The Corycian Cave, located on Mount Parnassus was sacred to Pan and the Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science and the arts. In his Horatian satirical poem, Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot (1735), Alexander Pope references Parnassus in order to emphasize how he feels bombarded on all sides, by both his critics and his fans, who are inspired by him.
Shut, shut the door, good John! fatigu'd, I said,
Tie up the knocker, say I'm sick, I'm dead.
The Dog-star rages! nay't is past a doubt,
All Bedlam, or Parnassus, is let out:
Fire in each eye, and papers in each hand,
They rave, recite, and madden round the land. (1-6)
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