Answer to the foregoing, 1731. John Straight Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG UK
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive
Taylor Institution Library St Giles' Oxford OX1 3NA UK info@eighteenthcenturypoetry.org https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/
Oxford This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. T131163 K104099.005 Dodsley, Robert, 1703-1764. A Collection of Poems in Six Volumes. By Several Hands. Vol. V. London printed by J. Hughs, for R. and J. Dodsley 1763 [1st ed. 1758] pp. 251-253. 6v.: music; 8⁰.

This e-text is part of the Works section of the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA).

XML created for the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA).

The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF) text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center; text-align: right; text-align: left; display: inline font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;
Answer to the foregoing , 1731. By J. S. — MY dearest boy , Apollo's and the prelate's joy ; Your sharp rebuke came safe to hand , And speedy answer does demand . You charge me home — our conscious Muse Wou'd fain say something in excuse . The promise made must be confess'd , But here , Sir — distinguendum est . A promise broke and one delay'd Differ as much as light and shade . By this distinction all your whores And courtiers I turn out of doors , And , by induction logical Prove , they affect not me at all . But if my logic be not good , I'll prove it from the word of God , Which serves to clear all sorts of cases , And wears a masquerade of faces . When bloody-minded Jephtha swore , If he return'd a conqueror , He'd offer up in sacrifice What from his house first met his eyes ; And when his girl and only child Hasten'd to welcome from the field With pious joy her prosp'rous sire , Gaily dancing to the lyre ; The holy butcher understood His promise's performance good , Tho' for a year the virgin stray'd , And wept her unlost maidenhead . Thus , Sir , you see we men of letters Can , like Jack Shepherd , cut our fetters ; When pinch'd , we file scholastic saw , And iron is no more than straw : The man is thought to have no brains , Who can't break loose , or bind in chains . Your Sykes's and your Waterlands Have nothing else upon their hands : They stand prepar'd with double tackle To fix , or to remove the shackle . But , my dear boy , we'll only tye The silken bands of amity ; Or such as hock-tide boys and misses With laughter bind , and harmless kisses ; Indulge the free poetic measure , And mimic discord for more pleasure . But after all these long preambles , In which our nag , at best , but ambles : After our plea of mere delay , 'Tis fit we think our debt to pay . Soon then as business will permit , We'll send you up another sheet , Full fraught with our most learn'd advice , In which we must be somewhat nice ; We'll rouse our thoughts , and take due time , And trifle not in dogrel rhime ; But boldly whip the winged steed , And raise him to a nobler speed . Quod dignum tanto feret hic promissor hiatu ? Horace, De Arte Poetica liber 138.