GIVE place, you ladies, and begone!
Boast not yourselves at all!
For here at hand approacheth one
Whose face will stain you all.
The virtue of her lively looks
Excels the precious stone;
I wish to have none other books
To read or look upon.
In each of her two crystal eyes
Smileth a naked boy;
It would you all in heart suffice
To see that lamp of joy.
I think Nature hath lost the mould
Where she her shape did take;
Or else I doubt if Nature could
So fair a creature make.
She may be well compared
Unto the Phoenix kind,
Whose like was never seen or heard,
That any man can find.
In life she is Diana chaste,
In troth Penelopey;
In word and eke in deed steadfast.
–What will you more we say?
If all the world were sought so far,
Who could find such a wight?
Her beauty twinkleth like a star
Within the frosty night.
Her rosial colour comes and goes
With such a comely grace,
More ruddier, too, than doth the rose,
Within her lively face.
At Bacchus’ feast none shall her meet,
Ne at no wanton play,
Nor gazing in an open street,
Nor gadding as a stray.
The modest mirth that she doth use
Is mix’d with shamefastness;
All vice she doth wholly refuse,
And hateth idleness.
O Lord! it is a world to see
How virtue can repair,
And deck in her such honesty,
Whom Nature made so fair.
Truly she doth so far exceed
Our women nowadays,
As doth the jeliflower a weed;
And more a thousand ways.
How might I do to get a graff
Of this unspotted tree?
–For all the rest are plain but chaff,
Which seem good corn to be.
This gift alone I shall her give;
When death doth what he can,
Her honest fame shall ever live
Within the mouth of man.
by John Heywood
John Heywood Famous Quotes
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
Who was John Heywood-
15th century Book writer of English Literature, Theatre, Poet of Poetry Who is also known to writer of Plays And well known for his “Quotes” great minds think alike 😉 in all good Retrospect that is that I really dig thus poets…
When the iron is hot, strike.
John Heywood
A hard beginning maketh a good ending.
John Heywood
Rome was not built in one day.
John Heywood
Hit the nail on the head.
John Heywood
None so blind as those who won’t see.
John Heywood
For when I gave you an inch, you took an mile.
John Heywood
Beggars should be no choosers.
John Heywood
I know on which side my bread is buttered.
John Heywood
Here are a selection of the proverbs that Heywood documented and, for the most part, was the first to put into print:
proverbs of great man
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
John Heywood’s version: “Better one byrde in hande than ten in the wood.”
A cat may look at a king
John Heywood’s version: “Can ye iudge a man (quoth I) by his lookyng?
What, a cat maie looke on a kyng. ye know.”
A friend in need is a friend indeed
John Heywood’s version: “A freende is neuer knowne tyll a man haue nede.”
A pig in a poke
John Heywood’s version: “Though ye loue not to bye the pyg in the poke,
Yet snatche ye at the poke, that the pyg is in,
Not for the poke, but the pyg good chepe to wyn.”
A rolling stone gathers no moss
John Heywood’s version: “But sonne, the rollyng stone neuer gatherth mosse.”
All fingers and thumbs
John Heywood’s version: “Eche fynger is a thumbe.”
All’s well that ends well
John Heywood’s version: “Well aunt (quoth Ales) all iwell that ends well .”
An ill wind
John Heywood’s version: “An yll wynde, that blowth no man to good, men saie.”
As mad as a March hare
John Heywood’s version: “Contrary to reason ye stampe and ye stare.
Ye frete and ye fume, as mad as a marche hare.”
Beggars can’t be choosers
John Heywood’s version: “Beggers should be no choosers, but yet they will:
Who can bryng a begger from choyse to begge still?”
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
John Heywood’s version: “Where gyfts be gyuen [given] freely, est west north or south,
No man ought to loke a geuen [given] hors in the mouth.”
Don’t put the cart before the horse
John Heywood’s version: “to tourne the cat in the pan,
Or set the cart before the hors.”
Don’t shut the stable door after the horse has bolted
John Heywood’s version: “To late this repentance shewd is.
Whan the stede is stolne, shut the stable durre.”
Enough is as good as a feast
John Heywood’s version: “For folke say, enough is as good as a feast.”
Enough is enough
John Heywood’s version: “Here is enough, I am satisfied (sayde he.)
Sens enough is enough (sayd I) here maie we.”
Even a worm will turn
John Heywood’s version: “Treade a worme on the tayle, and it must turne agayne.”
Fair exchange is no robbery
John Heywood’s version: “Though chaunge be no robbry for the changed case.”
Half a loaf is better than no bread
John Heywood’s version: “Throwe no gyft agayne at the giuers head,
For better is halfe a lofe then no bread.”
Haste makes waste
John Heywood’s version: “Som thyngs that prouoke yong men to wed in haste
Show after weddyng that haste maketh waste.”
Let sleeping dogs lie
John Heywood’s version: “It is euill [evil] wakyng of a slepyng dog.”
Look before you leap
John Heywood’s version: “Yet let not harmfull haste so far out ren [outrun] your wyt,
But that ye harke to here all the holle some,
That maie please or displease you in tyme to come.
Thus by these lessons ye may learne good cheape
In weddyng and all thyng, to loke or ye leape.”
It’s an ill wind that blows no man good
John Heywood’s version: “An yll wynde, that blowth no man to good, men saie”
Know which side your bread is buttered
John Heywood’s version: “Yes yes (quoth she) for all those wyse words vttred,
I knowe on whiche syde my breade is buttred.”
Make hay while the sun shines
John Heywood’s version: “Whan the sonne shynth make hey. whiche is to saie,
Take tyme whan tyme coomth, lest tyme stele awaie.”
More haste, less speed
John Heywood’s version: “Moste tymes he seeth, the more haste the lesse spede.”
Neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring
John Heywood’s version: “She is nother fishe nor fleshe nor good red hearyng.”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
John Heywood’s version: “Noght veter noght haue spare to speke spare to spede.”
Little pitchers have big ears
John Heywood’s version: “Auoyd [avoid] your children. smal pitchers haue wide eares.”
Out of sight, out of mind
John Heywood’s version: “Tyme is tyckell. and out of syght out of mynde.”
Rob Peter to pay Paul
John Heywood’s version: “Lyke a pickpurs [pickpocket] pilgrym, ye prie and ye proule
At rouers, to robbe Peter and paie Poule.”
Rome wasn’t built in a day
John Heywood’s version: “Rome was not bylt on a daie (quoth he) & yet stood Tyll it was fynysht [finished] , as some saie, full fayre.”
The fat is in the fire
John Heywood’s version: “Than farewell ryches, the fat is in the fyre.”
The hair of the dog
John Heywood’s version: “Early we rose, in haste to get awaie.
And to the hostler this mornyng by daie
This felow calde, what how felow, thou knaue,
I praie the leat me and my felowe haue
A heare of the dog that bote vs last nyght.
And bytten were we both to the brayne aryght.”
The more the merrier
John Heywood’s version: “Haue among you blynde harpers (sayd I.)
The mo the merier.”
The shoemaker always wears the worst shoes
John Heywood’s version: “But who is wurs shod, than the shoemakers wyfe,
With shops full of newe shapen shoes all hir lyfe”
There’s no fool like an old fool
John Heywood’s version: “But there is no foole to the olde foole, folke saie.”
Two heads are better than one
John Heywood’s version: “But of these two thynges he wolde determyne none
Without aide. For two hedds are better than one.”
Worse for wear
John Heywood’s version: “But sens al thyng is the wors for the wearyng”
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink
John Heywood’s version: “A man may well bryng a horse to the water.
But he can not make hym drynke without he will.”
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
John Heywood’s version: “Wolde ye bothe eate your cake, and haue your cake?”
You can’t hold with the hare and run with the hounds
John Heywood’s version: “There is no mo [more] suche tytifils [scoundrels] in Englands grounde,
To holde with the hare, and run with the hounde.”
You can’t see the wood for the trees
John Heywood’s version: “Plentie is no deyntie [dainty]. ye see not your owne ease.
I see, ye can not see the wood for trees.”
Is it Conspiracy, Fact, or both? 