University of Virginia Library

LI.

But short the silence which prevailed,
When, as by one consent,
A thousand voices chorussed
A shout of non-content;
A thousand mocking gibes were heard,
But, above all the din,
A loud and pompous voice exclaimed—
“My lord, it were a sin,
A grovelling fault, an infamy,
In me to sit and hear
That, as an author, I have been
Indebted to a peer
For patronage. Did I not stand
Amidst a motley crew
Of lacqueys and of sycophants
Unnoticed? It is true
That when my work was known
Amongst the truly great,
The peer, amongst whose minions
I had been forced to wait,
Drawled out his hackneyed compliment;
But he who is inclined
To be considered learning's friend,
Must be the first to find
The merits of an author's work,
Must take him by the hand,
Do battle with detraction,
And Envy's host withstand.
Let others answer for themselves,
Experience bids me say,
That patrons wait upon success,
But seldom lead the way.”