And thank our God that we can dine in peace.
MISCELLANEOUS VERSES
(1780—1829)
PREVIOUSLY PRINTED AND NOW FIRST ARRANGED IN CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE.
POETICAL EPISTLES.
[April, 1780.]
(1.) FROM THE DEVIL. AN EPISTLE GENERAL.
(2.) FROM THE AUTHOR.
An Introduction to the former of these, by the learned Martinus Scriblerus.
Peradventure it may surprize thee, Reader, that an Author of our Dignity and Importance should stoop to the servile employment of introducing to the World the flimsy Production of an anonymous Scribler; unless thou art indeed persuaded that the great Personage above mentioned should have prevailed upon us to recommend his Labours to an Age not extremely partial to poetical Composition.
But, whatever Intimacy we may be favoured with in either “Profound,” we are in this Case totally innocent of any Intention to deceive thee; for, we apprehend, did the Genius aforesaid think proper to add the Sin of Rhyme to his other Failings, he has too great a Correspondence and Reputation among Mankind to need our Solicitations in his Favour, were we ever so well disposed to grant them; but, knowing of no due Authority which any man hath to accuse Satan of this Infirmity, we judge it both Cruel and unnecessary to load him with so heavy a Charge, as would in all probability render him more odious to Company in general than any other Accusation he now labours under.
We are however aware of this Objection, that, as the Devil is “ab Origine” the Author of Evil, so Poetry, as one Species of it, may properly be placed to his Account; but, as our argument principally relates to the Piece before us, we shall waive all general Discourse, and observe only that our Reasoning went no farther than to show (whatever may be his Talent for Poetry,) that we have no right to affix his Name in a particular Manner to any one Publication.