"No more of courts, of triumphs, or of arms, No more of Valour’s force, or Beauty's charms! The themes of vulgar lays with just disdain I leave unsung, the flocks, the amorous swain, The pleasures of the land, and terrors of the main. How abject, how inglorious 'tis to lie Grovelling in dust and darkness, when on high Empires immense, and rolling worlds of light, To range their heavenly scenes the muse invite!"

"Hard by the lilied Nile I saw A duskish river-dragon stretched along, The brown habergeon of his limbs enamelled With sanguine almandines and rainy pearl: And on his back there lay a young one sleeping No bigger than a mouse; with eyes like beads, And a small fragment of its speckled egg Remaining on its harmless, pulpy snout; A thing to laugh at, as it gaped to catch The baulking, merry flies. In the iron jaws Of the great devil-beast, like a pale soul Fluttering in rocky hell, lightsomely flew A snowy troculus, with roseate beak Tearing the hairy leeches from his throat."

"Old Adam, the carrion crow, The old crow of Cairo; He sat in the shower, and let it flow Under his tail and over his crest; And through every feather Leak’d the wet weather; And the bough swung under his nest; For his beak it was heavy with marrow. Is that the wind dying? O no; It’s only two devils, that blow Through a murderer’s bones, to and fro, In the ghosts’ moonshine.Ho! Eve, my grey carrion wife, When we have supped on kings’ marrow, Where shall we drink and make merry our life? Our nest it is queen Cleopatra’s skull, ’Tis cloven and crack’d, And batter’d and hack’d, But with tears of blue eyes it is full: Let us drink then, my raven of Cairo! Is that the wind dying? O no; It’s only two devils, that blow Through a murderer’s bones, to and fro, In the ghosts’ moonshine."

"As I came down the Highgate Hill, The Highgate Hill, the Highgate Hill, As I came down the Highgate Hill I met the sun's bravado, And saw below me, fold on fold, Grey to pearl and pearl to gold, This London like a land of old, The land of Eldorado."

"Fame, which is the opinion the World expresses of any Man's excellent Endowments, is the Idol to which the finest spirits have, in all Ages, burnt their Incense."

"The swallow leaves her nest, The soul my weary breast; But therefore let the rain On my grave Fall pure; for why complain? Since both will come again O’er the wave.The wind dead leaves and snow Doth hurry to and fro; And, once, a day shall break O’er the wave, When a storm of ghosts shall shake The dead, until they wake In the grave."

"How many times do I love thee, dear? Tell me how many thoughts there be In the atmosphere Of a new-fall’n year, Whose white and sable hours appear The latest flake of Eternity: So many times do I love thee, dear.How many times do I love again? Tell me how many beads there are In a silver chain Of evening rain, Unravell’d from the tumbling main, And threading the eye of a yellow star: So many times do I love again."

"Shivering in fever, weak, and parched to sand, My ears, those entrances of word-dressed thoughts, My pictured eyes, and my assuring touch, Fell from me, and my body turned me forth From its beloved abode: then I was dead; And in my grave beside my corpse I sat, In vain attempting to return: meantime There came the untimely spectres of two babes, And played in my abandoned body’s ruins; They went away; and, one by one, by snakes My limbs were swallowed; and, at last, I sat With only one, blue-eyed, curled round my ribs, Eating the last remainder of my heart, And hissing to himself. O sleep, thou fiend! Thou blackness of the night! how sad and frightful Are these thy dreams!"

"A cypress-bough, and a rose-wreath sweet, A wedding-robe, and a winding-sheet, A bridal bed and a bier. Thine be the kisses, maid, And smiling Love’s alarms; And thou, pale youth, be laid In the grave’s cold arms. Each in his own charms, Death and Hymen both are here; So up with scythe and torch, And to the old church porch, While all the bells ring clear: And rosy, rosy the bed shall bloom, And earthy, earthy heap up the tomb."

"A lake Is a river curled and asleep like a snake."

"To sea, to sea! The calm is o’er; The wanton water leaps in sport, And rattles down the pebbly shore; The dolphin wheels, the sea-cows snort, And unseen Mermaids’ pearly song Comes bubbling up, the weeds among. Fling broad the sail, dip deep the oar: To sea, to sea! the calm is o’er.To sea, to sea! our wide-wing’d bark Shall billowy cleave its sunny way, And with its shadow, fleet and dark, Break the caved Tritons’ azure day, Like mighty eagle soaring light O’er antelopes on Alpine height. The anchor heaves, the ship swings free, The sails swell full. To sea, to sea!"

"6472. Nothing more smooth than Glass, yet nothing more brittle ; Nothing more fine than Wit, yet nothing more fickle."

"6401. The Love of a Woman, and a Bottle of Wine, Are sweet for a Season; but last a short Time."

"6493. A light Purse Is a heavy Curse."

"6372. All Work, and no Play, Makes Jack a dull boy."

"6360. Without Pains, No Gains."

"6384. He that would please all, and himself too, Undertakes what none could ever do."

"6495. An Ounce of Wit that's bought, Is worth a Pound that's taught."

"6319. Little Stroaks Fell great Oaks."

"6318. Many a Little Make a Mickle."

"6320. Man proposes ; God disposes."

"6295. Birds of a Feather Flock together."

"6294. Well begun Is half done."

"6303. He that speaks the Thing he should not, Shall hear the Thing he would not."

"6335. Graft good Fruit all, Or graft not at all."

"2033. He talks in the Bear-Garden Tongue."

"860. Better abridge petty Charges, than stoop to petty Gettings."

"2084. He that does not speak Truth to me, does not believe me when I speak Truth."

"872. Better be alone than in bad Company."

"2018. He set my House afire, only to roast his Eggs."

"2085. He that does you a very ill Turn, will never forgive you."

"4384. That, which proves too much, proves nothing."

"1805. Hatred is blind, as well as Love."

"1936. He is not laughed at, that laughs at himself first."

"2144. He that has no Fools, Knaves nor Beggars in his Family, was begot by a Flash of Lightning."

"849. Be as you would seem to be."

"892. Better eat Salt with Philosophers of Greece, than eat Sugar with Courtezans of Italy."

"1961. He knows which Side of his Bread is butter'd."

"4380. That which is one Man’s Meat, is another Man’s Poison."

"4389. That, which you sow, you must reap."

"1675. God help the Rich ; the Poor can beg."

"812. Argument seldom convinces any one contrary to his Inclinations."

"1688. God sends Meat, and the Devil sends Cooks."

"830. Bacchus hath drown'd more Men than Neptune."

"1596. For want of a Nail the Shoe is lost ; for want of a Shoe the Horse is lost ; for want of a Horse the Man is lost."

"1752. Great and Good are seldom the same Man."

"4369. That penny's well spent, that saves a Groat."

"903. Better have an old Man to humour, than a young Rake to break your Heart."

"1579. Fools may invent Fashions, that wise Men will wear."

"2155. He that hath a Head of Wax, must not walk in the Sun."