THE DESIGN OF THE WORK

BY M. POPE.

Having proposed to write some pieces
on human life and manners, fuch as
(to ufe my Lord Bacon's expreffion) "co-
"me home to men's business and bofoms".
I thought it more fatisfactory to begin with
confidering Man in the abstract, his nature
and bis ftate; fince, to prove any moral
duty, to enforce any moral precept,
examine the perfection or imperfection of any
creature whatfoever, it is neceffary first to
know what condition and relation it is pla
ced in, and what is the proper end and
purpose of its being.

or to

The fcience of human nature is, like all other fciences, reduced to a fers clear points; there are not many certain truths ́ in this world. It is therefore in the anatomy of the mind, as in that of the body; more good will accrue to mankind by atten ding to the large , open, and perceptible parts, than by studying too much fuch_finer nerves and veffels the conformations and ufes of which will for ever escape our obfervation. The disputes are all upon the fe laft, and, I will venture to say, they have less sharpen'd the wits than the hearts

of

of men against each other, and have diminish'd the practice, more than advanced the theory of morality. If I could flatter myfelf that this Efay has any merit, it is in fteering betwixt the extremes of doctrines feemingly oppofite in paffing over terms utterly unintelligible, and in forming a temperate yet not inconfiftent, and a short yet not imperfect fyftem of Ethics..

This I might have done in profe; but 1 chofe verfe, and even rhyme, for two reafons. The one will appear obvious; that principles, maxims, or precepts fo written both ftrike the reader more strongly at first, and are more easily retained by him afterwards. The other may feem odd, but is true ; I found I could exprefs them more shortly this way than in profe itself; and nothing is more certain, than that much of the force, as well as grace of arguments or inftructions, depends on their concifeness: I was unable to treat this part of my Subject more in detail, without becoming dry and tedious; or more poetically, without facrificing perfpicuity to ornament, without wandring from the precision, or breaking the chain of reafoning. If any man can unite all thefe without diminution of any of them, I freely confefs he will compass a thing above my capacity. What

mar.

What is now publish'd, is only to be confidered as a general Map of Man king out no more than the greater parts their extent, their limits, and their conneЯion, but leaving the particular to be more fully delineated in the charts which are to follow. Confequently, thefe epiftles in their progress (if I have health and lei-, fure to make any progrefs) will be lefs dry, and more fufceptible of poetical orna ment. I am here only opening the fountains, and clearing the paffage; to deduce the rivers, to follow them in their courfe and to obferve their effects, may be a task more agreeable.

PRE

PREFACE

DU TRADUCTEUR.

MON

"ONSIEUR POPE s'étant propofé d'écrire fur la vie & les moeurs de l'Homme, a crû devoir confidérer d'abord l'Homme en général, fa nature & fon état. Il eft néceffaire pour prefcrire des devoirs, pour établir des préceptes, & pour examiner la perfection ou l'imperfection de quelque créature que ce foit, de connoître premiérement quelle eft fa condition & quels font fes rapports, quelle est la fin & quel eft l'objet de fon exiftence.

LA fcience de la nature humaine, ainfi que toutes les autres fciences, fe réduit à un petit nombre d'idées claires. Il n'y a pas dans ce monde beaucoup de vérités certaines. Il en eft de l'anatomie de l'efprit comme de celle du corps: il eft plus utile de s'appliquer aux parties les plus fenfibles & les plus faciles à appercevoir, que d'étudier de petits vaiffeaux & de petits nerfs qui échapent aux obfervations. C'est néanmoins fur les objets de cette nature que roulent d'ordinaire des difputes qui

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