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Guilt’s a terrible thing.

Ben Jonson

It is the highest of earthly honors to be descended from the great and good. They alone cry out against a noble ancestry who have none of their own.
BEN JONSON

Ancestry Honor Noble
How ready is heaven to those that pray!
BEN JONSON

Heaven Prayer Praying
True gladness doth not always speak; joy, bred and born but in the tongue, is weak.
BEN JONSON

Joy Speak Tongue
Tell troth and shame the devil.
BEN JONSON

Devil Shame Truth
You are not now to think what’s best to do, As in beginnings, but what must be done, Being thus enter’d; and slip no advantage That may secure you. Let them call it mischief; When it is past, and prosper’d , ’twill be virtue.
BEN JONSON

Mischief Past Virtue
Whom the disease of talking still once posses-seth, he can never hold his peace.
BEN JONSON

Disease Talking
Cut Men’s throats with whisperings.
BEN JONSON

Cutting Men Whispering
He that is respectless in his courses oft sells his reputation at cheap market.
BEN JONSON

Courses Reputation Sells
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
How Fortune piles her sports when she begins to practise them!
BEN JONSON

Fortune Practise Sports
Blueness doth express trueness.
BEN JONSON

Color Trueness
There is no doctrine will do good where nature is wanting.
BEN JONSON

Creeds Doctrine Good Waiting
Out of clothes out of countenance, out of countenance out of wit.
BEN JONSON

Clothes Countenance Wit
It strikes! one, two, Three, four, five, six. Enough, enough, dear watch, Thy pulse hath beat enough. Now sleep and rest; Would thou could’st make the time to do so too; I’ll wind thee up no more.
BEN JONSON

Enough Pulse Sleep Time Wind
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
No man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.
BEN JONSON

Easily May Men Taught Wise
Drink today, and drown all sorrow; You shall perhaps not do it tomorrow; Best, while you have it, use your breath; There is no drinking after death.
BEN JONSON

Drinking Sorrow Use
I feel my griefs too, and there scarce is ground Upon my flesh t’inflict another wound. Yet dare I not complain, or wish for death With holy Paul; lest it be thought the breath Of discontent; or that these prayers be For weariness of life, not love of thee.
BEN JONSON

Another Grief Prayer Weariness Wish Wound
He who is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.
BEN JONSON

Art Fool Inspirational
They, who know no evil, will suspect none.
BEN JONSON

Evil Knows Suspect
A good king is a public servant.
BEN JONSON

Good King Kings Servant
I have discovered that a famed familiarity in great ones is a note of certain usurpation on the less; for great and popular men feign themselves to be servants to others to make those slaves to them.
BEN JONSON

Men Popularity Slave
The two chief things that give a man reputation in counsel, are the opinion of his honesty, and the opinion of his wisdom; the authority of those two will persuade.
BEN JONSON

Honesty Men Persuade Simple Two Wisdom
For a man to write well, there are required three necessaries: to read the best authors, observe the best speakers, and much exercise of his own style.
BEN JONSON

Exercise Men Writing
All concord’s born of contraries.
BEN JONSON

Born Contradiction Contrary
O! How vain and vile a passion is this fear! What base uncomely things it makes men do.
BEN JONSON

Fear Men Passion
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

Guilt’s a terrible thing.

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Guilt’s a terrible thing.

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