The Priest Dissected A Poem, Addressed to the Rev. Mr. ---, Author of Regulus, Toby, Caesar, And other Satirical Pieces in the Public Papers. By the author of the New Bath Guide [i.e.Christopher Anstey]. Canto I. The Second Edition |
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Woe! to the just occasion that compels
My verse to satire, when my soul rebels;
Must I, unskill'd her angry bolts to fling,
Or draw fell poison from th' Aonian spring,
Must I, alas! the cruel task sustain,
To seek my triumphs from another's pain?
I, who to grief the pitying tear can lend,
Or smile at folly, but would ne'er offend;
My verse to satire, when my soul rebels;
Must I, unskill'd her angry bolts to fling,
Or draw fell poison from th' Aonian spring,
Must I, alas! the cruel task sustain,
To seek my triumphs from another's pain?
I, who to grief the pitying tear can lend,
Or smile at folly, but would ne'er offend;
14
Scribble, sometimes, life's burthen to forget,
But claim no empire o'er the realms of wit;
Nor damn'd with love of fame the muse once more
Tempts me to visit the Pierian shore;
But for his sake, that dark ungenerous foe,
Who now commands th' unwilling verse to flow;
Ill-judging priest! whose comminations dire
At once my laughter, and my rage inspire;
Who vainly thinks the Christian church assigns
Exclusive rights, to critical divines,
Claims some superior priviledge to curse,
And damns alike the poet and the verse.
But claim no empire o'er the realms of wit;
Nor damn'd with love of fame the muse once more
Tempts me to visit the Pierian shore;
But for his sake, that dark ungenerous foe,
Who now commands th' unwilling verse to flow;
Ill-judging priest! whose comminations dire
At once my laughter, and my rage inspire;
Who vainly thinks the Christian church assigns
Exclusive rights, to critical divines,
Claims some superior priviledge to curse,
And damns alike the poet and the verse.
| The Priest Dissected | |