A Playwright's Adventures

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Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, 1831 - 356 pages
 

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Page 267 - Of clamorous rooks thick urge their weary flight, And seek the closing shelter of the grove; Assiduous, in his bower, the wailing owl Plies his sad song. The cormorant on high Wheels from the deep, and screams along the land. Loud shrieks the soaring hern; and with wild wing The circling sea-fowl cleave the flaky clouds.
Page 1 - A blank, my lord : She never told her love, But let concealment, like a worm i...
Page 123 - Heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turn'd, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorn'd.
Page 310 - I am sorry to hear it; he has too good a character to be an honest fellow. Everybody speaks well of him! Psha! then he has bowed as low to knaves and fools as to the honest dignity of genius and virtue.
Page 58 - Now, let us thank the Eternal Power, convinced That Heaven but tries our virtue by affliction : That oft the cloud which wraps the present hour, Serves but to brighten all our future days ! [Exeunt omnes.
Page 297 - tis our coin— we live by parting with it; And he thrives best that has the most to spare. The protesting lover buys hope with it, And the deluded virgin, short-lived pleasure ; - Old greybeards cram their avarice with it ; Your lank-jaw'd, hungry judge, will dine upon t. And hang the guiltless, rather than eat his mutton cold.. The crown' d head quits it for despotic sway ; The stubborn people, for unawed rebellion.
Page 267 - Ocean, unequal press'd, with broken tide And blind commotion heaves ; while from the shore, Eat into caverns by the restless wave, And forest-rustling mountains, comes a voice, That, solemn sounding, bids the world prepare. Then issues forth the storm with sudden burst, And hurls the whole precipitated air Down in a torrent. On the passive main Descends th' ethereal force, and with strong gust Turns from its bottom the discolour'd deep.
Page 308 - Infirmities of Genius " (quoted by Dr. Sweetser), has endeavoured to estimate the relative longevity of different classes of authors. The natural philosophers in his table are at the top, their age averaging 75. The poets are at the bottom, who average 57. Caspar gives the average...
Page 317 - The object he had in view when he last left Otaheite had now been accomplished; he had discovered an uninhabited island out of the common track of ships, and established himself and his associates; so far there was a chance that he had escaped all pursuit; but there was no escaping from "Those rods of scorpions and those whips of steel Which conscience shakes." The fate of this misguided young man, brought on by his ill-treatment both of his associates and the Indians he had carried off with him,...
Page 98 - This being agreed to by the good old lady, all went on peaceably till the evening, when, about nine o'clock, the report of a pistol was heard in his chamber. Every body rushed in, expecting to find he had destroyed himself; when, to their astonishment, he stood erect before them, and said, coolly, ' By the powers! if I mayn't ring a bell, what better noise than this can I make, honeys,just to get a little attindance?

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