George Peele

George Peele (born in London, baptized 25 July 1556 – buried 9 November 1596), was an English translator, poet, and dramatist.

See also:

The Old Wives' Tale

David and Bethsabe

Quotes

• 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

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)