George Peele
George Peele (born in London, baptized 25 July 1556 – buried 9 November 1596), was an English translator, poet, and dramatist.
- See also:
Quotes
[edit]- What thing is love?—for (well I wot) love is a thing
It is a prick, it is a sting,
It is a pretty, pretty thing;
It is a fire, it is a coal,
Whose flame creeps in at every hole!- The Hunting of Cupid (1591)
- O Gentle Love, ungentle for thy deede,
Thou makest my hart,
A bloodie marke,
With piercing shot to bleede.Shoote soft sweete Love, for feare thou shoote amisse,
For feare too keene,
Thy arrowes beene:
And hit the hart, where my belovèd is.Too faire that fortune were, nor never I
Shall be so blest,
Among the rest:
That love shall ceaze on her by simpathy.Then since with Love my prayers beare no boote,
This doth remaine,
To cease my paine,
I take the wound, and die at Venus foote.
- Anthologised in England’s Helicon (1600); cp. Latin O Crudelis Amor
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
[edit]- Quotes reported in: Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
- Villain, a horse--
Villain, I say, give me a horse to fly,
To swim the river, villain, and to fly.- Battle of Alcazar (acted 1588-1589, printed 1594), act V, line 104. Published anonymously, but attributed with much probability to Peele.
- His golden locks time hath to silver turned;
O time too swift! O swiftness never ceasing!
His youth ’gainst time and age hath ever spurned,
But spurned in vain; youth waneth by encreasing.- Polyhymnia (1590)
- His helmet now shall make a hive for bees,
And lovers’ songs be turned to holy psalms;
A man-at-arms must now serve on his knees,
And feed on prayers, which are old age’s alms.- Polyhymnia (1590); also attributed to Henry Lee of Ditchley
- My merry, merry, merry roundelay
Concludes with Cupid’s curse:
They that do change old love for new,
Pray gods, they change for worse!- Cupid's Curse, lines 12-13 (date uncertain)
