Henry More
Immortality of the Soul
「1647」Henry More, “The Argument of Psychathanasia, or The Immortalitie of the Soul” in A Platonick Song of the Soul 「First Published as Psychodia Plantonica; or, a Plantonicall Song of the Soul, Consisting of Foure Severall Poems (Cambridge, 1642); reprinted in Philosophical Poems (London, 1647)」reprinted in The Complete Poems of Dr. Henry Moore「Google Books」 (Printed for Private Circulation by T and A Constable, 1878) 57.
Thus have we run thorow these two degrees
Of the souls working seen in beast and plant;
Reason’s the third, of common qualities
The best. Of this the humane race doth vaunt
As proper to themselves; But if we skan ‘t
Sans prejudice, it’s not in them alone;
The Dog, the Horse, the Ape, the Elephant
Will all rush in striving to make up one,
And sternly claim their share in use of right reason.
But whether brutes do reason and reflect
Upon their reasoning, I’ll not dispute;
Nor care I what brisk boyes will here object:
Long task it were all fondlings to confute.
But I’ll lay down that which will better sute
With that high heavenly spark, the soul of man;
His proper character (I would he knew’t)
Is that which Adam lost by wily train
Of th’ old sly snake that Eve beguil’d with speeches vain,
This was the Image of the highest God,
Which brutes partake not of. This Image hight
True Justice, that keeps ever th’ even trod,
True Piety that yields to man the sight
Of heavenly beauty, those fair beams so bright
Of th’ everlasting Deity, that shed
Their sacred fire within the purer spright,
The fruit of Eden wherewith souls be fed,
Mans awfull majesty of every beast ydred.
(Book I, Canto II, 17, 18, 19; 47-8)
* * * * * * * *
Besides in beasts and men th’ affiniyt
Doth seem so great, that witout predudice
To many proofs for th’ immorality
Of humane Souls, the same to beasts were no’te deny
(Book II. Canto I. 4; 53).
