Samuel Butler (poet): Trending quotes (page 3)

“Why should not conscience have vacation
As well as other courts o' th' nation?”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto II, line 317
Source: Hudibras, Part II (1664)

“These reasons made his mouth to water.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto III, line 379
Source: Hudibras, Part I (1663–1664)

Water

“What makes all doctrines plain and clear?
About two hundred pounds a year.
And that which was prov'd true before
Prove false again? Two hundred more.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto I, line 1277
Source: Hudibras, Part III (1678)

Falseness

“With many a stiff thwack, many a bang,
Hard crab-tree and old iron rang.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto II, line 831
Source: Hudibras, Part I (1663–1664)

Tree

“But still his tongue ran on, the less
Of weight it bore, with greater ease.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto II, line 443
Source: Hudibras, Part III (1678)

“As the ancients
Say wisely, have a care o' th' main chance,
And look before you ere you leap;
For as you sow, ye are like to reap.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto II, line 501
Source: Hudibras, Part II (1664)

Chance

“For those that fly may fight again,
Which he can never do that's slain.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto III, line 243
Source: Hudibras, Part III (1678)

Fight , Flying

“Love is a boy by poets styl'd;
Then spare the rod and spoil the child.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto I, line 843
Source: Hudibras, Part II (1664)

Love , Boy

“Where entity and quiddity,
The ghosts of defunct bodies, fly.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto I, line 145
Source: Hudibras, Part I (1663–1664)

Flying

“Quoth she, I 've heard old cunning stagers
Say fools for arguments use wagers.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto I, line 297
Source: Hudibras, Part II (1664)

Fools

“Who thought he 'd won
The field as certain as a gun.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto III, line 11
Source: Hudibras, Part I (1663–1664)

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

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto II, line 872
Source: Hudibras, Part I (1663–1664)

“For truth is precious and divine,—
Too rich a pearl for carnal swine.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto II, line 257
Source: Hudibras, Part II (1664)

Truth , Swine

“He that imposes an oath makes it,
Not he that for convenience takes it;
Then how can any man be said
To break an oath he never made?”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto II, line 377.
Source: Hudibras, Part II (1664)

“A skilful leech is better far
Than half an hundred men of war,
So he appear'd; and by his skill,
No less than dint of sword, cou'd kill.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Source: Hudibras, Part I (1663–1664)

Men , War

“There 's but the twinkling of a star
Between a man of peace and war.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto III, line 957
Source: Hudibras, Part II (1664)

War , Peace , Star

“They who study mathematiks only to fix their minds, and render them the steadyer to apply to all other things, as there are many who profess to do, are as wise as those who think by rowing boats, to learn to swim.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Prose Observations (Oxford: 1979), p. 4

Thinking , Study , Learning

“Cause grace and virtue are within
Prohibited degrees of kin;
And therefore no true saint allows
They shall be suffer'd to espouse.”

Samuel Butler (poet) Hudibras

Canto I, line 1293
Hudibras, Part III (1678)

“He knew what 's what, and that 's as high
As metaphysic wit can fly.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto I, line 149
Source: Hudibras, Part I (1663–1664)

Flying

“Beside, 't is known he could speak Greek
As naturally as pigs squeak;
That Latin was no more difficile
Than to a blackbird 't is to whistle.”

Samuel Butler (poet)

Canto I, line 51
Source: Hudibras, Part I (1663–1664)

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