Seneca said, eighteen centuries ago,—
Nullum magnum ingenium absque mistura dementiæ est:—De Tranquil.;
and Aristotle had said it before him (Problemata).
Praise undeserved is satire in disguise.—Pope: Imit. Horace.
Sir Walter Scott says in his Woodstock,—in the scene where Alice Lee, in the presence of Charles II. under the assumed name of Louis Kerneguy, describes the character she supposes the king to have:—
Kerneguy and his supposed patron felt embarrassed, perhaps from a consciousness that the real Charles fell far short of his ideal character as designed in such glowing colors. In some cases exaggerated or inappropriate praise becomes the most severe satire.
Ye little stars, hide your diminished rays.—Pope: Epistle to Bathurst.
At whose sight all the stars