Having juft before fhew'd the Falfeness of Happiness, if plac'd in external Things:

Fair Opening to fome Courts propitious shine, Or deep with Diamonds in the flaming Mine, Twin'd with the Wreaths Parnaffian Lawrels yeild, Or reap'd in Iron Harvefts of the Field.

This heightens the Compliment, because it declares, that human Happiness not confifting in external Advantages, it must be in internal Happiness, and confequently in Virtue.

He begins (fays his Commentator) [from 1. 18 to 27] with detecting the false Notions of Happiness. There are of two Kinds, the Philofophical and Popular: The latter he had recapitulated in the Invocation, when Happiness was called upon at her feveral suppos'd Places of Abode; the Philosophick then only remain'd to be deliver❜d.

Afk of the Learn'd the Way, the Learn'd are blind, This bids to serve, and that to shun Mankind : Some place the Bliss in Action, fome in Ease, Those call it Pleasure, and Contentment thefe.

The Confutation of these Philofophick Errors, he fhews to be very eafy, one common Fallacy running thro' them all; namely this, that instead of telling us in what the Happiness of human Nature confifts, which was what was afked of them, each bufies himfelf to explain in what he plac'd his own peculiar Happiness:

Who thus define it, fay they more or less
Than this, that Happiness is Happiness ?

To proceed, the Poet having expofed the two false Species of Happiness, the Philofophical and Popular,

and

and denounced the true, in order to confute the laft, goes on to a Confutation of the two former.

I. He [from l. 32 to 47] confutes the Philofophical, which, as we faid, makes Happiness a particular, nota general Good: And this two Ways:

1. From his grand Principle, that God acts by general Laws: The Confequence of which is, that Happiness, which fupports the well-being of every Syftem, must needs be univerfal, and not partial, as the Philofophers conceiv'd:

Remember Man! The univerfal Caufe, Acts not by partial, but by gen'ral Laws; And makes, what Happiness we justly call, Subfift not in the Good of One, but All.

2. From Fact, that Man inftinctively concurs with this Defignation of Providence, to make Happinefs univerfal, by his having no Delight in any Thing uncommunicated or uncommunicable:

There's not a Bleffing Individuals find,
But fome Way leans and hearkens to the Kind.
No Bandit fierce, nor Tyrant mad with Pride.
No cavern'd Hermit refts self-satisfied.
Abstract what others feel, what others think,
"All Pleasures ficken and all Glories fink.

II. The Poet, in the second Place [from 1. 46 to 65] confutes the popular Error concerning Happiness, namely, that it confifts in Externals: Which he does,

1. By enquiring into the Reasons of the prefent providential Difpofition of external Goods: A Topick of Confutation chosen with the greatest Accuracy and Penetration. For, if it appears they were diftributed in the Manner we fee them, for Reasons different from the Happiness of Individuals, it is abfurd

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furd to think that they should make Part of that Happiness.

He fhews therefore, that Disparity of external Poffeffions among Men was for the Sake of Society, 1. to promote the Harmony and Happiness of a System:

Order is Heav'n's firft Law; and, this confeft, Some are, and must be, greater than the reft, More rich, more wife,

Because the Want of external Goods in fome, and the Abundance in others, increafe general Harmony in the Obliger and the Obliged.

Yet here (fays he) mark the impartial Wisdom of Heaven; this very Inequality of Externals, by contributing to general Harmony and Order, produceth an Equality of Happiness amongst Individuals; and for that very Reason,

Heav'n to Mankind impartial we confess, If all are equal in their Happiness : But mutual Wants this Happiness increase, All Nature's Diff'rence keeps all Nature's Peace. Condition, Circumftance is not the Thing: Bliss is the fame, in Subject, or in King; In who obtain Defence, or who defend; In him who is, or him who finds a Friend. Heav'n breaths thro' every Member of the Whole One common Bleffing as one common Soul.

2. This Disparity was neceffary, because, if external Goods were equally diftributed, they would occafion perpetual Difcord amongft Men all equal in Power:

But Fortune's Gifts if each alike poffeft,
And each were equal, must not all conteft.

From

From hence he concludes, that, as external Goods were not given for the Reward of Virtue, but for many different Purposes, God could not, if he intended Happiness for all, place it in the Enjoyment of Externals:

If then to all Men Happiness was meant,
God in Externals could not place Content.

2. His fecond Argument [from 1. 64 to 71] against the popular Error of Happiness's being plac'd in Externals, is, that the Poffeffion of them is infeparably attended with Fear, the Want of them with Hope; which directly croffing all their Pretenfions to making happy, evidently fhew that God had plac'd Happiness elsewhere:

Fortune her Gifts may variously dispose, And these be happy call'd, unhappy those; But Heav'n's juft Balance equal will appear, While thofe are plac'd in Hope, and these in Fear: Not prefent Good or Ill, the Joy or Curse, But future Views of better or of worfe

Hence, in including this Argument, he takes Occafion [from 1. 70 to 75] to upbraid those, who at-tempt to place Happiness in Externals.

It is to no Purpofe to enquire of the Learn'd after Happiness, they direct you to that particular Place where they wish to fix their own, which is alike expreffed by Mr. Dryden, fpeaking of the Opinions of the feveral Sects of Philofophers concerning Happiness, or the Summum Bonum :

But leaft of all could their Endeavours find
What most concern'd the Good of human Kind:
For Happiness was never to be found ;

But vanish'd from 'em, like enchanted Ground.
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He

He now comes to a nearer Declaration, and to fhew what Happiness is; and to affert, that all defign'd for Man by God and Nature, is included in Health, Peace, and Competence: Thefe, he fays, are attainable by Virtue; and that what vicious Perfons call Happiness, is what has been refus'd, disdain'd, and defpis'd by Virtue :

Know, all the Good that Individuals find, Or God or Nature meant to meer Mankind; Reason's whole Pleasures, all the Joys of Senfe, Lie in three Words, Health, Peace, and Competence. But Health confifts with Temperance alone, And Peace, fair Virtue! Peace is all thy own: The Gifts of Fortune Good or Bad may gain; But these less taste them, as they worse obtain. Say, in Pursuit of Profit or Delight, [right? Who rifque the most, that take wrong Means or Of Vice or Virtue, whether bleft or curft; Which meets Contempt, or which Compaffion first? Count all th' Advantage profp'rous Vice attains, 'Tis but what Virtue flies from, and difdains'; And grant the Bad what Happiness they wou'd One they muft want, which is, to pass for Good.

So that in the Pursuit of Happiness, he advises to take Nature's Path; that is, the Path of Nature leads to Virtue, and Virtue is the only Happiness. Nay, he carries it fo far as to say,

Equal is Common Senfe, and Common Ease. So that nothing external muft certainly be of the leaft Moment, or any Way effential to Happiness; the very Notion of which, he imagines, would have very terrible Effects: because it would immediately occur, that bad Men often flourish and are happy, and' good