1. An honest gift from that fair countrie where "a' the blude that's shed
on earth / Rins thro the springs" (Thomas Rymer)
Syne they came on to a garden green,
And she pu'd an apple frae a tree:
'Take this for thy wages, True Thomas,
It will give the tongue that can never lie.'
'My tongue is mine ain,' True Thomas said;
'A gudely gift ye wad gie to me!
I neither dought to buy nor sell,
At fair or tryst where I may be.
2. Goodly accomplishments. A sour view. (Samuel Butler)
His knowledge was not far behind
The Knights, but of another kind,
And he another way came by't,
Some call it Gift, and some New light;
A liberal Art, that costs no pains
Of Study, Industry, or Brains.
His Wits were sent him for a Token,
But in the Carriage crackt and broken
Like Commendation Nine-pence, crookt
With to and from my Love, it lookt,
He ne'r consider'd it, as loath
To look a Gift-horse in the Mouth;
And very wisely would lay forth
No more upon it than 'twas worth.
But as he got it freely, so
He spent it frank and freely too.
For Saints themselves will sometimes be,
Of Gifts that cos[t] them nothing, free.
3. A gift that can't be rightly dusted down can be a filth: (Dryden)
O gracious God! how far have we
Profaned thy heavenly gift of poesy?
Made prostitute and profligate the muse,
Debased to each obscene and impious use,
Whose harmony was first ordained above
For tongues of angels, and for hymns of love?
4. I read much of the night / anything put to hand (Nicholad Breton):
If thou wilt be a man of much esteeme,
Be not the same what euer so thou seem;
Speak fair to al, be gentle, curteous kind,
But let the world know nothing of thy minde:
Let slip no time may be for thine auaile,
Nor trust no friend, for faith begins to faile.
Refuse no gift to fill thy coffers full;
The wisest poore man passeth for a gull.
5. market leaders announce new theory of universal self-approbation!
(William Elderton):
Let wisdom be, as it is I see,
A gift most worth the telling:
Which neuer was, so brought to passe,
Where Pagans haue ben dwelling.
Is now in fine, by power deuine,
Among vs English planted:
Which many a day, was kept away,
And many a one it wanted.
By no means a complete niggling, I'm fond both of giving and taking
myself. k
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