Grocott & Ward, comps. Grocott’s Familiar Quotations, 6th ed. 189-?.
Work
Mrs. Johnson has blunted her pickaxe with work.
Swift.—Letter to Tickell, 19 July, 1735.
Work, Tibet; work, Annot; work, Margerie;
Sew, Tibet; knit, Annot; spin, Margerie;
Let us see who will win the victory.
Ye sleep but we do not, that shall we try;
Your fingers be numb, our work will not lie.
I will not—I cannot—no more can I:
Then give we all over, and there let it lie.
Nicholas Udall.—The Work Girls’ song in “Royster Doister.”
Work, work, work,
Till the brains begins to swim;
Work, work, work,
Till the eyes are heavy and dim!
Seam and gusset, and band,
Band and gusset and seam,
Till over the buttons I fall asleep,
And sew them on in a dream!
T. Hood.—The Song of the Shirt.