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Nothing so soon the drooping spirits can raise As praises from the men, whom all men praise.

Abraham Cowley

Hope! fortune’s cheating lottery; when for one prize an hundred blanks there be!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cheating Fortune Hope Hundred Prize
Why dost thou build up stately rooms on high, Thou who art under ground to lie? Thou sow’st and plantest, but no fruit must see, For death, alas! is reaping thee.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Build Fruit Ground m Strategy Plantest Under
Coy Nature, (which remain’d, though aged grown, A beauteous virgin still, enjoy’d by none, Nor seen unveil’d by anyone),
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Anyone Enjoy Nature Passion Science Still Virgin
Fill the bowl with rosy wine, around our temples roses twine, And let us cheerfully awhile, like wine and roses, smile.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cheerful Rose Smile Temple Twine Wine
There is some help for all the defects of fortune; for, if a man cannot attain to the length of his wishes, he may have his remedy by cutting of them shorter.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cutting Defect Fortune Length Man Wish
When Israel was from bondage led,Led by the Almighty’s handFrom out of foreign land,The great sea beheld and fled.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Almighty Bondage Country God Great Land Sea
The motions strait, and round, and swift, and slow, And short and long, were mixt and woven so, Did in such artful Figures smoothly fall, As made this decent measur’d dance of all. And this is Musick.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Artful Figure Mixt Motion Slow Strait Swift Woven
Come, my best Friends! my Books! and lead me on.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Best Book Come Friend Leading
Ah, yet, e’er I descend to th’ grave, May I a small House and a large Garden have. And a few Friends, and many Books both true
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Angel Book Descend Few Friend Garden Grave House Small Wise
Who that has reason, and his smell, Would not among roses and jasmin dwell?
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Among Dwell Jasmin Reason Rose Smell
To-day is ours; what do we fear? To-day is ours; we have it here. Let’s treat it kindly, that it may Wish, at least, with us to stay.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Least May Our Sorrow Treat Wish
Beauty, thou wild fantastic ape Who dost in every country change thy shape!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Ape Beauty Country Fantastic Shape Shapes Wild
Happy insect! what can be In happiness compared to thee? Fed with nourishment divine, The dewy morning’s gentle wine!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Compared Gentle Happiness Happy Insect Morning Self Wine
Lukewarmness I account a sin, as great in love as in religion.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Great Love Lukeawarmness Religion Sin
But what is woman? Only one of nature’s agreeable blunders.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Agree Blunder Nature Woman
May I a small house and large garden have; And a few friends, And many books, both true.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Book Friend Garden House Large Small True
Nature waits upon thee still, And thy verdant cup does fill; ‘Tis fill’d wherever thou dost tread, Nature’s self’s thy Ganymede.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cup Dost Ganymede Nature Self Thee Tread Upon Verdant Wait
I confess I love littleness almost in all things. A little convenient estate, a little cheerful house, a little company, and a little feast.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cheerful Company Confess Convenient Estate House Little
Does not the passage of Moses and the Israelites into the Holy Land yield incomparably more poetic variety than the voyages of Ulysses or Aeneas?
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Aenea Bible Holy Incomparably More Mose Passage Poetic Yield
Vain, weak-built isthmus, which dost proudly rise Up between two eternities!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Build Eternity Isthmus Life Proudly Two
Stones of small worth may lie unseen by day, But night itself does the rich gem betray.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Betray Gem Jewel Lying Night Stone Unseen
Much will always wanting be To him who much desires.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Always Desire Much Want
Nothing is there to come, and nothing past, But an eternal Now does always last.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Come Doe Eternal Last Past Time
Build yourself a book-nest to forget the world without.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Book Build Forget Nest World
Fill all the Glasses there; for why Should every Creature Drink but I? Why, Man of Morals, tell me why?
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Creature Drink Every Glass Man Moral Tell
Both wise, and both delightful too. And since Love ne’er will from me flee, A mistress moderately fair, And good as Guardian angels are, Only belov’d and loving me.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Delightful Flee From Guardian Moderate Since Wise
Curiosity does, no less than devotion, pilgrims make.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Curiosity Devotion Doe Less Pilgrim

Nothing so soon the drooping spirits can raise As praises from the men, whom all men praise.

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Nothing so soon the drooping spirits can raise As praises from the men, whom all men praise.

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