22
THE ELEPHANT
That those, wh'have purchas'd of the College
A Share, or half a Share of Knowledge,
And brought in none, but spent Repute,
440 Should not b'admitted to dispute;
Nor any Man pretend to know
More than his Dividend comes to?
For Partners have been always known
To cheat their publick Int'rest prone;
445 And, if we do not look to ours,
'Tis sure to run the self-fame Course.
This said, the whole Assembly allow'd
The Doctrine to be right, and good;
And, from the Truth of what th'had heard,
450 Resolv'd to give Truth no Regard,
But, what was for their Turn, to vouch,
And either find, or make it such:
That 'twas more noble to create
Things like Truth, out of strong Conceit,
455 Than, with vexatious Pains and Doubt,
To find, or think t'have found her out.
This b'ing resolv'd, they, one by one,
Review'd the Tube, the Mouse, and Moon;
But still, the narrower they pry'd,
460 The more they were unsatisfy'd,
In no one Thing, they saw, agreeing;
As if th' had sev'ral Faiths of seeing.[1]
A Share, or half a Share of Knowledge,
And brought in none, but spent Repute,
440 Should not b'admitted to dispute;
Nor any Man pretend to know
More than his Dividend comes to?
For Partners have been always known
To cheat their publick Int'rest prone;
445 And, if we do not look to ours,
'Tis sure to run the self-fame Course.
This said, the whole Assembly allow'd
The Doctrine to be right, and good;
And, from the Truth of what th'had heard,
450 Resolv'd to give Truth no Regard,
But, what was for their Turn, to vouch,
And either find, or make it such:
That 'twas more noble to create
Things like Truth, out of strong Conceit,
455 Than, with vexatious Pains and Doubt,
To find, or think t'have found her out.
This b'ing resolv'd, they, one by one,
Review'd the Tube, the Mouse, and Moon;
But still, the narrower they pry'd,
460 The more they were unsatisfy'd,
In no one Thing, they saw, agreeing;
As if th' had sev'ral Faiths of seeing.[1]
- ↑ 473, 474. Some hold no Way so orthodox—To try it as the Ballot-
Box.]
