Sir Philip Sidney

Poet and courtier, 1554-1586

Cited as Sir P. Sidney. — 131 quotations

Absorb

And in destruction's river Engulf and swallow those.

Accompany

They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts.

Apply

She was skillful in applying his “humors.”

Astony

The captain of the Helots . . . strake Palladius upon the side of his head, that he reeled astonied.

Attend

The diligent pilot in a dangerous tempest doth not attend the unskillful words of the passenger.

Authorize

Authorizing himself, for the most part, upon other histories.

Baa

He treble baas for help, but none can get.

Behalf

In behalf of his mistress's beauty.

Better

My dear, my better half (said he), I find I must now leave thee.

Beyond

Beyond any of the great men of my country.

Blancher

And Gynecia, a blancher, which kept the dearest deer from her.

Blessedly

We shall blessedly meet again never to depart.

Career

To go back again the same career.

Celebration

To hasten the celebration of their marriage.

Churl

A churl's courtesy rarely comes, but either for gain or falsehood.

Cobweb

The dust and cobwebs of that uncivil age.

Conceit

How often, alas! did her eyes say unto me that they loved! and yet I, not looking for such a matter, had not my conceit open to understand them.

Congruity

A whole sentence may fail of its congruity by wanting one particle.

Consideration

Let us think with consideration.

Conspiracy

A conspiracy in all heavenly and earthly things.

Constant

Both loving one fair maid, they yet remained constant friends.

Countermine

Thinking himself contemned, knowing no countermine against contempt but terror.

Cross

Men's actions do not always cross with reason.

Dapple

He has . . . as many eyes on his body as my gray mare hath dapples.

Departure

His timely departure . . . barred him from the knowledge of his son's miseries.

Determinate

More determinate to do than skillful how to do.

Determinately

Being determinately . . . bent to marry.

Disdain

Disdaining . . . that any should bear the armor of the best knight living.

Disobey

He durst not know how to disobey.

Dissever

The storm so dissevered the company . . . that most of therm never met again.

Drive

He, driven to dismount, threatened, if I did not do the like, to do as much for my horse as fortune had done for his.

Dusky

Though dusky wits dare scorn astrology.

Earnest

Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest.

Effectuate

A fit instrument to effectuate his desire.

Embracement

Dear though chaste embracements.

Enchant

Arcadia was the charmed circle where all his spirits forever should be enchanted.

Endeavor

To employ all my endeavor to obey you.

Foil

As she a black silk cap on him began To set, for foil of his milk-white to serve.

Fury

Her wit began to be with a divine fury inspired.

Gainstand

Durst . . . gainstand the force of so many enraged desires.

Glad

Her conversation More glad to me than to a miser money is.

Glory

Think it no glory to swell in tyranny.

Gnaw

I might well, like the spaniel, gnaw upon the chain that ties me.

Go

Seeing himself confronted by so many, like a resolute orator, he went not to denial, but to justify his cruel falsehood.

Goodliness

Her goodliness was full of harmony to his eyes.

Halloo

Country folks hallooed and hooted after me.

Hap

Cursed be good haps, and cursed be they that build Their hopes on haps.

Heavenly

The love of heaven makes one heavenly.

Historify

Thy conquest meet to be historified.

Horribleness

The horribleness of the mischief.

House

Palladius wished him to house all the Helots.

Imitation

Poesy is an art of imitation, . . . that is to say, a representing, counterfeiting, or figuring forth.

Infective

True love . . . hath an infective power.

Influence

Such influence hath your excellency.

Inward

He had had occasion, by one very inward with him, to know in part the discourse of his life.

Jade

Tired as a jade in overloaden cart.

Jollity

He with a proud jollity commanded him to leave that quarrel only for him, who was only worthy to enter into it.

Just

The god Pan guided my hand just to the heart of the beast.

Kennel

A dog sure, if he could speak, had wit enough to describe his kennel.

Least

Upon the mast they saw a young man, at least if he were a man, who sat as on horseback.

Like

I willingly confess that it likes me much better when I find virtue in a fair lodging than when I am bound to seek it in an ill-favored creature.
He proceeded from looking to liking, and from liking to loving.

Miser

The woeful words of a miser now despairing.

Miserably

They were miserably entertained.

Muse

He mused upon some dangerous plot.

Nobility

Though she hated Amphialus, yet the nobility of her courage prevailed over it.

Octave

With mournful melody it continued this octave.

Offense

He was content to give them just cause of offense, when they had power to make just revenge.

Old

Let not old age disgrace my high desire.

Onward

Within a while, Philoxenus came to see how onward the fruits were of his friend's labor.

Paragon

Philoclea, who indeed had no paragon but her sister.

Patient

Like a physician, . . . seeing his patient in a pestilent fever.

Pedigree

I am no herald to inquire of men's pedigrees.

Perfection

What tongue can her perfections tell?

Perform

Great force to perform what they did attempt.

Pierce

She would not pierce further into his meaning.

Plunge

She was brought to that plunge, to conceal her husband's murder or accuse her son.

Policy

What policy have you to bestow a benefit where it is counted an injury?

Politic

He with his people made all but one politic body.

Possessioner

Having been of old freemen and possessioners.

Posture

Atalanta, the posture of whose limbs was so lively expressed . . . one would have sworn the very picture had run.

Practice

He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.

Presently

The towns and forts you presently have.

Proportion

Nature had proportioned her without any fault.

Prowl

He prowls each place, still in new colors decked.

Purl

A triumphant chariot made of carnation velvet, enriched withpurl and pearl.

Quake

She stood quaking like the partridge on which the hawk is ready to seize.

Rake

Pas could not stay, but over him did rake.

Reck

This son of mine not recking danger.

Reckless

It made the king as reckless as them diligent.

Reckoning

You make no further reckoning of it [beauty] than of an outward fading benefit nature bestowed.

Reprehension

This Basilius took as though his mistress had given him a secret reprehension that he had not showed more gratefulness to Dorus.

Retire

He . . . retired himself, his wife, and children into a forest.

Rightfulness

We fail of perfect rightfulness.

Sauce

Then fell she to sauce her desires with threatenings.

Scaffold

That a scaffold of execution should grow a scaffold of coronation.

Sense

This Basilius, having the quick sense of a lover.

Shepherdess

She put herself into the garb of a shepherdess.

Since

About two years since, it so fell out, that he was brought to a great lady's house.

Slide

With a calm carelessness letting everything slide.

Sorrily

Thy pipe, O Pan, shall help, though I sing sorrily.

Sport

Her sports were such as carried riches of knowledge upon the stream of delight.

Spot

My virgin life no spotted thoughts shall stain.

Steady

Their feet steady, their hands diligent, their eyes watchful, and their hearts resolute.

Steal

Fixed of mind to avoid further entreaty, and to fly all company, one night she stole away.

Steely

She would unarm her noble heart of that steely resistance against the sweet blows of love.

Stickle

They ran to him, and, pulling him back by force, stickled that unnatural fray.

Stickler

Basilius, the judge, appointed sticklers and trumpets whom the others should obey.

Surety

For the more surety they looked round about.

Swerve

A maid thitherward did run, To catch her sparrow which from her did swerve.

Tail

Would she turn tail to the heron, and fly quite out another way; but all was to return in a higher pitch.

Trencher-man

The skillfulest trencher-men of Media.

Tyrant

Love, to a yielding heart, is a king, but to a resisting, is a tyrant.

Unnature

A right heavenly nature, indeed, as if were unnaturing them, doth so bridle them [the elements].

Upbraid

How much doth thy kindness upbraid my wickedness!

Vanity

Vanity possesseth many who are desirous to know the certainty of things to come.

Verse

It is not rhyming and versing that maketh a poet.

Vision

No dreams, but visions strange.

Visor

My weaker government since, makes you pull off the visor.

Wand

Though he had both spurs and wand, they seemed rather marks of sovereignty than instruments of punishment.

Ward

She redoubling her blows drove the stranger to no other shift than to ward and go back.

Wassail

Spending all the day, and good part of the night, in dancing, caroling, and wassailing.

Where

She visited that place where first she was so happy.

Whereat

Whereat he was no less angry and ashamed than desirous to obey Zelmane.

Whine

The hounds were . . . staying their coming, but with a whining accent, craving liberty.

Win

Thy virtue wan me; with virtue preserve me.

wise

This song she sings in most commanding wise.

Wish

I wish it may not prove some ominous foretoken of misfortune to have met with such a miser as I am.

With

With that she told me . . . that she would hide no truth from me.

Without

You will never live to my age without you keep yourselves in breath with exercise, and in heart with joyfulness.

Worthiness

She is not worthy to be loved that hath not some feeling of her own worthiness.