The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;

The motions of his spirit are dull as night,

And his affections dark as Erebus.

Let no such man be trusted.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): The Merchant of Venice. Act v. Sc. 1.

Peter was dull; he was at first

Dull,—oh so dull, so very dull!

Whether he talked, wrote, or rehearsed,

Still with this dulness was he cursed!

Dull,—beyond all conception, dull.

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822): Peter Bell the Third. Part vii. xi.

Can storied urn, or animated bust,

Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?

Can honour's voice provoke the silent dust,

Or flatt'ry soothe the dull cold ear of death?

Thomas Gray (1716-1771): Elegy in a Country Churchyard. Stanza 11.

And sleep in dull cold marble.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): King Henry VIII. Act iii. Sc. 2.

Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale

Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): King John. Act iii. Sc. 4.

Oh, could I flow like thee, and make thy stream

My great example, as it is my theme!

Though deep, yet clear; though gentle, yet not dull;

Strong without rage; without o'erflowing, full.

Sir John Denham (1615-1668): Cooper's Hill. Line 189.

Dictynna, goodman Dull.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): Love's Labour's Lost. Act iv. Sc. 2.

Peter was dull; he was at first

Dull,—oh so dull, so very dull!

Whether he talked, wrote, or rehearsed,

Still with this dulness was he cursed!

Dull,—beyond all conception, dull.

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822): Peter Bell the Third. Part vii. xi.

This dull product of a scoffer's pen.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850): The Excursion. Book ii.

I never was on the dull, tame shore,

But I loved the great sea more and more.

Bryan W Procter (1787-1874): The Sea.