Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls must dive below.
John Dryden, All for Love (1678), prologue.
All for Love; or, The World Well Lost, is a blank verse drama on the tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, written by Dryden in imitation of Shakespeare’s play. The Prologue is a plea to the playwright’s critics to look kindly on his work and to appreciate it for its hidden riches.
Diving for Pearls 