John Dryden
John Dryden
John Drydenwas an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made England's first Poet Laureate in 1668...
affect gravity men name solid wanting wit
Those wanting wit affect gravity and go by the name of solid men
men judging long
When a man's life is under debate, The judge can ne'er too long deliberate.
authority combat establish general men particular reputation themselves understanding
They who would combat general authority with particular opinion, must first establish themselves a reputation of understanding better than other men
cheating consider favour fooled former men trust
When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat. Yet, fooled by hope, men favour the deceit; trust on, and think to-morrow will repay: to-morrow's falser than the former day.
cheat consider deceit deception favour men
When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat yet, fool'd by hope, men favour the deceit
men order voice
From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began: When nature underneath a heap Of jarring atoms lay, And could not heave her head, The tuneful voice was heard from high, 'Arise, ye more than dead!' Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry, In order to their stations leap, And Music's power obey. From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began: From harmony to harmony Through all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapason closing full in Man.
men omnipotence bears
For granting we have sinned, and that the offence Of man is made against Omnipotence, Some price that bears proportion must be paid, And infinite with infinite be weighed.
men virtue crime
Men's virtues I have commended as freely as I have taxed their crimes.
anger men elephants
The elephant is never won by anger; nor must that man who would reclaim a lion take him by the teeth.
writing men may
Railing in other men may be a crime, But ought to pass for mere instinct in him: Instinct he follows and no further knows, For to write verse with him is to transprose.
men anxious-thoughts worry
Only man clogs his happiness with care, destroying what is with thoughts of what may be.
party men order
If the faults of men in orders are only to be judged among themselves, they are all in some sort parties; for, since they say the honour of their order is concerned in every member of it, how can we be sure that they will be impartial judges?
men thinking light
Let those find fault whose wit's so very small, They've need to show that they can think at all; Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow; He who would search for pearls, must dive below. Fops may have leave to level all they can; As pigmies would be glad to lop a man. Half-wits are fleas; so little and so light, We scarce could know they live, but that they bite.
men good-man want
Bold knaves thrive without one grain of sense, But good men starve for want of impudence.