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True melancholy breeds your perfect fine wit.

Ben Jonson

Good men are the stars, the planets of the ages wherein they live, and illustrate the times.
BEN JONSON

Good Time Illustrate Men Stars
Nor use too swelling, or ill-sounded words . . . .
BEN JONSON

Sounded Swelling Use Words
Men that talk of their own benefits are not believed to talk of them because they have done them, but to have done them because they might talk of them.
BEN JONSON

Benefits Done Men
Queen and huntress, chaste and fair Now the sun is laid to sleep, Seated in thy silver chair, State in wonted manner keep: Hesperus entreats thy light Goddess, excellently bright.
BEN JONSON

Chair Light Queens Seated Sleep
As it is a great point of art, when our matter requires it, to enlarge and veer out all sail, so to take it in and contract it is of no less praise when the argument doth ask it.
BEN JONSON

Art Ask Matter Praise Style
Whom hatred frights, let him not dream of sovereignty.
BEN JONSON

Dream Hate Hatred
Love that is ignorant and hatred have almost the same ends.
BEN JONSON

Hate Hatred Ignorant
No glass renders a man’s form or likeness so true as his speech.
BEN JONSON

Glasses Men Speech
O, for an engine, to keep back all clocks, or make the sun forget his motion!
BEN JONSON

Forget Sun Time
I glory, more in the cunning purchase of my wealth than in the glad possession.
BEN JONSON

Glory Greed Wealth
Nor shall our cups make any guilty men; But at our parting, we will be, as when We innocently met.
BEN JONSON

Cup Drinking Men
A good man should and must Sit rather down with loss than rise unjust.
BEN JONSON

Good Loss Men Rise
[The play] is like to be a very conceited scurvy one, in plain English.
BEN JONSON

Conceited English Plain Play
A good poet’s made as well as born.
BEN JONSON

Born Made Poet
It is less dishonor to hear imperfectly than to speak imperfectly. The ears are excused; the understanding is not.
BEN JONSON

Ears Speak Understanding
I’ll give anything for a good copy now, be it true or false, so it be news.
BEN JONSON

False Giving News True

True melancholy breeds your perfect fine wit.

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True melancholy breeds your perfect fine wit.

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