A Satyre Against Mankind Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCCDD EEFCGGHHIIJJKLMMMNNO O PPQQRRPPPPPPPPSTU VW XXCYZZZPPPGGA2A2B2B2 C2D2PPPPCY E2DPPMTC2C2F2F2PPPPD DPPFFG2G2H2H2PP LPPPDDRRI2I2J2J2PPBB LLL IK2PPL2L2PPM2M2 C2D2PPN2O2H2P2PPPPCY Q2Q2K2K2LLGGPPLLR2S2 T2T2U2U2PPCCA2LLC2C2 PPLLUU V2V2PPP LLW2W2Q2Q2GGDLWere I who to my cost already am | A |
One of those strange prodigious creatures man | B |
A spirit free to choose for my own share | C |
What sort of flesh and blood I pleased to wear | C |
I'd be a dog a monkey or a bear | C |
Or anything but that vain animal | D |
Who is so proud of being rational | D |
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His senses are too gross and he'll contrive | E |
A sixth to contradict the other five | E |
And before certain instinct will prefer | F |
Reason which fifty times for one does err | C |
Reason an ignis fatuus of the mind | G |
Which leaving light of nature sense behind | G |
Pathless and dangerous wand'ring ways it takes | H |
Through Error's fenny bogs and thorny brakes | H |
Whilst the misguided follower climbs with pain | I |
Mountains of whimseys heaped in his own brain | I |
Stumbling from thought to thought falls headlong down | J |
Into Doubt's boundless sea where like to drown | J |
Books bear him up awhile and make him try | K |
To swim with bladders of Philosophy | L |
In hopes still to o'ertake the escaping light | M |
The vapour dances in his dancing sight | M |
Till spent it leaves him to eternal night | M |
Then old age and experience hand in hand | N |
Lead him to death make him to understand | N |
After a search so painful and so long | O |
That all his life he has been in the wrong | O |
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Huddled In dirt the reasoning engine lies | P |
Who was so proud so witty and so wise | P |
Pride drew him in as cheats their bubbles catch | Q |
And made him venture to be made a wretch | Q |
His wisdom did has happiness destroy | R |
Aiming to know that world he should enjoy | R |
And Wit was his vain frivolous pretence | P |
Of pleasing others at his own expense | P |
For wits are treated just like common whores | P |
First they're enjoyed and then kicked out of doors | P |
The pleasure past a threatening doubt remains | P |
That frights th' enjoyer with succeeding pains | P |
Women and men of wit are dangerous tools | P |
And ever fatal to admiring fools | P |
Pleasure allures and when the fops escape | S |
'Tis not that they're beloved but fortunate | T |
And therefore what they fear at heart they hate | U |
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But now methinks some formal band and beard | V |
Takes me to task come on sir I'm prepared | W |
- | |
Then by your Favour anything that's writ | X |
Against this jibing jingling knack called Wit | X |
Likes me abundantly but you take care | C |
Upon this point not to be too severe | Y |
Perhaps my Muse were fitter for this part | Z |
For I profess I can be very smart | Z |
On Wit which I abhor with all my heart | Z |
I long to lash it in some sharp essay | P |
But your grand indiscretion bids me stay | P |
And turns my tide of ink another way | P |
What rage Torments in your degenerate mind | G |
To make you rail at reason and mankind | G |
Blessed glorious man To whom alone kind heaven | A2 |
An everlasting soul hath freely given | A2 |
Whom his great maker took such care to make | B2 |
That from himself he did the image take | B2 |
And this fair frame in shining reason dressed | C2 |
To dignify his nature above beast | D2 |
Reason by whose aspiring influence | P |
We take a flight beyond material sense | P |
Dive into mysteries then soaring pierce | P |
The flaming limits of the universe | P |
Search heaven and hell Find out what's acted there | C |
And give the world true grounds of hope and fear | Y |
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Hold mighty man I cry all this we know | E2 |
From the pathetic pen of Ingelo | D |
From Patrlck's Pilgrim Sibbes' Soliloquies | P |
And 'tis this very reason I despise | P |
This supernatural gift that makes a mite | M |
Think he's an image of the infinite | T |
Comparing his short life void of all rest | C2 |
To the eternal and the ever blessed | C2 |
This busy pushing stirrer up of doubt | F2 |
That frames deep mysteries then finds them out | F2 |
Filling with frantic crowds of thinking fools | P |
The reverend bedlam's colleges and schools | P |
Borne on whose wings each heavy sot can pierce | P |
The limits of the boundless universe | P |
So charming ointments make an old witch fly | D |
And bear a crippled carcass through the sky | D |
'Tis the exalted power whose business lies | P |
In nonsense and impossibilities | P |
This made a whimsical philosopher | F |
Before the spacious world his tub prefer | F |
And we have modern cloistered coxcombs who | G2 |
Retire to think 'cause they have nought to do | G2 |
But thoughts are given for action's government | H2 |
Where action ceases thought's impertinent | H2 |
Our sphere of action is life's happiness | P |
And he that thinks beyond thinks like an ass | P |
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Thus whilst against false reasoning I inveigh | L |
I own right reason which I would obey | P |
That reason which distinguishes by sense | P |
And gives us rules of good and ill from thence | P |
That bounds desires with a reforming will | D |
To keep 'em more in vigour not to kill | D |
Your reason hinders mine helps to enjoy | R |
Renewing appetites yours would destroy | R |
My reason is my friend yours is a cheat | I2 |
Hunger calls out my reason bids me eat | I2 |
Perversely yours your appetite does mock | J2 |
This asks for food that answers 'what's o'clock' | J2 |
This plain distinction sir your doubt secures | P |
'Tis not true reason I despise but yours | P |
Thus I think reason righted but for man | B |
I'll ne'er recant defend him if you can | B |
For all his pride and his philosophy | L |
'Tis evident beasts are in their own degree | L |
As wise at least and better far than he | L |
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Those creatures are the wisest who attain | I |
By surest means the ends at which they aim | K2 |
If therefore Jowler finds and kills the hares | P |
Better than Meres supplies committee chairs | P |
Though one's a statesman th' other but a hound | L2 |
Jowler in justice would be wiser found | L2 |
You see how far man's wisdom here extends | P |
Look next if human nature makes amends | P |
Whose principles are most generous and just | M2 |
And to whose morals you would sooner trust | M2 |
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Be judge yourself I'll bring it to the test | C2 |
Which is the basest creature man or beast | D2 |
Birds feed on birds beasts on each other prey | P |
But savage man alone does man betray | P |
Pressed by necessity they kill for food | N2 |
Man undoes man to do himself no good | O2 |
With teeth and claws by nature armed they hunt | H2 |
Nature's allowance to supply their want | P2 |
But man with smiles embraces friendships Praise | P |
Inhumanely his fellow's life betrays | P |
With voluntary pains works his distress | P |
Not through necessity but wantonness | P |
For hunger or for love they bite or tear | C |
Whilst wretched man is still in arms for fear | Y |
For fear he arms and is of arms afraid | Q2 |
From fear to fear successively betrayed | Q2 |
Base fear the source whence his best passions came | K2 |
His boasted honour and his dear bought fame | K2 |
The lust of power to whom he's such a slave | L |
And for the which alone he dares be brave | L |
To which his various projects are designed | G |
Which makes him generous affable and kind | G |
For which he takes such pains to be thought wise | P |
And screws his actions in a forced disguise | P |
Leads a most tedious life in misery | L |
Under laborious mean hypocrisy | L |
Look to the bottom of his vast design | R2 |
Wherein man's wisdom power and glory join | S2 |
The good he acts the ill he does endure | T2 |
'Tis all from fear to make himself secure | T2 |
Merely for safety after fame they thirst | U2 |
For all men would be cowards if they durst | U2 |
And honesty's against all common sense | P |
Men must be knaves 'tis in their own defence | P |
Mankind's dishonest if you think it fair | C |
Among known cheats to play upon the square | C |
You'll be undone | A2 |
Nor can weak truth your reputation save | L |
The knaves will all agree to call you knave | L |
Wronged shall he live insulted o'er oppressed | C2 |
Who dares be less a villain than the rest | C2 |
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Thus sir you see what human nature craves | P |
Most men are cowards all men should be knaves | P |
The difference lies as far as I can see | L |
Not in the thing itself but the degree | L |
And all the subject matter of debate | U |
Is only who's a knave of the first rate | U |
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All this with indignation have I hurled | V2 |
At the pretending part of the proud world | V2 |
Who swollen with selfish vanity devise | P |
False freedoms holy cheats and formal lies | P |
Over their fellow slaves to tyrannise | P |
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But if in Court so just a man there be | L |
In Court a just man yet unknown to me | L |
Who does his needful flattery direct | W2 |
Not to oppress and ruin but protect | W2 |
Since flattery which way soever laid | Q2 |
Is still a tax on that unhappy trade | Q2 |
If so upright a statesman you can find | G |
Whose passions bend to his unbiased mind | G |
Who does his arts and policies apply | D |
T | L |
Lord John Wilmot
(1)
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