Tale I Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIGG JJKLMMNNOOPPQRSSTTFF UUVVWWXYDDZNA2B2C2C2 C2D2D2E2E2GGF2F2HHG2 G2H2H2EEI2I2BBBBJ2J2 K2K2L2L2UUH2H2RRBBM2 M2N2N2AAO2O2P2P2Q2R2 S2T2U2U2UUI2I2V2V2W2 W2X2X2EEX2X2X2X2X2X2 X2X2N2N2Y2Y2TTX2X2Z2 X2A3A3X2X2X2X2YXMMGG C2 XYB3B3C3C3I2I2X2 D3D3X2 BBE3 F3F3OOS2S2 G3D2D2X2 X2 H3H3G3S2That all men would be cowards if they dare | A |
Some men we know have courage to declare | A |
And this the life of many a hero shows | B |
That like the tide man's courage ebbs and flows | B |
With friends and gay companions round them then | C |
Men boldly speak and have the hearts of men | C |
Who with opponents seated miss the aid | D |
Of kind applauding looks and grow afraid | D |
Like timid travelers in the night they fear | E |
Th' assault of foes when not a friend is near | E |
In contest mighty and of conquest proud | F |
Was Justice Bolt impetuous warm and loud | F |
His fame his prowess all the country knew | G |
And disputants with one so fierce were few | G |
He was a younger son for law design'd | H |
With dauntless look and persevering mind | H |
While yet a clerk for disputation famed | I |
No efforts tired him and no conflicts tamed | I |
Scarcely he bade his master's desk adieu | G |
When both his brothers from the world withdrew | G |
An ample fortune he from them possessed | J |
And was with saving care and prudence bless'd | J |
Now would he go and to the country give | K |
Example how an English 'squire should live | L |
How bounteous yet how frugal man may be | M |
By well order'd hospitality | M |
He would the rights of all so well maintain | N |
That none should idle be and none complain | N |
All this and more he purposed and what man | O |
Could do he did to realise his plan | O |
But time convinced him that we cannot keep | P |
A breed of reasoners like a flock of sheep | P |
For they so far from following as we lead | Q |
Make that a cause why they will not proceed | R |
Man will not follow where a rule is shown | S |
But loves to take a method of his own | S |
Explain the way with all your care and skill | T |
This will he quit if but to prove he will | T |
Yet had our Justice honour and the crowd | F |
Awed by his presence their respect avow'd | F |
In later years he found his heart incline | U |
More than in youth to gen'rous food and wine | U |
But no indulgence check'd the powerful love | V |
He felt to teach to argue and reprove | V |
Meetings or public calls he never miss'd | W |
To dictate often always to assist | W |
Oft he the clergy join'd and not a cause | X |
Pertain'd to them but he could quote the laws | Y |
He upon tithes and residence display'd | D |
A fund of knowledge for the hearer's aid | D |
And could on glebe and farming wool and grains | Z |
A long discourse without a pause maintain | N |
To his experience and his native sense | A2 |
He join'd a bold imperious eloquence | B2 |
The grave stern look of men inform'd and wise | C2 |
A full command of feature heart and eyes | C2 |
An awe compelling frown and fear inspiring size | C2 |
When at the table not a guest was seen | D2 |
With appetite so lingering or so keen | D2 |
But when the outer man no more required | E2 |
The inner waked and he was man inspired | E2 |
His subjects then were those a subject true | G |
Presents in fairest form to public view | G |
Of church and state of law with mighty strength | F2 |
Of words he spoke in speech of mighty length | F2 |
And now into the vale of years declined | H |
He hides too little of the monarch mind | H |
He kindles anger by untimely jokes | G2 |
And opposition by contempt provokes | G2 |
Mirth he suppresses by his awful frown | H2 |
And humble spirits by disdain keeps down | H2 |
Blamed by the mild approved by the severe | E |
The prudent fly him and the valiant fear | E |
For overbearing is his proud discourse | I2 |
And overwhelming of his voice the force | I2 |
And overpowering is he when he shows | B |
What floats upon a mind that always overflows | B |
This ready man at every meeting rose | B |
Something to hint determine or propose | B |
And grew so fond of teaching that he taught | J2 |
Those who instruction needed not or sought | J2 |
Happy our hero when he could excite | K2 |
Some thoughtless talker to the wordy fight | K2 |
Let him a subject at his pleasure choose | L2 |
Physic or law religion or the muse | L2 |
On all such themes he was prepared to shine | U |
Physician poet lawyer and divine | U |
Hemm'd in by some tough argument borne down | H2 |
By press of language and the awful frown | H2 |
In vain for mercy shall the culprit plead | R |
His crime is past and sentence must proceed | R |
Ah suffering man have patience bear thy woes | B |
For lo the clock at ten the Justice goes | B |
This powerful man on business or to please | M2 |
A curious taste or weary grown of ease | M2 |
On a long journey travelled many a mile | N2 |
Westward and halted midway in our isle | N2 |
Content to view a city large and fair | A |
Though none had notice what a man was there | A |
Silent two days he then began to long | O2 |
Again to try a voice so loud and strong | O2 |
To give his favourite topics some new grace | P2 |
And gain some glory in such distant place | P2 |
To reap some present pleasure and to sow | Q2 |
Seeds of fair fame in after time to grow | R2 |
Here will men say 'We heard at such an hour | S2 |
The best of speakers wonderful his power ' | T2 |
Inquiry made he found that day would meet | U2 |
A learned club and in the very street | U2 |
Knowledge to gain and give was the design | U |
To speak to hearken to debate and dine | U |
This pleased our traveller for he felt his force | I2 |
In either way to eat or to discourse | I2 |
Nothing more easy than to gain access | V2 |
To men like these with his polite address | V2 |
So he succeeded and first look'd around | W2 |
To view his objects and to take his ground | W2 |
And therefore silent chose awhile to sit | X2 |
Then enter boldly by some lucky hit | X2 |
Some observation keen or stroke severe | E |
To cause some wonder or excite some fear | E |
Now dinner past no longer he supprest | X2 |
His strong dislike to be a silent guest | X2 |
Subjects and words were now at his command | X2 |
When disappointment frown'd on all he plann'd | X2 |
For hark he heard amazed on every side | X2 |
His church insulted and her priests belied | X2 |
The laws reviled the ruling power abused | X2 |
The land derided and its foes excused | X2 |
He heard and ponder'd What to men so vile | N2 |
Should be his language For his threat'ning style | N2 |
They were too many if his speech were meek | Y2 |
They would despise such poor attempts to speak | Y2 |
At other times with every word at will | T |
He now sat lost perplex'd astonish'd still | T |
Here were Socinians Deists and indeed | X2 |
All who as foes to England's Church agreed | X2 |
But still with creeds unlike and some without a | Z2 |
- | |
creed | X2 |
Here too fierce friends of liberty he saw | A3 |
Who own'd no prince and who obey no law | A3 |
There were reformers of each different sort | X2 |
Foes to the laws the priesthood and the court | X2 |
Some on their favourite plans alone intent | X2 |
Some purely angry and malevolent | X2 |
The rash were proud to blame their country's laws | Y |
The vain to seem supporters of a cause | X |
One call'd for change that he would dread to see | M |
Another sigh'd for Gallic liberty | M |
And numbers joining with the forward crew | G |
For no one reason but that numbers do | G |
'How ' said the Justice 'can this trouble rise | C2 |
This shame and pain from creatures I despise ' | - |
And Conscience answer'd 'The prevailing cause | X |
Is thy delight in listening to applause | Y |
Here thou art seated with a tribe who spurn | B3 |
Thy favourite themes and into laughter turn | B3 |
Thy fears and wishes silent and obscure | C3 |
Thyself shalt thou the long harangue endure | C3 |
And learn by feeling what it is to force | I2 |
On thy unwilling friends the long discourse | I2 |
What though thy thoughts be just and these it | X2 |
- | |
seems | D3 |
Are traitors' projects idiots' empty schemes | D3 |
Yet minds like bodies cramm'd reject their food | X2 |
Nor will be forced and tortured for their good ' | - |
At length a sharp shrewd sallow man arose | B |
And begg'd he briefly might his mind disclose | B |
'It was his duty in these worst of times | E3 |
T'inform the govern'd of their rulers' crimes ' | - |
This pleasant subject to attend they each | F3 |
Prepare to listen and forbore to teach | F3 |
Then voluble and fierce the wordy man | O |
Through a long chain of favourite horrors ran | O |
First of the Church from whose enslaving power | S2 |
He was deliver'd and he bless'd the hour | S2 |
'Bishops and deans and prebendaries all ' | - |
He said 'were cattle fatt'ning in the stall | G3 |
Slothful and pursy insolent and mean | D2 |
Were every bishop prebendary dean | D2 |
And wealthy rector curates poorly paid | X2 |
Were only dull he would not them upbraid ' | - |
From priests he turn'd to canons creeds and | X2 |
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prayers | H3 |
Rubrics and rules and all our Church affairs | H3 |
Churches themselves desk pulpit altar all | G3 |
The Justice reverenced and pr | S2 |
George Crabbe
(1)
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