Dr. Thomas Sprat, Bishop of Rochester, in his
Life of Cowley
prefixed to an edition of the Poet's works. The temper of Cowley here referred to is especially shown in his Essays, as in the opening one
Of Liberty
, and in that
Of Greatness,
which is followed by the paraphrase from Horace's
Odes
, Bk. III. Od. i, beginning with the expression above quoted: