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Affliction teacheth a wicked person sometime to pray; prosperity never.

Ben Jonson

I would rather have a plain down-right wisdom than a foolish and affected eloquence.
BEN JONSON

Affected Eloquence Foolish
A good man should and must Sit rather down with loss than rise unjust.
BEN JONSON

Good Loss Men Rise
True gladness doth not always speak; joy, bred and born but in the tongue, is weak.
BEN JONSON

Joy Speak Tongue
[The play] is like to be a very conceited scurvy one, in plain English.
BEN JONSON

Conceited English Plain Play
To the old, long life and treasure; To the young, all health and pleasure.
BEN JONSON

Long Pleasure Treasure
To struggle when hope is banished! To live when life’s salt is gone! To dwell in a dream that’s vanished- To endure, and go calmly on!
BEN JONSON

Dream Life Struggle Vanish
If all you boast of your great art be true; Sure, willing poverty lives most in you.
BEN JONSON

Art Being Poverty True
Chance will not do the work. Chance sends the breeze; But if the pilot slumber at the helm, The very wind that wafts us tow’rds the port May dash us on the shoals. The steersman’s part Is vigilance, or blow it rough or smooth.
BEN JONSON

Blow Slumber Wind
It is an art to have so much judgment as to apparel a lie well, to give it a good dressing.
BEN JONSON

Art Giving Lying
Popular men, They must create strange monsters, and then quell them, To make their arts seem something.
BEN JONSON

Art Men Monsters
The soul of man is infinite in what it covets.
BEN JONSON

Infinite Men Soul
Poor worms, they hiss at me, whilst I at home Can be contented to applaud myself, . . . with joy To see how plump my bags are and my barns.
BEN JONSON

Home Joy
Weigh the meaning and look not at the words.
BEN JONSON

Looks Meaning Weigh
The Devil is an Ass , I do acknowledge it.
BEN JONSON

Acknowledge Ass Devil
Ambition, like a torrent, ne’er looks back; And is a swelling, and the last affection A high mind can put off; being both a rebel Unto the soul and reason, and enforceth All laws, all conscience, treads upon religion, and offereth violence to nature’s self.
BEN JONSON

Ambition Conscience Law Rebel Self Soul
Sweet meat must have sour sauce.
BEN JONSON

Meat Swans Sweet

Affliction teacheth a wicked person sometime to pray; prosperity never.

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Affliction teacheth a wicked person sometime to pray; prosperity never.

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