For him Reviews shall smile; for him o'erflow
The patronage of Paternoster-row;
His book, with Longman's liberal aid, shall pass
(Who ne'er despises books that bring him brass);
Through three long weeks the taste of London lead,
And cross St. George's Channel and the Tweed.550
But every thing has faults, nor is't unknown
That harps and fiddles often lose their tone,
And wayward voices, at their owner's call,
With all his best endeavours, only squall;
Dogs blink their covey, flints withhold the spark,
And double-barrels (damn them!) miss their mark.[1][2]
Where frequent beauties strike the reader's view,
We must not quarrel for a blot or two;
But pardon equally to books or men,
The slips of Human Nature, and the Pen.560
- ↑
Revenge defeats its object in the dark
And pistols (courage bullies!) miss their mark.—[MS. L. (a).]
And pistols (courage duellists!) miss their mark.—[MS. L. (b). - ↑ As Mr. Pope took the liberty of damning Homer, to whom he was under great obligations—"And Homer (damn him!) calls"—it may be presumed that anybody or anything may be damned in verse by poetical licence [I shall suppose one may damn anything else in verse with impunity.—[[MS. L. (b).]; and, in case of accident, I beg leave to plead so illustrious a precedent.
