To One Who Had Censured His Public Exposition of Dante If Dante mourns, there wheresoe'er he be, That such high fancies of a soul so proud Should be laid open to the vulgar crowd, (As, touching my Discourse, I'm told by thee,) This were my grievous pain; and certainly My proper blame should not be disavowed; Though hereof somewhat, I declare aloud Were due to others, not alone to me. False hopes, true poverty, and therewithal The blinded judgment of a host of friends, And their entreaties, made that I did thus. But of all this there is no gain at all Unto the thankless souls with whose base ends Nothing agrees that's great or generous. |