Joe Miller's Jests: With Copious Additions

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Whittaker, 1836 - English wit and humor - 248 pages

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Page 220 - THREE Poets, in three distant ages born, Greece, Italy, and England did adorn. The first in loftiness of thought surpassed; The next in majesty •, In both the last. The force of Nature could no further go ; To make a third, she joined the former two.
Page 233 - When Lesbia first I saw, so heavenly fair, With eyes so bright and with that awful air, I thought my heart which durst so high aspire As bold, as his who snatched celestial fire. But soon as e'er the beauteous idiot spoke, Forth from her coral lips such folly broke : Like balm the trickling nonsense heal'd my wound, And what her eyes enthralled, her tongue unbound.
Page 236 - ON THE COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE UNDERNEATH this sable hearse Lies the subject of all verse: Sidney's sister, Pembroke's mother: Death, ere thou hast slain another Fair, and learned, and good as she, Time shall throw a dart at thee.
Page 218 - My sledge and hammer lie reclined, My bellows, too, have lost their wind ; My fire's extinct, my forge decayed, And in the dust my vice is laid. My coal is spent, my iron's gone, My nails are drove, my work is done ; My fire-dried corpse lies here at rest, And, smoke-like, soars up to be bless'd.
Page 218 - Thy reliques, Rowe, to this fair urn we trust, And sacred, place by Dryden's awful dust; Beneath a rude and nameless stone he lies, , To which thy tomb shall guide inquiring eyes. . '• ' Peace to thy gentle shade, and endless rest! Blest in thy genius, in thy love too blest ! One grateful woman to thy fame supplies What a whole thankless land to his denies.
Page 220 - Flavia the least and slightest toy Can with resistless art employ. This Fan in meaner hands would prove An engine of small force in love ; But she, with such an air and mien, Not to be told or safely seen, Directs its wanton motions so, That it wounds more than Cupid's bow ; Gives coolness to the matchless dame, To every other breast a flame.
Page 242 - Obey has said, And man by law supreme has made, Then all that's kind is laid aside, And nothing left but state and pride. Fierce as an eastern prince he grows, *•" And all his innate rigour shows: Then but to look, to laugh, or speak, Will the nuptial contract break.
Page 247 - Did MILTON'S PROSE, O CHARLES! thy death defend? A furious foe, unconscious, proves a friend ; On MILTON'S VERSE does BENTLEY comment? know, A weak officious friend becomes a foe. While he would seem his author's fame to further, The MURDEROUS CRITIC has aveng'd THY MURDER.
Page 109 - Agh! my lady; success to your ladyship, and success to your honour's honour, this morning, of all days in the year; for sure didn't I dream last night that her ladyship gave me a pound of tea, and that your honour gave me a pound of tobacco?" "But, my good woman," said the general, "do not you know that dreams always go by the rule of contrary?

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