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We know, imperious Bard, thou'rt bold and warm,
Like a rash Sailor in a dang'rous Storm;
What, tho' a Tempest in thy Teeth blows hard,
Thy self-Opinion will be still thy guard;
And, like a Cork or Bladder to each side,
Buoy up thy Cock-boat against Wind and Tide;

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But yet be cautious, lest you drive a-ground,
Or sink from the Sublime, to the Profound;
Forsake the silver Thames, for slimy Bogs,
And reign not King of Poets, but of Frogs.
For Wits and Scholars, famous for their Parts,
More skill'd, than thou, in the politest Arts,
Have sunk, e'er now, below their just deserts.