The
Solomon considers man through the several stages and conditions of life, and concludes, in general, that we are all miserable
He reflects more particularly upon the trouble and uncertainty of greatness and power; gives some instances...
The cold earth yields to the warm bloodThe black soil incarnadinedEntangled in a rusty hueCome morrow, the billows will rise
The bewailing of man's miseries hath been elegantly and copiously set forth by many, in the writings as well of philosophers as divines; and it is both a pleasant and a profitable contemplation
~ Lord Bacon's Advancement of Learning
The<...
No more thus brooding o'er yon heap,
With avarice painful vigils keep:
Still unenjoy'd the present store,
Still endless sighs are breathed for more
Let Observation with extensive View,
Survey Mankind, from China to Peru;
Remark each anxious Toil, each eager Strife,
And watch the busy Scenes of crowded Life;
The
Solomon, again seeking happiness, inquires if wealth and greatness can produce it: begins with the magnificence of gardens and buildings; the luxury of music and feasting; and proceeds to the hopes and desires of love
In two episodes...
As he said vanity, so vain say I,
Oh
Vanity,
O vain all under sky;