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What a brave privilege is it to be free from all contentions, from all envying or being envied, from receiving or paying all kinds of ceremonies!

Abraham Cowley

Let’s banish business, banish sorrow; To the gods belong to-morrow.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Banish Belong Business God Morrow Sorrow
Ah! Wretched and too solitary he who loves not his own company.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Company Life Solitary Wretched
The liberty of a private man, in being master of his own time and actions, as far as may consist with the laws of God and of his country.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Action God Governed Law Life Made Man Own Private Time
Enjoy the present hour, Be thankful for the past, And neither fear nor wish Th’ approaches of the last.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Approach Being Enjoy Last Past Thankful Time
It is a hard and nice subject for a man to speak of himself: it grates his own heart to say anything of disparagement, and the reader’s ear to hear anything of praise from him.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Disparagement Hard Heart Man Nice Speak Subject
The spade, the plough-share, and the rake) Arts, in most cruel wise Man’s left to epitomize!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Art Epitomize Left Man Plough Share Spade
Life for delays and doubts no time does give, None ever yet made haste enough to live.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Doubt. Time Enough Giving Life
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 getting out of doors is the greatest part of the journey.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Door Getting Greatest Journey Part
Why dost thou heap up wealth, which thou must quit, Or what is worse, be left by it? Why dost thou load thyself when thou ‘rt to fly, Oh, man! ordain’d to die?
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Art Dost Heap Left Lying Man Wealth Worse
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
His time’s forever, everywhere his place.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Everywhere Forever Place Time
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
Solitude can be used well by very few people. They who do must have a knowledge of the world to see the foolishness of it, and enough virtue to despise all the vanity.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Few Foolishness People Solitude Vanity
Water and air He for the Tenor chose, Earth made the Base, the Treble Fame arose,
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Active Arose Chose Fall Fame Moon Music Tenor
“We may talk what we please,” he cries in his enthusiasm for the oldest of the arts, “of lilies, and lions rampant, and spread eagles
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Art Eagle Enthusiasm Garden Lion Oldest Please Talk
The present is all the ready money Fate can give.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Fate Giving Money Present Ready
All this world’s noise appears to me a dull, ill-acted comedy!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Act Appear Comedy Dull Noise World
Acquaintance I would have, but when it depends; not on number, but the choice of friends.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Acquaintance Choice Depend Friendship Number
The liberty of a people consists in being governed by laws which they have made themselves, under whatsoever form it be of government
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Consist Country Law Man Themselves
Nothing is there to come, and nothing past, But an eternal Now does always last.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Come Doe Eternal Last Past Time
When Harvey’s violent passion she did see, Began to tremble and to flee; Took sanctuary, like Daphne, in a tree
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Daphne Flee Harvey Passion Sanctuary Tree Tremble Violent
I might be master at last of a small house and a large garden, with very moderate conveniences joined to them, and there dedicate the remainder of my life to the culture of them and the study of nature.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Covetousness Desire House Master Moderate Small Strong
Neither the praise nor the blame is our own.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Appreciation Blame Own Praise
To th’ active Moon a quick brisk stroke he gave, To Saturn’s string a touch more sore and grave.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Active Brisk Gave Grave Moon Quick Saturn Sore
I never had any other desire so strong, and so like covetousness, as that
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Covetousness Desire House Life Master Nature Small Strong
Our yesterday’s to-morrow now is gone, And still a new to-morrow does come on. We by to-morrow draw out all our store, Till the exhausted well can yield no more.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Doe Draw Gone Morrow New Store Yesterday Yield

What a brave privilege is it to be free from all contentions, from all envying or being envied, from receiving or paying all kinds of ceremonies!

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What a brave privilege is it to be free from all contentions, from all envying or being envied, from receiving or paying all kinds of ceremonies!

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Popular Authors

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