servant, lord, or king.
For forms of government let fools contest;
Whate'er is best administer'd is best:

For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight;
His can't be wrong whose life is in the right:
In faith and hope the world will disagree,

But all mankind's concern is charity:

All must be false that thwart this one great end; And, all of God, that bless mankind or mend.

Man, like the gen'rous vine, supported lives;

The strength he gains is from th' embrace he gives.

On their own axis as the planets run,

Yet make at once their circle round the sun;

So two consistent motions act the soul;

And one regards itself, and one the whole.

Thus God and nature link'd the general frame,

And bade self-love and social be the same.

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