sharpnesse

How shall you look for wit from him whose leasure and head, assisted with the examination of his eyes, yeeld you no life or sharpnesse in his writing?

Less Than Words Can Say, Again « Unknowing 2010

Hast thou any sharpnesse of wit, is not dulnesse tedious unto thee?

A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale In a Sermon Preached at a Generall Visitation at Ipswich Samuel Ward

And when as the mountaines and hilles were beautifull, and the northeast winds had left of to make barraine with the sharpnesse of their blasts, the tender sprigs to disquiet the moouing reedes, the fenny Bulrush, and weake Cyprus, to torment the foulding Vines, to trouble the bending

Hypnerotomachia The Strife of Loue in a Dreame Francesco Colonna

And there _Logistica_ hauing ended her allowed talke, proceeding from an absolute knowledge, deepe iudgement, and sharpnesse of wit in Diuine matters, and vnknowne to weake capacities, I began heereat to take greater delight, then in any other meruailous worke what soeuer, that I had graciously beholden with my greedy eyes.

Hypnerotomachia The Strife of Loue in a Dreame Francesco Colonna

He was a man of greate partes and extraordinary indowments of nature, not unadorned with some addicion of Arte and learninge, though that agayne was more improoved and illustrated by the other, for he had a readynesse of conception, and sharpnesse of expressyon, which made his learninge thought more, then in truth it was.

Characters from 17th Century Histories and Chronicles Various

_Hanniball_ did in his Oration to his souldiers, when they should come to passe the Alpes to enter Italie, and for sharpnesse of the weather, and steepnesse of the mountaines their hearts began to faile them.

The Arte of English Poesie George Puttenham

So our wits sharpnesse, which wee should employ 20

Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois George Chapman

Let me have this violence and compulsion removed, there is nothing that, in my seeming, doth more bastardise and dizzie a welborne and gentle nature: If you would have him stand in awe of shame and punishment, doe not so much enure him to it: accustome him patiently to endure sweat and cold, the sharpnesse of the wind, the heat of the sunne, and how to despise all hazards.

Of the Institution and Education of Children. To the Ladie Diana of Foix, Countesse of Gurson. 1909

Northwest winds (the constant visitants of those coasts) send abroad their frozen nimphes, to the infecting of the whole aire with this insufferable sharpnesse ....

Vikings of the Pacific The Adventures of the Explorers who Came from the West, Eastward 1903

But that of the king of China in the fardest part of the Orient, though it be not so terrible is no lesse admirable, & of much sharpnesse and good implication, worthy for the greatest king and conquerour: and it is, two strange serpents entertangled in their amorous congresse, the lesser creeping with his head into the greaters mouth, with the words purporting [ama & time] loue & feare.

The Arte of English Poesie 1569