Two Things Odious.

Two of a thousand things are disallow'd:
A lying rich man, and a poor man proud.

Robert Herrick

Robert Herrick was a 17th-century English lyric poet and cleric. He is known for his book of poems, "Hesperides," which includes the carpe diem poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time." His works are noted for their clarity, simplicity, and musical quality. Herrick was also a vicar of Dean Prior in Devon, despite being ejected during the English Civil War and later reinstated.

Robert Herrick

To His Book.

Robert Herrick, Simple Poetry

Upon Blanch.

Robert Herrick, Simple Poetry

Upon Doll.

Robert Herrick, Simple Poetry

Pray And Prosper.

Robert Herrick, Simple Poetry

English

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Poverty And Riches

Who with a little cannot be content,
Endures an everlasting punishment.

Robert Herrick

Evil.

Evil no nature hath; the loss of good
Is that which gives to sin a livelihood.

Robert Herrick

His Confession.

Look how our foul days do exceed our fair;
And as our bad, more than our good works are,
E'en so those lines, pen'd by my wanton wit,
Treble the number of these good I've writ.
Things precious are least numerous: men are prone
To do ten bad for one good action.

Robert Herrick

The Poor Man's Part.

Tell me, rich man, for what intent
Thou load'st with gold thy vestiment?
Whenas the poor cry out: To us
Belongs all gold superfluous.

Robert Herrick

Like Pattern, Like People.

This is the height of justice: that to do
Thyself which thou put'st other men unto.
As great men lead, the meaner follow on,
Or to the good, or evil action.

Robert Herrick

To His Honoured Friend, M. John Weare, Councillor.

Did I or love, or could I others draw
To the indulgence of the rugged law,
The first foundation of that zeal should be
By reading all her paragraphs in thee,
Who dost so fitly with the laws unite,
As if you two were one hermaphrodite.
Nor courts[t] thou her because she's well attended
With wealth, but for those ends she was intended:
Which were, - and still her offices are known, -
Law is to give to ev'ry one his own;
To shore the feeble up against the strong,
To shield the stranger and the poor from wrong.
This was the founder's grave and good intent:
To keep the outcast in his tenement,
To free the orphan from that wolf-like man,
Who is his butcher more than guardian;
To dry the widow's tears, and stop her swoons,
By pouring balm and oil into her...

Robert Herrick