And thou, where'er thou art, thou wretched thing,
Who art afraid to look up to a king,
Lay by thy fears; make but thy grievance plain,
And, if I not redress thee, may my reign
Close up that very moment. To prevent
The course of Justice from her vain intent,
In vain my nearest, dearest friend shall plead,
In vain my mother kneel; my soul may bleed, 660
But must not change. When Justice draws the dart,
Though it is doom'd to pierce a favourite's heart,
'Tis mine to give it force, to give it aim--
I know it duty, and I feel it fame.
* * * * *
Footnotes:
[148] 'Gotham:' is designed as a satire on England and its kings, and
as a picture of what a king of England should be. The first book is a
wild and fanciful bravura.
[149] 'Mandeville:' the famous lying traveller.
[150] 'Monmouth:' in Wales, once visited, and ever afterwards hated by
the poet.
[151] 'Bonnell Thornton:' author of a humorous burlesque, 'Ode on St
Cecilia's Day.' See Boswell.
[152] 'William Boyce:' a celebrated musician.
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