Each wanton judge new penal statutes draw, Tear off reserve, and bare my swelling heart; Yes, brother, curse with me that baleful hour Gave wealth to sway the mind with double force. E'en now, perhaps, as there some pilgrim strays Through tangled forests, and through dangerous ways; Where beasts with man divided empire claim, And all around distressful yells arise, Our own felicity we make or find: With secret course, which no loud storms annoy, In the Respublica Hungarica, there is an account of a desperate rebellion in the year 1514, headed by two brothers, George and Luke Zeck. When it was quelled, George, not Luke, was punished by his head being encircled with a red-hot iron crown. Boswell pointed out Goldsmith's mistake. ΤΟ SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS. DEAR SIR, I CAN have no expectations, in an address of this kind, either to add to your reputation, or to establish .my own. You can gain nothing from my admiration, as I am ignorant of that art in which you are said to excel; and I may lose much by the severity of your judgment, as few have a juster taste in poetry than you. Setting interest therefore aside, to which I never paid much attention, I must be indulged at present in following my affections. The only dedication I ever made was to my brother, because I loved him better than most other men. He is since dead. Permit me to inscribe this poem to you. |