Bernard Mandeville, The Grumbling Hive, 1705

Reading Notes

Lines 1-6: What was the condition of the Hive?

Lines 31-34: What caused this condition?

Lines 45-58: What were the inhabitants of the Hive engaged in?

Lines 59-70: How did the Lawyers behave?

Lines 71-84: How did the Physicians behave?

Lines 85-100: How did the Priests behave?

Lines 139-154: How did the Judges behave?

Lines 155-168: What did these kinds of behavior lead to?

Lines 177-203: Is Vice a Good Thing or a Bad Thing? Why?

Lines 204-225: How did the inhabitants of the Hive feel about their condition?

Lines 226-231: What did Jove (God) do in response?

Lines 242-390: What was the result of this change?

Lines 405-408: Where did the bees wind up?

The Moral: What is the Moral of the story?