Lest men suspect your tale untrue, Keep probability in view. John Gay More Quotes by John Gay More Quotes From John Gay The sun was set; the night came on apace, And falling dews bewet around the place; The bat takes airy rounds on leathern wings, And the hoarse owl his woeful dirges sings. John Gay wings night fall Around the steel no tortur'd worm shall twine, No blood of living insect stain my line; Let me, less cruel, cast the feather'd hook, With pliant rod athwart the pebbled brook, Silent along the mazy margin stray, And with the fur-wrought fly delude the prey. John Gay fishing lakes rivers O Polly, you might have toyed and kissed, by keeping men off, you keep them on. John Gay flirty flirting kissing Beasts kill for hunger, men for pay. John Gay pet animal men Fair is the marigold, for pottage meet. John Gay marigolds fairs Fill ev'ry glass, for wine inspires us, John Gay wine courage life The luxury of doing good surpasses every other personal enjoyment. John Gay doing-good luxury giving Shall ignorance of good and ill Dare to direct the eternal will? Seek virtue, and of that possest, To Providence resign the rest. John Gay virtue eternity ignorance Fill it up. I take as large draughts of liquor as I did of love. I hate a flincher in either. John Gay alcohol hate love What then in love can woman do? If we grow fond they shun us. And when we fly them, they pursue: But leave us when they've won us. John Gay affection grows love Gamesters and highwaymen are generally very good to their whores, but they are very devils to their wives. John Gay very-good devil wife To cheat a man isnothing; but the womanmust have fine parts indeed who cheats a woman! John Gay cheat fine men Look round, the wrecks of play behold; Estates dismember'd, mortgaged, sold! Their owners now to jails confin'd, Show equal poverty of mind. John Gay jail mind play Fools may our scorn, not envy, raise. For envy is a kind of praise. John Gay envy fool may Thus shadow owes its birth to light. John Gay light-and-shadow shadow light There is no dependence that can be sure but a dependence upon one's self. John Gay dependence-on-others responsibility self We only part to meet again. John Gay A fox may steal your hens, Sir, a whore your health and pence, Sir, your daughter rob your chest, Sir, your wife may steal your rest, Sir, a thief your goods and plate. But this is all but picking, with rest, pence, chest and chicken; it ever was decreed, Sir, if lawyer's hand is feed, Sir, he steals your whole estate. John Gay An open foe may prove a curse, but a pretended friend is worse. John Gay How the mother is to be pitied who hath handsome daughters! Locks, bolts, bars, and lectures of morality are nothing to them: they break through them all. They have as much pleasure in cheating a father and mother, as in cheating at cards. John Gay