John Dryden

The fool of nature stood with stupid eyes
And gaping mouth, that testified surprise.

The fool of nature stood with stupid eyes
And gaping mouth, that testified surprise.

Old as I am, for ladies' love unfit,
The power of beauty I remember yet,
Which once read more

Old as I am, for ladies' love unfit,
The power of beauty I remember yet,
Which once inflam'd my soul, and still inspires my wit.

Dreams are but interludes, which fancy makes;
When monarch reason sleeps, this mimic wakes.

Dreams are but interludes, which fancy makes;
When monarch reason sleeps, this mimic wakes.

A mob is the scum that rises upmost when the nation boils.

A mob is the scum that rises upmost when the nation boils.

All who (like him) have writ ill plays before,
For they, like thieves, condemned, are hangman made,
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All who (like him) have writ ill plays before,
For they, like thieves, condemned, are hangman made,
To execute the members of their trade.