"Bid your minds then sit calmly on their thrones, amidst the hurly burly of critical attacks."
— Wolcot, John, pseud. Peter Pindar, (1738-1819)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed by Thomas Spilsbury
Date
1794
Metaphor
"Bid your minds then sit calmly on their thrones, amidst the hurly burly of critical attacks."
Metaphor in Context
So much to the liberal critics;--what shall I say to the illiberal?
Rake, if you please, the kennel of your brains,
And pour forth all the loaded head contains;
I shall not suffer by it, I am sure!--
Nay, my poetic plants will better thrive;
Exalt their heads and smile--be all alive;
As mud is very excellent manure.
Brother authors, attend unto the wisdom of Peter. Are the cries of the malevolent and envious against you? Be silent, and let your works fight their own battle. Are they good for nothing? Let them die. Possess they merit? They need not be afraid.--Bid your minds then sit calmly on their thrones, amidst the hurly burly of critical attacks.
Go take a lesson from the glorious sun,
Who, when the elements together run
In wild confusion--earth and wind and water,
Looks on the tumult down without dismay,
Nay, bright and smiling--seeming thus to say,
'Lord! bustling gentlefolk, pray what's the matter?'
Rake, if you please, the kennel of your brains,
And pour forth all the loaded head contains;
I shall not suffer by it, I am sure!--
Nay, my poetic plants will better thrive;
Exalt their heads and smile--be all alive;
As mud is very excellent manure.
Brother authors, attend unto the wisdom of Peter. Are the cries of the malevolent and envious against you? Be silent, and let your works fight their own battle. Are they good for nothing? Let them die. Possess they merit? They need not be afraid.--Bid your minds then sit calmly on their thrones, amidst the hurly burly of critical attacks.
Go take a lesson from the glorious sun,
Who, when the elements together run
In wild confusion--earth and wind and water,
Looks on the tumult down without dismay,
Nay, bright and smiling--seeming thus to say,
'Lord! bustling gentlefolk, pray what's the matter?'
Categories
Citation
At least 4 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1794, 1795, 1796).
Pindariana; or Peter's Portfolio. Containing Tale, Fable, ... Letters. With Extracts from Tragedy, Comedy, Opera, &C. by Peter Pindar, Esq. (London: Printed by T. Spilsbury and Son, for J. Walker; J. Bell; J. Ladley; and Mr. Jeffrey, 1794-[95]). <Link to ESTC>
Text from The Works of Peter Pindar, 4 vols. (London: Printed for Walker and Edwards, 1816).
Pindariana; or Peter's Portfolio. Containing Tale, Fable, ... Letters. With Extracts from Tragedy, Comedy, Opera, &C. by Peter Pindar, Esq. (London: Printed by T. Spilsbury and Son, for J. Walker; J. Bell; J. Ladley; and Mr. Jeffrey, 1794-[95]). <Link to ESTC>
Text from The Works of Peter Pindar, 4 vols. (London: Printed for Walker and Edwards, 1816).
Date of Entry
09/14/2009
