John Byrom

John Byrom (29 February 1692 – 26 September 1763) was an English poet.

Quotes

If a man do but keep himself sober and stout,
The world as he'd have it must needs turn about.

The Church is indeed, in its real Intent,
An Assembly where Nothing but Friendship is meant;
And the utter Extinction of Foeship and Wrath
By the Working of Love in the Strength of its Faith.

Sir, you must be all caution and no fear, and you'll find true what our old friend Archimedes said some while ago.

If a man do but keep himself sober and stout,
The world as he'd have it must needs turn about.

Letter to John Stansfield (c. 1717), as quoted in "How to move the World" in The Poems of John Byrom (1894), p. 9

Some say, that Signor Bononcini,
Compared to Handel's a mere ninny;
Others aver, to him, that Handel
Is scarcely fit to hold a candle.
Strange! that such high dispute should be
'Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
- "Epigram on the Feuds between Handel and Bononcini" in The London Journal (5 June 1725)
- Alternately reported as:
  - Some say, compar'd to Bononcini,
    That Mynheer Handel 's but a ninny;
    Others aver that he to Handel
    Is scarcely fit to hold a candle.
    Strange all this difference should be
    'Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
- Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919). Bartlett's further reports Byrom having said "Nourse asked me if I had seen the verses upon Handel and Bononcini, not knowing that they were mine", Byrom's Remains (Chetham Soc.), vol. i. p. 173; and states: "The last two lines have also been attributed to Swift and Pope (see Scott's edition of Swift, and Dyce's edition of Pope)".

Christians, awake! salute the happy morn,
Whereon the Saviour of mankind was born.
- A Hymn for Christmas Day (1750)

Take time enough: all other graces
Will soon fill up their proper places.
- Advice to Preach Slow as quoted in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

As clear as a whistle.
- Epistle to Lloyd I' as quoted in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

The point is plain as a pike-staff.
- Epistle to a Friend as quoted in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Bone and Skin, two millers thin,
Would starve us all, or near it;
But be it known to Skin and Bone
That Flesh and Blood can't bear it.
- Epigram on Two Monopolists as quoted in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Thus adorned, the two heroes, 'twixt shoulder and elbow,
Shook hands and went to 't; and the word it was bilbow.
- Upon a Trial of Skill between the Great Masters of the Noble Science of Defence, Messrs. Figg and Sutton as quoted in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Miscellaneous Poems (1773)

From the Divine, Eternal Spirit springs
Order and Rule and Rectitude of Things...

Were I a king (God bless me) I should hate
My chaplains meddling with affairs of state;
Nor would my subjects, I should think, be fond,
Whenever theirs the Bible went beyond.
- "On Clergymen Preaching Politics"

In reading authors, when you find
Bright passages that strike your mind,
And which perhaps you may have reason
To think on at another season,
Be not contented with the sight,
But take them down in black and white;
Such a respect is wisely shown
That makes another's sense one's own.
- "A Hint to a young Person, for his better Improvement by Reading or Conversation"

Th' Eternal Mind, ev'n Heathens understood,
Was Infinitely Powerful, Wise, and Good.
In their Conceptions, who conceiv'd aright,
These Three Essential Attributes unite.
They saw that, wanting any of the Three,
Such an All-perfect Being could not be.
- The True Grounds Of Eternal And Immutable Rectitude" St. 1

From the Divine, Eternal Spirit springs
Order and Rule and Rectitude of Things,
Thro' outward Nature, His Apparent Throne,
Visibly seen, intelligibly known, —
Proofs of a Boundless Pow'r, a Wisdom's Aid,
By Goodness us'd, Eternal and Unmade.
- The True Grounds Of Eternal And Immutable Rectitude" St. 6

Endless Perfections after all conspire,
And to adore excite and to admire;
But to plain Minds the Plainest Pow'r Above
Is Native Goodness to attract our Love;
Centre of all Its various Pow'r and Skill
Is One Divine, Immutable Good Will.
- The True Grounds Of Eternal And Immutable Rectitude" St. 8

"The Sabbath was made for Man; not Man for the Sabbath."

— St. Mark, ii. 27

From this true Saying one may learn to draw
The real Nature of all outward Law.
In ev'ry Instance, rightly understood,
Its Ground and Reason is the human Good;
By all its Changes, since the World began,
Man was not made for Law, but Law for Man.

"On the Nature and Reason of All Outward Law"

Of true Religion Works of Mercy seem
To be the plainest Proof in Christ's Esteem;
Who has Himself declar'd what He will say
To all the Nations at the Judgment Day:
"Come," or "Depart," is the predicted Lot
Of brotherly Compassion shown, or not.
- "On Works of Mercy and Compassion, Considered as The Proofs of True Religion", St. 1

Here, all ye learned, full of all Dispute,
Of true and false Religion lies the Root.
The Mind of Christ, when He became a Man,
With all Its Tempers, forms its real Plan,
The Sheep from Goats distinguishing full well; —
His Love is Heav'n, and Want of It is Hell.
- "On Works of Mercy and Compassion, Considered as The Proofs of True Religion", St. 6

My spirit longs for Thee,
Within my troubled breast,
Though I unworthy be
Of so divine a Guest.
- "The Desponding Soul's Wish" (also called "My Spirit Longs For Thee")

No rest is to be found
But in Thy blessèd love;
O let my wish be crowned
And send it from above.
- "The Desponding Soul's Wish"

God bless the King! (I mean our faith's defender!)
God bless! (No harm in blessing) the Pretender.
But who Pretender is, and who is King,
God bless us all! That's quite another thing!
- Verse "Intended to allay the Violence of Party-Spirit"

Divine Love, The Essential Characteristic of True Religion

Religion's Meaning when I would recall,
Love is to me the plainest Word of all.
Plainest, — because that what I love, or hate,
Shews me directly my internal State;
By its own Consciousness is best defin'd
Which way the Heart within me stands inclin'd.
On what it lets its Inclination rest,
To that its real Worship is address'd;
Whatever Forms or Ceremonies spring
From Custom's Force, there lies the real Thing;
Jew, Turk or Christian be the Lover's Name,
If same the Love, Religion is the same.
- St. 1 & 2

Of all Religions if we take a View,
There is but one that ever can be true, —
One God, One Christ, One Spirit, none but He.
All else is Idol, whatsoe'er it be,—
A Good that our Imaginations make,
Unless we love it purely for His Sake.
- St. 3

The One Unbounded, Undivided Good,
By all His Creatures partly understood.
If therefore Sense of its apparent Parts
Raise not His Love or Worship in our Hearts,
Our selfish Wills or Notions we may feast,
And have no more Religion than a Beast.
- St. 5

Religion, then, is Love's Celestial Force
That penetrates thro' all to Its True Source;
Loves all along, but with proportion'd Bent,
As Creatures further the Divine Ascent,
Not to the Skies or Stars, but to the part
That will be always uppermost, — the Heart,
There is the Seat, as Holy Writings tell,
Where the Most High Himself delights to dwell;
Whither attracting the desirous Will
To its true Rest, He saves it from all Ill,
Gives it to find in His Abyssal Love
An Heav'n within, — in other Words, Above.
- St. 7 & 8

A Paraphrase on the Prayer used in The Church Liturgy for All Sorts and Conditions Of Men

A poetic paraphrase of a prayer by Peter Gunning

All which she entreats, for His Sake, to be done,
Who suffer'd to save them, Christ Jesus, His Son,—
In respect to the World, the Redeemer of All;
"To the Church of the Faithful, most chiefly," saith Paul;
And to them who shall suffer, whoever they be,
In the Spirit of Christ, in the highest Degree.
How ought such a Goodness all Minds to prepare
For an hearty "Amen" to this Catholic Pray'r!
- IX

The Church is indeed, in its real Intent,
An Assembly where Nothing but
Friendship is meant;
And the utter Extinction of Foeship and Wrath
By the Working of Love in the Strength of its Faith.
This gives it its holy and catholic Name,
And truly confirms its apostolic Claim;
Showing what the One Saviour's One Mission had been:
"Go and teach all the World," — ev'ry Creature therein.
In the Praise ever due to the Gospel of Grace
Its Universality holds the first Place.
When an Angel proclaim'd Its glad Tidings the Morn
That the Son of the Virgin, the Saviour, was born,
"Which shall be to all People," was said to complete
The angelical Message, so good and so great,
Full of " Glory to God," in the Regions Above,
And of "Goodness to Men," is so Boundless a Love.
- X & XI

This short Supplication, or Litany, read
When the longer with us is not wont to be said,
Tho' brief in Expression, as fully imports
The Will to all Blessings, for "Men of all Sorts," —
Same brotherly Love, by which Christians are taught
To "pray without ceasing," or limiting
Thought; That Religion may flourish upon its true Plan
Of Glory to God and Salvation to Man.
- XII

External links

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John Byrom