Glittering through their romantic wisdom’s page,
Make us at once despise them, and admire?
Fable is flat to these high-season’d sires; 570
They leave th’ extravagance of song below.
“Flesh shall not feel; or, feeling, shall enjoy
The dagger, or the rack; to them, alike 573
A bed of roses, or the burning bull.”
In men exploding all beyond the grave,
Strange doctrine, this! As doctrine, it was strange;
But not, as prophecy; for such it proved,