William Cowper

A life of ease is a difficult pursuit.

A life of ease is a difficult pursuit.

So that the jest is clearly to be seen,
Not in the words--but in the gap between;
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So that the jest is clearly to be seen,
Not in the words--but in the gap between;
Manner is all in all, whate'er is writ,
The substitute for genius, sense, and wit.

Fanaticism, the false fire of an overheated mind.

Fanaticism, the false fire of an overheated mind.

All zeal for a reform, that gives offence
To peace and charity, is mere pretence.

All zeal for a reform, that gives offence
To peace and charity, is mere pretence.

Hast thou not learn'd what thou art often told,
A truth still sacred, and believed of old,
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Hast thou not learn'd what thou art often told,
A truth still sacred, and believed of old,
That no success attends on spears and swords
Unblest, and that the battle is the Lord's?