As is the bud bit with an envious worm

Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air,

Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): Romeo and Juliet. Act i. Sc. 1.

Learn of the little nautilus to sail,

Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale.

Alexander Pope (1688-1744): Essay on Man. Epistle iii. Line 177.

Soon as the evening shades prevail,

The moon takes up the wondrous tale,

And nightly to the listening earth

Repeats the story of her birth;

While all the stars that round her burn,

And all the planets in their turn,

Confirm the tidings as they roll,

And spread the truth from pole to pole.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719): Ode.

Mocking the air with colours idly spread.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): King John. Act v. Sc. 1.

Masters, spread yourselves.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): A Midsummer Night's Dream. Act i. Sc. 2.