A Satyre Against Mankind Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Were 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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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

A Satyre Against Mankind Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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