Social Commentaries

Puffing

by Samuel Butler 1613–1680

From The Humorous Poetry of the English Language (ed. James Parton)

Social Commentaries

They that do write in authors' praises,
And freely give their friends their voices
Are not confined to what is true;
That's not to give, but pay a due:
For praise, that's due, does give no more
To worth, than what it had before;
But to commend without desert,
Requires a mastery of art,
That sets a gloss on what's amiss,
And writes what should be, not what is.

MLA

Butler, Samuel. “Puffing.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/butler_samuel/9/.

Chicago

Butler, Samuel. “Puffing.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/butler_samuel/9/.

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