78 AN INTRODUCTORY LECTURE ON POETRY. 



wisdom of our ancestors, be it said, a laborious and vexatious system 

 altogether uncalled for by the reading world. But the same writer 

 goes far to stultify his own doctrine, by adopting the following intel- 

 ligible argument, to which you will do well, my friends, to pay pecu- 

 liar and grateful attention : 



" If once for principle 'tis laid, 



That thought is trouble to the head., 



I argue thus: The world agrees, 



That he writes well who writes with ease ; 



Then he, by sequel logical, 



Writes best, who never thinks at all." 



Thus, you will perceive, I have laid before you two several modes 

 of arriving at the same point. Decide quickly, or you are lost 

 think, and you are ruined ponder, and you perish. A devotion to 

 the former will lead you to a distrust of every thing you write you 

 will erect a standard in your own minds you will be poking about 

 after illustrations, similes, images, and what not your ideas will 

 assume an artificial form, or they will lose their original freshness 

 and bloom you will labour with characterestic conceits and far- 

 fetched fancies ; in a word, you will not suffer your genius to have 

 fair play. On the contrary, by a preference of the latter, you may, 

 with very little trouble, and at no mental expense, be perpetually 

 pouring forth epic, heroic poem, didactic and descriptive ditto 

 romaunt, mystery, elegy, ode, and every species of occasional lyric; 

 and all these with equal facility and despatch. You will boil over 

 like a Lapland geyser, if not with similar warmth. In short, by per- 

 mitting your fancy to do as she pleases, you inevitably succeed in 

 pleasing yourself; and if, after all, an envious and malicious world 

 should judge you harshly should crop your ears (I beg pardon for 

 that expression, it is merely figurative) should tear you to pieces 

 into ribbons, as it were, for the garnishing of their own caps ; and 

 should the muse be unable to " defend her son/' then, although you 

 may have nothing to fall back upon, unless you choose to fall upon 

 your own backs, you may make sure of posterity. Mark that well. A 

 fig for the swinish multitude of the present day ; you have the right 

 sow by the ear when you once catch posterity, at all events. 



But it is now high time that I should shadow forth to you what you 

 are to expect, or rather what you must not expect, iri a financial point 

 of view, from a prosecution of the art to which you now purpose 

 devoting yourselves. To be at once plain with you, praise may be 

 accorded to you, but pudding will be withheld. Applause may 

 come at first, of course ; but no first course will follow the applause. 

 You may meet with your deserts, but will see no dessert ; you may 

 play upon your pastoral pipe, but you will lay no finger upon a pipe 

 of wine ; you may tip the public your staves, but you will get no tip 

 for the staff of life. I particularly regret this awkward circumstance, 

 especially since I perceive that you look rather blank about the 

 matter ; but the fact, rely upon it, is so. For, observe, a great writer 

 has said 



" Jf folly urge thee on, and genius snub. 

 There'll be a deal of writing but no grub." 



