“The glories of our blood and stateAre shadows, not substantial things;There is no armour against fate;Death lays his icy hand on kings:Sceptre and CrownMust tumble down,And in the dust be equal madeWith the poor crooked scythe and spade.”James Shirley The Contention of Ajax and Ulyssessc. iii. The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses
“Devouring Famine, Plague, and War,Each able to undo mankind,Death's servile emissaries are;Nor to these alone confined,He hath at willMore quaint and subtle ways to kill;A smile or kiss, as he will use the art,Shall have the cunning skill to break a heart.”James Shirley Poem The Last Conqueror http://www.bartleby.com/106/68.html.