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— John Milton

Say, Heavenly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein 15

Afford a present to the Infant God?

Hast thou no verse, no hymn, or solemn strain,

To welcome him to this his new abode,

…

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Able to be tolerated or allowed; satisfactory or suitable for a particular purpose or situation.

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BOETHIUS 7

40 lines
Sir Philip Sidney·1554–1586
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erve him? What shall we now say more concerning theking, and concerning his followers, except that every rationalman may know that they are full miserable and weak? Howcan kings deny or conceal their weakness, when they arenot able to attain any honor without their thanes' assistance? What else shall we say concerning thanes, but this, thatit often happens that they are bereaved of all honor, andeven of life, by their perfidious king. Thus we know thatthe wicked king Nero would hate his own master, and killhis foster-father, whose name was Seneca. He was a phi-losopher. When, therefore, he found that he must die, heoffered all his possessions for his life, but the king wouldnot accept of it, or grant him his life. When he learnedthis, he chose for himself the death, that they should let forhim blood from the arm ; and they did so. We have alsoheard that Papinianus was to Antoninus the Caesar, of allhis favorites the most beloved, and of all his people had thegreatest power. But he gave order to bind, and afterwardto slay him. Yet all men know that Seneca was to Nero,and Papinianus to Antoninus, the most worthy and the mostdear; and they had the greatest power, both in their courtand elsewhere, and nevertheless, without any guilt, theywere destroyed! Yet they both desired, most earnestly,that the lords would take whatsoever they had, and let themlive, but they could not obtain it : for the cruelty of thosekings was so severe, that their submission could naught avail,nor indeed would their high-mindedness, howsoever theymight do, have availed them either, but they were obligedto lose life. For he who does not take timely care for him-self, will at length be destitute. How doth power and wealth please thee, now that a manneither can have it without fear, nor can part with it thoughhe wish? What did the crowd of friends avail the favoritesof those kings, or what avails it to any man? For friendscome with wealth, and again with wealth go away, exceptvery few. But the friends who before, for wealth's sake,love any one, go away afterward with the wealth, and thenturn to enemies. But the few, who before loved him foraffection and for fidelity, these would, nevertheless, lovehim though he were poor. These remain to him. What is
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