Rochester: Early period view of the human/reason

In lines 80-100 of “A Satire Against Reason and Mankind” reveal Rochester’s views on humans expanding their knowledge, which was the main stream of thought in the early period. Man should not try to think beyond “is like an ass” (line 97). Earlier in the text, Rochester claims “filing those frantic crowds of thinking fools/those reverend bedlams, colleges and schools” (ll.82-83) again reiterate his view on how education and the idea of thinking beyond what is told/taught was viewed as harmful and rebellious. Unlike the idea of nature in the later period, which was viewed as a positive escape, in the early period texts (Rochester) reveal the idea that nature does nothing but betray and mislead man and that reason (specific to lines 80-100) has made man to believe that he is greater than he really is.