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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

Why to mute fish should’st thou thyself discoverAnd not to me, thy no less silent lover?
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Discover Less Lover Mute Silent Thyself
I never had any other desire so strong, and so like covetousness, as that
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Covetousness Desire House Life Master Nature Small Strong
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
Come, my best Friends! my Books! and lead me on.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Best Book Come Friend Leading
For the whole world, without a native home, Is nothing but a prison of larger room.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Home Larger Prison Room World
Much will always wanting be To him who much desires.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Always Desire Much Want
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
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
Books should, not Business, entertain the Light; And Sleep, as undisturb’d as Death, the Night.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Book Business Death Entertain Light Night Sleep
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
Of all ills that one endures, hope is a cheap and universal cure.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cheap Cure Endure Healing Hope Universal
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
Acquaintance I would have, but when it depends; not on number, but the choice of friends.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Acquaintance Choice Depend Friendship Number
Nothing is there to come, and nothing past, But an eternal Now does always last.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Come Doe Eternal Last Past Time
There Daphne’s Lover stopped, and thought it much The very leaves of her to touch: But Harvey, our Apollo, stopp’d not so; Into the Bark and Root he after her did go!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Apollo Daphne Harvey Leave Lover Stop Stopped Touch
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

I confess I love littleness almost in all things. A little convenient estate, a little cheerful house, a little company, and a little feast.

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I confess I love littleness almost in all things. A little convenient estate, a little cheerful house, a little company, and a little feast.

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Popular Authors

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