X "Or," cried he, a grave look collecting, XI For Peter did not know the town, XII All Peter did on this occasion Was, writing some sad stuff in prose. XIII The Devil then sent to Leipsic fair, XVI When the book came, the Devil sent XVII Fire, which ex luce præbens fumum, Go, as we shall do, subter humum, XVIII Now Peter ran to seed in soul XIX Furious he rode, where late he ran, Right-wrong- -false-true-and foul | A solemn and unsexual man,— -and fair, As in a lottery-wheel are shook. XIV Five thousand crammed octavo pages wages More than will e'er be due to me. XV I looked on them nine several days, I found Sir William Drummond had. 1 Vox populi, vox dei. As Mr. Godwin truly observes of a more famous saying, of some merit as a popular maxim, but totally destitute of philosophical accuracy. He half believed White Obi. XX This steed in vision he would ride, High trotting over nine-inch bridges, XXI After these ghastly rides, he came Home to his heart, and found from thence Much stolen of its accustomed flame; 1 Quasi, Qui valet verba:-- i.e. all the words which have been, are, or may be expended by, for, against, with, or on him. A sufficient proof of the utility of this history. Peter's progenitor who selected this name seems to have possessed a pure anticipated cognition of the nature and modesty of this ornament of his posterity. His thoughts grew weak, drowsy, and lamie Of their intelligence. XXII To Peter's view, all seemed one hue; XXIII One single point in his belief From his organisation sprung, The heart-enrooted faith, the chief Ear in his doctrines' blighted sheaf, That "happiness is wrong;" XXIV So thought Calvin and Dominic; So think their fierce successors, who Even now would neither stint nor stick Our flesh from off our bones to pick, If they might "do their do." XXV His morals thus were undermined:- XXVI In the death hues of agony Lambently flashing from a fish, Mixed with a certain hungry wish.2 1 A famous river in the new Atlantis of the Dynastophylic Pantisocratists. 2 See the description of the beautiful colours produced during the agonising death of a number of trout, in the fourth part of a long poem in blank verse, published within a few years. That poem contains curious evidence of the gradual hardening of a strong but circumscribed sensibility, of the perversion of a penetrating but panic-stricken understanding. The author might have derived a lesson which he had probably forgotten from these sweet and sublime verses. "This lesson, Shepherd, let us two divide, Taught both by what she shows and what conceals, I Nature. Munched children with fury, It was thou, Devil, dining with pure intent."1 PART THE SEVENTH DOUBLE DAMNATION I THE Devil now knew his proper cue.— II "Pray find some cure or sinecure; To feed from the superfluous taxes, A friend of ours-a poet-fewer Have fluttered tamer to the lure Than he." His lordship stands and racks his III Stupid brains, while one might count As many beads as he had boroughs,At length replies; from his mean front, Like one who rubs out an account, Smoothing away the unmeaning furrows: IV “It happens fortunately, dear Sir, That he'll be worthy of his hire." V These words exchanged, the news sent off meet 1 It is curious to observe how often extremes Cobbett and Peter use the same language for a different purpose: Peter is indeed a sort of metrical Cobbett. Cobbett is, however, more mischievous than Peter, because he pollutes a holy and now unconquerable cause with the principles of legitimate murder; whilst the other only makes a bad one ridiculous and odious. If either Peter or Cobbett should see this note, each will feel more indignation at being compared to the other than at any censure implied in the moral perversion laid to their charge. |