Three short appetizers from the 17th century (that taste just as good today)

A Lame Beggar by John Donne

I am unable, yonder beggar cries,
To stand, or move; if he say true, he lies.
(1607)

Of Treason by Sir John Harington

Treason doth never prosper, what's the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.
(1615)

A Man Said to the Universe by Stephen Crane

A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
(1699)