To the valiant actions speak alone.
Who bravely dares must sometimes risk a fall.
A mere index hunter, who held the eel of science by the tail.
True courage scorns to vent her prowess in a storm of words; and to the valiant action speaks alone.
False as the fowler's artful snare.
A mere index hunter, who held the eel of science by the tail. Index-hunter is a term used mockingly, meaning one who acquires superficial knowledge merely by consulting indexes. The '[holding] the eel of science by the tail' allusion was used in 1728 by Alexander Pope (q.v.).