the Water Poet

[Arthur Neuendorffer]

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John Taylor, the Water Poet, has a poem in The Praise of
Hemp-seed (1620) in which he includes Shakespeare among
famous dead English poets who live on through their works:
.................................................
. In paper, many a poet now survives
. Or else their lines had {P}erish'd with their lives.
. Old Chaucer, Gower, and Sir Thomas More,
. Sir *P{H}ILIP* Sidney, who the laurel wore,
. Spenser, and Shakespea[R]e did in art {E}xc[E]ll,
. Sir Edward *D[Y]ER*, Greene, Nash, [D]aniel.
. Sylvest[E]r, Beaumont, Sir J{O}hn Harrington,
. Forgetfulness their works would over run
. But that i{N} paper they immortally
. Do live in spite of death, and cannot die.
.................................................
. <= 14 =>
.
. I n p a p e r,m a n y a p o
. e t n o w s u r v i v e s O
. r e l s e t h e i r l i n e
. s h a d{P}e r i s h'd w i t
. h t h e i r l i v e s.O l d
. C h a u c e r,G o w e r,a n
. d S i r T h o m a s M o r e,
. S i r*P{H}I L I P*S i d n e
. y,w h o t h e l a u r e l w
. o r e,S p e n s e r,a n d S
. h a k e s p e a[R]e d i d i
. n a r t{E}x c[E]l l,S i r E
. d w a r d*D[Y]E R*G r e e n
. e,N a s h[D]a n i e l.S y l
. v e s t[E]r,B e a u m o n t,
. S i r J{O}h n H a r r i n g
. t o n,F o r g e t f u l n e
. s s t h e i r w o r k s w o
. u l d o v e r r u n B u t t
. h a t i{N}p a p e r t h e y
. i m m o r t a l l y D o l i
. v e i n s p i t e o f d e a
. t h,a n d c a n n o t d i e.
.
[E.DYER] -13
{PHEON} 56
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Art Neuendorffer