Quote#Politics & Power
And thought the nation ne'er would thrive
Quote byMatthew Prior · 1664–1721
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Paulo Purganti and His Wife (1708)..
English (original)
And thought the nation ne'er would thrive Till all the whores were burnt alive.
— Matthew Prior
More from Matthew Prior
That if weak women went astray, Their stars were more in fault than they.
Forbear to mention what thou canst not praise.
Our hopes, like towering falcons, aim At objects in an airy height; The little pleasure of the game Is from afar to view the flight.
From ignorance our comfort flows. The only wretched are the wise.
The end must justify the means.
Soft peace she brings; wherever she arrives She builds our quiet as she forms our lives; Lays the rough paths of peevish Nature even, And opens in each heart a little heaven.