A man so various, that he seem'd to be

Not one, but all mankind's epitome;

Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong,

Was everything by starts, and nothing long;

But in the course of one revolving moon

Was chymist, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon.

John Dryden (1631-1701): Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 545.

With many a stiff thwack, many a bang,

Hard crab-tree and old iron rang.

Samuel Butler (1600-1680): Hudibras. Part i. Canto ii. Line 831.