William Cowper

He would not, with a peremptory tone,
Assert the nose upon his face his own.

He would not, with a peremptory tone,
Assert the nose upon his face his own.

Ages elapsed ere Homer's lamp appeared,
And ages ere the Mantuan Swan was heard;
To carry nature read more

Ages elapsed ere Homer's lamp appeared,
And ages ere the Mantuan Swan was heard;
To carry nature lengths unknown before,
To give a Milton birth, asked ages more.

That, though on pleasure she was bent,
She had a frugal mind.

That, though on pleasure she was bent,
She had a frugal mind.

Habits of close attention, thinking heads,
Become more rare as dissipation spreads,
Till authors hear at length read more

Habits of close attention, thinking heads,
Become more rare as dissipation spreads,
Till authors hear at length one general cry
Tickle and entertain us, or we die!

The Frenchman, easy, debonair, and brisk,
Give him his lass, his fiddle, and his frisk,
Is always read more

The Frenchman, easy, debonair, and brisk,
Give him his lass, his fiddle, and his frisk,
Is always happy, reign whoever may,
And laughs the sense of mis'ry far away.