Life & Wisdom Quote by Charles Cotton

A modesty pose with a sharp edge: Cotton frames ambition as self-effacing public service, then quietly keeps the benefits. “I own” has the sound of confession, but it’s also a preemptive defense - he admits his aim before anyone can accuse him of vanity. The balancing act is classic Restoration poetics: after civil war and Puritan austerity, wit returns, but it has to look socially acceptable. Wanting to “profit and to please” borrows the old Horatian mandate (teach and delight) while tweaking it into something more personally pragmatic. Profit isn’t just moral improvement; it’s livelihood. Poets don’t eat applause.

“Unknown” is the sly pivot. Cotton claims he’s content to be anonymous, a stream that nourishes without demanding credit. That’s humility, sure, but it also flatters the audience: you, reader, are the beneficiary of my generosity. It’s marketing disguised as renunciation, a way to widen the circle of relevance beyond patrons and court insiders. If he can “scatter blessings,” he’s not merely entertaining; he’s doing civic good.

The natural metaphor does double duty. Springs “below” suggest a hidden source - inspiration, conscience, maybe God - which lets Cotton dodge the accusation of self-promotion. Yet streams also carve landscapes; they have direction and force. The subtext is that real influence often travels indirectly: the writer who seems least hungry for recognition may be the one most intent on lasting effect.