The Peril of Learned Lumber

Alexander Pope by Michael Dahl, circa 1727

JMSmith has a fine post about reading. He opens with this quote:

“The bookish blockhead, ignorantly read,
With loads of learned lumber in his head.” - Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism (1711)

From the introduction to Wikipedia's article about Pope:

The Rape of the Lock, perhaps the poet's most famous poem, appeared first in 1712, followed by a revised and enlarged version in 1714. When Lord Petre forcibly snipped off a lock from Miss Arabella Fermor's head (the "Belinda" of the poem), the incident gave rise to a high-society quarrel between the families. With the idea of allaying this, Pope treated the subject in a playful and witty mock-heroic epic. The narrative poem brings into focus the onset of acquisitive individualism and conspicuous consumption, where purchased goods assume dominance over moral agency.
. . .

In his career as a satirist, Pope made his share of enemies as the critics, politicians, and certain other prominent figures felt the sting of his sharpwitted satires. Some were so virulent, that Pope even carried pistols at one point while walking his dog.

Gutenberg has a copy of The Rape of the Lock. Be warned, it is 750 lines. I dunno maybe that's just me, I'm not much for poetry.