Pope - Farewell to Rome

DEAR, damn’d, distracting town, farewell!

Thy fools no more I ’ll tease:

This year in peace, ye Critics, dwell,

Ye Harlots, sleep at ease!

Soft B*** and rough C***, adieu!

E** W***, make your moan;

The lively H*** and you

May knock up whores alone.

To drink and droll be R*** allow’d

Till the third watchman’s toll;

Let J*** gratis paint, and F***

Save threepence and his soul.

Farewell A***’s raillery

On every learned sot;

And G***, the best good Christian he,

Although he knows it not.

L***, farewell! thy bard must go;

Farewell, unhappy T***!

Heav’n gives thee for thy loss of R***,

Lean P***  and fat J***

Why should I stay? Both parties rage;

My vixen mistress squalls;

The Wits in envious feuds engage;

And H*** (damn him!) calls.

The love of arts lies cold and dead

In H***’s urn;

And not one Muse of all he fed

Has yet the grace to mourn.

My friends, by turns, my friends confound,

Betray, and are betray’d:

Poor Y***’s sold for fifty pounds,

And B*** is a jade.

Why make I friendships with the great,

When I no favour seek?

Or follow girls seven hours in eight?

I need but once a week.

Still idle, with a busy air,

Deep whimseys to contrive;

The gayest valetudinarie,

Most thinking rake alive.

Solicitous for others’ ends,

Tho’ fond of dear repose;

Careless or drowsy with my friends,

And frolic with my foes.              

Luxurious lobster-nights, farewell,

For sober, studious days!

And B***’s delicious meal,

For salads, tarts, and pease!

Adieu to all but G*** alone,

Whose soul sincere and free,

Loves all mankind but flatters none,

And so may starve with me.

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To identify the names which have been erased by the author, please consult the list of cardinals: ABRIL y CASTELLÓ, AGNELO Geraldo Majella, ALENCHERRY George, AMATO Angelo, AMIGO VALLEJO Carlos, ANTONELLI Ennio, ASSIS Raymundo DAMASCENO, AVIZ João BRAZ de, BAČKIS Audrys Juozas, BAGNASCO Angelo, BARBARIN Philippe, BERGOGLIO Jorge Mario, BERTELLO Giuseppe, BERTONE Tarcisio, BETORI Giuseppe, BOZANIĆ Josip, BRADY Seán Baptist, BURKE Raymond Leo, CAFFARRA Carlo, CALCAGNO Domenico, CAÑIZARES LLOVERA Antonio, CIPRIANI THORNE Juan Luis, COCCOPALMERIO Francesco, COLLINS Thomas Christopher, COMASTRI Angelo, CORDES Paul Josef, DANNEELS Godfried, DARMAATMADJA Julius Riyadi, DE PAOLIS Velasio, DIAS Ivan, DiNARDO Daniel Nicholas, DOLAN Timothy Michael, DUKA Dominik, DZIWISZ Stanisław, EIJK Willem Jacobus, ERDŐ Péter, ERRÁZURIZ OSSA Francisco Javier, dei P. di Schönstatt, FARINA Raffaele, FILONI Fernando, GEORGE Francis Eugene, GRACIAS Oswald, GROCHOLEWSKI Zenon, HARVEY James Michael, HUMMES Cláudio, HUSAR Lubomyr, KASPER Walter, KOCH Kurt, LAJOLO Giovanni, LEHMANN Karl, LEVADA William Joseph, LÓPEZ RODRÍGUEZ Nicolás de Jesús, MAHONY Roger Michael, MARTÍNEZ SISTACH Lluís, MARX Reinhard, MEISNER Joachim, MONSENGWO PASINYA Laurent, MONTEIRO de CASTRO Manuel, MONTERISI Francesco, NAGUIB Antonius, NAPIER Wilfrid Fox, NICORA Attilio, NJUE John, NYCZ Kazimierz, O’BRIEN Edwin Frederick, O’BRIEN Keith Michael Patrick, OKOGIE Anthony Olubunmi, O'MALLEY Seán Patrick,, ONAIYEKAN John Olorunfemi, ORTEGA Y ALAMINO Jaime Lucas, OUELLET Marc, PATABANDIGE DON Albert Malcolm Ranjith, PELL George, PENGO Polycarp, PHAM MINH MÂN Jean-Baptiste, PIACENZA Mauro, POLETTO Severino, POLICARPO José da CRUZ, PULJIĆ Vinko, RAÏ Béchara Boutros, RAVASI Gianfranco, RE Giovanni Battista, RICARD Jean-Pierre, RIGALI Justin Francis, RIVERA CARRERA Norberto, ROBLES ORTEGA Francisco, RODÉ Franc, RODRÍGUEZ MARADIAGA Oscar Andrés, ROMEO Paolo, ROUCO VARELA Antonio María, RYŁKO Stanisław, SALAZAR GÓMEZ Rubén, SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ Juan, SANDRI Leonardo, SARAH Robert, SARDI Paolo, SARR Théodore-Adrien, SCHEID Eusébio Oscar, SCHERER Odilo Pedro, SCHÖNBORN Christoph, SCOLA Angelo, SEPE Crescenzio, TAGLE Luis Antonio, TAURAN Jean-Louis, TERRAZAS SANDOVAL Julio, TETTAMANZI Dionigi, THOTTUNKAL Baselios Cleemis, TONG Hon John, TOPPO Telesphore Placidus, TURCOTTE Jean-Claude, TURKSON Peter Kodwo Appiah, UROSA SAVINO Jorge Liberato, VALLINI Agostino, VEGLIÒ Antonio Maria, VELA CHIRIBOGA Raúl Eduardo, VERSALDI Giuseppe, VINGT-TROIS André, WOELKI Rainer Maria, WUERL Donald William, ZUBEIR WAKO Gabriel.... Although the person referred to in the last stanza may be some kind of unknown deity. 

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