He
That kills himself to avoid misery, fears it,
And, at the best, shows but a bastard valor.
This life's a fort committed to my trust,
Which I must not yield up, till it be forced:
Nor will I. He's not valiant that dares die,
But he that boldly bears calamity.
Maid of Honor, Act iv. Sc. 1. P. MASSINGER.
Thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward!
Thou little valiant, great in villany!
Thou ever strong upon the stronger side!
Thou Fortune's champion, that dost never fight
But when her humorous ladyship is by
To teach thee safety!
King John, Act iii. Sc. 1. SHAKESPEARE.
For he who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day;
But he who is in battle slain
Can never rise and fight again.
The Art of Poetry on a New Plan. O. GOLDSMITH.
Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Julius Cæsar, Act ii. Sc. 3. SHAKESPEARE.
CREED.
Sapping a solemn creed with solemn sneer.
Childe Harold, Canto III. LORD BYRON.
But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast
To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.
Lalla Rookh: Veiled Prophet of Khorassan. T. MOORE.
For fools are stubborn in their way,
As coins are hardened by th' allay;
And obstinacy's ne'er so stiff
As when 'tis in a wrong belief.
Hudibras, Pt. III. Canto II. S. BUTLER.
You can and you can't,
You will and you won't;
You'll be damned if you do,
You'll be damned if you don't.
Chain (Definition of Calvinism). L. DOW.
They believed—faith, I'm puzzled—I think I may call
Their belief a believing in nothing at all,
Or something of that sort; I know they all went
For a general union of total dissent.
A Fable for Critics. J.R. LOWELL.