Princes and lords may flourish or may fade;
A breath can make them, as a breath has made.—Goldsmith: Deserted Vil.
Probably from De Caux, an old French poet, who says,—
———————— C’est un verre qui luit,
Qu’un souffle peut détruire, et qu’un souffle a produit.
Kings are like stars,—they rise and set,—they have
The worship of the world, but no repose.—Shelley: Hellas.
Stolen from Lord Bacon:—
Princes are like to heavenly bodies, which cause good or evil times, and which have much veneration, but no rest.—Of Empire.