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  ...not to retire.
153 With roomy decks, her guns of mighty strength, Whose low-laid mouths each mounting billow laves; Deep in her draught, and warlike in her length, She seems a sea-wasp flying on the waves.
154 This martial present, piously design'd, The loyal city give their best-loved King: And with a bounty ample as the wind, Built, fitted, and maintain'd, to aid him bring.
155 By viewing Nature, Nature's handmaid, Art, Makes Mighty things from small beginnings grow.   Thus fishes first to shipping did impart, Their tail the rudder, and their head the prow.
156 Some log perhaps upon the waters swam, An useless drift, which, rudely cut within, And, hollow'd, first a floating trough became, And cross some rivulet passage did begin.
157 In shipping such as this, the Irish kern, And untaught Indian, on the stream did glide: Ere sharp-keel'd boats to stem the flood did learn, Or fin-like oars did...   Dryden, John

Excerpt from The Poetical Works of John Dryden, Volume 1 With Life, Critical Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes · This quote is about power · Search on Google Books to find all references and sources for this quotation.

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