Samuel Butler

Like feather-bed betwixt a wall
And heavy brunt of cannon ball.

Like feather-bed betwixt a wall
And heavy brunt of cannon ball.

And wisely tell what hour o' th' day
The clock does strike by Algebra.

And wisely tell what hour o' th' day
The clock does strike by Algebra.

Doubtless the pleasure is as great
Of being cheated as to cheat.

Doubtless the pleasure is as great
Of being cheated as to cheat.

God cannot alter the past, though historians can.

God cannot alter the past, though historians can.

Authority intoxicates,
And makes mere sots of magistrates;
The fumes of it invade the brain,
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Authority intoxicates,
And makes mere sots of magistrates;
The fumes of it invade the brain,
And make men giddy, proud, and vain.