"Arrest the present moments; For be assur'd they are all arrant tell-tales; And though their flight be silent, and their path trackless As the wing'd couriers of the air, They post to heaven, and there record their folly — Because, tho' station'd on the important watch, Thou, like a sleeping, faithless sentinel, Didst let them pass unnotic'd, unimprov'd. And know, for that thou slumber'st on the guard, Thou shalt be made to answer at the bar For every fugitive: and when thou thus Shalt stand impleaded at the high tribunal Of hood-wink'd justice, who shall tell thy audit? Then stay the present instant, dear Horatio, Imprint the marks of wisdom on its wings; 'Tis of more worth than kingdoms! far more precious Than all the crimson treasures of life's fountain. Oh! let it not elude thy grasp, but, like The good old patriarch upon record, Hold the fleet angel fast until he bless thee."
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To-morrow, l. 17. Dodsley's Collection (1755) vol. 4
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Cotton
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Charles Cotton
1630 – 1687
Charles Cotton (28 April 1630 – 16 February 1687) was an English poet and writer, best known for translating the work of Michel de Montaigne from French, for his contributions to The Compleat Angler, and for the influential The Compleat Gamester attributed to him.
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