Living

Proper Ingredients to make a Sceptic

by Stephen Duck 1705–1756

From Poems on Several Occasions (1736)

Living

WOULD you, my Friend, a finish'd Sceptic make,
To form his Nature, these Materials take:
A little Learning; twenty Grains of Sense,
Join'd with a double Share of Ignorance;
Infuse a little Wit into the Scull,
Which never fails to make a mighty Fool;
Two Drams of Faith; a Tun of Doubting next;
Let all be with the Dregs of Reason mixt:
When in his Mind, these jarring Seeds are sown,
He censure all Things, but approve of none.

MLA

Duck, Stephen. “Proper Ingredients to make a Sceptic.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/duck/18/.

Chicago

Duck, Stephen. “Proper Ingredients to make a Sceptic.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/duck/18/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Stephen Duck