Classic Poem

Why shou'd Man's vain Pretence to Reason be,
From Beast, his just Distinction? whom still we,
More Guilty, and less Human, for it see;
Who, for his Knowledge, and Humanity,
Lives, deals with his own Kind, more Brutally,
As for his Reason, more Unreasonably;
Who for it, o'er his Passions, has less Pow'r,
Is more a Beast, as is his Reason more;
The more his Reason, wou'd his Senses sway,
Which, spight of Sense, his Senses must obey;
Man then, by Want of Reason, shows his Wit,
When his Sense to his Senses, does think fit,
And Nature, against Reason, to submit;
Which he finds from Experience, it must do,
Whether his Sense, or Knowledge, wou'd or no;
Since Reason serves us, but to justifie,
By Reas'ning more its Fallibility,
When its own Practice, does its Proofs deny;
For, if of its own Truth, it did not doubt,
'Twou'd ne'r take so much Pains, to make it out;
Since Truth is plain, Reason itself refutes,
Which, tho' but meant to end, prolongs Disputes;
Man's Reason does his Want of Sense betray,
Who, by his Reason, wou'd his Nature sway,
Whether more Pow'rful Nature, wou'd or no;
Nay more, as he finds, from Experience too,
It is less possible for it to do;
Whose Head-strong Passion, for his Reason grows,
More hard for him, as it, he'd more oppose;
Whose Sense, as more, lessens his Innocence,
As more his Sense, so more is his Offence;
Who Pow'r thence, to himself does arrogate,
To judge his Maker, and oppose his Fate;
Who, for his Sense, can less his Mind fulfil,
Yet wou'd, on others Sense, impose his Will;
By's Reason, more Unreas'nable to grow,
To think, all other Mens, by his shou'd go,
Who want that Reason, his for Truth, to know;
Nay, the less Demonstration, he can give,
Of it, in it, to be more Positive;
Till his Sense, he, to Nature does oppose,
The best Guide, that a Man of Sense can chuse,
For Reason's none, which against Nature goes;
Since Nature gets the better of it still,
Man's Reason then, is no more Sense, but Will;
His vain Sense, with his Senses so to vie,
His Liberty, with Fate's Necessity,
Tho' more in vain still, as he more does try;
Who is (as more his Sense,) more obstinate,
In his opposing his Will, to his Fate;
By Reas'ning, Want of Sense, to justifie,
Whose Truth, must on its Doubtfulness rely,
Yet stands on its Infallibility;
For Reas'ning then, Man less is in the Right
Whose Sense, thwarts senslessly his Appetite;
By other Sense, must still his own maintain,
And judge of his own Pleasure, or his Pain;
By others Apprehensions, check his own,
Tho' he, but by his Sense, can judge alone,
Of what is Right, or Wrong, or Good, or Ill,
Yet not by Nature, but Example still,
To Custom, for his Reason, lives a Slave,
Whilst Beast's Free-Will, for Want of Reason, have;
So Man, by's Reason, more his Folly shows,
Which he, to his Experience, will oppose;
And make Things above Reason, yield to Sense,
Will judge his Maker, question Providence;
By's Reason claims, o'er Brute Beasts, Pow'r, or Sway,
By which, he yet is more a Beast than They;
Who, with his Kind, less reas'nable, for it
Does live, and more Brutalities commit;
Has, for his Reason, more Guilt, Fear, or Blame;
Whilst Beasts, for Want of it, want Fear, Guilt, Shame;
More Human, but for Want of Reason, are;
They, who on others prey, their Kind will spare;
Whilst Man, does Man more for his Reason fear;
Less on his Faith, Sense, Manhood, does rely,
For his Speech, Reason, and Humanity;
Men, one another to each other find,
More Brutal, for being of Human-kind;
Beasts without Reason, may with Reason then,
Be thought more just and sensible than Men,
Who Foes to their own Kind have seldom been;
More sociable but for their Dumbness are,
For Want of Words, for Reason never jar,
More justly do, and but more Danger dare;
An Injury, nor Kindness e'er forget,
Know more than Man; Revenge, as Love, is sweet;
So Reason, without Reason, better know,
Than Man, to one another, how to do;
Then Beasts, we for Men's Betters must admit,
More Reason show, but for their Want of it;
For Want of it, against it nothing do,
Against their Senses, nor their Nature, go,
Which Man does, who does Good from Evil know;
Whose Conduct, gives his Reason still the Lie,
In his unbridled Sensuality;
For Reason, does things more unreas'nably;
Vain Empire does o'er other Creatures boast,
By's Reason, for which yet, he fears them most;
Disputes by Reason, what is Wrong or Right,
Yet makes his Sense obey his Appetite,
Thinks that most Wisdom, which is least Delight;
That, most his Reason, which most fondly does
Curb his free Nature, his Desires oppose;
The more that his Experience finds it vain,
His Passion, by his Reason, to restrain;
By Reason, so then, more unreas'nably,
His Will, and Pleasure, more unnat'rally,
Man, to himself, does senslessly deny;
Since Reason does his Doubts, Cares, Fears increase,
To make, as more his Sense, his Pleasure less,
As more his Reason, less his Happiness;
Then Beasts, as happier, the wiser are,
In whom more strong all Appetites appear,
For Want of Reason, have no Guilt, Shame, Fear;
Whose Want of Reason, Man must needs confess,
Makes their Joys more, their Cares, Fears, Troubles less,
So have, as less of Sense, more Happiness;
More Peace of Mind, in Body, more Delight,
In Sense, Love, Food, more Gust and Appetite;
The Glutton wants the Stomach of the Horse;
The Bully wants the Lion's Heart and Force;
By tim'rous Reason, does his Pow'r restrain,
By's Fear does lose, what by his Sense he'd gain;
His Brother Man dreads for his Reason more,
Who thinks 'tis just, Reason shou'd yield to Pow'r;
Whilst Beasts, acknowledging but Nature's Law,
From their thick Sculls, no false Conclusions draw;
For want of Sense, of nothing stand in aw;
Themselves by Nature, more than Reason guide;
So from Acts Natural less led aside;
Which they find, they of course must truckle to,
Whether less Pow'rful Reason, wou'd or no;
Must Nature, against their Conceits, believe,
Which without Reason, nothing can deceive;
Whilst Man's Guide, Reason, scarce in any one,
With others, for Infallible has gone;
That dubious Guide then, sure is worse than none;
Since, such a Guide as makes our Senses stray
From Nature, but our Fancies to obey,
Which, but for Reason, cannot miss her Way;
For in Brute Beasts, whom we despise, we see,
Their Will and Senses never disagree:
Since Reason's then the Parent of our Doubt,
Distracts us more, we better were without;
Shou'd doubt that Reason, which wou'd Sense persuade,
Against our Nature, with which we were made;
Since nothing in our Nature can be thought,
Our Shame or Blame, if it be not our Fau't;
Who are, or not, as made by Providence,
Whose Act in us, cannot be our Offence,
Our Want of Reason, is our Innocence:
So Brute Beasts Want of Sense the reason is,
Why they can neither think, nor act amiss;
Then, the Brute's Love, is more Humanity,
Who love more truly, since they can't tell why;
Who wanting Reason, Love ne'r buy, but give;
More sociably, for want of Speech too, live;
So Beasts, which take and give most Liberty,
In Love, live for least Sense, most Humanly;
Whose Love, by Deeds, not Words, is best exprest;
So live, and love, for Want of Reason, best;
Their Empire, with the Males no Females vie,
Not curst with constant Sensuality,
Or Males to know no End of Drudgery;
By no forc'd Rules, but Nature's Measures love,
Ne'r stimulate Desire, but by it move,
By Nature, not their Art, their true Love prove;
Ne'r by Love's fond, or ill-tim'd Caresses,
Please others, till themselves they more displease;
By forc'd Joy, make not Satisfaction less:
Fruition, to them is no Drudgery,
Nature's Relief, not cloy'd Satiety;
But Man condemn'd to Luxury's a Beast,
Must, at another's Pleasure, drudge or rest;
His Pleasure at another's leave, or take,
Till he his Pain does of his Pleasure make;
Must too much Pleasure, or too little have,
It least too can, when he grows past it, leave;
His Pleasures oft pursues, till that they grow,
Of his Joys, his Dissatisfactions too,
No Bounds to Lust, does for his Reason know;
Seasons or Measures; whence Joys in excess,
For growing more, make Satisfaction less;
So Men's Desires, but their own Ends destroy;
Their Appetites, instead of pleasing, cloy;
By Reason, which with Fears does Joys prevent,
Increasing Pleasures, does their Pains augment,
So for more Reason, Men have less Content;
Whilst Beasts, but for their Want of Reason know,
Best, when they have enough of Pleasure so,
Have, as less Thought, more Satisfaction too;
Ev'n in their Love, can their Discretion prove,
Whilst Men for Reason, are more Brutes in Love,
More Drudges are, bound more to Slavery,
Seeking in Love, more Ease and Liberty,
For Reason, make Love more unnat'rally;
Whilst Beasts no Freedom against Nature use,
Their Friends, with forc'd, or feign'd Love, ne'r abuse;
Each knows, when both have had enough, or done,
In Food, or Love, will be prescrib'd by none,
But, be rul'd by their Appetites alone;
Whilst Men, with others Appetites comply,
For forc'd Delight, pay their dear Liberty,
For Pleasure, do the worst of Drudgery;
For Freedom, each Man, with his She, wou'd brave,
He grows Love's Bonds-Man, and a Fetter'd Slave,
Her, when grown odious to him, cannot leave;
Must waste his Gold, Time, Life, for his Delight,
Love's Burning Martyr be, to's Appetite;
Or Marry'd Confessor, away to give
All that he has, that he might better Live;
Till he by yoking his own self, does grow,
A Horn'd Beast, others Drudgery to do;
For the most senseless Beast so shou'd be known,
Since no Beast yokes himself, but Man alone;
Whose Thought, Speech, Reason, more his Folly show,
As they more for Infallible wou'd go;
Who more a Fool but for his Knowledge is,
By which he's less Contented, as more Wise;
Who must his Innocence and Quiet lose,
More senslessly, as more he thinks, he knows;
Since he, but as he thinks, his Reason more,
Doubts more his Maker's Being, and his Pow'r;
Of Happiness here, and hereafter too,
Deprives himself, by his vain Reason so;
Since he, but for his Knowledge, or his Sense,
Cou'd give to God, or take at Man, Offence;
So that his Reason, does his Nonsense show,
Who proves less Wise still, as he more does know;
Whose Knowledge does his Happiness prevent,
His Guilt increase, and lessen his Content,
But for which, he were Free, Safe, Innocent.