John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
591 William Shakespeare 1564-1616 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 591 |
| AUTHOR: | William Shakespeare (1564–1616) |
| QUOTATION: | Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That in a spleen unfolds both heaven and earth, And ere a man hath power to say, “Behold!” The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Act i. Sc. 1. [text] |
| WORKS: | William Shakespeare Collection. |