LIII.

Not even Cottle's " curses yet unborn,"

Nor Terrot's reverend damnings, could put out
The light of Byron's genius, nor suborn

The public feeling on their side to vote;
Nor modest Cato Croly's pious scorn;

Nor biographic Watkins' cuckoo note
Can 'bate one tittle of the bardie's fame-
Whether they bless or curse, 'tis all the same.

LIV.

Therefore it is that the exciting story

Has yet defied all champions arm'd to crush it;
Fresh readers still arise, both young and hoary,

To relish it, though priests try hard to hush it.
E'en the "good haters" of Don Juan's glory

Read "on the sly," and dare sometimes to fish it
From desk or drawer, or pillow when in bed,
Where oftentimes (we're told) it hath been read.3

1 "One such there is whom sires unborn will curse." Cottle's "Expostulatory Epistle to Lord Byron."-Murray, p. 582. 2 And damns his name for ever by Don Juan."

Rev. Terrot's "Common Sense."-Ibid, p. 582.

3 The writer of "A Letter to Lord Byron, by John Bull," says:-"I consider 'Don Juan' as the best of your works. It is by far the most spirited, the most straightforward, the most interesting, and the most poetical; and everybody thinks as I do of it, although they have not the heart to say so. Old Gifford's brow relaxed as he gloated over it, Mr. Croker chuckled, Dr. Whitaker smirked, Mr. Milman sighed, Mr. Coleridge took it to bed with him!" The writer goes on to say that he thinks Lord Byron has taken "a great many hints," and " a great many pretty full sketches" from a well-known French work. See Murray's edition of Lord Byron's works, 1846, p. 585. We do not think, with this writer, that Lord Byron has been a borrower from the work alluded to. "Don Juan is decidedly Lord Byron's own production, and of a different character, and in a different style from the French romance, which is undoubtedly of a much lower class, containing that kind of coarse, unblushing lewdness, which cannot be found in any part of "Don Juan." Nor does the French romance afford any relief from the one avowed purpose--a narrative of unbounded sensual passion in all its undisguised and disgusting vulgarity. We may look in vain for that originality and variety of subject and observation, deep knowledge of human nature, wit, keen satire, pathos, sentiment, beautiful poetry, and extensive learning, that "Don Juan" so eminently displays. In short, we cannot see how a parallel can, with justice, be drawn between this French romance, in prose, and the infinitely superior poem of "Don Juan.”—Anon.

LV.

'Tis strange that so much zealous preaching fails

To make the people pious, and reclaim Their evil nature from such wicked tales

As thine, friend Byron, whose atrocious name, They say, "beats e'en the devil's."-What avails Cottle and Co.'s denouncement of thy fame? The world to be immoral seems quite willing, On ev'ry stall we see " Don Juan, price one shilling!"

LVI.

They were, p'rhaps, jealous of thy jocund teaching,
(Which, certes, they don't seem to understand),
And somewhat fluster'd, lest their own dull preaching,
After Don Juan, should at discount stand;
Else, why so loud and earnest in beseeching

The "brethren " not to take such trash in hand,
Nor read, nor list', nor suffer it on their shelves,
Though they confess "they've redde it ALL themselves!"

LVII.

Aye! ev'ry mother's son hath swallow'd down

"The wicked work," and though 'twas in their mouths, (Or minds), as honey, sweet, yet, in their wame Sae bitter was't gaun doon, it gar't their bile O'erflow in accents of maist fell abuse

As ever issu'd forth frae saintly lips: Rev'rends, eclectics, and the moral part

Of the "ungentle craft" (so hight by Southey), As well as the immoral, have suck'd in

The "vile voluptuous draughts" of luscious sin.

LVIII.

The "British Critic" (save the mark-such critic!)
Found in thy poem no poetry at all!

No wit!-no satire !" spirit "-nor "didactic

Of aught but mischief."-It was Grub-street". gall!"

Now, silent are those oracles pragmatic;

Their own wet blanket serves them for a pall!
Had they neglected they could not have ended it,
And by abusing they but recommended it;
Like Styles, who advertis'd it from the pulpit,
Till his poor flock grew curious, and gulp'd it!

LIX.

The sapient "British Mag" pronounc'd thee mad!
"Eclectic" lucubrations have resulted

In paradox, which we should be right glad

To have resolv'd; but, though we have consulted
Many authorities, we ne'er have had

The luck, on this dark question, so occulted,

To find how there can possibly be felt

In knowledge of the good a shade of guilt.1

LX.

No doubt, there's quite enough in knowing evil
To send most Christians to the depths of hell,
Which our divine instructors are so civil

To picture as a place they know full well;
Their illustrations of it, and the devil,

Are always drawn with vivid, graphic skill.2
Ye theologians!-Ye are not afraid

The hell ye picture may your bed be made!

1 See an extract from a critique on "Don Juan" in the "Eclectic Review," published in Murray's edition of Byron, 1846, in which the "Eclectic" says :He" (Byron) "writes like a man who has that clear perception of the TRUTH of things, which is the result of the GUILTY knowledge of GOOD and evil.”

66

2 Descriptions of Hell, Purgatory, and even Heaven, were once the favourite researches among certain zealous defenders of the Romish Church, who exhausted their inkhorns in building up a hell to their own taste, and for their particular purpose. Cardinal Bellarmin seems to have the science of a surveyor among all the secret tracks and formidable divisions of the 'bottomless pit.'

"One of the most horrible of these books was the work of the Jesuit Pinamonti; it details with frightful minuteness the nature of hell-torments, accompanied by the most revolting pictures of the condemned under various refined torments."- -D'Israeli's" Curiosities of Literature," Article "Hell."

See also Dante's "Hell" and "Purgatory" for horrible descriptions of the torments of those imaginary regions-descriptions often bordering on the ludicrous from their very extravagance.

LXI.

LXII.

Jeffrey, e'en thy admonitory WE

Hath fail'd "a wee bit" of its sage prognostic. Not always a Lord Advocate can be

Infallible, though morally so caustic; Thy gentle condemnations all can see

Are not so gentle as thy phrase ostentic Would lead us to believe; but, lawyer-like, Thy words and meaning at each other strike.

LXIII.

Though conscientiously thou bend❜st the knee
To genius divine, thou'rt so far wedded
To the world's prejudice that thou would'st be

A hypocrite.-Like Gay's "Macheath," who bedded Two mistresses, and stoutly swore that he

Could happy be with either one, nor dreaded

The demon jealousy, while sly disguise

Could shield his falsehood from the other's eyes.

LXIV.

Ye criticising clan, we give ye warning 1

That 'tis OUR sovereign pleasure to be FREE;

"Here's freedom to him that wad read;
Here's freedom to him that wad write;

There's nane ever fear'd that the truth should be heard

But they wham the truth wad indite."-Burns.

(This learn ye once for all), your strictures scorning, Whenever ye would teach us A B C,

With your black caps, your Midas ears adorning,
To nibble at our rhymes, satiric glee.

Wise ones! are we so 66 green as not to know
Where rhyme and metre halt, as well as you?

LXV.

And when your stiff morality doth pall

At our descriptions, and events o' the day,
Must we be branded with the sins of all1
The motley characters that fill our play?
OUR high concern about ye's very small,

Whatever ye may think, or do, or say;
Ye could but bray when th' lordly lion roar'd,
Ye can but do so now the echo's heard.

LXVI.

An' if ye cavil when we coin a word,

Or put a syllable or two too much in ;

Or when a bizarre rhyme may chance be heard;

Or, leaving rhyme, when we would be more touching, We choose some "clumsy cuttings" (though absurd They may be christen'd by some rev'rend urchin); Know ye, it suits our purpose, or caprice—

WE care not for the cackling of geese.

LXVII.

Our Muse, inspired by love of freedom, roves
Where'er she lists unfetter'd-uncontroll❜d. 2
Whether she show her hate, or sing her loves,
Her strain is ever candid, ardent, bold.

1 "Yet shun their fault, who scandalously nice,
Will needs mistake an author into vice;
All seems infected that th' infected spy,
As all seems yellow to the jaundic'd eye."

Pope's "Essay on Criticism."

2 "I must have liberty withal, as large a charter

As the wind, to blow on whom I please."-Shakespeare.