SATYR.
73
And Affectation, that makes good Things bad,
Must make affected Shame accurst,and mad;
For Vices for themselves may find Excuse,
But never for their Complement, and Shews.
10 That, if there ever were a Mystery
Of moral secular Iniquity,
And that the Churches may not lose their Due
By being encroach'd upon, 'tis now, and new.[1]
For Men are now as scrupulous, and nice,
10 And tender-conscienc'd of low paltry Vice,
Disdain as proudly to be thought to have
To do in any Mischief, but the brave,
As the most scrup'lous Zealot of late Times
T'appear in any, but the horrid'st Crimes;
75 Have as precise and strict Punctilios
Now to appear, as then to make no Shows;
And steer the World by disagreeing Force
Of diff'rent Customs 'against her nat'ral Course.
So pow'rful's ill Example to incroach,
80 And Nature spite of all her Laws debauch;
Example, that imperious Dictator
Of all that's good, or bad to human Nature;
Must make affected Shame accurst,and mad;
For Vices for themselves may find Excuse,
But never for their Complement, and Shews.
10 That, if there ever were a Mystery
Of moral secular Iniquity,
And that the Churches may not lose their Due
By being encroach'd upon, 'tis now, and new.[1]
For Men are now as scrupulous, and nice,
10 And tender-conscienc'd of low paltry Vice,
Disdain as proudly to be thought to have
To do in any Mischief, but the brave,
As the most scrup'lous Zealot of late Times
T'appear in any, but the horrid'st Crimes;
75 Have as precise and strict Punctilios
Now to appear, as then to make no Shows;
And steer the World by disagreeing Force
Of diff'rent Customs 'against her nat'ral Course.
So pow'rful's ill Example to incroach,
80 And Nature spite of all her Laws debauch;
Example, that imperious Dictator
Of all that's good, or bad to human Nature;
- ↑ 67, 68. And that the Churches may not lose their Due—By being encroach'd upon.] The Poet's Meaning seems to be, either that the Phrase Mystery of Iniquity was appropried to Divinity; or archly and satirically to insinuate, that the real and great Mystery of Iniquity was to be found in the Churches of that Age.
94, 95.
