Pope's concept of "Nature" was very different from the concept of the Romantic poets like Wordsworth, Shelley or Keats. Wordsworth gave the call to "return to nature", while Pope exhorted man to "follow nature". Both these concepts are diametrically opposed to each other. To Wordsworth nature was the external phenomenon of the universe; to Pope nature was uncorrupted human nature controlled by reason and approved by tradition. Pope spoke of "nature still, but nature methodized". To Pope nature means reason and commonsense. He says that the rules framed by the ancients were rules of nature and poetry must submit to them. This became the guiding principles of Pope and he strongly asserted 'to learn the ancient rules' for 'copying nature is to copy them'.
Wit, taste and rules are all bound up with nature. Thus the dictum 'follow nature' meant to follow the moral law which is the central reality. But even this concept of nature is bound up with its own laws:
"Nature, like liberty, is but restrained
This nature is the fruitful source of life, the source of the inner light of intelligence. Hence it sees things as in themselves they really are, and judges them correctly.
