1
We perished, each alone:
But I beneath a rougher sea,
And whelmed in deeper gulfs than he.
"The Castaway" (written 1799) l. 61
2
His wit invites you by his looks to come,
But when you knock it never is at home.
"Conversation" (1782) l. 303
3
Damned below Judas; more abhorred than he was.
"Hatred and vengeance, my eternal portion" (written
c.
1774)
4
John Gilpin was a citizen
Of credit and renown,
A train-band captain eke was he
Of famous London town.
"John Gilpin" (1785) l. 1
5
My sister and my sister's child,
Myself and children three,
Will fill the chaise; so you must ride
On horseback after we.
"John Gilpin" (1785) l. 13
6
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Olney Hymns
(1779) "Light Shining out of Darkness"
7
Oh! for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heav'nly frame;
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!
Olney Hymns
(1779) "Walking with God"
8
Toll for the brave—
The brave! that are no more:
All sunk beneath the wave,
Fast by their native shore.
"On the Loss of the Royal George" (written 1782)
9
Remorse, the fatal egg by pleasure laid.
"The Progress of Error" (1782) l. 239
10
Thou god of our idolatry, the press…
Thou ever-bubbling spring of endless lies.
"The Progress of Error" (1782) l. 461
11
God made the country, and man made the town.
The Task
(1785) bk. 1 "The Sofa" l. 749.
12
Slaves cannot breathe in England, if their lungs
Receive our air, that moment they are free;
They touch our country, and their shackles fall.
The Task
(1785) bk. 2 "The Timepiece" l. 40.
13
England, with all thy faults, I love thee still—
My country!
The Task
(1785) bk. 2 "The Timepiece" l. 206.
14
Variety's the very spice of life,
That gives it all its flavour.
The Task
(1785) bk. 2 "The Timepiece" l. 606.
15
I was a stricken deer, that left the herd
Long since.
The Task
(1785) bk. 3 "The Garden" l. 108.
16
Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast,
Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round,
And, while the bubbling and loud-hissing urn
Throws up a steamy column, and the cups,
That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each,
So let us welcome peaceful evening in.
The Task
(1785) bk. 4 "The Winter Evening" l. 34.
17
I crown thee king of intimate delights,
Fire-side enjoyments, home-born happiness.
The Task
(1785) bk. 4 "The Winter Evening" l. 139
18
A Roman meal…
…a radish and an egg.
The Task
(1785) bk. 4 "The Winter Evening" l. 168
19
The slope of faces, from the floor to th' roof,
(As if one master-spring controlled them all),
Relaxed into a universal grin.
of the theatre
The Task
(1785) bk. 4 "The Winter Evening" l. 202
20
I would not enter on my list of friends
(Tho' graced with polished manners and fine sense,
Yet wanting sensibility) the man
Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.
The Task
(1785) bk. 6 "The Winter Walk at Noon" l. 560
21
As a priest,
A piece of mere church furniture at best.
"Tirocinium" (1785) l. 425
22
I am monarch of all I survey,
My right there is none to dispute;
From the centre all round to the sea
I am lord of the foul and the brute.
"Verses Supposed to be Written by Alexander Selkirk" (1782)
23
Our severest winter, commonly called the spring.
letter to the Revd William Unwin, 8 June 1783