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Devouring Famine, Plague, and War,
Each able to undo mankind,
Death's servile emissaries are;
Nor to these alone confined,
He hath at will
More quaint and subtle ways to kill;
A smile or kiss, as he will use the art,
Shall have the cunning skill to break a heart.

— James Shirley

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More quotes by James Shirley

Death calls ye to the crowd of common men.

Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.

Scepter and crown
Must tumble down,
And, in the dust, be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade.

The honour is overpaid,
When he that did the act is commentator.

He that on his pillow lies,
Fear-embalmed before he dies
Carries, like a sheep, his life,
To meet the sacrificer's knife,
And for eternity is prest,
Sad bell-wether to the rest.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: James Shirley (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.