The Sceptic
(1809), failed. His nature was neither deep enough nor strong enough for success in such themes. In the ephemeral strife of party politics he found his real province. Nothing can be better of their kind than the metrical lampoons collected in
Intercepted Letters, or the Twopenny Post-bag, by Thomas Brown the Younger
(1813). In his hands the bow and arrows of Cupid become formidable weapons of party warfare; nor do their ornaments impede the movements of the archer. The shaft is gaily winged and brightly polished; the barb sharp and dipped in venom; and the missile hums music as it flies to its mark. Moore's satire is the satire of the Clubs at its best; but it is scarcely the satire of literature.
The Twopenny Post-bag
was the parent of many similar productions, beginning with
The Fudge Family in Paris
(1818), and ending with
Fables for the Holy Alliance
(1823), which he dedicated to Byron.