But search of deep philosophy,
Wit, eloquence, and poetry;
Arts which I lov'd, for they, my friend, were thine." - Meaning and context.">
On the Death of Mr. William Hervey, st. 5
“

We spent them not in toys, in lusts, or wine,
But search of deep philosophy,
Wit, eloquence, and poetry;
Arts which I lov'd, for they, my friend, were thine.

— Abraham Cowley

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "We spent them not in toys, in lusts, or wine,
But search of deep philosophy,
Wit, eloquence, and poetry;
Arts which I lov'd, for they, my friend, were thine." in the context of "On the Death of Mr. William Hervey, st. 5" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Abraham Cowley" (Quotes, Poems (1656)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Abraham Cowley

About Abraham Cowley

Abraham Cowley (1618 – July 28, 1667) was an English metaphysical poet. In his own time he was widely considered the greatest poet of the age.