Earl of Rochester. 1647-1680.
Angels listen when she speaks:
She 's my delight, all mankind's wonder;
But my jealous heart would break
Should we live one day asunder.
Song.
Here lies our sovereign lord the king,
Whose word no man relies on;
He never says a foolish thing,
Nor ever does a wise one.
Written on the Bedchamber Door of Charles II.
And ever since the Conquest have been fools.
Artemisia in the Town to Chloe in the Country.
For pointed satire I would Buckhurst choose,
The best good man with the worst-natured muse.[279:1]
An allusion to Horace, Satire x. Book i.
A merry monarch, scandalous and poor.
On the King.
It is a very good world to live in,
To lend, or to spend, or to give in;
But to beg or to borrow, or to get a man's own,
It is the very worst world that ever was known.[279:2]
Footnotes
[279:1] Thou best-humour'd man with the worst-humour'd muse!—Goldsmith: Retaliation. Postscript.
[279:2] These last four lines are attributed to Rochester.