2 1 6 The Poets and Nature. 



other class, the base-born and base, the maggot-bred and 

 maggot-breeding. 



" Of pension'd patriots and privileged slaves, 

 That party-coloured mass, which nought can warm 

 But quick corruption's heat, whose ready swarm 

 Spread their light wings in Bribery's golden sky, 

 Buzz for a period, lay their eggs, and die." Moore. 



" Those gilded flies that, basking in the sunshine of a Court, 

 Fatten on its corruption ! what are they ? 

 The drones of the community ; they feed 

 On the mechanic's labour." Shelley. 



" Oh ! that a verse had power and could command 

 Far far away these flesh-flies of the land ; 

 Who fatten without mercy on the fair, 

 And suck, and leave a craving maggot there." Cowper. 



" Ye tinsel insects whom a court maintains, 

 That count your beauties only by your stains, 

 Spin all your cobwebs." Pope. 



Pope, it is seen, mixes up butterfly, blue-bottle, and spider ; 

 but then it is only Pope, and his meaning is obvious enough. 



How curious, by the way, that want of generosity is in 

 poets which makes them take every opportunity that offers 

 to remind winged insects of their previous and more lowly 

 stage of existence. One would almost have expected them, 

 as moralists, to see the encouraging aspect of the trans- 

 formation of caterpillars into butterflies, and grubs into flies, 

 to have taught humility the lesson of hope, and industrious 

 obscurity the gospel of rewards on this side the grave. 



The intermediate chrysalis stage is, again, most simply 

 eloquent of patient expectancy based upon a perfect faith. 

 The philosophers of old made much of these beautiful and 

 profound parables, and the many inspiriting readings they 

 offer to the student. But our poets, so rarely as almost to 

 justify my saying, never take heed of them. " The crawling 

 worm that turns to summer fly " is a vermin, a reptile ; and 

 the summer fly only a muck-worm in disguise, braving it 

 like a harlot, in finery for half the day : 



