Grocott & Ward, comps. Grocott’s Familiar Quotations, 6th ed. 189-?.
Seek
’Tis a truth well known to most,
That whatsoever thing is lost;
We seek it, ere it come to light,
In every cranny but the right.
Cowper.—The Retired Cat, Line 95.
He that diligently seeketh good, procureth favour; but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
Proverbs, Chap. xi. Ver. 27.
’Tis time enough to bear a misfortune when it comes, without anticipating it.
Seneca.—Of a Happy Life, Ch. 13.
That man’s unwise will search for ill,
Who may prevent it sitting still.
Herrick.—Hesp. To his Muse, No. IX.
When workmen strive to do better than well,
They do confound their skill in covetousness.
Shakespeare.—King John, Act IV. Scene 2. (Pembroke to Salisbury.)
How far your eyes may pierce I cannot tell,
Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.
Shakespeare.—King Lear, Act I. Scene 4. (Albany to Goneril.)