The Poetical Works of Samuel Butler: With Life, Critical Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes, Volume 1

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James Nichol, 1854

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Page 9 - Compound for sins they are inclined to, By damning those they have no mind to...
Page 8 - For he was of that stubborn crew Of errant saints, whom all men grant To be the true church militant ; Such as do build their faith upon The holy text of pike and gun ; Decide all controversies by Infallible artillery ; And prove their doctrine orthodox By apostolic blows and knocks...
Page 4 - ... twixt south, and south-west side, On either which he would dispute, Confute, change hands, and still confute. He'd undertake to prove, by force Of argument, a man's no horse ; He'd prove a buzzard is no fowl, And that a lord may be an owl, A calf an alderman, a goose a justice, And rooks committee-men and trustees.
Page 13 - He ne'er gave quarter to any such. The trenchant blade, Toledo trusty, For want of fighting, was grown rusty, And ate into itself, for lack Of somebody to hew and hack : The peaceful scabbard, where it dwelt, The rancour of its edge had felt; For of the lower end two handful It had devoured, 'twas so manful; And so much scorn'd to lurk in case, As if it durst not show its face.
Page 69 - For though Dame Fortune seem to smile, And leer upon him for a while, She'll after show him, in the nick Of all his glories, a dog-trick. This any man may sing or say, I' th
Page 129 - The sun and day shall sooner part, Than love or you shake off my heart ; The sun, that shall no more dispense His own, but your bright influence. I'll carve your name on barks of trees, With true-love-knots and flourishes, That shall infuse eternal spring, And everlasting flourishing; Drink every letter on't in stum, And make it brisk champaign become.
Page 6 - In Mathematics he was greater Than Tycho Brahe, or Erra Pater: For he, by geometric scale, Could take the size of pots of ale; Resolve, by sines and tangents straight, If bread or butter wanted weight; And wisely tell what hour o' th' day The clock does strike, by Algebra.
Page 4 - twixt south and south-west side ; On either which he would dispute, Confute, change hands, and still confute ; He'd undertake to prove by force Of argument a man's no horse ; He'd prove a buzzard is no fowl, And that a lord may be an owl, A calf an alderman, a goose a justice, And rooks committee-men and trustees.
Page 69 - AY me ! what perils do environ The man that meddles with cold iron ? What plaguy mischiefs and mishaps Do dog him still with after-claps ? For though dame Fortune seem to smile. And leer upon him for a while, She'll after show him, in the nick Of all his glories, a dog-trick. This any man may sing or say I...
Page 2 - And styled of war as well as peace. (So some rats of amphibious nature Are either for the land or water.) But here our authors make a doubt Whether he were more wise or stout.

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