What modern Courtier, pray, hath got the face
To say to Majesty, 'O King!
At such a time, in such a place,
You did a very foolish thing'?

from 'An Apologetic Postscript to Ode upon Ode'

Peter Pindar (1738-1819), the pen name of John Wolcot, dared to ridicule the foibles, corruptions and misdemeanours of King George III and those in power in his kingdom. His satire was merciless, but Wolcot survived accusations of treason, protected by his wit and readership. His admirers included Lord Nelson and the Prince Regent himself; to Robert Burns he was 'a delightful fellow and a first favourite of mine'. Fascinating for what they reveal of the world of Hanoverian England, Peter Pindar's audacious poems still shock the modern reader into laughter at the unchanging characteristics of the arrogant and powerful.

Fenella Copplestone's introduction and notes illuminate social and literary contexts of Pindar's writing.

Cover image: Treason!!! (1798) by Richard Newton.Cover design StephenRaw.com.

Contents

Introduction   
A Note on the Text   
Suggestions for Further Reading    

 

THE LOUSIAD: AN HEROI-COMIC POEM. 1785–1795


from Canto the First. September 1785   
(Canto II. 1787)  
from Canto the Third. April 1791   
(Canto IV. December 1792)   
from Canto the Fifth. November 1795   

 

TALES OF THE KING


from An Apologetic Postscript to Ode upon Ode. 1787
    The Apple Dumplings and a King   
from Instructions to a Celebrated Laureat
     Birth-day Ode (Alias Mr Whitbread’s Brewhouse).
May 1787   
from Peter’s Pension. 1788
    The Royal Sheep  
    The King and Parson Young   
from The Royal Tour and Weymouth Amusements. 1795
    The Royal Tour