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by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

This is a brave night to cool a...
Language: English 
This is a brave night to cool a courtezan.
I'll speak a prophecy ere I go:
When priests are more in word than matter;
When brewers mar their malt with water;
When nobles are their tailors' tutors;
No heretics burn'd, but wenches' suitors;
When every case in law is right;
No squire in debt, nor no poor knight;
When slanders do not live in tongues;
Nor cutpurses come not to throngs;
When usurers tell their gold i' the field;
And bawds and whores do churches build;
Then shall the realm of Albion
Come to great confusion:
Then comes the time, who lives to see't,
That going shall be used with feet.
This prophecy Merlin shall make; for I live before his time.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   S. Ebel 

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in King Lear, Act III, Scene 2 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


This text (or a part of it) is used in a work
  • by Steven Ebel , "The fool's air and prophecy", 2007. [tenor, flute, violin, cello, piano]
      • Go to the full setting text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2019-03-20
Line count: 17
Word count: 122

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