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Quotes by Spenser

70 quotations from The Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations (1896), with the subject each one is filed under.

How oft do they their silver bowers leave To come to succour us that succour want!— filed under Angels

And through the hall there walked to and fro. A jolly yeoman, marshall of the same, Whose name was Appetite; he did bestow Both guestes and meate, whenever in they came, And knew them how to order without blame.— filed under Appetite

At last, the golden orientall gate Of greatest heaven gan to open fayre, And Phœbus, fresh as brydegrome to his mate, Came dauncing forth, shaking his dewie hayre; And hurls his glistring beams through gloomy ayre.— filed under Authority

For all that faire is, is by nature good; That is a signe to know the gentle blood.— filed under Beauty

Her face so faire, as flesh it seemed not, But heavenly pourtraict of bright angels' hew, Cleare as the skye withouten blame or blot, Through goodly mixture of complexion's dew.— filed under Beauty

The merry cuckow, messenger of Spring, His trumpet shrill hath thrice already sounded.— filed under Birds-Cuckoo

Like as a feareful partridge, that is fledd From the sharpe hauke which her attacked neare, And falls to ground to seeke for succor theare, Whereas the hungry spaniells she does spye, With greedy jawes her ready for to teare.— filed under Birds-Pelican

/ Memoir. Vol. I. P. 267. A bold bad man!— filed under Character

The noblest mind the best contentment has.— filed under Content

Ah, Foole! faint heart faire lady n'ere could win.— filed under Creation

Through knowledge we behold the world's creation, How in his cradle first he fostered was; And judge of Nature's cunning operation, How things she formed of a formeless mass.— filed under Alphonso The Wise

Be bolde, be bolde, and everywhere, be bolde.— filed under Daring

Full little knowest thou that hast not tried, What hell it is in suing long to bide: To loose good dayes, that might be better spent; To waste long nights in pensive discontent; To speed to-day, to be put back to-morrow; To feed on hope, to pine with feare and sorrow.— filed under Disappointment

Her angel's face, As the great eye of heaven, shyned bright, And made a sunshine in the shady place.— filed under Face

Her berth was of the wombe of morning dew And her conception of the joyous prime. i。— filed under Fairies

Autumn Flowers. Roses red and violets blew, And all the sweetest flowres that in the forrest grew.— filed under Flirting

Strowe me the ground with daffadowndillies, And cowslips, and kingcups and loved lillies.— filed under Flirting

Sweet is the rose, but grows upon a brere; Sweet is the juniper, but sharp his bough; Sweet is the eglantine, but sticketh nere; Sweet is the firbloome, but its braunches rough; Sweet is the cypress, but its rynd is tough; Sweet is the nut, but bitter is his pill; Sweet is the broome-flowre, but yet sowre enough; And sweet is moly, but his root is ill.— filed under Flirting

FLOWERS-GOLDENROD. 229 Bring hether the pincke and purple cullambine, With gelliflowres.— filed under Flowers-Forget-Me-Not

For take thy ballaunce if thou be so wise, And weigh the winde that under heaven doth blow; Or weigh the light that in the east doth rise; Or weigh the thought that from man's mind doth flow.— filed under Folly

O happy earth, Whereon thy innocent feet doe ever tread!— filed under Foot

C. A Boy's Poem. Pt. III. One day I wrote her name upon the strand, But came the waves and washed it away; Agayne I wrote it with a second hand, But came the tyde and made my paynes his prey.— filed under Forgetfulness

The gentle minde by gentle deeds is knowne; For a man by nothing is so well bewrayed As by his manners.— filed under Gifts

Annals. United States. Ill can he rule the great that cannot reach the small.— filed under Government

"Oh, but," quoth she, "great griefe will not be tould, And can more easily be thought than said."— filed under Grief

Villanell. Her long loose yellow locks lyke golden wyre, Sprinckled with perle, and perling flowres atweene, Doe lyke a golden mantle her attyre.— filed under Hair

And thus of all my harvest-hope I have Nought reaped but a weedye crop of care.— filed under Harvest

Through thick and thin, both over banck and bush, In hope her to attaine by hooke or crooke.— filed under Hope

sever: And thou thyselfe herein shalt also live; Such grace the heavens doe to my verses give.— filed under Immortality

Entire affection hateth nicer hands.— filed under Jealousy

The Unattained. "Life is not lost," said she, "for which is bought Endlesse renowne."— filed under Life

Gather the rose of love whilst yet is time.— filed under Love

*** Man's wretched state, That floures so fresh at morne, and fades at evening late.— filed under Man

Who will not mercie unto others show, How can he mercie ever hope to have?— filed under Mercy

From good to bad, and from bad to worse, From worse unto that is worst of all, And then return to his former fall.— filed under Moderation

Musick. See to their desks Apollo's sons repair, Swift rides the rosin o'er the horse's hair! In unison their various tones to tune, Murmurs the hautboy, growls the hoarse bassoon; In soft vibration sighs the whispering lute, Tang goes the harpsichord, too-too the flute, Brays the loud trumpet, squeaks the fiddle sharp, Winds the French-horn, and twangs the tingling harp; Till, like great Jove, the leader, figuring in, Attunes to order the chaotic din. HORACE and JAMES SMITH-Rejected Addresses. The Theatre. L. 20. So dischord ofte in musick makes the sweeter lay.— filed under Music

For all that Nature by her mother-wit Could frame in earth.— filed under Nature

What more felicitie can fall to creature Than to enjoy delight with libertie, And to be lord of all the workes of Nature, To raine in th' aire from earth to highest skie, To feed on flowres and weeds of glorious feature.— filed under Nature

Yet neither spinnes, nor cards, ne cares nor fretts, But to her mother Nature all her care she letts.— filed under Nature

Yet was he but a squire of low degree.— filed under Obscurity

The paynefull smith, with force of fervent heat, The hardest yron soone doth mollify, That with his heavy sledge he can it beat, And fashion it to what he it list apply.— filed under Occupations-Authorship

Divine Tobacco.— filed under Occupations-Tobacconists

Ay me, how many perils doe enfold The righteous man to make him daily fall!— filed under Perils

And painefull pleasure turnes to pleasing paine.— filed under Pleasure

I was promised on a time, To have reason for my rhyme; From that time unto this season, I received nor rhyme nor reason.— filed under Poetry

Dan Chaucer, well of English undefyled, On Fame's eternall beadroll worthie to be fyled.— filed under Poets

His rawbone cheekes, through penurie and pine, Were shronke into his jawes, as he did never dyne.— filed under Poverty

Whose plenty made him pore.— filed under Poverty

Gold all is not that doth golden seem.— filed under Proverbs

In hope her to attain by hook or crook.— filed under Proverbs

There, though last, not least.— filed under Proverbs

Through thick and thin, both over bank and bush.— filed under Proverbs

He maketh kings to sit in soverainty; He maketh subjects to their powre obey; He pulleth downe, he setteth up on hy: He gives to this, from that he takes away; For all we have is his: what he list doe he may.— filed under Providence

And on his brest a bloodie crosse he bore, The deare remembrance of his dying Lord, For whose sweete sake that glorious badge he wore.— filed under Reformation

Sleepe after toyle, port after stormie seas, Ease after warre, death after life, does greatly please.— filed under Results

So forth issew'd the Seasons of the yeare: First, lusty Spring, all dight in leaves of flowres That freshly budded and new bloomes did beare, In which a thousand birds had built their bowres That sweetly sung to call forth paramours; And in his hand a javelin he did beare, And on his head (as fit for warlike stoures) A guilt, engraven morion he did weare: That, as some did him love, so others did him feare.— filed under Sculpture

Then came the jolly sommer, being dight In a thin silken cassock, coloured greene, That was unlyned all, to be more light.— filed under Sows

Lastly came Winter cloathed all in frize, Chattering his teeth for cold that did him chill; Whilst on his hoary beard his breath did freese, And the dull drops, that from his purpled bill As from a limebeck did adown distill: In his right hand a tipped staffe he held, With which his feeble steps he stayed still; For he was faint with cold, and weak with eld; That scarce his loosed limbes he hable was to weld.— filed under Sows

For next to Death is Sleepe to be compared; Therefore his house is unto his annext: Here Sleepe, ther Richesse, and hel-gate them both betwext.— filed under Sleep

For of the soule the bodie forme doth take; For soule is forme and doth the bodie make.— filed under Sorrow

And with unwearied fingers drawing out The lines of life, from living knowledge hid.— filed under Students

Goe to my Love where she is carelesse layd Yet in her winter's bowere not well awake; Tell her the joyous time will not be staid Unlesse she doe him by the forelock take.— filed under Time

Too late I stayed, -forgive the crime; Unheeded flew the hours, How noiseless falls the foot of time That only treads on flowers!— filed under Time

The laurell, meed of mightie conquerours And poets sage; the firre that weepeth still; The willow, worne of forlorne paramours; The eugh, obedient to the bender's will; The birch, for shafts; the sallow for the mill; The mirrhe sweete-bleeding in the bitter wound; The warlike beech; the ash for nothing ill; The fruitfull olive; and the platane round; The carver holme; the maple seldom inward sound.— filed under Treason

Like to an almond tree ymounted hye On top of greene Selinis all alone, With blossoms brave bedecked daintily; Whose tender locks do tremble every one, At everie little breath, that under heaven is blowne.— filed under Trees And Plants-Acacia

High on a hill a goodly Cedar grewe, Of wond'rous length and streight proportion, That farre abroad her daintie odours threwe; 'Mongst all the daughters of proud Libanon, Her match in beautie was not anie one.— filed under Trees And Plants-Chestnut

There grewe an aged tree on the greene; A goodly Oake sometime had it bene, With armes full strong and largely displayd, But of their leaves they were disarayde: The bodie bigge, and mightely pight, Thoroughly rooted, and of wond'rous hight; Whilome had bene the king of the field, And mochell mast to the husband did yielde, And with his nuts larded many swine: But now the gray mosse marred his rine; His bared boughes were beaten with stormes, His toppe was bald, and wasted with wormes, His honour decayed, his braunches sere.— filed under Trees And Plants-Oak

First the high palme-trees, with braunches faire, Out of the lowly vallies did arise, And high shoote up their heads into the skyes.— filed under Trees And Plants-Palm

Here also grew the rougher rinded pine, The great Argoan ship's brave ornament.— filed under Trees And Plants-Palm

Bring therefore all the forces that ye may, And lay incessant battery to her heart; Playnts, prayers, vowes, truth, sorrow, and dismay; Those engins can the proudest love convert: And, if those fayle, fall down and dy before her; So dying live, and living do adore her.— filed under Wooing