Social Commentaries

Of sixe sorts of Fasters

by Sir John Harington 1560–1612

From The Most Elegant and Witty Epigrams (1618), Book 4

Social Commentaries

SIxe sorts of folkes I find vse fasting dayes,
But of these sixe, the sixt I onely praise.
The sicke man fasts, because he cannot eate.
The poore doth fast, because he hath no meate.
The miser fasts, with mind to mend his store.
The glutton, with intent to eate the more.
The hypocrite, thereby to seeme more holy.
The vertuous, to preuent or punish folly.
Now he that eateth fast, and drinkes as fast,
May match these fasters, any but the last.

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Book 4, Epigram 30

MLA

Harington, John. “Of sixe sorts of Fasters.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/harington/206/.

Chicago

Harington, John. “Of sixe sorts of Fasters.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/harington/206/.

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