That thou art blamed shall not be thy defect,
For slander's mark was ever yet the fair;
The ornament of beauty is suspect,
A crow that flies in heaven's sweetest air.
So thou be good, slander doth but approve
Thy worth the greater, being wooed of time;
For canker vice the sweetest buds doth love,
And thou present'st a pure unstained prime.
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There are . . . robberies that leave man or woman forever
beggared of peace and joy, yet kept read more
There are . . . robberies that leave man or woman forever
beggared of peace and joy, yet kept secret by the sufferer.
I will be hanged if some eternal villain,
Some busy and insinuating rogue,
Some cogging, cozening slave, read more
I will be hanged if some eternal villain,
Some busy and insinuating rogue,
Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,
Have not devised this slander.
To murder character is as truly a crime as to murder the body: the tongue of the slanderer is brother read more
To murder character is as truly a crime as to murder the body: the tongue of the slanderer is brother to the dagger of the assassin.
Have patience awhile; slanders are not long-lived. Truth is the child of time; ere long she shall appear to vindicate read more
Have patience awhile; slanders are not long-lived. Truth is the child of time; ere long she shall appear to vindicate thee.
Cut
Men's throats with whisperings.
Cut
Men's throats with whisperings.
Soft-buzzing Slander; silly moths that eat
An honest name.
Soft-buzzing Slander; silly moths that eat
An honest name.
Never throw mud. You may miss your mark, but you will have dirty hands.
Never throw mud. You may miss your mark, but you will have dirty hands.
God knows I loved my niece,
And she is dead, slandered to death by villains,
That dare read more
God knows I loved my niece,
And she is dead, slandered to death by villains,
That dare as well answer a man indeed
As I dare take a serpent by the tongue.
Boys, apes, braggarts, Jacks, milksops!
A slander is like a hornet; if you can't kill it dead the first time, better not strike at it.
A slander is like a hornet; if you can't kill it dead the first time, better not strike at it.
