[6] "Know then thyself, presume not God to scan, The proper study of Mankind is Man. Plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state, A Being darkly wise, and rudely great; With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side, With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride, He hangs between: in doubt to act, or rest; In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beast; In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer; Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err; Alike in Ignorance, his reason such, Whether he thinks too little or too much; Chaos of Thought and Passion; all confus'd; Still by himself abus'd, or disabus'd: Created half to rise, and half to fall, Great Lord of all things, yet a prey to all; Sole judge of Truth, in endless Error hurl'd; The glory, jest, and riddle of the World!" Pope's Essay on Man.-- [7] "Go, wondrous creature! mount where Science guides; Go, measure earth, weigh air, and state the tides; Instruct the planets in what orbs to run, Correct old Time, and regulate the Sun; Go, soar, with Plato, to th' empyreal sphere, To the first Good, first Perfect, and first Fair; Or tread the mazy round his foll'wers trod, And quitting sense call imitating God; As eastern Priests in giddy circles run, And turn their heads to imitate the Sun; Go, teach Eternal Wisdom how to rule; Then drop into thyself, and be a Fool." Pope's Essay on Man.-- [8] "Nor think, in Nature's State they blindly trod; The state of Nature was the reign of God: Self-love and social at her birth began, Union the bond of all things, and of Man. Pride then was not; nor Arts, that Pride to aid; Man walk'd with beast, joint tenant of the shade; The same his table, and the same his bed; No murder cloath'd him, and no murder fed. In the same temple, the resounding wood, All vocal beings hymn'd their equal God; The shrine with gore unstain'd, with gold undrest; Unbrib'd, unbloody, stood the blameless priest; Heav'n's attribute was universal care, And Man's prerogative to rule, but spare. Ah! how unlike the man of times to come! Of half that live the butcher and the tomb; Who, foe to Nature, hears the gen'ral groan, Murders their species, and betrays his own. But just Disease to luxury succeeds, And ev'ry death its own avenger breeds; The Fury-passions from that blood began, And turn'd on Man a fiercer savage, Man." Pope's Essay on Man.--