After a Matter of eight Years; and this into Greek for Esop's Fables, The Moon was in a heavy Twitter: Yet I'm satisfied these fine Sayings are some of those that gained him the Reputation of being a polite Writer of English: I have heard that about the Moon very much commended, which shews that we are not sufficiently sensible how mean Words debase a Thought.
"An Essay on Criticism"
John Oldmixon
Faire Cousin, You debase your Princely Knee, To make the base Earth prowd with kissing it.
"Richard-II"
Shakespeare, William
"I will not here," says he, "so far debase myself as to enlarge the ignominious list of those writers, who devote their abilities to justify by policy what morality condemns.
"The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Vol. I"
Thomas Clarkson