So I ran accross this line in a poem of Alexander Pope:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien As to be hated needs but to be
seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then
pity, then embrace.
Dryden has it as well:
For truth has such a face and such a mien As to be loved needs only to
be seen.
I do not understand what the "As to be (participle) needs to be (participle)." Construction shall mean. I figure "needs" is an archaic adverb meaning "necessarily". It still does not make sense to me. Can someone enlighten me?
Best Answer
Pope: Vice is a monster. The monster is so frightening that all that is required for it to be hated is for it to be seen. Seen too often, however, and we become familiarised with the monster's face. We first put up with it. We then pity it. And finally, we embrace it (vice).
Dryden: You only need to see truth to love it, as truth has the kind of face and expression that make you fall in love with it as soon as you see it.
'so as to' is an expression equivalent to 'in order to' which was used more frequently in the late 19th Century. Its use has declined since, but it's still current, although the examples you've given are more complex because of the poetic choices made.