The Melancholie Knight Quotes

“To Fortune:

Thou purblind puppet for a Tradesmans stall,
Thou limping Lady of the Hospital;

Empress of Epicures and belly-gods,
With whom I vow to live and die at odds;

Thou mole-eye'd, owl-eye'd, Countess for a spittle,
That gives to some too much, to me too little;

Thou whirly-gig, and ratsbane of my life,
Which by thy wheel dost seem some wheelwrights wife;

Thou make-bate to a discontented mind,
Thou water-bubble, wasteful puff of wind;

Thou flying-feather of a woodcocks wing,
Thou Heathenish and very Pagan thing;

Thou Misers friend, thou worthy Gallants foe,
Thou scurvy Ballad of I wale in woe;

Thou that all discontentment dost provoke,
Thou worse to me then this Tobacco smoke;

Thou that Rage, Fury, Envy dost importune,
I'll tickle thee, thou scurvy minded Fortune.”
― Samuel Rowlands, The Melancholie Knight

“To Time. (1615)

Thou Register of old Antiquities,
Observer of the worlds iniquities,
Surveying life from birth till Death intoombe,
From Adam's making, to the day of doom:
That in thy restless cunning dost admit
Of actions lawful, or of things unfit,
And hast thy head behind of purpose ball'd,
Because thou never wilt be back recall'd;
But wear'st a lock before I understand,
On which I never yet could lay my hand.
I have expected (thou grave ancient father)
Thy helping hand, and I protest the rather,
Because they say that Time by turns doth go,
And hitherto I have not found it so:
Therefore for some good turn, one of these days,
I challenge thee, or I'll disprove thy praise,
And I write of thee according as I find,
That thorow age thou art both ball'd and blind;
Find out a time, good Time, for to relieve me,
For at this time, Time very bad doth grieve mee.”
― Samuel Rowlands, The Melancholie Knight